 |
| The Chateau Marmont where filming of my movie is to take place. |
One song I used to love to play over and over again back in the day was "Hotel California" by The Eagles. There was something so moody and creepy about the song with its horrific, trippy imagery that was all created through the power of lyrics, vocals, and instruments.
I recently watched The Big Lebowski for probably the 1,000th time, and, if you've seen it, you know The Dude hates The Eagles and loves Creedence Clearwater Revival. There's this scene where The Dude is at the bowling alley, with Walter and Donnie, practicing for a major bowling tournament that is coming up soon, and Walter and The Dude, without the vacant Donny, are sizing up one of the formidable opponents, Jesus. During a slow-mo scene, we see Jesus picking up his bowling ball, giving it a tongue tickle, and rolling it down the lane all while a Hispanic version of "Hotel California" by The Travelling Gypsies is playing. I downloaded this version after I finished the movie, and I've been playing it back-to-back with the originial mixed in, and I got this idea that there should be a "Hotel California" movie. There's enough material there for a movie, and I think a music video just wouldn't be as satisfying. The lyrics practically write the script.
Take a look at the lyrics and my small annotations for the making of a movie. It makes little sense, but this is a start. Look out for my script pitch, Weinstein brothers. I got a little something for you two, big boys.
On a dark desert highway (change scene with driving through Hollywood Hills), cool wind in my (Joseph Gordon-Levitt's hair) hair (driving a old, 60s Ford Mustang and speeding to get away from someone after committing a crime)
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light (The Hotel California which looks like the Chateau Marmont)
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim (looks drugged or entranced)
I had to stop for the night
There she (played by Sharon Stone) stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell" (Ends up being purgatory)
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way (through dust, chandeliers, velvet fabrics, and art deco)
There were voices down the corridor (eerie laughs and giggles with a underwater, dizzying effect),
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face (referring to his face)
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends (Sharon's expensive tastes; jewels, cars, caviar)
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys (gorgeous homosexual entourage) she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget (beautiful women and men in all fashions from times forgotten--flappers, caftans, Victorian dress, ball gowns, seer-sucker suits, panama suits, tuxedos, masks, cat ears, devil horns)
So I called up the Captain,
"Please bring me my wine"
He said, "We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine" (the hotel died and never lived to see 1970)
And still those voices are calling from far away (giggling, sexy invitations),
Wake you up in the middle of the night (He suffers from insominia)
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis (To testify you should be let out of purgatory to go to either heaven or hell)
Mirrors on the ceiling, (bacchnalian escapades)
The pink champagne on ice
And she said "We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
They stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast (the beast of all variations of appetites)
Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back (movie revolves around struggle to find a passage back)
To the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man, (night man relaxing with a smoke)
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! " (you only check in when you die in a car crash careening off the Hollywood Hills and the hotel is purgatory)
No comments:
Post a Comment