Scene 2.05 - Athens Live!
EST: INT./EXT. Tour bus -- A Summer day.
(PANDORA is eating chocolate and sipping coffee. She is not amused. BOBBY is nervously figeting about in his seat.)
PANDORA
I told them to change that ad, I’m a blonde now. They should-a used the new one.
TELEVISION ANNOUNCER #2
Internet Television - The first, the best. When you want it... now.
SHOW OPEN: ATHENS LIVE
YOUNG SINGER
Internet Television brings you ATHENS LIVE! With your host Sereece “The IT-girl” Athens.
SEREECE
Hello, and welcome to Athens Live! I’m your host Sereece Athens and on today’s show we’re exploring the music scene. The century-old question: Rock and roll, good for the heart or bad for your head? We’re live with rock artist and Online Metal’s three-year winner of the Heavy Platinum award, Bobby Pluto of the rock band Tartarus. (Studio applause.) With him today is female vocal legend Pandora, who is best known for her “anti-conversion” from chart-topping Christian Contemporary to record-setting Pagan Rock. (A few cheers and howls.) How are you doing today? I hear you’re on the road, driving through, Kansas?
BOBBY
Yes, Sereece, that’s true, we’re on our way to Wichita, we’re all excited about giving our fans a great show.
SEREECE
And you, Pandora? Last time you played in the Midwest, it was on the “Christian Comfort” tour. Do you think you’ll see many of those fans at Saturday night’s performance?
PANDORA
Well, the funny thing is, yes I do occasionally get e-mails from fans who like all of my music. In fact, one fan says she does laundry while listening to my songs. She plays Cleanse Me As White As My Savior’s Soul during the wash and plays Hot As A Demon’s Kiss while unloading the dryer.
SEREECE
Well, I’m sure many of your fans read into your lyrics in ways you might not have thought about when you wrote them.
PANDORA
Yeah, I guess so.
SEREECE
Which brings us to today’s topic: Are musicians responsible for the actions people do because of subliminal instructions found in the music that they create? From serial killers being led to believe songs gave instructions for cult sacrifice, to the "legislative revolution" sponsored by music-crazed youth who are obsessed with third-millenium disco, we’ll be exploring this topic on today’s show. Comments, Pandora?
PANDORA
As far as people reading into my lyrics, I want to add that the effect can be positive as well. During the release of “Baptize My Love” many churches wrote me, saying because the song was popular, they noticed a rise in their congregational attendance among the youth. That being said, I should also should mention that-
SEREECE
Well talk more about your concert in just a minute, Pandora, (Looks to camera:) but right now we’re going to meet another guest of the show, Senator Ephraim Millstone of Arizona, who is sponsoring legislation to redefine our community standards and our national obscenity laws. He’s sponsoring a bill to mandate further age-restrictions on some forms of music and art. Senator, good evening, and welcome to the show.
EPHRAIM
Thank you, Ms. Athens, I just want to take a moment to be clear about this; it’s important that the voting public knows that good music, the music that a decent citizen would enjoy is not affected by this bill at all. Only music with objectionable lyrics -- lyrics that instruct or suggest immoral, illegal, violent or obscene material would be reserved for discerning authorities, to include those subliminal messages that tell good, church-going folk to leave their faith. We’re merely solidifying the great strides made with drinking, driving and association legislation that leaves mature material to the exclusivity of adults and keeps harmful, possibly terrorist instructions from an impressionable and irresponsible youth.
BOBBY
(To PANDORA, Over EPHRAIM:) That’s the- that’s the guy who got my tour dates cancelled in Arizona last year.
PANDORA
(Over EPHRAIM;) Think he’s trouble?
BOBBY
(Over EPHRAIM:) Nah, he’s an idiot. His re-election was a landslide, but outside of Arizona, people just think he’s a nut.
PANDORA
(Over EPHRAIM:) I dunno, Bobby, alotta my fans burned their albums and tore up my posters when I went pagan, and they weren’t all from Arizona.
SEREECE
So this would be more like the driving-age restriction and less like the voting-age restriction?
EPHRAIM
Tipper Gore, may God rest her soul, was martyred for her progressive stance in protecting our children from filth. Today, we’re continuing her vision to bring her vision of decency to every American household. What I’m calling Tipper’s Bill, will ensure that young people, and adults who contribute to their delinquency, are held accountable for their harms to society -- and I won’t rest a day until the President signs this bill into law.
BOBBY
Then he’s gonna be one restless dude. The President is one of my biggest fans. Remember the White House party?
EPHRAIM
We must block this avenue to delinquency.
PANDORA
How can I forget? You almost got us busted. You almost got us all busted. We had to eat your stash, remember?
BOBBY
Yeah, that's right. You did. Who did you land up-
PANDORA
Let's drop it, okay? (Sees a publicity photo of BOBBY and PERCY on the television. Over SEREECE:) Oh, here you go!
SEREECE
It’s interesting that you used the word delinquency... We have a clip from a news broadcast that aired on our affiliate station four years ago about our featured guest Bobby Pluto and his wife, Percy Fawney. (Cut back to SEREECE:) You might find the story interesting, Senator, and we’d love to get Bobby’s reaction and an update. (Looks off.) Can we see the story?
PANDORA
Oh. Play it cool, Bobby. You’re right. The people who matter already know that.
CUT TO: