0:00:26 > 0:00:32Nigel Finch died last month of an Aids-related illness on Valentine's Day. He was 45.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35As a director and co-editor of Arena with Anthony Wall,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39he was one of the most original and brilliant talents in television.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44Nigel shot his first film when he was still in his teens, cajoling friends and neighbours
0:00:44 > 0:00:47into taking roles for little or no financial reward.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50A talent he was to perfect in later life.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55He began his career at London Weekend Television but moved to the BBC in the mid 70s,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59where he remained, mainly in music and arts, for the rest of his life.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01His earliest films were about the visual arts,
0:01:01 > 0:01:07one of his passions, and even his earlier pieces have a distinctive style and look -
0:01:07 > 0:01:08the hallmark of a unique eye.
0:01:08 > 0:01:14At the BBC he became notorious for his humour, anarchy, ambition and dress sense.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The first time I saw Nigel, he was revving up a huge black motorcycle,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20his leather jacket shining in the sun,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22his barking laugh audible half a mile away.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25"This man makes arts documentaries?"
0:01:25 > 0:01:27I said to a friend. "Well, not exactly."
0:01:27 > 0:01:31She lent me copies of My Way and The Private Life Of The Ford Cortina.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Suddenly it all made sense.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36These early films for Arena completely broke the mould
0:01:36 > 0:01:39of what an arts documentary was supposed to be.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43"Make a film about a song?" some bureaucrat complained, "Give me a break."
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Such ideas are commonplace now.
0:01:45 > 0:01:4816 years ago they were considered outrageous.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51But although Nigel's ideas have been copied,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54no-one else has matched his wit or technical verve.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58And now he's gone, leaving behind a treasure house for us -
0:01:58 > 0:02:0130 films packed with memorable ideas and images.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Nigel had been living with Aids for years and, in his case, living was the operative word.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09He worked to the end on his first feature film, Stonewall,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13which will be released on both sides of the Atlantic this year.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Nigel wanted to complete a feature film before he died.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It is somehow typical of him that he got what he wanted.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25Word is that the story of the 1969 gay riots in New York is Nigel's finest work.
0:02:25 > 0:02:31We can't see Stonewall for a while but tonight there's a chance to re-view The Chelsea Hotel -
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Nigel's personal favourite and, I have to say, mine too.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39Nigel celebrated difference in people and loved to get below the surface of things.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42This project offered ample opportunity for both.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47The Chelsea Hotel in New York is famous for the exotic individualism of its inhabitants.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51And, to the outsider, seems an enclosed Bohemia only for initiates.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Nigel throws open the doors of its rarefied rooms,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56capturing a hothouse world
0:02:56 > 0:03:00with an enchanting mix of satire and affection.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The roll call of avant-garde artists in the Chelsea Hotel
0:03:03 > 0:03:06is one of the most wide ranging ever assembled on film.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Andy Warhol, Viva, Nico, Quentin Crisp,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Virgil Thomson and William Burroughs all put in appearances.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Funnily, that wasn't the appeal for Nigel.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18He was equally interested, perhaps more interested,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22in the struggling artists no-one had heard of, except mothers and lovers.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26The Chelsea is a haven for those who don't follow the normal rules.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28A place that nurtures non-conformity.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33As a person, Nigel was as unconventional and surprising as his films.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39With The Chelsea Hotel he created a magical world typical of himself and Arena at their very best.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57SIRENS BLARE
0:05:00 > 0:05:07# Every street's full of art in old New York
0:05:07 > 0:05:12# Every street's a highway full of green
0:05:12 > 0:05:18# Why, it's a thrill to shop on 34th Street
0:05:18 > 0:05:21# Or down in Union Square
0:05:21 > 0:05:24# All of the people you meet on Mulberry Street
0:05:24 > 0:05:27# Have you ever been there?
0:05:27 > 0:05:32# Every street's a boulevard in old New York
0:05:32 > 0:05:36# So remember and you'll never wear a frown
0:05:36 > 0:05:41# There's the East Side The West Side, Uptown and Down
0:05:41 > 0:05:46# That's why I'm proud to be the mayor of this town. #
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Thank you.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I'd like to welcome you to the Chelsea Hotel,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56one of the most distinguished structures in all of New York.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59It takes its name from the area we're in.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00It's a centre of creativity
0:06:00 > 0:06:03you might compare with Florence during the Renaissance.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Some of the greatest talents of the 20th century have stayed here.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12You'll notice the plaques here refer to Dylan Thomas, Brendan Behan and Thomas Wolfe.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16In fact, Thomas Wolfe wrote You Can't Go Home Again, most of it, in this hotel.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20And both Brendan Behan and Dylan Thomas stayed here when they came to New York.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24They drank themselves to death at the White Horse on 11th Street.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Then they'd come and collapse here.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Later they were buried from St Lukes In The Field in Greenwich Village.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33If you've had a tour, you've seen the church.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Some of the other people were Charles James, the famous couturier,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Lillian Russell - Diamond Jim Brady was her boyfriend.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Mark Twain. Henry Cartier-Bresson, he's the man who does
0:06:45 > 0:06:48the wonderful photographs. When he comes to New York he stays here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Arthur Miller and his wife stay.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Janis Joplin did stay here, that's right.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56A lot of people, famous people, have stayed here.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Of course, Sid Vicious was here.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30You sign your name and from whence you cometh.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36DOG BARKS
0:07:40 > 0:07:44There are things that go on here that are very far from the norm.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46They just...
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I don't think most people realise how strange it is.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Now, what is it you wanna know?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Wanna know all the good about the Chelsea Hotel?
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I told you before, I'm not gonna tell.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38The Chelsea's the only place to work.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41If I don't say that I won't be working here much longer.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54What can I tell ya, I won't tell anything about anybody's life.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57It's my business, not yours!
0:09:01 > 0:09:05It's good to have you here at the Chelsea, and welcome aboard.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15It's a little warmer in here, isn't it?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Yes, it was rather cold outside.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Well, I'm very glad you all turned up on such a terrible day.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Now, are we all here?
0:09:25 > 0:09:27You're at the end, Mr Freisach.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Now, we're in the lobby. This was built as an apartment, not a hotel,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32so this would have been the lobby.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35We are going to go in to see the managers office.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Remember, the manager's office is not just the manager's office
0:09:39 > 0:09:41but at one time it was the home of someone.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Think of it at as someone's home.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46We're going to go into his office. Look at all of the art work.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58I'm going to walk over here. Here is Stanley Bard, the manager.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Sorry to interrupt you.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01That's OK. How are you?
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Very well! Nice to see you again.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- Pleasure to see you.- Thank you.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Why don't you all come in here?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Cluster around, so you can see the office.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Is everybody in here...?
0:10:12 > 0:10:13Everyone in the group?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I don't want to lose anybody.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18OK, you can see this is Mr Bard's Office.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21They put up a partition but this would have been a Parlour.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24A front parlour, reception room, for someone's home...
0:10:26 > 0:10:28My job never ends.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31I have an open line connection to the hotel 24 hours.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36I want it that way because I can keep in touch with the hotel 24 hours
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and I know what's happening.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I believe in flexibility in management.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I never believed in, um... tight policy-making.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50I'd rather gear my policy making to fit the needs of the individual.
0:10:50 > 0:10:56Suddenly a big bull frog hopped out of the water and sat down on a log beside him.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Ug! Ug! Ug! Ug!
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Lovely evening.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Ug! Ug! Ug! Ug!
0:11:03 > 0:11:05I said lovely evening.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Ug! Ug! Ug! Ug!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I said bee-yoo-tee-full evening.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Hello. Ug! Hello. Ug!
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Hello.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17But Tubby just sat.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21"Oh well," said the Frog, "Oh well, if I'm not wanted.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25"Oh!" cried Tubby "Please, Mr Frog, come back.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27"I didn't mean to be impolite."
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Back hopped the frog.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32"Oh, that's all right, I'm used to it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35"No one pays any attention to me either."
0:11:35 > 0:11:37"Really?" said Tubby.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39"Why of course!
0:11:39 > 0:11:42"Every night I sit here and sing my heart out,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44"but does anyone listen?
0:11:44 > 0:11:45"Oh, no."
0:11:45 > 0:11:48"Can you sing?" asked Tubby.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50"Can I sing? Listen."
0:11:50 > 0:11:53HE PLAYS THE PIANO
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I moved into this hotel 24 years ago
0:12:35 > 0:12:40because I got tired of walking eight flights every night in my tenement.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41And, um...
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I started to raise plants
0:12:44 > 0:12:48because I was in the flower district, on 28th Street.
0:12:48 > 0:12:54And then I decided to put a canary in and this whole mess started of that.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59They became pythons, tarantulas and...things like that.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02And now the greatest animal of all happened to me recently.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05I met a lady, Susan, over there,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08who loves plants and animals.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I'm not sure how she likes pythons and boa constrictors.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And the hobby grew, and the hobby grew, and the hobby grew...
0:13:17 > 0:13:21and now I've found that we in New York City can create,
0:13:21 > 0:13:26in this concrete jungle, a place of happiness, of greenery and plants.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30So I've been very happy here,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33thanks to you.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Lucky man, lucky man, lucky man!
0:13:39 > 0:13:44I actually met George before... I met him on the elevator
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and I fell in love when I heard him laugh.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50I was going down on a Monday to work in a very grouchy mood
0:13:50 > 0:13:53and said something about the elevator, which had broken down.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58George laughed with his great big belly laugh of his... That's funny!
0:13:58 > 0:14:01All of a sudden, I warmed up and the day seemed beautiful.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I said, "That man has the most wonderful laugh in the world."
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I had no idea who he was and didn't meet him again for two months,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12when I met him down at the good old bar downstairs.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15At which point, he immediately asked me to come up
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and see his jungle, not his etchings!
0:14:26 > 0:14:30My biggest theatrical success in New York
0:14:30 > 0:14:33was a story about a cockroach...
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and an alley cat, Mehitabel.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And here she is.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43You see, Mehitabel is always being scolded
0:14:43 > 0:14:46by Archie the cockroach
0:14:46 > 0:14:50because he wants her to turn into a nice, tame house cat.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55Mehitabel says, "Oh Archie, why do I want to be a tame house cat?"
0:14:55 > 0:15:00And, er... "I have my problems and I don't try to change you.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02"Why do you try to change me?"
0:15:02 > 0:15:04She said, "Don't change me, Archie."
0:15:04 > 0:15:09And this is the story of my life and all of our lives.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Everyone is always trying to change us. And Mehitable sings.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16# My youth I shall never forget
0:15:17 > 0:15:21# And there's nothing I really regret
0:15:21 > 0:15:26# The years I have poured down the drain
0:15:26 > 0:15:30# Have sparkled like golden champagne
0:15:30 > 0:15:35# I don't care to dance with a king
0:15:35 > 0:15:39# But with any old beggar I'll sing
0:15:39 > 0:15:44# I'll dance in the sun or the shade
0:15:44 > 0:15:48# To any old tune that is played
0:15:48 > 0:15:53# It's cheerio, deario Prance and pirouette
0:15:53 > 0:15:55# It's cheerio, my deario
0:15:55 > 0:15:59# There's life in me yet... #
0:16:07 > 0:16:12# ..I'll sing all my troubles away... #
0:16:14 > 0:16:17On the very first time I ever came here,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I think I only stayed five days
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and there was a robbery, a fire and a murder.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30I came here to try to become a resident alien.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33That's my fundamental object.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I've had my photograph taken
0:16:35 > 0:16:39and I've filled in the forms and now I can't do anymore except wait.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45All people who come back to England from America,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47the first thing they say is,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50"It's more like the movies than you would ever dream."
0:16:52 > 0:16:54And it is.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59From the moment I saw New York, I wanted it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Apart from the beauty of the place,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05in New York there are no strangers.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09People warned me that I would be robbed with violence
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and I don't know whether this is so or not,
0:17:12 > 0:17:18but I can safely say that all the people who are not hitting you over the head, are your friends.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20They talk to you in the street,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24they turn back having passed you in order to say, "Welcome to America."
0:17:26 > 0:17:27Can't ask for more than that.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30SIRENS BLARE
0:17:31 > 0:17:35First of all, I unpack...
0:17:36 > 0:17:38..and I unpack quickly
0:17:38 > 0:17:42because almost all my luggage is bottles
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and it's bottles of witch hazel
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and it's bottles of peroxide
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and it's bottles of this, that and the other.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50And one is terrified...
0:17:52 > 0:17:57Most of all, one is terrified that the dye with which I do my hair will have broken.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01In that case, everything in the suitcase will be bright purple...
0:18:01 > 0:18:02forever.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08Style, as I would define it, is never, of course, elegant.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13It is simply an idiom which arose spontaneously from you
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and everybody has an individuality.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20All you have to do is to learn how to present it
0:18:20 > 0:18:23because you've nothing else to give the world
0:18:23 > 0:18:26which no-one else can give, except yourself.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Of all the cities I've ever visited,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43the one most totally given over to the idea of success
0:18:43 > 0:18:45is New York.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48All those people down there
0:18:48 > 0:18:51are either hurrying or sauntering
0:18:51 > 0:18:54towards what they call the big time.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58If my voice were loud enough, I would now shout down
0:18:58 > 0:19:00to explain all they need
0:19:00 > 0:19:04is to have a lifestyle of their very own
0:19:04 > 0:19:09and it's appropriate that I should be standing on this balcony
0:19:09 > 0:19:11to discuss this matter,
0:19:11 > 0:19:16because this is the hotel where the great stylists have lived.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Also, when Brendan Behan stayed here, he was outrageous.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24He wrote a play called Borstal Boy and he was rather a drunk,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28so they say, and he used to stand in the halls
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and holler up the staircase.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33He used to like to hear the echo, the hollering. Arrhhh.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35And loved to hear echoes. You could hear the echoes.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Hello, there!
0:19:38 > 0:19:41This is one of the tenants coming down...
0:19:41 > 0:19:44And he also had a habit of chasing chambermaids.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I understand he was rather a sensuous man
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and finally got to the point that all the chambermaids,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53when they straightened up his room, made sure he was dressed.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55I gather he was an exhibitionist.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00I don't know what to say, except I absolutely must decline
0:20:00 > 0:20:03to dance through the streets like Gertrude Stein.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09As for Alice, I'd sooner shake a beer in a great big box of chocolates.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12She said when she was dying, "What is the answer?"
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Then she said, "What is the question?"
0:20:19 > 0:20:22# I will give you a golden balls
0:20:22 > 0:20:25# Off with the children in the hall
0:20:25 > 0:20:28# If you'll marry, marry, Marry marry,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30# If you'll marry me.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33# I will give you the keys of my chest
0:20:33 > 0:20:36# And all the money that I possess
0:20:36 > 0:20:39# If you'll marry, marry Marry, marry
0:20:39 > 0:20:41# If you'll marry me. #
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Brendan was in New York, was being thrown out of one hotel after another
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and just wasn't able to write.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54And Bernard, who I had known from other writers and from other poets,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58called me up and said, "Stanley, I wonder if you can help me out.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00"We have a real problem with Brendan Behan,
0:21:00 > 0:21:05"I'm sure you're aware of what's happening with him in his life." And I said, "I really am."
0:21:05 > 0:21:08"I tell you, Bernard, I don't know if we can manage that,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13"because what I hear about him, or what I read about him, he's in a sad, sad shape."
0:21:13 > 0:21:16He says, "Would you do me a favour and give it a shot?
0:21:16 > 0:21:20"I mean, if there's any place he could possibly put himself together, it would be The Chelsea.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22"Would you do me a favour?"
0:21:22 > 0:21:28And reluctantly - because he was in the papers almost every other day
0:21:28 > 0:21:31getting in trouble with the police,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33with just a lot of different people - I said OK.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40# I will give you a watch and chain
0:21:40 > 0:21:43# To show the children in the lane
0:21:43 > 0:21:46# If you'll marry, marry Marry, marry,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48# If you'll marry me. #
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Brendan thought that he could not have children,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55that his wife was infinite, his wife could not conceive.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58His wife thought he was impotent and he couldn't conceive.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02No-one knew what the situation was but his wife came over,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Bernard brought his wife over
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and wanted to make his life, sort of, a homely type atmosphere
0:22:08 > 0:22:10to finish these last two books.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Beatrice spent one year here
0:22:12 > 0:22:17and the ironic part of that is, she conceived here in the hotel.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20And I always shocked and kidded Brendan about it, see,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23The Chelsea is so creative, we can do these miracles.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28The shopper can use this place as a place to rest.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30A lady could be shopping,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33cos this is the height of the shopping district,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36it was where the ladies mall was, and where Coopers was
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and they could stop here for a breath of fresh air.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43OK, now we're going to go to one of the many floors.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46We'll work our way down and talk about people on the floors.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50On this floor, at one time, Brendan Behan lived,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52and Virgil Thompson lives on this floor right now.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I'm sure you've heard of Virgil Thompson.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59In fact, there was a spread about his apartment in the New York Times.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Well, I write music here,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44or somewhere else if I happen to be travelling.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Things having to do with theatre or a public appearance...
0:23:54 > 0:24:00that involves rehearsals and performances in other places.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I have rehearsals here for say, chamber music,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05but I can't have a full orchestra rehearsal here.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23It's a photograph of Gertrude Stein, taken in Florence, I think.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Alice Topliss gave it to me some years ago.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31I knew Gertrude Stein for 20 years and Alice for 40.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36When I was a student, Alice B Topliss's recipe for cake was famous.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Oh, marijuana brownies!
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Well, there's another recipe that came out in the English edition of her cookbook,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49which was suppressed in America...
0:24:49 > 0:24:53for hashish fudge.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Hashish is normally eaten with chocolate.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04The classical pot smokers will eat a chocolate with each cigarette.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Did you ever eat Alice B Topliss's cookies?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09No! I don't think she ever made them.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12I think she put it in for fun.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27This apartment was lived in, before I took it,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30by the manager of the hotel.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33He had been careful about the flat
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and hadn't had the woodwork painted over.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39This is the original woodwork.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44The mantelpieces in the building, bookcases and all that.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48It's period stuff and it's very handsome.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00Hotels are extremely good working places because you can cut off the telephones.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Just tell the operator not to ring you.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07A lot of people here have said that they get a lot of excitement
0:26:07 > 0:26:10from being in a building where other people worked before them.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15- Could be.- Do you get that yourself? Is that important?- Not at my age.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20They're more likely to get a thrill out of the fact that I'm here
0:26:20 > 0:26:23than I get a thrill of their being here.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26How are you, Larry?
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- I'm all right. Will you fill out that form?- I'll fill out this form.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34The reason why I I asked you down is because I'm having great difficulty.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37I never knew the actual title of the painting.
0:26:37 > 0:26:43The title out in the lobby. The title is Dutch Masters And Cigars -
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Shaped I.
0:26:46 > 0:26:481964.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57- OK, I see this signature.- Where?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I see Dutch Masters.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Dutch Masters is not a signature.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I saw Rivers. Oh, here.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Where?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09You're blind. In other words, the signature must be on the back.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Unless you want me to sign it now, on camera.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13Yeah, I'd like you to sign it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18- Right there.- I finally got you to sign this, after all these years.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19All right... Larry.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Now I sign with two names.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24At the time, I would have signed it Rivers.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I don't know what had got into me.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Somewhere along the line, I think Peter Beard said...
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Should I put 64?
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Peter Beard said, "You know,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38"Barney Newman, he doesn't sign Newman." Barnett Newman, so...
0:27:38 > 0:27:43- So, since about 1975, I've been signing...- "Larry Rivers."
0:27:43 > 0:27:45There it is, Stanley.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Now it's official. This proves I really did it.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- OK.- Here in the Chelsea Hotel. My home away from home.- What?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I liked the days that I stayed here, Stanley.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It was a nice time. It was funny.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00It was sexy. It was interesting.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02A lot of time has passed.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03I still feel this.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Arthur Miller is coming back.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- Viva is back now. Remember Viva? - I certainly remember Viva.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13In that chair, she was breast feeding her child and there was a commotion.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I had to grab her into the office.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- What, somebody objected to it?- Yes.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20- Breast feeding was not permitted in those days.- That's what I mean.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23A lot of people think the Chelsea is full of freaks.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26At the point that I was here, it had a very substantial,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29conservative element in this hotel,
0:28:29 > 0:28:34- mixed with the bohemian... - It was the avant-garde.
0:28:34 > 0:28:35The Chelsea was avant-garde.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38The forefront of every kind of creative....
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Why do think it all took place? Cheap rooms? No?- Cheap rooms.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45- Fun people. Flexible management. - That's what I meant.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50- Viva also...- Will I have fun, if I come back?- Larry, I promise. - Can I knock on any...?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Walk down the hallway, knock on any door and get a welcome?
0:28:53 > 0:28:55- Only if I go first.- All right.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Good afternoon and welcome,
0:28:59 > 0:29:05British viewers and cosmic viewers, to the Chelsea Hotel short story hour.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09My name is Bernard Lyce.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Room 822, Chelsea Hotel.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18Our story today involves a snake.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23SINGING IN DIALECT
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Once upon a time,
0:29:55 > 0:29:59a snake descended to the earth from the heavens.
0:29:59 > 0:30:06It took the form of a beautiful man in order to be more at ease with the inhabitants of earth.
0:30:06 > 0:30:12Besides the art of disguise, the snake had many, many powers.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The snake moved with magic,
0:30:16 > 0:30:22allowing the earth people to see many things they had forgotten.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02I think that, myself being a dancer,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05I'm probably the sum total
0:31:05 > 0:31:10of all the teachers and other dancers that have made definite influences on me.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17This is my way of making a personal tribute to all those people
0:31:17 > 0:31:21who have been influential, as far as my career goes.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26And so I, would like to mention George Balanchine,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30Doris Novikof, Mary Staton, Diane Doretti, Rodney Swan,
0:31:30 > 0:31:36Mary Lewis, Muriel Stuart, Walter Nicks, Irene Larsen, Charles Wideman.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39They're all here in me somewhere.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59On this floor, at one time, Oscar Wilde stayed here. He didn't live here, of course.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01He stayed here when he was visiting.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03I've a wonderful story about Oscar Wilde.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06When Oscar Wilde was going through American Customs,
0:32:06 > 0:32:11someone asked him, what did he have to declare. He said, "I have nothing to declare but my genius."
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Another person who lived on this floor, was Sarah Bernhardt.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20When Mark Twain came here he'd frequently stay at the Chelsea Hotel.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24On the next floor, one of America's greatest playwrights lived at one point.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26That was Tennessee Williams.
0:32:26 > 0:32:30He stayed here, probably when he first came to New York.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Notice the painting. It looks like a Jackson Pollock.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36At one time, Jackson Pollock stayed here.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41So, all the immortals of the 20th century, at one time or another, have probably stayed at the Chelsea.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Mr Cole, what do you think of modern art?
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Yes. I'm not modern arts drawn.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33No more modern art.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37What's wrong with modern art?
0:33:39 > 0:33:42WHAT'S WRONG WITH MODERN ART?
0:33:44 > 0:33:45Everything.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51It makes me laugh.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56You think modern art's funny, do you?
0:33:56 > 0:33:59It is, all over.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Its day is over.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04What they call modern art.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10Who is your favourite artist?
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Sargent.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22I am so old that I don't care really about any art.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25How old are you?
0:34:27 > 0:34:29104.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35PIANO PLAYS
0:34:55 > 0:34:57# Join us for the feast
0:34:57 > 0:35:00# New York is a
0:35:00 > 0:35:02# Sunday brunch
0:35:03 > 0:35:06# East, young man, go east
0:35:06 > 0:35:08# We're having
0:35:08 > 0:35:10# A Sunday brunch
0:35:12 > 0:35:16# Wine and dine your dreams until they all come true
0:35:16 > 0:35:20# Romance 'em, in a handsome, down Fifth Avenue
0:35:20 > 0:35:24# At St Patrick's buy 'em diamond rosaries
0:35:24 > 0:35:28# Hence a confession up at Tiffany's
0:35:28 > 0:35:36# Pleased ease into New York and join us for Sunday brunch
0:35:36 > 0:35:43# Drop your knife and fork, it's only a naked lunch
0:35:45 > 0:35:48# You can have your fairy-tale and eat it too
0:35:48 > 0:35:52# Happily ever after hours All night through
0:35:52 > 0:35:53# Drop in any time
0:35:53 > 0:35:57# We just love having you for
0:35:57 > 0:36:00# Sunday brunch. #
0:36:02 > 0:36:04What's it like, living in a pyramid?
0:36:04 > 0:36:06My razor blades stay very sharp.
0:36:08 > 0:36:15I have incredible flashes of creativity, just sitting, right here on the second floor of this house.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22What do they say? One-third of the way up in a pyramid
0:36:22 > 0:36:25in the centre is where the most energy is concentrated.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30So, I have my working chair here, I have my piano here, I have my desk over there.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35I come out with things that I can't even believe are coming out of me when I'm writing or composing.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Sunday Brunch is the theme song for my latest play.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43It's about a tourist who comes to New York and he meets all these outrageous people.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46It's...semi-cannibalistic.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49He becomes eaten alive in the streets of New York.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52- Is that your own experience?- What?
0:36:52 > 0:36:55My own experience! Oh, every day.
0:36:55 > 0:37:01# Please ease into New York and join us for
0:37:01 > 0:37:03# Sunday brunch
0:37:03 > 0:37:08# Drop your knife and fork It's only a
0:37:09 > 0:37:12# Naked lunch
0:37:12 > 0:37:16# You can have your fairy-tale and eat it too
0:37:16 > 0:37:19# Happily ever after hours All night through
0:37:19 > 0:37:24# Drop in any time We just love having you for
0:37:24 > 0:37:27# Sunday brunch
0:37:27 > 0:37:30# Sunday brunch
0:37:31 > 0:37:34# We'd love having you for Sunday brunch
0:37:36 > 0:37:40# You'd be delicious for Sunday brunch
0:37:42 > 0:37:45# We're so hungry
0:37:45 > 0:37:48# We love having you
0:37:48 > 0:37:52# For Sunday brunch. #
0:37:58 > 0:38:00It's cream sauce.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05Come on, don't you know the colour between mustard and cream?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08This is the first time I've ever had hare.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- Hare?- Yeah, it's really good.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14- It's unusual. - It's a rabbit, isn't that a hare?
0:38:14 > 0:38:17What is the official name of the meal?
0:38:17 > 0:38:19It's supposed to be lapin a la moutarde.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22There's a lot more cream than anything.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Where did you find a rabbit?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26They order it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29'And on this floor,'
0:38:29 > 0:38:32this is where Andy Warhol made his classic, the Chelsea Girls.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Andy Warhol was originally a woman's shoe illustrator.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Then, he painted some tomato soup cans and went on to fame and fortune and glory.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44This man is making repairs. There's wet paint.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46The other favourite food is Texan food, though.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49You like that food or not?
0:38:49 > 0:38:51I do like that type of food.
0:38:51 > 0:38:56- Not chilli but the chicken fried steaks...- Not chilli. Sort of.... - I had one the other night.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59What is a chicken-fried...?
0:38:59 > 0:39:01'And on the next floor,'
0:39:01 > 0:39:05we're going to see the apartment where William Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Naked Lunch was quite an important seminal writing.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11When it came out, it was considered very scandalous.
0:39:11 > 0:39:17Today, a book like that hardly raises a blush on the cheek of your aunt from Debuke.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20What is chicken-fried steak actually made out of?
0:39:20 > 0:39:24It's just a thin slice of steak...
0:39:24 > 0:39:27breaded and fried very quickly.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Why does it taste like mush?
0:39:30 > 0:39:34It depends on what they serve it with, how it tastes.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38What I particularly like is the, erm...
0:39:38 > 0:39:40- biscuits and gravy.- Right.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Gee, I never had a chicken-fried steak.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45We can do it any time you want.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Really? It's actually a steak.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51- It's not a tenderised steak. - Really? Oh!
0:39:52 > 0:39:57They give you a big chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes and beans or peas and stuff.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01That's sounds really great. Mashed potato and beans are my favourite.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- But you can eat the steaks.- Yep.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08So, we're right in the middle of dinner.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13'The tension in here is weird. Andy Warhol is wearing a pair of headphones which he brought with
0:40:13 > 0:40:15'him and hasn't taken off since he sat down.
0:40:15 > 0:40:21'William Burroughs is looking relaxed. He's wearing a beautiful suit and Warhol's telling him that'
0:40:21 > 0:40:23he's the best-dressed man in New York.
0:40:23 > 0:40:28Burroughs, slightly bemused by this chic approach, has given Warhol
0:40:28 > 0:40:30a proof copy of his new book, Cities Of The Red Night.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33- Can you do drawings?- Oh, yes. Sure.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37(Great.)
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And has just signed in it and drawn a painting.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Warhol's telling Burroughs he should be a painter.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46My God! Oh!
0:40:46 > 0:40:49More, more. On this side, right here.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Here, here. My God!
0:40:53 > 0:40:55There we are.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57- Thanks a lot.- You're so lucky.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Great!
0:40:59 > 0:41:03I'll get back to you in a few minutes and let you know what else is going on.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05Tell Henry to come.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Tell him it's really fun.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17# What do I find?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22# Oh, healthy balance
0:41:22 > 0:41:27# On the credit side
0:41:27 > 0:41:29# Got no diamonds, got no pearls
0:41:29 > 0:41:32# Still I think I'm a lucky girl
0:41:32 > 0:41:35# I've got sun in the morning and the moon at night... #
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- Are you comfortable?- Yes.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41I wasn't talking to you, pig face.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Yeah, OK.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Maybe she's kind of screwed up.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Oh, really.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53I know pig face isn't being pretty.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55What you mean is you have no taste.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Oh, do you like pig face?
0:41:57 > 0:42:00SPEECH DROWNED OUT BY MUSIC
0:42:03 > 0:42:05You're not paying attention.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09MUSIC: Chelsea Girls by Nico
0:42:15 > 0:42:18# Here's room 506
0:42:18 > 0:42:24# It's enough to make you sick
0:42:24 > 0:42:26# Bridget's all wrapped up in foil
0:42:26 > 0:42:28# You want to heave
0:42:30 > 0:42:32# She can uncoil
0:42:35 > 0:42:38# Here they come now
0:42:40 > 0:42:42# See them run now
0:42:44 > 0:42:46# Here they come now
0:42:48 > 0:42:51# Chelsea girls
0:42:53 > 0:42:57# Pippa, she's having fun
0:42:57 > 0:43:02# She thinks she's some man's son
0:43:02 > 0:43:05# Her perfect loves don't last
0:43:05 > 0:43:12# Her future died in someone's past
0:43:12 > 0:43:16# Here they come now
0:43:17 > 0:43:20# See them run now
0:43:22 > 0:43:24# Here they come now
0:43:26 > 0:43:28# Chelsea girls... #
0:43:32 > 0:43:38I'm singing about my friends that were staying here with me.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43That's why I keep coming back here, when I'm in the country.
0:43:43 > 0:43:49You said to me, when we first met, "I am the person that made this hotel famous, for Chelsea girls.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51I'm one of the persons. I mean,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56aside from the people
0:43:56 > 0:43:58that are now...
0:43:58 > 0:44:01in heaven,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04or in hell,
0:44:04 > 0:44:07or...
0:44:07 > 0:44:10not staying here,
0:44:10 > 0:44:16I am, I would say, virtually, the only person that really
0:44:16 > 0:44:19has something to do with
0:44:19 > 0:44:24the hotel in the sense that we've done the movie.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26We've done...
0:44:26 > 0:44:28I've done the record.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33I'm still getting royalties from it.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35So, I guess
0:44:35 > 0:44:39I am the person - the Chelsea Girl, right?
0:44:47 > 0:44:51# Dropout, she's in a fix
0:44:51 > 0:44:55# Amphetamine has made her sick
0:44:55 > 0:44:59# White powder in the air
0:44:59 > 0:45:02# She's got no bones
0:45:02 > 0:45:07# And can't be scared
0:45:26 > 0:45:28# Here comes Johnny Bore
0:45:28 > 0:45:33# He collapsed on the floor
0:45:33 > 0:45:36# They shot him up with milk
0:45:36 > 0:45:38# And when he died
0:45:40 > 0:45:42# Sold him for silk
0:45:45 > 0:45:48# Here they come now
0:45:49 > 0:45:52# See them run now
0:45:52 > 0:45:54# Here they come now
0:45:56 > 0:46:02# Chelsea girls. #
0:46:35 > 0:46:41'Well, there always seemed to be rivalling groups of alchemists and magicians, as I recall.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46'At one point, there was a 15th century chemical manuscript that
0:46:46 > 0:46:49'somehow was stolen or misplaced.'
0:46:49 > 0:46:53There was a point where everyone was casting spells on everybody else and
0:46:53 > 0:46:56throwing a tarot before they left their room...
0:46:56 > 0:46:59It was hysterical. The magicians denouncing one another in the lobby.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01That's right.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06Because he really didn't give a damn.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09He must have seen the menu a thousand times.
0:47:09 > 0:47:14# Night and day
0:47:14 > 0:47:18# You are the one
0:47:20 > 0:47:25# Only you beneath the moon
0:47:25 > 0:47:27# Or under the sun
0:47:30 > 0:47:35# Whether near to me or far
0:47:35 > 0:47:40# It's no matter, darling, where you are
0:47:40 > 0:47:47# I think of you day and night
0:47:50 > 0:47:52# Night and day
0:47:53 > 0:47:56# Why is it so
0:48:00 > 0:48:03# That this longing for you
0:48:03 > 0:48:09# Follows wherever I go... #
0:48:10 > 0:48:12And the next floor is very exciting.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15That's where Arthur Clarke wrote the Year 2001.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18He's one of our most prominent space writers.
0:48:18 > 0:48:23Remember that marvellous movie that Stanley Kubrick did, called 2001.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25It's based on Arthur Clarke's particular book.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29We saw the model of Arthur Clarke outside, down the lobby.
0:48:29 > 0:48:33Remember, the little figure floating in space.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38MUSIC: Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey
0:48:47 > 0:48:52MUSIC: Theme From 2001: A Space Odyssey
0:49:54 > 0:49:58SHE PANTS
0:50:05 > 0:50:07'Don't worry. Don't worry. Don't worry.'
0:50:10 > 0:50:11Yeah.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15Doctor...I can't. Ooh!
0:50:17 > 0:50:19- Does that hurt? - Yeah, something hurts. Yeah.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23SHE SCREAMS
0:50:30 > 0:50:32All right, all right.
0:50:33 > 0:50:38< SHE BREATHES HEAVILY
0:50:40 > 0:50:42How are you? You're fabulous.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51'Yeah.'
0:50:51 > 0:50:53You recognise this?
0:50:53 > 0:50:55When did you last see it?
0:50:55 > 0:50:57A few weeks ago. What's that?
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Your head coming out.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Did I feel you inside?
0:51:02 > 0:51:05When I came out, did I feel my feet in you?
0:51:05 > 0:51:09Yeah, you felt your feet in me, your skin against me. Your head.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11You didn't know what it was.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13You didn't say, "This is my mother."
0:51:13 > 0:51:15But you felt...
0:51:15 > 0:51:19me as you came out. You probably
0:51:19 > 0:51:21wondered what was happening to you.
0:51:21 > 0:51:26Oh! And were probably very scared, don't you think?
0:51:26 > 0:51:27I don't know.
0:51:27 > 0:51:33I think you were terrified, wondering what was happening to you, and felt like you couldn't breathe.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37Oh no, you don't breathe until they cut the cord anyway.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40You probably were afraid you were gonna die.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42With all that pressure in your head.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48And then you saw this big room, all full of light.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50It probably hurt your eyes.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54It was probably the worst thing that ever happened to you so far.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58- It felt like a boy.- Yes, we're there.
0:51:58 > 0:52:00It's a little girl baby.
0:52:03 > 0:52:08Look at the way he's treating you. Isn't that awful?
0:52:08 > 0:52:12Isn't that just awful? How did you turn out to be so un-neurotic after
0:52:12 > 0:52:15an introduction to the world like that.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Look at the way he's treating you.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Isn't that disgusting?
0:52:20 > 0:52:25God, look at that. From being in the womb to being thrown up in the air like a fish.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Just flung and then tossed down to somebody's body.
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Isn't that awful?
0:52:32 > 0:52:36We bought this Sony Portapack and I happened to be pregnant at the time.
0:52:36 > 0:52:43It turned into a whole idea of filming the pregnancy, the birth and Alexandra's life.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47Plus, the life of the parents - a social document.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51I thought it would be interesting to look back and, especially for her,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54to look back and see herself being born.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57See herself growing up, see her parents' arguments.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59See where she lived.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02And so on and so forth.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06Besides, it's been fun doing.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13I'm just thinking it must be quite strange for you to see yourself being born, Alex?
0:53:13 > 0:53:16It's funny for me to look at photos of me when I was a little boy.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20What's it like actually seeing yourself being born?
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Um, it doesn't look like me.
0:53:24 > 0:53:30I don't know. It seems boring now cos I don't remember, um...
0:53:30 > 0:53:35what it was like when I first saw it.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39Have you enjoyed doing all this videotaping with your dad?
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Yes.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45Which is your favourite piece of video tape that he's done?
0:53:45 > 0:53:46Um...
0:53:52 > 0:53:54The birth.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Because it's exciting.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It's fun to watch because...
0:54:02 > 0:54:08you see how you and how you were born and everything.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Oh, you are so cute!
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Such a cute little girl.
0:54:22 > 0:54:26Look at that! So cute.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28Look! Oo, doo, doo, doo!
0:54:28 > 0:54:33'She became so used to being taped, she would start demanding to be taped.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37'She would get an idea and say, "I'm going to do something, turn on the tape."
0:54:37 > 0:54:38'She began asking questions.'
0:54:38 > 0:54:43She came home from school and said to me, "These kids don't know anything."
0:54:43 > 0:54:47"They think babies are born in cauliflowers. They think the storks bring them.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49"I know everything cos I've seen it all on tape."
0:54:58 > 0:55:01You know, you're going to ask me if I don't think I've dramatised.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04That's what my mother accuses me of.
0:55:04 > 0:55:09When she looked at the tape of the birth, she said, "Oh, stop dramatising, oh, stop dramatising."
0:55:09 > 0:55:12I never felt I was dramatising any more than I would feel...
0:55:12 > 0:55:17- What's dramatising?- Making more out of something than it is.
0:55:17 > 0:55:22- Oh.- Heightening it, like, you know how Barbara Steele talks.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25"Oh, I had a perfectly horrendous day.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27"You can't imagine what happened to me."
0:55:27 > 0:55:29That's called dramatising.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32Oh!
0:55:32 > 0:55:39I never felt that I was dramatising any more than I ordinarily do, being an actress, after all.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43I've always been rather self-dramatic.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45It's other people who say, "You are dramatising."
0:55:45 > 0:55:50To me, I always seem to be telling a story exactly the way it happened or expressing.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55I think it is not the time dramatising, it's that everyone else is depressed.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Repressed and constipated.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Everyone else gets no fun out of life.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08So, I seem to be dramatising when in reality, I'm merely reacting to
0:56:08 > 0:56:12an incredible world that I can't believe.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50# The rug is in my hotel room is old but it's clean
0:56:50 > 0:56:55# I make believe I'm living on a putting green
0:56:55 > 0:56:57# My door has got a lock
0:56:57 > 0:56:59# Only I have a key
0:57:00 > 0:57:02# I keep it in my pocket
0:57:02 > 0:57:04# Like a treasure
0:57:06 > 0:57:09# Oh, the stories they tell
0:57:10 > 0:57:15# Oh, the dream hotel
0:57:15 > 0:57:18# Oh, the stories they tell
0:57:19 > 0:57:23# Oh, the dream hotel
0:57:31 > 0:57:34# The maid, she so fragile I'm afraid to ask for towels
0:57:34 > 0:57:38# The lady at the switchboard She's not answering now
0:57:40 > 0:57:45# The playwright down the hall has just turned 83
0:57:45 > 0:57:50# Swears that at every moment is a pleasure
0:57:51 > 0:57:54# Oh, the stories they tell
0:57:55 > 0:57:58# Oh, the dream hotel
0:57:59 > 0:58:04# Oh, the stories they tell
0:58:04 > 0:58:07# Oh, the dream hotel
0:58:14 > 0:58:18# Living in a dream
0:58:24 > 0:58:27# The stories we tell
0:58:29 > 0:58:31# The stories we tell
0:58:34 > 0:58:35# The stories we tell
0:58:38 > 0:58:40# The stories we tell. #
0:59:09 > 0:59:11Subtitles by BBC Broadcast - 2005
0:59:11 > 0:59:14E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk