by Rolf De Heer
BAD BOY BUBBY
55
There is a moment of calm as agreement seems to be reached, then Steve turns off the CD and takes the headphones off Buhhy.
Paul takes the money off the table, hands some to each of the hand members and pockets the rest.
BIG GREG: He’s more trouble than he’s worth.
MARK: You just take care of that money.
LITTLE GREG: It’s all right, Bubby, it’s all right.
They start to leave the room, all talking.
SCENE 80 INT./EXT. VAN/STREETS - NIGHT
While speeding to their destination, they're all having a whale of a time in the van. Paul, Steve, Greg and Greg each has an acoustic guitar, and they are playing and singing a spontaneous blues song about Buhhy's predicament.
VERSE: Tell you a story that’s sad but true,
Tell you a story about you know who,
A boy called Bubby sitting right over there.
Bad boy Bubby with the wild, crazy hair.
CHORUS: Bad Boy Bubby Bad Boy Bubby Blues Got them Bad Boy Bubby Bad Boy Bubby Blues Got them Bad Boy Bubby Blues From my head right to my shoes.
VERSE: Well we met him when we were touring In ‘53,
Well that’s not true but it rhymes with Bubby,
Oh Bad Boy Bubby,
Bad Boy Bubby Blue
Got them whoa-way-down-lowdown
crazy Bad Boy Bubby Blues...
SCENE 81 INT. DAN’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Dan is dark-skinned, handsome and wearing only a sari.
PAUL: He’s a classic, isn’t he.^
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STEVE: You don’t own a cat, do you Dan? We’re gonna leave you with Dan, Bub. Okay?
MIDDLE GREG: See you Bub.
STEVE: And don’t be a bad guy.
The boys from the band say their goodbyes to Dan and Bubby^ with the odd jest thrown m, like 'Watch out Dan^ he*s a killer!*. They troop out the door, leaving a somewhat bewildered Bubby alone with Dan. Once outside, the band can be heard striking up a vocal reprise of the blues song they*ve recently composed.
SCENE 82 INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Bubby is asleep in bed. Dan walks in carrying a white suit for Bubby.
SCENE 83 INT. CAFE FLAMENCO - NIGHT
A flamenco guitarist (Mario) on a small stage is playing a lilting piece. Bubby, now dressed in the white suit and seated at a table with Dan, is entranced with the rhythms. During his playing, Mario acknowledges someone coming in. Bubby turns and sees... Angel. Angel, the fat girl from the pizza bar. Angel, the vision from the printing shop. Bubby cant believe his eyes.
She sits down nearby and watches the guitarist. Bubby stares at her. She merges with the music for him, radiant, beautiful, fat... she is the music. She glances once or twice at Bubby, but is unsettled by his stare. She concentrates on the music, claps politely when the number finishes and Mario announces a short break.
Bubby sees Mario walk up to Angel and talk to her briefly. Angel indicates Bubby, Mario looks, shrugs his shoulders. As Mario leaves AngeTs table, Bubby is woken from his reverie by Dan.
DAN: Why don’t you go talk to her if she’s so interesting?
Without acknowledging what Dan has said Bubby gets up and approaches Angel. He speaks as Dan.
BUBBY: [as Dan^ You’re a sexy woman Flo...
A ngel looks a little shocked and very surprised. She flushes red but says nothing.
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BUBBY: [as Dan] God you’ve got great tits.
Ange/ looks away, upset. Buhhy can see all is not right. He tries again.
BUBBY: [as Dan] Great big whoppers of things.
Angel turns to Buhhy^ tears in her eyes.
ANGEL: You’re a very cruel person, you know that? Just because you’re rich and handsome you think it’s okay to make fun of people like me. Well it’s not funny, it’s just hurtful.
She gets up and walks out. Buhhy watches her go, puzzled. She leaves. Buhhy races after her in a mad rush.
SCENE 84 EXT. CAFE FLAMENCO - NIGHT
Buhhy catches up with Angela grabs hold of her clothesj stops herj won't let her go. She is crying, clearly frightened, hut Buhhy doesn't know what to say. Buhhy is confused, agitated.
BUBBY: Bubby naughty little boy, dirty little cunt!
ANGEL: [crying Leave me alone, leave me alone! Please go away from me!
A ngel tries to pull away, Buhhy hangs on.
BUBBY: [pleading Bubby love ‘em tits!
ANGEL: [screaming Somebody help me!!
SCENE 85 INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT
Buhhy, looking somewhat less elegant, is led into the police station in handcuffs. It is a chaotic scene. Two women, part aboriginal and one of them bleeding from a head wound, are engaged in a screaming match with a couple of cops.
VICKI: Why don’t you bastards do something!?
COP^l: Watch the language lady, or we’ll cool you off for a couple of days.
GAYLE: Hey we’re, not the bloody criminals, those arseholes stole our purses.
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covn-. We can’t help it if you go walkabout at night by yourselves. [Aside. Who’d want to steal anything from a boong?
GAYLE: [trying to remain coot] Oh for Chrissakes, we were on the way home from work!
COVn Work! Hah, that’d be the day! Something illegal no doubt. VICKI: Youse are really fucked.
Meanwhile Bubby is watching proceedings.
COP#l: Now I warned you about the language. Now you can piss off and consider yourselves lucky I didn’t lock up the pair of you!
GAYLE: Fuck let’s go!
They turn and leave.
COP #2: I’d have that head wound seen to...
VICKI: Get fucked!
SCENE 86 INT. PRISON CELL - DAY
Bubby is alone in a smally bare prison cell. There is a tiny barred window high upy a bed and not much else.
Bubby is quite happy herey qnite at home. He is Katy catching cockroaches.
SCENE 87 INT. PRISON CELL - NIGHT
Bubby is still perfectly happy. He is sitting on the floory adding to a long line of cockroach legs on the edge of his bed.
There is the sound of the peep window in the door to his cell being opened.
WARDER: [05] Psst! What you doin’?
Bubby ignores the warder. The warder tries againy friendly. WARDER: [os] What you doin’?
The warder peers through his peep window. Bubby remains impassively at his cockroach legs.
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There are sounds of the door being unlocked. The warder opens the door and enters.
WARDER: What you doing?
He looks at what Buhby is doing.
[matter-of-fact] Oh.
The warder leans against the wall.
Why don’t you talk to me more?
Buhby ignores him^ doesn't even look at him.
What, cat got your tongue?
Buhby does a small Kat hiss to himself hut continues to ignore the warder.
I got feelings too, you know. It’s not fun being on night shift, is it? Gets lonely, you know.
All the time Buhby pays no notice.
Why don’t you talk to me?
BUBBY: [as Vick{ Get fucked!
The warder looks at Buhby a momenty then walks outy slamming the door. The light in the cell goes out. Buhby doesn't move.
SCENE 88 INT./EXT. PRISON CELL/COURTYARD - DAY
Buhby is sitting on his bed eating an orange-coloured prison mush. He is mumbling with enjoyment to himself Some strange sounds invade the quiet of the cell from the courtyard outside. Buhby cocks his head momentarily hut continues eating and mumbling.
Suddenly a full bagpipe hand begins playing just outside. Buhby sits holt upright. He throws his plate offood downy leaps up off the hedy reaches up to the bars of the window opening and hoists himself up. He sees the prison pipe hand playing nearby. The sweet sound of the massed bagpipes washes over him. Buhb
y tries to get through the bars to get closer to them. He can'ty so he drops down and races over to the doory tries to open it. It won't open.
Buhby goes herserky howling and smashing on the doory up-ending his hedy howling.
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BUBBY: screaming as Angel] Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Somebody help me! Somebody help me!
The warder comes flying in^ drooling. He grabs Buhby in an armlock and frogmarches him out to the sound of the pipe hand.
SCENE 89 INT. PRISON CORRIDOR - DAY
The hand plays on. Buhhy is charged down the corridor hy the warder^ who shouts and mumbles to himself maniacally.
WARDER; You want out? It’s the Animal for you, you fucking nutter.
SCENE 90 INT. THE ANIMAL’S CELL - DAY
With the pipe hand still playing nearhyy Buhhy is pushed into a dingy cell. The door slams shut and the peep window immediately snaps open. The warder's eyes can he seen leering through it. Buhhy looks around and sees a big tough, ugly, fearsome prisoner sitting on his haunches in the comer, smoking just watching Buhhy. His looks live up to his name. Buhhy hisses Kat-like at him. The Animal responds with a growl from deep in his soul.
BUBBY: Me be Bubby... the Clingwrap Killer.
The Animal slowly, deliberately stubs out his cigarette, saves the butt, gets up and approaches Buhhy and slams him face down on the table. The Animal tears down Buhhy's trousers, starts to drop his own. The side of Buhhy's face is pressed against the metal table. He listens to the pipe hand. There is a shock of pain as the Animal begins to rape him, hut the'music somehow seems to sound more concentrated to compensate. Buhhy's face becomes impassive.
SCENE 91 INT. PRISON OFFICE - DAY
The prison superintendent is handing Buhhy some money.
SUPERINTENDENT: You’ve been rehabilitated, here’s ten dollars to see you on your way. You can go. Don’t let me see you back here.
Buhby looks at the note.
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BUBBY: Well if that’s all there is, we’re stuffed.
SCENE 92 EXT. ROAD NEAR CHURCH - DAY
Bubby is walking along the road when he hears music. He stops and listens. It is coming from a nearby church. Bubby heads towards the source of the music.
SCENE 93 INT. CHURCH - DAY
Buhhy enters the large, cathedral-like church. At the far end of it an organist (the Scientist) is playing the organ. A large crucifix hangs above.
Buhhy walks down the aisle towards him, climbs up a few steps, gets close, close to the source of the sound. He looks up to the crucifix.
The Scientist stops playing. He looks at Buhhy.
BUBBY: Jesus can see everything I do... and he’s going to beat me brainless.
The Scientist gets up from behind the organ. He puts his arm around Buhhy *s shoulder.
THE SCIENTIST: Come!
SCENE 94 INT. SCIENTIFIC HALL - DAY
This building is also cathedral-like, hut rather than religious artefacts, it is filled with monuments to science and technology - an extraordinary array of complex equipment that seems almost to have no sense. The Scientist is leading Buhhy through, waving his arms about as he talks.
THE SCIENTIST: You see, no one’s going to help you Bubby... because there isn’t anybody out there to do it. No one. We’re all just complicated arrangements of atoms and subatomic particles. We don’t live, but our atoms do move about in such a way as to give us identity and consciousness. We don’t die... our atoms just re-arrange themselves. There is no God. There can be no God." It’s ridiculous to think in terms of a superior being. An inferior being maybe, because we, we who don’t
BAD BOY BUBBY
even exist, we arrange our lives with more order and harmony than God ever arranged the earth. We measure. We plot. We create wonderful music. We are the architects of our own existence. What a lunatic concept to bow down before a God who slaughters millions of innocent children, who slowly and agonisingly starves them to death, beats them, tortures them, rejects them. What folly to think that we should not insult such a God, damn him, think him out of existence. It is our duty to think God out of existence. It is our duty to insult him. [To the heavens.1 Fuck you God, strike me down if you dare, you tyrant, you non-existent fraud. {Back to Buhby.^ It is the duty of all human beings to think God out of existence. Then we have a future, because then, and only then do we take full responsibility for who we are. And that’s what you must do Bubby, think God out of existence. Take responsibility for who you are!
SCENE 95 EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Bubby is walking down the middle of the footpath of a busy commercial street, talking to himself
BUBBY: Fuck you God, strike me down if you dare.
He flinches, as if about to he struck down, then looks guiltily upward half over his shoulder, 'as if this is where he*s about to be struck down from.
Fuck you.
Another flinch, another furtive look.
Fuck you God, strike me down if you dare.
He flinches as if struck by a lightning bolt, then looks up to the heavens. He looks at his own hand, decides he^s still alive, so he continues walking down the street talking to himself and flinching. He sees three large women, one of whom looks like she might be Angel.
He stops and watches the women turn into a doorway and enter a building.
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SCENE 96 EXT. BUILDING ENTRANCE - NIGHT
Buhhy is waiting outside the entrance to the building that the three women entered. He waits patiently^ watching events in the street. A passer-by catches Bubby's eye.
PASSER-BY: Hello.
BUBBY: Hello.
Tloe passer-by continues on without another glance.
SCENE 97 EXT. BUILDING ENTRANCE - NIGHT
Bubby is at the doorway of the building entrance. Fat women are coming outy one by one because it is a single door and Bubby is standing partly obstructing their exit.
He greets each of the women in turn with a friendly smile and a Hello Some return the greeting^ some ignore him, but Bubby is more interested in who is coming nexty craning his neck to see if Angel is amongst them.
A particularly faty older woman reminiscent of Mom comes past. Bubby smiles at her and says hello.
WOMAN: Hello.
Bubby reaches out and squeezes her breast. There is instant hullabaloo.
What are you doing?!
BUBBY: Bubby good boy.
WOMAN: Aahh! Girls, girls, get him, get him!!
The womeny both those already outside and those yet to comOy turn on Bubby. Bubby is surrounded. The molested woman punches Bubby. Hands grab at himy at his clotheSy his facey his hair. He is dragged out into the streety punchedy kicked and pushed. He goes down to the ground and the screaming jeering jostling fat women kick himy in the bodyy the legSy the head.
As Bubby receives his beating the sounds of the women are gradually replaced by the Handel organ notes Bubby heard at the band squat. The jeering and kicking sounds disappear altogethery
BAD BOY BUBBY
and Bubhy listens to the music in his head, which hy now includes the full orchestration.
SCENE 98 EXT. DESOLATE SITE - NIGHT
Handel's Largo continues over. Battered and bruised, Buhhy wanders disconsolately hack along the huge pre-construction site.
SCENE 99 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
The music continues. Buhhy is hack where he started. There are plastic ribbon harriers and keep out signs, hut Buhhy ignores them and enters his old apartment.
Buhhy enters the room. There are chalk outlines where the bodies were found, and everything previously in the room has been wrapped and stacked in the adjoining bedroom.
Buhhy stares at the outline of Mom.
BUBBY: You he’s right... you he’s right Mom.
There is a long pause. Buhhy sinks down onto his mother's outline and lies as if with her.
Bubby no fit no more out there.
SCENE 100 INT
. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Buhhy sits on his mother's outline.
SCENE 101 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - DAY
Buhhy is still sitting in the same position.
SCENE 102 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Bubby hasn't moved, he is still sitting on his mother's outline. He suddenly begins to sing quietly.
BUBBY: Tell you a story, sad but true. Tell you a story, about you know who. Bad Boy Bubby, Bad Boy Bubby Blue.
The hand is heard singing.
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BAND: [v/o] Tell you a story sad but true. Tell you a story about you know who. A boy called Bubby, sitting right over there. Yeah Bad Boy Bubby, with the wild crazy hair.
Suddenly Bubby lets out a Pop chuckle. The music stops. He gets up and crosses to the other roomy Pop chuckling.
SCENE 103 INT. BOBBY’S PLACE - NIGHT
Rubbish and clothes are seen being thrown out of the bedroom door.
Bubby emerges as Pop. He is even more the parody of Pop than before... he has the clerical collar ony this set of clothes fits even more badly. He chuckles and leaves the apartment carrying more of Pop*s clothes in a bundle.
SCENE 104 EXT. DESOLATE SITE - NIGHT
Bubby is scurrying across the wastelandy chuckling. Strains of the hymn he heard here the first time come to him. He proceeds with renewed vigour.
SCENE 105 EXT. STREET/PIZZA JOINT - NIGHT
Bubby is walking up tbe streety looking aroundy looking aheady looking behind. Up ahead he finally sees the pizza shop. He breaks into a sort of shuffling jog.
SCENE 106 INT. PIZZA JOINT - NIGHT
It s a quiet night at the pizza shopy and when Bubby first walks in he*s unsure iPs even the same place. He looks aroundy particularly at the table at the back. It is empty. There are only three other customers.
WAITRESS: Yeah, wherever you want.
Bubby goes and sits down at the empty back tablcy in the seat he occupied before. The waitress comes over with a menu. She looks at Bubby's mode of dress and bundle of clothes somewhat suspiciously.
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