Saturday, August 17, 2013

In honor of Robert De Niro's 70th birthday

Here he is with Harvey Keitel in Mean Streets (1973), in a scene largely improvised. A few years ago I transcribed the dialogue.


what do you mean what are you doin? what are you doin to me huh?            what do you mean?            michael's been at my back all night he’s botherin me            why didn’t you make your payment last tuesday?            what do you mean I made my payment last tuesday what are you talkin about?            you paid him last week?            yeah I paid him last week c’mon what’d he say he say I didn’t pay him he’s a fuckin liar where is he?            you paid him?            yeah I paid him            last week?            yeah            last tuesday?                        yeah charlie you don’t know            he’s here            where?            out front            he’s here?            yeah            so what do I care?            ok lemme go get him we’ll straighten this thing out alright            hey wait a minute wait a minute charlie yeah you’re right            I’m right            last tuesday?            yeah that’s the tuesday that was last week that’s before the one that’s about to come up            my mistake I’m sorry forgive me it was last week the week before then I was thinkin of yeah            oh yeah it was yeah            that’s right            what’s the matter with you johnny you can’t go around bullshitin people that way you give your word of mouth about something you got to keep it            you don’t know what happened to me I’m so depressed about other things I can’t worry about payment you know what I mean I come home last tuesday I have my money in cash you know bada bing bing I walk home I run into jimmy sparks I owe jimmy sparks seven hundred for like four months I gotta pay the guy he lives in my building hangs out across the street I gotta pay the guy right so what happened I had to give some to my mother then I wound up with twenty five at the end of the week and then what happened today you’re not gonna believe because it’s just incredible I can’t believe it myself I was in a game I was ahead like six seven hundred dollars right on hester street you know joey clams?            yeah             joey scala yeah            I know him too yeah            no joey scala’s joey clams            right right they’re the same person yeah eh            so I was in there playing bankers & brokers all of a sudden I’m ahead like six seven hundred dollars all of a sudden some kid walks in and the kid yells that the bulls are comin right the cops are comin everybody runs away I grab all the money I go in it was an excuse that I could get away right you know and I’d give everybody the money back later and that way I get out I don't get into the game get a losing streak goin and all that what happens I come out in the yard and I don’t know this building I don’t know nothin I couldn’t get out it was like a box bing like this so I gotta go back in not only do I go back in but this kid says it’s a false alarm can you imagine that I wanted to kill this fuckin kid I was so crazed I wanted to kill this kid meanwhile I get back in the game bing bing bing I lose four hundred dollars meanwhile frankie bones is over there I owe him thirteen hundred for like seven eight months already he’s after me I can’t even walk on hester street without duckin that guy he’s waitin for me like I can’t move you know and he sees that I’m losin right so he’s waitin for me here so he’s tappin me on the shoulder and he says hey tappin me like this like a hawk hey get it up you're losin now gimme some money gimme a break over here lemme win some back you know I got debts I mean I’m in a big hole he says never mind gimme the money so gave him two hundred meanwhile I lost the deal I go outside I’m depressed now I know I know I know anyway to make a long story short

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice post. Your blog is very well done. I enjoyed the Jackie Gleason Love Portfolio post.
Johnny Spin

Joe Bonomo said...

Thanks, Johnny!