Dreamin' Wild (2022) Movie Script

1
[sign creaking]
[guitar strumming]
Did you have a good time?
Yeah
[breathes deeply]
Did it make you feel
like you're on
Top of the world?
[distant crowd roaring]
[muffled sound
of band playing]
[muffled singing]
[music growing louder]
[crowd cheering]
Did you have a good time?
Did you have a good time?
Did you have a good time?
Did you have a good time?
Did you have a good time?
Did you have a good time?
[crowd applauding, cheering]
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- [crowd whistling, cheering]
Uh, I'd like to dedicate
this next song to my...
[cheering fades]
To my...
[high-pitched ringing]
[ringing fades]
[sighs]
See you at the studio.
[woman] Okay.
All right, guys.
Avea, wake up.
Time to get up.
[clicks tongue]
Come on, honey.
Hey, time to get up.
Come on. Let's go.
Come on, buddy. Come on.
Wake up, it's time for school.
[school bell rings]
- Bye, honey.
- I love you.
- Okay.
- Bye, Dad.
Bye, buddy.
- [Avea] Love you, Dad.
- Okay, I love you. Bye.
Hey, Nance.
Where's the band?
Oh, yeah,
Diane just called.
She said that she and Jack
had a really big fight
and it's over,
for real this time.
And they bailed.
- Sorry.
- Seriously?
Yeah.
Did you remind them about
the cancellation policy?
- She was in tears, Donnie.
- [exhales sharply]
Tryin' to run
a business here.
- I know, I know.
- Mm-hmm.
Okay, who's next?
Unbooked the whole day.
Also the bank called.
[strumming guitar]
You're out of touch
I'm out of time
But I'm outta my head
when you're not around
[Nancy]
You're out of touch
[Donnie]
I'm out of time
But I'm out of my head
when you're not around
Whoa, ho
Oh, oh, oh
[crowd applauding]
Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen.
And congratulations
to Frank and Georgia.
Third time's a charm.
That's Donnie Emerson
on the guitars and vocals.
Carlos Fox on the keys
and Ryan Walker on the bass.
I'm Nancy Emerson.
See you folks later.
- [woman laughs]
- Hey, Carol, how'd it go?
Hey. I'm sorry, I couldn't
get Chance to sleep.
- Oh.
- He was waiting for you two.
Typical. Patients are
running the asylum again.
Oh.
Okay, I'll get him.
Do you have enough?
Yeah, I do.
- Hey, Dad.
- What's going on?
- You're not sleeping.
- I don't wanna sleep.
You don't wanna sleep?
[Donnie sighs]
[Donnie grunts]
Come on, bud, you don't sleep,
you don't dream.
I don't like dreams.
No. You don't like the bad ones,
the nightmares, but...
you gotta dream.
You gotta dream.
Close your eyes, bud.
Come on, give it a try.
[contemplative music playing]
[telephone ringing]
[telephone continues ringing]
- Hello.
- [man] Hey, hey, brother.
Joe? How you doing?
Good, real good.
You doing okay?
Yeah, doing good. So far.
I-I didn't wake
you up, did I?
No, no,
I was just getting up.
What's up?
Well... [sighs]
You know, I've got, uh,
I've got something
kind of surprising
to tell you.
What is it?
Are Mom and Dad okay?
Yeah, no. Yeah,
they're good.
Listen, uh, Dad,
he got a call yesterday
from a guy
at a record company.
And you're not gonna
believe this, but he says, uh,
he says he heard
our record and, uh...
Our record?
What do you mean?
Dreamin'...
Dreamin' Wild.
He said he loves it,
you know? He said...
He said he's never heard
anything like it.
Dreamin' Wild?
I don't get it, Joe.
Is this a joke?
No, no. No, I don't--
I don't think so.
Uh-huh.
Look, he wants
to come up to the--
to the farm on Friday
and talk about it.
Well, no,
I got things going on
at the studio on Friday.
I got it. [grunts]
This could be
real important, Donnie.
You know, Dad--
Dad's real excited. I'm--
- I mean, everybody's excited.
- Yeah, no, uh...
Let me... Can I call you back
later today on this, Joe?
- Okay, all right, goodbye.
- Okay.
[Nancy]
What was that about?
I don't know.
Probably nothing.
[Donnie groans]
["Stranger In A Strange Land"
by Leon Russell playing]
How many days
Has it been
since I was born?
How many days
Till I die?
Do I know any way
I can make you laugh?
Do I only know how
to make you cry?
When the baby
looks around him
Such a sight to see
He shares a simple secret
With the wise man
He's a stranger
in a strange land
Just a stranger
in a strange land
Tell me why
He's a stranger
in a strange land
Whoa, oh, oh
Stranger in a strange land
- [car door closes]
- Hey, brother.
[Donnie] Hey, Joe.
- Hey, Dad.
- Good morning, son.
- Good to see ya.
- Uh, Donnie,
this is Matt Sullivan,
Light in the Attic Records.
- Great to meet you.
- Ah, you too.
Thanks for having me
out here, guys.
Oh, glad to have you.
Come on inside.
- [Donnie] Hey, Ma.
- Hey! [gasps]
- Oh, my son.
- Matt, this is my wife, Salina.
Mrs. Emerson.
So nice to meet you.
- Oh.
- [Salina chuckles]
[in Maltese accent]
Come in, come in.
- Uh, Matt, uh...
- [Salina chuckles]
She's the brains
of the operation,
- so you better be on your toes.
- [Matt] Good to know.
[Don Sr.] And these are
my daughters, Maria and Rose.
[Matt] Hi, Maria. Hi, Rose.
I've been trying to track
you guys down for a while now.
You were not easy to find.
I'm sorry we didn't know
you was lookin'.
We'd have sent up one
of those flares or something.
- [Salina chuckles]
- Well, as you know, I...
I wanted to talk to you...
wanted to talk to you
about this.
- [Joe] Huh.
- [Don Sr.] Hmm.
[Matt] My colleague
sent it to me and said,
"You've got to listen
to this immediately,"
and I did, and... and wow.
There it is,
that's Dreamin' Wild .
- [Don Sr. chuckles]
- [Matt] That's you guys?
Yeah, yeah.
That's us, yeah. Right.
- [chuckles]
- This album is unbelievable.
- [Joe chuckles]
- No, really,
it's, it's amazing, truly.
It really just blew my mind.
Well, that's nice, Matt.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm not being nice,
I'm telling you, it just...
this album knocked me out.
It knocked me out.
I never expected it
to have the depth
and complexity that it does.
It's bluesy,
it's funky, it's...
Man, it's got so much soul.
That song "Baby,"
it's amazing.
Where did it come from?
- [Joe] Uh, the music?
- [Matt] Yeah.
Oh, well, I guess... I guess
it came from Donnie, mostly.
Did I get that right,
you wrote most of the songs
on the album?
[Joe] Yeah, he also played
most of the instruments too.
Yeah, I mean, I played drums.
- We had a friend of ours...
- Yeah, yeah.
...sit in on bass
for a couple of songs,
but Donnie, he played
everything else.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Joe] Yep.
[Matt] That's quite impressive.
Uh, how old were you two?
[Joe] Oh, God,
must have been what, 16, 17?
[Salina] Donnie was 15
and Joe was 17.
[Matt] Wow, 15 and 17,
that's... that's... [chuckles]
How did you do it?
I mean, record
an album like this?
- Who was your producer?
- [Don Sr.] Donnie produced it.
He made it all right here.
[Joe] Yeah. Yeah, Dad built us
a place out in the woods
to practice in.
We called it
"the practice place."
We recorded the whole thing,
you know, right...
right there.
- [Matt] Wow.
- [sighs]
- [Matt] And then what happened?
- [Joe] Well, not much.
[parents laugh]
[Joe] Uh, we-we didn't know
really anything about
selling records, Matt.
I mean, Mom and I tried
to sell them around here,
but, yeah, that was...
that was about it.
[Salina] We still do.
I sold three just last month.
- [Matt] All right.
- [chuckles]
There's a whole
long story there.
Uh, but what--
you know, just what's the...
what's the idea here, Matt?
The idea is that I really
wanna help you guys.
We can release Dreamin' Wild
the way an album of this
caliber should be released.
Okay, and how are you
gonna do that?
Well, it's what we do.
My partner and I formed
Light in the Attic
to help overlooked artists.
We find albums that
never found an audience,
didn't quite work
the first time around.
We try to give them
a second chance,
a chance to succeed.
And based on all the buzz
the record has gotten...
Wait, what did you say, buzz?
- What do you mean?
- Yeah, I'm sorry.
The buzz online
for the record.
You've seen that, right?
- No.
- We don't really have
- Internet here.
- No.
[Matt] Okay, so let me
take it back for you.
A record collector in Montana
found this album somewhere.
He starts passing it around
to his buddies,
he loves the album.
Then these vinyl collectors
on the West Coast
get ahold of it and...
it just starts spreading
and it keeps going and going.
- Yeah.
- [both laugh]
[Matt] I'm telling you guys,
there's a lot of love
for you out there.
And... I think it's time
for the rest of the world
to hear it.
And we wanna be
in business with you
to make sure that happens.
Okay, so,
what's that gonna cost us?
[Matt] Uh...
it won't cost you anything.
We're gonna
re-press the album,
promote it, market it,
put it out the way
an album of this caliber
should be released.
Donnie, it's not gonna
cost you a thing.
In fact, if I'm right,
there's a good chance
you'll make money.
[parents and Joe laughing]
[both laughing]
- [Matt] We'll be in touch.
- [Donnie] Okay.
[Matt] I'd love to work
with you guys. It'd be an honor.
[engine spluttering]
[engine starts]
[Joe] I wonder
what kind of store?
It must have been, like,
an antique store or something.
[family chatting, laughing]
Donnie, is this...
I mean, is this real?
I guess we'll just
have to wait and see.
Should be an answer
to our prayers, though.
You stay for dinner
and we celebrate.
- No, Mama, I've gotta go.
- No, no, no.
It's been too long,
and I feed you.
You know your mother, you're
not gonna get out of here
without her feeding you.
[chuckles]
What do you think,
Donnie, huh?
What he said about all those
people loving the album?
- What about that, huh?
- [Don Sr.] Yeah.
- [Joe] That's crazy.
- Yeah, pretty cool.
- [Joe] Yeah.
- You know, I think, uh...
we've been promised things
before, you know,
and we get
left holding the bag.
- Yeah.
- [Don Sr.] Good to see you
- back out here, son.
- Yeah. You too, Dad.
[chuckles]
How are things?
- All right. Good.
- How's Nancy?
- Yeah, she's good.
- Yeah?
Um, running around
with the kids, and, um...
we've been playing some gigs,
mostly around town, and...
and she's trying
to keep the studio busy.
Yeah. I hear it's been
kind of tough.
Yeah, well, we're trying.
Oh, you're doing good, son.
Don't you worry.
No, no, I know, but it
might be that the business
just isn't there
right now, you know.
It's just...
just not.
And as much
as I hate to say it,
no, Dad, it might be that
we have to close it down.
Well, I'll talk to the bank
again, see what we can do.
Dad, I don't want you
to call the bank again
because you've done
too much already.
I know you didn't like
the bankruptcy idea,
but that was supposed
to take some pressure off,
and not just me and Nance
but you and Mom too,
and now the studio's
another thing that's
dragging you down.
No, it's not dragging us down.
We're doing okay.
- [soup sloshes]
- That smells good.
[sniffs]
Anyway, you need
somewhere to play, don't ya?
Especially now.
[Joe] Who do you think
these people are?
They found, uh...
they found it in Montana.
I wonder what kind of store.
Must have been, like,
an antique store or something.
They must have
listened to it...
[Salina laughing]
[needle scratching record]
[teenage Donnie, softly] Dad?
[uneasy music playing]
[panting]
- [switch clicks]
- [bowl sets on table]
Aw, shoot, Mom, I forgot.
I had promised Nance that
I would be back for dinner.
She's making something
special tonight.
No, no, no.
Can't you call her?
Tell her you are
celebrating with us.
Oh, no, Mom, I love you.
I can't...
'Cause she's making
something special.
- Okay.
- [kisses]
- All right.
- We love you.
Thank you, Mom,
I love you too. All right.
Okay, Don. Yeah.
Yes, it's good to see ya.
- [Donnie] Okay, yeah.
- Yeah.
- Yep, I'll see you soon.
- Okay.
[Don Sr.] Safe travels, son.
- [door shuts]
- [Salina sighs]
- [Don Sr, chuckles]
- [Joe] Huh. I'm hungry, Mom.
[Salina] Come smell.
Well, then set the table.
[sighs]
[engine starts]
["Baby" playing]
Ooh, ooh, baby
Ooh, ooh, baby
When we're out
in the moonlight
Lookin' up
on the stars above
Feels so good
when I'm near you
Holdin' hands
and makin' love
Ooh, ooh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Sandy beach
and was making love
As the tide moves in on us
Feels so good
walking side by side
Wanna be with you
all my life
Oh, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Dreams of you all the time
Feels so good
when we're together, love
Just can't wait
until tomorrow night
Hey, baby, let's shake it
Oh, hey, baby
Hey, hey, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
When we're out
in the moonlight
Lookin' up
on the stars above
Feels so good
when I'm near you
Holdin' hands
and makin' love
Ooh, ooh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby, oh
Yes, oh, baby
[gasps]
[Matt] Here it is.
Dreamin' Wild
on Light in the Attic Records.
Wow!
Wow, look--
look at that, Dad.
There it is.
Oh, that's beautiful.
- [laughs]
- Matt, that's real...
It's nice. It's real nice,
it looks great.
Wait till you hear
how it sounds.
It's really rich and warm.
I think you're gonna
be real happy
with the remastering.
- Thanks, Matt.
- No, you hold onto it.
It's yours.
Uh, Pitchfork heard it.
You guys ever hear
of Pitchfork?
It's an online magazine,
super popular.
They're giving the album
eight out of ten stars.
- Is that good?
- Oh, it's great.
I mean, they're
reviewing a reissue
from 30 years ago.
It's fantastic.
- [Joe] Eight out of ten
is great, Dad.
- It's okay?
- Yeah.
- [Matt] Listen to this.
"During its finest moments,
to twist a Brian Wilson phrase,
Dreamin' Wild is a Godlike
symphony to teenhood."
- Brian Wilson?
- Yeah.
[Joe and Salina laughing]
- Well, heck, let's celebrate.
- [Matt] I'd love to celebrate.
[Joe] Oh, thanks, man!
Yeah, let's celebrate.
["When I Paint My Masterpiece"
by The Band playing]
[Joe] Well, Matt came out
to the house
and then he had
this article...
[indistinct chatter]
"Like a teenage symphony
to teenhood" or something.
Right, Matt?
That's what he said, right?
[Matt] That's what they said.
- Hey, Dion.
- What's up, Joe?
- [Joe] You made it.
- Hey, Donnie, long time, man.
- Good to see you, bro.
- Good to see ya.
So, uh, Donnie, you finally
made the big time, huh?
Oh, I don't know about that.
You ain't been around.
Where you been?
Uh, Nance and I play
on the road a little bit.
Just not around here
though, huh?
Your brother's place
not good enough for you?
Uh, Dave,
can we get Dion a beer?
Get him a cold beer?
["When I Paint My Masterpiece"
playing continues]
- Hold on, Matt Sullivan.
- [all laughing]
Hold on, Matt Sullivan.
Hold on, Matt Sullivan.
There it is.
[Don Sr.] Are you okay?
[indistinct chatter]
[music stops]
This is where
it happened.
Wow.
Looks like
a special place.
[Joe] Yeah.
We came here every day,
you know, after working
out in the fields.
I mean, we'd get
washed up first, you know?
We'd put on some clean clothes
and we'd just... come here.
It was like, uh...
like going to church,
you know?
Yeah, I bet.
Yeah.
Donnie, let's go inside.
Come on, let's take Matt in.
- All right, hold on.
- [Matt] Let's check it out.
[Joe] Here we go.
Let me turn on these lights.
Yeah, come on in.
[Matt] Wow. This is it.
- Holy shit.
- [Joe laughs]
[Matt] Hello? Hello?
Test, one, two.
Test, one, two, three.
So, how was it
set up back then?
Had the drums there
and the keyboard over there,
and then kind of wander
around with the guitar
and microphone
trying to find
the right sound, you know?
Huh.
Yeah. I love it.
Yeah, it's special, huh?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, look at this.
- [Joe] Oh, yeah, this is the...
- [Matt] This the control room?
- [Joe] Yep, it's
the control room. Yeah.
- [Matt] Oh, wow.
- This was it, right here.
- [Matt] This is--
- Oh, this is awesome.
- [Joe] Yeah.
- [Matt] Beautiful, fantastic.
- [Joe] Oh!
- Look at these eight-tracks.
- Oh, Matt, I think
we got a little mouse
that made a home up here.
- [Matt] Oh, yeah?
- [Joe] I'm sorry about that.
[Matt] That's okay. They gotta
live somewhere, right?
[Joe] Yeah.
Well, it's pretty simple, huh?
- Oh, it's great.
- Yeah, it's simple.
It's got a great vibe. You can--
You can feel it, it's special.
Yeah.
- Hey, where's that beer?
- At my house.
My house.
You wanna get a beer?
- Yes.
- Okay, let's get a beer.
Go ahead, I'll take care
of the mouse.
- You sure? Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Okay, all right. Okay.
Okay.
[door closes]
[tape rattles]
[electric piano
playing distantly]
[disembodied singing]
[discordant chords playing]
[teenage Joe]
Are you still thinking
about going to Hunter's?
I don't know, my Pops has
some work he wants me to do.
- So...
- Yeah?
- [teenage Donnie vocalizing]
- We'll see how that goes.
[teenage Joe]
Yeah, I'm not sure either.
We might, uh...
I might-- I might just
stick around here.
Boom, boom.
[all laugh]
I'm Deuce, the drummer.
That's Cricket, my assistant.
- This is, uh, Cameron.
- [laughs]
Hear what he said?
He said "when we play live."
I said " if we play live,"
he said "when we play live."
Donnie, what you got
going on over there?
- I was playing around.
- He just came up with this.
He comes up with all
this stuff, isn't it amazing?
[teenage Donnie] No,
I thought about it last night.
He dreams.
He comes back the next day,
he's got a whole
bunch of ideas.
- How'd he that?
- Don, what you got
going on over there?
"Dream Full of Dreams."
- Is that what it's called?
- Yeah.
- How does it go?
- [teenage Donnie playing piano]
["Dream Full of Dreams" playing]
Looking back on how it was
It will never be the same
[playing off-key]
[song continues]
Looking back on how it was
Will it ever be the same?
[crickets chirping]
[Dion and Joe whooping]
[Matt laughs]
[Joe whoops, laughs]
[Matt] Hey, man.
- [laughter continues]
- How's the stars look up there?
[Dion and Joe laughing]
Nice.
Can I join you?
Sure, come on up.
- [Dion and Joe whooping]
- [Matt grunts]
You wanna hold that for me?
Not sure that beer and flares
are supposed to be mixed.
[sighing] Oh, shit.
Yes.
[sighs]
[chuckles] How you doin'?
Good.
Thanks for having me out.
Yeah, thanks for coming out.
- Mm.
- [Joe whoops]
So check this out,
New York Times called me.
They wanna
send a writer out...
- [Joe laughs, whoops]
- ...to do a story on you guys.
- Are you pulling my leg?
- [chuckles]
No.
It's pretty exciting.
You make an album
when you're 16 years old
and nobody likes it.
Thirty years go by...
The New York Times wants
to come out and talk to you.
Not too bad.
I'm a drummer
in a rock n' roll band!
[whoops]
You know, when we made
that album, we were so happy.
Just...
didn't know anything
about the world.
Literally just here.
Yeah.
Just here, playing music.
Put everything we had into it.
And no one liked it.
Nothin'.
It's so weird to have this,
you know, now,
and I'm not sure what, what...
what... what to do
with all of it.
Hmm. I get it. I mean,
I can imagine it's a lot.
But, uh, people
are starting to hear it,
and people are starting
to feel it.
What do you do with it?
You know, that's...
Well, it's a good question.
Maybe you could try...
[Joe and Dion laughing]
...enjoying it?
[both laughing]
And we have Donnie
and Joe Emerson here with us,
two musicians
from Fruitland, Washington,
who recorded an album
when they were teenagers
back in the late '70s.
Did I get that right?
Is it Donnie or Don?
Well, now people call me Don,
but when we made the album,
people called me Donnie,
so I guess it could be
either one, you know.
You can call me Don or you...
- [both laughing]
- Shut up, bro!
[laughing]
- Joe Emerson?
- Yeah.
I'm Steven Kurutz
from The New York Times.
- We spoke on the phone.
- Ah! Yeah, hey, Steven.
Welcome, welcome.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, good to meet ya.
[Steven] How did Donnie
get started?
He started playing
some at school.
Uh, taught himself piano.
And guitar.
And then he started
writing songs,
and I don't mean
like little kid songs,
these were like real songs,
and he was writing
one or two a day.
[Joe] Growing up on the farm,
we were pretty protected
from outside influences.
We didn't really watch
television that much,
didn't really buy records
or anything. I mean, heck,
I don't even think-- did we even
have, like, a record player?
Well, I remember
we got a tractor
when I was, like, 12.
And that had a radio in it,
and that was pretty cool
'cause then we could
listen to music.
[Donnie]
I don't want you
To be no slave
I don't want you
To work all day
But I want you
To be true
And I just wanna
make love to you
I didn't know
that much about music,
but, uh, it seemed like
something we shouldn't ignore.
- Whoa!
- [Don Sr.] So...
we got him some equipment,
Joe too,
- drums and guitars.
- [indistinct chatter]
We built them a little place
to practice in.
[Joe] My dad is a man of faith.
He believes
in his family and...
he believes in Donnie.
- This is perfect!
- Ah!
- [laughter]
- All right, boys.
[Steven] You and Donnie
still play together?
[Joe] Nope, no.
When Dreamin' Wild
didn't work out,
we made the decision that,
that Donnie
would be better off
as a solo act, you know?
I mean, he was the one
with the talent.
Anybody could see that.
You know, Donnie's a...
he's a complicated
sort of guy.
He's got a...
a lot going on in his head.
And what he did,
you know, Steven,
I mean, what he does,
it's, uh...
I don't know,
it's just kind of like
a genius, truthfully.
But it's not
always easy for him.
How about for you?
Oh, me, I get along fine,
you know.
I just keep...
I keep working on my house.
Wait, you built that?
Yeah, yeah, I sure did.
[Steven]
And it's just you there?
You never married?
[Joe] No. No, no,
I never, never, never did.
No.
You know, there was a...
there was someone special.
You know,
she was real special.
And I was
building it for her.
And, um...
she passed away.
[Don Sr.]
Headin' back to New York?
I am.
But I wanna thank you
for, for welcoming me
and being so open.
Ah.
You've got
a wonderful family here.
I suppose you know
that, though.
Well, if you're ever
in the neighborhood,
the door's always open.
- Thank you, sir.
- [Don Sr. chuckles]
- So, where are you headed?
- Taking this load to Colville.
How far is that?
Uh, it's about
a 100 miles round trip.
Not too bad.
How old are you again, Don?
I don't keep track
of those things, Steven.
- [chuckles]
- Well, enjoy the journey.
[contemplative music playing]
[Avea] Come on, Dad.
Here it is.
[Donnie] Hold on,
hold on. Oh, boy.
- Gosh. Oh, my gosh.
- You look good.
- Oh.
- [Nancy and Donnie laugh]
[Donnie] Okay.
" 'A Time Capsule Set to Song.'
By Steven Kurutz,
Fruitland, Washington.
By the time he was
in his teens in the late 1970s,
Donnie Emerson..."
[Avea] "Donnie Emerson
could play the trombone,
clarinet, piano, guitar,
and was writing
and singing his own songs,
musical gifts that
took shape in a cabin
set among the Ponderosa pines
on the Emerson family farm."
"Joe accompanied him on drums,
and the brothers formed
a close musical bond.
They would play
for hours at home
or drive over
to Fruitland Valley,
where other farm boys
had wild parties."
- [laughter]
- "And they would jam
in a ramshackle house
known as the Hilton."
Let me tell you what,
those parties, they were wild.
Those parties
were wild, wild.
"Maria, who is now 50
and lives with
her husband near Spokane,
remembers that
the entire family
rallied around their music
and attached a lot
of hope to the album.
'My dad and mom both
are big dreamers,' she said.
'We were wanting something
good to come of it.'
'What happened next?
Not much.'"
[Don Sr. and Salina laugh]
[indistinct chatter]
[Don Sr.] So, where do you boys
see this all going,
this music thing?
Hell, we got 1,600 acres here.
Probably get more,
if we keep going
the way we're going.
But it don't come easy.
It's a lot of work,
a lot of responsibility.
But you give it your life
and it gives you back a life.
That's how I brought
you boys up.
But, uh, now...
[chuckles]
I got this problem.
I got this son...
two sons, really...
going off and spending
a lot of time making music
and all this
writing songs and whatnot.
Wouldn't really be
a problem, though,
if I didn't think
that there was a...
a talent there.
So, what I wanna know...
is how serious you boys are
about all this.
Real serious.
Yeah, yeah.
Real serious, Dad.
Yeah, well, you can see
the problem then.
I can do both.
I'll do my chores
and I'll make my music
- and I'll make it work.
- [Don Sr.] Uh-huh.
I expect you will.
But if you're serious
about the music,
you gotta work on it, hard,
same as on the farm.
No slackin' off,
'cause that's what it'll take.
Remember...
you exhaust the body,
you free the mind.
Hmm?
Got me?
Yes, sir.
One condition, though.
I want you to do
your own songs.
Playing other people's
songs is...
okay for fun and whatnot,
but it's not gonna
get you anywhere.
You got a mind for it, son.
A gift.
You gotta use it.
You do that,
you work hard.
And I'll support you.
I'll do whatever
I can to help.
I believe in you boys.
Hmm?
[Don Sr. chuckles]
Don't let me down.
Oh!
Yeah, okay. Yeah.
That's enough of that.
- [teenage Donnie and Joe laugh]
- [rock music playing]
[both laughing]
Talkin' 'bout China Grove
Whoa, ho
Whoa, ho, China Grove
Whoa, ho, China Grove
- [crowd cheering]
- Thank you.
We're gonna play
something new for you guys.
So, hope you like it.
[romantic ballad playing]
Thoughts in my mind
About to unfold
What life is about
Just grieve all alone
There's no one there
When I need someone
To give me love
And strengthen my heart
Thanks a lot.
[scattered applause]
Okay, this next one
is by Jackson Browne.
Between the darkness
on the street
And the houses
filling up with light
Between the stillness
in my heart
And the roar
of the approaching night
Somebody's calling
after somebody
Somebody turns the corner
out of sight
Looking for somebody
Somewhere in the night
Tender is the night
When you hold
your baby tight
Tender, tender
are the motions
Tender is the night
When just outside
there are people laughing
Living lives
we used to lead
Chasing down
the love they need
Somewhere in the night
Tender is the night
And the benediction
of the neon light
Tender, tender
are the hunters
Tender is the night
- [Joe] Jimmy Fallon?
- Jimmy Fallon, he comes out,
he says "Baby"
is his new favorite track.
- [Salina] On TV?
- [Matt] Last week.
- His new favorite?
- [Matt] Yes.
And-and the response
has been terrific.
A big bump in sales,
and that's on top
of the strong numbers
we've already been seeing,
so things are really
just cookin'.
In fact, I wanted...
- Wow,
- ...to deliver this
to you personally.
Your first royalty check.
Now, it's just
the first quarter,
so it's not a big one,
but it's just the beginning,
there'll be more to come.
You know,
that's a royalty check.
That is a...
that is... Wow!
That's a real check.
Um... Matt, thank you so much.
Thank you so much. [exhales]
You're welcome.
Thank you.
I've been getting
a lot of calls. I tell ya,
lots of calls,
requests from all over,
for you guys to come play.
I think we could put together
a pretty decent tour.
[Joe] Oh, you mean
with me and...
- [Donnie] A tour?
- ...and Donnie, on stage?
- A tour.
- The two of us together?
- The two of you together.
- Just us?
Yeah. I mean, a tour
would, uh, put you out there
in front of people just to...
show 'em what you got.
- Now, uh, our company's...
- [Joe laughs]
...putting together
an anniversary show
at the Showbox in Seattle
in October,
and we'd love
for you guys to play.
- [Donnie] At the Showbox?
- Yeah.
[Donnie]
What would we play?
Just a couple of tunes
off the album, you know.
- Shake a few hands.
- [Joe and Donnie] Yeah.
It'd be fantastic.
Don't answer me now.
Just-just,
just think about it.
- [Donnie sputters]
- But it means something...
It'd mean
a lot to me personally.
- The Showbox?
- [Donnie] Yes.
- Are you kidding me?
- No, I'm not.
- No? In Seattle?
- Yeah.
How many times have we said
we wanted to play there?
So many times,
so many times we've said
we wanted to play there,
and now he wants it to be
the kickoff for a tour,
and he says that there are,
you know, a hundred places
have called
to request us for after.
Wait, so...
you and Joe...
you and Joe, right?
[Donnie] Yeah.
Which is weird 'cause it was
our thing for so long.
So it's kind of like...
this dream is coming true,
but kind of the wrong people
are in it, or something.
Oh, I think it's great. I'm...
I'm really happy for you.
["Good Time"
playing over record]
Did you have a good time
while it lasted...
[strumming guitar]
[drumming out of sync]
Have a good
good time, now
- Did it make you feel...
- Okay.
...like a fool?
Sorry. [sighs]
Sorry about that, brother.
It's been a while.
[chuckles]
That's all right. You're gonna
have to work into it.
I just can't believe we're
back here doing this, you know?
[sighs] I mean,
you and me, here...
it's, uh...
Well, um...
- Let's go again.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Don't go lovin'
nobody else, oh, baby
Don't go lovin'
nobody else
Can't you see I need you?
Ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Nobody else
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Nobody else
How was that? Gee!
Don, what did
we think of that?
Did we dig it or what?
Um... Joey, hey.
- Yeah.
- You gotta...
You gotta, gotta keep
the pace, though.
On that, just...
[stammers] Some bits,
you're just slowing down
a little bit.
You just gotta keep the...
the pace steady, okay?
- Well, yeah.
- You know?
Like, the, um,
the bit that...
Can't you see I need you?
- Yeah.
- That bit, right?
You gotta... You're
slowing down a little bit.
I know. That's where
I keep getting tripped up.
Right, so you just gotta...
If you can keep
that steady pace
right there,
that'll be perfect.
'Cause I gotta
keep the tempo.
- Yeah.
- It sounds good, though.
I mean, I know,
I'm working on the pace.
Where I'm getting tripped up
is when you start going...
Nobody else
- That's where I'm...
- I think just focus on the...
- You know, the steady pace.
- Yeah. The timing.
- Yeah. Timing and everything.
- Right.
- Should we go for one more?
- [teenage Joe] Great idea.
B-side, "Don't Go
Lovin' Nobody Else."
Okay.
["Don't Go Lovin'
Nobody Else" playing]
Don't go lovin'
nobody else
Oh, baby,
don't go lovin' nobody else
Don't go lovin'
nobody else
Oh, baby,
don't go lovin' nobody else
Can't you see I need you?
Don't go
lovin' nobody else
Oh, baby,
don't go lovin' nobody else
Don't go lovin' nobody else
Oh, baby
Don't go lovin'
nobody else
Can't you see I need you?
[song fading]
What's wrong
with you, honey?
[contemplative music playing]
I thought it was all right
Donnie! Hey.
You okay?
Man, this is not gonna work,
playing this old stuff.
[strumming guitar]
We gotta do something new.
Donnie, I... You know,
I think this is...
you know, this is what
they wanna hear, you know?
I mean, this is
what everybody's loving.
They wanna hear this,
you know?
Come on, we're just
getting back into it.
Let's, uh... let's just
give it another chance, okay?
All right, here, I'll, uh...
[clears throat]
I'll count it off, all right?
All right.
[somber music playing]
[sign creaking]
[Joe] He risked
a lot, my dad.
He... He lost a lot.
This farm here,
you know, it...
it used to be 1,700 acres.
We're down to about 65 now.
[Don Sr.] Hey, son,
what are you doing out there?
- Hey.
- [chuckles]
I was just taking a walk,
letting off some steam.
Yeah, yeah.
It's sure good having you back
around the farm more.
I know your mother
likes seeing you.
- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
I like seeing you too.
- Yeah.
- Yep.
Mm-hmm.
Hmm.
Big chance you got going.
Yep.
Good chance for people
to finally see what you can do.
Yeah, well,
that's what we're hoping.
You know, I...
I'm hoping for that,
Dad, because I'd...
I'd like to, you know...
Oh, you'll do all right.
Yeah, you just wanna
go out there and do your best.
- Yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah, I'm trying.
- Oh.
I'm trying.
Oh, okay.
["Willin'"
by Linda Ronstadt playing]
I've been warped
by the rain
Driven by the snow
I'm drunk and dirty
Don't you know?
But I'm still
Willin'
Out on the road
late last night
I seen my pretty Alice
in every headlight
Alice
Dallas Alice
And I've been
from Tucson to Tucumcari
Tehachapi to Tonopah
Driven every kind of rig
that's ever been made...
- [line rings, connects]
- [Matt] Hey, Donnie?
Great to hear from you.
What's going on?
First, I just wanna tell you
how grateful I am
for this opportunity,
Matt, um...
I'm so glad
you're doing it, man.
The only thing is,
you know, on the record,
there was Joey on drums
and me on...
well, on everything else.
Right, so you need
some backup.
I've already got the band,
and they'd be willing
to do it for free.
Awesome. Bring 'em.
What else?
[Donnie] You know,
Dreamin' Wild...
I got a lot more than that.
[Matt] Look, I'm glad
you're bringing this up.
I've been wanting
to ask you about it.
[Donnie] I've been writing
and playing music
this whole time,
jazz and rock and country.
Anyway, I've been working
on some new stuff with Nancy.
- I think you'd dig it.
- [Matt] I'd love to hear it.
Maybe after the show?
[Donnie] Sure.
- Should we go for one more?
- We're supposed to be meeting
Linda and Heidi
at the barn about now.
Oh, yeah.
Okay. You comin'?
No, no, no,
I'm better back here.
- I'm good.
- Come on, man.
They said they might bring
some more girls.
- It could be fun.
- No, that's okay.
I'm gonna... [stammers]
Ray's gonna come over,
and he's gonna help me
with the car, so...
we're gonna get that done.
And I want it
to be just right.
- You sure?
- Yeah!
Yeah, no, I'm good. I'm gonna
work on this. Everything...
You guys go.
You guys go and have fun.
Joe, are you sure? Okay.
I'll see you later.
Have fun, you guys.
[teenage Joe]
Yeah. See you later.
- [Eldon] See ya.
- [door opens]
[door closes]
Can't you see...
[kissing]
What that woman, Lord
She been doin'...
Let me catch my breath,
will ya?
Oh, I'm...
I'm sorry.
I'm just kidding.
I don't mind.
You know, I remember
the first time I saw you...
- Hmm?
- ...was when you joined school
in second grade,
and I remember hiding
under the bus
and staring
at how beautiful you were.
- In second grade?
- Yeah.
All right, you two,
break it up.
There's a party going on
over here, you know.
Eldon says you guys
are recording an album.
Yeah, well, I mean,
we're working on it.
You mean like
a real music album?
Yeah. That's what
we're going for.
[Linda] Like the Eagles
or something?
- I don't know, I...
- They ain't doin' nothin'
like the Eagles.
Shit, it's probably
more like the Canaries.
- Oh, shut up, Darrel.
- [friends laughing]
[bluesy guitar riff playing]
Ooh
Give me the chance
To come and love you
Ooh, give me the chance
chance...
Give me some chance now
[birds chirping]
["Give Me The Chance"
playing on headphones]
[knock on door]
How are we doing in here,
brother?
Just listen.
Ooh, give me the chance
Chance
To come and love you
Ooh
Ooh, give me the chance
Chance
Give me some trouble
- Brother!
- Yeah?
- What have you done?
That was too good.
- Yeah?
You blew me
out of the water, son!
Far out, man! Oh, my...
That's impressive.
Seriously.
I mean, did you spend
all night working on that?
I guess so. Yeah.
- How was the party?
- Good.
It would've been more fun
if you'd have been there.
Man, you're kidding me.
I wouldn't--
- I'm not kidding you.
- I'm a stick-in-the-mud.
- What do you mean--
Joey, are you kidding?
- I'm not social in that way.
You would've been
making everyone laugh,
you would've been
the life of the party.
I'm serious.
Just listen, brother,
you just gotta
put it out there, be brave.
You're a really cool dude.
- I appreciate that.
- Anyways,
you got it made, you know.
Everyone knows
the drummer always gets
- the best girls, right?
- Ah.
I'm a lucky guy, then, huh?
- [girl whoops]
- [family exclaiming, laughing]
[indistinct chatter]
- You look beautiful!
- Thank you, Mom.
- [laughs]
- Oh, thank you.
- Is it good?
- It's beautiful.
It fits you great.
[indistinct chatter]
- [Donnie] Okay, let's get...
- [camera shutter clicking]
[indistinct chatter]
[Joe] Dreamin' Wild!
- [horn honking]
- We got it, people.
Come and get it!
Whoo! Yow!
[horn blares]
Hey! Donnie!
- Hey, brother, how you doing?
- Hey. I'm doing great.
- Good, good, me too.
- Donnie, I've been practicing,
and I think this is gonna be
so much better.
- It's getting really good.
- Oh, yeah. Okay, amazing.
- Uh, listen...
- What?
You know, I was
so stressed out. Oh, my God.
Joe, I'm sorry I was
so stressed out the other day.
- No, it's okay.
- And I just...
I know that you were
frustrated too, you know,
so I figured that, uh,
we could use some help.
- So I got some reinforcements.
- [car doors closing]
What? Some reinforcements?
Yeah? Oh!
Hey.
- Hi.
- Hey, Joey.
- Hi, Nancy.
- How are ya?
- I'm good, Nancy, how are you?
- I'm good.
- Yeah, hi. Hey.
- So excited to be here.
Hey. Well, good,
I'm glad you're...
Hey, do you remember
Carlos, the Fox?
- Hey, man, how you doing?
- Yes. Hey, Carlos. How are ya?
- It's Dion the Disaster.
- Hey, what's going on, Joe?
- Hey, Dion, how are ya?
- [Dion] Good, good.
- Good.
- What do you think?
I mean, I figured it'd
just take some pressure off,
and then I also wanted to work
on some new arrangements.
Okay. Yeah, yeah.
- Is that all right?
- Okay. Yeah, no, that's fine.
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
- Okay.
- Yeah, okay, that's great.
Okay.
[guitar riff playing]
[stammers] You're gonna
hold on the four and then
you come in on one.
Did you have a good time
as long as it lasted?
Did you make you feel
Like you were
on top of the world?
Do you feel good now
you got a man now?
Did it make you feel
like a fool?
- Did you have a...
- drumming out of sync]
Did you have a good time?
[drumming out of sync]
Okay.
I'll do it.
Hey, I'll do the kick.
You'll do...
you'll do what?
I'll do the kick.
You don't want me
to play the bass drum?
No, I don't want you to play
the bass drum.
You're not keeping up, man.
- Wouldn't it be easier?
- Can we just go one more time?
- I'm just...
- Really not that
big of a deal.
I'd like you to play
the bass drum in time.
[snare drum claps]
Hey, Donnie,
that's not necessary.
Yeah, that is necessary
because it's not working.
No. It sounds good.
[Donnie] Everything else
sounds good except for that,
so then we fix it
because it's a rehearsal.
[Nancy] Can you loosen up?
- I'm loose.
- Really?
- Yeah, I'm loose.
- It doesn't seem like it.
Well, look closer.
I'm loose.
- Okay, I'm looking.
- Yeah.
- You're not. Okay?
- Yeah.
What's the song called?
What's it called? "Good Time".
Why don't you try
having one? For real.
We've been doing this
for four hours.
[tambourine rattling]
Should we do it again?
[softly] Don't question me
about my music.
Why not? You're acting
crazy in there.
- [softly] I'm acting crazy?
- Yes! You're acting crazy.
- [softly] Be quiet!
- You're acting crazy in there.
- [softly] He can't keep a beat.
- He's doing all right.
[softly] Doing all right?
An "all right"
is not good enough.
It's been 30-odd, 45 years.
He doesn't--
It's not good.
And then Matt's gonna
book the tour for us
if this works out,
so you could say it's kind of
the biggest show of my life.
And I don't want it
to get messed up.
Okay. It's not gonna
get messed up, okay?
It's gonna be fine.
- It's gonna be great, okay?
- [exhales]
Just let him play drums.
He's your brother.
[teenage Joe] Hey, are we
getting this done or not?
Oh, sorry, man. Here.
You'll need
another one of them.
- Oh, I do. Think so.
- Yes?
Yeah, all's I gotta do is
just finish up this gap here
and I think we'll be good.
Don't you need, um...
two more?
- Yeah, I'll get two more.
- [Rose] Donnie, Joe!
- [Joe] Yeah?
- [Rose] Dad's looking for us.
Wants us to come inside.
[Donnie] Well,
can't it wait a second?
[Rose]
I don't think so.
So, I got this call
from Los Angeles.
- [Joe] Whoa!
- [Rose] Really?
Yeah, uh...
- a record producer.
- [Joe laughing]
- [Rose] What?
- Yeah,
he heard the record,
thought it was great,
one of the best things
he's heard.
- Yeah! Gosh!
- [all laughing]
[Don Sr.] He said
he thought it showed a lot
of promise and whatnot
and wanted to know
if there was any more
where that came from.
Well, there sure is.
Yeah! How about that, Donnie?
So this guy,
he says he's a producer,
not a record company,
so he can't really help us
in selling Dreamin' Wild.
What he wants is,
he wants to help us
make a new album.
He says he works with
these record company guys
all the time,
and he knows what they want.
And he... he thinks...
Donnie should be a solo act.
- [Maria] What?
- No.
Solo?
No. No. What? No.
- [Rose] No way.
- Well, that's what I said.
It's, it's the Emerson Brothers.
- Donnie and Joe.
- [Rose] Yeah.
Anyway, he seemed
kind of set on that.
But I told him...
no, that's not
gonna happen. We don't...
we don't operate
that way in our family.
They're music people,
they don't understand.
We know what it is
to do things together,
so I'll talk to them
and we'll work it out.
It'll be fine.
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
It's a hard, it's a hard
It's a hard, and it's hard
It's a hard rain's
A-gonna fall
- [woman] I like your drumming.
- [Joe] Hey, thanks, thank you.
[woman] How old are you?
I'm 20. How about you?
Don't do that, Joe.
Lorna's trouble.
[Joe] How do you mean?
[Lorna] Wanna go somewhere?
She has two kids and, uh...
a problem.
[contemplative music playing]
Hey, baby.
[voice echoing]
[peaceful ballad
in piano playing]
[playing somber notes]
[stops playing]
How you doing there, Don?
Hey.
I wanna talk to you
about something
I've been thinking about.
That producer fellow?
I think it's a good idea.
I think you better do it.
No. No, I can't do it
without you.
What are you scared of?
You're great.
- You're my drummer.
You're my brother.
- I know I'm your brother.
And I'll always be
your brother, Donnie.
I'm never gonna
not be your brother,
but I'm always
gonna support you.
Donnie, look at me,
I'mma be all right.
I'll be okay,
I'll be out on the farm
doing what I love,
doing what I'm good at.
And you do the same.
You got a whole
'nother trajectory.
- Joey.
- No, look at me.
I've never been
no rock star, anyway.
I ain't planning
on being one.
This is you.
And I'm here for you.
[sniffles, sighs]
- Thank you.
- I'm proud of you.
It's gonna be great.
Wow, Showbox.
Never thought we'd get here.
- [man] Can I help you guys?
- Yeah, we're the Emersons.
[Matt] Oh, there they are. Hey!
- [Joe] Oh, hey, Matt.
- Welcome to the Showbox.
- Hey, buddy. How are ya?
- [Donnie] Hey.
- Matt, man, how are ya?
- Good to see you.
- [Donnie] Hey.
- [Nancy] We haven't met yet.
- I'm Nancy.
- [Matt] Good to meet you.
Jack Fleischer. He's the one
that found the album.
- Okay.
- Forced me to listen to it.
You guys mind
signing some autographs?
Guys, come here. Um,
these guys won tickets
from the local station.
- Say hi to Tom, Sarah.
- Oh.
- How are you doing? Hi.
- They want some autographs.
- [Joe] Wow. Hello.
- Hello.
- Will you sign this for me?
- Uh, sure, yes, yes.
- What's your name?
- Uh, Lindsay.
To Lindsay. Lindsay,
with a "Y" or an "I"?
- A "Y".
- A "Y." Yes.
- [Lindsay] Which one are you?
- Oh, well, that's me.
Right there, yeah, yeah.
I'm, uh, Joe.
Yeah, I'm the drummer.
How old are you, darling?
- 18.
- 18?
That's about how old I was,
uh, when this photo
was taken, Lindsay.
- [Nancy] Wow.
- [Joe] Wow. Wow.
- [Nancy] Can you believe that?
- [Joe] Look at this.
Look at this.
That was something, wasn't it?
[Nancy] Yeah.
You were signing autographs.
[Joe] An autograph for Lindsay.
[Nancy] Joe Emerson!
- [Joe] An autograph.
- [Nancy laughs]
- [Joe] Look at this, man.
- [Donnie] Oh, wow.
- [Joe] Well.
- [Donnie] Huh.
- I'm gonna keep one of these.
- [Donnie] Yeah, me too.
- I'm gonna keep this.
- [Donnie chuckles]
[Nancy] You look good, Joe.
There's nothing you can
really do with this mustache.
[Nancy] So...
I think you have to tune, right?
When you get out?
[knock on door]
[man] All right, you guys,
you're on in ten minutes.
- Let's do it!
- [Nancy] Thank you.
- Thank you.
- [Donnie] Dear Lord,
thank you so much
for this time together
with friends and family.
We thank you
for bringing us together
- to sing your praise.
- [Joe] Amen.
- Thank you for rock and roll.
- [Nancy] Amen!
- Okay, come on. Let's go.
- Let's go.
[crowd cheering at distance]
[exhaling]
Okay, this is it.
Hey, don't forget
the change in tempo. Right?
- [Joe] Yeah. Yeah.
- [Nancy] Yeah.
- [Donnie] 'Cause it's new.
- Yeah.
[Joe clears throat]
Man, we gotta knock
these people out.
[Joe] All right,
here we go.
- [Nancy whoops]
- Here we go.
- [crowd whistling]
- [Joe] Here we go!
[crowd applauding]
Ooh, ooh
Oh, baby
Whoa, ooh
Baby
When we're walking
in the moonlight
Looking up
at the stars above
Feels so good
when I'm near you
Holdin' hands
and makin' love
Oh, baby
[crowd cheering]
Oh, so baby
- Can you feel it?
- [cheering]
Oh, so baby
Oh, so baby
Hey, man, I want y'all to stay
just like that, don't move.
Sandy beaches, makin' love
As the tide
rolls in on us
Feels so good
walking side by side
Wanna be with you
all my life
Oh, baby
Oh, so baby
Oh, so baby
Oh, so baby
[piercing note echoing]
Hey, bring it down, Joseph.
Joseph, bring it down here.
Hey, bring it
way down, Joseph.
[percussion fading]
Can you feel the ocean?
Can y'all feel the ocean?
[echoing]
I wish you guys could be
with us out in Fruitland Valley.
Man, we played... played some
real little places out there.
[voice echoing]
[distorted] I can tell you
what a trip that was, man.
It was a time.
We had a time out there.
[music muffled, distorted]
I think y'all would fit
right in, you'd have a blast.
- We'd have a blast out there.
- [discordant noises]
[heavy echoing] Y'all should
come out to Fruitland Valley.
That's where we're from.
[discordant music playing]
[cheering]
- [laughter]
- [Joe] Huh?
Wasn't that something?
Wasn't that something?
Everybody was on their feet.
Everybody was on their feet!
- [Don Sr.] It was good.
- [Joe] Did you see everything?
[overlapping chatter]
[Joe] Did you see it, Dad?
Did you see it?
Yeah, yeah, you saw it,
didn't you, Dad?
- Yeah, huh?
- Such a great show.
[indistinct chatter]
Yeah, wow, what a feeling!
That was so...
Ah, that was so cool!
- [Nancy] That was good!
- [Joe] Wasn't it so good?
- [indistinct chatter]
- No, it was crap.
- [Joe] It was just so cool!
- It was crap. It was crap.
- It was so much fun.
- It was crap.
What are you
talking about, Donnie?
What do you mean?
Were you on stage with me?
Yes, I was on stage with you.
Okay, well,
it was a disaster.
Donnie. No, the crowd...
the crowd loved it.
You heard... Everybody was
cheering, everybody stood up.
Everyone was cheering because
they're company people, Joe,
so they have to cheer.
Do you understand?
They have to.
If a monkey walked out
on stage, they would cheer.
And that's what I was,
I was a talking monkey.
I was a talking monkey.
Instead of just
singing the songs...
- Donnie, you were great.
- No, I wasn't great.
- [Joe] Yes, you were.
- [Donnie] I was crap.
- No, you weren't.
- [Donnie] No, no, no.
It was crap. But I didn't
wanna play that music.
- What do you wanna play?
- [Donnie] But you did.
You wanted to play
the old stuff.
'Cause you said
that's what everybody wanted
and you thought
it would be fun.
There we were, pretending that
we're 17 years old on stage.
It's pathetic.
So now what?
- I don't know.
- Yeah,
well, I tell ya,
there's no tour,
there's no album,
there's no frickin' comeback.
- Yeah, but what do you care?
- What do you mean,
"What do I care?"
[Donnie] What do you care?
You haven't spent
your whole life
trying to make music,
trying to make stuff that
someone's gonna listen to.
So you don't care.
But it's a little bit
more than that for me.
Because I have spent my whole
life trying to make music
that people might
wanna hear.
Because you do
something else, Joe.
You cut down trees,
and you build stuff.
And you do whatever you want.
But you're not busting your ass
trying to make music.
You're not doing that.
That's what I'm doing.
Okay, Donnie.
So when you say,
"Let's play the old stuff,"
it's just fun for you.
It's not just fun for me.
- It's not fun for me!
- I didn't...
To do what everyone wants
isn't fun for me!
But you're having fun!
I'm not having fun!
So don't tell me
what I need to do!
Because it's my music!
Because I've been
working at it!
And now there's nothing.
Sorry, Mom and Dad.
[door slams]
[contemplative music playing]
[record player needle
scratching]
[Nancy in distance] Donnie.
Joey and your dad,
they keep calling.
[record player needle
continues scratching]
It's nice. I like it.
[bells tinkling]
[contemplative music
continues playing]
[Donnie singing indistinctly]
It's a bit sad, though,
isn't it?
So serious?
[somber instrumental
music playing]
I don't know if I wanna
be that serious.
[bells continue tinkling]
[faint singing]
[teenage Joe] They robbed us.
[telephone ringing]
Hello?
[teenage Donnie]
Joey? Is that you?
Yeah. Donnie?
It's Donnie.
Yeah, hey, brother,
how you doin'?
How is Hollywood
treating you?
Good. Good, very good.
Uh, I need to talk to Dad.
Is he there?
Yeah, okay, yeah, sure.
Here, he wants to talk to you.
How are things, son?
Dad? Oh, things
are going great.
Hal is so fantastic,
really talented.
You know, I've got--
He's got so many great ideas,
and he's bringing in
the best for me.
I-I really think
you're gonna love it.
- [chuckles]
- But, anyway, Dad,
I think we're gonna
need some more money.
More money?
Yeah. But not a lot.
Just a little more
to get these last few--
to get these last few songs
finished, and then...
- [sighs]
- I know we've gone over
what he said, but I think
it's gonna be worth it.
I think you're gonna love it.
I'm... I'm gonna
make you proud.
I know you are, son.
I know you are.
[man] You know what
this means, don't you, Don?
- [Don Sr.] I do.
- If this doesn't work
and you can't pay this off,
you're gonna lose
most of your farm.
- I don't advise it.
- I know.
I'm sure Donnie's
got the talent,
but these things
don't often work out.
...the music business,
but you gotta know,
the percentage chance
of success is like...
We'll do it for you,
really low.
I just don't wanna see you
gamble your livelihood.
[Don Sr.] It's not a gamble.
It's an investment.
Salina and I are making
an investment in our son,
in our family.
If you don't
believe in family,
what can you believe in?
[contemplative music playing]
Mom? Mom?
Dad?
Oh...
Dad?
[Don Sr. groaning]
[Salina] Don't. Come!
- Let me help you.
- I'm okay, I'm okay.
No, I get liniment.
No, no, no, I'll be fine.
Just give me a minute.
[Salina] Oh! Oh.
- Something for my head.
- Okay.
It's just a muscle spasm.
I'm okay!
It's the bank
and the payments.
It's too much.
- [Don Sr.] I'm all right.
- [sobbing] It's too much.
I'm all right.
Look, I'm all right.
I'm fine.
[contemplative music playing]
[sobbing softly]
[sniffles, continues sobbing]
[music growing louder]
[Donnie] No, no, no!
[Nancy]
Donnie, Donnie. Donnie.
Donnie, stop, stop, stop.
[whispering] You're okay.
- You're okay.
- [breathing heavily]
You have to let it go.
Okay?
You have to find some way
to let it go.
[door closes]
[contemplative music playing]
Hello?
Where are you?
[sighs]
[teenage Donnie on tape]
Okay, here we go.
["Dream Full of Dreams" playing]
[sighs]
[Donnie sighs]
[teenage Donnie]
Looking back on how it was
Will it ever be the same?
I'm just kidding
If I think it will
'Cause feelings
are changed
When you hold me
and tell me you love me
Will I dream
A dream full
Of dreams?
Can I ask you a question?
[Don Sr.] Donnie?
Is that you?
[chuckles]
I thought I heard something
going on out here.
I just stopped by, I was gonna
come see you and Mom after.
You okay?
You want me to...
No, no, I was just...
I was just listenin'.
["Dream Full of Dreams"
continues playing]
I don't know
if you ever knew this,
but back when I was
working on the songs,
at mostly
in the middle of the night,
I'd just come sit out here
in the open by myself
and listen to it.
That's how I knew
if it was right.
Hang on,
I'll get a chair for you.
You kinda know
it's gonna end
When two people start to
Think of themselves
What to say?
It's over
But I'd give
Anything in life
Hmm.
Mmm.
[Don Sr. chuckles softly]
[Donnie chuckles softly]
Mmm.
Takes you back.
- Yeah.
- [chuckles]
It does.
Seems like things
were a lot easier
- when I was a teenager.
- [chuckles]
Yeah, they weren't always
so easy then, either.
I guess not.
It feels that way now, though.
I get ya.
When we were kids, the music
just seemed to flow so easy.
[sniffles]
Coming out here and...
not think about anything.
It just...
- It just kind of happened.
- Mmm-hmm.
It was never
like that again, though.
Didn't matter where I went.
Running around working,
trying to make something
that would be successful.
But I never could.
Then I realized
all that running around
I was really just...
running away from something.
From what?
Dad, I think I was
running away from you.
[chuckles]
I was running away from
all the guilt and the shame
that I felt about
you putting up the money
and losing it and...
because you believed in me.
All this was yours,
everything that we could see,
and then it was gone
because of me.
But you never stopped believing
and you never stopped trying,
and then...
everything you did,
it just made me feel...
worse, you know?
Because I couldn't do
anything about it.
And then all this happened
and it felt like
a real shot for me to...
get something back for you.
Uh...
But I had to go back
and be something that I was...
when I was 17 years old.
I had to go back
and be someone else.
I can't do it.
I can't do it.
Or it's real hard.
And I'm trying.
I don't know if I can.
I can't figure it out.
Anyway...
just sorry, Dad, for putting you
through all of it.
[Don Sr. grunts softly]
You know... [chuckles]
I'm a pretty sound sleeper.
Once I fall asleep,
Mom can't wake me up
for nothing.
But I-I remember
waking up one night
a long time ago.
I wasn't able
to get back to sleep,
so I got up,
I walked out on the porch,
and, uh...
I heard this music.
I wouldn't have thought that
music would drift that far.
But...
I knew it was you.
Stood there
the rest of the night...
till it stopped.
I woke up a lot more nights
after that, just listened.
I could have
stood there forever.
Just listening.
I could tell you, son...
I would've gladly given up
all the land, all the farm,
just to hear that.
Just to hear you.
You're my son.
Even with all the hard times
we've been through...
I don't regret any of it.
And I couldn't be
prouder of you.
You play what you want.
I just want you to play.
Now, I gotta
go check on a load
I'm taking to Wenatchee
in the morning.
Go see your brother.
Okay, Dad.
[sighs]
[pensive music playing]
[welding gun whirring]
[switch clicks,
whirring stops]
- Hey.
- [exhales]
Hey.
Brother, what are you
doing up here?
I come up to see
Mom and Dad.
- Ah.
- And, uh...
I came to tell you
that I'm sorry I said
all those stupid things up
at the show in Seattle.
Just, you know,
shouldn't have said them.
And, uh...
That's all right.
You were... probably right
about most of it.
I think I've come
to the conclusion
that I'm...
I'm pretty good at bringing down
trees and building things,
but when it comes to drumming,
I'm never gonna be a...
[laughs]
A Ringo Starr, I guess.
I don't know about that.
You know, uh, I was
listening to the old tapes
from Dreamin' Wild and...
just trying to figure out.
You know how everyone
has been saying
it's got this weird,
magical feel to it?
Uh, I couldn't
figure out what it was,
or how to do it.
And then I was listening
to the tapes
and I finally figured it out.
It's you.
You're the magic of it.
You really are.
You're the heart of it.
Anyway, I know
what you've done for me,
all the things
that you gave up
so that I could do the things
that I wanted to do.
And I... never will be able
to thank you enough.
But I should probably
try more often.
You know,
I'll tell you, Donnie...
What a time to...
We played together growing up,
you know, that was...
that was the best time
of my life, you know.
It really was, and, um...
now when all this stuff about
Dreamin' Wild came out...
It made me feel good.
And I'll admit that
I'd hoped that you and me,
we might start playing
together again, you know,
spending some time and...
and writing songs and...
and all that, you know,
but I know that that...
I know it's more
than that for you, Donnie.
You know, this is your...
it's your life, you know,
it's your gift,
and it's what you...
And it's not me, you know.
And that's okay.
I'm just... I'm good here.
You know, I'm good here
doing what I'm doing.
And, uh...
I'll always be here
for you, though.
You hear me?
All right.
[Joe sighs]
I really love you, Joe.
[Joe clears throat]
- So, uh... [sniffles]
- [huffs air]
Uh...
- So where do we go from here?
- [both chuckle]
Hey, you wanna play
one more show?
Yeah, okay. Yeah.
Hi, I'm Don Emerson.
This is my brother Joe.
- [crowd cheering, applauding]
- And this is "Baby."
["Baby" playing]
Ooh, baby
Ooh, baby
When we're out
in the moonlight
Looking out
at the stars above
Feels so good
when I'm near you
Holdin' hands
and makin' love
Oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Oh, baby
Yes, oh, baby
Hi, my name is Donnie Emerson,
and this is my brother Joe.
- [crowd cheering]
- And my wife, Nancy Sophia.
This is...
"When a Dream is Beautiful."
I thought it was gone
I thought it was
far gone from me
I guess I was wrong
all along
I guess I was wrong
When something's beautiful
You gotta let it show
A dream is beautiful
When a dream is beautiful
Mm
Searching to find
All of my wants
and my needs
And there are the times
In all my wildest dreams
When something's beautiful
Well, you gotta
let it show
Mm, mm
When something's beautiful
You gotta let it show
A dream is beautiful
When a dream is beautiful
Take another chance
It's all about the ride
Don't give another reason
Not to try
Take another chance
When something's beautiful
You've gotta let it show
When something's beautiful
You've gotta let it show
Oh, a dream is beautiful
Ooh
A dream is beautiful
When a dream is beautiful
Mm
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la...
[slow instrumental
music playing]
[music ends]