IN THE WAKE OF A DEADAD
TRANSCRIPTION
Voice over
The son refused to look
The son refused to look
He was dying now
The son refused to look
He could no longer fend death off
Subtitles
In the year 2000 my father died and thus became the Deadad
So I set about making an inflatable effigy of him
And taking him to places of significance to either his life or mine
Of the family grave in wuppertal
Of the ancestral home in wuppertal
Of the road in which he was conceived
Of the house he grew up in
Of the train that took him to work in Germany
Of the factory in which he worked after the war
Of the church he pulled bells with my mother in
Of him marrying my mother
Of the office in which he earnt his living
Of respite from the deadad’s rage
Of the house he built
Of the garden he nurtured
Of kissing the deadad
Of the flat in which I lived
Voice over - child
What are you doing?
Voice over – Gary Parker (Cameraman)
We are making a programme, a film a documentary about that man’s dead dad and it’s called deadad
It’s a big blow up, inflatable with a picture of his father.
I’m filming over there.
It’s for the telly.
Voice over – children
Jump, jump, jump, jump
Subtitles
Of pretending he was a saint
Voice over – Gary Parker (Cameraman)
Shall we just blow it up
Subtitles
Of the beach to which I lost my virginity
Of Pyrenean pastoral and my life he could never understand
Voice over - Andrew
I’m covered in shit
Subtitles
Of the castle he was always too ill to climb
Voice over - John
Yea the top of your head’s out again
Voice over - Andrew
Am I in?
Voice over - John
Oh yea
Voice over - Andrew
Zip him up Nige
Voice over - John
Zip him up Nige
Voice over - John
Go on stick it where it hurts
Don’t look behind you
Voice over - Andrew
Zip him up Nige
Voice over - John
It’s going to be a famous, it’s going to be called in all the bars that is.
Zip him up Nige
Voice over - Andrew
OK leave it like that for a minute. Don’t touch him
Voice over - John
You want to release a single man
Subtitles
Of montsegur and the holy blood and the holy grail
Voice over - Andrew
Am I in shot am I in frame?
Voice over - John
You’re just on the edge
Voice over - Andrew
Am I in now?
Voice over - John
You’re half gone
Subtitles
Of the house we built
Of him facing the mountain of fear
Of the bath at our house
Of showing him the sacrificial stone under which I want to be buried
Voice over - Andrew
Do you think that’s thunder
Voice over - Leila
Maybe
Voice over - Andrew
He’s all covered in cow pooh Eden from the other day
Subtitles
Of the bedroom he never knew I had
Of life is life
Of hello grandad how are
Voice over – Andrew and Eden singing
Hello granddad how are you
Hello granddad how are you
Hello granddad how are you
How are you today?
Subtitles
And then out of the blue as if from nowhere a letter arrived in the post
It was from the Faroe Islands
A man by the name of Walter Emile Thomasson was looking for his Deadad
The name of his Deadad was Walter Emile Kotting
My Deadad’s Deadad, My Grandfather, Papa
So I set about making another inflatable effigy
Of the deadad’s deadad talking for posterity
Voice over – Papa Kotting – (The deadad’s deadad)
Oh I see I must talk quietly and be on my best behaviour
I’ll try
Prosperity that’s a long way away
Voice over
Not prosperity, posterity
Say a few words to that bearded man behind the camera otherwise known as your son
Voice over – Papa Kotting – (The deadad’s deadad)
What shall I tell him?
Oh I see I must talk quietly and be on my best behaviour
I’ll try
Subtitles
Of documentation as proof of a new bloodline
Of the ferry that took us to the Faroes
Of the car that took us to the Faroes
Of the Faroese house in which we stayed
Of the Faroese capital in which his deadad conceived a c child
Of Faroese light making rhythms
Of the church his deadad photographed in the Faroes
Of the cairns and their significance
Of a faoese photographic re enactment
Voiceover - Andrew
Am I in frame?
Subtitles
Of the Faroese homestead to which his deadad’s illegitimate son was sent
Of the long and windy road
Voiceover - Andrew
How does that look
Voiceover - Leila
Can’t see any of it you need to go more to your right ….stop
Subtitles
Of touching his deadad for the very first time
Of the faroese sea spray on the day we tried to get away
Of an ode to a deadad
Voiceover - Andrew
He was a good man, a tidy man,
He was a family man, not a hippy dippy man, man,
A lawn-mowing man,
He was a post-war man,
Not a post modern-man, not a man in search of a new vocabulary man,
Moreover, he was a Buy-a-British -car man, man,
He was a big man, a policeman type of man, man.
But
He forgot himself man
He was an angry man, man
He was of unsound methods man
If you could have heard the man shout man
If you could have felt his voice beating against your body man
He forgets himself man
He pushed my mother into the refrigerator man
Tried to freeze her man
He beat her man
He was a clear in his mind but mad in his soul man, man
A Hornblower, Hammond Innes, Hammond Organ, Easy Listening Man’s man, man
A James Bond, Barbara Striessand, SteakHouse type of man, man
And when he dies it dies man
That generation of stamp collecting, car-washing,
handkerchief ironing, pipe smoking, Onedian Line watching,
middle class, fondu-eating, God Save the Queening, man, man
When he dies
It dies
Man.
Supper’s ready Eden.
Subtitles
Of the football club they both supported
Of their granddaughters and great granddaughters bouncing in my studio
Of the esplanade they would visit for a day out
Voiceover - Leila
Tell Andrew I want to speak to Andrew
You can’t see them
I can’t see granddad
Subtitles
Of being at eden’s school
Voiceover - Stuart
He’s not going up
Voiceover - Eden
Big man
Subtitles
Of bearing witness to our wedding
Voiceover - Billie
I’m getting married in the morning
Voiceover - Mark
I’ll just take one more that was lovely
I just want to take one more of this
Albi just put your eye round there so that you can see me… Albi
Voiceover - Billie
I’m getting married in the morning
Ding dong the bells are going to shine
Voiceover - Leila
I need a better lighter
Subtitles
And thus to Mexico
In order that the deadad might get to meet with other dead
As part of the day of the dead celebrations
Of making our way across mexico for the day of the dead
Of waiting for the grim reaper
Of our Mexican wanderlust
Voiceover - Andrew
Can you see us?
Voiceover - Elisa
Yes But your father’s face is cut out
Voiceover - Andrew
Better
Voiceover - Elisa
Now its ok
Voiceover - Andrew
Is it ok now?
Voiceover - Elisa
Yes
Voiceover - Andrew
Right hang on a minute
Can you see us?
Voiceover - Elisa
Yes
Voiceover - Andrew
Well let me know when you can see the deadad ok?
Voiceover - Elisa
Yes
Voiceover - Andrew
Is that better?
Voiceover - Elisa
No you have to turn it a little …now it is better
No a little bit .. turn him a little bit to your right
No to your left
Voiceover - Andrew
More this way?
Voiceover - Elisa
Yes
Voiceover - Andrew
That way?
Voiceover - Andrew
About there?
Voiceover - Elisa
Now go straight ahead
No more to your left
No to your right
Voiceover - Andrew
How about there?
Voiceover - Elisa
There.
Voiceover - Andrew
It’s not overexposing or anything is it?
Voiceover - Elisa
What?
Voiceover - Andrew
Is it ok the light
It’s not overexposing?
Voiceover - Elisa
No
Voiceover - Andrew
Gracias senora
Eden
Daddy I’m hot. Hot
Subtitles
Of his granddaughter carrying him across mexico on her lap
Of the hotel in which he stayed for the days of the dead
Voiceover - Andrew
Is the hand right?
Is it more like that or that?
Voiceover – Stranger
Yea that’s right
Voiceover - Andrew
How about the suit? Does the suit look good?
Voiceover – Stranger
Oh the suit looks .. I think that is just the same suit
Voiceover - Andrew
And the shoes? Are the shoes ok?
Voiceover – Stranger
Oh the shoes are a little bit cleaner.
Voiceover - Andrew
Oh right.
Tell me when they’re clean enough?
Voiceover – Stranger
That’s fine that’s exactly how they should be.
Yea that’s good, that’s good.
Like your father like son.
Voiceover - Andrew
How’s it looking Eden do you think we look good.
There we go. Dead. Then you can breathe life into them and ….
Eden
Oh no.
Voiceover - Andrew
The life is spilling out of him.
It’s time to go home.
Subtitles
Of a mexican graveyard on the day of the dead.
Of witnessing the dance of the little old men.
Of the boat that took him to Janitzio for the day of the dead
Of lying down on top of him and contemplating his life
Voiceover - Elisa
Spanish? ….
Su papa muerto.
Voiceover - Elisa
His deadad
Subtitles
On the way home we stopped in Los Angeles
So that the Deadad might catch up with two of his other sons
Of the beach on which his youngest son learnt to surf.
Voiceover - Andrew
Go and tell me how I am.
Voiceover - Joey
Great
Subtitles
Of trying to teach a deadad to surf.
Of Hollywood to which he wished I’d aspire
Voiceover - Joey
Stop.
Voiceover - Andrew
With that going I can’t actually hear word of what you’re saying, what are you saying?
Voiceover - Joey
I said stop.
Subtitles
Of the world bearing down on top of him.
Voiceover - Andrew
And then turn it to face the camera a bit more
That’s it hold it there.
Subtitles
Of bearing witness to his son’s birthday.
Andrew
Pete could you just come and check to make sure we’re getting the framing right?
Joey
My face is really starting to hurt
Andrew
Dom let Pete look through the viewfinder.
No the other side Pete.
Voiceover - Pete
What here? Fine.
Andrew
Before you go, can you come back a minute?
Peter, can you come in frame?
No I want you in frame.
There.
I want you in the middle please Pete.
Voiceover - Pete
That’s fine.
Andrew
Leila can you just check to make sure he’s in frame as well.
Can you do the face as well.
Voiceover – Leila
Err he’s the main thing you can see and you can’t see you andrew
Andrew
Has he got the face right
Voiceover – Leila
Pretty much, Yea that’s looking good. No stay there I want to take a picture of you.
Subtitles
Of him being used as a bouncy castle.
Voiceover – Pete
Let’s deflate it before Eden gets on
Andrew
Hang on it should come back up.
Wait a minute.
Hello.
They’re playing with my deadad.
Voiceover
Oh no man.
But it’s a castle.
Andrew
It’s a bouncy deadad castle.
Voiceover
What is this guy?
Subtitles
Then home in time for Christmas.
Of our last supper together.
Voiceover Andrew - singing
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year.
Andrew
Jesus this is fast
Everything’s wrong at Christmas
Leila
Can I get a picture of you eating your food Eden?
Andrew
Hang on we’re going to do the crackers Granny, er Leila.
I keep calling you Granny.
Leila
Yea I know
Eden
She’s not Granny she’s mama.
Leila
Let’s do it with a flash as well. Are you ready?
OK.
Eden
The big man
Andrew
That’s it.
Pick yours up Eden
Jesus Christ
Cross your arms over
Hang on.
Got it?
Leila
Got it this one
Andrew
That’s it
Andrew - Leila – Eden - singing
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year.
Andrew
Jesus
Leila
Pull
Andrew
That’ll be yours can you get the big man’s please Leila?
Eden
I’m hot
Leila
You’ve come out
Andrew
It’s not surprising
This is for ..
Get off me.
Get off me.
Eden
Get off me
Andrew
Oops hang on
Leila
Oops what’s happening over there
Andrew
That can be Ronalds.
Happy Christmas big man
Woops
Leila
He’s got a notepad
What did you get Eden?
Andrew
Cheers Eden
Leila
What’s inside your cracker?
You’ll have to open kit up and see what’s inside.
I’ve got a hair net!
Subtitles
Of their being life after death.
Of being inside his very being.
Voiceover - Andrew (belches)
Ooh pardon me.