Pages 59-63

INT. MED SHOT – DRESSING ROOM – DOOR TO STAGE

The guys come through the stage door. They are wearing nothing but white socks.

Hector yanks off his sock, tosses it down, and starts dressing.

HECTOR
Okay, never again. Ever.

Raphael slips on his pants.

RAPHAEL
Okay, that was fun. (beat) But yeah, man; never again. I think I got that out of my
system.

HECTOR
I am so in need of a shower right now.

CARLOS
I don't know what you're complaining about. They didn't toss beer cans at you.

RAPHAEL
At least they weren't full. Even though that would have been debatably better.

Carlos slips on his shirt.

CARLOS
Yeah. Definitely the last time we do this.

Fully dressed, the guys go back out to start breaking down their equipment.

INT. MED SHOT – CHEAP RESTAURANT – ENTRY DOOR

Carlos and Raphael enter smiling.

RAPHAEL
Okay, so that's one we DON'T tell our kids.

CARLOS
Definitely. I'm not sure if they would even believe us.

RAPHAEL
True.

They are seated.

They order sodas.

CARLOS
Oh man. We need to set some rules with Antonio about gigs we will and will not
accept from now on.

RAPHAEL
Oh, yes. At least I think we earned points in the “we're willing to do anything once” club.

CARLOS
Yeah, and I don't think he'll be doubting our sincerity any time soon.

RAPHAEL
You are aware that this brings up some interesting questions, then, right?

The sodas are delivered.

WAITRESS
You guys ready to order?

RAPHAEL
Just the #3, thanks. With fries.

CARLOS
The #4. With slaw. (looks at Raphael) Just trying something different...

WAITRESS
That's a #3 with fries and a number #4 with slaw. We'll have that right up, guys.

RAPHAEL/CARLOS
Thanks.

CARLOS
Such as?

RAPHAEL
Recording a demo. Marketing. Getting paid for downloads.

CARLOS
Well, we have enough for the demo, and we can do marketing ourselves. We
should definitely get Antonio started on the downloads.

RAPHAEL
And we need to decide on a direction. We can't do covers forever.

CARLOS
Yeah. We need to decide on a theme for the band.

RAPHAEL
Yep. I think that Hector will go with whatever we decide, as long as it's not too
wild.

CARLOS
Or rap. But, yeah. We need to decide where we want to go. I know you want to
keep it local, right?

RAPHAEL
For now, yeah. I think we need some more seasoning before we get any more
serious. Also, it allows us to build contacts we don't have right now. And we're
going to need them when we start selling CD's.

CARLOS
I think we can go national now. It's just a matter of getting more reviews. I think
that downloads is the way to go rather than CD's, by the way.

RAPHAEL
Okay, I can concede the dowloads versus CD's issue. Anyway to get a four-
month suspension on going national? We will need time to build the reviews, if
nothing else.

CARLOS
Good point. Okay. And any limitations on venues?

RAPHAEL
We'll need to deal with that as it comes up. But no more nudity. I don't want to
see Hector naked ever again.

They smile and clink glasses.

CARLOS
We should also limit the small bars we show up in.

RAPHAEL
And no bar mitvahs or birthday parties. Basically, if the audience is smaller than
two hundred.

CARLOS
Yeah. It's not that we're above them, but if we limit ourselves to the bigger events
that will make Antonio work harder for us.

RAPHAEL
Which brings us to the last problem. And the thorniest.

CARLOS
Yep. What kind of music do we play.

RAPHAEL
Let's play the elimination game. We do pretty much punk and rock. It's going to
come down to one of those. I'm punk, you're rock. Both of those are dependent
on the drums, so Hector likes them both. So convince me.

CARLOS
Rock is easier to sustain over the long term. It gives us more variety, as well as a
wider range of influences. If we're stuck, we can even look at country for
inspiration. It's also an easier sell. Overall, I think that rock is the way to go.

RAPHAEL
I think it's time to focus. If we keep to the more general, we may get distracted
too easily and whatever we're doing will dissipate quickly. It also keeps us sharp
and we can have more fun with it. If we don't keep it fun, we will lose interest
in it, and quickly. You're right about needing to keep it general, but you can turn
anything punk. The Ramones proved that.

CARLOS
I still think that we should go alternative rock.

RAPHAEL
It sucks. It's become corp-drivel and I think it needs something to burn through
it.

CARLOS
And punk is the answer?

RAPHAEL
Yeah.

CARLOS
I don't think so. We need to get serious and alternative rock is the best ---

RAPHAEL
---alternative? Yeah, but alternative to what? Aren't you tired of just doing the
alternative. Time to take a stand and do what's right, not what makes a buck.

CARLOS
Yeah, but college. And I want to move out of my folks home.

RAPHAEL
Some of us have responsibilities, you know. I need to start doing something
serious to pay some bills. And then there's Papa. They're going to force him to
retire soon, you know.

CARLOS
So we go the big money route. For now.

RAPHAEL
We can't afford short-term thinking, man. You need to get past that and start
thinking long term. I think punk, for now, is that long term.

CARLOS
Yeah, but I think that will end up being a dead end. And I don't want to be stuck
there.

RAPHAEL
Good point. But I don't think we will. We just need to focus on the future.

CARLOS
And I think we need to focus on the here and now.

RAPHAEL
So that's it?

CARLOS
Yeah. For now.

RAPHAEL
Then I think we need to part ways. At least for a bit.

CARLOS
Fine. Is this breaking up?

RAPHAEL
Yeah. I guess so.

The waitress serves the food.

The guys eat in silence.