So Happy Birthday - Laurie Anderson

JOE: In our country, you’re free and so you’re born and so they say, «You're free,» so happy birthday.

And even if you were born to lose--even if you

were a complete wreck when you were born--you might still grow up to be

president … because you’re free

GERALDINE: Today, you might be an average citizen … a civilian …

a pedestrian … But tomorrow you might be elected to some unexpected

office--or sell your novel and suddenly become famous.

Or you could get run

over by a truck and your picture could get into the papers _that_ way.

Because you’re free and anything might happen … so happy birthday

JOE: Gee!

All those lights and all those screens!

The New York Experience is

mind-boggling.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many screens and I’ll probably

come again … It was really amazing, mind-boggling

GERALDINE: You’re walking and you don’t always realize it but you’re always

falling at the same time.

With each step you fall forward.

Over and over,

you’re falling and then catching yourself from falling … And this is how you

can be walking and falling at the same time

JOE: Look!

Over there!

It’s a real dog … and it’s really talking

GERALDINE: I wanted you and I was looking for you … but I couldn’t find you.

I wanted you and I was looking for you all day … but I couldn’t find you

JOE: Well, I paid my money, and I’ve got this funny feeling that somehow--you

know--it's not what I paid my money for.

I mean I _paid_ my money and I just

don’t think this is what I paid my money--you know--what I paid my money for

GERALDINE: No one has ever looked at me like this before … no one has ever

_stared_ at me for so long like this … This is the first time anyone has ever

looked at me like this … stared at me like this for such a long time …

for so long

JOE: Well, he didn’t know what to do so he just decided to watch the government

and see what the government was doing and then kind of scale it down to

size--and run his life that way

GERALDINE: She said the hardest thing to teach her three-year-old kid was what

was alive and what wasn’t.

The phone rings and she holds it out to her kid and

says, «It's Grandma.

Talk to Grandma.»

But she’s holding a piece of plastic.

And the kid says to herself: «Wait a minute.

Is the phone alive?

Is the TV alive?

What about that radio?

What is alive in this room and what

doesn’t have life?»

Unfortunately, she doesn’t know how to ask these questions

JOE: We were in a large room.

Full of people.

All kinds.

And they had arrived

at the same time.

And they were all free and they were all asking themselves

the same question: What is behind that curtain?

They were all free.

And they were all wondering what would happen next

GERALDINE: This is the time and this is the record of the time