Q939 Transcript

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(This tape was transcribed by the late Michael Bellefountaine. The editors gratefully acknowledge his invaluable contributions to the site, including this transcript.)

Jones: –and two-fifty total price.

Crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: The Los Angeles Peoples Temple will just suddenly cease to exist. It was caught up in a moment of a twinkling of an eye. (Pause) We’re sure waiting on that one. Got two feelers anyway. That’d been a hell of a job, selling, we got to live out on the ranch, an orphanage or children’s home. So we get a little of that money in, we will buy us a boat and we will get some shit moving here. (Pause) What would you do? My last qu– question, it’s ten after ten. What would you do? Sister Etta [Thompson] said we would say uh, well uh, come and get us all. Well, (tape edit) (unintelligible) you kinda move that essentially that’s it. But you should say whether you go to Russia, you don’t. What would you do? What would be your demand?

Voices in crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: (Laughs) How many want to stay here and fight it out?

Crowd: (Long cheer followed by extended ululaltion)

Jones: Oh, shit. (pause) Well, us old timers might sit down here and fight it out and s– send our kids on to Russia and–

Crowd: (Reacts)

Jones: (call of protest) We– we– we’ll think that through, honey. But I like that sentiment though. We didn’t get this land easy, and they didn’t build it. We did it. We ain’t going to lose it easy.

Crowd: No.

Jones: Thank you. Anybody got a unique idea? Who said fight it out?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Well, there might be another point of view, it’d be much more wise than that.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Honey, if we fight it out, there ain’t nobody going nowhere.

Crowd: (Calls)

Jones: So you better vote for Russia or America, if you– (chuckles) If you vote– vote fighting out, when that line gets formed –

Crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: We would– we watch folk during that time, oh, some– some got sick, (laughs) some– some hiding down behind cupboards. (Pause) Wasn’t long till their asses out there on the line though. (chuckles) But they couldn’t hold up their cutlass [if] somebody watched them, and it wasn’t long until everybody was holding it up. I thought Bruce said it best, Bruce Oliver, what made some people– Bruce could put it better, I can’t remember the exact words he said. First I was afraid to die. What was the next state– statement? Say, after several hours of that shit, I wished I could die. Bruce said, by god, before it was over with, I didn’t give a shit one way or the other.

Crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: And I like that uh, Bruce was volunteering to go back and do a little job, and his wife [Shanda James Oliver] was volunteering at the same time, that’s a lovely marriage. He didn’t know she– I don’t know whether they both made a pact, but she said (Unintelligible) they won’t suspect me, I’m little I– (trails off). Had a hell of a plan. I don’t– If I was you, I wouldn’t want to co– commit no shit ‘cause some of these people got some plans. You don’t know who you settin’ by. Some of these little old ladies, they got plans, honey, they got– they’ll– they’ll have you sewed up and throwed in the Oakland Bay, and you won’t know what even hit you.

Crowd: (Laughter)

Jones: I’ve never read some of these fucking plans, I don’t mean they’re just s– stupid plans, I mean, ye gods. But Bruce said (Call out) I am ready, you can be afraid of dying. (Conversational) That’s why some of you tonight that put up your hands, we ought to get to talk to you, ‘cause we ought to– you ought to get the counseling started, I want the counseling started immediately. All take care– all you need to do out is there on that goddamned line, that’d take care of you. Let the rain fall on you, and get down there and lay down on the ground, and get up off the ground, go get a shower and back on the line.

Crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: Even though I did fix all the food, hell, I killed everything we had, we wasn’t sure it was over with, I killed the chickens and the fucking hogs and shit. We ate. You talk about the last supper, honey, we’d eat it. (Laughs)

Crowd: (Cheers approvingly)

Jones: Hey! And if that fucking army come up that st– Uh, if that fucking army had (chuckles) come up that first s– squadron wasn’t very much, we’d eat them too.

Crowd: (Laughter)

Jones: They’d say, where’s our boys? We don’t know shit. We just had the last supper with the Lord.

Crowd: (Murmurs)

Jones: That’s what made Bruce able to say, (Calls out) “Don’t make no difference to me. First I was afraid of dying, hours later I wish I could die. And then some more hours it got me so steeled and so ready and so I look at life and how it was and how the enemies are and what life really represents, and I didn’t give a shit one way or the other.” (Moderates, then builds) And that’s what happened to me. Too many times I went around that circle, too many times before then, too many times I grabbed their arms and loved them and kissed them and cried over them. Shit, when you get through dying like that, I’m ready for anything.

Crowd: (Cheers)

Jones: Ready for anything. So love your neighbor, love your neighbor.

(Pause)

Jones: (Hums) (Sings and hums unknown hymn)

Pause.

Jones: We may not have a Saturday night meeting, because this is Thursday night, and we can behave ourselves. Sit. Now I’m gone get these things taken care of, ‘cause we just gone go down the line.

Voices: (Unintelligible)

Pause.

Jones: Rhonda Page, I was so proud of her that she got throwed on the ran– anarchy crew, (unintelligible word) could say, you know Jerry Robinson and shit backwards, and she worked her– worked hard and diligent. Penny [Kerns] said she worked so fucking hard, she even pushed Penny’s ass when she was moving slow.

Woman’s voice off mike: Yes she did. (Unintelligible)

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: (Laughs) I like Penny for that. I said, “Penny, how’d she do?” Said, “Shit, she pushed me around all day.”

Crowd: (Chuckles, and then breaks into laughter)

Jones: (Laughs) Lot of praises, they can uh, be mentioned over public announcement, others could do this, if it’d be helpful, and they could probably do some of this. I appreciate leaders getting on the work crew and showing that there’s no stigma. I’m looking for– forward to the day that I can be on the work crew. Every night I start to get out here and work in the night, I say I’m so fucking tired of this radio, I’m going to bury that fucking septic tank. ‘Cause you don’t understand how much I love work, ‘cause if I could work with you, some of you, some of you would love to work, ‘cause when you watching me work, you see I don’t fuck with it. I took that wheelbarrow the last good deal I had, run up and down here faster than they could get the wheelbarrow, and then I’d fill it too. Work is delicious. Delightful. You can rest after you work. (Clears throat) But I wish I had more time away from crisises, but if you people deliver me from crisises, I’ll go from crew to crew, and that’s the best thing leadership can do, is to get in with the workers, and that’s the best example. That shows. But you keep leaders tied up with a bunch of shit planning. You know what I mean.

Voices in crowd: Yes.

Jones: Well, that’s good. Learning Crew. (Clears throat) We’re having to read all those good reports off tomorrow. And I’m riding over just the little things, because I don’t want to keep you late. So uh, be sure to know that just because you do not get mentioned tonight, that doesn’t mean that you didn’t deserve to get mentioned, you just– you getting kind of a break because it’s the night meeting to look at the beauty of death. Revolutionary death. The privilege for dying for what you believe. And if you’re having a problem with dying, I do want those names to start counseling, ‘cause we can help you with it, we can really help you. (Pause) Santiago Rosa, since he went out and met some of them fellas out there in that jungle, he’s doing good in his work, and his attitude is excellent, much better. You see, that’s why we have to have folk go out there, two weeks two days. And that proves that there’s all kinds of strokes, different strokes for different folks. We don’t like the different strokes, I don’t like that walk myself, do you? I don’t think anybody enjoys it.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: It might upset the shit out of them because– Yeah, he had a– he had a– he had an experience out there. Miraculous, miraculous, uh, protection. Now is that the last of the Learning Crew? Garnett Johnson been working real good and so is his attitude, last two days. You keep that up, you only got– I want to hear at the end of the day how he’s doing, ‘cause two weeks is the kind of a period I like to get people off. In the last two days, Noir Blanch’s work is– his attitude is good, he even worked on his break. Now that is good. Noir Bu– uh, will rest in the uh, the main dorm area. He’ll spend his nights there with Penny’s situation, but he’ll be off the work crew. Where does he go, back to his school?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: He didn’t go out there with Big Foot, but he– he sent two out there and that did him in. He’s been good for two days, and that’s beautiful, real good. Garnett Johnson, (unintelligible word)– attitude good, work good, one more day and you’ll be off. Jair Baker, last two days, his work and attitude have been real good. We’ll hear about that tomorrow and he’ll go back to uh– What was he doing? Now don’t any of you people take advantage to go back on this crew, ‘cause it gets worse and worse. Jair will stay in the uh, area, he likes the light, but uh, where does he work, if– if he goes off tomorrow. Hmm? (Pause) (Unintelligible) OK.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Santiago Rosa, he’s been uh– he’s had his hell through these weeks and he’s done really well these two days. Okay, he’s off. Where does he go? Where’d he go?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: That’s (unintelligible word). Back to the kitchen and the pots. Is that– (Unintelligible) the kitchen? Hmm?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Garnett Johnson, what does he do– if he goes another day, and Jair goes another day, they’ll be off. No, no Jair’s off, Jair’s off tonight. Jair goes (Unintelligible) Okay. He goes– Jair stays in that structure, though. (Clears throuat) He wanted to be there in the light, and I think it is a good idea. What is it?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Many people work on that– uh, all you people in control of the toilets, will you please get on that and– and– and (unintelligible word) insect control, we had the flies and it’s getting (unintelligible word) again. Get after flies, the fly swatters. The shipment, when we get the damn shipment out, we got two hundred fly swatters, and that’ll be a help, but let’s make some simple ones up and use them, honey. How many’ll get the fly swatters out, ‘cause we– we’ve had these damned flies damned near to zero. (Clears throat) For a week. (Pause). Now they said in the– in the– in the war they could put the– they could make a toilet with a goddamned diesel tank underneath it – half tank – filled with a little oil and you never had the shit or smell. How many in the war? Is that true? Hmm?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Somethin’ we gotta do, somethin’ that can stop that shit. It’s better.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: They can’t get no lime.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: (clears throat) Yes.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: The breather’s stopped up?

Woman 2: It’s stopped up.

Jones: What’s it stopped up with?

Woman 2: And– well. When they uh–

Jones: When it was up high.

Woman 2: Yes. When they uh, they opened up that uh–

Jones: (Unintelligible)

Woman 2: That thing where– where the nest goes through, that is– the– they– they stopped that thing up and– and it– they say it can’t go up. You have to go inside, but if they would– if they would take it and uh–

Jones: The coordinator disagrees with you, honey bun–

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: How’s that, that– that sounds reasonable. Huh?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: It’s open. Well, the odor is not as bad if you– you got some charcoal in there now? Can we put some more and see what the hell it’ll do? ‘Cause you can almost put your nose that way and smell the night air.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: I think it’s appropriate to build the Peoples Rally near the shithole, though, because it usually smells. The rally. Yes, Sly? Ujara.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, peace. We can’t get to peace yet. Forget that ballyhoo, (unintelligible word) ordered, and we got some can– canoes coming in for hunting, they’re already in that shipment to get the damned canoes here, some of you’ll be glad to hear that. The motorboat, uh, motor’s already here, I guess. But to fish again, we haven’t got enough fish to eat yet, but the fish is a marvelous, marvelous fertilizer and it’s marvelous to control ‘em, I heard that from different– different ones. Now there’s one sister here, (Clears throat) (Pause) that’s already reported on the Learning Crew I have. Any complaint that I did not mention. Lucy Miller, who– where is Lucy Miller?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Aah, she works too fucking hard down at the– at the ditches. She may be– Honey, you– uh, I ain’t going to argue with you, but you– you got picky, you’re picky with food, honey. Don’t raise any issue. No, no, don’t come out, don’t– just don’t raise no more issue about food, will you now? You’re awful good to work on the– you– you– you’re awfully good to work out there in the field, you– you clear away when you work when you do your guard duty, you do work, you copy? You hear me? And because of that, I’m not going to bring it up, but don’t raise no fuss about food, will you now? Okay. I’ll put up with some eccentricities, where you clean that damned place– She does work down there. Some of you young people ought to think of work as hard as some of the seniors, cleaning out debris and cleaning away these ditches and making the places to plant, and I hope that all those dorms get cleared up like some of the rest, but uh, some issue was raised about uh, hair in the food. Don’t worry about the hair, (unintelligible word) shit (unintelligible word). It’ll just help your shit get through, honey. (Clears throat) It’s protein, really. Hair is protein. Don’t ever worry about hair. Don’t ever worry about it. When it goes down, it is actual meat, high rich protein. But people naturally want to be careful about uh, hair, but I don’t care having hair in my food. But no complaining about food, please.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Julia [likely Birkley] told me, Lucy wasn’t– Lucy accused her of putting a zodiac on her.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Oh, honey I– I don’t– uh, Lucy may be a little– Lucy may be a little loose with the zodiac, but I– she works.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Will you fuck– quit fucking with your zodiac.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: No other complaint? If you make a meeting on Saturday, you’ll wish you ain’t.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Got– Check with (unintelligible word) tomorrow see if we can get a movie in here– You– you did? I mean check tomorrow Georgetown. They could fly one in. We gonna eat some meat on Christmas Day. I never did answer, either, you want to ask me about meat, hell, when you live this close (unintelligible word), I’m gonna eat that meat on Christmas Day, ain’t nothing good about Jesus being born, but I want– I do want to have some ham on Christmas Day.

Crowd: (Cries out in approval)

Jones: Peace. Peace. You’re having some trouble, did you say, Eva [Pugh], keeping that meat down in that cellar, did I hear you say it? I was in a mess of a crisis, and she was trying to talk to me, and hell, I was between two radios, I was switching from San Francisco to Georgetown fast as I could move. Where’s Eva?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Uh, Eva, you’re getting further to the back. What’s happening?

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: What’s this uh– what– what– You say that meat’s having trouble holding up in the uh, cellar?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Huh?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: How much more meat you got?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Huh?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Meat. I am talking about (unintelligible word), honey?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s she sayin’?

Voices in crowd: Midlands–

Jones: Midlands. Oh, my God.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Yeah, how– how much meat, pounds-wise? What’s a midland hold?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: (unintelligible word) you have time to bring that midland down into pounds? Huh?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: One side of the hog? You got two sides of the hog? What?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What the hell we gone do, honey? Because I– I already done it. Knowing how things were, I ordered uh, 6000 pounds more meat. It’d be hard to turn that back. And there’d be 2000 pounds of fish. That means you’re gone eat a lot of fish, ‘cause I know that shit in fish. You have to eat it in one night. Hell, we had fish, there wasn’t nothing– but I guess when you’ve had nothing but fish, ‘cause they uh– everybody had a great big fish steak last time. Two great big fish steaks. ‘Cause they had to eat all the fish that night. We gotta find a way to preserve this stuff, honey.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What? Pickle ‘em?

Voices: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s you find out there, Lew [Jones]? He’s the pig man. What about it?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Brother Jeffrey. What about the Comrade Jeffrey? What about the pi– uh, pig?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Well, we got any room in the freezers?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Huh?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Get the (unintelligible word) out of it?

Voices: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Oh, you got– and shit, the way the boat moves– the way the boat flies. It’s like the crow flies. They probably won’t be able to be coming in before– oh, what would I say, Charlie [Touchette]? Would I be safe in saying, uh, a week from Tuesday? That’d be safe, wouldn’t it? (Laughs) You at– You at least– You– You’re probably two weeks away before the meat gets here. That gives us some time to work on the meat you got.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Okay, we’re gonna have meat on Sunday. Jesus is born, we’ll celebrate his fuckin’ birth for that. For a piece of ham. (Cries out) Thank you, Jesus. You can come back now, honey, you can come back. Wake up, love. Now I know she ain’t sleepin’, she just want to– She’s Jonah in the whale, she don’t want to hear the truth. Jonah got in the whale, so he couldn’t hear the truth. I said, Jesus is dead, we’re gonna resurrect the fucker, we’re gonna eat ham on Sunday.

Crowd: (Calls approval)

Jones: Present it your own Christmas style. Yeah, Momma.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Smoke it? Honey, if you know how to smoke it as well as you know to fix that (unintelligible word), then does– go at it. Smoke on it all you want to.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Jeffreys, you get up there with her, you know to smoke it? You talkin’ about that new lar– that new load comin’ in? Oh, will you talk off (unintelligible word), got no microphone. Jeffrey, louder.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Got to have what?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Green wood. Shit.

Crowd: (Stirs)

Jones: We got any green wood for these folk?

Crowd: (Stirs)

Jones: What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Chips on what? Any– any wood? I don’t know anything ‘bout smokin’ any. What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Who did that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Rosie [likely Ijames]? Oh, Rosie? Goddamn. I knew in her day, she was a good fucker, she’s a good smoker too, huh?

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: (Calls out) Aren’t you glad Love Life [Lowe] (unintelligible word) her god?

Crowd: (Stirs)

Jones: Yes, honey, let’s do that then. Let’s smoke it, huh? Can we smoke it up there a little bit? Boy, I’d like that.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Well, we’ll work on that, (unintelligible word), we’re working on all of it, we’re trying to.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Are we hearing that construction (unintelligible word)? Can we do that? Is that conceivable? What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: It make it tough. Goddamn these old timers, I don’t know. Shit. We thought we wouldd\ get this cured, but the (unintelligible word) now is gone make it tough. That’s if you boil it. Tish [Leroy] says the stars are right.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: (Laughs) She says, that– that’s only if you boil it, honey. She just read the chart.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’d you say, Eva?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Well, can somebody help us now? Can you– all you ladies get– get together and we eat fish with a chart and see if we can’t get some of that meat smoked? There’s a will, there’s a way. What’s that, honey?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Shh. Shift.

Older woman: Do not let pregnant women go round no meat.

Voices: (Disagree)

Jones: What do you want me to– What– what about the–

Older woman: (unintelligible word) spoil your meat. That’s an insult. (unintelligible under Jones)

Jones: Are you fuckin’ pregnant, (unintelligible name), you did this to our meat?

Crowd: (Stirs)

Jones: I told you, Margaret [James?], to stay away from that meat. Paying to keep your pregnant ass at home.

Crowd: (Stirs)

Jones: Honey, I think that come out of the book of the wives’ tales. Irene [Edwards], what you gone tell me? That old fuckers ain’t supposed to be around the meat?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible, laughter)

Jones: Shh. Clear the microphone, (unintelligible word) Eighty-some-year-old talkin’ there. What?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Irene is talkin’. What’d you say, Irene? Say it again.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: (Laughs)

Irene: Those things were nothing (unintelligible word), and they know, by God, they’ll do it. And they just don’t care. That’s it. And pregnant womens will mess it up. Ask me to stand their ass around. Make ‘em leave from around there. Hey, make ‘em leave. I say, make their ass go away.

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: I didn’t see a pregnant woman around that meat, honey.

Irene: For just one minute. Hey, hey, wait. Hold– hold it here.

Jones: Let’s just drop the pregnant woman and go on to the water, will you?

Irene: (unintelligible sentence). Ain’t that right? Too many here to– for eat– to feed, too many of ‘em got– got to be fed. And let anybody waste, by God, and mess up on a thing like that. And you don’t need to say you don’t know ‘cause by God, you know. Let’s keep their ass from around it. That’s what you do.

Jones: (Laughs)

Irene: Stay from round it. I mean it. Stay from round it.

Jones: She used to be– she used to be a holiness–

Irene: (unintelligible under Jones) help, God, don’t come around. That’s right. They ain’t no help, they ain’t no good. Go on ‘bout your business. That’s right.

Jones: (Laughs) Oh, will you ever get off this pregnant shit and tell me how to make some meat.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s that?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Shit. I’m gone have to have– You le– you– you people have a pork meeting tomorrow, will you? At noon? Shit, I ain’t got– I got– As many different folk as I got, I got different ideas.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: What’s that? Shh.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: Why don’t you go up the river and get some oranges, honey? Stand up before I get any more crazy shit. (Pause) I know what’s wrong. Saturn’s fucking Taurus tonight. (Laughs) (Calls out) What’s this?

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: Yeah, I know, I know how you want to take that radio. One day we’re going to have you do that performance about that radio. You’ve never, never laughed so much until you hear Patty [Cartmell] talk about the radio on the night we were going to die. Ah, it’s funny. If you– You gotta put a program on, when you get the (unintelligible word) on, just– I mean, you’ll laugh, uh, you going to remember how we (unintelligible word) dying, we’re trying to get the boat, we’re trying to get folks to come here– come here. Give us five minute sample, ‘cause we ain’t gone have Saturday night meeting. How many’d like to hear five minutes of this?

Crowd: (Calls out)

Jones: Come on. Come on. Tell us– Tell us about how to die.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Jones: It will be. Get your hat– get– get your hat on. You– Something– (stumbles over words) Some folk were in Georgetown, she was uh– she was ready to die, trying to get some to go to the sea, some were going to have to die in the sea, and some were going to live on land. And the little radio in there, in Georgetown, talkin’, and she’s out trying to collect some oranges, and she come back in there in Georgetown after we was all gettin’ ready to die out here. So now tell us all about it.

Patty: First of all– First of all, you gotta understand the radio. Okay. First of all, you should understand that I was afraid to die. That’d be the first thing to understand.

Voices in crowd: (Unintelligible)

Patty: Fuck you too, (unintelligible word) (laughs) First of all, I had a giant fear of death. Now I feel I want that known. So we have–

Jones: Now she afraid she won’t die (unintelligible word). Don’t talk too fast, so you can get– (voice fades)

Patty: Okay. So. We have this radio in Georgetown. I don’t know if you’ve seen the radio in here or not. There’s a radio in Georgetown, and (unintelligible word) talk to this old fuck, you know, roger, roger, come back, say again, run that fucker around the (unintelligible), nobody can hear ya, then there’s the radio in here. Now the one– and they have a little– you notice, they have little square eyes, and they have a little round mouth. Right?

Jones: (too far from mike)

Patty: Right. And the one in Georgetown has uh, two green eyes. Now that sucker in there has two blue ones. And we– (laughs) And we got a new one that has– it has (unintelligible word), it has one blue and one white, and a little cast red dot. (unintelligible) (Laughs) A little red mo– A little– little mouth. Now I’m 48 years old, and I’m talkin’ to this sumbitch.

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: And the sumbitch is talkin’ back. So I come in, and working hard, and everyone but me decides we’re gonna die. I don’t want to die. I was– (unintelligible as she laughs)

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: Okay. So everybody is there, bravo, is going to die, and they ask my opinion, which I thought I had– should answer, and I said, no, I think I’ll live.

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: That was the first mistake.

Jones: That was the first mistake.

Patty: They go around the room, they ask, what’s your opinion, you know, I say, well, I mean, there must be some other way, to go on the boat, ship, you know, out on the high seas, swim, stop from the boat, I didn’t particularly want to do that. Fat bitch (unintelligible sentence), can I have an opinion on whether I want to die. No, you’re gonna die, you son-of-a-bitch, now (unintelligible under laughter), I don’t want to die (unintelligible).

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: So, everybody’s settin’ around this room, deciding, you know, will they jump first? Maybe they’ll push me out, sure, but they’re not gonna push me. And– and there’s a little fuckin’ radio in the background talking (speaks gibberish), and– and the radio’s going all the time, we’re all going to die. I still don’t want to die. (Laughs) I say, I think, you know, I thought maybe we could– maybe we could talk to somebody. We call (unintelligible name). You should die, you son-of-a-fat-bitch. Why don’t you (unintelligible)–

Jones: (Laughs) Now we all decided to get the high (unintelligible word). Uh, go on, go on. (unintelligible)

Patty: Oh. Take the boat to sea?

Jones: (stumbles over words) You know, just– just put that in, and how you– you still had to go on with work, just like you always were.

Patty: Oh yeah, oh yes, (unintelligible) die, and go get my immigration papers, fingerprint, but I’m gone still die. So (Laughs) 89 hours later, we’re still talking about whether we’re gone die. By then, I thought maybe we should– I– I told one person, I said, if we don’t, I’m gone kill you, then I’m going to kill myself. I hate you. I hate your fuckin’ guts. So the next day, we all go to church, and we’re always talking about it for hours, with this fuckin’ boat and jumping. We’re going to have to (unintelligible). So I go to church the next day, I had to go to church the next day, I go to church, and I’m saying, this goddamn (unintelligible word) church, I swear, the preacher’s singing, “On the Waters As We Face Our Lord.”

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: It’s my birthday, my goddamn birthday. I’m getting paralyzed by fear, my blind eye won’t even open, I know that that night, I’m going off this fucking boat, and I’m supposed to make this good impression–

Jones: And she thought we were going to take out the boat, (unintelligible word) lot of paranoid folk, or she gotta be going (unintelligible under laughter)

Patty: But I thought, (unintelligible). So then, we decided if we went to one service, we should be big, and go to another service. We go to the goddamn Nazarene Church, and I’m settin’ there, one eye’s down, and one eye’s open– (unintelligible) I’m gonna die, my friends are gonna kill me, we gonna die, we’re all gonna die, when (unintelligible) we’re gonna jump in the fuckin’ (unintelligible word) this goddamn radio, and– (Laughs) and I look up on the wall, and I swear to Christ, there’s a picture of a sailboat sinking in the water.

Crowd: (Laughs)

Jones: (Laughs) Picture of a sailboat sinking in the water.

Patty: And I– And– Okay. But my– but my eye’s shut, and (unintelligible)

Jones: (Laughs) Only been up three days and three nights.

Patty: Three days (unintelligible word)– So then– Oh, this little fucking radio. We’re in Georgetown, you folks are here, and I’m sure that they’re all happy (unintelligible) didn’t get here, and so we’re gettin’ this– this news to get– get over here, and we got the radio on. And this goddamn radio’s talking to– and so we’re on the radio, and I say, you have to tune this in and– right? And all I can hear, I know what– we got all these code signals, you know. Johnny says, that means something to somebody, I don’t know what the fuck–

Jones: Cuba.

Patty: Uh, I just– I just got to Henry Morgan, (unintelligible name) said don’t lift your foot, for the good of the picture, get your shower, I don’t know what the fuck–

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: I– I’m settin’ there trying to talk to these uh, (unintelligible word, twice) that I’m sitting in the room with, and I hear– (low voice, unintelligible) uh, (speaks in radio code rapidly)–

Jones: (Laughs) That’s the way that radio sounds when you heard it.

Patty: And I can hear back in the background, (radio code, faster) (speaks in radio code rapidly)– And we got– and we got–

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: We get a new sound in there, it goes– (radio sound). And then a cow joins us, a cow. (radio noise) We’re gonna die, we’re gonna die. A– This giant cow pervades our– our– invades our radio, and here, (radio code, faster) (speaks in radio code rapidly)–

Jones: (Laughs)

Patty: This goes on for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours.

Jones: She heard Mother– Mother [Marceline Jones] and Stephan [Jones]– It’s good to laugh about (unintelligible word). She heard Mother talking to Stephan and Stephan is telling Mother we have to die. Her voice (unintelligible word)– She didn’t know what the hell’s going on.

Patty: (unintelligible)

Jones: What– We– ‘Cause she didn’t really get it all in place, and Mother had to get it all in place, and we were going to go to Cuba in Johnny’s place, and all of you were going to join us, like I said, (unintelligible) going to be taken out from George– uh, from uh, Georgetown, but she thought– thought she gone (Laughs, unintelligible under laughter) She thought they was all– that she– they have all been waiting to kill her (laughs) so that they could (unintelligible under laugh).

Patty: So I decided, okay, okay. (unintelligible)

Jones: (unintelligible)

Patty: (unintelligible for several sentences) It just goes on and on and on and on. And finally, uh– what the fuck (unintelligible under breath). I must have passed out about that point. What was the bitchiest thing (unintelligible)?

Jones: I don’t know. (Laughs)

Patty: Oh. I decided– I decided, Fine. Die, you son-of-a-bitch. By then I wanted to die, (unintelligible phrase) The other thing is, I got– I got some kind of sickness, the next day, we had to go to downtown (speaks quickly, unintelligible) I– I felt sorry the (unintelligible word) couldn’t move, my leg wouldn’t go. I’m okay now, I’m down in the boat, and she saying, (unintelligible word). I said that’s fine. But I– I– This is the one request, I want to take that goddamn fucking radio (unintelligible), I have visions of it at night (unintelligible), roger, roger– roger roger roger roger, and I’ve agreed to go on the boat. I’ve agreed to die, but I took the radio (unintelligible)

Jones: (Laughs) That’s pretty good, that’s pretty good. She can tell it funnier than that, too, she just– It was uh, amazing. If you had heard that goddamn radio, you’d be– it’d be funny to you, ‘cause that’s all the sounds that fuckin’ radio makes. (Laughs) And she went through that sea thing, and she gone– they gone throw her off, and she said, one goddamn thing I’m doing, I’m carrying that radio so it can drown too. (Tone sobers) She showed her courage, ‘cause now she goes every week on the river and out, and last time, boy, her and Rheaviana [Beam] and Tommy [likely Bogue]] had a shit mess– They had a– uh, I tell you– Save that for the next meeting. That’s something else, that was something else. Her and Tommy and Rheaviana. Tommy deserves three cheers for be– being between the fat bitch and the slim bitch. (Laughs) Where is Tommy?

Voices in crowd: (unintelligible)

Jones: He’s in Georgetown getting glasses. Bless his heart. (unintelligible word) It’s funny how he gets along with those others. But they all three got on a different boats.

Crowd: (Reacts)

Jones: The last time they all three got on different boats, and we’ll save that for the next time, because we must hear, how the three got back together again. (Laughs) Stand up.

Crowd: (Reacts)

Jones: Woo. I love you. (Pause) (tape edit) –the mighty miracles, the mighty (unintelligible word) the mighty purpose, the mighty cause. We love the cause. What would it be without a cause? Life may be fucked up, but at least we got a cause. United forever, in friendship and labor–

Jones and crowd sing variation of “State Anthem of the Soviet Union”:

United forever in friendship and labor,

Our mighty people shall ever endure.

The great socialist union shall live through the ages.

A dream of the people their fortress secure.

Jones: Louder now

Long live the socialist Fatherland,

Was built by the people’s mighty hand.

Long live her People, united and free.

Long live this communist dream.

Jones: I hope that– that you’ll think on the miracles, so we don’t do anything rote. Do it. It’ll bring so many so many beautiful things. I can’t get over just this week’s alone, too many to mention, that stands out so sweet to me, (unintelligible name), with one-third vision gone with glaucoma, one-half vision gone in the other eye, and now it’s all reversed. Diana McKnight, dying with sickle cell and her kidneys being passed through her urine, and then went into Georgetown, and the tests found her kidneys – mighty socialism! – normal. And the miracles, the miracles. All of our people coulda been lost with the high seas, had it not been for me calling the– back the boat, delaying it. Miracles. Every day, every way. Remember, you who have been admonished, be sure your attitude is straightened out. One of you has an attitude that’s gotta be straightened out (unintelligible word) tomorrow. This is Thursday night. Peace for the blessing. Blessing, blessing. Love you. Pick– Pick up, put things back, seniors. (Clears throat) Dale [Parks] will be held up a little bit uh– telling Dale will be held up a little bit till the end of next week because of a–

End of tape

Tape originally posted May 2016