We seriously need more stories centering closeted queer parents of queer children (and vice versa). There's a very specific kind of tragedy in giving your child the same trauma that was forced onto you in a misguided effort to protect them. Or worse, believing your existence is so wrong that the ultimate failure as a parent is for your child to be like you.
One of the things I love most about this song is that this moment in the comic is a moment of fear. Alison recognizes herself in the delivery woman, then her closeted dad says very harshly "is _that_ what you want to be?", and she lies and says no. But I was so thrilled when I saw the musical and they made it into the positive moment it should have been in Real Alison's life.
Telephone wire, run and run Telephone wire, sun down on the creek Partly frozen, partly flowing Must be windy, trees are bending Junction 50 field needs mowing Feels like the car is floating Say something, talk to him Say something, anything At the light, at the light, at the light, at the light At the light, at the light, at the light, at the light Like you could say: "So how does it feel to know that you and I are both-" "Hey!" ("Yeah") "Where do you want to go?" "Oh, I don't know" "I know a bar It's kind of hidden away A seedy club for folks like, you know Could be fun" "But, Dad, I'm not twenty-one" "Yeah, right" Telephine wire, long black wire Telephone wire, finely threaded sky There's the pond where I went wading There's a sign for Sugar Valley On the mountain, light is fading I go back to school tomorrow Say something, talk to him Say something, anything At the light, at the light, at the light, at the light At the light, at the light, at the light, at the light Doesn't matter what you say Just make the fear in his eyes go away There was a boy, in college, my first year there Norris Jones He had black, wavy hair Norris Jones, where is he now? Fourteen years old, in Swenson's barn It was cold Lots of boys messed around You know, for them it was a game they outgrew But I always knew Dad, me too Since, like, five, I guess I preferred to wear boy shirts and pants I felt absurd in a dress I really tried to deny my feelings for girls But I was like you, Dad, me too Norris Jones Dad Norris Jones Dad Hey, did I mention that new project I've taken on? Oh you've seen it, that old house out on Route 150? It's been standing out there empty forty, fifty years at least Telephone wire, stop, too fast Telephone wire, make this not the past This car ride, this is where it has to happen There must be some other chances There's a moment I'm forgetting, where you tell me you see me? Say something, talk to me Say something, anything At the light, at the light This can't be our last- Well, that was fun It's earlier than I thought Are you coming in? Telephone wire That was our last night
I see people saying that his forgetting her age is a reference to his targeting of teens, and while I’m not going to say it’s a wrong interpretation, I don’t think it’s right either. Al’s father targeted teenage boys and young men. He’s only seen flirting with an ex-student of his, and the mention of his ex-lover from his time in the military. Al’s a woman. His forgetting her age isn’t a sign of his predatory patterns. It’s him seeing her as an equal for once. Al’s always been the polar opposite of him, and that’s been a point of contention between the two. A tomboy, defying her gender roles, and now living happily as an out dyke with a girlfriend. He’s a closeted gay man who is afraid to admit he’s gay. They’ve been polar opposites Al’s whole life, and now their commonality is that they’re both gay. But even that has its differences. This car ride is the turning point in their relationship where Al is, for once, on equal footing. I’d even argue that it’s Al on HIGHER footing. He IS seeing her, though Al does not understand that, but he’s seeing her above himself. You could argue that Al acknowledges this in the finale. “Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance/When I soared above him”. That speaks of a child surpassing their parent.
2:30 man I never noticed this before. Was this another point towards his pedophilia? He was with a 14 year old when he was in first year of college? I’m not American but I’m guessing he’d be like 18 or older
The “14 years old” line is a likely reference to his own teenagehood. He’s saying that, at 14, for most of the boys messing around was a passing teenage phase, but at 14 he knew it wasn’t just messing around for him. Al echoes his feelings, that she knew she was different from kids her age as a teen.
Right before this is when the first tears started flowing I just sobbed till I got back to the hotel, I had to drink multiple bottles of water and take Advils..... I genuinely never sobbed that much. This is my new favorite musical for sure! I will never forget when I saw it live I can never forget that- <3
they're doing a production of this play in my town I will audition and they say we will audition with songs from the show but I NEED A MONOLOGUE 😭😭😭BRUHHHHHHHHHHH UUUUGGGHHHHH IM BAD AT CHOOSING MONOLOGUES HEEELLLLPPPPPP
I feel like it's really important to note that Bruce recommends going to the gay bar w underage Alison. It proves that he doesn't consider stuff like that and suggests that he went there with other underaged kids
I remember going to see this with my best friend in the whole wide world. Sitting there, crying to this song, holding hands. She won’t even talk to me now after a stupid disagreement we had months ago. She meant literally everything to me when we saw this show, and just thinking about being next to her hearing this song makes me cry. Even if I never get her back, I cherish the time I spent with her, and this masterpiece of a show.
I hope someone can answer me but what is the significance of the telephone wire? I don’t really get the metaphor (if it’s supposed to be one) I don’t understand
I could be wrong, but I interpreted it as a way to set the scene (the telephone wires rushing past as they drive down the road) and also as a sort of ticking clock. Really the song is about wanting more time to say all the things she should have said to her father and to hear all the things she wanted to hear from him. Each passing telephone wire is a reminder that they're getting closer and closer to home, and that she's going to run out of time with him. That's why the last "telephone wire" is after they've pulled back into their driveway and the drive is over, it's the clock ticking down to 0. That's just my interpretation, though!
Having grown up in Pennsylvania the image of lonely country roads with telephone wires running alongside perfectly captures the sense of place that rings so true to Pennsylvania. Especially the line “I go back to school tomorrow” evokes those wintery Sundays driving back to college after being home for break. Of course telephone wires are also about communication, which is not happening between them. Even long distances can connect people through them, but here they are side by side and they can’t really say what they need to each other.
Idk why but there's something emotional to me in the moment where he starts talking about the club he knows. As awful as it can be interpreted (him offering to take her to a gay bar he probably visited often to cheat on his wife) that's the only way he can see them bonding. And as much as she's looking for acceptance and to bond, she's forced to shut him down. I think the acting of the each of the lines during that part is so powerful in helping to convey the subtext: the "Yeah Right" portrays him shooting right back into his stoic silent awkward shel; You really feel his embarrassment and shame
I was an usher at this show. It's crazy how the crying hits you at different parts, no matter how often you see it. You're just glad it's dark in there so you can try and clean yourself up discretely before the lights come up at the end. And you carry kleenex and hand sanitizer, and memorize the louder parts when you can get away with blowing your nose. Still, if you have to cry at work every night, this is a pretty wonderful reason!
All ‘young’ LGBT people can relate to being in that car wanting and contemplating telling their parents and trying so hard to work up that courage that you know is there before the ride is over and untimely failing. That trying to test the waters and drive the conversation towards talking about the subject and the parent just not getting it no matter how many times you hint.
One of my best and longest most real conversations about my own queerness, the night where my dad and I finally talked about it in a way that was deeper than just surface level was four nights before he died
