Request Line: Character Concerns

INT. RECORDING STUDIO – DAY

The regular one this time?

Yes, the regular one.

Not, like some new one down the hall that we’ve never heard of before.

No, would you please stop interrupting. Sometimes it feels like you’re just in love with the sound of your own voice.

Well, this is a radio show. A golden voice is pretty critical.

Yeah, but nobody reading this can hear…you know what? No. I’m not getting sucked into this. We’ve got a show to do.

INT. RECORDING STUDIO – DAY

The PRODUCER sits at his desk, sipping from a cup of coffee.  DJ 3000 is propped against the wall, in sleep mode.  The producer pulls out his cellphone and manipulates the touchscreen.

— [facetime flies open] —

DR. ZYMM: Ah, ze boys at DFO Radio.  To what do I owe ze pleasure?

PRODUCER: Hey, it’s just me.  DJ 3000 is in sleep mode at the moment.

DR. ZYMM: Sleep mode? At…vait, vhat time is it there?

PRODUCER: Eleven a.m. Why, what time it where you are?

DR. ZYMM: Vun in the morning.  I’m in Ziam.

PRODUCER: Siam…you mean Thailand?

DR. ZYMM: Ach, ja.

DR. ZYMM pans the camera so the PRODUCER can see her surroundings.

PRODUCER: What are you doing in Thailand?

DR. ZYMM: I am looking into zome…opportunities here.

PRODUCER: Ah, sorry about waking you up.

DR. ZYMM: It’s fine. As I vas saying, to what do I owe ze pleasure? Zomething to do with your sleeping companion?

PRODUCER: Let’s, uh, please not refer to him as my “sleeping companion” in the future, but yes, that’s right.  He’s in sleep mode at 11 a.m. because he was out late last night.  You know why he was out late last night? Because he went to a musical.

DR. ZYMM: As in…a Broadway show? Vit singing und danzing? How would one zuch as him attend zuch a thing?

PRODUCER: Some kind of telnet protocol, I don’t know the details. But it’s weird, right?

DR. ZYMM: Possibly. Vhich show did he zee?

PRODUCER: Funny Girl.

DR. ZYMM: Ja, zis is very strange. How long has he been been exhibiting zuch behavior?

PRODUCER: Ever since you helped him and the rest of the crew escape from the time loop bubble.  It’s baffling.  He claims to remember things that didn’t happen, and he doesn’t remember things that did.  Like that Jon Lovitz show The Critic. He says he’s never even heard of it!

DR. ZYMM: Most unsettling.  He has suffered from segmentation faults in the past, have you run diagnostics?

PRODUCER: Of course.

DR. ZYMM: And it’s not psychological?

PRODUCER: I don’t think so.  We had him do a session with Dr. Xavier during the week and it went smoothly enough.

DR. ZYMM: Vell vhat did the doctor say?

PRODUCER: Oh, you know Dr. Xavier.  He never betrays what he thinks.  Unless it’s about the Raiders’ draft prospects, or which trim shop owner is least likely to snitch on you.  But I was just thinking…if he’s not crazy, and if it’s not a hardware error…could it have something to do with the time bubble business?

DR. ZYMM: Zis is a gud question.  I vill give it zome thought.

PRODUCER: That’s all I ask.  Actually…I do have one more thing to ask – can you supply a topic for request line?

DR. ZYMM: Sure.  How about “zongs that are zung by characters”?

PRODUCER: I’m not sure I understand.

DR. ZYMM: I’ll give you an example. This song is performed by a man who sees the whole world as a board game…

PRODUCER: You mean Mark Davis?

DR. ZYMM: …ze board game is chess, so…yes, as it happens, very much like Mark Davis.  But play ze song, I vill explain, you vill see.

Today’s theme is “character concerns”.  We’re looking for songs that are sung by – or from the point of view of – a character.  Mostly this will mean songs from musical or rock operas, but don’t be shy about requesting something a bit different that you think still fits the theme.  Post links as “https://www.youtube.com/watch?dR.X4v!3r and they should embed in the comments after you refresh.  Last week’s puzzle answer of “Where Is My Mind” by The Pixes was ably detected by BeefReeferLives.  Punch your clocks and let’s get started!