The Record:
“Unless there’s something new and exciting we could do with my tits?”
Ira (Josh Pais), Johnny’s former manager, has Johnny (Denis Leary) sign a contract to firm up exactly what he and Ava (Elaine Hendrix) will be doing for his daughter, Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies). He and Flash (John Corbett) have agreed to write five songs in the next few months. He tells her that he’s not writing any pop “Katy Perry” shit. She counters that she’s not going to be shooting fireworks from her tits.
“There’s no off position on the genius switch.”
Flash and Gigi to go check on Johnny at the studio after he did not return home the previous night. Flash tells him that he needs to stop. After Johnny finds his phone, Flash hits playback on a voice memo from 7:15 am which is a pretty awesome riff with no useable lyrics, but it’s workable. Johnny takes it as a sign considering that’s how Keith Richards wrote Satisfaction. Flash and Gigi tell Johnny that all of the greats are sober now. Yeah, but what music of quality have the people they mentioned turned out since going sober?
Gigi watches as Flash and Johnny write her song. Johnny records the demo for her. Johnny sits in the mixing booth as Gigi records it. FX’s music page has already added one songs, 'Die Trying' from last night’s episode to join last week's 'Animal'.
“Name one great band that doesn’t get high.”
“Coldplay?”
“Morrissey.”
“Radiohead?”
“I rest my case.”
Gigi has staged a small intervention to talk about his writing process. Gigi, Ira, The Heathens, and Ava tell Johnny they don’t have the time for a proper intervention, so he has to drop drugs and booze for a few weeks or until he writes three more songs. Ava encourages him that he can do this. Bam Bam (Robert Kelly) shares his personal story about his mother who not only shared Johnny’s addiction, but his hair style and blouse. Johnny pontificates that all the best music was written while high. “Let’s Dance? Let’s not, David.” Gigi asks him to do it for her. Johnny agrees, reluctantly, before attempting to make a break for it out of the studio.
That night back at the apartment, Flash threatens to guard the door when he’s not busy with Gigi in the effort to keep Johnny sober. Johnny remarks that he’ll be spending the night in the arm chair watching her door instead.
As it turns out, the night is spent with Flash and Johnny staring at each other and bantering. Micki, the other groupie from the last episode, is mentioned in that she left due to not wanting the whole “family dynamic” that Johnny, Ava, and Gigi have developed. Next comes the debate about whether or not there are any great rock and roll couples (long story short: no.) leading to Johnny naming Flash’s future hair salon chain “Mr. Gigi’s.”
The next day at the studio, a sober Johnny has….nothing. After many cups of espresso, single notes on the piano, and pen clicking, they have nothing except a satirical song going from Radiohead to Morrissey that is entirely perfect, but not the sort of song that’s gonna be a hit.
“How much do you have to hate fish to not eat them for eight years?”
Johnny checks with everyone for their drugs. Aside from a few prescription drugs, no one has anything. The base player, Rehab (John Ales), throws an impressive fit about not ever having his contributions appreciated. In exchange for having Johnny listen to his song about the potato famine, he offers two of his Vicodin. Gigi catches them, naturally unhappy that her father is using drugs again.
“This isn’t going to work.”
Gigi tells Johnny he needs to sober up, reminding him he missed the first twenty years of her life and asking him to not miss the next twenty.
He offers a song called Sinner’s Gold. After hearing it, everyone brings all the drugs they can find (and some food) because “that song sounds like what Sting would write if he was up Sarah McLaughlin’s vagina.”
My thoughts:
Is it possible for a show to just keep getting funnier? Well, if it’s a Denis Leary show that’s pretty much guaranteed and fans of Leary had a long time to get excited for this show. Last week’s opener was exactly what we had been waiting for and this week’s is even better. The only complaint, which has been echoed by everyone who I know who’s seen the show, is that it should be longer. From the perfect casting choice of Elizabeth Gillies as Leary’s long lost daughter Gigi to further riffing on the Irish experience, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is the best show you should be telling everyone you know to watch. I know I will.
This is one of those shows I want to like more than I actually do like.
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