230906

[blippy ringtone]

[blippy ringtone, line connects]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: you have a call from the state correctional institution with a call from an incarcerated human being.

to accept this free call, press 1.
to refuse this free call, press 2. [a slight crackle on the line]

if you would like to permanently block your number from receiving calls from this facility, press 6. [light crackle and static]

[phone touch tone with a clipped “oh”]

[background static hisses steady as an improvised, syncopated melody emerges from everyday sounds listed below]

[tinkering with a small bell] clipped “oh”

[door hinge creaks and plinks] clipped “oh”

[various clinks and plinks interspersed with clipped “oh” and more clacks and taps]

[footsteps in clacky shoes mixes into the music of clicks, clacks, clipped “oh,” and taps]

[sounds above begin to align, forming a steadier rhythm, all continue with the addition of more] [tiny bell rings]

[steps and clicks and clinks continue]
[distant motor of a power chair whirs and buzzes]

clipped “oh” reverberates
[tiny bell, power chair whines, steps, and clicks continue]

[power chair whir grows louder as clicks and taps and plinks and clipped “oh” and bell happen more rhythmically, closer to each other, speeding up until finally...]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: this is a call from the state correctional institution.

this call is subject to recording and monitoring.

[static on the line]

[static continues as a melody like an emergency siren emerges out of the shadows, howling and whining in the distance, warbling until it fades away, leaving only static]

[melody returns, but this time in a human voice, crystalline and pure] Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh
Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh
Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh

[melody above continues as harmonizing voices add-in, no instruments]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooHooOooooooooh

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH

Oh,
Oh,

♪ I've hungered for your touch (oh, my love)
♪ A long, lonely time (oh, my love)
[distant siren voice in and out] ♪ Time goes by so slowly (need your love) ♪ And time can do so much (need your love)
♪ Are you still mine?
♪ I need your loooooove (time)
♪ I neeeeeeed your love (time)

♪ Oh (oh, my darling)

♪ God speed your love to me (goes by so slowly) ♪ my love

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH

♪ my love (still miiiiiiiiine)
♪ Lonely rivers flow (river flow, river flow)

♪ I need your love
♪ To the sea, (to the sea, to the sea, to the sea) to the sea

♪ I need your love
♪ To the open arms of the sea (the sea, the sea, the sea) ♪ my love
♪ Lonely rivers sigh (rivers sigh, rivers sigh)

♪ my love

♪ "Wait for me, (wait for me, wait for me, wait for me) wait for me

♪ I'll be coming hoooooooooooome, wait for me"

♪ My love

♪ OooooooooooooooOh, my love [static grows louder as voices soften]

♪ Ooooooooooooh, my love

♪ My looooooove

[hissing static louder and louder, interference, ring]

[crackle, squeak]

[a pattern of four light, bubbly pops plays again and again over the hiss of static for 2.25 minutes]

tik tik tik tik bass - hiss - vibratory
tik tik tik tik bass - hiss - vibratory
[pattern of four continues, pulling in new sounds now and again, sometimes becoming five]

[like creaking leather]

[like a distorted echoing pulse] tik tik tik tik

tik tik tik tik
[creaking leather, then the pulse, a pop, a breath]

tik tik tik tik tik tik tik tik

[breathing – breathing] tik tik tik tik

tik tik tik tik
[volume ramps up, ring interference - white noise – electric]

tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
[pattern continues, echoey, steady, the static rising and rising] tik tik tik tik ping bass - hiss - vibratory

tik tik tik tik ping bass - hiss – vibratory

[staticky hiss ends]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: this is a call from the state correctional institution.

this call is subject to recording and monitoring.

[the following will be a collage, starting with single sounds, building into dizzying layers of sound and voice]

[distant traffic]
[office telephone rings, pause, rings louder]

bass - hiss - vibratory bass - hiss – vibratory bass - hiss - vibratory bass - hiss – vibratory

Hello?

[traffic driving through rain, home telephone rings]

[office phone rings, a crackle, a dial tone as another phone is dialed in layers with the nearby passing cars and the office phone ringing again]

[street cleaner sweeps past, phones ring, dial tones ring out]

Hello?
Hello, operator.

[ringing, tones, sweeps, crackling, popping]

Would you like to place a call? Hold please.

[ringing, dial tones, a siren blasts through the ever-present rush of traffic]

Hello? Would you like to make a call? Hello?!

[ringing drowns out the voices, traffic is relentless, emergency vehicle nears]

Would you like to make a call?

[digital pulsing of a modem firing up, sirens, rings, traffic, dial tones]

[all begins to fade]

Can you please hold?

[static]

1min 56 seconds – intermission

[a quiet hiss, occasional little pop, a stillness]

end intermission

[low-tone beep...beep...beep...]
[scrape-tone, scrape-tone...scrape-tone...scrape...]
[scrape] pa [tone]
[scrape] pa [tone reverberates]
[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...
[scrape, background hiss intensifies, voices speak almost all at once, collaged unevenly]

pa / tuh / pahrfect [hiss]

pa / tuh / pahrfect [hiss softens]

[and now 1.5 minutes of collage: layers of the recorded voices producing a jumpy, jolty version of the word “perfect” composed with the following sounds and syllables. The word comes out imperfectly every time but plays steady as a heartbeat throughout.]

p-tuh- t
t
par

par

breath pah

pah-

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

[and on and on against a light whoosh of faraway traffic]

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

[“perfect” vanishes]

[clicking, digital pulsing of a phone being dialed]

[old phone receiver clanks into its cradle]

[old rotary Bell South telephone rings, its multi-tone brrrrriiiiiing reverberating as it fades]

[pause]

[brrrrriiiiiing, reverberates, then fades]

[brrrrriiiiiing cut off by a click]

[receiver clunks into place]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: you have one minute left.

[the minute passes in stillness, just the air moving in the room, turned into a light hiss over speakerphone]

thank you for using Securus. [the line clicks as it’s cut]
the caller hung up.

goodbye.

[click-pulse, click-pulse, click-pulse, click-pulse][silence and stillness]

[blippy ringtone]

[blippy ringtone]

[blippy ringtone, line connects]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: you have a call from the state correctional institution with a call from an incarcerated human being.

to accept this free call, press 1.
to refuse this free call, press 2. [a slight crackle on the line]

if you would like to permanently block your number from receiving calls from this facility, press 6. [light crackle and static]

[phone touch tone with a clipped “oh”]

[background static hisses steady as an improvised, syncopated melody emerges from everyday sounds listed below]

[tinkering with a small bell] clipped “oh”

[door hinge creaks and plinks] clipped “oh”

[various clinks and plinks interspersed with clipped “oh” and more clacks and taps]

[footsteps in clacky shoes mixes into the music of clicks, clacks, clipped “oh,” and taps]

[sounds above begin to align, forming a steadier rhythm, all continue with the addition of more] [tiny bell rings]

[steps and clicks and clinks continue]
[distant motor of a power chair whirs and buzzes]

clipped “oh” reverberates

[tiny bell, power chair whines, steps, and clicks continue]

[power chair whir grows louder as clicks and taps and plinks and clipped “oh” and bell happen more rhythmically, closer to each other, speeding up until finally...]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: this is a call from the state correctional institution.

this call is subject to recording and monitoring.

[static on the line]

[static continues as a melody like an emergency siren emerges out of the shadows, howling and whining in the distance, warbling until it fades away, leaving only static]

[melody returns, but this time in a human voice, crystalline and pure] Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh
Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh
Ah-aaaaaaaah Ah-ah-ah-ah-ooh-ohhhhhhhhh

[melody above continues as harmonizing voices add-in, no instruments]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooHooOooooooooh

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH

Oh,
Oh,

♪ I've hungered for your touch (oh, my love)
♪ A long, lonely time (oh, my love)
[distant siren voice in and out] ♪ Time goes by so slowly (need your love) ♪ And time can do so much (need your love)
♪ Are you still mine?
♪ I need your loooooove (time)

♪ Oh (oh, my darling)

♪ I neeeeeeed your love (time)
♪ God speed your love to me (goes by so slowly) ♪ my love

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooH

♪ my love (still miiiiiiiiine)
♪ Lonely rivers flow (river flow, river flow)

♪ I need your love
♪ To the sea, (to the sea, to the sea, to the sea) to the sea

♪ I need your love
♪ To the open arms of the sea (the sea, the sea, the sea) ♪ my love
♪ Lonely rivers sigh (rivers sigh, rivers sigh)

♪ my love

♪ "Wait for me, (wait for me, wait for me, wait for me) wait for me

♪ I'll be coming hoooooooooooome, wait for me"

♪ My love

♪ OooooooooooooooOh, my love [static grows louder as voices soften]

♪ Ooooooooooooh, my love

♪ My looooooove

[hissing static louder and louder, interference, ring]

[crackle, squeak]

[a pattern of four light, bubbly pops plays again and again over the hiss of static for 2.25 minutes]

tik tik tik tik bass - hiss - vibratory tik tik tik tik bass - hiss - vibratory

[pattern of four continues, pulling in new sounds now and again, sometimes becoming five] [like creaking leather]

[like a distorted echoing pulse] tik tik tik tik

tik tik tik tik
[creaking leather, then the pulse, a pop, a breath]

tik tik tik tik tik tik tik tik

[breathing – breathing] tik tik tik tik

tik tik tik tik
[volume ramps up, ring interference - white noise – electric]

tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
tik tik tik tik ping
[pattern continues, echoey, steady, the static rising and rising] tik tik tik tik ping bass - hiss - vibratory

tik tik tik tik ping bass - hiss – vibratory

[staticky hiss ends]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: this is a call from the state correctional institution.

this call is subject to recording and monitoring.

[the following will be a collage, starting with single sounds, building into dizzying layers of sound and voice]

[distant traffic]

bass - hiss - vibratory bass - hiss – vibratory bass - hiss - vibratory bass - hiss – vibratory

Hello?

[office telephone rings, pause, rings louder] [traffic driving through rain, home telephone rings]

[office phone rings, a crackle, a dial tone as another phone is dialed in layers with the nearby passing cars and the office phone ringing again]

[street cleaner sweeps past, phones ring, dial tones ring out]

Hello?
Hello, operator.

[ringing, tones, sweeps, crackling, popping]

Would you like to place a call? Hold please.

[ringing, dial tones, a siren blasts through the ever-present rush of traffic]

Hello? Would you like to make a call? Hello?!

[ringing drowns out the voices, traffic is relentless, emergency vehicle nears]

Would you like to make a call?

[digital pulsing of a modem firing up, sirens, rings, traffic, dial tones]

[all begins to fade]

Can you please hold?

[static]

1min 56 seconds – intermission

[a quiet hiss, occasional little pop, a stillness]

end intermission

[low-tone beep...beep...beep...]
[scrape-tone, scrape-tone...scrape-tone...scrape...]
[scrape] pa [tone]
[scrape] pa [tone reverberates]
[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...[tone] pa...
[scrape, background hiss intensifies, voices speak almost all at once, collaged unevenly]

pa / tuh / pahrfect [hiss]

pa / tuh / pahrfect [hiss softens]

[and now 1.5 minutes of collage: layers of the recorded voices producing a jumpy, jolty version of the word “perfect” composed with the following sounds and syllables. The word comes out imperfectly every time but plays steady as a heartbeat throughout.]

p-tuh- t
t

par

par

breath pah

pah-

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

[and on and on against a light whoosh of faraway traffic]

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

pahrfect, pah pahr pahrfect

[“perfect” vanishes]

[clicking, digital pulsing of a phone being dialed]

[old phone receiver clanks into its cradle]

[old rotary Bell South telephone rings, its multi-tone brrrrriiiiiing reverberating as it fades]

[pause]

[brrrrriiiiiing, reverberates, then fades]

[brrrrriiiiiing cut off by a click]

[receiver clunks into place]

PRE-RECORDED SYNTHESIZED VOICE: you have one minute left.

[the minute passes in stillness, just the air moving in the room, turned into a light hiss over speakerphone]

thank you for using Securus. [the line clicks as it’s cut]

the caller hung up.
goodbye.
[click-pulse, click-pulse, click-pulse, click-pulse]