William Gaddis - J R

— The music lasts two hours and eight minutes.

— Two, hours…?

— And eight minutes yes, it…

— Symphony hardly runs forty minutes didn’t think you’d want to run over, two hours and, that’s four, eight, nine sessions comes to sixty-four, seventy-two and six nines is, should come to about seventy-seven thou…

— Yes and while I think of it I told them to start looking for a bass flute player they aren’t very common and I said if they could send one up here I’d…

— Bass, flute player?

— Yes they’re not very easy to find it’s a rather new instrument and…

— Don’t worry about it probably dig one up for you faster than they can oh Virginia want to dig up a bass flute player call the desk might have them take a look in the grand ballroom probably want a kettledrum too don’t you?

— Two of them yes and in the percussion we’ll want a whip, cymbals, blocks, marimba…

— Better just give your list to Virginia here how many you want of what and…

— Yes well I think sixteen violins and probably ten cellos and, horns, you see this is the horn part right here and…

— Horns?

— French horns eight of them yes and this, this is where the Wagner tuba comes in, it…

— Probably able to rent one of those someplace have to go out and rent all their instruments you know trying to get together a ballpark figure on costs want to get another press release out on this grant name the amount this time probably run a little more than the Boss expected but I guess you people want to make a splash here probably could have gotten you a name band like the Boston excuse me Virginia? that Senator Milliken on the phone? Been trying to reach me here all day calls coming in brush fires see what it’s like running the store without, who…?

— And you see here I’ve written a pipe organ in in the background if…

— It’s that Mister Beamish…

— Beamish? what’s, excuse me Mister Bast here hello, Beamish? where… In the lobby downstairs? what… All right yes make it quick Mister Bast and I putting our heads together here on… Duncan yes just went up the hall to… what do you mean the wrong Duncan he… meant to ask him about that Duncan debt to Triangle five years of back paper orders yes Skinner didn’t… for wallpaper yes Skinner didn’t… oh he does? All lined up before I came on deck have to run over it with Mister Bast here sounds like… Sounds like another of Crawley’s stunts can’t take time now to hear about Duncan’s family complications no go over it with Mister Bast here probably just want to absorb the debt as a down payment come up with the balance out of future earnings if… Don’t worry about it go for anything in paper oh Virginia, take a look up the hall there for Mister Duncan Mister Bast wants a word with him here little confusion over this Duncan acquisition Mister Bast, Beamish sits here for an hour bends my ear with his legalese never does get to the point has to call back to tell me this publishing house acquisition the Boss meant to pick up this Isador Duncan Company little man gone to the toilet makes wallpaper, wipe out an old debt to Triangle and work out a deal on future earnings…

— Yes I think Mister Crawley and I talked about that yes, he was familiar with the company and…

— Crawley didn’t I tell you? hear me just tell Beamish probably another of Crawley’s stunts know him like the back of my hand Mister Bast get him juggling stock and he…

— Oh oh yes before I leave that reminds me I meant to, to mention money this money that…

— Don’t worry about it not pressing for payment but I had Virginia type up Virginia where’s that billing you typed up Mister Bast wants to okay it here it is yes just didn’t know if you wanted it billed to this new shipping subsidiary or the parent…

— What?

— Just didn’t know if you, hear me all right? Thought your battery might be running down there think we better bill the parent till these legal beagles get their whereifs and whereases straightened out on the whole…

— But what is it?

— Boss wants your okay on any billings over two thousand thought he’d told you, started off at two hundred I told him you’d get writer’s cramp billing right here on top for this She project just the preliminary est…

— But fourteen thous, it just says title change fourteen thous…

— Boss likes his messages brief and to the point yes whole changeover in the magazine’s title from Her to She, passive to active image whole new concept came out of in-depth studies on potential readership modern gal’s self-image came a long way baby clean break from this old-fashioned passive Her flat on the back missionary position, new concept gets her right up in the saddle putting the boots to here, just the hotel bill next here it’s…

— This? but it’s, you mean all this and then there’s fifteen percent added on what’s…

— Agency fee SOP in the ad game Mister Bast wouldn’t want us to starve would you long as the Boss is pushing…

— Yes but, but the suite was just billed to the company when I took it I…

— Save you the headaches just had them on the phone here trying to give your General the heave ho got him moved up the hall there as a guest of the hotel long as the Boss is pushing low-cost operations companywide we’re willing to take the…

— Yes all right but then what’s this seven, is this twenty-seven thousand dollars?

— Whole company logo project yes top priority from the Boss going rate low in fact gave you a break see what Chase Bank Kodak the big boys ran into for theirs want to get that corporate image across zap! instant they see it people know they’re dealing with a dependable reliable outfit take your bottle of Wonder beer or an ad for new line of Ray-X products names don’t carry much weight alone but back them up with the parent company logo audience knows it’s dealing with a reliable dependable outfit builds your stockholder relationships see it someplace and they feel a nice warmth like somebody in the family just died go out and…

— Yes but, twenty-seven thou…

— Carried as a tangible asset on your books you’re ahead of the game the Boss came up with that one, agency sent out in-depth interview teams combed your subsidiaries from blue collar to white find out where they felt they fit as new members of the J R Family of Companies took a few guidelines tried to combine their image of the parent with the profit motif wanted to get away from the trendy block letter IBM ITTs look like tombstones come up with something alive really get across the corporate image real pride of belonging stockholders know there are people sweating their asses off all over the place to keep their investments rolling to go to bed at night know all’s right with the world, presentation here the agency got together for you to review been so busy I didn’t bother you with it yes that’s, some of the agency teams’ sketches they…

— These…?

— Some of them a little off target see the deadline pressure the agency boys were under get a real feel for the company what these in-depth interviews turned up little heavy on the corporate tit think they tried working in your woman’s lib motive too sense a little resentment here and there of course always happens in these takeovers few soreheads see their future going out the window liked that one up there too wordy but we picked up the Just Rite use it in institutional promotion right down the line wanted to stress the profit motif without hitting you over the head with it name of the game after all something patriotic about the dollar sign feeling like the flag the Boss wanted that kept right out front said to get your approval…