In the Nursey - Duality

In The Nursery- Duality

David Gets Naked

The fall leaves drifted lazily around us as Doug and I walked deeper into the woods. The red and orange carpet of former tree dwellers spread out before us along the path that would take us to our desired location. All was silent save the crunching sound of the leaves as we trod upon them.

The chill autumn wind tore through my jacket in short, blustery attacks making me dread the bare task I had ahead of me. Pausing a moment, I gathered my jacket closer to keep me warm for the last few minutes I was to wear it. I knew I needed a cigarette.

“Let me get a cigarette, man” I asked him.

Doug looked over at me, smiling. He stopped, dramatically put down the apparently heavy film equipment, and fished around his coat pocket for his pack of Marlboro Lights.

Handing me a cigarette, he said: “Are you ready for this shot, Dave?”

“It’s cold,” was my answer.

“Hey man, ‘Anything For Film’, right?” He lit one too.

“Yeah. But couldn’t you have chosen summer for these naked outdoor scenes?”

Doug smiled, picked up the film equipment and began to walk again. “Because then we couldn’t get the beautiful fall colors against your skin,” he chided over his shoulder.

“But…but it’s black and white film!” I called after him. It fell on deaf ears. He was further down the path. “Damn!” I cursed to myself and followed my director.

We reached the site we had previously scouted out and began setting up the camera equipment. While he was busy, I looked around the dew-drenched woods. It was early morning and all was still. I spotted a large, dark gray deer frozen and staring at me. In that moment, when I locked eyes with the buck, a cold bitter fear swept through my body. I still don’t know why that deer caused such a deep sense of panic within me, but the reaction I had was unlike anything I have ever experienced. The entire frightful moment was dispelled by Doug’s shouting of my name. The deer shook and suddenly bolted away to its right. The thick and thorny underbrush instantly engulfed its massive, dusky body. I turned and half-trotted to where Doug stood.

“Dude, I’m set. Take it off!” Doug commanded.

“Let’s do this quick. I’m going to freeze,” I said as I began to strip. When I was completely naked, I looked up at Doug and quipped: “Ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille.”

We both chuckled and Doug began to film my naked body. My task was to stand completely still and look off into the distance, as Doug went around me several times. It was cold, and I am sure certain parts of me where shrinking up into my body, but I held on. The only thing keeping me from freezing to death was the knowledge that the next scene we would shoot on Monday would involve another nude scene in a warm studio between Nicole and me. Just the thought of finally seeing her naked kept me warm. “All for art’s sake, of course” I smiled to myself.

The film shoot was over relatively quick, but not before I had frostbite on extremities of my body I didn’t even know I had. For the first ten minutes, Nicole’s image kept me warm; but every second after that, I got colder and colder. Eventually Nicole’s nude body morphed into a large, warm, fuzzy winter coat. When it was over, I ran and dove back into my clothes. My underwear wound up backwards, but I didn’t really care.

Walking back to the car, I brought up the fact that most professional actors get paid a large sum of money for the performance I had just put on. Doug ignored me, and just smoked his cigarette.

“You know what I would really like, Doug?”

“What? Top billing?”

“No. How about a new tape?” I began as I reached into his coat pocket for a cigarette. “Let’s stop by the mall and you buy me something. After all, I just risked pneumonia for you.”

Doug stopped to give me better access to his pack of smokes. “How about I buy you a pack of cigarettes, so you can stop bumming mine, ya grub?”

“I resent that! Give me a light?”

Doug rolled his eyes as he complied. “Your life is worth the price of a tape?”

“Right now it is,” I inhaled deeply and smiled the most pleasant smile I could muster.

Doug shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards the car.

At the Livingston Mall, we stopped by Sam Goody’s and Doug picked up the new Ministry and Front 242 Cds. I already had those (on tape) and was kind of dumbfounded at the poor selection this record store had to offer. I was about to settle for either the new Public Enemy or some Belgian techno compilation, when my eyes came upon a tape that made my heart skip a beat. It was the new In The Nursery tape Duality. I dropped the other two tapes and grabbed the only copy of it in stock.

I ran back to Doug, who was pretending not to browse through the Show tunes section, and screamed: “I found what I want. Let’s go!”

The extremely attractive cashier Michelle took care of us (I have a thing for record store cashiers- they are usually hot, and if you play your cards right, you can get a discount) and we left. On the way to the car, I explained to Doug who In The Nursery is.

“These guys are great! They’re a British band that plays some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. The group is made up of twin brothers Klive and Nigel Humberstone, with sporadic vocals supplied by Dolores Marguerite C and snare drums provided by Q. I have a their last album L’Esprit and it is amazing. They do a haunting song called “To The Faithful” that would put Beethoven to shame!”

“Uhm Hmm,” Doug sighed because he knew I was exaggerating. “What do they sound like?”

“It’s kind of like modern classical music with an edge. Sort of like Enya, but if she was in the military.”

“Gee, a militant Enya. That’s different,” he said as he got into the car. From inside: “Let’s listen to it.”

We drove back through South Mountain Reservation as the music drifted from the speakers. In The Nursery’s music can only be described as majestic. Listening to them can be a humbling experience. The sound of classical music mixed with the military snare drums and bugles sprinkled with ethereal French vocals make Duality a unique recording. The eleven songs on this tape are interwoven with each other to create a vast mural of sound that envelops your consciousness and allows you to drift away to distant shores in mythical lands. But one track in particular stood out from the dream-like wall of sound and made my feet want to move.

The track “Always” is different from of the other songs because on this track In The Nursery combine their trademark sound with an accessible dance beat. The hybrid created by these musical alchemists works because it is not an overt “club-style” beat, but an inconspicuous groove that kind of builds into a foot shaker. One minute, we were listening to beautiful poetry read over neo-classical music, and the next we are both bopping our heads and playing the beat of the dashboard and steering wheel respectively. I would not be surprised if “Always” was the single of the album.

The overall feeling one gets from listening to Duality is one of hope, optimism, beauty, and peace. Lyrics like “Keep peace with your soul, it is still beautiful, the universe is unfolding as it grows” strike a chord within me. Most of the songs consist of poems both in English and in French being read over beautiful music. In my particular case, this tape helps me deal with the constant confusion that the duality of my life brings. Maybe I am interpreting the music in a way too personal basis, but isn’t that what music is about? It’s all about your own interpretation and the way it makes you feel. Positive lyrics with original music are definitely what makes Duality by In The Nursery such a rare and precious find. I give it the highest recommendation.

When we arrived at my house Doug handed me a blank tape. I looked at him and asked him the purpose of the tape. He told me that he wanted me to make a copy of Duality.

“So, I take it that you liked it,” I grinned.

“Are you kidding me?” He lit another cigarette for both of us. “I love it! Besides, I’m thinking of using it as the soundtrack for what we filmed today. So make yourself a copy and give me the original tomorrow.”

“But, Doug! You bought that tape for me!”

“Hey, man. Anything for film.”