I see these stories. The good guy comes. He gets there in time. He saves the girl. Saves the town. Saves himself. Fine. But what if he doesn’t? What if nobody comes? That’s the chorus of the song I wrote about Tammi Tyrrell: “No one’s coming to the rescue.” Because sometimes they aren’t. That’s the story. That’s why I loved Sweet and Lowdown. Sean Penn plays this guitarist, brilliant, ridiculous, terrified of Django Reinhardt, and somewhere along the way he has a woman who loves him. So naturally he destroys it. Later he understands. Now he wants her. Now he’s ready. Now he has the speech. Except she’s finished. She doesn’t give a shit. That’s the part I love. The movie doesn’t hand him a second chance because he’s finally learned something. Learning something isn’t currency. You don’t take wisdom to the counter and get your old life back. He knows now. Great. Too late. He ends up ruined and, to me, that’s not pessimism. That’s gravity. Sometimes the curtain comes down and the good guy is still standing there waiting for the rescue.