“Hey everybody! IN LIKE CYN has finally arrived! Here is the first episode! And look for PART TWO on Christmas, and a new episode every Thursday. If you want to comment on the video please do it on YouTube… Enjoy! Share! Subscribe! Enjoy my selfie reality show that takes you on the ride of my life.” – Cynthia Troyer
In Like Cyn – Season 1 Episode 1
Union Station part 1
Published to Youtube on December 24, 2014
Union Station part 1
by Robert Gold
In the kick-ass pilot episode of In Like Cyn accomplished screenwriter Cynthia Troyer launches her latest project. An awesome new YouTube playlist on The Comedy Multiverse channel. This selfie reality show chronicling an epic day in the life of one of Hollywood’s next rising stars. In a dazzling first installment co-hosts Cynthia Troyer and Robert Gold, that’s me, introduce us into the world of live opera.
Venturing out from her small woodland hobbit village in the hills of Beachwood Canyon, Cynthia introduces a 21st century audience to the world of 17th century classical music. An age where corsets and flamboyant feathered hats ran wild. A land where Downtown Abbey would have been considered the Jersey Shore of its era.
As a long time companion and close friend of Cynthia, I was honored to be the first man chosen to co-host the pilot episode of her new selfie reality YouTube series. When I asked her what kind of shenanigans she in had in store for us, she told me we would be adventuring out towards Union Station, California’s cooler more badass version of Grand Central Station. Suck it New York! We gave America, Nixon!
Cynthia was a virgin when it came to the art of public transportation. So it was up to me, a frequent marauder of the LA Metro System, to guide her on her journey. I made the suggestion that we drive to the opera but Cynthia reminded me that Union Station, located in Downtown Los Angeles, was a hectic madhouse when it came to the parking situation.
And so I was the Sacajawea to her Lewis & Clark, the Yoda to her Luke Skywalker, the Dick Cheney to her George W. Bush. As we entered into the subway I began to divulge some of the rich history behind its creation.
As we entered Union Station, the architectural history astonished Cynthia and I with great pleasure. Downtown Los Angeles had always been known for its rich and lushes constructive aesthetics. The walls were plated with gorgeous patterns embedded on the marble stone, complimenting the tall circular arch of the fifty foot ceiling.
As we strolled through the main lobby we could hear the sound of ticket clerks announcing the departure of electric powered trains leaving for Seattle, Chicago and New Orleans. It was a busy bee hive of people from all walks of life. Businessmen, tourists, street performers, families and locals just trying to get home from an honest day’s work at the puppy mill. The level of energy and constant array of noises and chatter was overwhelming in the best possible manner. For those among of us who romanticize the city life as I often do, you know what I’m talking about.
In this golden metropolis. This concrete jungle of excitement, vibrancy, culture and class 1930s industrial architecture laid preserved like a living breathing museum. This would the perfect place for Opera. A genre dating that dates back as far as 1598 in Florence, Italy. The genre that gave us Gioachino Rossini and Vicenzo Bellini. Two of the greatest opera composers slash Italian mobsters the world has ever seen.
Opera. It’s not necessarily a genre I find myself listening to all the time. My relationship with opera is like my relationship status on facebook, it’s complicated. You see, when I’m listening to opera as the backdrop to an an epic lightsaber battle in a Star Wars film, I’m pretty down with opera. But in all honesty if we’re talking about the music on the iPod that I stole from my ex-girlfriend, you’re going to find a lot of music from the millennial generation. For one reason and one reason alone. When it comes down to Mozart vs. Minaj, whose got the bigger booty? Actually you’re right, it was Mozart. Mozart had the bigger booty. But that’s beside the point!
As Cynthia and I ventured through Union Station, inhaling the sweet sensual sensation of Wetzel’s Pretzels, I had an epiphany. When I write this article I’m going to do some research about this place. I want to learn about the best parts of 1930’s industrial architecture. I mean, come on! The early 20th century. It was a gosh darn beautiful time in American history. Minus the maltreatment of factory workers and the two world wars, it was quite a wonderful time to be alive.
As a single man with too much time on his hands I’ve had an opportunity to learn more about Union Station then I ever needed to know. In 1926, a ballot measure was brought before the Angelino masses. If passed the city of Los Angeles would build the largest passenger terminal in the Western United States. But the bill faced animosity from white voters due to the fact that the railway’s initial construction would begin in Chinatown. Uh, those gosh darn white people! Always getting in the way of progress.
Chinatown. Illegal fireworks, duck meat that tastes like chicken and little Buddha statues. What more is there to say? Born out of necessity do to the segregation laws that existed at the time, it now stands as a thriving tourist economy. Providing trade and commerce for hundreds of Chinese immigrants with hopes of starting their own small business so that they too may share in a piece of the American dream. But unfortunately 90 years ago it was not the Disneyland tourist attraction we know it to be today.
Luckily enough justice won out in the end and by a close margin of 51 to 49 the erecting of Union Station, an iconic and essential part of Angelino society in our modern times, began during the early 1930’s. It would be “The Last of the Great Railway Stations” to be built in the United States. Bringing an official end to the innovative endeavors of the Industrial Revolution and the reign of corporate tycoons like Andrew Carnegie who made the accumulation of what would be trillions of dollars today by dominating the railroad industry. Bill Gates would cry himself to sleep every night if he knew how much Carnegie was rolling in. He could have bought Lithuania. And I heard they have Jellied Moose Noose over there!
As we reached the end of the main lobby, there it was. The promised land. The live opera we had been oh so desperately searching for. In that moment I felt as if the milky goodness of heaven’s light had reigned down upon me to make sweet sweet love to my ear drums. My fingers tingled with radiant delight as the vibrations of the microphones consumed my central nervous system. The rows of seats were split into two paralleled sections, creating an aisle way for the performers to strut in and out of. A young brunette with sheet music clung tightly in her emerald polished fingernails marched her way down the aisle way.
With every step she took I could feel the breathe exhaling from my lungs. An angelic high note only ever attained by the King of Pop himself exhaled from her throat. She held it there for some time. I was astonished that a human being could sing for such a duration without having to stop to recollect themselves. It was impressive, indeed. As she finally stepped down from her high note, letting the song fade into the darkness, the crowd broke into uproarious applause. There was a thunder of whistling, snapping and clapping as they awarded the young brunette with her well deserved congratulations in the form of adulated approval.
The opera was a reprisal of an event that Wired Magazine covered. Read about the first performance here. Is This the Opera of the Future? | WIRED It was the first time the technological magazine covered opera! Technology and Opera meeting! Invisible Cities was an event where opera fan listened as the opera was broadcast to them through headphones. Everyone was interested in what this opera consisted of. So Invisible Cities was recorded and this event we attended was a promotion for the album release.
Support these amazing musicians and performers today! http://theindustryla.org/top.php Purchase the album here.
As the opera show came to its final conclusion, Cynthia and I exited from the Union Station building and as we stood outside our ears had captured a new stream of music, far in the distance. We knew not where it came from but we did know that we were going to hunt down its origin.
The opera had a feeling of aristocracy. European culture. The Victorian age of man. But this sound fluttering in the distance was tribal. Ethnic. Maybe even…Native American? There was a pounding drum. Almost synchronistic with a beating heart. We didn’t know what it was. But we were drawn to it. Tune in next time for Episode 2 to find out how the journey continues.
IN LIKE CYN – SEASON 1 – EPISODE 1
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In Like Cyn – Season 1 Episode 1: Union Station pt 1
Uploaded December 24, 2014
Cyn: Hello… hello and welcome to another issue of In Like Cyn. And today I’m on my way to hear an opera in the beautiful historic Union Station. And I have a co-star today, I want you to meet — Bobby G!
RG: Hey!
Cyn: This is Robert Gold!
RG: Hey Bobby G in the house.
Cyn: We are taking the LA subway…
RG: Yeah, people are going to think it’s a little weird that we’re filming ourselves, but we are narcissists as you know.
Cyn: Isn’t everybody a narcissist these days?
RG: Yeah.
Cyn: Fucking-A.
RG: That’s why I’m Narcisse [a character on Boardwalk Empire].
Cyn: (laughs)
RG: Did you see the episode of Boardwalk Empire?
Cyn: No!
RG: No, I can’t say anything… Oh fuck.
Cyn: No! Don’t ruin it.
RG: Oh fuck I can’t say anything.
Cyn: I saw Walking Dead.
RG: You saw Walking D- I didn’t see Walking Dead.
Cyn: Yeah.
RG: So I can talk about Boarwalk Empire and you can talk about Walking Dead.
Cyn: Aw shit, we’re outta sync.
RG: What?
Cyn: We’re outta sync.
RG: What do ya mean, we’re outta sync?
Cyn: Cause we can’t talk about Boardwalk Empire or Walking Dead.
RG: Why not?
Cyn: Because you haven’t see one, and I haven’t seen the other.
RG: Oh. That’s how it always ends up working out. Then we just can’t talk at all. We can’t have a conversation. You’re like – oh cause I’m actually gonna say… I’m actually gonna say something.
Cyn: Just yell – ahhh – if you feel compelled just yell out spoiler alert.
RG: Just yell spoiler alert?
Cyn: Spoiler Alert!!
RG: Spoiler Alert!!
Cyn: So we’ve reached legendary Hollywood Boulevard, and we are walking on the stars now, and we are heading to –
RG: Hollywood and Vine station.
Cyn: And then we’re heading to Union Station! Have you ever been to Hollywood before?
RG: Never been to Hollywood before in my life. I’ve lived in LA- and every time I go to Cynthia’s house I walk past this gay little Hollywood Boulevard. I just go straight to Cynthia’s. I’m like what – Pantages Theater? What – people dressed up as Batman? What?
Cyn: That’s where we’re heading.
RG: Sounds so lame.
Cyn: We’re heading –
RG: Oh we’re doing the moonwalk. Oh she’s doing the moonwalk, you can’t see – but she’s actually doing the Michael Jackson moonwalk.
Cyn: Naw I’m not –
RG: Yes she is.
Cyn: I’m in boots looking like a retard.
RG: She’s humble, she’s really humble.
Cyn: So we’ve almost reached the Pantages now. And we are heading toward the Metro — Behind us is the Pantages Theater.
RG: And that’s public transportation, which you guys don’t have in your little country bumpkin towns where you’re watching this. Suck it! I’m from the city.
Cyn: Alright. And over here – we are in front of the W Hotel, right here in Hollywood.
Cyn VO: I got myself a TAP Card and we got to the subway.
Cyn: So now here we are, we’re on the subway.
RG: Yes we are.
Cyn: And we’re on our way to Union Station.
RG: Yes we are.
Cyn: And we’re going to hear that opera.
RG: Yes we are.
TRAIN: PLEASE STAND CLEAR, THE DOORS ARE CLOSING.
Cyn: Please stand clear of the doors. Wooo.
Cyn: So we’ve finally arrived at Union Station.
RG: Yes we have.
Cyn: But now we have to find the concert, where is the heck is this thing?
RG: Where the hell’s this concert? C’mon –
Cyn: Where the hell are they –
RG: C’mon – we’re waiting for you we’re the life of the party.
Cyn VO: This iconic rail station opened on May 2, 1939. It is the epitome of Southern California glamour. The combination of Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Art Deco make for a stunning work of architecture. 2014 marks the 75th anniversary. We hurried through the lounge to the original ticket lobby where the opera was being held. We discovered a standing room only crowd and the opera already in progress. We grabbed a seat on the floor in the back and we let the opera music wash over our souls.
< Opera Music >
Word Crawl: The Industry Records launches with the Nov. 4 release of the cast recording of Invisible Cities, and to celebrate, they are reprising the work with the original performers, in a one-night only acoustic concert version in Union Station’s cavernous vaulted ticket hall.
Title: Purchase the cast recordings Invisible Cities… theindustryla.org
< Opera Music >
Annotations: facebook> troyerthewriter#
Instagram > @cynthiatroyer
Twitter> @Cynthiatroyer
www.inlikecyn.com
Cyn VO: Thank you LA Weekly for suggesting a free fun event.
AMISH BUDDHA FILMWORKS!
PREVIEWS
Cyn VO: Our downtown adventures continue, tomorrow in part two.
RG: This is why downtown is so awesome. Because you see ancient Aztec warriors
Cyn VO: We took a stroll through the nearly empty Olvera Street and headed for Phillipe’s. Join us next time.
OUTRO
Cyn: Hey everybody thanks for watching the video. I hope you liked it. Click Subscribe. There click the social media. Look for part two tomorrow. And a new episode every Thursday! Okay thanks a lot.
END TRANSCRIPT
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