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A surreal and unflappable Jean Pierre Leaud (the unforgettable Antoine Donel in Truffaut's films) buys a pair of sunglasses for a pound at Aki Kaurismaki's stall in the wonderful film "I Hired a Contract Killer". In the background, the notes of a guitar are strummed by a guy on a platform inside a pub. The place is shrouded in the gloom of the London afternoon and cannot hide the noise of the traffic from the street, inside are the usual barflies living off unemployment benefits, sticking to the stools and the few benches pressed against the wall.
The guy on stage is going at it, accompanied by a percussionist: "Some dreams are made for children... But most grow old with us..." he sings with his hard-to-categorize voice. Behind him, a photo of Elvis attached to the window and on the side, a five-pointed star is drawn on the chalkboard. The rockabilly rebel quiff sways with every chord of the guitar. In the film, Jean Pierre, not having the courage to commit suicide, hires a killer to have himself killed, but he has just found love and poof!... he has changed his mind: he wants to live.
He orders a beer and listens to the enchanting song like a lullaby: "...Burning lights in the desert... Such a sign only you would know" behind the dark glasses just bought to hide, trying to escape the sentence he signed with his own hands. Joe's fingers slide over the battered Fender adorned with the "TRASH CITY" sticker, a motorbike clatters from the street: "...Now I can see the writing...you are the last of the buffalo".
In a moment, Jean Pierre is jolted by the sight of the two men who could resolve his desperate situation, and he darts out of the pub to follow them. Inside the strummer continues: "Sometimes I pull over...When I realize I've left no trace".
No Joe, you have left a trace, in all of us who love real rock, the kind beyond fashions and genres, the kind for which a guitar and some bongos are enough to make you stop and listen even when you're in deep trouble to afford such a luxury. This song, written with Shane McGowan, won't be found on his official records because it's a cameo in an extraordinary little film that talks about loneliness but also about the hope that the miracle happens.
Believe it.
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