Monologue Monday - Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard

First off, hello Abby.

I saw this monologue in an odd place. I've never read the play, but I was cruising through websites, looking for places to audition for when I saw a spot that was going to do this play. They had some sides up for potential auditioners, and this monologue was crossed out. It caught my interest and I think it's pretty darn solid. I don't know that I'd ever use it for an audition, but I still like it quite a bit.

No, because the policeman insulted him. About his hair. Jirous doesn't cut his hair. It makes the policeman angry, so he starts something and it ends with Jirous in gaol. But what is the policeman angry about? What difference does long hair make? The policeman is angry about his fear. The policeman's fear is what makes him angry. He's frightened by indifference. Jirous doesn't care. He doesn't care enough even to cut his hair. The policeman isn't frightened by dissidents! Why should he be? Policemen love dissidents, like the Inquisition loved heretics. Heretics give meaning to the defenders of the faith. Nobody cares more than a heretic. Your friend Havel cares so much he writes a long letter to Husak. It makes no odds whether it's a love letter or a protest letter. It means they're playing on the same board. So Husak can relax, he's made the rules, it's his game. The population plays the other way by agreeing to be bribed by places at university, or an easy ride at work… they care enough to keep their thoughts to themselves, their haircuts give nothing away. But the Plastics don't care at all. They're unbribable. They're coming from somewhere else, from where the Muses come from. They're not heretics. They're pagans.

I'd like to read Rock 'n' Roll at some point. With music being such an intense interest in my life, I love plays that mix the two skillfully. I wish wish wish I could get my hands on a copy of Clay because I just know there's a monologue in there that would be perfect for me. If you know where I can get it, let me know...

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We've got another Monologue Monday supporter out there. If you're wanting to check out a couple of other monologues (since Frymire is being so slack), check out Old Ned's blog. He's had a couple up so far. We need more, folks. If you're interested in Monologue Monday, let me know! Our collective repertoire could be so powerful!