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S M A R T   A N D
C U T E   A N D   D A D :
T H E   L A S T   O R A N G E   T A P E S .


BY MICHELLE ORANGE

RECORDED SUMMER 2002


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[Read the lost Orange tapes.]

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Q: Dad, you wanna talk into this?

Orange: Pardon?

Q: OK, now, what are you gonna say?

Orange: About what?

Q: Is that what you say?

Orange: I'm busy right now.

Q: OK, let's hear you sing happy birthday.

Orange: Why? Whose birthday is it?

Q: What did you have for dinner?

Orange: It's 10:30 in the morning.

Q: Yeah, those are all the things you like.

Orange: What things?

Q: What did you have for dessert?

Orange: What's the matter with you?

Q: What's mommy's name?

Orange: Who's mommy?

Q: What's mine?

Orange: Who are you?

Q: What's your name?

Orange: Who wants to know?

Q: How old are you?

Orange: Old enough to know better.

Q: Two, that's right, and where do you live?

Orange: At home.

Q: You live at the camp?

Orange: No, I live at home.

Q: What's your address?

Orange: [long pause] 23. . .

Q: Where'd you go today?

Orange: To work.

Q: You did not, you're telling lies! Where did you go with mommy?

Orange: I went to work, I told you that. Are you deaf?

Q: What?

Orange: Are you deaf?

Q: Let's hear you sing Jack and Jill.

Orange: No. I don't know the words. No, I know the words, I don't know the tune.

Q: Good! Oh, that's brilliant! Hey, tell me, what do you do on the toilet?

Orange: What do you do on the toilet?

Q: Are you smart?

Orange: Very.

Q: Are you a bad girl?

Orange: I am a bad girl, yes.

Q: Oh. What do you do that's bad?

Orange: [unintelligible] I burp.

Q: Where's Chris?

Orange: [Cracks up. Laughs at length.] He's over there.

Q: What's he doing?

Orange: Who knows.

Q: Who's he playing with?

Orange: God knows.

Q: Who do you play with?

Orange: I play with myself.

Q: Amy doesn't live here anymore.

Orange: No, I guess not.

Q: That's a good girl! You're very smart! You're not bad are you?

Orange: No. I'm smart and cute and bad.

Q: What did you do at the fair? Did you go to the fair?

Orange: Yes.

Q: What did you have to eat?

Orange: Hot dog.

Q: What do you like to wear?

Orange: What do I like to wear? Shoes.

Q: What's your favourite dress?

Orange: Oh, I. . . the red one.

Q: Are you fat?

Orange: No.

Q: Do you like to play with Chris' toys?

Orange: Yah.

Q: Sing Batman.

Orange: [totally not singing Batman] Bat-maaan!

Q: Let's hear you sing the other one— Happy Days.

Orange: [again, way off track] Happy happy days! Happy Day-ays!

Q: You wanna say good-bye now to the recorder?

Orange: To the what?

Q: Say good-bye recorder, see you later.

Orange: Bye, uh, recorder. See ya.

Q: Bye-bye.

Orange: Bye.

Q: Good morning.

Orange: Bye.

Q: How are you?

Orange: What is all this?

 

 

OTHER McSWEENEY'S STORIES:
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Smart and Cute and Bad: The Lost Orange Tapes By John Orange
Oh, Mama!, Chapter One By Ben Greenman
In My Humble Opinion, Part Two: Brick Buildings By Kevin Sampsell
Sheila Heti Week: The Poet and the Novelist as Roommates By Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti Week: Conversation About Trampoline Hall

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