Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and the Sultan of Brunei, seated around a massive table in a luxury office on the top floor of the Trump Tower, New York City
Date: June 4, 2012
Trump on the telephone: “…I don’t care how you do it, just get me this Orlando Vily-zone guy on the phone—now!
Zuckerberg: I thought his name was “RONALDO Vilo-zone.”
Bill Gates: Try “Rolando Villazón,” geniuses.
Trump: Shut up! Details! Details! Boys, can’t you see that we are sitting on a gold mine here! You think we’re rich now? What we’ve got is peanuts compared to what this guy can score for us!
Zuckerberg: But we need to act fast, before he signs with someone else. Can you imagine? T-shirts, keychains, coffee mugs… The sky’s the limit!
Trump: Zucky, you always did think small. I’m talking big—really big. This guy’s a commodity. Think of it! Crude oil, gold, pork bellies… and Villazón! He’s right up there! He’ll become a name brand. Get me the patent office, pronto! We’ll be trading Villazón shares on the stock exchange, and I promise we’ll do way better than Facebook stock did.
Zuckerberg glares at Trump.
Trump: All we have to do is get him to sign on the dotted line.
Trump (his eyes on fire with the prospect of unimaginable profit): I can see it now! We’ll set him up with a gig in Vegas! What the hell! I’ll buy him Las Vegas!
Sultan of Brunei: I’ll give him an oil rig if he signs with us. I’ll give him a yacht the size of Mexico. OK, I’ll buy him Mexico.
Trump: Good idea. He’s totally into the Mexico thing.
Gates: I’ll name my new version of Windows after him! “Windows Villazón”! But this time it will actually work.
Trump: Quiet, guys, I’ve got him on the line!
Trump puts RV on speakerphone: “Rolando, old buddy, old pal, how are you? So how’s the world of opera and all that artsy stuff? We hear you’ve had a huge success with…
Trump mutes the phone and looks at Zuckerberg: Oh, what the hell was it called? “El elixirio del Armadillo”? “L’excelente di Armageddon”?
Zuckerberg: No, stupid! It’s “El elixo-mundo da amoretto,” Geez, am I the only person with any culture around here?
Trump to Zuckerberg: I guess you’re worth something after all.
Trump unmutes the phone: …uh, your new opera production!
Rolando: I’m very excited about how it went! It was a dream of mine to…
Trump: Yah, Rolando, yadda yadda, we don’t have all day. Let’s get to the point: we’re here to help you sell, uh, I mean SHARE your magnificent production with the rest of the world.
Rolando: Hmmm, what did you have in mind?
Trump: You need more visibility! What would you think of having your name on the New York Stock Exchange, traded throughout the world? You’ll become part of the worldwide financial scene!
Rolando: Well, that’s nice, I appreciate it, but all I really want is to create beautiful productions and share them with people who are like family to me….
All look at each other and roll their eyes.
Trump: Well, of course you do! And we want that for you, right guys?
All: Yah, sure, whatever!
Trump: But, look, there are a few things you’ll have to fix about the show. First of all, for your curtain call. You need to spend at least a half hour to let the audience worship you. What’s wrong with that? Come on, you’re the boss! And we hear there’s a big solo for you at the end, “Forty lagunas,” or something. Yah, forty! Hey, that’s how many times you should sing it!
Rolando: No, no, that’s just not how I see it…
Trump: Rolando, you need to think big! What if we buy you that high-class record label you make buckets of money for—what’s it called? Something about somebody’s grandmother. That’s it! Doo-chee Grandma-phone! And what about bringing the show to London or here to New York City? It would be great! The opening act could be the Rockettes! Or what about ladies’ championship mud-wrestling? Roller derby? Something to jazz it up a little. But high class all the way. And all that little stuff about the stock exchange—we’ll take care of that! Don’t you worry. All you have to do is sign on the little dotted line, that’s all.
Rolando: Um, thanks and all, but I don’t think that’s what I really want. Sorry, I have to go now…I think I might have missed signing an autograph for someone who travelled all the way from Rochester, New York for the performance, and I don’t want to disappoint her.
All stare at each other in disbelief.
Trump mutes the phone: What is it with this guy? I think singing all those high notes has killed his brain, and he’s not thinking straight. Either that…or…I don’t know—maybe this guy will never sell out.
Zuckerberg: Everybody sells out eventually. Fine, let’s just buy him the Met. He’d like that. He would become the Mighty and Most Feared Overlord of Opera-dom and make everyone bow before him.
Trump: Sure! It’s worth a shot! He’ll be a tough nut to crack, but we can do it…we can do it…we can do it….
- Joanna from New York-
OMG, there we have our Joanna in big style !! Once again it is "bingo", dear Joanna. How do you do it? So inventive, so intelligent, high brow, even and so very very witty. Fantastic. And for me it is double bonus, because now I know you, I can see you sitting at your desk and letting all the incredible ideas and thoughts jumping out of your head. And it is also up to date, in these times of crisis, oil business, and the big success of Rolando with HIS Elisir d'amore! Again you gave me moments of big hilarity and joy. Thank you, dear Joanna. I hope Rolando will read this; it is humor at his size! Big hug
ResponderEliminarThank you, Mariù, news of Rolando's smash hit deserves to make headlines! I must say that visions of me with anything jumping from my head is a scary thought by any standard. Glad you survived.
EliminarLOVE it! "Elixirio d'Armadillo"! Jaja. I'm always wondering....hmmm... will I be able to write something for Rolando that he might like? I've written a play, with Rolando specifically in mind.... Slight problem, though, he's not acquainted with the the plot, the theme... or.... And I don't have a composer... yet. :)
ResponderEliminarYou know, Leonie, I hope that the stars align to connect you with a composer to give Rolando the second opera written for him. Seriously, how cool would that be?
EliminarJoanna, I sound like the hustlers in your satire! Your message is too sweet-- that he'd give up the commercial world to sign an autograph for someone who's traveled all the way from Rochester to see him! Rolando has a lot of endearing qualities... but I bet he's not completely oblivious to the world and his career. And that's why I keep trying. He's a unique talent. We may never see another.
EliminarJoana quel brio !!
ResponderEliminarVous êtes drôle,pleine d'idées plus farfelues les unes que les autres ,mais quel régal de vous lire ,je m'éclate et je ris très franchement .
Avec un sujet aussi brillant que Rolando et l'Elixir amusez nous encore longtemps.
Merci .
Merci, Claudine! This L'Elisir will be around as long as people watch opera. Imagine how much fun we'll have when the video/DVD comes out and the rest of us can finally join in on the discussion!
EliminarYay, Joanna! I would definitely want to buy Villazón shares. He's the renewal energy source the world has been waiting for. Can I put in an order for 10 'Imagine we are bottles full of water' t-shirts? I'd like a pink one... and a badge saying 'made up of mysterious particles'.
ResponderEliminarBig belly-laughs at "Windows Villazón" although I don't think my computer would ever be able to cope with Villazón-speed software. It fills in your tax-return, sends greeting cards to your entire family, alphabetizes your music collection and makes you a cup of tea in a nano-second. Thank you for making me smile. I am doing a very unsuccessful (as solo) Mexican wave in your honour.
Thanks, thesilverrose, you bring up an excellent point about the dangers of Villazón-speed software, which, I am told, also allows your laptop computer to serve as a waffle iron. I hope Bill Gates knows what he's doing to mitigate this potential problem. And thanks for the wave--will we ever think of the wave in the same way again?
EliminarFantastisch, wat een mooi verhaal!!
ResponderEliminarAls Rolando het leest zal hij er zeker hartelijk om lachen.
Joanna, bedankt.
Els uit Nederland.
Bedankt, Els! I'm glad you like it!
EliminarThanks a lot, dear Joanna !!
ResponderEliminarJe ne doute pas que Rolando aura autant de plaisir que nous à lire un nouvel épisode de SES aventures....
Quelle merveilleuse source d'inspiration est la tienne!...
Merci, Catherine, the pleasure is all mine!
EliminarQuerida Joanna; cuando lei tu historia puedo jurarte que me rei mas de 10 minutos frente a la pantalla del computador!!!!, tu historia es fantástica y deliciosamente graciosa, realmente tienes talento para escribir!!!!
ResponderEliminarQuizás tu y Rolando juntos podrían en el futuro próximo hacer un libro de historias fabulosas como ésta y como estoy segura es la novela "Malabares".
Me hiciste muy feliz!!!
Muchos abrazos para ti Joanna!!
Beatrice de Lastra.
Beatrice, thank you so much for your comments! Abrazos back to you, too. Yes, I think it is an EXCELLENT idea for Rolando to team up with me for a book. So, Rolando, what do you say? ;-)
ResponderEliminarIt would be a fabulous effort-- I hope Rolando hears us. You have the intense interest (and talent for writing), and Rolando has lots to give. Go for it!
Eliminar