Phoenix

Hi, I'm Zac Oyama.

I'm here and back again on "Very Important People"

and I feel like somebody's behind me.

Ah!

Today we're giving this comedian

a total transformation.

Wow.

They have no idea who

or what they're about to become.

Once they see themselves in the mirror,

they'll have to make up the character on the spot

and then sit down with me for an improvised interview.

This is just normal.

This is a normal day.

This is "Very Important People."

Oh no. (laughs)

I just inhaled some hair.

I feel bad.

This is so much hair.

Welcome to the mausoleum.

As you can see,

there are no straight lines in this building.

This way is the Triangle Room

filled with circles and squares.

Did anything happen with Y2K?

I've been underground for 24 years

and it was the right call, right?

Who cut your hair last time? (chuckles)

That's bad.

You should have come to me.

Help me.

Help me find my keys, please, ah.

600 over seven.

That can't be right.

Okay. So you know what?

What are these things anyway?

How do they work?

Who knows, so.

We all have a story to tell

and sometimes those stories need to be shared

with the world.

Good evening, I'm Vic Michaelis back

with another edition of.

Water, water.

Wurter?

Water.

Water, okay.

Hey. Hey. Okay.

Hey, how about get you some water?

Lemme try that.

Okay, so here you go.

Okay, so how about this?

I'm gonna hand it here and you just sort of go

and there we are.

Hah, that's success.

Okay, so.

So why don't we take a seat

and be quiet?

It's sort of shouting.

Where am I?

Where am I?

You are in Los Angeles, California.

On the set of "Very Important People".

I'm Vic Michaelis.

Help.

Help?

I'm permeable.

Yep, you're permeable.

So look and it's just.

Okay, so yeah.

So hi. There we are.

We're happy to have you here.

So please introduce yourself.

I am Phoenix and I am back

because I have unfinished business.

You're Phoenix and you're back

'cause you have unfinished business.

I have an unfinished business.

- Were you one of the people to build this set?

One of the carpenters?

No, I have never been.

I think I'm from somewhere nearby.

Like a nearby plane of existence?

Or nearby building is where I died.

Oh right, of course.

Where you died?

Yes.

You're a ghost?

A go-go-ghost.

- If you don't mind me asking, what is the difference

between a ghost and a goo-goo-ghost?

I think they're the same maybe.

I understand.

What has brought you here today?

I don't know? I have unfinished.

It's so hard to remember everything and who I was

and I don't know if I am even human anymore.

Memories, they fade.

How about this, Phoenix.

You know what, my job is to interview you.

How about I ask you a couple of questions

and we'll see if we can figure it out.

Just holding handfuls of hair.

Help.

Oh, okay, you know what,

this is actually something I can help with.

I'm gonna help ask you a couple

of questions to figure out who we are.

Okay. - Okay.

- Phoenix, that's your name? - Yes.

My name Phoenix.

What year were you born Phoenix?

1989.

Okay. That's actually pretty recent.

Same year Taylor Swift was born.

She had an album, "1989". - Yes.

Do you know about Taylor Swift?

Who doesn't know about Taylor Swift?

You're not wrong. That must mean

that you died pretty recently.

I don't remember.

Hey Phoenix. Hey. Hey.

We're gonna figure this out together.

That's my job and I'm gonna figure out who you are.

I should know.

I should figure it out.

I think I.

Take a deep breath.

Why don't you take a sip of water?

We're happy. Okay.

We are so happy to have you here in corporeal form.

Alright, I'm right here

and we're gonna figure this out together.

Okay, hey Phoenix. - Yes.

- Focus up. - Okay.

All right, you and me.

We're right here together.

All right.

What memories do you have of the people?

I left.

You left?

I must have left home.

Can you remember where home was?

- Home. Home was. - Yes.

Where was home?

It starts with Gu.

Gu.

Gor-ga, Gorgia.

- Georgia? - Georgia.

- Georgia. - Gorgia.

Your family is from Georgia,

but you left to come out here to Los Angeles.

Do you have any idea what you were doing

to come out here?

Maybe an actor?

- No. I followed Art. - Is Art a person?

Is art sort of something visual, something you do.

Art is this.

Art is this.

- Experimental film director. - Art is this.

Sounds like maybe you were.

No art is here.

Art is here. Music.

- Music. - Music.

You came here to do music. Okay. Okay.

We are getting somewhere.

You came here to do music, Phoenix.

Absolutely.

Phoenix played music?

If you could sort of wash out your mind

and close your eyes and you just sort

of hear sounds in the background,

what sound do you hear?

Bass.

Bass guitar. - Bass guitar.

Phoenix played bass guitar.

Phoenix played bass guitar.

Okay, look at that.

Phoenix played bass guitar.

Phoenix was auditioning for bands

because Phoenix felt music was cool.

So Phoenix found music was cool.

Moved out to Los Angeles from Georgia

where you left your family to start auditioning for bands.

Yes.

- Which I feel like probably should be pretty easy.

I don't think a lot of people are like dreaming

of playing bass in a band.

Maybe I'm wrong on that.

I will say music isn't really my forte.

I mostly listen to podcasts.

Oh, it's flooding back.

The words, the language.

Phoenix, are you all right?

Are you all right?

I'm all right.

What happened?

How did you die?

Phoenix was so stressed out.