Swimming to Cambodia - The Soldier on the Train (Spalding Gray)

Spalding Gray tells a story from the film Swimming to Cambodia (1987) directed by Jonathan Demme. One of my favorite scenes and I couldn't find it on KZbin, so I thought I'd upload it myself.

[@charlesdreadful5997]

'Spalding mon! Come out to de big waves mon!' My favourite line. Thanks for loading this.

[@stevedahlberg8680]

I saw him do this live. What a treat. Rest in peace buddy.

[@FreejackVesa]

I saw this when I was probably 8 or 9, so when it came out. I was transfixed. I'll always remember it. Definitely a little racy for a kid but I turned out fairly normal.

[@billygarcia9885]

@@FreejackVesa Tell me. EVERYTHING.

[@chrishavekotte5023]

This is a great scene, the camera cuts are perfect and his story telling is great

[@shawntaylor4690]

An absolute master of the form.

[@kalebnbrown]

Documentary Now!

[@bold810]

Hearing your stories helps me understand why.

[@jfrsnjhnsn]

Music by Laurie Anderson! Not much in this clip, but of course the whole set is great.

[@velocitygirl8551]

Thank you for uploading!

[@estella1628]

Here after watching Documentary now 🤣 Bill Hader is a genius

[@marcep1455]

I'm actually trying to get the full movie and can't find it anywhere on the web except amazon. I saw it once long years ago and loved it.

[@feldpost58]

I had this on VHS here in the UK many years ago, watched this movie 50+ times. One of my top ten, cannot buy this in region 2 DVD anywhere! Very frustrated!

[@marcep1455]

@@feldpost58 I hope we can find it someday!

[@hadassahtannenbaum8828]

Brilliant.

[@markae0]

Dr. Blair never forgot his time in a missile bunker."Bruce Blair accused the Air Force of circumventing President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 order to install extra security codes to safeguard against accidental or unauthorized launch by putting them in place, but making them painfully simple to the missile launch officers who manned underground bunkers."

[@seawardhorse]

“You have a drink, I’ll have an orange………. You’re lucky to be alive…. You are lucky to be HERE”

[@star.gir1]

bill hader gang rise up

[@Phil34373]

Polite laughter

[@steverosse]

Story telling. The oldest art. His "Our Town" was terrible, but his monologues are beautiful. But this title is wrong. Jack is in the navy. He's a sailor, not a soldier.

[@qchamber11]

Holy fuck, this is terrible. He’s like a coked up wanna be beat poet. 80’s Robin Williams sans Robin Williams “humor”. Neurotically fast delivery does not equal depth or comedy. Was he the head writer for The Gilmore Girls?

[@1337fraggzb00N]

They have a lot in common: they both were not funny and now they are dead.

[@mt.treverest5465]

That’s too bad it wasn’t your thing. He’s not for everybody I suppose. He’s been very influential on some of today’s most acclaimed comedic voices. John Mulaney and Bill Hader have both named him as major influences on their style. Check out the “Documentary Now” parody “Parker Gail’s Location is Everything” season 2 episode 3. A very loving jab at Gray’s material and delivery.

[@MNNI24]

This man is a legend

[@steverosse]

Storytelling is not stand up or slam poetry. Creative Nonfiction is playing the music of what really happened. Gray was a tortured genius.

[@evansgate]

I may or may not disagree but I admire the roast you just wrote lol

[@EVERTONFC.]

Brilliant.