title: The Body Genius, Part 2
author: The Truth
contenttype: podcast
publication: The Truth
published: 2019-04-17T20:00:00-04:00
sourceurl: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org//97/ac6acfc2-5905-443f-94fb-438951ec1284/TheBodyGeniusPart_2.mp3
word_count: 3612
This episode of the Truth includes strong language and violence. Please use listener discretion. Oh, Evan, my poor boy. Are you holding up okay? Elaine, I'm in trouble. What do you mean, where are you? The roof of my gym. I was talking to this detective and then I climbed out the window. Elaine, I think the cops think I killed Wesley or something. No, but you wouldn't hurt a fly. Yeah, I mean, I thought that's what everybody thought, but... A bunch of people said that me and Wesley had all these fights. Plus, there's this password protected trainer mode thing. Okay, okay, okay. Try to stay calm. Evan, please talk to everyone in these situations. Did the detective see you climb out on the roof? No, I did it after he left. Good. You'd better stop doing things like that. Not everyone knows your personality. Can you meet me? Can we talk? Okay. Yeah, that would rip. Wellness, girl. And inside table. Okay. Meet me there in 30 minutes. And Elaine, bring sunglasses. Please. Okay. See you then. I looked down at the city below and brooted like Batman. And I instantly saw why he did it so much. This roof was just two stories up, but I could still see more than if I was just like on the ground. And it helped me think. I imagined a future permanently on the run forced out of society by a lie staying on roofs all the time. It was not for me. I would need to keep friends like Elaine very, very close. By jumping, climbing, and crossing one street normally. I made my way to fitness factory, where I bought a change of clothes as fast and silently as I possibly could. Thanks for shopping at the factory, Evan. Thank you. A nondescript pair of black training pants and a gray two-tone Velocoware shirt with anti-order technology. Miles away from my trademark all-blue Velocoware training outfit. To those who knew me, I would be a stranger. To all others, a ghost. This is The Body Genius, the five-part story on the truth. Part two, the film that wouldn't die. Now back to The Body Genius. Elaine had picked a table hidden in the shadow of the corals weirdly tall espresso machine. The perfect place for a secret emergency conversation. It was true what everybody said about her. She was a really smart actress. Hey. Hi, here are the sunglasses you asked for. Hi, thanks. So here's my plan. I'm going to clear my name faster than it's ever been done in the history of being innocent. Oh, Evan. Okay, you've had a really strange week. Listen, why don't you borrow my place of big bear leg for a few days, huh? Honestly, no thanks, Elaine. I better stay focused right now. Of course, of course. See, this is what I say when I describe it to my friends. You know, I say, Evan, is this beautiful boy with this otherworldly focus, right? But there is this other side to it, isn't there? You know, how your mind can get kind of sad on certain things. Mike, how do you mean? Uh, well, do you remember how close you came to redesigning your entire gym? After you saw just one video of people jogging underwater and I told you... Evan, you can't chase every trend of your gym will look nuts. See, I'll always help you think things through. Right now, my advice is just to calm down. Okay, be normal. Let the police do their jobs. But Elaine, if you behave too strangely, you could complicate things. Okay, the police are just trying to confirm what we all already know that this was a terrible accident. But detective Taylor said someone made that machine kill Wesley. What no one needs right now is... I'm sorry. The police said that? Yeah. They like, analyze the little computer or something. Oh my God. Then they really think Wesley was murdered? Uh-huh. And I gotta help them figure out who did it. Because then they'll know it's not me. But what can you do that the police can't? I see things really clearly. I notice things. You do? Check it out. Most people think that it's bad that Wesley is dead, right? But the person who killed Wesley will be different in one key way. He will be someone who thinks it's good that Wesley is dead. A queer bono. What? Queer bono. It's Latin. For who benefits? Elaine! You just blew this whole piece wide open! You know when I played Miss Helen Holly Oak, the bed and breakfast detective, she explained it in monologue. You must cut through the riot of chaos and circumstance and determine at last who truly stood to gain. Tackedly like this? I mean, usually it's someone who's trying to keep a secret or get money. Insurance. Insurance. Cast insurance? Yeah. I met this dickhead, Mr. Blake from Tovins of Hollywood, and he was acting like there was something fishy about the clan. Fishy? Fishy how? He was trying to prove that primordial picture violated the terms or something like that. Okay, so you're saying... I'm saying. What if... stop talking. I don't see 10 PLT and one skinny, Hweibos front charrows. Anything else? Anything else? Okay, enjoy. What if... primordial pictures killed Wesley Stern for the insurance claim? I don't know, Evan. There are much easier ways for a big studio like that to get money. Okay, well, what if somebody needed that money really fast? People can't just do what they want with insurance money. It goes into all the reshoots and special effects they'll need to replace Wesley and if they even finish the movie at all, they could be still a few months. Something that Elaine said gave me what was basically human terminator vision. I spotted something on an issue of variety that some guy at the next table was holding. Something super important. Hey, my paper. I'll just be a second, my man. Read that. A mortal cop won't die still shooting. Chess says Wes would want Shoda to go on. Who's Chess? Nina Chess meant the director. She makes all those dreadfully violent indie horror films. I was surprised she took this movie on. It's no secret how much she hates the big studio. Gosh, it says this movie's already back in full swing. Not even a week after Wesley died. Almost like... Someone planned for it. I've got this weird feeling all of sudden Elaine. A feeling in my brain. And it is telling me... I gotta go to that set. The set was on this weird old ranch out in Castell. And when I got there the next morning, Nina Chessman was up on a balcony yelling at a bunch of extras through a megaphone all pumped. If she was the least bit bombed about Wesley, it didn't show. That's right, and some of you guys with false limbs and blood packs of Shoda. Oh, and Simon to NBA, that's really important. I figured I'd try to talk to one of the extras first. Elaine told me of all the people on a set extras were the most gossipy by a lot. Exciting day, huh? Are you kidding me? I'm about to get killed in a new Chessman movie. Are you an extra two? Uh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm an extra. Like most good trainers, I love honesty and hate lies. But I knew my real identity would raise too many questions. Hey, uh, pretty messed up. What went down with the Wesley Stern thing, huh? Nina's talking. Oh, and try to make your blood sweat up and out. Cod she's cool. You know she builds all her models and practical effects right here on her ranch? No CGI at all. Tite. You know what I find interesting is this, um, Wesley Stern death stuff. Ugh, why? It's so sad and gross. Plus not to be disrespectful, but I heard the new guy they got is even better and hotter. So they recast the cop? Oh, yeah. Tyson Little was throwing a fit earlier about having to reshoot all the stuff he filmed with Wesley. Yeah, wow. Diva. And Tyson Little, he's... He placed King New Matadka. Right. The mummy that's about to come here and kill us all. Did you not pay attention to the second second ED earlier? Oh, no, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, where's Tyson right now? Do you think if you had a guess? All the name talents holding in the house. I hear they got real good crafting there too. Breakfast case ideas. Mmm, jeez. I know. Eating a case idea. Hey, where are you going? Uh, nowhere. Thanks for gossiping. Good luck with your extra career. You too. As a movie professional, I know there's a certain way you can walk on a set so nobody hassles you. Upright, shoulders back, eyes forward. Like you know exactly where you're going. Personally, I cannot not walk that way. One side, buddy, coming out. Oh, sorry. The Ranch House was crawling with film crew guys. One of the top 10 least in shape constitutes. I tried not to stare. From the pictures and awards and stuff on the wall, it seemed like this was Nina's actual personal house. Pretty weird place to shoot a big movie. I followed the smell of food to the kitchen. Hey, Dara, you're telling me I need to touch up around my eyes. Sure enough, there he was. The mummy. Someone had taped tarp to his chest so he wouldn't get cheese on his costume. Hey, they're ready for me. Oh, wait, who are you? I'm the on set trainer for this movie. Oh, nice arms. Oh, thanks. What do you need? I pulled out a three pound purple dumbbell. I always carry in my left pocket. The producers want your arm ready for the axe massacre scene. So I'm going to need you to do some curls for me with this hand weight. Oh, is that my contract? Uh, yeah, man. All right, then. What's your name? I'm Lyle. More lies. Even worse, I was impersonating Lyle, my rival trainer from Drednaught Gym Downtown. Dick moved for sure, but I was in a bind. And I was well known for doing a spot-on impression of Lyle's voice and vibe. I'm Lyle, the trainer. So just give me 25 curls on this arm and you're golden, my man. Here you go, nice. So, uh, can you believe we're already making this movie again so soon after Wesley died? Oh, uh, yeah, shame about Wesley. I guess you worked with him pretty close, huh? Yeah, we just had a couple of scenes, really. We have a conversation about eternity and then he punches his hand through my chest, pulls out a magic gem. Right through in these frames? Yep. Actually, no, you're not. Okay, so, do me a favor, just hold your arms straight out. Yup, there you go. And then just curl the elbow. That's perfect. You got it. Nice. So, like, what was his mood like? Well, Lyle, it's just us talking. I mean, the guy was a prick. He barely said a word between takes. Totally checked out. You know, I'm a little bit older, so I remember a time when we really thought that- That's when it hit. I call it the Rep Effect, but every trainer knows about it. Give somebody a low intensity workout, establish authority, and get their heart rate up, and they'll tell you everything. On the other hand, I heard he had a drug thing, but, frankly, I had a drug thing. My friends had a drug thing, but, but Wesley's generation, they don't take responsibility. I mean, not showing up to the set. That's a whole other level of disrespect. Whoa, he wasn't even showing up? Oh, yeah. The whole last week before he died, he was a MA. Nina finally got him on the phone. Shoot him out. She hated him. That was 25. Huh? Oh, yeah. 25 on the other arm, my man, and then you are done. Okay. Anyway, I've made a lot of movies with Nina. She prefers to cast unknowns. But what she really cares about is the special effects. Yeah? Anyway, I've heard a yell at the producers for hours about how she needs more budget for effects, because this practical stuff's expensive and the studio keeps trying to cut her off. So, would you say that she's somebody who needed a lot of money fast? Well, I mean, you know, that's why we're behind schedule, right? Nina got some kind of emergency budget call. She's up in her office right now. She's ripping some studio guys head off over the phone, I mean. Mr. Little, Stephanie says you can come to her for the touch ups. Seriously, I got to walk halfway across the goddamn ranch to get a little extra rotten skin on my face. Fine. I got to go, Lyle. Lyle? But I was already gone. I left the little purple dumbbell behind. Just another piece of myself. I'd never get back. The body genius will return in a moment. This episode of The Truth is brought to you by Harry's. The founders of Harry's were tired of paying up for razors that were overpriced and over designed. They knew a great shave doesn't come from gimmicks like vibrating heads, flex balls, or handles that look like spaceships. They've made a simple, clean design with quality durable blades at a fair price. And Harry's razors make me love to shave. I used to not like to shave, and I started shaving with the Harry's razor, and now I kind of look forward to it because it feels so good in my hand. I'm going to use this blade, lose across my skin so easily, and it just makes it feel good to shave. 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And Robinhood is giving listeners of The Truth a free stock like Apple Forward or Sprint to help you build your portfolio. Sign up at thetruth.robenhood.com Now back to The Body Genius. A story was forming in my brain. A story with three characters in it. One, Nina Chessman, a low-budget horror movie lady who was getting her big break. Two, Wesley Stern, an actor I liked a lot who was possibly messing up Nina's movie by doing too much heroin. And three, money. A thing that Nina needed a lot of and knew she would get if Wesley died. But only Nina knew how that story ended, and right now she was upstairs yelling about it into a phone. Hey boss, are you looking for something? Oh, uh, yeah. Do you do it to know how to get upstairs? Sure, down that hallway, door at the end. Alright, thanks, dudes. On the way, I heard all these weird sounds coming out of this one room so I peeked inside. Not bad, splatter was a little bit sort of. Some of Nina's people were hacking up fake dead bodies with chain saws and recording how the blood squirted out. I guess to make sure it was the right kind of gross? Okay, good spray, but we actually need something between a spray and a splash. It was pretty rad and I dig violent movies and stuff, but... No offense to Wesley? I was starting to think Immortal Cop didn't look like the kind of movie that could turn a guy's career around. It looked more like the kind of movie my cousin mats into. He's got behavioral problems. I headed back for the stairs. But the door didn't lead to the stairs at all. Whoa, you guys again? We know who you are. Um, really? Yeah, you're the trainer, right? The one that found Wesley Stern? Um, yeah, yeah, that's me. I heard it was you that killed them. What? Wait, what? What? Where did you hear that? You thought you'd just get away with it? I did not kill Wesley Stern. Wesley was my friend. Maybe we ought to help the cops out a little bit. Yeah. Oh! Something dawned on me when his fist hit my rock art stomach. Get a stomach that tight. These dudes are trying to beat me up. And what happened next is kind of tough to explain. See, a lot of people see a guy like me, a Jim Rat, or whatever, and they go, he looks strong, but that doesn't mean he knows how to fight. And that's kind of true. But what they don't realize is, when you are this strong, and this in touch with your body, it is really easy to figure out how to fight. Yeah, true. While I beat these dudes up, my mind raised. How they know I was a suspect. Had Detective Taylor gone public. Yeah. Were the papers full of headlines about this maniac trainer who killed his client? Either way, I had to move a lot faster. I knocked him both out. If they recognized me, other people might too. I needed to hide and regroup. I let him to the bed of an old pickup truck that looked like it hadn't been used in years, and got super flat. I listened to the far off sounds of the mummy killing hundreds of people and thought. For a pretty long time, scary thoughts. Thoughts about my Jim. About Wesley. About everybody who knew me hearing this crazy lie and believing it. Then I decided to do something even better than thinking. I can talk for too long, okay? Because Sean and I are getting ready for the cinema science of Gala. We're all be singing to the man who invented the setting. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. Elaine. I think so. These two crew guys just tried to beat me up, and they said that I killed Wesley. That just that can't be, Evan. The pay is at you. Yeah. I beat them up instead, but yeah. Have you heard anything about me, like from your movie star friends? No, nothing. Okay, Elaine. Are you near your computer? I need you to Google me. Google me and see if there's anything online about the case. Okay, okay. Where are you right now? Hiding in the back of a battle truck. Will you all become up as a bunch of your pump sprays in YouTube? Same as always. Oh, seriously? What the? You're right. Okay, copy that. I'll, uh, I'll call you back. Uh, have fun tonight. To get to the set, I'd bluffed my way onto a crew van with an old primordial pictures in voice. Guess I kind of forgot to plan how to leave. Okay. Should I? Motorcycle or? I like steel, some kind of motorcycle. But then, I spotted something through an open door that stopped me in my tracks. Something more messed up than anything I'd seen on an already really messed up day. Is that? It was in a garage. Otherwise a normal chill garage, camping gear, a badminton net set hanging from the ceiling, stacks of light beer, the garage of a normal fun person. But sitting there at the center of it all was something a lot harder to explain. Wesley? There, sitting in a camping chair was Wesley. Only it wasn't Wesley. His face was all shiny and glu-y and his eyes were wrong. And another reason I knew it wasn't Wesley? There were four more Wesley's in camping chairs right behind him. I flipped him on the cheek. All right, fella. Turn around, slowly. I did. And I saw Nina Chasmin in the doorway, pointing a very real-looking pistol right at me. Thank you forgot to sign the NBA. Part three of the Body Genius is coming in two weeks. To hear more stories like this, go to thetruthpodcast.com. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Our handle is the Truth Fiction. The truth is a part of radiotopia from PRX. The curated network of extraordinary cutting-edge podcasts. You can learn more about all the radiotopia shows at radiotopia.fm. And if you'd like to sponsor a future episode of the Truth, send an email to sponsor at radiotopia.fm. Special thanks to the Magnet Theatre. They offer classes and shows on improv, sketch, and storytelling in New York City. Learn more at magnettheeter.com. For a full list of credits, visit our website, thetruthpodcast.com. 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