I was talking to my friend, a highly accomplished musician, when the image of “K-pop for Winos” suddenly popped into my mind.
The idea was completely unrelated to the conversation, but we both laughed about it, so I pursued it for fun when I had some free time.
The Quality of prompts is critical when working with ChatGPT
I asked ChatGPT to write a song based on the idea/image, and the results were fun, but not what I had in mind. The AI interpreted ‘Winos’ as wine connoisseurs, which was amusing but not quite the vibe I wanted. This little mix-up highlighted how a single word can change the trajectory of AI output, giving me a firsthand lesson in how crucial precise prompts are. Soon that evolved into K-pop for Winos Tom Waits version, K-pop for Winos Johnny Cash version, etc. I should have asked it to create a Madonna version!
Eventually, I clued in and defined what I had in mind for “Winos” for the bot.
So, what I had in mind for “Winos” was the 1970s stereotype of them from television, namely Ned the Wino from Good Times, and Aunt Esther’s husband, Woody, from Sanford and Son. I didn’t even realize that the same actor played both characters until I Googled it today.
Raymond Allen – TV’s quintessential wino
Raymond Allen played Woodrow “Woody” Anderson and Ned the Wino. Two notable Ned the Wino episodes on Good Times were:
Both of those Good Times episodes, which aired in 1974 on CBS, provide delicious food for thought. I particularly like Black Jesus. It is the episode in which JJ (Kid Dyn-o-mite) paints a portrait of Ned the Wino as Jesus. Imagine broadcasting something that provocative in 2025, in Donald Trump’s America.
Back in the late 1980s, I hung out with real-life “winos” in downtown Detroit, sharing a park bench and some cheap booze while shooting the breeze, so my image/idea wasn’t solely based on a 50-year-old TV show.
Come Together, right now. AI and me.
After AI and I got our act together on just exactly what a wino is, we got back to work. The bot asked me if I wanted it to write a play instead of a song, and I said yes, thinking maybe that was what I intended all along. This decision mirrored the spontaneous adaptability reminiscent of my time reviewing Asiansploitation, an improv comedy troupe I like. It underscored the symbiotic dance between my creative spark and the AI’s speed, where my memories of unpredictable yet harmonious improv acts guided our next steps together. You can see those reviews here:
- Review: Asiansploitation Spanks The Tiger (The Director’s Cut)
- Review: Asiansploitation: The Text Generation
Below is a short one-act play written by ChatGPT, based on my K-pop for Winos idea.
While it is somewhat frightening that the bot can write a short play in 1.5 seconds, it can only do that with ideas that I type in, and I only have those ideas after I have lived a long life. Young people without as much life experience as older people who rely on AI to write and create will not get as interesting results. In the end, this partnership with AI serves as a reminder: technology is powerful, but it’s the depth and texture of real, lived experience that give creation its soul. Maybe that’s the true encore.
K-pop for Winos
Director’s Guide – K-pop for Winos
One-Act Play – Staged Version
Setting:
A dimly lit urban park at night. A single flickering streetlamp above a worn wooden bench center stage. Scattered garbage cans, brown paper bags, and empty bottles. City sounds faintly in the background.
Characters:
- Ned – Raspy-voiced, street-smart wino.
- Woody – Sentimental, carries a beat-up guitar.
- Shadow – Personification of the city; can be a voice-over or actor moving with lighting cues.
- Chorus of Bottles – Optional ensemble adding percussion.
Scene 1: The Bench
[Lighting cue: dim, cold white with a flickering streetlamp above the bench.]
(Ned sits on the bench, brown paper bag at his feet. Woody enters with a bottle and guitar.)
Ned: (grinning)
Look who crawled outta the gutter tonight. Woody, you smell like yesterday’s rain.
Woody: (sitting, takes a swig)
Better than smelling like the future. These streets… they got stories in the cracks. Stories in the cracks.
Ned:
Yeah… and bottles to tell ’em.
(Woody strums a rough chord; Ned claps a bottle to add rhythm.)
Woody:
Maybe the world’s got its own K-pop… just for winos like us.
Ned:
(laughs hoarsely) K-pop for winos? That’s rich.
Woody:
Listen… (hums a melancholy, bouncy tune)
Good friends on a park bench, bottles and cans,
Brown bags hiding the sins of our hands…
Ned: (joins in, tapping bottles)
Life’s a street-side ballad, pick your muse…
[Sound cue: city hum, faint sirens. Chorus of Bottles clinks and taps in rhythm.]
Scene 2: The Shuffle
(Ned sways and dances drunkenly. Woody taps chords on guitar.)
Ned:
Rats in the alley, a cat on the run!
Woody:
We stomp our boots, the night’s just begun.
Ned:
Life’s a shuffle… a stumble… a drunken parade!
Woody:
We sing for the street, the bargains we’ve made.
(They bump into garbage cans in a clumsy, comic choreography. Laughing. Shadow hums.)
Shadow: (voice-over, soft and eerie)
Life hums… life hums… the city watches, the city knows.
Ned: (to Shadow)
You watch too much. Get a bottle.
(They collapse onto the bench laughing. Woody strums a gentle outro chord.)
[Lighting cue: warm amber wash, streetlamp flickers slower.]
Scene 3: The Toast
Woody: (lifting bottle)
Here’s to the bench… and the bottles we raise…
Ned:
To Ned and Woody! To our wild, ragged ways!
Woody:
Life’s a smoky cabaret.
Ned:
Come watch if you dare!
(They clink bottles. Chorus of Bottles gives a final clink rhythm. Shadow hums softly.)
Shadow: (fading)
K-pop for winos… dance night and day…
[Music cue: low, whimsical K-pop melody fades out.]
[Lighting cue: dim to black; streetlamp flickers once more and goes out.]
[Curtain closes.]
Production Notes:
- Props: Bench, brown paper bags, empty bottles, garbage cans.
- Music cues:
- Scene 1: rough guitar chord, improvised bottle percussion.
- Scene 2: drunken, playful clinking and low city hum.
- Scene 3: soft outro, melodic, cabaret-style K-pop feel.
- Lighting:
- Scene 1: cold, flickering white.
- Scene 2: warm amber for playful improvisation.
- Scene 3: spotlight on bench, fade to black.
- Sound effects: faint city hum, sirens, distant footsteps.
Director’s Guide – K-pop for Winos
General Tone:
- Gritty, humorous, melancholic, with moments of musical whimsy.
- Think Tom Waits cabaret meets street-side K-pop.
- Improvised, loose movement is encouraged, especially for the “drunken dance” section.
Scene 1: The Bench
Mood: Introduction, character setup, playful banter.
Actor Movement:
- Ned slouches on the bench, shifts between leaning forward and back.
- Woody enters slightly staggered, carrying a bottle and guitar.
- Minimal movement at first; focus on dialogue and interaction.
Choreography & Rhythm:
- Woody strums guitar on simple, rough chord.
- Ned taps bottle or can in rhythm (quarter notes, consistent tempo).
- Optional Chorus of Bottles: light clinks on off-beats to mimic percussion.
Lighting & Sound:
- Flickering streetlamp above bench.
- City hum faintly in background; sirens occasional.
Scene 2: The Shuffle
Mood: Playful, chaotic, improvisational, “drunken” energy.
Actor Movement:
- Ned and Woody wobble, stumble, and bump into garbage cans in a comic, exaggerated manner.
- Encourage slightly clumsy choreography—think musical theater “slapstick.”
- Use the entire stage to wander, but return to the bench occasionally.
Choreography & Rhythm:
- Guitar keeps a loose swing rhythm.
- Bottles and cans form percussion:
- Tap bottle with knuckles for high-pitched sound.
- Bang can lids or metal with heel of hand for bassy sound.
- Rhythm is free-form; actors improvise syncopation as they “dance.”
Lighting & Sound:
- Warm amber wash to contrast Scene 1.
- Shadow hums softly, giving eerie, ambient city vibe.
- Optional: distant cat meow or footsteps to accentuate improvisation.
Scene 3: The Toast
Mood: Sentimental, celebratory, cabaret-style closure.
Actor Movement:
- Actors return to bench, sit upright, lift bottles for toast.
- Lean in to “clink” bottles, then relax and smile at each other.
- Minimal movement; focus on delivery of lines and the final melody.
Choreography & Rhythm:
- Guitar strums gentle chord progression.
- Bottles tap in soft rhythm (on syllables of “K-pop for winos…dance night and day”).
- Rhythm slows naturally for closing; emphasize fading energy.
Lighting & Sound:
- Spotlight on bench, soft fading light.
- Streetlamp flickers slowly, then fades to black.
- Music: whimsical K-pop-inspired melody, low volume.
Props & Stage Notes:
- Bench center stage, bottles and brown paper bags around it.
- Garbage cans as safe bumping props for “drunken shuffle.”
- Guitar can be acoustic or prop with simple strumming.
- Optional: bottles or cans for percussion ensemble.
Optional Extras:
- Shadow Actor: Moves fluidly around stage, highlighted by soft side lights; can whisper lines or hum along to enhance city “voice.”
- Chorus of Bottles: Ensemble of 2–4 actors tapping bottles or cans to add rhythm and texture.
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