Pop Cult Mind Wax - Brokeback Mountain, The Proposition, Same-Sex Obsession
Published March 06, 2006
Ain't nobody could finger that fucker, is the way shit went down.
But look here, now, this is the most important part, y'unnerstann.
Whereas Crash, for example, is a film about Racism, Brokeback Mountain is a film about falling in love. The Proposition is a film about a fella sets out to kill his brother, maybe, he hasn't decided yet.
("That Guy Pierce," she says. "If he ain't got 'structions scrawled up his wank-arm he's useless as a eunuch in a brothel.")
(Course, eunuchs were regularly employed in brothels and harems back in the day, and maybe still, who knows? Brothel in these parts is a knackered Vauxhall parked out back the off-licence. Scarcely room for a rubber, let alone anything as bourgeois as "employees.")
These flicks don't tell you 'bout how you need to change your world-view, they say, here's the world. Make of it what you will. You can either accept it or sod off, I don't got time to waste expecting a buncha slack-yapped toss-off's to see sense just cause a picture told 'em to.
"So", she says, pulling her coat that bit tighter round her frame lest the chill in the air freeze the pores out her flesh. "You ever, y'know, known that to happen? In the Real Life an such?"
No, I tell her, never once did Emma Thompson faint on account of my younger brother got lashed in five out front a jail-house.
"Hells fire, mean did you ever find yourself all touchy-feely round about a man o' your self-same sex?"
What I say is no, what I say is what kinda mania you hopped on, anyroad?
Behind the eyes, you'll be aware, s'all sortsa flashback.
"D'You Know What I Mean" by Oasis, I'll be damned, s'just gone Number One, this record, sayin, this record's gonna be amazing.
Fella sat beside me way back then, he's sayin aye, I'd wager it'll be tight as a vicar's arse, you can be damn sure ain't gon' be no songs longer than three minutes, ain't gon' be no outlandish production, gon' be focused, oh aye.
Be Here Now, they're calling it. S'gonna be amazing, don't you know?
(And it was, dammit, and I'll defend it to the slight discomfort, best believe it.)
High on the rugged throat o' Gallagher, we set off for to find a tavern might accept a couple moments gruntin' and a cigarette in the yap as answer enough to the question "You got any ID?"
On receipt of a barman sympathetic to our plight, we settled 'side a jukebox stuck on H17, bein "Revolution 9" by The Beatles, that discordant cut/paste symphony spinning close to two dozen times afore someone in the midst of a beered-up brain-wank tore the plug out the wall and trampled the fucker to chards o' mangled mush.
The Duke (Aaron McMullan to his parents and the clergy) is a Northern Irish writer, performer and insomniac currently residing in London. He is the creator of Mondo Irlando, wherein his scribblings and hollerings can be found. He is currently working towards the completion of his first novel, and his debut "punk / country / folk / whatever" album has recently been released by Ex Libris Records . You can also pop by His MySpace Page and maybe have a coffee and a biscuit.
- Pop Cult Mind Wax - Brokeback Mountain, The Proposition, Same-Sex Obsession
- Published: March 06, 2006
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Culture
- Filed Under: Culture: Media, Video: Drama, Video: Westerns
- Part of a feature: Pop Cult Mind Wax
- Writer: Duke De Mondo
- Duke De Mondo's BC Writer page
- Duke De Mondo's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Hard as hell to read, but worthwhile nonetheless. Down with stereotypes! Death to the dominant hate-and-laziness-fueled paradigm!
Sir Mary, thank you. the good thing about this, as opposed to a review of the films mentioned up yonder, for example, is that i can kinda play around with the themes an stuff in them without feelin all sortsa self-indulgent. maybe this is even MORE self indulgent than usual, but at least it's clearly pointed out at the top. heh, but yes, thank you.
Ms. Davis (i'm right with the ms., yes?) thank you also. i made a conscious effort to try an make at least SOME of this more readable than usual. (it felt very odd putting "g" on the end of words like "putting" again). most of the more unreadable gumpf i tried to fling into quotation marks and the like. Nonetheless, i realise it may be a bit of a bother to wade through some of those paragraphs, but thank you for doin so, an yeah, stereotypes - best we set the fuckers alight here and now whilst the momentum's building.
Ah what a bright shinny new feature this is, and one hosted by no less than The Duke!
I agree on The Proposition, a mightily excellent film, unrelentingly vicious on its bludgeons of harshness.
Brokeback on the other hand I will probably never watch, for no other reason that it looks a bit dull to me.
Thank you, Sir Fleming!
i'm still coughin chunks of The Proposition out my eyes!
The Duke... this is excellent here. As I just told Sir Saleski offline, I will now be unable to speak a decent AmericanEnglish sentence for at least a couple hours on account of having read your piece here and that just makes a fella start flinging fucks and slurring and swearing and muttering and the like.
Enough about me... Be Here Now? You're joking, right? I am. Sort of. Thing is... there are some good moments on that disc and it is made better in my mind by what followed (that being Shoulder of Giants.)
Can't wait until the next Mind Wax drops.
Aye, here...here, aye....here.
Very much enjoyed that. Just wondering did you order the Proposition over the net or did you see it in yonder cinema somewhere? Surely it's not out yet is it? Dying to lay my McGonnagles on it.
And how did this not turn into a gigantic Conorfest?
DJ - thank you, sorry it took a time to get to this. I dig the hell out Be Here Now, although, to be honest, it always sounds better in my head than it does when i go ahead and press play. Fade In / Out, Girl In The Dirt Shirt, I Hope I Think I know, those are great great songs.
As to how we / i avoided detailing further my hetero-conorist disposition, i dunno, to be honest. i'll make up for it in future.
Flapjack, thank you, m'dear. The Proposition is indeed in UK cinema-holes at this minute. whether or not your local multiplex gets it is, alas, a bit of a "who knows?" Hope you get to see it, though, one way or the other.
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Wow - what a journey you take us on Duke. Speaking of journeys - I love the line:
she's got a passport in the back-pocket burning the flesh off a' her hide
Ya got the gift Lad.