Argument With A Leper Concerning King Kong

Holes in the wall behind me, stiletto heels penetrating the telly screen, paperback novels flung gainst furniture, The Idiot in tatters round the fireplace, an The Duke cowerin in the corner of the room.

"You rotten bastard!" she's shouting, "Don't lie to me! I know the truth, see, throbbin like a plastic fuck-wand out your eye-holes!"

"The hell is this lunacy? I ain't lied about a damn thing!"

Fleeting recollections a recent conversations - "Yeah, looks like the record'll probably be out sometime in the new year, all being well"… "Oh, god yeah, I can't get enough a Pink Floyd"… "Tell the truth, I'm more of a listener than a talker".

"Regarding this particular issue, I most certainly speak only the holiest a truths!"

She's shovin clothes into a plastic bag, ain't been here long enough to have amassed any sorta worthwhile wardrobe, few tops is all, couple items a underwear.

"You're a filthy Triffid cunt, an I'm off, hear me, off!"

An she is, too, stompin round the avenue screamin about "Plant bastard" an "Payola, y'hear, payola!!"

Waddlin to the gate wi my trousers hangin round the shins, shoutin; "Slander! I'm not a plant! I liked the fuckin thing! It was great!"

She turns, I look her in the eyes;

"It was a fuckin masterpiece!"

Throwin the arms skywards spittin an wailin, an so I get the hell back indoors, aye, sit down by the glow a the electric sun hangin up top the busted telly.

Makin a note;

"No-one wants to believe a man can be touched a the soul-paste by a major motion picture anymore. No-one wants to hear about how beautiful the experience was, if'n Roger Ebert's already said he liked it. No-one accepts that any critic truly believes what they're sayin about how King Kong stole the hearts out their arses an ran wi the pulsin organ tween the gums half-way round the block. They're just high on hype, aye, or worse, they're filthy vegetable bastards growin out the studio's ballbag."

Anecdotal evidence;

Leavin the cinema by way a the path trodden by a lovely lass wi emo specs sat beside me throughout the picture, still smilin an kinda damp-jawed on account of the wonders a King Kong, even contemplatin whistlin a tune, if'n I could whistle, y'unnerstann. Headin on cross the car-park, suddenly seized by a liver-yapped leper in a trenchcoat reekin a cynicism.

"What's that you got there, brother?" he's snarlin, pointin at my head wi half a finger. "What's that bleedin cross your stinkin jowls, I say, twistin your jaw all sortsa maniacal fashions?"

Shruggin. "I'm just smilin, is all. I'm happy. I just saw King Kong, loved the hell out a it."

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Article comments

  • 1 - Mat Brewster

    Dec 21, 2005 at 6:52 am

    "Is it a smile? Is it? Or is it in fact a loada hairy balls?"

    I'll be laughing over that one all day. Thanks Duke, tis a great job once again.

    Damn, do you ever suck?

  • 2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo

    Dec 21, 2005 at 12:53 pm

    heh glad you dug it Mat. i allowed myself a cheeky egotistical chuckle at that one myself, i confess. i also woke from a dream at 5am this morning, laughing, on account of someone in said dream announcing "i've got a bad case of the buggers". i woke up roarin wi laughter. i didn't get back to sleep again neither. it was THAT funny.

  • 3 - DJRadiohead

    Dec 21, 2005 at 1:08 pm

    What is this world coming to?

    Great stuff, Duke. Thanks for flingin' a hells holy acre in there. I still like that one. And you can never go wrong with a load of hairy balls reference.

    Well done.

  • 4 - Eric Berlin

    Dec 21, 2005 at 3:12 pm

    I feel as though your leper jumped straight out of Anthony Burgess' head and into our world. Anytime a character appears and says something like: "What's that you got there, brother?" he's snarlin, pointin at my head wi half a finger.

    Then I know I'm in for the full ride.

    Great work, Duke...

  • 5 - DJRadiohead

    Dec 21, 2005 at 3:45 pm

    Plastic fuck wand
    I dug that one, too!

  • 6 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo

    Dec 21, 2005 at 5:10 pm

    DJ and Eric, thanks for stoppin by fellas! DJ, the hells holy acres was just for you. And sir Berlin, i REALLY must read some Burgess some a these days. Quite a few times i've reached for Clockwork Orange, then held back at the last minute.

  • 7 - Eric Berlin

    Dec 21, 2005 at 5:49 pm

    The cliche it's become and film aside (which I love -- you either love it or hate it, I think, ain't much middle ground... course I saw it first when I was 12 or so!) it's a smashingly brilliant book, works on levels of sociology and satire and politics and it's a damned fine strange interesting read all the while. Plus lots of sex and violence of the strange and kinky sort if that does you.

    My favorite Burgess novel might be End of the World News which is even stranger and might be even greater in the end.

  • 8 - El Bicho

    Dec 21, 2005 at 6:49 pm

    "Plus lots of sex and violence"

    That would be ultra-violence, EB.

  • 9 - Eric Berlin

    Dec 21, 2005 at 6:57 pm

    Very true, El B, real horrorshow.

  • 10 - Bennett

    Dec 21, 2005 at 7:22 pm

    Fun Stuff Duke, I too dug the refs to Kong's nads, and now I MUST see this flick.

    Thanks for the bizzare trip!

  • 11 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo

    Dec 21, 2005 at 8:32 pm

    heh, it's all about the nads. although i since discovered that an ape's willy is only about an inch long, so really, even an ape the size a Kong wouldn't have THAT excessively large a thingy.

    EB, i'll keep an eye out for that number, yes, an i probably should read Clockwork Orange. i stole one a the man's filth-terms ("the old in-out"), it's the least i can do. plus, i think i might be a rare example of middle-ground relating to the film. i'm kinda "meh" about it all. a fair chunk of it is wonderful, but as a whole it kinda bores me a bit. maybe i need to see it again...

  • 12 - Eric Berlin

    Dec 21, 2005 at 9:45 pm

    I kind of think it's Kubrick's best work, actually. Well, maybe The Shining's better, but those two films are the ones that match his signature austere coldness with some actual visceral life force, you know?

    Clockwork is definitely something you have to be in the mood for, that's for sure. Keep in mind that while it's true to the book, Burgess has a language and a music to his stories that can't be replicated. Perhaps I sense that music in the film and that's why I like it as much as I do.

    Then again, some probably just think I'm a sick bastard for saying I dig either!

  • 13 - Mat Brewster

    Dec 21, 2005 at 10:04 pm

    Love the book and the film. Though if I'm trying to be smart or arty I'll say 2001 is Kubricks best film. If I'm being honest I dig Dr Strangelove the most.

    That's the only Burgess I've read. Sounds like I'll have to read another one sometime real soon.

    I guess I'll have to see Kong too.

  • 14 - Aaron Fleming

    Dec 22, 2005 at 9:09 am

    "a meth-crack fix upside the fuck"

    Hahaha! Pains me that I only just now got to read this fine work, due to a bunch of renegade AOL fascists ravaging my femurs with decadence in the penises.

    Another excellent piece of reviewage from yourself. Love the narrative arc of the car park conversation, and ya can't beat the inclusion of a leper as one of the central characters. I will have to check out the flick as soon as that sacred oportunity happens upon me.

  • 15 - DJRadiohead

    Dec 22, 2005 at 12:13 pm

    I've never read or viewed "Clockwork Orange."

    I might have to look that up while I'm on Christmas break.

  • 16 - gypsyman

    Dec 22, 2005 at 4:44 pm

    As usual something for us mere mortals of prose to strive for. The ultimate stars of review land again come poring out of your brain. No need to see the movie. Could only be a disapointment and I get forceibly removed for standing up in the middle and yelling to speak to the fuckin leper.

    gypsyman

  • 17 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo

    Dec 24, 2005 at 10:06 am

    Sir Fleming and Gypsyman, thanks for stoppin by, and for the kind words, also. Both of you, i think, would enjoy the flick immensely. Why in hells name wouldn't you? i can hardly for a second imagine.

    DJ, Clockword Orange is worth seeing, although it's not Kubricks best, which is in fact Dr Strangelove, as Mat ALMOST asserts. very overrated director, mr Kubrick. he's great at making brilliant half-movies. Full Metal Jacket, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, these've always been great movies half of the time for me.

  • 18 - Sam Jack

    Dec 24, 2005 at 4:51 pm

    Whenever I get done reading one of your things, I'm never quite sure what just happened. Heh.

    -Sam

  • 19 - DJRadiohead

    Jan 03, 2006 at 10:22 am

    So I recently saw this movie and I came out with likely the worst possible reaction ever... a shrug. It was not a horrible piece of dammit. It was not a life-changing film of epic proportions. It was a decent movie but it has a woman falling in love with a fucking gorilla or some such primate. OK. It was pleasant but... I just didn't give a fuck. It wasn't bad enough to invest any energy hating it. It was not worthy of raves.

    SPeaking of raves though, this review is worthy of raves. Hells holy acre, for fuck sake.

  • 20 - Scott Butki

    Jan 15, 2006 at 5:35 pm

    A shrug is good summary of my reaction to it. It led to my lukewarm piece on the movie.

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