Showing posts with label Baxterism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baxterism. Show all posts

Thursday 7 July 2022

Who's Tony?





"....so, it's never gonna be Me,
You'll never Get It
You'll never Know --

and Whatever You Think I am, 
that's What I'm NOT..."


Stanley Kubrick's House 
looks as if 
The Inland Revenue 
took it over long ago.

Tony takes me into a large room 
painted blue and filled with books. 
"This used to be The Cinema," he says.

"Is it The Library now?" I ask.

"Look closer at The Books," 
says Tony.

I do. "Bloody hell," I say. 
"Every book in this room 
is about Napoleon!"

"Look in The Drawers," 
says Tony.

I do.

"It's all about Napoleon, too!" I say. 
"Everything in here is about Napoleon!"

I feel a little like 
Shelley Duvall in The Shining, 
chancing upon her husband's novel 
and finding it is comprised 
entirely of the line 
"All Work And No Play 
Makes Jack A Dull Boy" 
typed over and over again. 

John Baxter wrote, in his unauthorised biography of Kubrick, 
"Most people attributed the purchase of Childwick 
to Kubrick's passion for Privacy, 
and drew parallels with 
Jack Torrance in The Shining."

This room full of Napoleon stuff seems 
to bear out that comparison. 
"Somewhere else in This House," 
Tony says, "is A Cabinet full of 
25,000 Library Cards
three inches by five inches. 

If you want to know 
what Napoleon, 
or Josephine, or anyone 
within Napoleon's inner circle 
was doing on the afternoon 
of July 23 17-whatever, 
you go to that card 
and it'll Tell You."

"Who made up The Cards?" I ask.

"Stanley," says Tony. 
"With some assistants."

"How long did it take?" I ask.

"Years," says Tony. 
"The late 1960s."

Kubrick never made his film about Napoleon. 
During the years it took him to compile this research, 
a Rod Steiger movie called Waterloo 
was written, produced and released. 
It was a box-office failure, so MGM abandoned Napoleon 
and Kubrick made A Clockwork Orange instead.

"Did you do this kind of massive research 
for all the movies?" I ask Tony.

"More or less," he says.

"OK," I say. "I understand how 
you might do this for Napoleon, 
but what about, say, The Shining?"

"Somewhere here," says Tony, 
"is just about every ghost book ever written, 
and there'll be A Box containing 
photographs of the exteriors 
of maybe every mountain 
hotel in The World."

There is a silence.

"Tony," I say, "can I look 
through The Boxes?"

Friday 30 July 2021

You All Have a Great Future Behind Me.






Nancy :
You all set, sir?

President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
I'm fine, Nancy.
Bring him on in.

Nancy :
Mr. President, Senator Wilkinson.

President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
Sam.

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
Well, you look terrific,
Mr. President.


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
Thank you. 
Sorry I can't get up, 
but I can't get up.

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
You're in our prayers,
Mr. President.


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
I appreciate that,
Sam, I really do.

Now, tell me what I can do to
get your amendment off my budget?

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
"Against Nature.
Men leaving The Natural use of The Woman,
burned in their lust toward one another;
Men with Men, working that which is unseemly."

Romans.


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
Would it offend you, Sam, if I said this amendment represents a selective interpretation of The Scriptures,
a complete inversion of The Values of Jesus Christ?

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
No, sir, it wouldn't offend me.
I'm secure in My Faith.


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
Isn't there something in That Book about Forgiveness?
Aren't we all God's Children?

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
Of course we are.

Which is why The Government 
shouldn't institutionalise
behaviour in opposition to Our Faith.

What gives us The Right to visit
Our Faith upon The Country?

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
One Nation under God.
What gives us The Right not to?


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
You talked to John Hoynes about this?

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
John's a friend of mine.
But I introduced this amendment because 
I believe  you want to sign it
Mr. President.

You told me as much six weeks
ago at The Prayer Breakfast.

That the Civil Unions are one thing,
but that Marriage is between 
A Man and A Woman.



President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
.......

....I can't stand up anymore.


Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
Sir?


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
I've lost My Balance.
Should come back,
but it's gone right now.


Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
Are you dizzy, sir?


President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
No, I just can't find 
My Balance. It went away.

I try thinking it back, 
but it's difficult, because 
it's not a static thing.

Once it's gone, it's hard to imagine 
having it back again,
and it's disheartening to realise that
Thinking just isn't gonna get it done.

You've just gotta Trust 
that you'll happen on to it again.


Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
You only have one more year, Mr. President.



President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
Yeah, I've got A Great Future behind me.

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
Attaching this to The Budget gives you 
all the cover you need.



President 
Josiah 'Jed' Bartlett :
How is this Our Job, Sam?

I raised My Right Hand 
and Swore an Oath to uphold 
The Constitution 
of The United States of America.

Sen. Sam Wilkinson :
......Where was Your Left Hand, 
Mr. President?









So was this Justice, Superman? 

Millions in Property Damage, 
Helpless Bystanders Killed 
by a repeat metahuman felon,
who's now enjoying three square meals a day 
as a guest of The State.

You had The Power to end 
Atomic Skull's Criminal Career 
right there, permanently

Why didn't you

I'm not anyone's 
Judge and Jury, Professor Baxter. 
Definitely not An Executioner. 

My Powers don't put me 
Above The Law. 

A Noble Sentiment. 

But are you The Superman 
that The 21st Century needs?
 
Why not use Your Power 
To Fix The World? 



Superman :
First, I don't believe 
That The World is Broken. 

Because when We Say 'The World', 
We're really Talking about People

And it's always been My Belief that 
People at their core are Good


The Grace of Mankind is Everywhere
You just have to Open Your Eyes. 

Humanity has a limitless 
Potential for Good. 

My Purpose is 
To Help People 
reach That Potential. 



Tamarev. 
Tamarev is under attack. 

What have you people done? 
How dare you? 
Pokolistan holds to the treaty. 

Liar. My People are dying in The Streets. 
No less than they deserve. 


"Limitless Potential for Good"? 


Superman :
Good isn't Perfect. 

I have to go. 
To be continued, Professor? 







Saturday 24 July 2021

This Could Be The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship


UN Secretary-General Baxter :
So was this Justice, Superman? 

Millions in Property Damage, 
Helpless Bystanders Killed 
by a repeat metahuman felon,
who's now enjoying three square meals a day 
as a guest of The State.

You had The Power to end 
Atomic Skull's Criminal Career 
right there, permanently

Why Didn't You

Superman :
I'm not anyone's 
Judge and Jury, Professor Baxter. 
Definitely not An Executioner. 

My Powers Don't put me 
Above The Law. 

UN Secretary-General Baxter :
A Noble Sentiment. 

But are you The Superman 
that The 21st Century needs?
 
Why not use Your Power 
To Fix The World? 


Superman :
First, I Don't Believe 
That The World is Broken. 

Because when We Say 'The World', 
We're really Talking about People

And it's always been My Belief that 
People at their core are Good


The Grace of Mankind is Everywhere
You just have to Open Your Eyes. 

Humanity has a limitless 
Potential for Good. 

My Purpose is 
To Help People 
reach That Potential. 



Tamarev. Tamarev is under attack. 

What have You People done? 

How dare you?  Pokolistan holds to the treaty. 

Liar! My People are dying in The Streets. 

No less than they deserve! 

UN Secretary-General Baxter :
"Limitless Potential for Good"? 


Superman :
Good isn't Perfect. 
I Have to Go. 
To Be Continued, Professor? 



Superman :

Good to meet you all. 

Thank you again for what you did in Bialya, 

but we need to talk. 


Mister Black :

Of course.

 

Someone comes sniffing around your tomato, 

so to speak, you need to get a look-see. 


Due Diligence

We're an open book

So if you'll just relax... 


Superman :

Sorry. I heard your Telepathic Shout before. 

But My Mind is protected from anything deeper by a series of psychic blocks. 


Mister Black :

Best I've seen, too. 

Got a few skeletons rattling around 

up there you don't want out? 


I'm not looking for your Deepest, Darkest — 

Showing is faster than Telling. 


I hate to hear Me Own Voice, 

Believe it or not.


Coldcast :

Don't believe him.

 

Only thing shuts him up 

is a soccer game. 


Mister Black :

Football, you uneducated Yank. 



This is low-level stuff, Supes. 

Promise. Like Telly in HD. 


Alright -- Apologies in advance 

for the graphic nature 

of what you're about to see --


Some of us had it rough 

in The Origin Department. 


"I'm off, then. 

See you at dinner."


"Lucky I give you 

a roof and a pillow

you worthless squib.


You want something to eat? 

Work it out for yourself


Take The Girl with you. 

Can't stand her mewling." 




It's a Cinderella story, really. 

I was The Unplanned Fifth of Five boys,

left to fend for meself 

after me mum died giving birth

 to Number Six. 


The Only Girl. 

Vera


"Ooh. What's wrong, love?"


"I lost my mum!" 


"Oh, don't fret, dear. 

We'll find your mum."

 

The Only Good Thing I had. 

Brothers had all gone off 

and wound up dead or in jail,

where they wound up dead anyway. 


But Vera, She was Special

Did what I could to protect her. 


But really, she was always 

taking care of me

'til that summer. 


Plenty of loose wallets in Heaton Park. 

Not proud of it, but hungry is hungry


"Good Day!"


"Let's get ice cream before... 

Aah!"


Thought it was puberty, you know. Headaches. 

The feeling that My Body 

was turning against me. 


But it was getting worse by the week. 

But that day... 


There's one of them. 


I couldn't stand. 

Couldn't run. 

A Damn Cripple


If it wasn't for Vera... 


"Sod off, copper."


"No! Vera!"


It was a frigging Horror Show. 

Me, on my knees. 

Vera screaming. 


And I was Helpless, 

praying for it all to stop. 


Imagine my shock when it did.

 

Goodbye, headaches. 

Hello, Power. 


After that it's the usual fish tale. 

Her Majesty's Secret Service took notice, 

gave me a bed, and taught me about 

Hurting Bad People 

In The Name of Freedom. 


Met this lot during a particularly disenfranchising Tour in Africa, 

and we decided to make a go of it 

freelance, like yourself. 


The Rest is Current Events. 



Superman :

Your Sister -- 

Did She Make It? 


Mister Black :

We Don't All Get 

Happy Endings, Superman. 





Sunday 20 October 2019

The Numerology of The BuffyVerse : Seasons 1 Through Seasons 7



In The Afrikan Tradition, we are all Born Dead into This World.

All Men and Women who have ever lived are born into clean, empty vessels of flesh and blood, and become alive, as they become more and more filled up with accumulated memories and experiences until....




“There were real superheroes, of course. 

They did exist. 

They lived in paper universes, suspended in a pulp continuum where they never aged or died unless it was to be reborn, better than ever, with a new costume. 

Real superheroes lived on the surface of the second dimension. 
The real lives of real superheroes could be contained in two hands. 
They were so real they had lives that were longer than any human life. 

They were more real than I was. 

They say most human names and biographies are forgotten after four generations, but even the most obscure Golden Age superhero is likely to have a life and a renown that will last as long as trademarks are revived.

There was no physical Marvel universe New York. 
You couldn’t buy a ticket and fly there, yet you could buy a comic that would instantly transport you to the only real Marvel universe New York there could ever be—a paper-and-ink virtual-reality simulation—on the pages of the comic books themselves. 

A wholly alternative, fully functioning duplicate of New York now existed on the paper skin of the next dimension down from our own: 
a city populated by drawn figures of Daredevil, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. 

That New York had its own history of alien invasions and tsunamis from Atlantis, but it also kept pace with changing fashions in the “real” world, and it had the capacity to grow in complexity and depth over decades. 

It had a continuity that was separate from our own. 

Its characters outlived real people, including their creators. 

The Baxter Building could outlast real houses made of stone. 

In my attempts to see beyond preconceptions to the undeniable actuality of things in Animal Man, I was drifting closer to what could only be termed a kind of psychedelic hyperreality.”

Excerpt From
Supergods
Grant Morrison




“You being given the opportunity to serve as Mother to The Whole of Creation by acting like one and protecting it!”


Daddy’s Home.


Child (of Death)

Little Miss Muffet, Counting Down from 7-2-0

====== GRADUATION ======

====== GRADUATION ======


Stability (and The Illusion of Security)

Spike: 
It's, uh . . called The Yoko Factor. 

Spike lights a cigarette and Adam just looks at him. 

Spike: 
Don't tell me you've never heard of The Beatles? 

ADAM: 
I have.
I like "Helter Skelter."

Spike: 
What a Surprise. 

The point is, they were once a real powerful group. 
It's not a stretch to say they Ruled The World. 

And when they broke up everyone blamed Yoko, but the fact is The Group split itself apart, she just happened to be there. 

And you know how it is with kids. 
They go off to college, they grow apart. 

Way of The World.




Buffy looks peaceful. She turns back to Dawn, who stares wide-eyed. 

DAWN: 
Buffy ... no! 

BUFFY: 
Dawnie, I have to. 

DAWN: 
No! 

BUFFY: 
Listen to me. 
Please, there's not a lot of time, listen. 


Dawn, Listen to Me. Listen. 


I love you. I will always love you. 

But this is The Work That I Have to Do. 

Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. 
And, and I'm okay. 


And give my love to my friends. 

You have to take care of them now. 

You have to take care of each other. 

You have to be Strong. 

Dawn, The Hardest Thing in This World ... 
Is to Live in It. 


Be Brave. Live. 

For Me. 


BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS

1981-2001 

BELOVED SISTER 
DEVOTED FRIEND 

SHE SAVED THE WORLD 

A LOT

======= THE ABYSS =======



======= THE ABYSS =======




Hell (and The Devil You Know)

Hell is Here
Hell is a Prison
Hell on Earth

Hell is Mediocre
Hell is Daily Life
Hell is The Evil of Banality

Hell is Other People
Hell is The Village
Hell is The Devil You Know

Pleased to Meet You, 
Hope You Guessed My Name

Hell is The Lesser of Two Evils
Hell is The Evil of Two Lessers


Hell is The Divine Comedy
Hell is Expulsion from Paradise
(Ev’ry Time I Get in, They Pull Me Back Out)

Hell is The Fall of Man
Hell is The Fallen Woman

Hell is Being Trapped 
in a Room, Forever
with Your Friends
(Having said that, Satre’s friends were all Frenchmen)


So, Does This Mean... I Can Still Win...?