Okay, that story writes itself. The black market for foreskins. The brave resistance fighters smuggling them into occupied territory. I'm speed dialing Tarantino at this instant!
Hey, Chuck (Mr. Palahniuk), could you say what you’re top 3 (or more) movies are? After watching “They shoot Horses, Don’t they?” for the the first time on your recommendation (thank you for that), I’d be interested in seeing what movies occupy your favourite list.
I’m going to assume that “Rosemary’s Baby” is in the top 3. Maybe even in first place.
Well Brandon... ( and you meant to use "your") My top fifty movies are in constant flux. For years the top was "Jesus of Montreal" despite it being in French. From there it's a jumble. "Session 9" and "Jacob's Ladder" are both near the top. Be careful with "Jacob's Ladder" because it might kill you if you're not ready. "Alien" is very high. So is "The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane." Let me think some.
I just assume that whoever spelt my birth certificate had some kind of muscle spasm or sneezed or something while writing it and didn’t realise they made a typo. Kind of an omen now that I think about it.
Let no one deny us our anguish over our unconventionally spelt names, Chris with a K. This pain is ours.
In 'Silence of the Lambs' the serial killer is named "Jame Gumb" due to a typo at the hospital where he was born. He was supposed to be "Jaime" so his name acts as a metaphor for his defects.
I don't know any more if Brandan's typos and Chuck's retorts referring to Brandan as Brandon while correcting the original error is all some meta in-joke that none of us are party to.
The downside: Knowing a lot of tricks wrecks most movies for me. In the first five minutes of "The Sixth Sense" I turned to Mike and whispered, "He's dead but doesn't know it. Watch, and he'll never interact with anyone but the boy. A remake of 'Jacob's Ladder'."
And Mike turned and yelled, "GO SIT IN ANOTHER ROW AND RUIN THIS MOVIE FOR SOMEONE ELSE!" Divorce loomed large that day. But when I'm tricked... like I was with "Drag Me to Hell" I'm in full-on awe and reverence for the film.
There are lots of theories out there, one of the more popular says that Jones is an android and that's why the xenomorph doesn't attack him (notably the scene where the xenomorph happens upon Jones in his carry case and just inspects it before moving on). My favourite tho is one that comes back to good old survival instincts, (after all cats are predators too), which suggests Jones is tactically offering better options to save his own skin (and oh the cat like indifference on his face when he's watching!)
Hi Chuck, you say that you're like a gallery owner because your job is to steal ideas from others (you said that), well could you please steal from me? I have a few Chuck Palahniuk-ideas I just don't know what to do with them. What should I do?
Wah!? Write them. Find a way in, then unpack them detail-by-detail. But first you might want to tell them at parties to see if people readily engage. And to see if anyone cites a recent similar story. And to hear how people flesh out the idea with anecdotes from their own lives. In that way the writing process can connect you to the world instead of putting you in isolation.
If it helps, I do most of my story exploring in very small groups, or when alone with one other person. And listening is the key. Listen and then prove you've been listening (and not just waiting to speak) by asking questions based on what you've heard. No one feels heard anymore, and if you're a good listener the world will seek you out.
And make eye contact, even while people look away. My Plan B was to become a priest so I could hear Confessions. And people still need someone to tell everything to. So consider that your silence might be a big asset. (nice Amy Hempel picture)
My mom loves Cabaret so much. I've never seen it, and I feel like I've just discovered something borderline unbelievable about her. She's this really easily embarrassed tiny church lady who grimaces any time sex is even alluded to on TV, but then I hear about some of the stuff she's into and...well, I guess I'm saying I'm still learning about my mom even though I'm creeping up on thirty, which is kind of cool.
I've seen Rosemary's baby a couple times, but I just finished reading it for the first time and plan to watch again soon! Europa, Europa too, in my Western Civ class, and I think about a third of the alcohol I consumed my freshman year was me drinking to forget...so that clearly went well...
'Rosemary's Baby' is another excellent example of the 'martyr, murder and witness' structure.
Tell me if I'm wrong, but the only part of the book that doesn't make it into the film is the 'cabin' portion. Rosemary escapes Guy's neglect by running to a cabin the the woods. Lonely, she has an epiphany and runs back to New York. A character alone is death to read or write. I can see why Polanski ditched that portion.
As far as I can remember, yeah, it's an otherwise completely faithful adaptation. I like what the scene represented. The near escape is frustrating and heartbreaking, but the movie proves there's a way to do it without snapping tension.
Yet again, I’m blown away by the collective unconscious (the two faced friend of every creative artist - in this case best friend). Every year I watch ‘Cabaret’ and ‘All That Jazz’ as a double feature and then throw ‘Lenny’ into the mix if I want to continue the sneaking-in -to-another/theater-without-paying-on-the-same-day vibe. ‘Star 80’ and ‘Sweet Charity’ are solo artists playing their own individual gigs. Last Saturday, I made the trip (albeit into the Living Room) back to school (as I refer to it) for the triple feature. Along with Hal Ashby, Fosse is not mentioned enough or even just higher atop the lists of enough people who consider themselves to be die hard cinephiles or even just fans of films. ‘All That Jazz’ is like a Bible to me. It’s a holy book that also happens to be the King of the Land of Metaphors while I can say the same of ‘Cabaret’ as the Queen of a neighboring civilization. I’ve always seen ‘Lenny’ as more of a Duke who happens to be the fun guy at the dinner party. While there’s nothing I can add that you haven’t already mentioned, I never fail to shoot my hand in the air at any chance to mention my love of Fosse’s film work. All of that said, the Bingo angle is new to me and I never discount new experiences. I’ll get out my ruler and some printer paper asap. I have a box of old-school perforated printer paper that’s been screaming out for some attention for at least 35 years.
It just works on so many levels that it really doesn’t sink in until after the closing credits. It covers a lot of ground and it’s so unique when placed in relation to the body of Fosse’s catalog of films. The creepiness, tragedy, and horror of the film are almost completely epitomized by the mere presence of Eric Roberts’ mustache.
“Sweet Charity” fan here—- I lost count how many times I’ve seen it. Also, “Splendor in the Grass”—-phenomenal— Natalie Wood and those expressionistic eyes— plus, how they black ball the sister of Bud— Baz Lurhman’s “Romeo & Juliet” I had a great conversation with Thom Yorke 20 years ago about the placement of his song in the film. David Fincher’s “Mind Hunter” legendary. I’m gonna hush up now…
I've seen you'll be at the Yorkshire comic con (thought bubble 13-14 November). Are there other places you're going to be in Europe these months? Can you give them all on Facebook or here please?
Funny thing about Session 9 that ties into your idea about a website for house histories. I was unlucky enough the be the onsite warehouse manager at Guitar Center Boston in the early 2000s. Because the store was an old car dealership on Commonwealth Ave (it was close to Berklee, which many called "training camp for Guitar Center managers"), it didn't have an actual warehouse space. Only a quarter of the store's inventory was kept onsite, and the remainder resided in an old packing house in Allston, about a mile away. Because we were the only store in the chain to have such a facility, we became the unofficial distribution center for every store in Massachusetts. The last Friday of every month my partner and I would have to load a truck and spend ten to twelve hours transferring gear from store to store.
Transfer days were good days. Being young musicians, the road seemed more like home than anywhere else, and it was nice to get out of the city.
It must have been cold, because the trees were bare. That's why the building was visible from I-95. I'd never seen anything that looked so haunted in my life. After we made our trip to the Danvers store, we tried to find it. At that time, as the movie indicates, it was unoccupied and gated by the local historical preservation society. We got as close as we could without being arrested. Even at the bottom of the hill, peering through the trees at the gothic spires, the air felt colder.
The internet wasn't as ubiquitous in those days, but a bit of digging led me to Session 9. The fact that they'd left everything as they found it for filming made the movie one of the coolest and creepiest things I'd ever seen. I even liked David Caruso with his stony monotone. It would be awesome if someone with better video editing skills than mine slipped a Roger Daltrey scream into the tense standoff between him and Peter Mullan (Gordon). I'd have to watch it again, but I'm pretty sure he even whips his sunglasses off.
The funny thing is, the preservation society lost their battle to preserve the building. Much of it was torn down to make way for an apartment complex, and many of the building materials were salvaged for flooring and upcycled "rustic" appointments. How'd you like to find that in your apartment's history? It's like "Poltergeist" if Cuesta Verde was built using the coffins they'd relocated the headstones from. To add to the spookiness, there was a massive fire during construction of the apartments that consumed four of the buildings in progress, four construction trailers, and the remaining center spires of the Kirkbride complex.
Maybe the builders should have reached out to Josh Lucas to see if his Home Depot gig came with a discount.
I'd say it's a plot hole, if circumcision was widely known to be part of Jewish culture at the time the film is set in, rather than when it was made.
It makes me wonder - were there those that performed backstreet foreskin replacements during WW2?
Answering my own question....they did happen. There was also blackmail from gangs who went around ripping down trousers to check foreskins.
https://web.archive.org/web/20131023040652if_/http://www.cirp.org/library/restoration/tushmet1/
A foreskin gang? I’d read that book.
I might take you up on that......if I write it, you have to read it! Deal?!
I'll wait for the movie.
If Disney don't want it Nickelodeon will.
Inglorious Basterds 2: This time it’s personal
Oh dear. I'm sorry I brought it up.
Okay, that story writes itself. The black market for foreskins. The brave resistance fighters smuggling them into occupied territory. I'm speed dialing Tarantino at this instant!
Hey, Chuck (Mr. Palahniuk), could you say what you’re top 3 (or more) movies are? After watching “They shoot Horses, Don’t they?” for the the first time on your recommendation (thank you for that), I’d be interested in seeing what movies occupy your favourite list.
I’m going to assume that “Rosemary’s Baby” is in the top 3. Maybe even in first place.
Well Brandon... ( and you meant to use "your") My top fifty movies are in constant flux. For years the top was "Jesus of Montreal" despite it being in French. From there it's a jumble. "Session 9" and "Jacob's Ladder" are both near the top. Be careful with "Jacob's Ladder" because it might kill you if you're not ready. "Alien" is very high. So is "The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane." Let me think some.
Great picks. Also, that’s my second typo now that you’ve picked up on. One more and I believe I’m obliged to commit seppuku.
My nephew's called Branden, because, no word of a lie, my sister's dyslexic.
And I'm a Chris with a K.
I can relate, Brandan, mate.
I just assume that whoever spelt my birth certificate had some kind of muscle spasm or sneezed or something while writing it and didn’t realise they made a typo. Kind of an omen now that I think about it.
Let no one deny us our anguish over our unconventionally spelt names, Chris with a K. This pain is ours.
This will sound insensitive...
In 'Silence of the Lambs' the serial killer is named "Jame Gumb" due to a typo at the hospital where he was born. He was supposed to be "Jaime" so his name acts as a metaphor for his defects.
“It checks the spelling on it’s comment or else it gets the hose again.”
You had me at "No word of a lie." Is that an Aussie phrase?
Right now, everyone is stealing it for later use.
I’m a fan of Kris’s newsletter. ♥️
Awwww thanks Kerri. I enjoy yours too.
Not exclusively Aussie, although I can definitely hear an Aussie saying it too. I'm a Brit and we use it for effect quite regularly.
But let's be real here: Aussies are basically Brits without the manners and dressed in shorts. You can tell 'em I said that, too.
Unfortunately us Brits lost the manners we had left in 2016.
I don't know any more if Brandan's typos and Chuck's retorts referring to Brandan as Brandon while correcting the original error is all some meta in-joke that none of us are party to.
I bloody hope so, cos it's what I'm here for.
Same.
Alien: What's your take on the Jones the cat theories?
Also would you say your understanding of the nuts and bolts of story telling directly effects what you choose as your favourite movies?
The downside: Knowing a lot of tricks wrecks most movies for me. In the first five minutes of "The Sixth Sense" I turned to Mike and whispered, "He's dead but doesn't know it. Watch, and he'll never interact with anyone but the boy. A remake of 'Jacob's Ladder'."
And Mike turned and yelled, "GO SIT IN ANOTHER ROW AND RUIN THIS MOVIE FOR SOMEONE ELSE!" Divorce loomed large that day. But when I'm tricked... like I was with "Drag Me to Hell" I'm in full-on awe and reverence for the film.
That is such a great story, I mean not for you so much, but still... I love it when a movie or book proves me wrong!
Please, tell me your favorite cat theory. I've not heard of these...
There are lots of theories out there, one of the more popular says that Jones is an android and that's why the xenomorph doesn't attack him (notably the scene where the xenomorph happens upon Jones in his carry case and just inspects it before moving on). My favourite tho is one that comes back to good old survival instincts, (after all cats are predators too), which suggests Jones is tactically offering better options to save his own skin (and oh the cat like indifference on his face when he's watching!)
“Jacob’s Ladder” and “Alien” top 10!!!!!! I’m also a MAJOR David Lynch fan— “Wild At Heart!!!!!!”
And "The Elephant Man" still slays me.
"Nothing ever dies."
YEEEEEEES! First Lynch film I ever saw as a child—- OBSESSED!!!! I think I formed my ideas about people from that and Sesame Street.
Hi Chuck, you say that you're like a gallery owner because your job is to steal ideas from others (you said that), well could you please steal from me? I have a few Chuck Palahniuk-ideas I just don't know what to do with them. What should I do?
Wah!? Write them. Find a way in, then unpack them detail-by-detail. But first you might want to tell them at parties to see if people readily engage. And to see if anyone cites a recent similar story. And to hear how people flesh out the idea with anecdotes from their own lives. In that way the writing process can connect you to the world instead of putting you in isolation.
Were you raised in a big or small family? I've got an upcoming post about how people from big families grew up having to work hard to be heard.
If it helps, I do most of my story exploring in very small groups, or when alone with one other person. And listening is the key. Listen and then prove you've been listening (and not just waiting to speak) by asking questions based on what you've heard. No one feels heard anymore, and if you're a good listener the world will seek you out.
And make eye contact, even while people look away. My Plan B was to become a priest so I could hear Confessions. And people still need someone to tell everything to. So consider that your silence might be a big asset. (nice Amy Hempel picture)
Cabaret Bingo is a good name for a band.
Oh, hell yeah! I love this! Now I want to host bingo movie nights for my friends.
My mom loves Cabaret so much. I've never seen it, and I feel like I've just discovered something borderline unbelievable about her. She's this really easily embarrassed tiny church lady who grimaces any time sex is even alluded to on TV, but then I hear about some of the stuff she's into and...well, I guess I'm saying I'm still learning about my mom even though I'm creeping up on thirty, which is kind of cool.
I've seen Rosemary's baby a couple times, but I just finished reading it for the first time and plan to watch again soon! Europa, Europa too, in my Western Civ class, and I think about a third of the alcohol I consumed my freshman year was me drinking to forget...so that clearly went well...
'Rosemary's Baby' is another excellent example of the 'martyr, murder and witness' structure.
Tell me if I'm wrong, but the only part of the book that doesn't make it into the film is the 'cabin' portion. Rosemary escapes Guy's neglect by running to a cabin the the woods. Lonely, she has an epiphany and runs back to New York. A character alone is death to read or write. I can see why Polanski ditched that portion.
As far as I can remember, yeah, it's an otherwise completely faithful adaptation. I like what the scene represented. The near escape is frustrating and heartbreaking, but the movie proves there's a way to do it without snapping tension.
Yet again, I’m blown away by the collective unconscious (the two faced friend of every creative artist - in this case best friend). Every year I watch ‘Cabaret’ and ‘All That Jazz’ as a double feature and then throw ‘Lenny’ into the mix if I want to continue the sneaking-in -to-another/theater-without-paying-on-the-same-day vibe. ‘Star 80’ and ‘Sweet Charity’ are solo artists playing their own individual gigs. Last Saturday, I made the trip (albeit into the Living Room) back to school (as I refer to it) for the triple feature. Along with Hal Ashby, Fosse is not mentioned enough or even just higher atop the lists of enough people who consider themselves to be die hard cinephiles or even just fans of films. ‘All That Jazz’ is like a Bible to me. It’s a holy book that also happens to be the King of the Land of Metaphors while I can say the same of ‘Cabaret’ as the Queen of a neighboring civilization. I’ve always seen ‘Lenny’ as more of a Duke who happens to be the fun guy at the dinner party. While there’s nothing I can add that you haven’t already mentioned, I never fail to shoot my hand in the air at any chance to mention my love of Fosse’s film work. All of that said, the Bingo angle is new to me and I never discount new experiences. I’ll get out my ruler and some printer paper asap. I have a box of old-school perforated printer paper that’s been screaming out for some attention for at least 35 years.
Thanks! I forget what a stunner 'Star 80' is.
It just works on so many levels that it really doesn’t sink in until after the closing credits. It covers a lot of ground and it’s so unique when placed in relation to the body of Fosse’s catalog of films. The creepiness, tragedy, and horror of the film are almost completely epitomized by the mere presence of Eric Roberts’ mustache.
“Sweet Charity” fan here—- I lost count how many times I’ve seen it. Also, “Splendor in the Grass”—-phenomenal— Natalie Wood and those expressionistic eyes— plus, how they black ball the sister of Bud— Baz Lurhman’s “Romeo & Juliet” I had a great conversation with Thom Yorke 20 years ago about the placement of his song in the film. David Fincher’s “Mind Hunter” legendary. I’m gonna hush up now…
So will this movie night be virtual? I'm not a people person
Thanks, I really like the movies you introduce.
I've seen you'll be at the Yorkshire comic con (thought bubble 13-14 November). Are there other places you're going to be in Europe these months? Can you give them all on Facebook or here please?
Funny thing about Session 9 that ties into your idea about a website for house histories. I was unlucky enough the be the onsite warehouse manager at Guitar Center Boston in the early 2000s. Because the store was an old car dealership on Commonwealth Ave (it was close to Berklee, which many called "training camp for Guitar Center managers"), it didn't have an actual warehouse space. Only a quarter of the store's inventory was kept onsite, and the remainder resided in an old packing house in Allston, about a mile away. Because we were the only store in the chain to have such a facility, we became the unofficial distribution center for every store in Massachusetts. The last Friday of every month my partner and I would have to load a truck and spend ten to twelve hours transferring gear from store to store.
Transfer days were good days. Being young musicians, the road seemed more like home than anywhere else, and it was nice to get out of the city.
It must have been cold, because the trees were bare. That's why the building was visible from I-95. I'd never seen anything that looked so haunted in my life. After we made our trip to the Danvers store, we tried to find it. At that time, as the movie indicates, it was unoccupied and gated by the local historical preservation society. We got as close as we could without being arrested. Even at the bottom of the hill, peering through the trees at the gothic spires, the air felt colder.
The internet wasn't as ubiquitous in those days, but a bit of digging led me to Session 9. The fact that they'd left everything as they found it for filming made the movie one of the coolest and creepiest things I'd ever seen. I even liked David Caruso with his stony monotone. It would be awesome if someone with better video editing skills than mine slipped a Roger Daltrey scream into the tense standoff between him and Peter Mullan (Gordon). I'd have to watch it again, but I'm pretty sure he even whips his sunglasses off.
The funny thing is, the preservation society lost their battle to preserve the building. Much of it was torn down to make way for an apartment complex, and many of the building materials were salvaged for flooring and upcycled "rustic" appointments. How'd you like to find that in your apartment's history? It's like "Poltergeist" if Cuesta Verde was built using the coffins they'd relocated the headstones from. To add to the spookiness, there was a massive fire during construction of the apartments that consumed four of the buildings in progress, four construction trailers, and the remaining center spires of the Kirkbride complex.
Maybe the builders should have reached out to Josh Lucas to see if his Home Depot gig came with a discount.
Another one to add to the list for game night should be "The Nowhere Inn"