Blood, money, guns, coffee & sexual tension!

[jack_babalon]

While waiting on a call that never came last night, I passed the time watching Alex Cox's Straight to Hell for the hundredth time last night. I'd like to think that if Garth Ennis ever gave up the funnybook business to pop out a script it'd look something like this. One of my all time favorite westerns, right up there with the The Good, the Bad & the Ugly or The Wild Bunch. You just gotta give props to a flick with Joe Strummer looking like a lost member of the Reservoir Dogs cast, Shane MacGowan & the Pogues as caffeine addicted banditos and Courtney Love as, well um, Courtney Love really. I laid on the couch, soaking in visions of a whiskey soaked and bullet ridden Mexico, making little boy wishes for another life where I could pack iron on the hip and ride the next sundown out of town to the nearest Bar & Brothel.




Incidentally this is the closing song in the film. I used to have a burnt copy that has since been 'Appropriated' by one of my friends. I would not be a complete man if I did not own it again, yet it's not on the soundtrack anymore and I can't find which Pogues album it's off of. Any one got a guess?

RAKE AT THE GATES OF HELL
The Pogues

I'll be with them asleep or dreaming
I'll be there when they wake up screaming
at the hour of death I will nurse them
to have a moment more to curse them
watch the maggots crawl out of them
hear the angels call above them
watch them as the cold air sucks them
down to hell good night good luck
then if any should escape above me
beg and cheat until they trust me
drag them down to be damned with me
laugh at them as they forgive me

Mothers eyes are sparking diamonds
still the moon shows no likeness
roses wither may god deliver
the rake at the gates of hell tonight

I wish that they could walk forever
on the earth alone unfettered
until they pray for consummation
until they beg for sweat damnation
then I'll come and bring them water
bring them hope, bring them laughter
raise their hopes both sad and sunken
slash them up as they lie there drunken
push them down into the fowl mud
until they choke up on their own blood
drag them out before their last breath
to take away the mercy of death

mothers eyes are sparking diamonds
still the moon shows no likeness
roses wither may god deliver
the rake at the gates of hell tonight.

Comments

[vomikronnoxis.livejournal.com]

I've been wary of Ennis ever since I watched him piss "Preacher" down his leg in the last third of the series. :(

~rl

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

I kinda got tired of the Herr Starr thing myself, but I actually found the last two issues of the series pretty decent. The plot did kinda spiral outta control, but I still think that Ennis has one of the finest ears for dialouge in the industry, and a fabulous sense of pacing. You should check out some of his Hellblazer stuff, everyone'll tell you Dangerous Habits but I think Ennis picks up his stride about a good year into the series. That and he's done some really cool War comics for Vertigo, the title of which sadly escapes me, but I think you'd dig them.

[vomikronnoxis.livejournal.com]

I thought Preacher really peaked with the destruction of Masada & the nuke going off--it seemed to set & scatter the peices in a way that would lead back up to an enjoyable, epic climax. But then the further mutilation of Starr and his abandonment of larger aims really irritated me. Felt largly like a cop out--as well as an endlugence of Ennis's sadomachositic nature. I liked the idea of turning Jessie & Cassidy against each other, but then he didn't really do as much as I'd hoped with it--and ultimitly didn't lead to anythng too meaningful. I thought he carried his virgin/whore fantasy about Tulip to silly, masturbatory extremes. And I think he should have just let Jesse die at the end. Happy endings... blah. Not to mention, there is such a thing as eventually having too MUCH castration and/or sodomy in your story. The camel's back broke eventually--maybe it was with the chemicaly castrated guy. Then Tulip's father getting shot while taking a shit was rather uncalled for--felt like he was trying too hard. And they used a bit too much Arse Face in the later stages. Eh, it just all fizzled out--but it was really fun for a while.

I've been tempted to read some Hellblazer, but there's so much of it, I don't really know where to start.

~rl

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the Starr thing too, granted the Saint of Killers had pretty much wiped out 99% of Masada by the end of 'war in the sun', I just thought it was too easy too quick. Same thing with the whole angel/demon thing living inside of Jesse, that didn't really go anywhere either. I think the Tulip Dad thing might've happened in a 1 shot special or something so I might've missed that one, but yeah I don't think she would've turned into a strung out skag post Jesse, she just seemed a lot stronger than that in the prior issues I read. I agree with you that at times it seems that Ennis was doing shock for shocks sake, i.e. The guy who makes a giant meat effigy woman he fucks,
but I did like the fight between Jesse & Cassady at the end, I loved the St. of Killers offing Jehovah at the end and as for Jesse getting a happy ending, eh why not? Garth is an Irishman whose ideas of us yanks is probably formed by old westerns on the TV and war comics, and in a weird way Preacher is just that to me, a kinda American fable, at times ludricously b&w and at times sexy, violent and slapstick silly. So the ride into the sunset w/ the woman seemed to fit. That's just me though.


Wow where to start reading Hellblazer?
"Original Sins" is the first issues written by Jamie Delano,
"Dangerous habits" is a good start for the Ennis stuff, there's a graphic novel called 'Rare Cuts' that has a lot of hard to find issues, but the best Ennis/Hellblazer stuff (issues #50 through 59) hasn't been collected yet. Maybe Girlsonfilm's roomie has them, just don't read "Rake at the gates of hell" until you've read the rest.

[vomikronnoxis.livejournal.com]

Crap, I think I was kind of combinging the destruction of Massada & the war in the sun in my mind, but you caught what I meant.

There's a part of me that really would like to see someone turn the show into an HBO series--and then fix the problematic stuff towards the end.

I rather liked the idea of Starr crucifying Jessie at the brink of Armageddon to savemankind... or something like that.

Oh, and the meat man adventure was worth it for the nazi fetish stuff. :)

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

is this it?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005TPC3/102-3176715-3120955?v=glance

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

btw, from what i read, that song was only in the film and a single, not actually on an album.

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Yep that's the one.
I didn't think to check out Shane MacGowan's solo stuff, so now wonder it didn't register. 40$ though *sigh* to bad I just blew $25
bucks to get the Shaun of the Dead Sndtrck. Grrr fahkin' imports are killing me wallet.
Much obliged for the looking out btw!

[animeoni.livejournal.com]

Love that movie. Haven't seen it in years.

[raygunn-revival.livejournal.com]

I know I'm supposed to be into westerns, but it's like I have the mental version of erectile dysfunction when it comes to watching them. Nine times out of ten I can't get it up.

Or is that giddyap?

Erectile dysfunction junction what's your function

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Do what I do when I have that problem, close your eyes, pop a 'blue' and pretend your with another movie (or two!)

Well it is the same director who did Repo-Man & Sid & Nancy, so if you dug that this might be your up your alley. Also it's a spaghetti western which are a lot different than the normal manifest destiny homoerotic John Ford/ John Wayne shoot 'em up.

Oh I was offline a while, LOVE your Rough Trade photo post from last week.

Re: Erectile dysfunction junction what's your function

[raygunn-revival.livejournal.com]

I loved both Repo-Man and Sid & Nancy. I'll give this one the ol' postgraduate try.

Noticed your absence, and hope the tumblers are beginning to fall back into place somewhat...mucho thanks for the compliment!

[retrofatale.livejournal.com]

Blood, money, guns, coffee & sexual tension!

there's a movie about my life?

You must be a fun date!

[jackbabalon23.livejournal.com]

Your movie to me would be: "In a world gripped in chaos, one woman strove to make a difference. By day she monitors the worlds intelligence communities, weaving the strands of information into a web of counterespionage. But by night she becomes a burlesque seductress and siren of the stage. One woman- two lifes and no man can tame her!"

Re: You must be a fun date!

[retrofatale.livejournal.com]

That's the coolest thing anyone's every said about me.

*blushes*

[catwalk.livejournal.com]

see, i can only account for blood, coffee, and sexual tension.
some money and guns, but not enough to earn headline status, i suppose...