Sunday 8 October 2023

Rock




Family Portrait, 1984.


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. : 
Hello.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
I should say you look rather lost.
But then I cannot imagine where in The World 
The Three of You would look at Home.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. : 
We're not lost.
We're on our way to Delhi.
This is Miss Scott.
This is Mr. Round.

Short-Round.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
My Name is Indiana Jones.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
DrJones, the eminent archaeologist?

Ms. Willie Scott :
Hard to believe, isn't it?

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Ah. I remember first hearing 
Your Name when I was 
up at Oxford.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
Oh.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
I'm Chattar Lal, Prime Minister 
to His Highness, The Maharaja 
of Pankot.
(takes Willie’s Hand —)
I'm enchanted.

Enchanted.

Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
Welcome to Pankot Palace!

Enchanted, huh?



Shorty, where's my razor?

We are fortunate tonight to have 
so many unexpected visitors.

This is Captain Blumburtt.

And you, sir, are 
Dr.Jones, I presume.

I am, Captain.

Captain Blumburtt and his troops 
are on a routine inspection tour.

The British find it 
amusing to inspect us 
at their convenience.

I do hope, sir, that it's not, uh, 
inconvenient to you, uh... sir.

The British worry so 
about Their Empire.
Makes us all feel like 
well-cared-for children.

Ah... You look beautiful.

I think The Maharaja is swimming in loot.
Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea 
coming here after all.

You Look like A Princess.

Mr. Lal, what do they call 
The Maharaja's wife?

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
His Highness has not 
yet taken A Wife.

….How interesting.
Well, uh, maybe it's because he 
hasn't found the right woman.

His Supreme Highness, 
Guardian of Pankot Tradition, 
The Maharaja of Pankot, 
Zalim Singh.

That's the maharaja?

A kid?!

Maybe he like older women.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
Captain Blumburtt was just telling me something 
of the interesting History of The Palace... 
the importance it played in The Mutiny.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
It seems The British never 
forget The Mutiny of 1857.



Yes, well, you know, 
I think there are other events before The Mutiny
going back a centuryback to the time of Clive,
that are more interesting.


Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
And what events are those, Dr. Jones?

Well, if Memory serves Me correctly, this area, 
this province, was the center of activity 
for The Thuggee.

Ah!

Snake... surprise.

What's the surprise?

Dr. Jones, you know perfectly well The Thuggee cult 
has been dead for nearly a century.

Yes, of course.

Capt. Blumburtt :
The Thuggee was an obscenity that 
worshipped Kali with Human Sacrifices.
The British Army nicely 
did-away with them.

Well, I suppose stories of 
The Thuggee die hard.


Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
There are no stories anymore.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
I'm not so sure…
We came from a small village.
The peasants there told us Pankot Palace was growing 
powerful again because of some ancient evil.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Village stories, Dr. Jones. 
They're just fear and folklore.
You're beginning to worry 
Captain Blumburtt.

I'm not worried, Mr. Prime Minister, 
just, uh... just, um, interested.

Ah... what?
You are not eating?

I had bugs for lunch.
Give me your hat.

Why?

'Cause I'm gonna puke in it.

Oh!


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
You know, The Villagers also told us
Pankot Palace had taken something.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Dr. Jones, in our country, it's not usual 
for a guest to insult his host.


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
I'm sorry — I thought we were talking about folklore.

Excuse me, sir, do you have anything simple, like soup?


Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
What exactly was it they say was stolen?

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
A sacred rock.

Ha!

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
You see, Captain -- 
a rock!

Ah!


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
Ah... something connected The Villagers' rock 
and the old legend of The Sankara stones.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Dr. Jones, we are all vulnerable to vicious rumors.
I seem to remember that in Honduras, you 
were accused of being a grave-robber 
rather than an archaeologist.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
Well, The Newspapers greatly 
exaggerated The Incident.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
And wasn't it The Sultan of Madagascar 
who threatened to cut Your Head off 
if you ever returned to His Country?

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
No, it wasn't My Head.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Then Your Hands, perhaps.

Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
No, it wasn't my hands, it was my...
my misunderstanding.

Prime Minister Chattar Lal :
Exactly what we have here, Dr. Jones.


I have heard the evil stories of The Thuggee cult.
I thought The Stories were told to frighten children.

Later, I learnt The Thuggee cult was once real 
and did of unspeakable things.

I am ashamed of what happened 
here so many years ago, 
and I assure you this will never 
happen again in My Kingdom.


Dr. Henry Jones Jr. :
If I offended you...
then I am sorry.

Ah, dessert!
Chilled Monkey Brains

Saturday 7 October 2023

Destiny and The Fates





“The essential and original Meaning
of course, is A Program for A Ritual
and The Ritual is Mag!k — 

The Four Letters are simply 
The Four Beats in Wilhelm Reich's formula : 
muscular tension --> electrical charge --> 
electrical discharge --> muscular relaxation

In short, as Freud once noted, 
every sexual act involves, 
at a minimum, FOUR parties :
The Father and Son provide 
a "Fist" and a "Nail"; 
[ OR, A Portal and A Door ]
The Mother and Daughter 
provide Two "Windows." 

The case of the Chicago schizophrenic 
killer William Heirens
who experienced orgasm when 
climbing through windows, 
demonstrates that this symbolism 
does not have to be taught and is 
INHERENT in The Human Mind, 
although always subject 
to the distortion exemplified 
by the Saures.

Finally, The Universal Blessing given 
is intimately involved with 
The YHVH formula: 

I bless Ra, the fierce sun burning bright 
I bless Isis-Luna in the night
I bless the air, The Horus-Hawk
I bless The Earth on which I walk

The Fiery Father
The Watery Mother
The Airy Son, and 
The Earthy Daughter 
are all THERE
just as they are in every 
alchemical formula.

But We Say “No More” at this point, 
lest The Reader begin 
seeking for a 5 = 4 equation 
to balance the 5 = 6.”



Trionic





Of course! The Holy Books 
are written in Trionic.

What?

No one volume is complete without 
the other two. Uhm. I-It's really 
one book broken up into 
three pieces.

Like A Trilogy.

No. No. Much more complex than that. 
See this passage here (points at the first book), 
it continues in this volume here 
(points at the second) then concludes 
in this one (points at the third). 

The rhythm of the sentence structure
lets one know when to jump 
from book, to book, to book.



Ferenghi Television



This is like a holo-novel,
but way sleazier


Mister Neelix
Take a Look at this :
It's a form of entertainment 
called a ‘soap opera’. 
The exploration of 
human relationships 
is fascinating


Ensign Kim
I can't imagine just 
watching The Story 
and not being 
a part of it. 


Kes
That's because you've been 
spoiled by The HoloDeck. 
There's something to be said for 
non-interactive stories like this, 
being swept away in The Narrative. 




Lt. J.G Boimler :
All right. 
Dropping bags off 
in hotel room
is off the list. 

We got the for-profit minibar,
the for-profit toilet
the machine that
charges you to pay
for the toilet and the minibar. 

View screen works. 

That's everything

I give this hotel
a nine out of ten

Now, off to The Museum
of Bribery

Oh, weird. A what-you-call-it... 
a "commer-seal"?  Ooh



Ferenghi Hunk :
Aah!

Semi-Clothed Ferenghi Female :
(kicking him in The Pool
You're fired







Slug-O Cola. This happens
to everyone who drinks it. 


Lt. J.G Boimler :
They just lie to you?  Hilarious.
Well, time to head out. 

And now,
Pog & Dar : Cop Landlords. 


Lt. J.G Boimler :
Huh? Mm. This is like a holo-novel,
but way sleazier

Det. Pog :
You're making my partner mad

Det. Dar :
Just sign the lease, dirtbag.

Lobleless Ferenghi Tenant :
No.  (Pulls out a disruptor and shoots Dar!)

Det. Dar :
Aah!

(Pog shoots him in return)

Det. Dar :
Aah! 

Det. Pog :
You just surrendered 
your deposit 
and your life. 

I'm not gonna make it, partner. 

Det. Pog :
Hey, you hang on
one second, buddy :
I just need to enjoy
the crisp, refreshing taste 
of a Slug-O Cola. 

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Oh, they put commercials
in the shows? 
It's like Mind Control

(The Ferenghi Thought-Maker installed 
above his hotel bed twinkles behind him.)

Det. Pog :
Transfer your latinum to me
or I'll tell everyone you 
supported tenants' rights

Det. Dar :
I'm proud to be scammed 
by a landlord cop as conniving
as you, partner. 

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Okay, I guess I should finally do my... 

Up next...
Will They, Won't They? 

The workplace sitcom
where everyone 
is secretly in love
with each other. 

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
I'm sorry, what

Oh, Blongo,
I don't know what to do. 

I'm secretly in love with Nilm, 

but she's engaged to Bok, 

who's always extremely... 

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
This kind of hacky, lowest-common-denominator  schlock won't work on me. 

her flirtations with Kret. 

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
But I better watch 
so officers who aren't
as resilient as I am 
will know what to avoid

But you should go for it. 
Even though I'm secretly
in love with you. 

Mr. Boimler, did you do
too many locations? 
Are you in need of aid?

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Uh, no.  I watched eight hours straight
of Ferengi programming. 
I'm sorry I let you down, sir. 

Honestly, I'm proud of you.

Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Really? 

You've always had a problem
going with the flow, 
but today it looks like you 
got out of your own way. 


Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Thank you, sir. 

I've authorised the local authorities 
to drag you out of there. 
Just go limp, don't fight them


Lt. J.G Boimler :
Get out of here! 

I really like that lieutenant. 


Lt. Jnr. Grade Boimler :
Oh! Aah! 

Oh! Oh, no. Oh, oh, no, no,
no, no, no, no!

I, Children of Tamar




RIKER
I would prefer to find a peaceful solution. 
If We could TALK Our Way out of 
this one, that much The Better. 

TROI
Unfortunately, it may not be that simple. 

RIKER
What did you find out? 

DATA
The Tamarian Ego-structure does not seem to allow
what We normally Think of as ‘SELF-Identity’. 

Their ability to abstract is highly unusual -- 
They seem to communicate 
through Narrative-Imagery 
by reference to The Individuals and Places 
which appear in their Mytho-Historical accounts. 

TROI
It's as if I were to say to you, 
“Juliet, on her balcony. 

CRUSHER
An Image of Romance

TROI
Exactly. 

Imagery is EVERYTHING to The Tamarians. 
It embodies Their emotional states, 
Their very THOUGHT Processes —
It's HOW They Communicate, and 
it's How They THINK. 


RIKER
If We know How They Think, shouldn't We 
be able to get something across to Them? 

DATA
No, sir. 

The situation is analogous to 
understanding the GRAMMAR 
of a language but none 
of the vocabulary

CRUSHER
If I didn't know WHO Juliet WAS 
or WHAT she was DOING on that balcony, 
The Image alone wouldn't have any Meaning

TROI
That's correct. For instance, 
We know that Darmok was A Great Hero
A Hunter, and that Tanagra 
was An Islandbut that's it. 

Without the DETAILSthere's 
no Understanding

DATA
It is necessary for Us to 
LEARN The Narrative from 
which The Tamarians are 
drawing Their Imagery — 

Given our current relations, 
that does not appear likely. 



“By creating A Character in a piece of Fiction,
You can allow A Reader to leap over the 
Wall of Self  and to imagine himself 
being  not just somewhere else, 
but someone else
because people, I think, are essentially 
lonely and alone and frightened 
of being alone

— Foster.

Endnotes





Endnotes | David Foster Wallace | BBC Documentary

Professor Geoff Ward discusses The Life and Works of David Foster Wallace

"When David Foster Wallace hanged himself in 2008, at the age of 46, he was considered by many to be the most gifted and linguistically exuberant American novelist and short story writer of his generation. His books include the 1,000-page Infinite Jest, a novel of grand ambition and stylistic experiment that came complete with 388 endnotes. (Footnotes, digressions, constant second guessing of every thought are features of Wallace's signature style).

In April The Pale King, Wallace's final, unfinished novel will be published. Few literary novels have been more eagerly anticipated in recent years. Its great subject is Boredom. Wallace set himself big challenges. Infinite Jest attacked the entertainment industry while trying to entertain and The Pale King engages with boredom as a path toward transcendence.

This Sunday Feature is presented by Professor Geoff Ward, author of a literary history of America. He, like many, was convinced Wallace would be the preeminent American writer to reckon with in the years ahead, and was shocked by his tragic early death. He assesses Wallace's legacy, themes and preoccupations, talking to the precursor Wallace admired most, Don DeLillo, and to friends, collaborators and contemporaries such as Mark Costello and Rick Moody. In the company of The Writer's sister, Amy Wallace, Ward travels to The Midwest of America where The Writer grew up, and considers the impact of place on his imagination. He also talks to Wallace's publisher and editor Michael Pietsch about the difficult task of assembling Wallace's final fragments into The Pale King.

The programme also contains some rare archive reflections by a young David Foster Wallace, recorded a year before the publication of Infinite Jest, on The Role of The Writer in an Age of Media-saturation." (BBC Radio 3)

Friday 6 October 2023

The Wolf, The Ram and The Hart

……I’m not sure The Priests 
can be Trusted.

—Wyndham-Pryce

“There's something magical for me 
about Literature and Fiction, and 
I Think it can Do Things, not only 
that pop culture can’t Do, 
but they're urgent, now — 

One is that, by creating 
A Character in a piece of Fiction
You can allow a Reader 
to leap over The Wall of Self  
and to imagine himself being 
not just somewhere else, 
but someone elsein a way 
the Television and Movies,
that no other form can do
because people, I think, 
are essentially lonely and alone 
and frightened of being alone”

— Foster

Megatron, aboard the 
Hijacked Shuttle —

His Fusion-cannon
building in charge;
His smile, bent

On the evening of their final night together, at The End of The Tour
The Davids are treating themselves (and each other) 
to a final, Last Supper-communion feast of 
McDonalds take-out ‘on Jann’, courtesy of the graces of
Young David’s Rolling Stone expense account —

Foster :
Uh, We'll take all of these.

David :
Please, Let Me.

Foster :
Oh, no, you don't have
to pay for my shit.

David :
No, no. It's not coming out of my pocket,
I have an expense account.

Foster :
If you insist, yeah.



Foster :
Mmm.

David :
If we ate like this all the time...

Foster :
Yeah.

David :
What would be wrong with that?

Foster :
(CHUCKLES) What would be wrong
Like, besides your teeth falling out 
and getting really fat?

It's got none of the 
nourishment
of real Food...

David :
No.

Foster :
...but it is real pleasurable, masticating 
and swallowing this stuff.

David :
Yes, it is. 

Foster :
It's like seductive commercial entertainment.

David :
Mmm. But What Saves Us is that
most entertainment is not very good.

Foster :
Yeah, but what about good seductive 
commercial entertainment, like, uh, 
Die Hard?

David :
That first Die Hard?

Foster :
The first Die Hard.

David :
Great film.

Foster :
No, it's a brilliant film.

David :
The Best.

Foster :
Absolutely.

David :
So good.

Foster :
I Think if The Book 
is about anything...

David :
Yeah.

Foster :
...it's about The Question of Why.

David :
Right.

Foster :
Why am I watching all this shit?

David :
Right. Right, yeah.

Foster :
It's not about the shit.
It's about Me.

David :
Okay.

Foster :
So, why am I Doing it?
And what's so American
about What I'm Doing?

….You know, the minute I start talking about this stuff,
it sounds, number one, very vague,
and number two, really reductive.

David :
No, no, no. I don't think you're 
being vague or reductive at all.

Foster :
Okay, because I don't have a diagnosis or a 
System of Prescription as to why We...

When I Say "We," I mean
people just like You and Me :
Mostly white, upper-middle class,
obscenely well-educated,
doing really interesting jobs,
sitting in really expensive chairs...

David :
Yeah.

Foster :
...watching the best, most sophisticated
electronic equipment Money can buy —
Why Do We Feel so empty and unhappy?

David :
Right. No. It's kind of like Hamlet,
except with channel surfing.


Foster :
I'm not saying that watching TV is bad
or a waste of your time, any more than 
masturbation is bad or 
a waste of your time

It's a pleasurable way to 
spend a few minutes,
but if you're doing it 
20 times a day...

David :
Right.

Foster :
If your primary sexual relationship is
with your own hand, something is Wrong.

David :
Yeah, except, at least with masturbation, some 
action is being performed though, right?
Isn't that... That's better.

Foster :
…..okay, You can make Me look like
a real dick if You print this.

David :
(CHUCKLES) No, I'm not going to,
but if you can, Speak into The Mic.

Foster :
Yes, you're performing 
muscular movements
with your hand as you're jerking off,
but what you're really doing, 
I Thinkis --

You're running A Movie 
in Your Head.

Yeah, I’ve seen This Bit before.
You said that sentence 
got away from you.

…It….  got away from me, yeah.


Next thing You’re Going to Say
is “Well, I can Hear You.

Well, I can Hear You.


You're having A Fantasy-relationship
with somebody who is not real, strictly 
to stimulate a neurological response.




This is Impossible!

I know, it’s brilliant!




Foster :
So look, as The Internet grows 
in the next 10, 15 years and 
Virtual-Reality pornography
becomes a reality...

David :
Hmm.

Foster :
...we're gonna have to develop some 
real Machinery inside Our Guts to 
turn-off pure, unalloyed pleasure.
Or, I don't know about you,
I'm gonna have to Leave The Planet.

David :
Why?

Foster :
'Cause The Technology is just
gonna get better and better,
and it's gonna get easier and easier,
and more and more convenient,
and more and more pleasurable
to sit alone

With images on a screen given to Us 
by People who Do Not Love Us,
but want Our Money.

And that's fine in low doses.

But if it's the basic main staple
of your diet, You're gonna Die.

David :
Well, come on.

Foster :
In a very Meaningful way,
You're Going to Die.

The Following Morning :
The Last Day.


(Foster puts a wad of chewing 
tobacco in his mouth — )

David :
Hey, can I try that, actually?

Foster :
Yeah, it takes some getting 
used-to. Go ahead.

David :
Thanks.

Foster :
(Points at his mouth) It goes 
right there.

David :
(CHUCKLES) Yeah, I know.

MmmHmm.

That's, um... Mmm
Actually, can I use 
your bathroom
for a second?

Foster :
(quietly smirking) I believe 
it's unoccupied.

David :
Right. Hmm.

(WATER RUNNING)
- (FLIPS PAPER)