People are strange (A short story)

FYI: I am not fluent in English, I’m trying to be at least. Sorry for the potentials mistakes. Feel free to correct me in the comment section.

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Letter received and diffused by The New-York Pines after the gruesome discovery of a dead body in Greenwich Village :

Greetings New-Yorkers and to the whole wide world ;

I discovered that I must be a strange fellow since my art wasn’t recognized the way I thought it would be.

This is annoying to put your heart and soul into something and seeing it end up being a disaster.

Maybe because people are strange, or maybe this is all me. I’m confused…

I’ve carefully choosed my subject and the scenery. The message that I wanted to share with the world completely falled apart. Nobody seems to have really understood my work, my art. I have put a lot of heart and effort into it. But people don’t seems to appreciate this art of mine.

It was beautifull, at least from my point of view.

Carefully hanged on an old telegraphic wire linking two building, hanging in the air and crossing a busy and scenic commercial street, there was exposed my masterpiece, for you all to see.

A torso that I, the « misunderstood artist » sculpted and carved into the most noble components. A component that no artist ever use, or very rarely.

Just a torso a real human torso, suspended in the air in the same pose as the Christ on his cross.

It took some time to do this… finding the right materials, the place… It took some thinking to hang my art piece in the right place. I won’t really go into details, a magician keep is secret, and so does the artist.

What kind of message I wanted to vehiculate ? This is the kind of questions no artists should answer ! Let it to your audience to build their own opinion. Why does the artist always need to explain his work ? It’s too easy if we revealed the true meaning of our art ! Let the individual to make is own assumption. That’s why art exist : make up your own minds, find the meaning, your personnal one.

Does a piece of art always have to make sense ? Hell no ! It have a meaning for sure, unconsciously, we give it one when we’re creating it. Personally, I let my instincts take the wheel of my creativity. Can’t go wrong if it is from a feeling deep within my soul that my art come to life.

But, like I said before, people are strange. Jim Morrison used to sing about this. He probably knew how strange it was to be an artist, a successful one, and seeing all those peoples, fans, journalists, critics, others artists, criticizing your work and at the same time your life. Wich is stupid !

Let me give you and advice : you have to differentiate the personnal life of an artists from his work. Those are two completely different entities.

And as for the way an artist express himself, one should not judge them to harshly.

Of course I say that in my own defense because I know that I have traumatised peoples by hangin a real human torso in a middle of a busy street.

Lessen, it was an experience, yes a awfull one but I did get reactions !

Next time, I’ll kill the guy in front of your innocents and pathetic eyes !

What I did was art. And it’s a disrespectful to call me a narcissistic and perverted killer !

I have made New-York a trend Again ! I’m the new Andy Warhol !

I am a king maker ! That is the name that I want you all, fucking maggots, to call me : The King Maker !

Sincerely ;

The King Maker.

Jaskiers

Publicité

They want blood John ! (A short story)

FYI: I am not fluent in English, I’m trying to be at least. Sorry for the potentials mistakes. Feel free to correct me in the comment section.

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« Dear Thomas and all of the Espire’s redaction;

You’re maybe wondering why I did that to the Perish redaction.

Let me explain myself before being judge, rightfully so, by the public.

I was a writer for that paper for two decades.

The begining here was delightfull. I was able to write whatever I wanted to write about. My work was never disputed by the former boss, M. Anthelm.

I wrote story about everything I wanted to. This was also a great time to learn about story telling and the craft of creating shorts fictions for a wide audience.

My relations with the staff was ideal for a writer. They were open, respectful and dedicated to help me and my work evolve. Nothing was out of bundary, no subject was banished, I had the opportunity to broaden my horizon and my audience. And the pay was decent.

Those years passed by fast, as all the years happen to do when you have a lot of work.

M. Anthelm was a mentor, a friend, a confident. Always up to publish new things. As I said, they was no bundaries.

Freedom. That was the magazine was all about. That was what America was all about. That’s the way we all saw it back in those days. Freedom of speech. A real free press.

Old boss, like I loved to call him, had to retire, cancer. Fucking lung cancer. I told him many times : Anthelm, good ol’ boss, stop smoking, that’s not healthy, tobacco isn’t a medecine ! They have been lying to us, it destroy your lungs and all ». But of course, being a old man, and a boss of a successful newspaper/magazine, he told me, very politely, to focus on my work instead of focusing on him. Fair.

The next week of that conversation, I had writed a short story about a man dying of cancer because of the cigarette. He was dying, leaving his family not only with a painfull grieving to do but also with greats difficulties. The man died, and the family was torn apart because they faced problems they could not overcome. The used-to-be stable and perfect family ended up being splitted into clans and it finished with all members facing theirs demons.

A writer have to be a little bit of a prophet sometimes.

M. Anthelm died, we all grieved, we stayed united and strong until the new boss came around.

Here is the start of my demise.

M. Catheren took the place of my good ol’ boss. Right at the begining, things have gone down south with him.

To be honest, I didn’t liked his face, his nonchalant and arrogant attitude. I think he had the same feelings for me.

He hated the first story I gaved to him. And the second, and all the others. I wasn’t able to have a single story publish during three months !

I asked to talk with him, it wasn’t like with the good ol’ boss, I had to pass trought is assistant, who had to communicate to him my desire to have a meeting. It took three days to finaly have hold of him.

I took the opportunity to ask him what was is problem with my stories and what does he really wanted from me and my writing.

He started by telling me that the time had changed, and that, all of us, had to adapt to that new world.

The time didn’t changed since he became the boss, he was so vain that he thought that just by becoming the head of the magazine, everyone working for him had to change, change in his direction. For a boss, this could be seen as normal but he was far, far from being a man, a leader, like M. Anthelm.

That was something, being told that when I worked here for decades. But he finally told me, what he really wanted from my writing :

« They want blood John ! Make some cow-boy, outlaws, gangster, cops stories, those stories that’s spill blood at every words ! The people Johnny, they want to be entertained ! Bring out the guns ! Violence ! That’s what’s sell now ! And you better be good at it ! You have to prove your worth toward me ! This is America Johnny, we work hard, harder than our neighboor, and we work well ! We make sacrifices so we can all succeed in our collective project which is, like I’ve said the day I became the boss, to be the number one magazine in America ! Fuck the others ! Especially Espire ! Esquire is managed by M. Thomas, a prick, a coward, someone that call himself a intellectual ! Ah ! Fuck ‘em Johnny ! I don’t want my magazine to be a den of intelectuals ! I want it to be the fast food of the magazine industry ! You can do that John right ? You’re with me right ? Ah ! You old cunt, you better be if you don’t wanna finish unemployed. A unemployed writer life is a life heading for the gutter ! Johnny, you don’t want to finish like that. Now, write me some bloody stories. No more talk, we need content, and the content that our everchanging audience really want. Out now ! Let’s get to work will ya’! »

Yes, those where is words. This men, coming from nowhere, that nobody in the industry knew, had the nerves to gave me lessons about how our magazine worked.

I had to do something but he said one true thing : I would have ended up in the gutter if I didn’t followed his directions.

This is why a write this letter to you, M. Anthelm. You and your magazine have been our fierce rival. We can never be good without a great rival. And God know you were a great opponent.

Why do I wrote those last lines like it was over ?

This letter will be my testimony, explaining why I did this.

Hopefully, when you’ll receive this letter, my plan would have come to term, successfully.

Yes, I have killed M. Catheren. He wanted me to spill blood, he got served.

I ended my life after my killing. Didn’t wanted to finish in prison for a young arrogant piece of shit.

Publish that letter, or do whatever you want with it. Make some money from that tragedy, scrap it to the last dollar you could produce with it.

Hopefully you will resume your outstanding work. The work of a real litterature’s magazine !

Long live the free writers ! Long live freedom. Long live America !

Yours truly;

Johnny V. Covack.

—

Jaskiers

The old men and his old coat. (A short story in english)

[WARNING : I’M NOT FLUENT IN ENGLISH]

[Ceci est une petite histoire écrite en anglais, ou du moins, j’ai essayé]

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He woke up, same things as always.

« Sadly » he would have told you.

He glance, like every morning, at his wedding picture placed on his bedside table. « Audrey was beautiful this summer day » you would have heard him muttered as he slowly get up from his bed.

Achille, his old labrador, come to lick his right hand. « He know my bones are failing me, he is very intelligent ».

He put the radio on, Bob Dylan just finished singing about his meeting with a tambourine man when he hear the unfamiliar voice of a news anchor. « I used to love listenning to this station because nobody speak ! Look like I’ll have to find a new one to listen to. »

While he struggle to pour his black coffee, he mumble again. « Looks like no one want to shut up nowadays, everyone have something to say and, worst of all, they wan’t to be heard ! We can’t live if we have to stop to listen to everyone griefs. »

He sat down at his kitchen table, his whole body shaking and let out a gasp of relieve when he is finaly seated.

If it would have been a regular morning, you would have seen Jim stiring his spoon in the coffee cup at the rythm of a random folksong. « The day Dylan put the electric on his shoudler, that’s the day the music ended, I tell you », He would have say. But no stiring today, the news anchor was speaking.

« This night, at 2 AM, the Goldiathy attacked his neighbour, Davolidy. The tension have been building for months between the two states. »

« Ah ! Hear that Achille ! War ! What mens are the best at ! Let’s hear some more Achille ! Let’s hear the reason for that war, you’ll see Achille, they always find a reason to start a war, but the real stupidity is the reason why they will continue to kill each other, listen ! »

« Poldummy, president of Goldiathy since 20 years, declared that they attacked Davolidy, stating a fear of aggression by the davolidien. The american intel warned the president of Davolidy of the bellicist project and probable aggression by the goldiathien since months. The multiple meetings between the two presidents seems to have not de-escalete the growing tension. »

« Hear that Achille my boy ! They attacked they’r neighbor by fear of being attacked first. That my boy, this is a very very normal and basic excuse to start a war ! Christ ! How stupid ! Ah ! But now, let’s listen how much damage have been done, listen, civilians, Achille, civilians, the ones who haven’t asked for nothing, listen, how much of them have been killed. What Achille ? Yes, you right, maybe some soldiers died but you see, the civilian often are the one dying first and, yes I tell you, they’re always civilians victims, most of the time, they’re is more dead civilians than dead soldiers. Listen ! »

« The first attack was by shelling on the davolydien capital, 10 civilians dead, 2 were kids, 100 hundred others injured. »

« See Achille see ! Hey you ! What ? Bing bang boum ! Why did you kill me ? I don’t know really, I just do what I’m told ! But am no soldier ! Can’t really control the bomb, my bad. »

« The davodylodiens president, Kelevenven, retaliated by ordering the bombing of the goldathien capital. 5 civilians dead. The world expressed they’re worries and stressed that both part should go back to diplomatie. But goldathien troups crossed the border and fierces fights are currently occuring at the… »

« You know sometimes Achille, I think history repeats itself like that… I don’t remember who said that but it’s true ! Yes, Achille we will go for our morning walk but do you know why I always wear that dirty ol’ coat ? No ? That’s the only things I’ve kept from my deployment in Vietnam. I threw away everything Achille, medals and all ! Useless ! That coat was usefull, still use it ! Audrey hated it ! She used to say that when I was wearing it, I didn’t looked like myself, that somehow, she probably felt this with that instinct womens have for seeing invisible things that affect mens, I acted differently when I was rocking it. Yeah I know let’s go ! Wait, one more thing Ulysse, do you know who won the Vietnam war ? Well, The deads ! Because they don’t have to endure life anymore ! And somehow, I’m sure, they ended up in heaven. Like Forgety used to sing, they were’nt fortunate sons. Anyway, enough rambling for today. Let’s walk ! »

The old man put on his old army jacket, who was laid on the chair next to him, and get up without difficulty, no more shaking, no more rambling about the pain.

He ties Ulysse on his leash, open the doors, the sun is bright, you could almost see his dark silhouette changing. His back straight up as he close the door with confidence.

Jaskiers

Joker de Todd Phillips

Synopsis :

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), comédien de stand-up raté, est agressé alors qu’il erre dans les rues de Gotham déguisé en clown. Méprise de tous et bafoué, il bascule peu à peu dans la folie pour devenir le Joker, un dangereux tueur psychotique. Un chef d’œuvre du réalisateur Todd Phillips.

– Comme je l’ai écrit pour mon article sur Once upon a Time in Hollywood, je ne suis pas un fin connaisseur de films. MAIS, ce Joker m’as attiré depuis plus d’un an.

Je me souviens de Phoenix dans Gladiator, film qui m’as marqué. Je connais aussi l’immense De Niro mais surtout, j’ai une fascination bizarre pour le Joker.

Car le Joker est peut-être le vilain le plus connus, mais aussi et surtout, je suis fasciné par la « psychologie » du personnage. Le Joker semble être un rôle que beaucoup d’acteur rêve de jouer, et ceux qui l’ont incarné précédemment (Mark Hamill, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger…) ont tous endossés avec brio et sérieux le rôle du vilain. Heath Ledger remportera, à titre posthume, l’Oscar du meilleur acteur pour un second rôle pour son interprétation du Joker dans Batman : The Dark Knight. Et au début de l’année 2020, Joaquin Phoenix a remporté l’Oscar du meilleur acteur pour Joker.

J’avais donc beaucoup de raisons d’espérer voir un bon film, un chef-d’œuvre comme présenté dans le résumé.

Trivia sympa : l’inspiration pour la création du Joker et de son sourire vient du film muet allemand L’homme qui rit, tiré du roman eponyme de Victor Hugo ! Les traits de l’acteur Conrad Veidt ont servit pour la création graphique du Joker ! (voir photo)

Place maintenant au film.

J’ai beaucoup lu d’articles décrivant des spectateurs sortant du cinéma (le film est sorti fin 2019, un temps où il n’y avait pas de Covid, oui oui, vous vous rappelez de ce temps ?) car le film était « trop violent » et je dois dire que je ne suis pas d’accord, loin d’être gore ou violant à outrance. Certes oui la violence est présente, mais placée judicieusement.

Je crois que le succès du film vient aussi de l’époque où l’on vie. Certaines scènes peuvent rappeler des problèmes qui ont eux lieu pendant la « crise des gilets jaunes » et maintenant la crise de la Covid.

Récemment, dans des soulèvements qui ont eux lieu à Hong-Kong, Londres, Beyrouth et aux États-Unis, des manifestants portaient le masque du Joker. -> https://www.midilibre.fr/2019/10/24/manifestations-le-masque-du-joker-un-symbole-de-protestation-qui-fait-le-tour-du-monde,8502223.php

Un autre sujet important, pour moi, et le problème des traitements psychiatriques et comment, la société considère, souvent péjorativement les malades. À mon humble avis, la psychiatrie a encore beaucoup de chemin à parcourir pour arriver à soigner dignement et efficacement les patients et la société aussi, à besoin d’apprendre et de comprendre les malades, qui ne sont pas fous, mais malades.

Dans le cas du Joker, sa pathologie s’empire avec l’effondrement du système sanitaire et du manque d’argent pour ce dernier.

Je ne puis en dire plus, je pense, par peur de vous spoiler le film.

On peut par contre parler de la prestation, superbe, de Joaquin Phoenix. Le Joker, un homme malade, qui souffre du syndrome pseudo-bulbaire(PBA) qui provoque chez le malade des crises de fou rire incontrôlable http://pseudo-bulbaire(PBA), devient un psychopathe. L’environnement, une faiblesse de la société et une enfance traumatisante et le cocktail est prêt. Le psychopathe est né.

Joaquin interprète et glisse de l’homme au tueur avec une certaine « finesse », le directeur Todd Phillips doit en être pour quelque chose aussi. La transition est parfaite, l’interprétation de même.

Je conseil le film à un public averti et mature.

Le Vilain le plus connus est charismatique certe, mais cela reste du cinéma, une fiction et j’ai peur que certaines personnes prennent le caractère du Joker comme quelque chose de « normal ». Ce qu’il n’est pas. Il reste un meurtrier de sang froid, de masse, un opportuniste, prenant avantage de la situation pour commettre ses crimes. Cela reste un bon film, qui a tapé pile au moment de sa sortie. –

Jaskiers