monk222: (Noir Detective)

Sheepy was talking about how nice it will be to be free from the bombardment of seasonal music, and that one more play of "Jingle Bell Rock" could be the final straw inducing criminal insanity. Monk then realized, on this Christmas morning, that he has not heard that song. He has been riveted to the All-Elvis station, trying to catch "Merry Christmas, Baby" as many times as he can. By only listening to Elvis music, he missed out on a whole season of other great Christmas songs, and it will be another year before he can enjoy them, until he realized that he still had the day to catch some of the merry tunes and salvage something of the season.

Aside from the issue of how could Elvis not record "Jingle Bell Rock," how could Monk let the season pass by like this? And I'm afraid that noir fiction is much to blame for this obliviousness.

What can one say? People quit the world and this crucible of life all the time. Some people swallow their gun, some do deep abstract art on their wrists, and some swing by the neck from the ceiling fan.

Then you have the other kind, the chihuahua-hearted souls who cannot steel their nerve to take that leap of faith and give the final stamp to their world-weary convictions. Life for them is just a long, slow goodbye. I've probably seen them all: the alcoholics, the drug addicts, and even the sex addicts - and none of them are too pretty. But perhaps the worst of all are the pop-fiction addicts.

You know what I'm talking about. You see them at the paperback aisles opening the new Grisham or Stephen King novels, or the latest spy, crime, or romance stories, feverishly skimming the first pages and looking for the promise of that peculiar kind of emotional high that can only come from a fast, page-turning narrative of foul murder and sleazy sex. Yeah, it's sad. Just yesterday, on Christmas Eve no less, Monk was strung out and poring through Amazon.com's stock, and he ordered Fade to Blonde and Little Girl Lost.

What can I say? It's like I was telling Dee, I never promised you a happy ending. This is real life, boys and girls. And it's almost never pretty.

*lights up another cheap cigar, takes another look at the dead letters, nods his approval from behind a dense cloud of foul smoke, and watches the screen fade to black*

xXx

Date: 2005-12-25 02:36 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] -ehakus-.livejournal.com
Though this entry was quite melancholy, it was wonderfully written. You have a real way with words; I'm hoping that you'll write your own noir-fiction and post it sometime!

Date: 2005-12-25 09:25 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] hardblue.livejournal.com
Thank you very much! However, the words and ideas don't really flow so easily for me. I can do just enough with them to make blogging a little enjoyable and satisfying, but not much more. This post was an all too rare inspiration, but I'll take whatever I can, whenever I can!

Date: 2005-12-25 03:46 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] bohemiantragedy.livejournal.com
Aw hope you're ok but I enjoyed the way that was written. *hugs* Take care.

Date: 2005-12-25 09:27 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] hardblue.livejournal.com
Thanks, I'm fine, doll. I was mainly slipping into noir mode, sort of getting into character.

Big hugs back, though, mmmm... :)

Date: 2005-12-25 03:55 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] miss-next.livejournal.com
I agree with the other two - beautiful prose, and I hope you're feeling more cheerful now than you were when you wrote it.

Ah, but I keep my emotional highs in a little device about the length of my thumb. It has earphones... ;-)

Date: 2005-12-25 09:40 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] hardblue.livejournal.com
Oh, I'm fine as ever, though perhaps never exactly cheerful, heh. I was slipping into noir character with shadowy exaggerations.

Music is definitely healthier! I'm glad you mentioned the earphones. Cute! ;)

Date: 2005-12-26 12:24 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] tookhernowhere.livejournal.com
ext_12901: (Default)
Pssstt--My housesitting client has about a half dozen Christmas CDs. None of them have "Jingle Bell Rock," but if there's any other particular songs you missed I can check for them and send you MP3s. And I can do it without ever listening to the files, so there's no risk to me or innocent bystanders. ;) Lemme know, okay?

Date: 2005-12-26 06:36 am (UTC)From: [identity profile] hardblue.livejournal.com
Thanks, doll, I appreciate the gesture, truly. But it just wouldn't be the same knowing that I would be listening alone, know what I mean?

By the way, I did catch "Jingle Bell Rock" once, but it was the Hall & Oates version, which wasn't pretty at all, heh.

Later, babe!

Date: 2005-12-26 01:16 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] imperfectively.livejournal.com
wow. just wow.

i fit in paragraph 3 and 4. thought about it, didn't do it. and i've certainly weasled out of it through drinking and drugging.

i also bought some books: a million little pieces and tuesdays with morrie. i've read tuesdays before, but love the book. i can't really stand fiction, although i seem to have a bit of it.

take care.

Date: 2005-12-26 06:19 pm (UTC)From: [identity profile] hardblue.livejournal.com
This was one of my more inspired efforts, a little too rare.

Pop fiction is poison! I'm glad you don't have that weakness.

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