How cool was Will Freeman? This cool: he had slept with a woman he didn't know very well in the last three months (five points). He had spent more than three hundred pounds on a jacket (five points). He had spent more than twenty pounds on a haircut (five points) (how was it possible to spend less than twenty pounds on a haircut in 1993?) He owned more than five hip-hop albums (five points). He had taken Ecstasy (five points), but in a club and not merely at home as a sociological exercise (five bonus points)...
I have to say that I didn't like this book very much but the film was excellent.
Guess the book and then post a quote of your own Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
About A Boy.
quote:The sweetness was turned to adamantine, heartless cruelty and the purity to voluptuous wantonness.
I like the last two words.
Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
Dracula.
quote: "But, my dear Sebastian, you can't seriously believe it all." "Can't I?" "I mean about Christmas and the star and the three kings and the ox and the ass." "Oh yes, I believe that. It's a lovely idea." "But you can't believe things because they're a lovely idea." "But I do. That's how I believe."
Posted by Louche (Member # 450) on :
Brideshead Revisited
quote:I killed a Saxophonist? And for that, I get this?
[ 22.10.2004, 08:51: Message edited by: Louche ]
Posted by dang65 (Member # 102) on :
So, how cool was Will Freeman then? (I've got more than five Hip Hop albums but, er, that's the only one with a tick next to it.)
As for own choice of quote, not that I'm entitled to one, I'd say:
He started forward in a straight line, and the wall of officers before him parted like the Red Sea. Glancing neither left nor right he strode indomitably up to the steam counter and, in a clear, full-bodied voice that was gruff with age and resonant with ancient eminence and authority, said: "Gimme eat." Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
Dang's is Catch 22. Louche's is too hard.
Posted by Louche (Member # 450) on :
It's not difficult at all when you consider it is me what has posted it.
Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
Oh! American Psycho?
Posted by H1ppychick (Member # 529) on :
whatevs, too slow.
[ 22.10.2004, 09:01: Message edited by: H1ppychick ]
Posted by Louche (Member # 450) on :
Yes. From whence else would I get a line, as though plucked from air? Although, obviously, you weren't here to witness me cock my head to the left momentarily, pluck said line from the air, then make a complete and utter UBB hash of posting the fucker.
Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
I did briefly wonder what a soxophonist was.
Posted by Louche (Member # 450) on :
Someone who plays with woollen footcoverings?
Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
yes, or minuature baseball players.
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
It's quite hard to recall quotes properly, innit? How about opening/closing scenes of novels?
I mean, I'm assuming this thread is going to continue. I really don't expect to have to spend the rest of my Friday afternoon "working."
Posted by mart (Member # 32) on :
quote:Originally posted by Louche: From whence
You do know that's tautological, don't you.
quote:'Filleted steak for two, and a bottle of Bass.' It was the bravest act of Theodore Racksole's life, and yet at more than one previous crisis a high courage had not been lacking to him.
Posted by mart (Member # 32) on :
I can't imagine any of you have read that, so you're allowed to Google it if you like. Or at least guess the era. I don't know.
I like the idea of book endings/beginnings.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
quote:Originally posted by mart:
quote:Originally posted by Louche: From whence
You do know that's tautological, don't you.
quote:'Filleted steak for two, and a bottle of Bass.' It was the bravest act of Theodore Racksole's life, and yet at more than one previous crisis a high courage had not been lacking to him.
The Babylon Hotel innit?
"Crack the glass of her virginity, and make the rest malleable."
[ 22.10.2004, 09:27: Message edited by: Thorn Davis ]
Posted by mart (Member # 32) on :
The Grand Babylon Hotel, yes. :thumbsup: Posted by mart (Member # 32) on :
The Magus? edit: Thorn's
[ 22.10.2004, 09:31: Message edited by: mart ]
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
quote:Originally posted by mart: The Magus?
No - although I may have broken the rules by choosing a play. But I read it in book form.
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by Petite: How cool was Will Freeman? This cool: he had slept with a woman he didn't know very well in the last three months (five points). He had spent more than three hundred pounds on a jacket (five points). He had spent more than twenty pounds on a haircut (five points) (how was it possible to spend less than twenty pounds on a haircut in 1993?) He owned more than five hip-hop albums (five points). He had taken Ecstasy (five points), but in a club and not merely at home as a sociological exercise (five bonus points)...
How depressing. I've never even read any Nick Hornby and yet I guessed the extract was from one of his books before I was halfway through the second sentence.
Who 'reads' this shit? I challenge anyone to come up with a more cringe-inducing passage than the above.
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
Thorn's isn't The Alchemist, is it? It seems kinda 6th Formy.
The end of Ben Elton's Stark, which was my sig for a while, surely beats the opening paragraph of About A Boy.
[ 22.10.2004, 10:09: Message edited by: Vogon Poetess ]
Posted by damo (Member # 722) on :
er. maybe its a poor attempt at looking at the crapness of will freeman who judges everything by lists?
cringe inducing passages? bad science fiction terrible modern novels awful awful classics
they're all in there. spacesuitcorsetrippingvampiresupinspacewithlesbianerotica. that's usually bad.
as is ben elton.
eta that ben elton comment was before i read vp
[ 22.10.2004, 10:10: Message edited by: damo ]
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: Thorn's isn't The Alchemist, is it? It seems kinda 6th Formy.
"Kind of 6th formy"? Wow - there's literary criticism skills in action. Anyway, no it's not from the Alchemist, but you're in the right time frame.
[ 22.10.2004, 10:13: Message edited by: Thorn Davis ]
Posted by Astromariner (Member # 446) on :
The Duchess of Malfi?
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
quote:Originally posted by Vogon Poetess: The end of Ben Elton's Stark, which was my sig for a while, surely beats the opening paragraph of About A Boy.
In furriness, by the final page of Stark, the reader's sensibilities are so well-reamed by the formica dingus of Elton's prose that the limp pop-shot of the pay-off hardly registers.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
quote:Originally posted by Astromariner: The Duchess of Malfi?
No, not this one either. At what point do i just cough up on the name of the play? That way the forum can get on with playing the game that was going quite well until I blundered in and ruined it for everyone. Sorry, everyone.
[ 22.10.2004, 10:24: Message edited by: Thorn Davis ]
Posted by London (Member # 29) on :
Measure for Measure?
Posted by damo (Member # 722) on :
something by james herbert. with your literary pretensions your spoiling us msr thorn.
Posted by London (Member # 29) on :
Oh I just googled it! I was half-right!
Posted by Raz (Member # 449) on :
quote:Originally posted by ben: formica dingus
heh
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
"Kinda 6th Formy" = reminds me of something we read then.
I thought it might have been the suitors at the beginning of Lear, but Google tells me it is a Shakespeare I haven't read, so that's hardly fair.
Posted by Raz (Member # 449) on :
This is a paraquote, as my copy of this book is on its way back from S'pain!
quote:"This will count alongside all the other bad things you done." Seria Mau screamed, "Bad things I done? Bad things I done?" She fired up the engines. "Fuck off, Moire, and take some speaking lessons."
Sorry all your quotes are too highbrigh! Although I would have got Louche's NOT JUST BECAUSE IT WAS LOUCHE.
Posted by Petite (Member # 539) on :
quote:Originally posted by ben:
quote:Originally posted by Petite: How cool was Will Freeman? This cool: he had slept with a woman he didn't know very well in the last three months (five points). He had spent more than three hundred pounds on a jacket (five points). He had spent more than twenty pounds on a haircut (five points) (how was it possible to spend less than twenty pounds on a haircut in 1993?) He owned more than five hip-hop albums (five points). He had taken Ecstasy (five points), but in a club and not merely at home as a sociological exercise (five bonus points)...
How depressing. I've never even read any Nick Hornby and yet I guessed the extract was from one of his books before I was halfway through the second sentence.
Who 'reads' this shit? I challenge anyone to come up with a more cringe-inducing passage than the above.
I did make it easy, so that people who had seen the film could also take part
The fact that you don't rate the books of an author whose books you've never read doesn't really interest me. It is, however, your loss, as High Fidelity is brilliantly funny and kick started a whole load of copy cat book, an entire genre, infact.
Posted by kovacs (Member # 28) on :
quote:Originally posted by Petite: It is, however, your loss, as High Fidelity ...kick started a whole load of copy cat book, an entire genre, infact.
Hold on, that isn't any indicator of quality at all. Three objections:
1. and most fundamental, if you regret the existence of the genre that one book (arguably) kick-started -- I suppose you mean "lad-lit" -- then the responsibility of that book for a slurry of other, probably even worse novels of the same type is not going to endear it to you. QUITE THE REVERSE.
2. It would be a safer bet to say that Fever Pitch started the sub-genre of "lad-lit".
3. The above quotation isn't from High Fidelity.
And the bonus number 4: Ben is, I think, quite reasonable in finding it depressing that he can identify Hornby's list-style so quickly. I haven't read About A Boy either, but the paragraph above is groaningly similar to the opening of High Fidelity. I find that pretty lame myself.
[ 22.10.2004, 12:47: Message edited by: kovacs ]
Posted by Petite (Member # 539) on :
Thorn
Having googled "Crack the glass of her virginity, and make the rest malleable." I've discoved that it came from Pericles, Prince of Tyre Can't say that I've ever heard of it Who is this Shakespeare person? Great quote though
Here's another one... opening line
"London. Michealmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather"
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Too late to play but hey...
quote:Originally posted by Petite:
"London. Michealmas Term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln's Inn Hall. Implacable November weather"
Bleak House.
quote: 'Does she shag?' said Stamp, speaking the phrase as though it were a headline.
[ 22.10.2004, 14:17: Message edited by: jonesy999 ]
Posted by discodamage (Member # 66) on :
jonesy! im glad youre here. (or were). have you ever posted on seemo a libellous post about the sexual proclivities of una stubbs? i was having a libellous conversation about the sexual proclivities of una stubbs this evening and i thought 'im sure this isnt the first time ive been told this- im sure jonesy once posted something of this ilk on seemo'. i may be utterly hatstand though.
Posted by London (Member # 29) on :
Wasn't it on Popbitch? About shitting on a boy's chest or something?
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Sorry for the delay in responding to you about the sexual proclivities of Una Stubbs.
I did post it, yes. And London is right, the story was about how a young sound technician discovered Una's fondness for mud sports, when she laid a huge 'daniel' (mother's word) on his chest. It's an old story which has been doing the rounds for years (I first heard it in about 1998) so I don't doubt it's made it on to pop bitch at some time.
Posted by damo (Member # 722) on :
is this before or after cliff richard fucked her?
Posted by discodamage (Member # 66) on :
oh! my story is different. but i cant put it on here because an integral part of the story's comedic value is the source's relationship to una, and im not sure hed want me to put it on the internet.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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Can't say that I've ever heard of it Who is this Shakespeare person? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Great quote though ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)