Don’t you see I just don’t get along
With the pestering of governing
Heads and the headstrong

Cos they don’t see the lonely
Sitting in vacant rooms
They still believe in the imaginary
Old scattered Gold standard bones

So don’t please kid follow anything
That seems to make much sense
Cos if you do, your reacting
Will get you over the south fence

Oh I felt good once
When I actually heard some speak
But that was before this
Transformation into something that’s only weak

The year is 1969. Film noir and the gangster genre have been over done. Filmmakers have raped and pillaged this goldmine of story and suspense. Even the French New Wave imitates this, new light or not.

Jean-Pierre Melville (“Le Samourai,” “Bob le Flambeur,” and the inspiration for the French New Wave) created a wonderful masterpiece that fucking tears a whole through the four walls of storytelling: “L’Armee des Ombres.” I can’t go into detail of the plot, just know it is a must see. It can be found here.

Melville has no political goal while he shows the real French Resistance, WWII. Due to the almost gangster approach taken to spotlight the resistance, there was much controversy over Melville’s agenda. This is not an issue and he was not anti-resistance. The man participated in the resistance, how could he be against it? “L’Armee des Ombres” is a very personal story that took Melville many years to create, yet a large portion of the French public shunned it for belief of a political agenda countering their own. The same shit hit the fan when American filmmaker Sam Fuller created his war films. The man was an infantry soldier and people tried tearing his films apart for being communist and anti-war (as well as liberal bashing for pro-war). Film does not always take a political stance. In the case of Melville and Fuller, these guys just wanted to tell the truth of what really happened.

Yes, this shows the French Resistance. Melville participated in the resistance fighting to free his country. But this film is not an attempt to glorify or justify the battle that these Frenchmen undertook. Melville shows the truth: sometimes the good guy does some dirty deeds. The resistance parallels the life of organized crime in “L’Armee des Ombres.” The line between the corrupt and justified (which Melville often muddied) has disappeared, completely vanished. Never have freedom fighters looked so cool.

Do you create boundaries in your dreams?
‘Cos I can mend together anything.
Anything can be created
and I believe in fiction

 Tell me what truth is in your transformed world
Is it anything like me
or do you just repeat?
Slow slow slow slow-ly
Say it til it don’t mean a thing
Scream until the word truly becomes a word
and ceases to exist.

Can’t you see the noise?
The waves smash ship and crack necks
whiplash broken face into a wooden post

There is no face now.
There are no eyes.
No sight.  No Smell.  No taste.

But – damn – can you hear?

I felt myself erupt into a thousand broken pieces.
If a jigsaw is a puzzle than what is a shattered window?
Or a mirror in shards on the tile floor?
You won’t get your answer on some leather couch
in some mood-lit office –
just shakes and shakes
and a bitter taste
of self abuse.
‘Cos she says it’s your responsibility.
Why didn’t you tell her?
Why didn’t you stand up for yourself?
Why?
You’ve been asking yourself these questions all along.
Isn’t she the new bully?
Aren’t you cornered?
Yeah –  you stop telling jokes, I suppose
when you’re picked apart under the microscope.
They’re no longer your problems –
it’s research, kid.
Hear “stand up” but stay seated.
That’s what I’m telling you
That’s what I’ve learned

Oh all the time you’ve wasted
on dreaming and sleeping in
Kid – you don’t get anything
and we’ll never let you win

Don’t think anymore
And please sell us your soul
We want your mind for dying
Follow us to feed the lion

Did they ever hear your call -
the gods you once dreamt of?
Well they’re not here
and we can hear
So just let go of control
and call your name at roll

We can melt down the furnace
or throw you right back in
We can soothe your boiled burns
and give you them again in turns

And Kid, we can see you’re tired
so come on and jump right in

I’ve been overseas ladies and gentlemen.  And they taught me what is national identity.  Yes, they’ve got their green efforts, anti-military stances and personal politician-citizen relationships.  Yes, we have our love for braindead locomotives, assembly-lining paper, greasing gears with the last drop in the can and allowing the wolf-crier to make personal decisions.

But did you know we have something even more special than that?  Our teeth.  Yes – yes girls and boys, our teeth!  It’s cos we have teeth groomers!  All that flouride in the water, you can bleach, you can cap, you can gap, you can straighten and pull!  We take this seriously, America.  We have superior teeth – now isn’t that something to be proud of?