Statement: ‘Appy-polly-loggies, oh my brothers (and to all devotchkas and ptitsas)!’

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Apparently The Onion had this back in November, but they just tweeted it again:

Alex DeLarge Forced To Step Down As Leader Of Droogs Amidst Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct

LONDON—Pushed out of power as the damning charges mounted, Alex DeLarge was forced to step down Wednesday as leader of the Droogs amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. “In an unfortunate development, we have been forced to remove Mr. DeLarge from his post due to the startling accusations of sexual impropriety that have come to light,” said Droog member Georgie, explaining that although the group had systems in place to swiftly address such allegations, it clearly did not adequately follow those procedures. “Even though these acts took place decades ago, it does not excuse Alex’s heinous and unforgivable actions. This is not at all what the Droogs stand for.” At press time, DeLarge had offered to undergo two weeks of rigorous aversion therapy to rehabilitate himself.

We have high hopes for this Ludovico Technique, which is the heighth of fashion in reconditioning, and we expect our droogie to be back at the Korova Milkbar in his platties of the night at fortnight’s end, slooshying to lovely Ludwig van.

For now, he has a bit of a pain in the gulliver, so bedways is rightways…

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11 thoughts on “Statement: ‘Appy-polly-loggies, oh my brothers (and to all devotchkas and ptitsas)!’

  1. Brad Warthen Post author

    That book is such a guilty pleasure. The language hypnotizes, and draws me in despite the revolting subject matter. The film isn’t quite as great, but Kubrick took a brave crack at it…

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      And I emphasize “guilty.”

      Remember Manifest record store (actually, it may still be there, but I’ve haven’t been in ages, for obvious reasons)? Back when my kids were teenagers, I was in there a lot. Anyway, I was in there once and saw a Clockwork Orange T-shirt hanging high up on a wall.

      I told my wife I wanted it, and got it among my presents at Christmas. Then I read the words under the picture, which went something like: “The tale of a young man and his friends and their evenings filled with drugs, Beethoven, ultraviolence and rape…”

      I got to “rape” and rolled up the shirt and took it back to the store….

    2. Brad Warthen Post author

      I’ll just act like I’m not the only one interested here…

      Anyone ever read anything else by Burgess? Interesting guy. The Wanting Seed is weird enough to make Clockwork seem normal.

      He also wrote a novel based on the life of Jesus, Man of Nazareth. As you might imagine, he had quite a fresh take on the subject….

  2. Karen Pearson

    I read it way back when. It was different but I believe I decided that the physical, mental, and emotional violence committed by both sides could only incite more violence.

    1. Brad Warthen Post author

      Did you ever read the version — either the American edition or the British, I’m not sure — in which Alex turned out good in the end?

      I seem to recall that editors somewhere removed it because it was too pat — in the end, he just grew up. As he moved beyond adolescence, he stopped wanting to rend and destroy.

      It started with seeing a baby, and suddenly thinking he’d like to have one of his own someday…

  3. Bart

    Tried to watch the movie one time but after senseless violence, rape and anti-social rhetoric, stopped watching and found another movie I could actually enjoy and relate to. Bored stiff and saw no redeeming quality whatsoever in the movie at all. It was loathsome and the violence was gratuitous intended for the same audiences who reveled in the black exploitation movies that were making an impact at the time.

    Actually encountered someone in the comments section of a great article who used the screen name, Alex DeLarge and had Malcolm McDowell’s photo as Alex as his screen icon. He was just as big of an ass as the character in Clockwork Orange. Never have understood that kind of fictional hero worship and never will, especially a character like DeLarge.

    Guess I am not a great movie buff because some of the so-called great movies are the ones I never liked especially the one labeled as the greatest movie ever made, “Citizen Kane”. I believe Gary Cooper in “The Fountainhead” was much better and the best western ever made was “High Noon” with Cooper.

    1. Mr. Smith

      Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but to me, Cooper was about as wooden as they come. From his contemporaries, I’d take Randolph Scott over Cooper any day.

      Oh, and “The Fountainhead” was a genuine bore. Even worse than the book, which was already bad enough. Rand tried to write a mashup of a romance novel and a philosophical thriller and ended up with a dull mess.

      1. Bart

        Well Mr. Smith or whoever you are, I will paraphrase a quote from a movie you may have liked, “Gone With the Wind”. “Frankly Mr. Smith, I don’t give a damn about your opinion.” When you come forward with credentials verified by Brad, your opinion may have some weight but until then…..

        1. Mr. Smith

          Well ”Bart“ (Simpson, is it?), you’re certainly batting a thousand. Because once again you’ve demonstrated that you have nothing of substance to say in response. Instead, you adopt the Trump approach to anything you don’t like by calling into question the legitimacy of the person behind it.

          I guess that’s your credential.

          1. Brad Warthen Post author

            OK, Bart and Mr. Smith: This is getting quite ad hominem, which is against the rules, so please stick to the subject rather than discussing the character of your interlocutor…

      2. Brad Warthen Post author

        Mr. Smith, I like Gary Cooper myself, but your mention of Randolph Scott reminds me…

        A few days ago I was happy to run across “Gung Ho!” on Amazon Prime. No, not the Michael Keaton comedy. Fascinating wartime flick about Carlson’s Raiders, In fact the full title of the movie is “Gung Ho!: The Story of Carlson’s Makin Island Raiders.”

        Interesting film in a number of ways. The oddest, perhaps, is the fact that even though Carlson’s name is in the long title, the Navy required that the filmmakers not mention either Carlson or his executive officer by name. So Carlson, played by Randolph Scott, is named “Thorwald” in the film.

        I think that sensitivity on the Navy’s part had more to do with the executive officer than Carlson. The XO was James Roosevelt, son of the president and a guy who had a very interesting war.

        It’s not at all surprising that FDR’s son served, but to be second-in-command of a unit that was sort of a forerunner of future special forces like the SEALs and Delta Force — that’s pretty impressive…

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