I thought Robert Redford’s butchering of the English language had reached its limits with the message featured in last fall’s Sundance catalog, but the 72-year-old actor/director/producer/environmentalist continues to explore new frontiers in word-splicing.
The early-summer 2008 catalog included a mind-bending rumination on Austin, Texas that was expertly analyzed by Bullet-Proof Glace. Note BPG’s characterization of the Redford style: “Bobby Red welcomes you into each catalog with the meandering stream-of-consciousness thought patterns of Kerouac crammed into the stunted sentence structure of Hemingway told through the sepia-toned lens of nostalgic Hollywood.”
Now let’s move on to the most recent catalog message:
This book squares on my favorite area of the country, the southwest. Hot chilis, margaritas, loose clothing, Latin American and raw pioneering energy blending into color and song. I had a Bultaco once. It was hot and quick. So quick I got separated from my seat while trying to forge a stream.
Enjoy the heat.
To BPG’s trenchant commentary I’ll add just one additional point. By referring to his magazine-like catalog as a “book,” Redford made me wonder whether he was talking about the catalog itself or some coffee-table tome advertised within it. With most bad writing, I can read at least one full sentence before I’m thrown from my Bultaco, so to speak, but in this instance I was bucked off in only two words!
I guess the raw pioneering energy is too much for me.
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