
The Butchering Capacity of the Sundance Kid
August 23, 2008I 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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