#its something about knowing those are the last performances by zeppelin/robert | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

brownskinsugarplum76 · 5 years

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NSFW A-Z: Robert Plant

I saw this done first by @xx-kurt-cocaine--xx . I loved your responses! It looked like a lot of fun, and I absolutely knew I had to offer my 2 cents on my lion bae. ☺️ I figured it would also be a good exercise to get me thinking about different conversations/scenarios I could write for my Robert fics. I enjoyed doing this a lot. Great idea you had! 👌🏽❤️

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Aftercare(what they’re like after sex)

*I think it's going to depend on the kind of sex. I think he'd be tender and doting after a romantic romp, or something rough: snuggling, flirting, soft voice conversation. But I could see him being energized and dragging a partner off on some sort of fun adventure after a quickie, a big ball of energy, all laughs, totally invigorated and totally capable of getting his partner to go along with whatever's on his mind.

Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and their partners)

*Robert is clearly very proud of little Robert Anthony and his two lemony friends. And his chest. And his hair. And his legs, with those little red shorts. Everything that he likes to show off is what he likes best.

*On a partner, I think he's going to like whatever her best asset is. I don't think he's exclusively a leg man, breast man, etc. I think women are like beautiful snowflakes to him, and he judges each one on her own merits.

Cum (anything to do with cum…basically I’m a disgusting person)

*I think he's down if the woman's down. Wherever she's comfortable with him releasing on her.

*As far as a woman squirting, our boy loves him some custard pie, in all of its stages of consumption. 😈

Dirty secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

*I think Robert would enjoy being dominated by a woman. I don't think he'd be ashamed of it, but I think it would be something he'd keep between himself and the woman.

*I think younger Robert, say, before the 90s, would not say no to a romp with an older woman.

Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

*Robert was The Sex™ in the 70s. He has a PhD in sexology without ever cracking open a book. There's a reason why there's a lyric in one of his 90s songs says "your body's talking, I swear I've heard it all before."

Favorite Position (This goes without saying)

*I think he likes all the positions. I think he'd enjoy any positon that enables him to assert dominence, show strength, or sex someone deeply. But I think he also enjoys woman on top positions--I think he relishes being under the spell of a strong woman from time to time. I think it's going to depend on his mood which position(s) he chooses for play.

Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

*Goofy during sex? I think it's possible, if he was with someone that he cared about and was in a silly mood, but I think under normal circumstances he'd be intense or passionate or tender, or some combination of those things.

Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc)

*The older Robert gets, the better his hair on his head is maintained, and certainly his facial hair nowadays. He is not one for manscaping below the neck. We know that Robert's hair is some sort of reddish medium-brown, and the hair on his head has traveled to a lot of places on the color spectrum. The carpet and drapes are frequently out of sync color-wise.

Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

*I think Robert craves Intimacy, closeness, touch, PDAs, etc. I think he can get deeply intimate anytime, anywhere. He is generally not afraid to be vulnerable, and he is capable of achieving intimacy in many ways. I once called him an hourly serial monogamist, because I feel like he's able to make deep connections quickly, with anyone, and I think he can bring that level of passion and intensity to any physical dalliance if he wants to. I'm sure he's had anonymous, impersonal sex, but I think forging a connection--no matter how short-lived--is something he enjoys as much as the physical activity.

Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

*Robert has a virtually unlimited supply of partners, but I think there were times when he pleasured himself. Like, I could see a morning orgasm being like a cup of coffee for him if he happened to be by himself. And we know poor Bonzo was subjected to a pre-Zeppelin incident. 😬

Kink (One or more of their kinks)

*I think exhibitionism and voyeurism would be normal. I also think light dom/sub stuff--Robert giving or receiving.

Location (Favourite places to do the do)

*Uh, wherever the mood strikes. Really. 😈 But I do think he would enjoy being outdoors. I fantasize about him being nude on his property. 🥰🥰🥰 I also love the idea of pool sex or shower sex.

Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

*An emotionally/intellectually willing partner who strikes his fancy. I think he would enjoy someone with whom he can have some flirtatious mental sparring. I think he enjoys being physically seductive, but I think he would highly value someone who builds attraction and tension with words. From a physical standpoint, I think he's more attracted to women who don't try too hard, natural beauties, women with quiet confidence. We know he has a type, but I think he could be captivated by just about any woman, if the vibes are right.

NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

*Animals or anything that is excessively harmful. He's a lover, not a punisher. I think narrow-minded women would also be a turn-off. Definitely narrow-minded or prudish sexually, but also narrow-minded in non-sexual ways. I feel like he'd be less likely to engage someone whose worldview is limited/exclusive/negative.

Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

*Loves giving and receiving. A lot.

*Very good at giving; he adjusts his approach to whatever is turning on an individual woman. He's not going to stop until she's a complete, trembling, wet mess of nerves. And he might just keep going after that, to take her to new heights of pleasure, as much as to turn himself on by turning her on.

*When it comes to receiving, I think he would really enjoy losing himself in the woman's actions. I think he would immensely enjoy being deep throated, but I don't think he's going to expect every woman to be able to do it. I think he'd be most likely to let the woman lead the action, until he closes in on his climax. Then, he might be more likely to more forcefully hold her head in place or try to control her action.

Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

*I like to think he's slow and sensual and then builds up to fast and rough, although I think that would change with mood/context. I'm sure he'd go for just the fast and rough immediately after a concert. And just slow and sensual would be appealing when he returns home after a tour.

Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

*I think they'd be fairly common during a tour and less common at home. I think he'd place value on quickies for concert logistics and/or to "let off steam" immediately after a concert, or when curiosity about a new partner gets the best of him.

Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

*Certainly up to the risks of public sex. Up to the risk of physically changing positions. Up to sleeping with the partner of someone he knows? I don't think we can rule that out. 👀😒🤫 I don't think seducing a woman in the first place, putting himself out there, is any kind of risk that would stress him out. I do think he would be less likely to engage a risky person--a criminal or someone else who functions outside of positive society norms--he's not one for drama or bad vibes.

Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

*How many do you want? How many do you need? He's your man, unless he's super extra intoxicated or in an emotional funk.

Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

*I'm sure he's used toys, but I don't think it's a regular occurrence. I think he'd be most likely to use toys from time to time with someone with whom he has a serious relationship, to spice things up here and there.

Unfair (How much they like to tease)

*Robert is an evil, teasing bastard when he wants to be. Teasing with words, teasing with touch and kisses, with dat Plantaconda… Again, I think it strokes his ego but also stokes the enjoyment of his partner. It's not for the sake of asserting control or anything just what he thinks is best for everyone's pleasure.

Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

*LOUD unless he has laryngitis or something. 😂😂😂 Although I think older Robert wouldn't feel the need to be a loud to express his enjoyment. I think he would LOVE for his partner to be loud.

*As far as sounds, choose from the menu of the LZ discography. 😉😈😁

Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

*I like to think Robert at least made out with a guy at least once in the 70s. We know he kissed Peter Grant, Michael Des Barres, Phil Collins… Why not? A lot of men experimented then, and I think it's plausible that Robert did, too.

X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants)

*Don't need an X-Ray for that. You can see it from aerial shot photos. You can damn near see it from outer space. I can't see the big E on the eye chart well without glasses, but I know I could make out that Legendary Ample Manhood™ without difficulty if someone snatched my glasses. 🤷🏽‍♀️😉

Yearning (How high is their sex drive?

*Very high. Well above average. He's gonna want it. He's gonna get it. And he won't have to beg.

ZZZ (How quickly they fall asleep afterward)

*I think he'd trail off pretty quickly. I think he'd put a lot of energy into it and it would eventually wear him out after a few times. I think he probably was also just generally tired in the 70s, after the drugs and adrenaline of performing wore off.

What do you all think?

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jacobpaulnielsen · 5 years

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The Black Parade

Prompt: Write a 1,000-word album review of a record you’ve never heard in a genre you’re not familiar with.

I’ve always really, really hated emo music. The huge guitars and undeniable hooks are the same things that made me love a lot of bands, so I’m not entirely sure why I have such a distaste for it. The genre is famous for songs about depression, self-loathing, and heartbreak. None of these topics are out of place on a Neil Young, Smashing Pumpkins, or Radiohead record; all people that have been important to me at one time or another. And yet, something about this genre has always rubbed me the wrong way. I can't really put my finger on it. So for this assignment, I decided to challenge myself and do a deep dive into The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance.

Initially, my reaction to the album was less than stellar. I tore the album apart. I actually wrote, "On The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance tried their best to strike the right balance of music just edgy enough to appeal to suburban teens but not rebellious enough to actually provoke forward movement." Bold words coming from someone that's never sold a record, let alone written a song.

I wanted to do some research on the band before I really started writing the review in earnest, and it seemed like Life on the Murder Scene, the 2006 documentary on the band was a great place to start. I’m glad that I did. The film really changed my perception of the band and the album. I came to find out that MCR has the same narrative as the bands that were subjects of VH1's Behind the Music series. Like their predecessors, the band was plagued with the pressures of fame and drug addiction. It’s a Classic Rock story. It’s Rocket Man and Almost Famous and all of those other legends that follow the same classic rock mythos that inspired us to want to take over the world when we were kids.

So on this review, I challenged myself to find out how The Black Parade fits into the mythical schema of what's been dubbed "classic rock," because - like it or not - it does.

With 2006’s The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance created a Classic Rock masterpiece. Considering that Classic Rock as a genre mostly stopped progressing in the early to mid-80s, this might be a strange concept. However, the elements that make Classic Rock so pervasive in American music are all found on this record, too. It’s not a stretch to say that My Chemical Romance is the natural evolution of established and accepted Classic Rock artists like Kiss or Alice Cooper. MCR fans would probably shudder at the idea of their favorite band being lumped into the same category as bands that their parents listened to, but the similarities are striking: mythical lyrics, dramatic stage shows, power ballads, and - most importantly - mystery. Their image of a goth band gone punk evokes the same feelings that captivated teenagers when Kiss released Destroyer in 1976. And the image worked - their major-label debut was certified platinum just a year after its release. In his book Twilight of the Gods, Steven Hyden defines classic rock as “a particular era of music signified by bands who may or may not be shitty”. This definition is important if we’re going to consider The Black Parade for Classic Rock canon. There is a definitive line that can be drawn between Classic Rock as a genre and a classic rock album. The Velvet Underground & Nico is a classic rock album, whereas Bad Company is a Classic Rock album. Furthermore, there are recurring themes within the Classic Rock genre that appear throughout all of the essential Classic Rock albums. Let’s take a look at three of those essential elements of Classic Rock and see how The Black Parade measures up.

Grandiose Lyrics About Heartbreak, Love, Death, and Youth

“Carry on my wayward son There'll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don't you cry no more”

Kansas. The band responsible for hits such as “Point of Know Return,” and “Dust in the Wind,” are one of several bands that came to embody Classic Rock. Given this definition and the ambiguous use of their music in Will Farrell movies, Kansas could very well be the defining Classic Rock band. Despite how “shitty” (as Hyden so lovingly puts it) Kansas is, we love them to this day. According to Louder Than Sound, Carry on Wayward Son was the number one song on classic rock radio in 1997. Since then it’s logged more than two million downloads.

But why?

These aren’t politically conscious lyrics. There’s no hidden meaning here. There’s no call for peace or change. These are just lyrics that, quite simply, feel good to sing out loud at a concert with fellow fans. The words just create this feeling of belonging. The same is true for the (almost) title track of The Black Parade. This is a song that was made to be played in front of a crowd.

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One of the great things about Classic Rock is that the lyrics really seem to be made for the fans. They’re the right words sang in the right cadence. That’s it. These are words that just sing well. As a result, it’s really the fans that interpret the lyrics and ultimately take ownership of them. So when you take these lyrics from “Welcome to the Black Parade,” it’s obvious that Gerard Way didn’t actually have this conversation with his dad at a parade. Real people don’t talk like that. But damn those lyrics do make you feel some kind of way, don’t they?

Call to Arms

The Call to Arms is a song that asks the fans to get together and stand for something. It’s a song that says “let’s go take over the world.” A true Call to Arms, as it relates to the Classic Rock genre isn’t a zeitgeist, but the opaque lyrics do have a sense of urgency about them. More than any other song, these are the ones that give the fans a sense of identity and community. It’s a war cry. It’s a song that you would put on your workout playlist or you’d hear at a hockey game. It’s Immigrant Song, Seven Nation Army, and We Will Rock You. In the case of MCR, it’s Teenagers.

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Teenagers, it’s probably the best example of a straightforward Classic Rock song on the album. Guitarist Ray Toro begins the song with a typical E minor blues riff before the whole band locks in with Bob Bryar’s classic beat and the song erupts. On the Live in Mexico DVD, their touring keyboardist even accompanies them with a very Stones-y piano part. And is that a cowbell Bob is playing during the breakdown? It’s a testament to the band’s bravery that they wrote a song like this in the first place. It’s a testament to their talent that it actually worked; it’s a staple in their set fourteen years later.

The Concept Album

It started in 1967 with Sgt. Pepper and it still continues to this day. It’s not surprising, given Gerard Way’s love of comic books and horror films, that he was drawn to the idea of a concept album. Originally titled The Rise and Fall of My Chemical Romance, this record opened up a whole world of possibilities for MCR. Given how the concept album lends itself to a particularly theatrical nature (see The Wall), it suddenly made sense for My Chemical Romance to integrate theatrics into the live performances supporting the album. Donned in black marching band uniforms and makeup for the tour, the live performances of songs from this album were like a marriage between David Bowie and Alice Cooper.

True Classic Rock artists are not merely people. They are Greek Gods. I’m finishing this post on the heels on Neil Peart’s death, of which Taylor Hawkins wrote “Neil Peart had the hands of God. End of Story.” Peart isn’t the first Classic Rocker to be compared to God, nor will he be the last. The genre is absolutely drenched in mystique, folklore, and larger than life stories of how the Gods came to be and the creations they made. Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. Paul McCartney died and the Beatles told us about it. Led Zeppelin recorded their legendary fourth album in a haunted mansion. Not unlike their heroes, My Chemical Romance has draped all that they do in as much mystique as the 21st century can allow. Not unlike The Spiders from Mars, My Chemical Romance often performed under the name The Black Parade. And not unlike Kiss, the band performed in costume. The cryptic announcements surrounding MCR’s reunion shows and the impending new album has caused hysteria among their fans. It can’t be more clear that their vast and devoted fanbase considers them absolute superheroes - and that’s really the whole of what truly makes a band a Classic Rock band. If classic rock was what you were looking for in 2006, you could find it alive and well with My Chemical Romance.

#mychemicalromance #mcr #gerardway #mikeyway #emo #emobands #rock #rockmusic #classicrock #theblackparade #teenagers #welcometotheblackparade

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classicrewind · 8 years

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Tomorrow Never Knows

Thanks to the help of a 6 hour flight home and in-flight cocktails, I present chapter three!! @scarletrossetti this one’s for u!

Chapter Three

“Wake up, sleepy head. I made coffee.” Jimmy slowly opened one eye to see Robert’s face mere inches away from his. He groaned at the sight, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re a beautiful sleeper JimJam, real peaceful.” Robert teased him, tugging lightly on a strand of Jimmy’s hair. Jimmy batted Robert’s hand away before sitting up.

“Oh fuck off.” Jimmy stood up slowly from the couch in Robert’s sitting room, wincing from the pounding going on in his head. He was not a morning person. He could hear Bonzo talking loudly in the kitchen to someone, and he cursed him at that moment. Could you be any fucking louder?

He stretched his arms and followed Robert into the kitchen. “Who’s got breakfast going?” He called aloud as he walked over to the cupboard, pulling down a mug.

“Well, good morning to you too, Pagey.” Peter called back to him, seated at the breakfast bar. “Did Jonesy say when he was getting here? I don’t exactly have all day.”

Robert shook his head, taking a sip of his coffee. “No idea. Probably soon, though.”

Pouring himself a cup, Jimmy turned to Peter. “What is this ‘meeting of the minds’ you’re talking about?”

“I’d like to get the conversation going on getting you guys back together, properly. I wanna see what you guys have come up with in this ‘hiatus’ and see if we can’t pull together for another album. People were talking at the charity concert last night, and they wanna see you guys together again. And I agree. You sounded great and I think it’s time to see if you’re ready to make music again.”

Taking a sip, Jimmy pondered the thought. He had wanted the band back together for awhile now. He never really felt like himself unless he was playing with them. However, he hadn’t really come up with anything that would be suitable to bring to the table for this next album. He’d been slacking, and it was so unlike himself. Nevertheless, he was ready to get back in the studio, and back on the road.

He was torn from his thoughts by a light rapping on the front door, followed by John Paul’s head popping in through the crack.

“Sorry I’m late, the girls were giving me trouble this morning.” John Paul stepped through the door, with a newspaper in his hand. Offering it to Robert, he made his way into the kitchen. “Oh, and this was on the front porch.”

Robert looked puzzled. “Huh, I don’t get the paper. Must be the neighbor’s.” He set it down on the kitchen counter before turning to the stove to get breakfast going.

Peter got up from his seat, pulling the paper toward him. “It’s got a note on it.” He then proceeded in reading the note aloud. “‘Hope I did you all justice. Wonderful job last night.’ It’s from someone named Anna?”

Cracking an egg into the frying pan, Robert turned back from the stove. “Oh, Anna! From last night! Such a sweet girl. She’s Jimmy’s friend. Or, maybe, a little more?” He shot Jimmy a wink before nudging him with his elbow.

Jimmy scowled, taking a sip of his coffee. Peter wasn’t listening, as he was busy reading the article Anna enclosed. He headed to the sitting room, looking for his pack of cigarettes. Locating them, he stepped out the front door into the morning.

It was looking to be another sunny afternoon, not too hot, not too cool. Jimmy fished out a lighter from his pocket, placing a cigarette in his mouth. Hearing the door open behind him, he turned to see Bonzo step out. “Can I bum one? I seem to have lost mine last night. At least I think I lost them, maybe I smoked ‘em all. Can’t really remember.”

Jimmy said nothing. He lit his cigarette before silently handing the pack over, along with his lighter. Bonzo swiftly lit a cigarette, taking a short drag before turning to Jimmy. “So. Anna. Seem’s cute. I like her.”

Once again, Jimmy said nothing, simply shrugging his shoulders. He took a long drag off his cigarette, wishing Bonzo would silence his chatter. But he barreled on. “Yeah, first time I’ve seen you hang around a respectable girl in quite some time, Pagey. How’d you find that one?”

He knew that Bonzo wouldn’t put it to rest until he responded. Blowing out a stream of smoke, he turned to him. “Train ride. One of those ‘right place, right time’ kind of things. I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“Kind of young, Jim. Heh, what is she, like twenty years old? You’re practically an old man! I know, I shouldn’t talk, I mean, we all are. But damn, it feels like just yesterday it was 1973.” Bonzo clapped Jimmy on the shoulder, taking another drag.

Jimmy turned to Bonzo once more. “I don’t know how old she is, probably twenty something. And who fucking cares, man? There’s nothing even going on between us. And I’m not old.” He let out a small chuckle punching Bonzo on the arm.

Flicking his cigarette into the lawn, he headed back inside.

“Jim, you should read this. It’s quite good. Spectacular, really. Probably our best review yet. Anna did a lovely job.” Robert said, shoving the paper into his hands. Looking down, he began to read. ‘Charity concert hits a record high with Led Zeppelin’

Jimmy grabbed a seat, reading on. ‘Last night’s concert was a large success, raising record-breaking funds that will go toward assisting in AIDS research. But the real success of the night was the performance by Led Zeppelin. First time back on stage in over two years, they picked up right where they left off, not missing a beat. Plant was on top of his game, reaching new vocal heights not previously heard since ’79. John Paul Jones was electrifying on his solo in ‘No Quarter’ sending the audience into a trance, paying some sort of homage to early impressionist-era composers. John Bonham brought the audience to its feet with fantastic groove and time, blasting away in ‘Rock And Roll’. But it was lead guitarist Jimmy Page who stole the show. With breathtaking skill and precision, he finessed his way through ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and ‘Heartbreaker.’ His technical efficiency reached an all-time high last night as he shredded his way through the set. It was truly an honor to witness this soul shattering performance, and anyone who was in the audience last night could feel that there was a special ‘something’ in the air. Zeppelin hit their mark from the first chord, and it only went up from there.’

Jimmy felt a smile spread across his face. They never received good reviews. Critics hated them. But he couldn’t stop himself, this review was glowing. He stood up, dropping the article onto the counter. “It’s good. Nice to read positive reviews every now and then.”

“Oh, Jim. Don’t be so modest. She wrote a wonderful review! And we never get good reviews. I was starting to think we were just seriously misunderstood. But maybe not. Anna gets us!” Robert said, snatching up the article, holding it tight against his chest. “I’m keeping this.”

Jimmy shook his head at the sight before turning to Peter. “So are we going to start this ‘meeting’ or what? I’ve got plans today.”

Peter nodded before turning to John Paul. “So, we’re thinking it’s time to start the next project. Next album. Tour maybe?”

Before John Paul could respond, Robert interjected with plates of food in his hands. “Alright, but first, who’s hungry?”

The sun was directly above head when Jimmy stepped out of the cab to the steps of University. He didn’t know what he was thinking coming here. He didn’t even know if she’d be here, but as soon as he read the article, he knew he wanted to see her. And this was the first place he thought to look.

Once on the campus, he wandered until he hit an admissions office. Entering, he approached a woman at reception. “Excuse me, could you locate me to the nearest faculty and staff directory? I can’t seem to remember the location of an office.” Jimmy ran a hand through his tangled curls.

The young woman gave him a knowing look, most likely trying to place where she had seen him before. After a moment, she turned to a filling cabinet next to her before pulling out a catalog. “This has a complete listing of all the current faculty and staff for this academic year, along with office locations and hours. Hope this helps.”

Taking the catalog from her hands, he sat down scouring the index, trying to find her name. Anna. Anna what? Shit, what’s her last name? It was written on the article. Fuck. He flipped to the English and Literature department and decided to go through alphabetically for anyone with the first name Anna.

He was unsuccessful until he reached a Professor Paul Andrews. Under his name was an Anna Whitmoore, Teacher’s Assistant. Building 6, Floor 3. Room 313. Standing up, he returned the catalog to the reception desk before heading out to the center of campus.

Jimmy wandered the expansive courtyard until he reached a tall tower of a building. Most definitely offices. Sure enough, it was the sixth building. Stepping inside, he reached the elevator, making his way up to the third floor. He lit a cigarette as he made his way down the corridor. It was empty, completely void of people.

He scanned the doorways as he made his way down the hall, stopping in front of office 313. Looking up at the plaques on the door, it read: P. Andrews, followed by A. Whitmoore.

He took a drag as he knocked lightly on the door. There was a brief moment of waiting before it was opened by an older man, who looked to be in his late forties.

“Can I help you?” He asked, opening the door all the way. He looked irritated before his face broke into a smirk. “Wait a sec, I know you. You’re Jimmy Page. Holy shit.”

Blowing out a stream of smoke, Jimmy nodded. He wasn’t expecting this. Jesus, I hope she’s in there. I don’t want the fucking fan club here. “Heh, yeah. That’s me. I hate to bother you, I’m just looking for someone.”

The man cut him off, gesturing inside. “Come in. Have a seat. What can I help you with?”

Jimmy hesitantly stepped into the office, hoping Anna was inside. Peering around, he saw a second desk, but it was empty. Fuck. “Uh, yeah. I’m looking for a Anna Whitmoore.”

Paul looked bewildered. “Anna? Whitmoore?”

“Am I not in the right place?” Jimmy made his way back to the door. “I don’t want to waste your time. It’s just that the directory led me here.”

Paul stopped him. “No, I mean, yeah, you’re in the right place. You’re looking for a young woman with long auburn hair, amber eyes? Beautiful?”

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, Jimmy let out a chuckle. “Yeah, that’s the one. Is she in today?”

“Uh, yeah. She’s in a lecture of mine right now. I was a little preoccupied so I sent her in my place. She should be back within a half hour or so. What do you want with her, if you don’t mind me asking?” Paul asked, beginning to gather his things from his desk.

Jimmy sat down on the sofa across from the door. “She wrote a wonderful piece for the band last night and I wanted to thank her.”

“A phone call wouldn’t do?” Paul inquired as he placed a stack of papers into his briefcase.

Growing annoyed, Jimmy stared through him. “Afraid not.”

Paul made his way to the door. “Listen, I’ve got to run. If you see her, let Anna know I’ve left work for her on the desk. Feel free to hang around until she gets back. Shouldn’t be too long. Honor to meet you, Jimmy.”

Jimmy said nothing as Paul shut the door behind him. He stretched his legs on the couch as he made himself comfortable in the wait for Anna to return. She’s going to freak out. He laid his head back on the arm rest as he closed his eyes. He had gotten barely any sleep last night. People didn’t end up leaving Robert’s until after three in the morning.

After Anna had left, the party just didn’t seem to have the same effect as it had before. He remembered drowning himself in whiskey before passing out on Robert’s couch, too drunk to head home. Needless to say, he was exhausted.

Just ten minutes. Maybe twenty. He turned on his side and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Lecture was awful. The students were sick of her teaching them. And quite frankly, she was too, not completely sure why Paul hadn’t been to lecture in two weeks. They all continued to ask her when he was returning and she was running out of excuses to give.

I need a cigarette. She pressed a sticky note inside her textbook, saving her place for next week’s lecture. She took her time erasing the blackboard as her mind drifted to last night. As much she hated to admit it, it was one of the best nights she’d had in a long time.

Paul never took her out anymore. And when he did go out, the invitation was never extended to her. But lately, she hadn’t felt like going out anyways. He always got home before her, and by the time she got home from work, he was already deep into his. She could never reach him there. Each day always started and ended the same way, and she didn’t know how long she could keep it all up. It was like being a ghost in her own home.

Anna gathered her books from the podium as she made her way out of the classroom. The campus was basically empty. It was her favorite thing about teaching class on Saturdays, there were hardly any other classes taking place.

She quickly made her way to the office tower. Punching the button for the third floor, she waited as the elevator doors came to a close.

She made her way down the empty corridor, until she reached her office. The light was on, usually indicating Paul was working inside.

Anna slowly opened the door to see not Paul, but Jimmy, deeply asleep on the couch. She gasped, almost dropping her books onto the floor. She quietly shut the door behind her and flicked off the lights. Setting her books down onto her desk she looked over at him.

He looked exhausted. Probably got zero sleep last night. Poor thing. She made the decision to let him rest while she got to work on the stack of papers Paul had left for her to grade.

She worked in silence, glancing over at Jimmy every so often. He truly was a peaceful sleeper. His face was soft, unlike the usual hard exterior he put out to the world. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked open. Vulnerable.

It was nice to see him like this, he wasn’t holding onto any residual bitterness or darkness. He had the faintest trace of a smile on his lips, and Anna couldn’t help but wonder what he was dreaming of. Probably being surrounded by whiskey, guitars, and women.

Letting out a soft laugh, she reached into her desk drawer, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. Paul hated when she smoked, so she gave it up for him. But Paul isn’t here. Fuck it.

She lit her cigarette and returned to the grading in front of her. She had a large chunk of it to do before she could head home. But lately, she found herself not wanting to return home. It’s not like I have anyone to come home to. Paul’s never there, and when he is, he acts like I’m not.

Anna was pulled from her thoughts to Jimmy rustling on the couch. Anna got up from her desk and quietly walked over to the couch, crouching down to him. She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. “Hey, sleepy. It’s just me. Anna.”

Jimmy stopped moving, and slowly opened his eyes. His cool, green ones met her warm ones, and he began to slowly smile. “Anna. Good morning.” He looked down at his watch. “Afternoon, actually. How long have I been out?”

She chuckled, standing up, taking a drag off her cigarette. “Not sure, actually. You were sleeping when I came in an hour ago. You looked so tired I didn’t have the heart to wake you. Quite a surprise for me to see you when I walked in. The light was on, so I assumed Paul was in here.”

Jimmy slowly sat up, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, about that. I came to see you, to thank you for the article. It was wonderful, really. The band loved it, Robert especially. I think he’s gonna frame it.”

Anna blushed. “Oh, it was nothing, really. But I’m glad you all liked it. I know I’ve already said this, but you guys were really spectacular. It was easy to write, it was all just mere observations. Like the way Robert never sings the same line the same way. Or the way John Paul seamlessly weaves his way through the bass line changes. Or the way Bonzo changes between meter with the upmost efficiency. Or the way your fingers fly across the frets with ease, the way your face lights up when you know you’ve hit a solid groove. It’s magical to behold.”

Anna blew out a stream of smoke as Jimmy started to smile. “Thank you.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how exactly did you get in?” Anna offered her pack of cigarettes to Jimmy.

Placing one in his mouth, he replied. “Uh, Paul was in here. He let me in. He seemed concerned that I was looking for you. Dunno what that’s all about.”

Anna shook her head, laughing. “I bet that was a treat for him. Opening the door to see Jimmy Page standing there.”

Jimmy laughed, blowing smoke into the air. “Are you hungry? Would you like to grab lunch or something? Get out of this office?”

Anna slowly shook her head. “Can’t. Got a lot of grading to do. Paul left a hefty pile of work for me here. I hate to disappoint you, but I’ll be here for awhile. Maybe some other time?”

Jimmy looked unfazed. “No worries. I’ll wait. I’ve got time.”

“You can’t be serious. I’m sure you have some plans today. Besides, this could take me awhile.”

“Like I said, I’ve got time.” Jimmy stood up and headed to the bookshelf behind Anna’s desk. He scanned over the spine of each one looking for one to pique his interest.

Anna turned around to face him. “I suggest trying Kafka or D.H. Lawrence.”

“Which one?” Jimmy asked, scouring the shelf.

Anna slowly stood up and reached over his shoulder for her favorite Kafka book. His hand reached it at the same time as hers. Their fingers lightly brushed as she slowly pulled the book from the shelf.

He looked down at her as she looked up into his eyes. She smiled up at him, and breathlessly replied, “This one. It’s my favorite. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

He gave her a small smirk as he took the book from her hands, returning to the sofa. Anna watched him crack the spine and begin to read. He immediately furrowed his brows in concentration as is eyes scanned over the words. Beautiful.

Anna returned to her work, hoping to finish as soon as possible.

It was over two hours before Anna finished her paperwork. Jimmy was still reading, in the exact same position as he was when he started.

“What do you think?” Anna blurted aloud.

After a moment, Jimmy looked up from the pages, clearly interrupted. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“What do you think of the book?”

He closed it, leaving a finger inside the book as a placeholder. “I can see why it’s one of your favorites.”

“What makes you say that?” Anna asked him, puzzled.

“The way he writes, his careful attention to details. It’s thought-provoking and so surreal that it seems almost impossible to distinguish reality from fantasy.”

She beamed at him. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Standing up, she began to pack up her things. “I’ve finished. You still up to getting lunch?”

Jimmy nodded, standing up from the couch.

They headed to the coffee shop right around the corner from campus. Sipping his cup of coffee, Jimmy turned his gaze to Anna. “Tell me about you. I feel as if I hardly know anything about you. And yet I’ve seen you practically every day for the past few weeks.”

Anna gave him a small smile. “That’s because you don’t know anything about me. What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

“Alright, well, I was born in Cheshire and grew up there until my mother passed away, and my father packed me up and moved us into the suburbs just outside of London. He immediately remarried and I didn’t get on with my stepmother. So I moved into the city and attended college here. Um, I’m a huge bookworm, and have been since I was very little, so I guess that’s what got me into a Literature major. I’m a writer but I’ve never shown anyone my work because it’s probably rubbish. I know, I’m probably the most boring person you’ve ever met, so I’m sorry for that.”

Jimmy smiled, resting his hands on top of hers. “You’re fascinating to me. I can’t figure you out, and I pride myself on being able to read people. But you, are a complete mystery. Every time I get close to drawing conclusions, another facet of you comes into view.”

She blushed. “You make me out to be more interesting than I actually am. Wait around long enough, you’ll have me figured out in no time.”

She looked longingly down at her coffee cup before changing the subject. “How’d the party go last night after I Ieft? I imagine it went on through all hours of the night. Which would probably explain why you were sleeping in my office.”

Jimmy laughed. “Hah, yeah. It became quite boring after you left, I must admit. I wished you could’ve stayed a little longer. I had a wonderful time.”

“Me too, but the Times would beg to differ. As soon as I left you, I hailed a cab back to work to write the article and didn’t get back home until after two in the morning. Paul wasn’t very happy with me when I got back and had to turn around and head to Uni six hours later. But it was well worth it.”

Jimmy gave her a puzzled look. “So, you and Paul, live together?”

Anna fidgeted with her coffee cup before looking at Jimmy. “Oh, uh, yeah. Paul was my professor when I was studying for my undergraduate, and as stupid as it sounds, we immediately fell in love. Well, at least I did. I soon after became his T.A. when I returned for graduate work and things became serious. I eventually moved in with him and we’ve been seeing each other ever since.” Anna gave him a false smile.

“I see. Isn’t that, against school policy or something?”

“Yeah. Which is why I don’t tell anyone. But I don’t know, it’s different with you. Even though we hardly know each other, I feel this need to tell you things. I don’t know. Call it word vomit.” Anna nervously tucked a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

Jimmy just nodded. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes piercing hers. “Does he make you happy?”

Anna felt a punch to her stomach. She just stared into Jimmy’s eyes. Does he make me happy? Does he? Did he make me happy? Yes.

She swallowed before opening her mouth to speak. “Yes.” Bullshit. And he knows it.

Jimmy continued stare at her, studying her eyes before placing his hand on top of hers. “Good.”

Anna felt suffocated. She pulled her hand away and checked her watch. 5 o’clock. “I should be heading back, Paul’s probably waiting for me.” Lie. He’s probably not even home.

He nodded in understanding before standing up. “Taking the train?”

She nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

“Let’s go.” Jimmy held his arm out, and she took it as they made their way out of the coffee shop.

This time Jimmy chose to sit next to Anna rather than across from her. She beamed up at him with her warm amber eyes as he sat down.

He said nothing as he pulled out Anna’s copy of The Metamorphosis. He held it out so they both could read at once.

“How far have you gotten?” She asked him as he flipped to where he left off.

“The end of part two. Gregor just got hit with the apple.”

“Part three is my favorite, oh, it’s so good!” Anna exclaimed a little too loudly.

Jimmy chuckled and held the book out so Anna could read alongside him. They read silently, occasionally talking about the work every so often.

Fifteen minutes in, Anna slowly rested her head on Jimmy’s shoulder as she continued to read with him. “Gregor makes me mad sometimes, like I want to shake him and yell, ‘wake up!’” She said quietly as Jimmy turned page.

He let out a soft laugh. “Me too. Poor, poor Gregor.”

Anna could hear Jimmy’s heartbeat as he laughed. She focused on the sound as she continued to read. The steady, even thumping of his heart soothed her. She found herself closing her eyes as she listened for the sound of his breathing. This is heaven.

She hadn’t gone to sleep since Thursday evening. The exhaustion was sneaking up on her, and present situation wasn’t helping one bit. She continued to listen to Jimmy’s breathing and allowed it to carry her to sleep.

Anna was woken to Jimmy speaking softly to her. “Hey, this is me. I’ll see you soon, Anna. I had a lovely day today.”

Sleepily, she smiled up at him as he made his way out of his seat. “Me too. Have a good night.”

Anna made it home around the same time as she did practically every other night of the week. Paul was in the study, as usual.

Walking in she handed him the stack of papers before kissing him hello. “Finished grading them, the rest are back at the office, filed away.”

“Great, thanks. Hope lecture wasn’t too bad.”

“It was fine. I assigned their test for Thursday, so I’d appreciate it if you were there in class on Tuesday and Wednesday. I understand you’re busy, but this is your class. I have no problem stepping in for you, but it shouldn’t always fall on me to lecture.”

Paul said nothing as he turned his attention to the stack of papers. Lost fucking cause. She let out a sigh and made her way upstairs.

She ran hot water for a bath and subsequently stripped before stepping into the tub.

She didn’t mean to come across as demanding to Paul, but she felt as if he never really listened to her. Or acknowledged the fact that she was there. It was a constant struggle for her to make her presence known these days.

She took her time in the bath, running her loofah over every square inch of her body. Paul used to love taking baths with her. He’d take his time letting his hands roam softly over her curves. They’d spend an hour in the tub just enjoying the company of one another.

The last time that happened was a year ago. The only space they seemed to share nowadays was the bed. The last time they’d even had sex was over a month ago.

It frustrated her. Perplexed her. She loved him, and yet she couldn’t seem to understand what had changed. Maybe there’s someone else.

Running soapy water over her chest, she shook her head. Not likely. He loves you, even if he has a funny way of showing it. She let out a sad laugh. Or not showing it.

Draining the water in the tub, Anna stood up, grabbing a towel from the cupboard. She dried herself off before slipping into the silk robe hanging in the closet. Damn it. He’s going to fuck me tonight whether he likes it or not.

Anna emerged from the bathroom and made her way downstairs to the study.

Paul was exactly where she left him an hour ago. He was poring over a set of books, probably preparing notes for lecture.

She silently entered the room and made her way behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing the side of his face lightly. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was tired.”

“Why don’t you head to bed then? I’ll be up later.” Paul said, not looking up.

She continued to pepper his cheek with kisses. “I’m not tired anymore. I’ve just had a bath. All squeaky clean.”

Anna turned Paul’s chair toward her. He looked up at her as she pulled the tie on her robe, letting it fall open.

“Anna, I can’t do this right now. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“It’s Saturday. You can wait until tomorrow to finish your work. Be with me. Please.” Anna proceeded to straddle him, loosening his tie. “I miss you.”

Paul let out a sigh, grabbing her hands. “Anna, I’m serious.”

She began to grow impatient. “I am too. I need you.” Before he could protest, she kissed him. It’s like pulling teeth. It shouldn’t be this hard.

She pulled him tightly to her as she straddled him. He gave in to her pull and kissed her back. He roughly pulled her robe off of her shoulders, tossing it to the floor. “Yes.” Anna whispered roughly into his ear.

He planted sloppy kisses along her collarbone as he roughly groped her breasts. She let out a small whimper as he sucked on her neck, leaving small marks. Paul picked her up and carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

Once upstairs, he tossed her onto the bed as he began to unbuckle his belt. Anna scrambled over to him to help unfasten his pants.

Paul pushed her away as he stepped out of his pants. “Turn around. On all fours.” Paul ordered her as he pulled his boxers down.

Oh God, yes. Finally. Fuck me like the bad girl I’ve been. Anna turned her back to him and awaited his presence.

After a moment, she felt Paul’s hands roughly on her hips, he situated himself at her entrance before deeply plunging himself into her.

She let out a large gasp as he filled her up. “Oh. Paul. Please.”

Paul established a pace rather quickly as he began to drill into her. Anna soon was whimpering at the intensity of his thrusts. “Paul. Slower, please.”

He didn’t listen. He continued to thrust brutally into her as he gripped her hips tighter, closing the space between them completely.

Anna continued to cry out as Paul roughly fucked her. She wished he would stop. “Paul, slow down. There’s no rush.”

Ignoring her yet again, he wrapped his arm around her waist and continued to drill into her.

Anna gasped, trying to hold out as long as possible. He’s gonna finish any minute now. Just a little longer.

Sure enough, she felt Paul slow down as his thrusts grew sloppy and uneven. He let out a guttural moan as he came.

He slowly pulled out and Anna turned to face him, her amber eyes intense. He planted a sloppy kiss on her lips before climbing into bed, not saying a single word.

Anna sat still on the bed, moments away from breaking down. Well Anna, you got what you wanted. She stood up and strode to her dresser, fishing out the pack of cigarettes in the top drawer.

Glancing over at Paul in bed, he was already asleep. Typical. Bloody fucking typical. She grabbed her lighter and stepped out onto the balcony.

Closing the balcony doors behind her, she turned to face the night sky. It was a starless night, and the wind was whistling through the trees.

It was cool, but Anna didn’t feel the cold. She lit a cigarette as she stared out ahead. Inhaling as deep as she could, she closed her eyes, thinking of how wonderful her day had been before this moment.

She blew out a puff of smoke as her eyes welled with tears. She stood naked and unwavering on the balcony as she felt her world slowly begin to crumble around her.

What the fuck am I doing?

Chapter One

Chapter Two

#led zeppelin fanfiction #led zeppelin fanfic #jimmy page fan fiction #jimmy page #tomorrow never knows

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themastercylinder · 6 years

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SUMMARY

Ezra Cobb lives with his mother in an unidentified region of the Midwest. His mother, a religious fanatic, has indoctrinated him since childhood to hate women. Upon her death, Ezra digs her up again, believing that she is still alive. Ever more deluded each passing day, Ezra digs up various bodies, restoring them from their decomposition and even using them as home decor. Soon, Ezra’s obsessions go beyond the dead themselves, and he becomes a serial killer. Luring women into his grasp, he soon finds various other “creative” ways in which to decorate his home.

DEVELOPMENT

Made in early 73 and released by AIP, DERANGED is the most fact based film yet made based on the exploits of Wisconsin farmer/murderer/grave robber/cannibal Ed Gein. Roberts Blosson is alternately horrifying and hilarious as the shy and polite Ezra Cobb, “the butcher of Woodside,” in this incredible truly twisted semi comedy in which Ezra/Ed jokes about his killing and grave robbing with his neighbors, has a seance with a horny widow, and rebuilds his rotting mother, who earlier describes women as “a lot of filthy, black-souled sluts with pus-filled sores…who carry more diseases than ticks!”

Deranged was originally the brainchild of producer Tom Karr. Although he was only a small child in 1957 when the discovery of Gein’s crimes appalled and fascinated the nation, the memories of the Wisconsin maniac’s exploits stayed with him for life. “I always remembered the headlines about Gein in the Chicago Tribune,” he says. “and when you see things like that on the front page every day for two or three weeks, and all your friends and neighbors are constantly talking about them, you can’t help but take notice. Something as weird as this case only comes along once in a lifetime, and I’d always kept it filed away in the back of my mind. I knew that if I ever got into the movie business, I wanted to do the Ed Gein story, because it hadn’t ever been done faithfully. I thought it would probably make a lot of money. because it was unique and exciting enough to satisfy people who like horror movies.”

Producer Tom Karr

Producer Tom Karr raised $200,000 budget from the money he earned as a concert promoter for acts such as Led Zeppelin, Three Dog Night, The Temptations and Rod Stewart.

Fortunately, he was able to hook up with a group of filmmakers who were not only young and hungry, but also talented. Anyone who’s seen the unusually clever, offbeat Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1971) and Deathdream (1972) will recognize the names of Alan Ormsby. Jeff Gillen and Bob Clark as a stamp of quality.

“My first professional contact in the film business was a guy named Bob Kilgore,” Karr says, explaining how he came to meet the Miami based bunch. “Kilgore operated a company called Europix, which handled movies on a distribution basis for up-and-coming filmmakers.” Drive-in movie devotees will recall Europix as the banner under which low-budget favorites like Deathdream, I Dismember Mama and the Immortal Orgy of the Living Dead triple bill reached U.S. screens.

Ed Gein

“I went to an industry convention in Kansas City called the Show-A- Rama ’72 to meet with Kilgore and find out more about the movie business,” Karr continues. “Bob took that opportunity to introduce me to Alan Ormsby, who was there promoting and selling Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things. They had this actor from Children walking around the place dressed up like a zombie and attracting a lot of attention. I was really impressed, and that’s when I started talking to Alan about writing a script for me.

“Since Alan already had a whole group of filmmakers associated with him, it was easy to go right into Deranged with the same people from Children and Deathdream,” Karr relates. “But before I hired any of these people, I wanted to see what they had done. After the Show-A-Rama ended, Ormsby told me they were having a screening of Children in Miami for the cast and crew. So I went down to Florida, and that’s where I met Bob Clark and Jeff Gillen and all the rest of the people. I thought Children was very good; these guys had just done the type of film that I wanted to do, and they had certainly proven that they could do it for the budget I was shooting for. In fact, Children was done on about one-third the budget of Deranged! So we started talking seriously right then and there.”

The Crew

PRODUCTION

Misconceptions about Clark’s role in the making of Deranged have been all too common in the years since its release. Clark has been incorrectly cited as the film’s director.

“Bob didn’t want his name on Deranged because he felt it was too strong for him, and it might hurt his career,” Karr says. “But he was very helpful as a mentor, because he guided Jeff and Alan in their directorial efforts. He also guided me as a producer and helped me over any hurdles I encountered. Bob didn’t want to be right out on the front lines with this picture, and I respected his decision.”

Gillen confirms Karr’s statement. “Bob was, in essence, the executive producer,” he says. “He was ultimately the one who would sign the arrangements and so forth, but he had nothing to do with directing or writing the film.”

“Jeff was originally set to direct the movie, but I wanted to go to bat for Alan, because Alan had originally talked to me about directing as well as writing the script,” Karr says. “I compromised and said they could both direct. That compromise was agreeable to everybody.”

The original screenplay for Deranged was entitled Necromania, a moniker which stayed with the film until roughly halfway through the shooting. “I basically wanted the film to present the Gein story as closely as possible,” Karr says. “I gave Alan all the original press clippings from the Chicago Tribune as well as the Life magazine coverage of the case. Alan came up with something along those lines, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted at first.”

“I wrote ’em pretty quickly in those days,” Ormsby recalls. “On Deranged, I basically used my research on the Gein case pretty straightforwardly, but I gave it a black-comedy twist. I don’t think Tom was quite prepared for the comic aspect of the script. He was worried that it would be too funny and not horrifying enough. He wanted it straighter than we played it, but he eventually accepted it.”

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Production Stills

While Karr may have conceded to Ormsby’s humorous angle on the story at the time, it was a reluctant acceptance. To this day, Karr takes issue with the film’s lighthearted approach to its heinous subject matter. “I never did want the black humor in there, or any kind of humor at all,” the producer emphatically states. “The comedy took away from the real horror of the story, and I felt it made light of a very serious subject. Alan and Jeff assured me that they thought the film was so strong that we had to put a little comic relief in there; I think their exact words were that we had to relieve the tension.’ I still don’t agree with that today, and if I had to do the story over again, I would do it with no humor whatsoever. But I must admit, a lot of people seem to like the humor, so I’m not saying they’re right or wrong.”

All of the film’s players were cast out of Toronto, with one notable exception. “The advance people went up to Canada before I did,” Karr explains. “Alan and Jeff and some others cast everybody up there, including a guy they’d selected to play the part of Ezra Cobb—but when I got there, I didn’t like him. I wanted to give it one more shot, because the entire film would revolve around this one character. We couldn’t find anybody else in Canada, So Alan and I jumped on a plane to New York and got a hold of a casting agent named Vic Ramos, who’s still in business today. Harvey Keitel and ‘Christopher Walken’ both auditioned for the role of Ezra Cobb in New York. Tom Karr felt they were a bit too young for the part though. Roberts Blossom was the last to audition and Tom knew he had his man. DERANGED was Blossom’s only lead role in a feature, although hard to see these days, is a horror classic, almost on a level with TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (which was made later). Both were inspired by the famous real Ed Gein. Blossom is excellent as Ezra Cobb, “the butcher of Woodside,” a simple minded backwoods guy with a serious mother problem. At one point he digs up his mother’s grave. He skins a woman alive, talks to mummified Corpses and wears a human skin.

“Roberts was very much a loner during the shoot,” Gillen recalls. “He had a strict regimen, and was so perfect for the part that he barely needed to be directed. He was always in character; he assumed the role completely. So from that standpoint, he was easy to work with.”

Blossom also added some amusing improvisational touches to his character. For instance, in one scene the screenplay specified that Ez is eating crackers, peanut butter and chicken while talking to his mother’s corpse. To further enhance the dementia, Blossom came up with the idea of Ezra actually dipping the chicken in the peanut butter during his hilarious soliloquy on the virtues of an obese woman.

You’ve seen that? That was made in Canada. Shot in Oshawa (just outside of Toronto) over a month. I believe I saw it once. I remember it went smoothly and they were very satisfied with a couple of takes. I took it because I needed the money. I wasn’t entirely proud of the script. I found it a funny script though. But I didn’t think it was supposed to be funny when I first read it. The author said to me, ‘Oh yes, you can laugh.” And I thought, “Oh. It was a true story by the way, did you know that? Happened in Wisconsin. Some people liked it. I didn’t.” Blossom used a frequent facial twitch for Ezra. “I think it just came to me and I was pleased with how I looked, so I kept it. The humor just came out of the performance. I was trying to find the truth of the man. I don’t think any murderer thinks, “I’m a murderer and I like it,” I don’t think that’s part of the psyche. It’s more complicated.” – Robert Blossom

LOCATION

Karr wanted to shoot in Ed Gein’s hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin to give it the real feel needed with lots of snow. The town council there told Tom they would never okay it since the town already had enough notoriety over the murders there. Tom then tried other towns in Wisconsin and was basically told to never come back. It was then that he talked to Bob Clark about filming in Ontario, Canada for the tax benefits and because of the snowy resemblance to Wisconsin. “Since it was deer hunting season when the story broke, we needed snow, and the only place we could be sure of having snow was Canada,” Karr explains. According to Gillen, there were several other factors that helped make Deranged a Canadian event. “Bob Clark had an editing deal in Canada at the time (for Deathdream), and he’d also found the Ukrainian film studio where we built most of the sets, along with the farmhouse location. There was also a financial advantage at the time to shooting films in Canada.”

The interiors of Ezra’s house were all constructed within the studio’s walls. For a bar scene, the filmmakers used the basement lounge of the hotel where the cast and crew resided. Other locations included a hardware store (in real life, Gein was convicted of murdering hardware store owner Bernice Worden) and an abandoned farmhouse which was used solely for exteriors. Art director Albert Fisher dressed the Deranged Set based on news reports describing the inside of Gein’s farmhouse, even including such details as the stacks of old crime and girlie magazines which Gein was fond of perusing. “Fisher was brilliant,” Karr raves. “I didn’t provide him with any photos of Gein’s farmhouse, but he came up with something realistic just based on verbal descriptions.”

SPECIAL EFFECTS

Once more, Ormsby employed the help of Tom Savini, this time getting his first solo makeup effects credit. Savini did some incredible work, much of it visible only in the uncut version.

Tom Savini had just come off the set of Deathdream, where he served as Ormsby’s assistant, when he was hired to head the makeup crew on Deranged. Savini was assisted by Ormsby’s friend Jerome Bergson on such tasks as creating a roomful of decomposing bodies and such morbid artifacts as a “belly drum.” “I remember that the weather was extremely cold, and the snow outside the studio door was always red,”

Savini says of the Deranged shoot. “We were constantly mixing up blood in the kitchen, trying out different formulas. Alan suggested adding peanut butter at one point to thicken the blood mixture. Later on, I got a hold of Dick Smith, and I’ve been using his formula ever since.” When asked how he feels now about his work on Deranged, Savini good-naturedly replies, “It looks pretty good. The effects were very crude, but back then I didn’t know any better. Today, if you wanted a body made, you’d order a skeleton and decorate it, but back then we built them out of chicken wire, dowel rods, latex and cotton!”

The most outrageous gore set piece in Deranged occurs when Ezra brings Miss Johnson’s decapitated head back to his home workshop for some Gein-style “repairs.” In a truly jaw-dropping display of grue, the good-natured ghoul shoves a spoon into the dead woman’s eye socket, removes an eyeball, saws off the top of the head, scoops out the brains and crafts a skin mask from the remaining flesh. True. it’s not in good taste, but then again, neither were the Gein crimes themselves…and besides, anyone out to make an exploitation film is not going to be concerned with “good taste.”

Missing for years from prints of the film, the sequence has recently been restored and gives H.G. Lewis a run for his money in the splatter sweepstakes.

“That head was just thick latex molded around a plastic skull with a wig attached to it; I think the brains were made out of Jell-o!” Savini reveals. I can’t believe how crude that stuff was!” Crude, yes, but certainly effective; just try and suppress the nausea when Ma Cobb (Cosette Lee) has an on-camera hemorrhage while the dim-witted Ez attempts to spoon pea soup into her blood-spewing maw. This particular scene was accomplished in one take using a simple rubber-hose rig attached to an off-camera blood pump.

Bob Clark Interview

There’s a lot of confusion around your next project, Deranged. You’ve been listed in the credits as producer, producer and director and not listed at all.

CLARK:: Alan directed it and I produced it. But I decided to take my name off it. It was too good. It was so real and so horrible as it was played.

But you liked it?

CLARK:: I thought the look of the film was remarkably good. We were going for a Police Gazette look and I think we achieved it.

What exactly prompted you to take your name off it?

CLARK:: It was based on Ed Gein, the man who was also the basis for Psycho. In Deranged you feel for this character because he doesn’t know he’s murdering people. He thinks he’s killing and skinning deer, and you see that in the film. That’s where I had trouble with the film. You feel for him. It’s chilling, because when he kills and mutilates people, you do feel something for him. It was too much. The film is Alan Ormsby at his drollest, it’s got some brilliant black, black comedy in it. But the end of the film is absolutely brutal, to the point where I was quite horrified personally.

The film’s climax, wherein our hero hunts down a young woman at length and then kills and disembowels her was originally going to be intercut with shots of a deer being gutted to establish the fact that Gein was a schizophrenic, who believed that the human meat he ate (and reportedly gave to his neighbors as Xmas presents) was venison.

Was the ending changed?

CLARK:: There were supposed to be subliminal shots of the deer being gutted, with shots of the girl, to show what the murderer saw. But we couldn’t get a deer. We simply couldn’t get one and we weren’t willing to get someone to shoot one. We tried to get one that had been hit by a car. That ending would have softened it considerably for me. It would have shown his state of mind. A deer to him was no different. As it is, it’s considerably more horrible. Robert Blossom also did a marvelous job with the character, so that makes it even worse.

Without that device to soften the finale’s disturbing tone, and the fact that the audience winds up sympathizing, even liking the lead character, unsettled Bob enough to take his name off the credits. To avoid much confusion once and for all, Alan wrote the film and directed it with Clark regular, Jeff Gillen and Bob produced with Tom Karr.

Did it do well when it was released?

CLARK:: Not really. It was just too horrible for people. AIP released it. But I didn’t want to be associated with it. Actually, Vincent Canby (of the New York Times) did a review of that film. He saw the film and thought, where did that movie come from? He talked about the consciousness behind the film, which is interesting because clearly the film works on several levels.

POST PRODUCTION

The filmmakers also saved money by relentlessly using the same piece of droning music (“The Old Rugged Cross”) over numerous scenes in the movie. While this may seem nerve-racking to some viewers, it adds to the general tone of gonzo American Gothic which pervades the entire film.

“Carl Zittrer did the music for Deranged,” Gillen recalls, “and was also working on the soundtrack for Deathdream, which Bob Clark was editing. I think it was actually Carl who said, ‘Let’s use “The Old Rugged Cross,” which influenced us a lot. There was quite a bit of that going on with our group; everybody made suggestions.”

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Deranged’s credits list no editor which points to some behind-the scenes confusion. “Alan and I thought we were going to edit the film,” Gillen says. “We went back to Toronto after the movie was done. But for a number of reasons, it was made difficult for us to stay in Canada, and we left.” Ultimately, it was Clark who took over the final cut of Deranged. “Bob and I had a falling out at some point, and I left,” Ormsby recalls. “We disagreed about how the editing should be done. He cut some stuff out, and one of the reasons he gave me was that it was too good for the movie. So I was locked out of the final cut.

DISTRIBUTION

Karr’s early attempts to sell Deranged to distributors didn’t result in immediate success. “I took the film to LA, and brought it to (exploitation legend) Joe Solomon, who had just had a big success with Evel Knievel,” the producer recalls. “Solomon and I went to a screening room, where he taught me one of my first lessons in selling a film: He only wanted to see the first and the last reel. I remember thinking that I wasn’t sure if I should be insulted by that or not, but I brought the two reels up to the projection booth. Joe sat down with a big cigar, and after watching the beginning and end, he said it was too rough for him. That was the end of Joe Solomon,”

Solomon was not the only Hollywood huckster to be repulsed by the film’s graphic content, as Karr recalls. “I remember showing Deranged to a guy at the William Morris Agency in hopes of getting myself an agent,” he says. “And this guy was talking on the phone in the screening room while watching the movie. When the scene came up where Ezra scoops the brains out of the severed head, he put his hand over the telephone receiver, turned to me and said, I can’t believe what I’m seeing!’ Then he went back to his phone conversation. So that’s your typical William Morris agent, a guy who can talk on the phone and watch a movie at the same time!”

Other distributors who passed on Deranged included Crown International and Fanfare. Eventually. Karr was able to attract the interest of American International Pictures, who released the film in February 1974. Deranged went out to theaters with an R rating, which meant the removal of the infamous dissection scene and the trimming down of Ezra’s antics with Mary Ransom (minor blood and nudity).

CREDITS

Directed by Jeff Gillen/Alan Ormsby

Produced by Tom Karr

Written by Alan Ormsby

Starring

Roberts Blossom

Cosette Lee

Leslie Carlson

Robert Warner

Music by Carl Zittrer

REFERENCES and SOURCES

Psychotronic Video 14

Fangoria 131

Wikipedia

Bob Clark Director Profile Part Three SUMMARY Ezra Cobb lives with his mother in an unidentified region of the Midwest. His mother, a religious fanatic, has indoctrinated him since childhood to hate women.

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