#poorbastards

[marlowe1-blog]

Torch Song (The Stories of John Cheever)

Speaking of Mad Men, Joan Harris is the title character of this story. I do not doubt that the writers of Mad Men had this story in mind when they named Joan after the black widow at the center of the life of a man whose life is spiraling out of control, until he's citing her as the angel of death.

The opening passage is "After Jack Lorey had known Joan Harris in New York a few years, he began to think of her as The Widow. She always wore black, and he was always given the feeling, by a curious disorder in her apartment, the undertakers had just left."

Like Joan in Mad Men, John Cheever's Joan Harris is a "big handsome girl" who comes to New York and goes through a series of jobs (hat check girl, model, etc.) and boyfriends without ever seeming to suffer no matter how bad her taste in men seem to be.

Granted, Mad Men's Joan Harris gets steadily more angry at the sexist roles that she was once adapt at playing up to and all the mediocre men that she has to please, but at the very beginning you can see how the name fit with the woman in this story.

So this story we see Jack falling into Joan's circle while his life improves and then falls and keeps falling. He gets married. He gets divorced. He goes to war and comes back to the same job but with the same pay without adjustment for inflation. He's drunk and broken.

Meanwhile Joan goes through men and whenever Jack runs into there's a a new one. Some are abusive. Others are quietly tragic. She loses her apartment. Jack finds her a new one. It's in a slum but she seems happy. Toward the end of the story, Jack and Joan catch up and Joan tells Jack about all the men and how some drank themselves to death while others comitted suicide.

And that brings us up to the ending where Joan is paying Jack a call as his poverty and his drinking has caught up with her and he's screaming at her to get out. As far as he's concerned, she's the angel of death. Many critics have compared her to the fates and the literal angel of death, especially when she promises to come back that night.

But I think it's more simple. This Joan Harris is very much like the Joan Harris of Mad Men. She is a survivor with some terrible taste in men. Jack is adding mystical properties to her because he doesn't see that the same thing that attracted her to all her boyfriends and fiances is the same thing that keeps her and Jack in contact. Jack is the author of his own destruction, but like suicidal fuckups before and after him, he ascribes his misfortune to the stars and fate and a woman who has similar messy life choices but infinitely more inner resources.

[tulipanthousa]

violet, my dear, what violence are you plotting /lh /j

The sexy kind >:3

[myselfnevermore]

#MariaBrink

#FFDP

#PoorBastard

#Unlucky

#SelfiesFromHell

#STD

[diabloindigo]

Back from the vet’s. He just had a lot of allergy meds and treatments. I’ve never seen him this groggy.

[banxx]

Although we've been together for almost 35 years, today is our 18th wedding anniversary ❤️#weddinganniversary#18yearsofwedded#bestfriend#husbandandwife#noescape#hestrapped#poorbastard#tags#haha#love

[joshof13thfloor]

Have I mentioned how much I love #Goodwill lately? Those DVDs are all factory sealed and were 3 for 5 bucks. The book was just 99 cents. Boo. Fucking. Yah. #DoctorWho #TheCybermen #BatmanTheDarkKnightReturnsPart1 #Dodgeball #RealGhostsRestlessSpiritsAndHauntedPlaces #UsedMedia #UsedBook #Thrifting #Thrifter #CheapBastard #PoorBastard https://www.instagram.com/p/B3KOocxJk9xZMQydq-5pa-U_5Od58TUhDBK2Io0/?igshid=1o9w6yrkkcshe

[dimitryleger]

Believe it or not, these chickens strung up to the back of a motorcycle in #bamako were actually still alive. #poorbastards (at Bamako, Mali)

[valhallamusic]

Been having this conversation with a few other artists lately who are running into the "haters" issue as their success grows... something I know from my 33 years on this planet is that it isn't just isolated to musicians, & it isn't something that ever goes away once you reach a certain height or stature... quite the opposite. the better that you do, the haters are actually going to multiply with your successes. So embrace the envious, the callous, the chiding, the petty remarks, the insults, the bullies, the poor bastards - as I like to call them! they are a direct indication that you are doing something very right and that you are entering new ground of success and ahievement that the weaker minded, weaker willed, & insecure are absolutely shaken by! I always hope that after the initial reaction of negativity people might end up coming around to be inspired. you never know... but be like Joan. Keep your eyes on the prize and YOU DO YOU! #belikejoan #joanjett #womenwhorock #guitarbadass #guitarrock #axewieldingbarbarian #rockbabes #rocksecrets #rocktips #secretstolife #wisdoms #wisdom #inspirationalquotes #wwjjd #keepyourheadup #hatersgonnahate #brushitoff #shakeitoff #poorbastard #poorbastards #valhalla #valhallamusic #lifelessons #lessonsinrock

[capitaine-connan]

...PoorBastards

[berserkairsoft]

M. A. G. A #makeamericagreatagain #trump #crysis #madman #poorbastard #vfx #photoshop #politics #art — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2QmUU0G

[coconut-raj]

GrrrrAaAaaaah

#soangry #butidkwhat2do #withmyself #fack 

[life-of-lisa-mejias]

Poor bastard's new to FB and just looking for friends...... #cantwealljustgetalong #facebook #newbie #cuthimsomeslack #poorbastard #hoaxornah #lmfao

[goharrison]

What’s in a name? #names #poorbastard (at Walmart Palm Desert)

[clooneyclub]

▪️C H A T T I N G ⠀ Spotted @michaelgoudie here at the @thefactorymarkets chewing one poor unsuspecting gentleman ear, right off. ⠀ This guy tried to escape for at least 20mins, but Goudie is relentless in his pursuit of great chat. ⠀ ⠀ #poorbastard ⠀ — view on Instagram http://ift.tt/2tWTYIX

[gossiping-pigeons]

undefined

Even polar bears love a bit of Mariah at Christmas #london #oxfordstreet #bondstreet #westend #westlondon #polarbear #costume #mariahcarey #christmasmusic #poorbastard #funny #randon #christmaseveeve #pigeontalks

[valhallamusic]

The President of the Recording Academy thinks women need to "Step up" if they are going to be acknowledged by the music industry... I guess no one wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room that we are stepping up and repeatedly being struck with systematic discrimination every time we do. This is just ONE example out of hundreds I could site, over my 15 years actively working in the music industry. Here are some YouTube comments from a time when Guitar World Magazine asked me to do a video review of a Daisy Rock guitar called the Rock Candy Special. The top line Daisy Rock guitars were extremely well made (I believe at the Hamer factory?). I still get compliments from men who have played this guitar (i still own to this day), not knowjng what it is when they play it and saying "what is this, i love this guitar so much!" But you see, this company is no longer around because when men were told BEFORE playing it that these guitars were marketed towards women, how do you think men "handled" that hit to their coveted male illusions of POSSESSING rock n roll as "THEIRS" ? 😧😬😒😔 but you know.... It's probably my fault they attacked ME as a woman, and not my music... I should have "stepped up" and scolded Guitar World for even asking me to be involved I guess. Then I wouldn't have had to be reduced to less than a guitar player by a bunch of men I didn't know, right @recordingacademy ? #sexism #stepup #womeninmusic #womenofrock #womenrock #womenmusicians #musicbusiness #musicindustry #recordingacademy #makemeasandwich #rocknrolldoesnotbelongtomen #rocknrollforall #rocknrollforeveryone #musicisforeveryone #womenbelong #femaleguitarist #rockerwoman #rockerchick #grammyssomale #girlsrock #rocknrollgirl #sherocks #musicforher #daisyrock #guitargirl #guitargirls #sexistbastards #poorbastards