Author Topic: The Brokeback Cult  (Read 37448 times)

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2006, 01:33:01 am »
Originally posted by meryl_88 Friday, March 3, 2006:
 
Quote
But sainthood would also be a heady experience for them, I think.

Let's not forget that Heath and Jake are Hollywood celebrities. I feel certain that there is probably very little we can do that would surprise them.   ;)

Quote
I think this is going to get very tricky if we try to define too much here. Look at everyone arguing about Christianity on the Big Board, and the nastiness on the Munich board.

I love you all! You're embracing our Cult with such enthusiasm. :)

But before going further, maybe I should say it was always my intention that anything we come up with on this thread should be in a spirit of affectionate good humor. It's meant to be fun and a means of expressing friendship and respect for each other and the wonders of Brokeback.

Of course we all share deep, deep feelings about this film, its themes and its artists. The parallels we're making between those feelings and organized religions are based on love, pure and simple. But one parallel we don't need is arguing over dogma. If we can't have light hearts and allow for all sorts of different ideas (both serious and comic), it won't be fun any more.

So use your creativity and come up with hymns (we can have a whole collection of them if we want), holy days, rituals, saints and whatever strikes you as relevant. But most of all, keep your sense of humor at the forefront. :)
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2006, 01:36:47 am »
Originally posted by Yaadpyar on Friday, March 3, 2006:
 
Meryl - Amen! I mean, YeeHaw to all of it. I must admit to reading some of this wonderful post over the phone to a friend just to share with her how incredibly clever and funny and smart ya'll are, and she (thankfully) laughed as hard as I do every time I read this thread.

I'm with you all the way on our Cult. I was going to use the caveat that if we have any instances of sleep deprivation I'd have to sign-off, but I think we're all suffering from that already with the late nights here!

I so want to see a compendium of the best of these conversations printed. It would be like the Talmud in Judaism. There is the Torah, which is the Sacred Text, the first five books of the Old Testament. Then there is the Talmud, which is a compendium of commentaries from learned scholars about the Torah, also considered a critical text.

So - first there's Annie's story, then the screenplay, then the movie, and then the commentaries by the learned scholars (IMDb message boards, etc.). I think I'm starting to scare myself with the parallels...
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2006, 02:03:18 am »
OSCAR NIGHT RITUALS

Originally posted by meryl_88 Friday, March 3, 2006:

HEY BROKIES, TELL Y'WHAT, we need some sort of sacred ritual for Oscar Night. How are we going to approach it with proper reverence, whether we be alone or in groups?

Our gods, prophets and demi-gods will be visible in real time and will commune with us via satellite. This is an historic moment for the Cult. How shall this be done?

Suggested pre-Oscar ritual:

1. Repeat as often as necessary: "S'alright, s'alright, s'alright..."

2. Wear lucky underwear and socks daily. If people avoid you, then it's working.

3. Consume at least one of the following daily: whiskey, beer (long-necked bottles preferred), beans, cherry cake, elk meat (especially lucky).

4. Visualize Schamus, Lee, Ledger, Gyllenhaal, Williams, McMurtry, Ossana, Prieto and Santaolalla in a smiling group, statuettes in hand.

5. Avoid any article with "Crash" in the title

6. Upon any mention of Roger Ebert, look mean and spit into a coffee cup.


Posted by jscheib (JeffWrangler):

When you put it that way, I guess I may need to begin the evening with a Ritual Meal of canned beans, after which it may be advisable to don the Sacred Garments. However, since somebody mentioned in another post that ballots had to be in by this Wednesday, I'm afraid it may be too late for the cultic ritual mojo to do any good.


Posted by Yaadpyar:

Part of the sacred ritual is to to bind a community together, so it's got to be something we can all do individually or together, and Academy ballots be damned.

Options (with examples following):

- Eating sacred food (beans, whiskey, cherry cake, apple pie, trouts, coffee, elk)

- Wearing sacred vestments (cowboy hat & boots, checkered shirt, jeans, rodeo belt buckle)

- Speaking sacred words (I swear, I wish I could quit you, Jack Nasty, It could be a sweet life, It could be like this-just like this-always, It's 'cause a you I'm like this)

- Sacred grooming (washing with hot water heated in a campfire, growing a huge mustache or sideburns, shaving from a tin cup, grabbing a toothbrush before goin' fishin')

- Singing sacred verse (Water Walking Jesus, A Love That Will Never Grow Old)

- Performing sacred acts (washing shirts in river naked except for boots and hat, sticking boots into campfire, sleeping in a tent with a co-worker, herding sheep)

Any of these work for ya'll? Any more to add? Shall we pick a few we can agree on?


Posted by jscheib (JeffWrangler):

Quote
Part of the sacred ritual is to to bind a community together, so it's got to be something we can all do individually or together, and Academy ballots be damned.
Never mind the sheep. ...

Quote
Eating sacred food (beans, whiskey, cherry cake, apple pie, trouts, coffee, elk)

Anybody got a recipe for cherry cake? All anybody in my family ever made was cherry pie.

Quote
Wearing sacred vestments (cowboy hat & boots, checkered shirt, jeans, rodeo belt buckle)

Heck, that works for me any time!

Quote
Speaking sacred words (I swear, I wish I could quit you, Jack Nasty, It could be a sweet life, It could be like this-just like this-always, It's 'cause a you I'm like this)

"Jack, I swear. ... Jack, I swear. ... Jack, I swear. ..."

Quote
Sacred grooming (washing with hot water heated in a campfire, growing a huge mustache or sideburns, shaving from a tin cup, grabbing a toothbrush before goin' fishin')
I would not advise the campfire part if you live in a high-rise building in a major city. There's this little legal point called "Risking a catastrophe."

Quote
Singing sacred verse (Water Walking Jesus, A Love That Will Never Grow Old)
Other possibility: "He Was a Friend of Mine."

Quote
Performing sacred acts (washing shirts in river naked except for boots and hat, sticking boots into campfire, sleeping in a tent with a co-worker, herding sheep)

Again, not so feasible if you live in a major city. I could pitch a pup tent on the q.t. in my living room if I had anybody to share it with.


Posted by meryl_88:

Quote
When you put it that way, I guess I may need to begin the evening with a Ritual Meal of canned beans, after which it may be advisable to don the Sacred Garments.

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Excellent preparation.

Now, what to do during the Red Carpet interviews? As we wait for our Holy Ones to arrive on the scene, we could smoke like a chimney and consume bottles of beer and pace the room. Or we could hang a symbolic pair of binoculars around our neck, as a way of invoking their appearance.

I have determined that whenever Heath appears on screen, I will speak the sacred words: "Nice to know you, Ennis Del Mar." When Jake appears, I will speak the sacred words: "Jack F3ckin' Twist!" When Michelle, Anne, Ang, Larry, Diana, Rodrigo or Gus appear, I will murmur a respectful "Yeehaw." Throughout the evening, other sacred words as mentioned by yaadpyar such as "Jack, I swear" and "It could be a sweet life" as well as "S'alright, s'alright, s'alright" will be used as necessary to renew the spirit.

Just before the actual broadcast, I will light a symbolic campfire (I have a giant green candle with several wicks that should do the job) and sit with my feet near it. I will place my teakettle nearby (my coffeemaker is glass) with a wooden spoon, ready for banging on when applause is called for. I will have purchased a small flask of whiskey for the express purpose of taking a swig when we win a statuette.

As the time for the Best Picture award draws near, I will remove all breakables from the vicinity of the TV, as I intend to recreate the sacred Rodeo Dance performed by Jack in the movie just before he falls over so dramatically.

There, I feel better for having formulated some sort of plan. Anyone else want to weigh in with suggestions?


Posted by jscheib (JeffWrangler):

Meryl, I'm nominatin' you for high priestess!

We need an East Coast version of Ang-fest. Maybe after the DVD is out.

Now I've GOT to quit this board (for the night) and GET SOME SLEEP!
« Last Edit: August 04, 2006, 07:31:50 pm by meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #13 on: August 04, 2006, 07:35:12 pm »
THE MANTRA

Posted by Yaadpyar on Saturday, March 4, 2006:

Meryl -

I think we've got an Oscar night plan! If I can watch them alone, I'm will emulate this, at least in spirit.

In reading over your preparations, it occured to me that the thrice-spoken whisper of "s'alright", a sacred phrase on its own for so many reasons, could be like a special incantation. Something you whisper to yourself that invokes the good will of the gods.

Like, when you're at bat, and want extra power to hit a home run, you whisper it. Or when you have to do something scary, for extra courage you say it to yourself (the way Jack did to Ennis).

We know the transforming power of those words...

Posted by meryl_88:

Yes, I think your singling out this phrase as a mantra of special potency is significant. It will be to us as "Om" is to the mystics of the East.


Originally posted by Yaadpyar on Thursday, March 2, 2006:

So - our sacred phrase (at least to me) of "I Swear" will have to have some agreed upon, if unspoken meaning. So many have tried to articulate the significance of it, but perhaps it is so sacred in part because its meaning cannot be spoken. Sort of like to Tao - the Tao that can be named is not the Tao... I do think it's the critical phrase that the cult resonates around.

In eastern meditation a mantra is chosen - a sacred chant that connects the chanter to the eternal, so perhaps our mantra is "I Swear."

From Wikipedia:  This article is about the religious poem. A mantra is a religious syllable or poem. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily used as spiritual conduits, words or vibrations that instill one-pointed concentration in the devotee. Other purposes have included religious ceremonies to accumulate wealth, avoid danger, or eliminate enemies. Mantras originated in India with Vedic Hinduism and were later adopted by Buddhists and Jains, now popular in various modern forms of spiritual practice which are loosely based on practices of these Eastern religions.
« Last Edit: October 06, 2006, 11:44:35 am by meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #14 on: August 04, 2006, 07:47:13 pm »
THE SACRED MYSTERIES

Posted by meryl_88 Saturday, March 4, 2006:

Yaadpyar, for a moment I thought you were going to mention the controversy that has swirled around the words "S'alright, s'alright, s'alright," there being of course several passionately defended theories as to exactly what was uttered in the two Sacred Tent Scenes and by whom.

Perhaps when the DVD is released, or even in a future interview with Jake or Heath, this question will be put to rest. For now, though, I think it could be safely referred to as one of the Sacred Mysteries, along with, perhaps, the truth about how Jack met his end, whether by Tire Iron or by Accident. The gods assuredly know these things, but it is not yet given to us to partake of that higher knowledge.

Posted by Yaadpyar:

Meryl -

I stay away from these controversies - and potential schisms, and will let others duke it out, but I do love the Sacred Mysteries notion. I have communed with the BBM gods, and know my own answers...


Posted by -starboardlight:

Quote
Tire-Ironites and Accidentalists
 
Wouldn't that be the Ironites and the Rimmites?

« Last Edit: October 06, 2006, 11:45:50 am by meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #15 on: August 04, 2006, 08:21:20 pm »
Posted by meryl_88 Saturday, March 4, 2006:

Quote
By jscheib(JeffWrangler)
Meryl, I'm nominatin' you for high priestess!

Why thank you, Jeff! *Tries on headdress* It does seem I have fallen more or less into that role. :D


Posted by Yaadpyar:

Can you please post a pix of you in the headdress. I think we're all looking forward to seeing that. I'm guessing it looks something like a cowboy hat? Maybe with a halo?


Posted by meryl_88:

Yaadpyar, that is, in fact, a beautiful (and prescient) description of the Vision of St. Anne, a portrait which I have "seen" during my meditations, and which I feel certain is already gestating in the mind of one of our artisticly gifted Faithful. I am sure that in the fullness of time, it shall come to fruition.

As to the headdresses of the High Priest and Priestess, I cannot yet say what form they will take. Those of the Faithful that receive inspired thoughts on this subject should feel free to reveal them.


Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #16 on: October 05, 2006, 12:24:23 am »
HYMNS

Posted by Shuggy Friday March 2, 2006

Isn't our hymn "Water Walkin Jesus"?

Posted by Daniel  Friday March 3 2006
Well, yes, but there's not much we can do with two lines.. :)

Posted by Ellemeno

Hey, what if Larry and Diana had thought that way?

Posted by -meryl_88 Sunday March 5 2006

Brothers and Sisters, a new hymn has been delivered unto us from an unlooked for source (let the Force of Nature be praised..Yeehaw). At the Independent Spirit Awards last night, Peter Gallagher (an auspicious name, since one of our Brothers is jmmgallagher) sang it to introduce scenes from the Holy Movie:

(Sung to the tune of "On Top of Old Smokey")

On top of Old Brokeback,
All covered with sheep,
Two amorous cowboys
Aren't getting much sleep.

"I wish I could quit you"
Says one to the next,
Though then I'd be lonely
And quite undersexed.

Both cowboys have children;
Both cowboys have wives,
Which means that both cowboys
Have frustrated lives.

But there's one consolation
To even the scores.
When you're a gay cowboy,
Your closet's outdoors.

Though light-hearted in spirit, I believe this hymn is rife with deeper spiritual significance.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2006, 07:59:47 pm by meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #17 on: October 05, 2006, 01:03:06 am »
THE FIRST PILGRIMAGE

Seven posters from IMDb attended a screening of the film at the Aero theater in Santa Monica, California, on February 13th, 2006, marking the first significant "in person" gathering of the Faithful.  They were surf501, starboardlight, Ellemeno, ndatmo-1, henrypie, mlewisusc and BannerHill.  A panel consisting of Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Rodrigo Prieto, Diana Ossana and Gustavo Santaolalla were on hand to make comments and answer questions.

Quote
Posted by meryl_88 Saturday March 4, 2006

Actually, I was pondering nominating surf501 as High Priest, he who spoke directly to the Holy Ones on our behalf when they appeared in Santa Monica last month. The date of that encounter, the Visitation of the Chosen Seven, must be entered on the Cult Calendar as a day ofspecial significance.

Quote
Posted by Ellemeno

I agree with all except the word "Chosen." We truly were not. We were the "Financially-able Seven," or the "Lucky-to-Live-Close-By Seven." I am enchanted to keep that Seven thing going and to have a place in the mythology, but truly don't think we were the Chosen. How bout the "Santa Monica Seven" or the "Angless Angfest Seven" or the "La Cabaña Seven?" Or something. And the date of the Visitation was February 13th, 2006. I had eye contact with Heath, Jake and Rodrigo. But mostly with Heath, because I had a hard time looking away from his Light. (I decided to decapitalize "His," but leave the capital on "Light.")

Quote
Posted by meryl_88

Elle, I see what you're saying and have no wish to force any title on you that doesn't seem to fit. By "Chosen," though, I hoped to convey that in matters of the Divine, things that seem obvious, like proximity or material means, may mask a deeper connection to the Event. Witness the fact that several of the Seven took flights from far away locations and even overcame huge obstacles in order to be present that night. (In the Close Encounters Cult, all sorts of poeple were "invited" to the great meeting at Devil's Tower. Some fell by the wayside, but those who were meant to be there succeeded.)

In that light, I would suggest something like the Seven Who Were Called, or the Fortunate Seven. Would either of these be acceptable?

Quote
Posted by starboardlight

I really felt like we had a pilgrimage of sort, especially for Elle, HPie, Surf, and ndat. Even for mlewisusc and coming all the way from behind the Orange Curtain. how about they group be called "the seven pilgrims"?

Quote
Posted by -mlewisusc Sundat March 5 2006

Could we just be the "Blessed Seven"? We were all blessed by the energy of BannerHill. And I was individually blessed by the generosity of ndatmo-1.

What was truly freakish that night was how light the traffic was . . . the gods and goddesses must have parted the autos for me and left me a clear path . . .

Quote
Posted by BannerHill

Re-thinking "The Seven":  First, there were several other IMDBers who were at the Aero screening who we never connected with.

What I was in fact truly struck by ("And I'm not foolin') was the fact that I even discovered the Screening in the first place. I was taking a route home that I rarely take. I was travleing north to south on 14th street from SanVicente. I NEVER TAKE THAT ROUTE. As I was crossing Montana I notice the Marquee of the Aero. THE MARQUEE IS NOT ILLUMINATED. But it says Brokeback mountain With Ang Lee and cast.

HUNH!?!

My first thought was that I was now officially losing my mind. I thought I was now seeing Brokeback everywhere.  But it was true.  In my mind, and I mean this, some unseen hand was instrumental in me spotting the Aero marquee. The event was not advertised. The only advertisements that I saw were in the LA Times well after the event had sold out. It was a profound coincidence that I found the screening.

Quote
Posted by Yaadpyar

I remember reading your post just seconds after you put it up, and I think I even replied at some point. And I think you asked us what questions we wanted answers to, but that you'd probably be too shy to say anything anyway?

It is indeed one of those magical moments - the mysterious hand of fate showing you something otherwise invisible to you...and many of us.

This is what your experience makes me think of:

or•dain:

To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on.
To order by virtue of superior authority; decree or enact.
To prearrange unalterably; predestine: by fate ordained.

I especially like by fate you were ordained - that a superior authority (the BBM gods) determined your (and others) attendance.

Just want to re-frame this discussion since it's been so tricky - do we want to define and name something after those who attended, and name that particular group, or is the holiday and in honor of the event itself? Thoughts...
« Last Edit: February 17, 2007, 05:52:41 pm by Meryl »
Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #18 on: October 05, 2006, 01:34:06 am »
OTHER RITUALS AND SYMBOLS

THE FLAG

Quote
Posted by Ray Tuesday March 7, 2006

I suggest the flag to be the two shirts with the emblem of the mountain embroidered onto it.  I was thinking one sewn into the other, but two separate shirts would make for interesting flurrying when up a pole.

THE HANDSHAKE

Quote
Posted by meryl_88 Tuesday, March 7, 2006

I just was reading another thread where a secret handshake was discussed and I suggested this:

When two Cult members meet and wish to exchange a handshake, each should grasp the left wrist of the other with their right hand, then proceed to move the thumb several times back and forth in a soothing manner while looking into the other's eyes.

OUR VERSION OF "THE SIGN OF THE CROSS"

Quote
Posted by EnnisLovesJack Thursday March 9, 2006

I have our version of making the sign of the cross:  tuck the back of your shirt into your pants.

THE BELT BUCKLE DANCE and the TONGUE'S TRUTH

Quote
Posted by newyearsday Wednesday March 15, 2006

I've been thinking about this throughout the day and would like to offer two new additions to the Code of the Cult:

1) A new addition to the sacred dances--albeit a dance of the hands and not the feet: Whilst sharing contented glee amongst one another (with or without the holy virtual whiskey), Cult members may perform the sacred dance of strumming and flicking the thumbs on the (virtual or real) rodeo belt buckle. Said motions could also be performed any time one is highly content and/or pleased with oneself, such as after peeing outside on a summer night.

2) Whenever Cult members must deal with an outsider who is not "on the same page" with our love and understanding of the Truth, especially when such dealings incite displeasure or stress, employ the useful tactic of slowing running one's tongue over one's lower lip while looking said outsider in the eye. This will help to remind members of the Truth held within and be a soothing way to gather strength should any words need to be exchanged.

Submitted humbly with highest holy "Yeehaaw's" and a solemn tuck of the shirt.


Ich bin ein Brokie...

Offline Meryl

  • BetterMost Supporter
  • Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 12,205
  • There's no reins on this one....
Re: The Brokeback Cult
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2006, 01:04:18 am »
THE SHUGGENE CREED

Posted by Shuggy Saturday March 4, 2006
 
Can I just tweak it a bit? That "the holy Movie, too" doesn't quite have that Nicene ring to it.

I believe in E. Annie, the Author Almighty,
Creator of Ennis and Jack
And of old Brokeback
Which has got me good.
And I believe in Larry and Diana, her chosen Adaptors,
Who conceived of the holy Screenplay,
Who suffered under obtuse Producers
Were criticized, flamed and turned down.
The seventh year they rose again to the task.
They ranched up with Focus Features
And sat at the feet of Ang, the Director,
Who proceeds from the Crouching Tiger and the Hidden Dragon
Who cast both Ledger and Gyllenhaal.
I believe in the holy Story and in the holy Movie,
In the communing of Shirts,
The Force of Nature,
The return to Brokeback Mountain
And that it could be like this, just like this
Forever and ever
I swear....


Well, I guess I more than tweaked it. Now please, let's not have a schism.

Ich bin ein Brokie...