Hey MonDavers. Things have been getting a mite serious on the ol’ blog here lately, and I have very much appreciated your indulgence while I’ve been working through some of my thoughts and feelings here in this space. Y’all are the best.

When I started this blog a few years back, the intention was to bring a little smile to what is otherwise a bummer of a day. This is supposed to be a place to escape from Monday (or whatever else is going on), even if just for a few minutes. I’ve gotten away from that recently, but let’s see if we can’t start getting back on track.

Speaking of escaping, I’d like to share with you a few of the ways I have been escaping lately, by sharing a few good books I’ve been reading (two rather new and one not so new), and also one movie that’s just absolutely bonkers. First, the books.

“GOD’S COUNTRY” by Percival Everett (1994)
-How this book and its author have managed to elude my consciousness for so long is surprising to me, almost embarrassingly so. Still, there’s never a bad time to discover a good book, and that is what’s happened here. I may be a latecomer, but I’m all in!
“God’s Country” is a Western that is both comic and gravely serious, often at the same time. It follows a man (I hesitate to call him a “hero”) named Curt Marder, a gambler, drunkard, liar, cheat, and all around no account character who is, of course, oblivious to all of these traits in himself, though keen to point them out in others. His obliviousness also extends to the world around him and, often, the true meaning of the situations he is in. The book opens with Marder’s house and farm being burned by marauders, resulting in him losing his home, wife, and dog in one swell foop. Sorry. Fell swoop. I like that though, “swell foop”, I think I might keep that one.
Anyway, Marder decides that the only thing a man in his situation can do is to go after the group, save his wife, his pride, and what little social standing he may have had. To do this, he hires the best tracker in the land, a black man named Bubba, who fits the traditional Western hero mold far more than Marder does, but being an African American in the old west…well, I don’t have to paint you that picture.
This is where you are likely to think “Oh, it’s like “Blazing Saddles”, but no. Sure, the book deals largely with race and social status, but the humor in the writing is much darker than anything Mel brooks (who is a genius) would have ever come up with. While it’s easy to laugh and smile at Curt Marder and his pathetic shenanigans, I couldn’t do so without feeling a twinge of (Guilt? Shame?) uncomfortableness. See, sometimes comedy has a lot of truth in it, and all smiles have teeth. Sometimes they bite.
The drama in “God’s Country” hits so intensely that the humor can’t quite soften the blow. This is what sets the novel apart from any other in the genre that I have read. It really is a fantastic read and highly recommended, whether you like Westerns or not.

“THE SPAMALOT DIARIES” by Eric Idle (2024)
-This book is exactly what the title says. Eric Idle (of Monty Python and The Rutles fame) kept a diary of his experiences in bringing the show “Spamalot” to the Broadway stage. Kind of like “The Producers” but in real life. Huh. Another Mel Brooks reference. Wild,
For those who may be unaware, “Spamalot” is a Broadway musical version of the film “Monty Python And The Holy Grail”, adapted for the stage by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, Eric’s long time musical partner. While it does help to have some knowledge about both the movie and the musical, I don’t believe it’s totally necessary for the enjoyment of this book.
Yes, this book is a diary, but it’s hardly boring. Being a comedian, Idle has a natural way of writing that is very funny. It is also honest, emotional, and charming. Being a diary, we don’t get too much technical gobbledygook to bore someone who knows nothing about the theatre world, but we do get a behind the scenes look into the arguments, egos, difficulties, breakdowns and breakthroughs it takes to bring a big time show to life.
If you are a fan of Monty Python, or just of the theatre itself, I believe there is much here for you to enjoy. I also believe that even if you’re not a fan, but you are interested in the creative process, or perhaps you are a project manager looking for a different perspective on how to get things done, this may also be for you.

“YOU LIKE IT DARKER” by Stephen King (2024)
-I know, I know, a lot of people don’t like Stephen King for a lot of different reasons, and many of them are justified. I’ve read a large majority of his work, and although I consider myself a fan, I have issues with a lot of his stuff too. Especially when you get into the longer novels.
That’s why I’m always excited when I hear there’s a new King short story collection. I love short stories of all kinds, horror and fantasy doubly so. When done right, the short story can encompass everything that’s great about the novel in a way that quickly cuts to the chase and doesn’t get bogged down in too much detail, less than interesting side stories, or it’s own self-righteousness. For my money, Stephen King is one of the best when it comes to short fiction.
Sure, some of the stories hit the mark better than others, but that’s the nature of these types of collections and you know that going in. There are some longer tales in this book that I could tell really wanted to be novels, but just couldn’t quite hit that mark. That’s assuming, of course, that a story is a living, breathing thing. Which it is. There are also a few that go by in a flash, stinging quick as a hornet, but leaving a mark that lasts much longer.
Favorite stories here include “The Turbulence Expert”, “Willie The Weirdo” (shudder), “The Fifth Step” (double shudder), “On Slide Inn Road”, “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” and “Laurie”. I’ll tell you though, there was nothing here that I didn’t like and I quite enjoyed the ride.

Okay, now that that’s in the books (sorry), I now have the unenviable job of trying to figure out how to describe the out and out comic insanity that is the film…

“HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS” (Self release 2002-streaming/home release 2004)
-Let’s start with the official synopsis from the movie’s own website. “In this 19th century, supernatural epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers”.
That barely begins to cover it.
“Hundreds Of Beavers” is a slapstick comedy film that feels like one of the old Warner Brothers cartoons has come to life. Well, at least the first half feels this way, Comedy aficionados will also notice the influence of Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, and Charlie Chaplin as well. Each gag lands with accuracy, and even the repeated gags don’t get old.
Then the movie takes a slight tonal shift into Dudley Do-Right territory with a little bit of “Return Of The Jedi” thrown in for good measure. There is also a brief parody of a courtroom drama, and what begins to feel like a video game play through, while still keeping the story together and not losing any slapstick elements.
Let’s face it folks, this shouldn’t work. But it does. Wonderfully.
“Hundreds Of Beavers” is a modern take on some old formulas, so it is self aware, but without being obvious or pompous about it. There’s lots of cartoon violence, but nothing overly disturbing. Unless you’re one of those. In which case you probably won’t like this film. For the rest of us though, it’s a blast.
Otherwise, there’s no profanity (apart from one well timed bleep), the sexual humor is mild, few references to smoking are made, and as far as alcohol goes, well, that’s what started our heroes problems to begin with-and he learns his lesson. My only complaint is that the movie is a little bit too long. I think trimming a few minutes here and there could have helped the flow overall and brought us to a quicker resolution. I feel that comedy movies work best at around 90 minutes, and this one clocks in at 108. Not bad, mind you, but the third act felt a little long. Still, if the only bad thing I can say about the movie is that it’s too much of a good thing, then how bad can it be? Also there are a few gross jokes, but nothing worse than an 11 year old boy would come up with so let’s let that slide.
Let’s see, what else? Oh, did I mention this was all shot in black and white? And that the Beavers (and other animals) are all played by people in Mascot type costumes? The physical and digital effect mix make the whole thing feel like the 30’s while being a masterful achievement of today’s technology.
And that’s the key to the success of this movie, I think. It’s all about the juxtaposition of ideas and styles that don’t go together, but do. “Hundreds Of Beavers” also pulls off one of the hardest things a comedy can, in that it’s stupid, yet smart. This in and of itself is a lost art these days, and it is refreshing to see. Quality stuff.
I’d recommend seeing this with a like minded friend (or more) for maximum fun and laughs. But even if you see it all by your lonesome, see it! “Hundreds Of Beavers” is on Apple tv, Amazon Prime, and Blu ray.

Aright. Well. That’s what’s been keeping me entertained. If any of these pieces sounds good to you, check ’em out, and tell me what you think.

See you next time!