Bite Me, Tony

Endlessly grim and surprisingly graphic for its time, this novel served as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film, Frenzy. Originally titled Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square , Frenzy was adapted for the big screen by Anthony Shaffer ( Sleuth , The Wicker Man ); and, by the way, that film adaptation is superior to the novel in every way. However, since this is a book review, we'll skip over the film and get to the business at hand.  Richard Blamey, a luckless alcoholic and former war-hero, finds himself slumming it as a bartender in a noisy Covent Garden pub. Already disheartened by the prison cell suicide of a friend and fellow war veteran, Blamey loses an allegedly surefire bet on a horse race, rendering him penniless and even more miserable. In desperation, he pays a visit to his caring ex-wife, who just happens to run a successful marital agency in the neighborhood. However, due to Blamey's drunkenness and self-loathing, a loud argument ensues in her o...

A few observations from the past month:  1. DJT is now selling bibles . For $60 a pop. Because that's how he is. No low is too low. But I keep wondering: why aren't there lightning bolts ? I thought there'd be lightning bolts.  2. The endless and horrible Simply Healthcare commercials are ruining my life and I have completely lost any fondness I may once have had for Stevie Wonder's For Once in My Life .  3. Palm Sunday services are excruciatingly long, especially if, like me, you are not of a religious bent in the first place. I went in expecting a lot of pomp and ceremony along the lines of Midnight Mass. This is not that . This is standing in your pew for the better part of an hour while priestly people recite the story of the Passion in its entirety. On the other hand, the Palm Sunday soprano's voice was pleasing and an announcement that the men's club would soon have their famous clam chowder for sale received a positive reaction from the parishioners, a...