Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Fram, as an artist of trigger work

It is difficult to be a cowboy these days ....

It has been noted by those with greater expertise than we here at the Fram Institute and Repository of Knowledge and Similar Useless Facts that much can be learned about a man by examining the way he squeezes a trigger. It is a reflection of the inner man, it sings the song of his soul and recites the poetry of his heart, among other things.

Having been in the U.S. Marine Corps, our Fram has a considerable amount of "trigger time," as the guys fondly call it. Possibly, we will be able to persuade Fram to sometime tell his story about how he became lost leaving Reno, ended up snowed in at Donner Pass and, more-or-less, was shanghaied into the Corps. Although somewhat reluctant, when he found out there was free room and board and as much ammo has a young man could ever wish to shoot, he decided to hang out there for a while. But, that story is for another day.

If we look to the top left of our illustration, we see James Bond the First and James Bond the Last. The First is holding a Walther PPK, in exact specification of the second weapon carried by Bond in Ian Fleming's series of novels. Fram likes that. The Last is carrying what appears to be an indistinguishable piece, to which a silencer is attached. Although Fleming's Bond may have used such a weapon (Fram merely read the books; he did not memorize them), it was not his norm. Fram does not like that. The First looks suave, debonair, ready to mingle with the "beautiful people." The Last looks mean, angry, brooding, ready to kick butt. Beginning to know him as you do, which do you suppose Fram would choose to emulate? (That question actually might be difficult to answer and, maybe, the answer is neither.)

Next we see Lee Marvin, a genuine gunman among actor gunmen. He knew which end of the weapon to point downrange. He knew how to be the gangster, the lawman, the soldier, the cowboy, the comic of all comics. Yes, Lee certainly had the potential to be a very good role model for Fram.

Then we have Slick and Slim, two pretty boys who did ok for themselves. No, this is not Fram's usual style. No pretty boy stuff for him. (Good looking? Most certainly, just not "pretty.") On the other hand, these two did do a fine job in whatever role they undertook in life or the movies, and Fram does enjoy watching them perform. It certainly is possible he would squeeze the trigger in a manner similar to either gentleman.

Back to the left, we are, and at the bottom rung. There is Clint the Younger and Clint the Elder. How did Clint the Younger keep a straight face while posing for that photograph? Fram just pointed out to me that the Younger carries a Smith & Wesson .44 magnum, the old style, and that the Elder carries a pair of Colt's Navy revolvers, plus what appears to be a Colt 1849 Sheriff's Model. What does this symbolize? One revolver for the Younger; three revolvers for the Elder. Fram does not care to speculate. He wishes to move on. Keep the faith, Clint. See you around.

We have arrived at the end of this evening's illustrations, where there are two guys, one with straight black hair and the other with curly black hair. No matter what their differences might be, they both hold near identical selections in handguns: Each grasping a 1911-style, .45 semi-automatic pistol. These guys are the actual Blues Brothers, Soul Brothers and Brothers Grimm rolled into one, no matter what anyone else might tell you. On some days, Fram thinks that these boys have so much in common with him, they actually must be emulating him rather than he them. Make sense? No difference. Maybe neither. (Love a good mystery?)

Well, no reason to make the call right now. Squeezing the trigger requires contemplation and art, as well as skill and steady nerve, so it makes sense that time also is required to discern the individual Fram most emulates. In fact, Fram says this might be a question best left unanswered.

Thus concludes the "Get to Know Fram Better" series.

Incidental of the evening:

There is light rain, and the temperature is warm: 50 degrees, which is warm after winter in Minnesota. The wind has been ripping for about two days, 30-plus miles-per-hour with gusts topping 50. I stood out in it, face into it, for a few minutes just minutes ago. Very refreshing, very nice, very soothing. Made me think of canoeing into the wind, into the waves. Meanwhile, snow predicted for Wednesday.

Now I am tired of being Japanese,
The daimyo said, after a certain war.
Let there be a kempt jungle in a valley
And from it rise
So that you look through horizontal blossoms
A tall, unmoated fortress where the dolphins
On the gables, tails in the sky,
Swim from the separate quarters of the kingdom
Without thinking;
And with a balcony to every hour
Facing the hills, apart,
Where a sweet particular girl will say the truth
Over and over until I take it in.

"Picture of a Castle"
by William Meredith

19 comments:

TheChicGeek said...

Nice guns. I know what you mean about gun personality. My ex tried to give me a machine gun when we divorced but I thought that was a little overkill. Then he wanted me to take this tiny-tiny ladies gun, too small. I opted for the Ruger, kinda in the middle. Odd gift to give your ex-wife, don't you think? LOL :)

A Cuban In London said...

Now, this is what I call a collage! Or rather, a cool collage! Pulp Fiction is one my all-time favourites. And give me anything with Clint in it. I might even forgive him that 'Unforgiven' awarded Gene Hackman whilst ignoring John Malkovich in Clint Eastwood's 'In The Line of Fire', the movie I have to watch at least once a year. Many thanks for the post.

Greetings from London.

Fram Actual said...

That is wild, Kelly. Without knowing the man, I can only speculate, and I will ....

Speaking as a male and a gun enthusiast, I would see it as a gesture of offering his protection to you as best he could since he would no longer be there with you. Alpha males in particular, I think, see protection of their ladies as their foremost responsibility: He will be absent, so he gives you a means to protect yourself if you choose to utilize it.

Then again, maybe he was just being a smartass. You know the man and the way things were between the two of you at the time, so I suppose you can determine which he was being.

That really is fascinating, though.

Fram Actual said...

Greetings, Cuban ....

Very nice to see you pass this way again. Apparently, you are not a gunman, and must be content to enjoy them only in the movies. Wild West America lives on, for better or for worse.

Piper .. said...

Ohh Fram, I was off the blog world for a while and now I see a whole lot of reading to do :):)
The weather`s perfect too :) Was out in the rain as well. Just trying to soak it all up..
And now I`m sitting with a hot cup of latte, reading all that you`ve written for all these days. Shall come back with comments later. For now, just wanted to say hello :)

Katy said...

Love the pix Fram, thank you. I have to admit to a certain, er, female appreciation of the current James Bond and it's almost certainly everything or nothing to do with his weapon of choice...

I love Kelly's story! If ever there was a joke in the making that deserved a cracking punchline... :-)

Fram Actual said...

Nice you see you again, Piper.

I hope you are getting things sorted out in your mind about parents and responsibilities toward them.

Fram Actual said...

The only movie Bond I did not like was Roger Moore, Katy. Too blond, too much a "pretty boy." Daniel Craig is too blond, too, but otherwise he seems appropriate for the age of terrorism. The movies themselves, though, continue to be absolutely mundane.

Seems to me I recall you saying something about being an excellent shot.

TheChicGeek said...

First off I must say Daniel Craig is HOT,HOT,HOT! I love Sean Connery but my man Daniel could do the job just fine, thank you very much :) Hee-Hee
Secondly, yes, he said he thought I should have protection but geez, that was a little more protection than necessary. I mean, can you see me running around with a machine gun in my hands...LOL!
And lastly but definitely not least, thank you, Katy :) You are so cute :) I like the way you agree with me...LOL...I always agree with you too.
Uh-oh, Fram, the harem is ganging up on you, you better look out...some of them have guns Hee-Hee :)!

Natalie said...

Let me skip on guns. I would only contribute this one line:
Mikhail Kalashnikov died a few years ago a poor man, with a monthly pension of $50…
I like this poem (or a thought?) – yours? – Very, very nice.
“I discovered
Romance might yet exist….”
No “depends”, Philosopher…. It does exist, maybe not in every relationship…
Let me put it this way: romance is a dessert. Some people don’t care for dessert, some – make it the main course… or no?

Fram Actual said...

I like girls with guns, Kelly, but I'm still waiting to meet one with a machine gun ....

As for the a-hem, "harem," stay tuned. I'll be back later.

TheChicGeek said...

Yes, Master. Your slaves await your return ....Hee-Hee :)

Fram Actual said...

Natalie ....

You certainly can surprise a guy. Do you have your own AK? Possibly under your bed? I still have my Avtomat Kalashnikova in a closet in case of a rainy day.

Yes, "Romance" is mine. I think you have backed me into a corner again. Dessert, main course or non-existent is entirely up to the individuals involved, just as you say.

Fram Actual said...

OK, wise girl .... now I'm off and running ....

TheChicGeek said...

Run, Master run.....LOL!

Fram Actual said...

Made it ....

TheChicGeek said...

Whew, I was worried...LOL!

Piper .. said...

I am.. leaving for home on the 1st.

Fram Actual said...

Piper, you mean just for a visit, right?

Something special ....