You guys absolutely killed it on this episode. One of your top 3 eps in my opinion.
SOG by John Plaster is a very good read that I recommend. You should also check out the show The Team House, they’ve had many former MACV SOG people on who have written books.
I just rewatched Apocalypse Now. Two things I noticed that I did not see before. First is that their PBR (Patrol Boat River) is named 'Erebus', which personifies darkness (Hearts of Darkness?). Also, when you were pondering whether or not Willard becomes the new leader of Kurtz's group or goes home, recall the scene when their boat is waylaid with the French. Prior to his interlude with the French woman, she asks him if he will go home after the war. He says 'No' and then she says, 'Then you are home already'. Whether or not he goes back to that French plantation or remains with the guerilla fighters is unclear, but he does not go home. I am still amazed, even after watching the Redux version at least 3 times, that Coppola left out that scene until the re-release. The interaction with the French is eye opening and possibly the first time Willard might question the reasons for being there in the first place, a pivotal scene.
I hope so bad you guys can do something on Vietnam. There is so much craziness to how people responded to that war and to dive into that would be awesome.
Love this episode! I'm inspired to watch the film again with my daughter (who also loved it) after hearing the Nietzsche and Apollo v Dionysus angles. I posted my mid episode thoughts on X, but the multipart thread thing is annoying so here's my nearing-the-end response.
Historical context from my "lived experience"... First elected President after Vietnam was Carter. Despite ending our involvement in Vietnam, Ford's connection to Nixon ensured his defeat. After 4 years of rampant inflation, the gas crisis, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, withdrawal from SALT II treaty, Three Mile Island, Iranian revolution and subsequent hostage taking, and a general feeling at the time of America in decline, Reagan won in a landslide. His optimism and larger than life All American persona appealed to Greatest Generation and Boomers who grew up in a world where America was strong.
Imo that's when the Boomer hippies first began morphing into neocons. They saw us lose in Vietnam and became inebriated with the victorious "smell of napalm in the morning" so much that they lost their inner Kurtz. Of course, with the level of fear during the Cold War in the 80s, "winning" meant not being nuked by USSR which took precedence over morals on the hierarchy of needs. They didn't survive ducking and covering under desks as kids just to see their kids blown up a generation later, after all! With Reagan, the clear distinction between good and evil was restored in their minds, making entertaining the moral ambiguity of war a luxury, if not downright naive. Now they control the levers of power.
Curious to see how late Boomer/early Gen Xers (like me) who grew up up in the "Question Authority" era handle things when the Boomers are gone. My guess is the Willards will outnumber the Kilgores and Kurtzes.
The closest real life person to Kurtz may well be Retired Captain Barry Petersen RAR.
https://asiatimes.com/2019/03/the-tiger-man-of-vietnam-passes-away/
https://www.hachette.com.au/frank-walker/the-tiger-man-of-vietnam
https://www.amazon.com.au/Tiger-Men-Australian-Montagnard-Vietnam/dp/9748299139
Nice. Never heard of him. Will checkout, thanks
“You're an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to pick up the bill”
You guys absolutely killed it on this episode. One of your top 3 eps in my opinion.
SOG by John Plaster is a very good read that I recommend. You should also check out the show The Team House, they’ve had many former MACV SOG people on who have written books.
I just rewatched Apocalypse Now. Two things I noticed that I did not see before. First is that their PBR (Patrol Boat River) is named 'Erebus', which personifies darkness (Hearts of Darkness?). Also, when you were pondering whether or not Willard becomes the new leader of Kurtz's group or goes home, recall the scene when their boat is waylaid with the French. Prior to his interlude with the French woman, she asks him if he will go home after the war. He says 'No' and then she says, 'Then you are home already'. Whether or not he goes back to that French plantation or remains with the guerilla fighters is unclear, but he does not go home. I am still amazed, even after watching the Redux version at least 3 times, that Coppola left out that scene until the re-release. The interaction with the French is eye opening and possibly the first time Willard might question the reasons for being there in the first place, a pivotal scene.
I hope so bad you guys can do something on Vietnam. There is so much craziness to how people responded to that war and to dive into that would be awesome.
Love this episode! I'm inspired to watch the film again with my daughter (who also loved it) after hearing the Nietzsche and Apollo v Dionysus angles. I posted my mid episode thoughts on X, but the multipart thread thing is annoying so here's my nearing-the-end response.
Historical context from my "lived experience"... First elected President after Vietnam was Carter. Despite ending our involvement in Vietnam, Ford's connection to Nixon ensured his defeat. After 4 years of rampant inflation, the gas crisis, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, withdrawal from SALT II treaty, Three Mile Island, Iranian revolution and subsequent hostage taking, and a general feeling at the time of America in decline, Reagan won in a landslide. His optimism and larger than life All American persona appealed to Greatest Generation and Boomers who grew up in a world where America was strong.
Imo that's when the Boomer hippies first began morphing into neocons. They saw us lose in Vietnam and became inebriated with the victorious "smell of napalm in the morning" so much that they lost their inner Kurtz. Of course, with the level of fear during the Cold War in the 80s, "winning" meant not being nuked by USSR which took precedence over morals on the hierarchy of needs. They didn't survive ducking and covering under desks as kids just to see their kids blown up a generation later, after all! With Reagan, the clear distinction between good and evil was restored in their minds, making entertaining the moral ambiguity of war a luxury, if not downright naive. Now they control the levers of power.
Curious to see how late Boomer/early Gen Xers (like me) who grew up up in the "Question Authority" era handle things when the Boomers are gone. My guess is the Willards will outnumber the Kilgores and Kurtzes.