Recommended by Ricochet Members Created with Sketch. Quote of the Day: Red Wind

 

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.” — Red Wind, Raymond Chandler, 1938

As we start our third week of Santa Ana winds in Southern California, I hope and pray that the weather shifts and we get some rain.

There are 24 comments.

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  1. Judge Mental Member

    I’ll say it before someone else does. Best opening ever.

    • #1
    • December 17, 2017, at 10:16 AM PST
    • 8 likes
  2. Susan Quinn Contributor

    Here’s praying for all our friends in So. Cal, Clavius. Rain. Please.

    • #2
    • December 17, 2017, at 10:22 AM PST
    • 4 likes
  3. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    I found a copy of the story online:  http://www.design.caltech.edu/erik/Misc/Red_Wind-Raymond_Chandler.pdf

    • #3
    • December 17, 2017, at 10:40 AM PST
    • 2 likes
  4. Titus Techera Contributor

    Fine quote, fine writer!

    But I’ve been to Santa Ana & it’s nothing like I thought when I was a kid. Except some of the old architecture…

    • #4
    • December 17, 2017, at 10:43 AM PST
    • 1 like
  5. Arahant Member

    It is a good opening. You know it’s going downhill from there.


    This conversation is an entry in our Quote of the Day Series. It’s an easy way to start a hot conversation. If you’d like to participate, we still have a few days open on December’s schedule and January’s schedule is also open.

    • #5
    • December 17, 2017, at 10:52 AM PST
    • 3 likes
  6. RushBabe49 Thatcher

    We up in Western Washington would be happy to send you some of our rain, if we knew how. My magic wand doesn’t seem to be working well this week.

    • #6
    • December 17, 2017, at 11:04 AM PST
    • 7 likes
  7. J.D. Snapp Coolidge

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    We up in Western Washington would be happy to send you some of our rain, if we knew how. My magic wand doesn’t seem to be working well this week.

    We’d send you our Montana snow as well. That’s what finally got our fires put out.

    • #7
    • December 17, 2017, at 11:40 AM PST
    • 5 likes
  8. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    Arahant (View Comment):
    It is a good opening. You know it’s going downhill from there.


    This conversation is an entry in our Quote of the Day Series. It’s an easy way to start a hot conversation. If you’d like to participate, we still have a few days open on December’s schedule and January’s schedule is also open.

    It is really a great story. Philip Marlow at his best. He does the right things in so many ways.

    • #8
    • December 17, 2017, at 12:27 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  9. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):
    Here’s praying for all our friends in So. Cal, Clavius. Rain. Please.

    Thank you Susan. We all appreciate it!

    • #9
    • December 17, 2017, at 12:52 PM PST
    • 3 likes
  10. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    J.D. Snapp, Sweet Angel of Mer… (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):
    We up in Western Washington would be happy to send you some of our rain, if we knew how. My magic wand doesn’t seem to be working well this week.

    We’d send you our Montana snow as well. That’s what finally got our fires put out.

    Thank you for the thoughts.

    Someone once did look at the idea of towing an iceberg down here.

    • #10
    • December 17, 2017, at 12:54 PM PST
    • 4 likes
  11. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    I found this cover picture:

    • #11
    • December 17, 2017, at 4:12 PM PST
    • 5 likes
  12. danys Thatcher
    danys Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    Clavius (View Comment):
    I found this cover picture:

    Great artwork!

    • #12
    • December 17, 2017, at 4:29 PM PST
    • 4 likes
  13. danys Thatcher
    danys Joined in the first year of Ricochet Ricochet Charter Member

    We did have a brief rain shower Saturday morning for roughly 15 minutes. Just enough rain to make mud on the car.

    My cousin in Santa Barbara has been evacuated. When the Thomas Fire started my aunt was evacuated from her house and stayed with him. Her house survived the fire, although a neighbor’s didn’t.

    More rain, please.

    • #13
    • December 17, 2017, at 4:33 PM PST
    • 6 likes
  14. Cow Girl Thatcher

    We lived in Ventura County for seven years. I loved it there! I’m so sad for this huge fire, and all the people who have lost so much. But when those evil winds are blowing, they’re persistent. I pray for rain for you all, too.

    • #14
    • December 17, 2017, at 7:08 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  15. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    Cow Girl (View Comment):
    We lived in Ventura County for seven years. I loved it there! I’m so sad for this huge fire, and all the people who have lost so much. But when those evil winds are blowing, they’re persistent. I pray for rain for you all, too.

    We get last rain season a great amount of rain. This is a dry fall into all the growth from last winter’s rain. It is the nature of the chaparral here. And worsened by aggressive fire suppression. But I don’t have a good alternative.

    • #15
    • December 17, 2017, at 8:23 PM PST
    • 1 like
  16. Danny Alexander Inactive

    It seems that HBO ran a series way, way back that brought a number of Chandler/Marlowe stories to life (“Red Wind” among them), with Powers Boothe in the lead.

    Anyone here seen any of these episodes? I think Boothe was a terrific actor — presumably he was in solid form in this series?

    • #16
    • December 18, 2017, at 4:30 AM PST
    • 3 likes
  17. Susan Quinn Contributor

    Danny Alexander (View Comment):
    It seems that HBO ran a series way, way back that brought a number of Chandler/Marlowe stories to life (“Red Wind” among them), with Powers Boothe in the lead.

    Anyone here seen any of these episodes? I think Boothe was a terrific actor — presumably he was in solid form in this series?

    I was so impressed with Powers Boothe–I’ve never heard anyone else mention him. A powerful, convincing actor. Didn’t he play Jim Jones who convinced hundreds to kill themselves? Blood-chilling!

    • #17
    • December 18, 2017, at 5:49 AM PST
    • Like
  18. TBA Coolidge
    TBA

    Really enjoyed rereading this, ty.

    • #18
    • December 19, 2017, at 10:04 PM PST
    • 1 like
  19. Arahant Member

    Now that this conversation has slowed a bit, in my science fiction series, there is a species of genetically-modified equines of human-level intelligence. They happen to all be strawberry roans and tend to have names related to their coloring. One of the major characters of this race in one of the upcoming volumes is named Red Wind.

    • #19
    • December 19, 2017, at 10:13 PM PST
    • 1 like
  20. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    Arahant (View Comment):

    Now that this conversation has slowed a bit, in my science fiction series, there is a species of genetically-modified equines of human-level intelligence. They happen to all be strawberry roans and tend to have names related to their coloring. One of the major characters of this race in one of the upcoming volumes is named Red Wind.

    Does Red Wind help the lady with her stolen pearls and unfaithful husband?

    • #20
    • December 19, 2017, at 10:33 PM PST
    • Like
  21. Arahant Member

    Clavius (View Comment):
    Does Red Wind help the lady with her stolen pearls and unfaithful husband?

    Nope. But he does provide a bit of comic relief here and there. Our hero, who is the POV character in this section, is on his way to ask for a widow’s hand in marriage and has this conversation with Red Wind:

    23 December 1980—Stopping at the bank, the tailor’s, and then taking the duc de Troyes to Revesby Abbey would not have been so bad if Joseph hadn’t insisted he stay for supper and then overnight. Had he started off that night, he might have been here last night instead of this morning.

    *Just straight back to the dower house,* he directed Red Wind.

    *Which is that?*

    That was right, when he had last been here, he had gone from the main house to the dower house on foot, *Just back this way, follow the path back to the small cottage behind that stand of trees.* He pictured the path for Red Wind, and the Roan took him right to the door.

    *I may be a few minutes.*

    *Don’t mind me, I’ll just be eating the flowers here.*

    John dismounted, ensured his uniform was in order, picked at a few non-existent pieces of lint, squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and then knocked at the door totally oblivious to the fact that there were no flowers on the Bickleigh Court estate in December.

    I had not really thought about it, but Red Wind has an interesting sense of humor. This is a bit from where the two first meet:

    *Untie me so I can kick him.* (Red Wind is saying this of his former “owner.”)

    John replied directly to the Roan, *No, he is not a direct threat to you and no threat at all anymore.*

    *Well, do you have another apple? This grass tastes like a pig watered it.*

    John pulled another apple from his pocket and held it up for Red Wind.

    *Very good. I hope you don’t think you own me now. I don’t believe in slavery.*

    *I merely paid the price of your manumission. But I do hope we can work together. I am in need of a … mount.* John managed to suppress even thinking the word “horse.”

    *How’s your apple supply?*

    *I can get more.*

    He is also one of the few characters who does pretty much what I want him to do.

    • #21
    • December 19, 2017, at 10:51 PM PST
    • 1 like
  22. Arahant Member

    He is also not at all PC and refers to the French as Garlic-eaters.

    • #22
    • December 19, 2017, at 10:52 PM PST
    • 2 likes
  23. Clavius Thatcher
    Clavius

    Arahant (View Comment):
    He is also not at all PC and refers to the French as Garlic-eaters.

    Hardly an insult. How about cheese-eating surrender monkeys? That’s offensive.

    And I like garlic.

    • #23
    • December 20, 2017, at 6:24 AM PST
    • 2 likes
  24. Arahant Member

    Clavius (View Comment):
    How about cheese-eating surrender monkeys?

    The Simpsons could have the copyright on that, and it would certainly be out of place in the late Eighteenth Century. He’s just going by his nose.

    • #24
    • December 20, 2017, at 6:27 AM PST
    • 1 like

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