Rita Coolidge: All Time High: 1983: Lyrics and Video
Pussy eventually killed him!
His pet octopus that is.
Ian Fleming’s Octopussy is actually a short story published posthumously in 1966.
It ends in a rather macabre manner!
This is the link for the novel in PDF format:It was fifty yards of shallow water to the lair of the octopus in the coral cranny, and Major Smythe, screaming all the while into his mask, crawling mostly on his knees, somehow made it. As he came to the last approach and the water became deeper, he had to get to his feet, and the pain
made him jiggle to and fro, as if he were a puppet manipulated by strings. Then he was there, and with a supreme effort of will, he held himself steady as he dipped his head down to let some water into his mask and clear the mist of his screams from the glass. Then, blood pouring from his bitten lower lip, he bent carefully down to look into Octopussy's house. Yes! The brown mass was still there. It was stirring excitedly. Why? Major Smythe saw the dark strings of his blood curling lazily down through the water. Of course! The darling was tasting his blood. A shaft of pain hit Major Smythe and sent him reeling. He heard himself babbling deliriously into his mask. Pull yourself together, Dexter, old boy! You've got to give Pussy her lunch! He steadied himself, and holding the spear well down the shaft, lowered the fish down toward the writhing hole. Would Pussy take the bait? The poisonous bait that was killing Major Smythe but to which an octopus might be immune? If only Bengry could be here to watch! Three tentacles, weaving excitedly, came out of the hole and wavered around the scorpionfish. Now there was a gray mist in front of Major Smythe's eyes. He recognized it as the edge of unconsciousness and feebly shook his head to clear it. And then the tentacles leaped! But not at the fish! At Major Smythe's hand and arm. Major Smythe's torn mouth stretched in a grimace of pleasure. Now he and Pussy had shaken hands!
How exciting! How truly wonderful! But then the octopus, quietly, relentlessly pulled downward, and terrible realization came to Major Smythe. He summoned his dregs of strength and plunged his spear down. The only effect was to push the scorpionfish into the mass of the octopus and offer more arm to the octopus. The tentacles snaked upward and pulled more relentlessly. Too late, Major Smythe scrabbled away his mask. One bottled scream burst out across the empty bay, then his head went under and down, and there was an explosion of bubbles to the surface. Then Major Smythe's legs came up and the small waves washed his body to and fro while the octopus explored his right hand with its buccal orifice and took a first tentative bite at a finger with its beaklike jaws. The body was found by two young Jamaicans spinning for needlefish from a canoe. They speared the octopus with Major Smythe's spear, killed it in the traditional fashion by turning it inside out and biting its head off, and brought the three corpses home. They turned Major Smythe's body over to the police, and had the scorpionfish and the seacat for supper.
The local correspondent of the Daily Gleaner reported that Major Smythe had been killed by an octopus, but the paper translated this into "found drowned" so as not to frighten away the tourists.
Later, in London, James Bond, privately assuming "suicide," wrote the same verdict of "found drowned,"
together with the date, on the last page and closed the bulky file.
https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20190516
Whatever is written is subject to interpretation of the receiver of that form of communication. I’m not certain of how many people on the planet picked this specific thing up about “propaganda,” but here goes.
During the cold war writers and movie makers from both sides would use characters in books and movies to poke fun at the other side. Whilst I always enjoyed the Bond franchise and always will I think that the term “SPECTER,” was deliberately used by Ian Fleming to emotionally hurt the Soviets. This is why.
In the Communist manifest to Karl Marx averred that communism is a “ spectre” that this haunting the world.
The sentiment would have and probably does still hurt bona fide communist especially the ideological bedfellows.
“Bond thought, I will see if an association of words does something to him. He said,‘When I came to the table I saw a spectre.’ He said the word casually, with no hint at double meaning.”
Here's the link. See four yourself. It's on page 102.
https://www.fadedpage.com/showbook.php?pid=20191233
So it had a triple meaning not actually a double meaning .Firstly a spectre is a ghost, secondly it is the acronym for this criminal organization that Flemming thought up and perhaps most importantly it is a sacred word to bona fide communists.
Can you see the problem with written communication? Barriers to communication further compound matters.
With the benefit of retrospect the mess of the cold war evolved and intensified because of sometimes seemingly innocent statements. The West would say “We got this weapon and you don’t,” the Soviets would say,” we got this weapon and you don’t,”and so it intensified.
Fake news and two love letters:
Ian Fleming is often credited with the “ Captain William Martin,’ debacle. During the Second World War the British were planning an invasion of Sicily. They created a fictitious person using a real corpse. A fictitious girlfriend Pam was created. This would be placed in one of the pockets of the corpse. Upon being found the Nazis counter intelligence examined this body carefully. The two love letters from Pam was one of the things that convinced them to act towards their very own detriment. The Invasion was to come through Silly but the atrocious and monstrous fascist dictator Hitler held the authenticity of the corpse in high regard and ordered that Greece, Corsica and Sardinia must be protected.
Thunderball, the novel, is the best in my opinion simply because it was not written by Flemming exclusively and was meant to be a screen play. I highly recommend this novel.
I’m really into the Bond Franchise. I’m certain many fans are rereading the novels and watching the movies for the umpteenth time, in advance of “No time to die.”
[Verse 1]
All I wanted was a sweet distraction for an hour or two
Had no intention to do the things we've done
Funny how it always goes with love
When you don't look, you find
But then we're two of a kind, we move as one
[Chorus]
We're an all time high
We'll change all that's gone before
Doing so much more than falling in love
On an all time high
We'll take on the world and wait
So hold on tight, let the flight begin
[Verse 2]
I don't want to waste a waking moment
I don't want to sleep
I'm in so strong and so deep, and so are you
In my time
I've said these words before
But now I realise
My heart was telling me lies
For you they're true
[Chorus]
We're an all time high
We'll change all that's gone before
Doing so much more than falling in love
On an all time high
We'll take on the world and wait
So hold on tight
Let the flight begin
Extract source[1]
Album cover[2]
Video source[3]
P.S The novel was published by Jonathan Cape in 1966 however the ebook was published by Al Haines & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada 2020.
Flemming I Octopussy (Al Haines & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada 2020)P 45-46.
[1] Flemming I Octopussy (Al Haines & the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada 2020) P 45-46.
[2] Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Time_High (Date of use 24 February 2021).
[3] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFurkDf6WXg (Date of use 24 February 2021).
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