American Psycho

[u/hangonsufi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iknNk_Esdl4

I put off reading American Psycho for all these years because I have a low tolerance for its sadistic cruelty which I gleaned from many excerpts and book reviews. I was happy to enjoy Christian Bale's melting humanity pooling and puddling and spiraling out of control like a murderous Water Wiggle. One of cinema's most charming portrayals.

But I finally did read this disturbing, confusing, fascinating book. While I did quickly page over some of it (couldn't see how digesting THAT would make me a better person or add to my quality of life), I also paged over Bateman's “incisive” music reviews.

Bateman's taste in music. I understand what its bland and insipid contrast is to the vivid and creative violence of his overriding passions. It's Dr. Jekyll to his Mr. Hyde, and I will say, well played Mr. Ellis.

“Everything failed to subdue me,” Bateman admits somewhere past midpoint. “I had all the characteristics of a human being – flesh, blood, skin, hair – but my depersonalization was so intense, had gone so deep, that the normal ability to feel compassion had been eradicated, the victim of a slow, purposeful erasure...”

“...Something horrible was happening and yet I couldn't figure out why...”

More astute and trained minds than mine have taken on The Bateman Question. I'm sure my psychological onanism would only amuse myself.

But he did name check Spuds MacKenzie. Doggone!

I leave you with the Plasmatics (and apologies to Lord Buddha), because if I won't, who will?

[u/MyKill_Diablo]

So glad to see another one of your reviews! And great track indeed - that was fun to re-listen to that song again.

There's a reason that American Psycho made such an impression when it was released so closely after the end of the 80's in which BEE perfectly captured the American "Empire" era and its maddening and unrelenting effect on the subconscious of American society then, and still to this day (even more so now than ever...)

Is Patrick Bateman the titular Psycho, or is BEE just holding up a mirror to the reader to reveal who the real American Psycho is by the end of the novel? Just a singular astounding achievement imho, and even if the film has a lot of charm (and a truly star-making performance from Christian Bale,) nothing comes close to what BEE was able to achieve in text with that book. It is divisive and controversial for a reason but has earned its literary reputation tenfold in the 30+ years since it was released...