Althouse: "Quentin Tarantino sues his neighbour over 'blood curdling screams' from pet parrots."

March 11, 2011

"Quentin Tarantino sues his neighbour over 'blood curdling screams' from pet parrots."

Noted.

30 comments:

kent said...: "blood curdling screams' from pet parrots."

Could have been worse, though.

They could have been repeatedly reciting various critical reviews of Grindhouse.; 3/11/11, 5:42 PM
Anonymous said...: KILL POLLY.; 3/11/11, 5:43 PM
Anonymous said...: I agree with Ut. A covert nighttime kung-fu operation is required to eliminate this terrorist threat. Let's kill the birds! DIE POLLY DIE!

I'm sure Brian Leiter can provide the appropriate philosophical justification for this course of action.; 3/11/11, 5:46 PM
coketown said...: A good Samaritan would check on the parrots. I'm sure that family hamster from a few days ago let out blood curdling screams as it was mercilessly beaten...and then killed.; 3/11/11, 5:48 PM
Phil 314 said...: Irony much.

Maybe the bird was auditioning.; 3/11/11, 5:55 PM
Toad Trend said...: Isn't irony ironic???; 3/11/11, 5:59 PM
Unknown said...: Tarantino reminds me a little of Poe - he writes what he dreams.; 3/11/11, 6:07 PM
Fred4Pres said...: I see a movie script in this.; 3/11/11, 6:08 PM
Revenant said...: My neighbor has a lot of birdhouses and birth baths in her backyard. They can be pretty noisy, but I find it soothing -- along with my landscaping (lots of palms, birds of paradise, etc) it lets me feel like I'm in a jungle paradise.

But if they were birds like parrots that made louder or less pleasant sounds, I can definitely see being pissed.; 3/11/11, 6:10 PM
Fred4Pres said...: I have chickens. No roosters. I have not eaten the roosters but found homes for them. I like roosters but they are noisy as heck and the neighbors are too close. Parrots are worse than roosters (and I have owned parrots in the past and gotten new homes for them for that reason).

Although I think peacocks are even worse than parrots.; 3/11/11, 6:19 PM
Fred4Pres said...: It is funny this lawsuit is against Alan Ball. This should be entertaining!; 3/11/11, 6:19 PM
Lucius said...: Could be the parrot's repeating lines from earlier filmmakers who Tarantino has parroted-- I mean, *appropriated* himself. That could be a little bit tormenting.

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to ME??!!?"; 3/11/11, 6:20 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: <anecdote alert>
There is a psychiatrist here named Bob who lives on the 22nd floor of an apartment building who owns a parrot. The parrot occupies a large cage that takes up a whole bedroom. I do not like the bird or the way the psychiatrist talks to it like it is a baby. I never heard the parrot say a single word. For all I know it isn't trained.

Bob invited me over to paint the details into life-size cutouts already painted white that were no longer used for department store window displays following a well publicized Ramses exhibition at the History Museum. The freshly detailed cutouts were to be used for a party.

There we were, Bob and I, out on the balcony painting these cutouts. The parrot was brought out there too. The bird was chained by its foot to the balcony railing making a total nuisance of itself chewing on the paint brushes on a table in front of it, dropping them behind 22 floors to the alley below. Then Bob suddenly announced he had a dentist appointment and so must leave for no more than an hour and then he abruptly left. I held forth outlining the cutouts and filling in the color fields. At one point I drew in the necklace which amounted to horizontal color bands filled with thin perpendicular strokes. Hundreds of one-inch strokes delineating 2-dimensional jewels. My mind was focused intently on the tip of the paint brush as I tediously painted stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke stroke. Right then the parrot broke the silence by squawking in parrot-talk "HELLO BOB !" I pissed myself imagining someone had come flying over the railing 22 floors up like a SWAT team. My impulse was to strangle that goddamn parrot.
</anecdote alert>; 3/11/11, 6:21 PM
Tibore said...: "Quentin Tarantino sues his neighbour over 'blood curdling screams' from pet parrots..."

There are too many ways to snark off of that. I'm literally frozen with indecision...; 3/11/11, 6:40 PM
Known Unknown said...: Tarantino is an interesting director to watch in practice. Very enthusiastic and upbeat (for particular reasons) But always gets one last take from everyone "because they love making movies."; 3/11/11, 6:52 PM
ooonaughtykitty said...: Birdy num num.; 3/11/11, 6:55 PM
Carol_Herman said...: Well, in America, anyone can sue. Winning, however, isn't equally distributed. And, who knows? On this one? Maybe, the judge HOWLS?; 3/11/11, 7:01 PM
Methadras said...: Pulp Polly; 3/11/11, 7:03 PM
Rialby said...: Did you see a sign on the door that says dead n%$%@# parrot storage?; 3/11/11, 7:08 PM
Anonymous said...: The court papers state:

"Nearly every day, Mr Tarantino and others in his home are subjected to the Macaws' obnoxious pterodactyl-like screams ... "

I have a sister and like many sisters she likes animals ... years ago she spent time working with the Grand Rapids Zoo working with the 'feathered creatures' they had on display (while she endeavored on a Nursing degree) ... she now keeps a few of those, having worked up from cockatiels and small conures; referred to by those who keep them as 'fids' (ostensibly, feathered kids I think it stands for). She has also raised a husband and three real kids, but I digress ...

In her current living collection are two Greys (African Grey parrots) and one Military McCaw ... the LOUDEST, by far, is the McCaw (as pictured in the Quentin story).

I can sympathize.

My sister has an escape though; without the external device that couples magnetically into her cochlear implants (both ears are now implanted) she is completely deaf and can achieve what none of us can: total peace and quiet in the midst of absolute pandemonium.

Fortunately, for her (and family) and the birds, they live for all practical purposes on a deserted country road ... for which the McCaw provides an alert for any car, tractor, hiker or Snowmobile (she is in Wisconsin!) etc coming along that road which he does not recognize!

.; 3/11/11, 7:18 PM
Anonymous said...: A demonstration - at about the 26 second mark in this video, the screech of a McCaw:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q11SThc5y9g

(Hint: Highlight and copy the above link, then paste into a new browser address bar)

.; 3/11/11, 7:42 PM
Toad Trend said...: I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjOSLCR2hE; 3/11/11, 8:01 PM
Trooper York said...: You think that's bad. You should have lived next to Titus when he was in Soho.

He allways had a bunch of cock-a-toos running around. Just sayn'; 3/11/11, 8:14 PM
Trooper York said...: Oh,

Not that there's anything wrong with that.; 3/11/11, 8:14 PM
Big Mike said...: I didn't think Tarantino was old enough to know what a pterodactyl sounds like.; 3/11/11, 8:32 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Trooper, thanks. That's funny.; 3/11/11, 9:42 PM
Synova said...: Parrots are loud... to understate it extremely.

Most places have noise ordinances and barking dog laws.

I expect Tarantino will win.; 3/12/11, 11:30 AM
vbspurs said...: Dramatic baritone voiceover:

"In a world where killer parrots terrorise their neighbours..."

I'd see that movie like a shot. Make it happen, Tarantino.; 3/12/11, 11:50 AM
vbspurs said...: My favourite parrot joke involves the Spanish crown. The last two hundred years have not been kind to the Bourbons, with their dynasty being overthrown constantly, and sometimes for a republic.

Story says a parrot was taught by its owners to say, "Viva el Rey!" when the King came over for a visit, but had to speedily teach the animal to say, "Viva la Republica" when he was toppled. This happened so many times, that poor Polly got confused, and inappropriately blurted out "La Republica" when it was still a monarchy, thus placing his owners' lives in danger.

Polly was killed. The end.; 3/12/11, 11:54 AM
vbspurs said...: Wait! I forgot the most important thing.

MORAL OF THE STORY.

...if you have a parrot, do not have anything to do with the rich and famous. It'll cost everyone, bigtime.; 3/12/11, 11:56 AM