Week Seven: Jesse Sample’s Freak of the Week: “Blood Simple”

Jesse Sample’s Freak of the Week airs EVERY WEDNESDAY at 6pm EASTERN only on RadioRadioX.com

This is Jesse Sample. What does the phrase “Blood Simple” mean to you? Most accounts of the phrase trace it back to 1929 Dashiell Hammett novel Red Harvest. It is loosely defined as a term that means to be “crazed by violence or to be in a state of diminished intelligence due to involvement in murder.” The 1984 Movie named, “Blood Simple” beautifully demonstrated the nature of the condition when Marty, a small-town bar owner, discovered his wife having an affair and set out to have her and her newfound lover killed.

I discovered the phrase through the NYC based heavy metal band, “Blood Simple’ who’s album was coincidentally named Red Harvest. I was a great album and I listened to it a bunch over the last 20 plus years. The movie and the band are my touch points. I watched the movie for the first time last night.

What does it mean to be blood simple? You took a life and now your world is different. Is a seasoned gangster less susceptible than a jealous husband? Consider the diminished intelligence angle. In this movie, the characters botch their way from situation to situation. Is this real?

If you are so inclined check out the movie. If you are so inclined, check out the heavy metal album. I have yet to read the book. It was a phrase that I kept seeing and after watching the movie last night, it left an impression.

Thanks to all of you tuned into RadioRadioX. This is the Freak of the Week, “Blood Simple.”