Naja pallida (RIP) and Python natalensis

1 January 2009

"Let's see...it was on an island. And there was a snake. And the snake had legs and he could walk all around the island...yes, that's true...a snake with legs.

And the man and the woman were on the island too. And they were not very smart, but they were happy as clams. Yes...let's see...then one evening the snake was walking about the garden and he was talking to himself and he saw the woman and they started to talk. And they became friends. Very good friends.

And the woman liked the snake very much because when he talked, he made little noises with his tongue and his long tongue was licking about his lips. Like there was a little fire inside his mouth and the flame would come dancing out of his mouth. And the woman liked this very much.

And after that, she was bored with the man. Because no matter what happened...he was always as happy as a clam.

What did the snake say? Yes. What was he saying? What did he say? Ok. I will tell you...

The snake told her things about the world. He told her about the time when there was a big typhoon on the island and all the sharks came out of the water. Yes, they came out of the water and they walked right into your house with their big white teeth. And the women heard these things.

And the man came out and said, "we have to go now," and the woman did not want to go because she was a hothead. Anyway...they got into their boat and they left the island, but they never stayed anywhere very long because the woman was restless. She was a hothead.

And this is not a story my people tell. It's something I know myself. And when I do my job, I am thinking about these things. Because when I do my job, that is what I think about."

-Laurie Anderson
"Hothead"
United States Live Part IV