(A) Introduction
Ah, the ol’ Ludwig Van. I got that phrase – “the ol’ Ludwig Van” – from A Clockwork Orange. In the movie version, our protagonist Alex tends to like committing all sorts of heinous, violent acts to the soundtrack of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Later on in the movie, that same symphony makes him sick – an effect of his having undergone a brainwashing program in prison.
Is this the way Beethoven wanted his last symphony to be remembered? “Hey, that’s that crazy Clockwork Orange music! Remember when in the end of the movie Alex is dreaming about screwing in the snow surrounded by people cheering him on because he was cured from that brainwashing stuff? Good times, man, good times.”
