Duck Duck Goose

[FreeThinker]

I've always thought this was Cole's best story--and that's saying a lot.

[Cole Parker]

You guys are too kind.

There's more of me and my life in that story than any other. But only in bits and pieces, spread through many of the characters.

C

[dude]

Well, trumped again... harumph!

I had planned to feature DDG as a March Dude's Pick.

I'll do it anyway... LOL

[Rutabaga]

Well, trumped again... harumph!

I had planned to feature DDG as a March Dude's Pick.

I'll do it anyway... LOL

I'm really sorry!

Well, not really, because it's such a great story.

But you should definitely feature it on the home page because many more people will see it there.

R

[Lugnutz]

Read this again. Old friends.

[Nigel Gordon]

Cole is a writer who never disappoints and this story is outstanding. It is also gripping, I started reading it at seven on Sunday night, finished it early hours of Monday morning, just could not stop reading.

[Rutabaga]

Just wanted to mention that I'm reading this story AGAIN. it's even better this time.

R

[Nigel Gordon]

Yes it is, it's even better third time around.

[Lugnutz]

Or forth and fifth and beyond.

[Cole Parker]

If you guys are trying to make me feel good, well, you're succeeding.

C

[Rutabaga]

Just finished this re-read. What a lovely story.

R

[Cole Parker]

Thanks. One of my favorites, too.

C

[ChrisR]

I've just spent a wonderful and exhausting day with Duck Duck Goose, one of the finest stories I've ever read. Thank you, Cole, for this tale of true love with all its twists and turns and discoveries. Magnificent.

[Cole Parker]

Thanks again.

I'll have another serial coming out soon. Hope it pleases as well.

C

[FreeThinker]

I can't believe it's been nine years since it came out. It is definitely one of Cole's best and I nominate it for a Pick from the Past.

[Merkin]

Cole isn’t perfect. In fact, at times he isn’t even truthful.

For example, in chapter six of Duck Duck Goose his diatribe against high school band trumpet players is almost wholly inaccurate. As I recall our trumpet section functioned as the band’s conscience. The actions they took, usually at the behest of the concertmaster or even the band’s director, were to straighten out wrongdoers and remind them to follow the path of righteousness. Often what might have been viewed as a prank by outsiders was merely a mild disciplinary action. This was especially notable on road trips, as clarinet players and saxophonists got unusually rowdy when they sensed a degree of freedom they did not experience at home. I cannot remember ever having played a “prank” or a “practical joke” in my role as one of those noble enforcers. One would wish that Cole would do a little more research to support the fanciful tales he spins.

That being said, I believe Duck Duck Goose is one of the finest pieces of writing to have appeared on this site or any other on the Internet and fully deserves hard cover publication.

[Cole Parker]

Bullies. I hated bullies. I hate them now. They come in all guises, but they remain among us. They can be called 'Presidential Candidates', 'Supreme Court Justices', 'Prosecuting Attorneys', or even something less prestigious, something like, say, 'Band Enforcers'. It comes to the same thing, the strong preying on the weak with no conscience and little consciousness of the lasting effects of their actions.

But James is right: it doesn't need to be the trumpets. I knew this bassoon player once. . . .

C

[Rutabaga]

A perennial favorite (as evidenced by 12 pages of reader comments and counting) reappears as one of this month's Picks from the Past.

Here:  http://www.awesomedude.com/cole-parker/duck-duck-goose/index.htm

Pretty much everything to be said has been said previously, but if anyone reading this has not experienced this story, please jump in and do so.

R

P.S.:  In all my decades of playing a variety of instruments in many different bands, orchestras, and musical theater pit orchestras, I never hard a conductor or music director use the term "anacrusis."  Virtually without exception they would refer to a "pickup" in such instances.

R

 

[Rutabaga]

For no apparent reason -- but probably because I ran out of Nero Wolfe stories to read -- I have returned to this story.  It definitely ranks as one of Cole's best.  I'm probably half way through at this point -- Matt is about to organize the four-clarinet program for a Spring concert.

R

ADDENDUM:  The one thing that could make this story even better would be for the AD Elves to add “Next Chapter” buttons at the end of each page. 

[Oliver]

That has been a while I've read that one.

Wonderful story, sure is.
Good suggestion. I think I'm going to re-read this "Rutabaga's pick from the past" soon.  🙂