Small people got no reason Small people got no reason Small people got no reason to live They got little hands, little eyes They walk around tellin' great big lies They got little noses, tiny little teeth They wear platform shoes on their nasty little feet Well, I don't want no small people Don't want no small people Don't want no small people ‘round here Small people got nobody Small people got nobody Small people got nobody to love They got little baby legs, they stand so low You got to pick 'em up just to say hello They got little cars that go beep, beep, beep They got little voices goin' peep, peep, peep They got grubby little fingers and dirty little minds They're gonna get you every time
I remember hearing this song when just a wee lad. If I had to guess who wrote and performed this diddy, I'd say it was likely the guy that did "Rock 'N Roll McDonalds" and "I Love LA".
It's no joke, them Wee Folks is AFTER ME. They was huckin' acorns at me, petrified my dawg Dirlewanger! They said that big pink daikinis tasted like savory pork n' were rubbing me with spices n' cackling like bloodgurgling harpies. Them SMALLS is a comin'! Them Smalls is a comin'!
Frankly you have become the defacto voice of Ligotti tales. David Tibet did Special plan very well but your flat tone and inflection simply matches the mood of the stories excellently
Glad I found your video! I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, but was still somehow surprised by how good it was. Might be one of his best stories, and like all of the great ones it has some disturbing scenes and ideas that will stay with me for a long time. Thanks a lot!
This is one of his most direct stories, the metaphors are right up front. A lot of them do not have so much a "point" more just a subconscious dread and nihilism that kind of is the point.
I thought I didn't like Ligotti, and I kept listening to stories of his and thinking, "Yup. I still feel nothing." But then I heard my first "favorite" story and put it on a few times because it was actually fun (this took a while) and now I listen to him all the time. I still have that "I totally don't understand" feeling, but I do enjoy it. Is this normal? I know it doesn't matter, but I'm just curious, is he an acquired taste or do other people like him right away?
In my opinion, he is an acquired taste. The first time I read it I did not understand anything (I was reading Noctuary). After a month or so, I understand. And I read, and read, and read everything of him. Now, Ligotti is absolutly my favorite writer.
Oh hell yeah, I've read some of his stories many times and still don't "get" them. this one is a bit more accessible, but many require multiple readings-- I've read "the sect of the idiot" four times, and I'm still not sure I get it.
I fell in love with Ligotti immediately after discovering his work, and he has been my favorite author since. I am a naturally obsessive, depressed, and dreamy person so his prose felt like a home I had never known.
Perhaps the greatest story ever written. It dissects nearly every of society's delusions, while also examining the mind of one who turns to fear,hate, and paranoia, the last and most durable delusions and perhaps the most fundamental. Paranoiac's , after all, are blessed with the belief that someone actually cares enough about them to watch them. Every time I read it I learn something new. Good reading, sounds best at 1.25 though, if you don't mind my saying so.
@Tom Bingus 1o1(0^0) Sounds best at 1.25 though, You must use Chrome or Windows OS. I use Ubuntu and 1.00 is perfect, 1.25 sounds like Ducks Gabbling. Tom Bingus you must be a Half-Small yourself! Do you eat Potato salad without Mustard? Do you Waddle when you Walk like a Duck @Tom Bingus?
@@hillaryclinton1232 Me? No, I'm just a simple town manager from a town by the border. And I do indeed use chrome. It's the only OS the Teatros equipment will support.
What about when somebody thinks nobody cares enough to watch, only to discover there actually IS a bunch of weirdos watching and watching close, never missing a thing, hanging on every word, every action, following, stalking and having meetings about that individual in a weird obsession spurred on by demonic influence?
Those people who say that this story is a mockery of racist prejudice don't really understand what Thomas Ligotti is. This is a rather lazy and vulgar interpretation, in the spirit of modern mass media.
Uhm.. I've listened to this about four times now. I've got a decent amount of ideas about this piece, but I would really like to exchange thoughts with literally anyone who has listened or read it. I think about this book about three times a week, and I'm not entirely sure if I'm missing something lol. Feel free to respond to the comment or hit me up on discord, Anecrophagist#5476
Hey there! Glad you've enjoyed the story! What are some of your thoughts about it? It's an excellent piece for sure, and I definitely like how Ligotti deploys these semi-tropes of weird fiction and horror in this tale, such as the quest for forbidden knowledge (about the smalls), the mischievous late night adventure (into small country, the psychotic kid who kills his parents, and of course, the possibly unreliable institutionalized narrator. What's particularly interesting to me though is how the small people (and the half smalls) seem to imply a gradation between the self-aware but unfree human being and the unfree and unaware doll/puppets/manikins that pop up in a lot of Ligotti's works. Whether the smalls are self-aware or not, they act as if they have customs and a sort of culture, albeit one that seems artificial and unreal while decaying and possibly mocking/threatening/negating the "real" world beyond small country. Idk though, those are some of my sleep-deprived ramblings from the top of my head, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!
@@weirdfictionfan6664 I believe it's Ligotti's attack on racism and the diseased psychology behind it. Hence his emphasis on the "real people" and "real country", how he can find no history on them despite knowing they have a history, etc. The reason he sees these people as altered or toy versions of reality is that his own perspective is warped by his fear
@@ethanfleisher1910 Interesting Point, you've made. If we follow that Idea: The narrator seems at least aware of the fact that, he, as a child, was in dire need of explanations about the world he was growing into. This need is on one side completely natural and a sign of the process of maturing and on the other hand deeply influenced by his psychological disposition. He wants to find sense in the world, like everyone does, a consistent narrative about the way things are. But his "input" is corrupted by his mental state. So if the the small people stand for something else, his parents are just trying to integrate him into the social network they are taking part in. Let it be racial or ethnic or whatever. THere might be no real malice from their side. But this is just spontaneous rambling and i don't feel like i have grasped the whole thing, nor if i remember everything from my last listening.....
here and a huge fan! I love the send up of Paranoia and "bigotry" here, in that where the conspiracy ends and the insistence of the narrator that there is one is difficult to discern. Was the mruder justified? Are all of us made of the same malignant stuff as the smalls, walking, Mainlanderian entropy as Ligotti implies in CATHR? Or is this delusion how he copes with an unloving family life and a self-centered society that dictates what it feels to be important or not? And of course, the uncanny imagery of the plastic smalls, who by nature of their uncanny make up will outlast us all in their destructive capability, but the police, academic institutions and government all legally compel us to treat them with kindness and respect, is a great, creepy but also darkly humorous conceit. Let me know what you think, I love Tommyboy and this story in particular, and hope he writes something else before he commits suicide via anesthetic-- if this last book is any indicator he's at the top of his game!
@@ethanfleisher1910 no..according to Ligottis own belief system there is no "absolute" difference between being "racist" and not being "racist"..you need to look deeper than topical on the surface sociopolitical observations..its actually an insult to the author himself to think he is being that sociopolitically simplistic
@@troglodyte1052I agree. [SPOILERS]-------- I don't think this is some obvious "racial" story and more about the unreliable narrator and who he is and his place in the world. Especially with the discovery that he is adopted and admits to not having any friends except the kid who thought the same but ultimately moved away. He doesn't "belong"...or maybe it is all too real? Which I kind of like that possibility too. But yeah, racial thing has been played to death and who would the small people represent? Were his adoptive parents mixed race then..."halfers"? Doesn't really hold water the more you break down the story and descriptions of the small people, and he can tell halfers and non halfers and so on. Interesting so many see some racial context though. And I understand it doesn't have to be a direct link but I just don't see it and kind of ruins the story if that truly was the intent.
![My Case for Retributive Action by Thomas Ligotti [Audiobook]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/jcxwG8i62hM/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Tsalal by Thomas Ligotti [Audiobook]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q_2Otc85vNc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Small people got no reason
Small people got no reason
Small people got no reason to live
They got little hands, little eyes
They walk around tellin' great big lies
They got little noses, tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes on their nasty little feet
Well, I don't want no small people
Don't want no small people
Don't want no small people ‘round here
Small people got nobody
Small people got nobody
Small people got nobody to love
They got little baby legs, they stand so low
You got to pick 'em up just to say hello
They got little cars that go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers and dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time
Hahahaha
I remember hearing this song when just a wee lad. If I had to guess who wrote and performed this diddy, I'd say it was likely the guy that did "Rock 'N Roll McDonalds" and "I Love LA".
It's no joke, them Wee Folks is AFTER ME. They was huckin' acorns at me, petrified my dawg Dirlewanger! They said that big pink daikinis tasted like savory pork n' were rubbing me with spices n' cackling like bloodgurgling harpies. Them SMALLS is a comin'! Them Smalls is a comin'!
Frankly you have become the defacto voice of Ligotti tales. David Tibet did Special plan very well but your flat tone and inflection simply matches the mood of the stories excellently
Glad I found your video! I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time, but was still somehow surprised by how good it was. Might be one of his best stories, and like all of the great ones it has some disturbing scenes and ideas that will stay with me for a long time. Thanks a lot!
This is one of his most direct stories, the metaphors are right up front. A lot of them do not have so much a "point" more just a subconscious dread and nihilism that kind of is the point.
Nice channel. Haven't read most of the stories you've put up. Well read too
Thanks! Hope you enjoy!
This is a perfect dissection of a Lovecraftian sort of mindset.
Git on down there with them Smalls and help carry our... wait, you're one of them, aintcher? Guddamn passers.
Once you let them Smalls move in next door, they ruin all the property valyuhz.
This is based on a true story.
I thought I didn't like Ligotti, and I kept listening to stories of his and thinking, "Yup. I still feel nothing." But then I heard my first "favorite" story and put it on a few times because it was actually fun (this took a while) and now I listen to him all the time. I still have that "I totally don't understand" feeling, but I do enjoy it. Is this normal? I know it doesn't matter, but I'm just curious, is he an acquired taste or do other people like him right away?
In my opinion, he is an acquired taste. The first time I read it I did not understand anything (I was reading Noctuary). After a month or so, I understand. And I read, and read, and read everything of him. Now, Ligotti is absolutly my favorite writer.
Oh hell yeah, I've read some of his stories many times and still don't "get" them. this one is a bit more accessible, but many require multiple readings-- I've read "the sect of the idiot" four times, and I'm still not sure I get it.
I fell in love with Ligotti immediately after discovering his work, and he has been my favorite author since. I am a naturally obsessive, depressed, and dreamy person so his prose felt like a home I had never known.
Perhaps the greatest story ever written. It dissects nearly every of society's delusions, while also examining the mind of one who turns to fear,hate, and paranoia, the last and most durable delusions and perhaps the most fundamental. Paranoiac's , after all, are blessed with the belief that someone actually cares enough about them to watch them. Every time I read it I learn something new. Good reading, sounds best at 1.25 though, if you don't mind my saying so.
@Tom Bingus 1o1(0^0) Sounds best at 1.25 though, You must use Chrome or Windows OS. I use Ubuntu and 1.00 is perfect, 1.25 sounds like Ducks Gabbling. Tom Bingus you must be a Half-Small yourself! Do you eat Potato salad without Mustard? Do you Waddle when you Walk like a Duck @Tom Bingus?
@@hillaryclinton1232 Me? No, I'm just a simple town manager from a town by the border. And I do indeed use chrome. It's the only OS the Teatros equipment will support.
@@tombingus3984 The only browser, you meant to say?
@@israelgroysman5040 probably I'm dumb
What about when somebody thinks nobody cares enough to watch, only to discover there actually IS a bunch of weirdos watching and watching close, never missing a thing, hanging on every word, every action, following, stalking and having meetings about that individual in a weird obsession spurred on by demonic influence?
Where can I read this story, i can't buy it anywhere! Please help
Those people who say that this story is a mockery of racist prejudice don't really understand what Thomas Ligotti is. This is a rather lazy and vulgar interpretation, in the spirit of modern mass media.
Uhm.. I've listened to this about four times now. I've got a decent amount of ideas about this piece, but I would really like to exchange thoughts with literally anyone who has listened or read it. I think about this book about three times a week, and I'm not entirely sure if I'm missing something lol. Feel free to respond to the comment or hit me up on discord, Anecrophagist#5476
Hey there! Glad you've enjoyed the story! What are some of your thoughts about it?
It's an excellent piece for sure, and I definitely like how Ligotti deploys these semi-tropes of weird fiction and horror in this tale, such as the quest for forbidden knowledge (about the smalls), the mischievous late night adventure (into small country, the psychotic kid who kills his parents, and of course, the possibly unreliable institutionalized narrator. What's particularly interesting to me though is how the small people (and the half smalls) seem to imply a gradation between the self-aware but unfree human being and the unfree and unaware doll/puppets/manikins that pop up in a lot of Ligotti's works. Whether the smalls are self-aware or not, they act as if they have customs and a sort of culture, albeit one that seems artificial and unreal while decaying and possibly mocking/threatening/negating the "real" world beyond small country. Idk though, those are some of my sleep-deprived ramblings from the top of my head, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts!
@@weirdfictionfan6664 I believe it's Ligotti's attack on racism and the diseased psychology behind it. Hence his emphasis on the "real people" and "real country", how he can find no history on them despite knowing they have a history, etc. The reason he sees these people as altered or toy versions of reality is that his own perspective is warped by his fear
@@ethanfleisher1910 Interesting Point, you've made. If we follow that Idea: The narrator seems at least aware of the fact that, he, as a child, was in dire need of explanations about the world he was growing into. This need is on one side completely natural and a sign of the process of maturing and on the other hand deeply influenced by his psychological disposition. He wants to find sense in the world, like everyone does, a consistent narrative about the way things are. But his "input" is corrupted by his mental state. So if the the small people stand for something else, his parents are just trying to integrate him into the social network they are taking part in. Let it be racial or ethnic or whatever. THere might be no real malice from their side. But this is just spontaneous rambling and i don't feel like i have grasped the whole thing, nor if i remember everything from my last listening.....
here and a huge fan! I love the send up of Paranoia and "bigotry" here, in that where the conspiracy ends and the insistence of the narrator that there is one is difficult to discern. Was the mruder justified? Are all of us made of the same malignant stuff as the smalls, walking, Mainlanderian entropy as Ligotti implies in CATHR? Or is this delusion how he copes with an unloving family life and a self-centered society that dictates what it feels to be important or not? And of course, the uncanny imagery of the plastic smalls, who by nature of their uncanny make up will outlast us all in their destructive capability, but the police, academic institutions and government all legally compel us to treat them with kindness and respect, is a great, creepy but also darkly humorous conceit. Let me know what you think, I love Tommyboy and this story in particular, and hope he writes something else before he commits suicide via anesthetic-- if this last book is any indicator he's at the top of his game!
@@ethanfleisher1910 no..according to Ligottis own belief system there is no "absolute" difference between being "racist" and not being "racist"..you need to look deeper than topical on the surface sociopolitical observations..its actually an insult to the author himself to think he is being that sociopolitically simplistic
I think this story is far more subversive than it's given credit for
Frustrating ending!
Nice exploration of prejudice. Not a typical horror story but it's still scary when you think that some people actually think like this.
@@troglodyte1052 Allegory
its not about that, holy shit you midwit
@@bozomatt whatevet you bozo halfer
@@troglodyte1052I agree. [SPOILERS]-------- I don't think this is some obvious "racial" story and more about the unreliable narrator and who he is and his place in the world. Especially with the discovery that he is adopted and admits to not having any friends except the kid who thought the same but ultimately moved away. He doesn't "belong"...or maybe it is all too real? Which I kind of like that possibility too. But yeah, racial thing has been played to death and who would the small people represent? Were his adoptive parents mixed race then..."halfers"? Doesn't really hold water the more you break down the story and descriptions of the small people, and he can tell halfers and non halfers and so on. Interesting so many see some racial context though. And I understand it doesn't have to be a direct link but I just don't see it and kind of ruins the story if that truly was the intent.