(under the dome) agents of the lord - andy/chef
Title: Agents of the Lord
Fandom: Stephen King's Under the Dome
Subject: Andy Sanders/Phil Bushey ("Chef")
Warnings: Spoilers; mentions of suicide and drug use
Notes: Made for waywardmixes theme #3: quotes. I chose one main quote to inspire my overall mix, as well as single quotes for each song. Just finished reading this book a few weeks ago (after it sat on my bookshelf for like, a year or two) and holy shit, it was amazing. Waiting for news about the mini-series is killing me.
Cover illustrations are from the collector's edition of the book.
"Take a gun. You're in the Lord's army now. You're a Christian soldier.
Your days of licking that apostate son of a bitch's ass are over."
{This quote sums up the two things I love about these guys: 1. Andy and Chef's drug-induced religious fervor and
their "army of the Lord" that kicks ass despite being compomised of a skeletal meth addict and a middle-aged
pharmacist. 2. How befriending Chef (and taking drugs) transforms Andy from a complete push-over to a total
badass. I wanted this mix to cover both their mission and Andy's metamorphosis as well as their relationship.}
Plot:
An invisible barrier cuts off the small town of Chester's Mill from the rest of the world.
The book's main conflict lies between town resident Dale Barbara (ex-Army Captain) and
the town's Second Selectman Big Jim Rennie (used cars salesman and drug dealer).
Andy Sanders:
The town's First Selectman; a cheerful but dim-witted pharmacist who Big Jim uses as
a figurehead to maintain power over the town and a fall guy for his drug operation. While
trapped beneath the Dome, he loses both his wife and daughter and falls into a depression.
Phil "Chef" Bushey:
Operator of Big Jim's meth lab; a hermit who is hooked on his own product and a
self-declared prophet. Believes that making and sharing meth is God's will, but selling it is not.
Together:
Andy visits the meth lab in hopes that Chef, in his paranoia, will shoot him. Instead,
they become friends and start doing drugs together. Andy agrees to help Chef protect the
meth lab from Big Jim, who wants to cover up the evidence of his operations. Big Jim stages
a police raid on the lab; Andy and Chef kill most of the cops, but Chef gets shot. With Chef
mortally wounded, they detonate C-4 in the barn holding the meth operation's propane.
{download agents of the lord}
(01.) St. James Infirmary Blues cab calloway
folks, i'm goin' down to st. james infirmary / to see my baby there
she's stretched out on a long white table / she's so sweet, so cold, so fair
let her go, let her go, god bless her / wherever she may be
{Andy Sanders was indeed at the Bowie Funeral Home. He had walked
there, toting a heavy load: bewilderment, grief, a broken heart.}
(02.) I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry gabriel miller phillips
the silence of a falling star / lights up a purple sky
and as i wonder where you are / i'm so lonesome i could cry
{All he wanted was to go home to his empty house and have a stiff drink
and then lie down and think about Claudie and cry himself to sleep.}
(03.) Doctor Blind emily haines & the soft skeleton
all your pain will end here / let the doctor soothe your brain, dear
my baby's got the lonesome lows / don't quite go away overnight
{Just lie down on the bed, close his eyes, and then good night,
sweet pharmacist, may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.}
(04.) Fixin' to Die g. love
feeling funny in my mind, lord / i believe i'm fixing to die
{Of course it was impossible to predict what Phil's reaction might be; Phil
wasn't himself these days. He might lash out. He might even kill the
bearer of bad tidings. But would that be so awful?}
(05.) Come Along (Nåid Remix) titiyo
come along with me / come along now
come along and you'll see it what it's like to be free
{"Come with me. I'm going to change your life."}
(06.) Pure Morning (Les Rythmes Digitale Remix) placebo
a friend in need's a friend indeed / a friend with weed is better
our thoughts compressed / which makes us blessed
and makes for stormy weather / day's dawning, skin's crawling
{"Sanders! Did you come out here so I'd kill you?"
"No," Andy said through his sobs. "Maybe. Yes. I can't say.
But everything in my life has gone wrong."}
(07.) Shake It Out (The Weeknd Remix) florence + the machine
and it's hard to dance with the devil on your back / so shake him off, oh
{Better than any of those things, the weariness that had lain upon
his shoulders and muddled up his thinking disappeared. He felt
he could move mountains in a wheelbarrow.}
(08.) The Good Times are Killing Me modest mouse
have one more, have twenty more 'one mores' and oh, it does not relent
jaws clenched tight, we talked all night / oh, but what the hell did we say?
{"I love you, Phil. Chef, I mean. I'm glad I came out here."
"Me too," Chef said.}
(09.) New World in My View sister gertrude morgan & king britt
i got the new world in my view / on my journey i pursue
lord, i'm running, running for the city / i got the new world in my view, amen
said let not your heart be troubled / believe in god, believe in me also
{A new world had opened in front of him. He knew it might turn out to be
a false world, but it was better than the shitty world he'd been living in.}
(10.) Personal Jesus (Acoustic) depeche mode
your own personal jesus / someone to hear your prayers / someone who cares
i'll make you a believer / i will deliver / you know i'm a forgiver
{"My brother," he sobbed into Chef's ear.
Chef thrust him back and looked at him solemnly. "We are
agents of the Lord," he said.
And Andy Sanders - now all alone in the world except for the
scrawny prophet beside him - said amen.}
(11.) Psalms 40:2 the mountain goats
lord, send me a mechanic if i'm not beyond repair
he has fixed his sign in the sky / he has raised me from the pit and set me high
{On the other hand, it was wonderful to the point of ecstasy, just to be out here
with Chef, getting stoned and educated. "I almost killed myself, but God saved
me," he told Chef. The thought was so wonderful that tears filled his eyes.}
(12.) The Cave (Stu Roland Remix) mumford & sons
but i will hold on hope / and i won't let you choke
on the noose around your neck / and i'll find strength in pain
and i will change my ways / i'll know my name as it's called again
{"Nothing, Chef," Andy said. "I was just talking to myself.
Seems like I'm the only one who listens these days."
"That's bullshit, Sanders. Utter and complete bullshit-aroonie. God listens.
He's tapped into souls the way the FBI's tapped into phones. I listen too."}
(13.) Dull Life yeah yeah yeahs
we've seen the nightmare of the lies you speak / the beast i lie beneath is coming in
well, it's a dull life, it's a dull life / it's a dark place, it's a dull life / know myself
{"Andy?" Stewart said, astounded. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been drafted into the Lord's army. And you are bitter men.
We know all about you, and you have no place here."}
(14.) Seven Nation Army (Glitch Mob Remix) the white stripes
i'm gonna fight 'em off / a seven nation army couldn't hold me back
{"It won't be no help, either," Chef said. "Our faith
is in the Lord, and our strength is that of ten."}
(15.) God's Gonna Cut You Down the gaslight anthem
go tell that long-tongued liar / go and tell that midnight rider
tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter / tell 'em that god's gonna them down
{"Take a gun. You're in the Lord's army now. You're a Christian soldier.
Your days of licking that apostate son of a bitch's ass are over."
"What apostate son of a bitch are you talking about, Chef?"
"Rennie. That apostate son of a bitch."}
(16.) Battle for the Sun diederik idenburg & ivo witteveen
i will battle for the sun / and i won't stop until i'm done
dream brother, my killer, my lover / dream brother, my killer, my lover
{"I know. I love you, Chef."
"Thank you, Sanders. I love you, too."}
(17.) Down Boy yeah yeah yeahs
i'll stand, kind of bent / kind of pushed
on that heavy land / i will stand for the sake of my friend
i will see him there / down, down / count me down
{The Big Jims of the world didn't get to have everything, nor did they get to
take everything away. There would be no negotiation this time, no politics,
no backing down. He would stand with his friend. His soulmate.}
(18.) Knights of Cydonia (Ocelot Remix) muse
no one's going to take me alive / time has come to make things right
you and i must fight for our rights / you and i must fight to survive
{"BEHOLD, THE DAY OF THE LORD COMETH, CRUEL BOTH WITH WRATH AND
FIERCE ANGER, TO LAY THE LAND DESOLATE! ... AND HE SHALL DESTROY
THE SINNERS OUT OF IT! ISIAH THIRTEEN! SELAH, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
With this homily and call to judgement, Chef opened fire, raking them from left to right.}
(19.) Lightning Field sneaker pimps
strike me down / give me everything you've got
strike me down / i'll be everything i'm not
{They started to turn. For you, Chef, Andy thought, and opened fire.}
(20.) Until Morale Improves... murder by death
ninety days of sweat and dirt / feels like one night when you've got nothing left
'til there's nothing left to do but die / your hands on my face
every step of the way / tryin' to peel away the pain
{"Chef!" Andy screamed, and ran to where his friend knelt in the grass, blood
streaming from his shoulder, side, and temple. The entire left side of Chef's
face was red and wet. "Chef! Chef!" He fell to his knees and hugged Chef.}
(21.) Oh, Death! pearl and the beard
i love you the way you are / the way you've always been
{Andy saw the garage door opener lying in the grass. He picked
it up and handed it to Chef. Chef wrapped his hand around it.
"You...too...Sanders."
Andy curled his hand over Chef's hand. "I love you, Chef," he
said, and kissed Chef Bushey's dry, blood-flecked lips.
"Love...you...too...Sanders."}
(22.) Set the Woods On Fire art in manila
oh, how long must the soul survive / under the weight of these haunted pines
set the woods on fire / set the woods on fire, now
{"Now...Sanders...now."
Mel opened fire.
Andy and Chef were driven sideways by the bullets, but before they were
torn asunder, their joined hands pushed the white button marked OPEN.
The explosion was white and all-encompassing.}
Fandom: Stephen King's Under the Dome
Subject: Andy Sanders/Phil Bushey ("Chef")
Warnings: Spoilers; mentions of suicide and drug use
Notes: Made for waywardmixes theme #3: quotes. I chose one main quote to inspire my overall mix, as well as single quotes for each song. Just finished reading this book a few weeks ago (after it sat on my bookshelf for like, a year or two) and holy shit, it was amazing. Waiting for news about the mini-series is killing me.
Cover illustrations are from the collector's edition of the book.
"Take a gun. You're in the Lord's army now. You're a Christian soldier.
Your days of licking that apostate son of a bitch's ass are over."
{This quote sums up the two things I love about these guys: 1. Andy and Chef's drug-induced religious fervor and
their "army of the Lord" that kicks ass despite being compomised of a skeletal meth addict and a middle-aged
pharmacist. 2. How befriending Chef (and taking drugs) transforms Andy from a complete push-over to a total
badass. I wanted this mix to cover both their mission and Andy's metamorphosis as well as their relationship.}
Plot:
An invisible barrier cuts off the small town of Chester's Mill from the rest of the world.
The book's main conflict lies between town resident Dale Barbara (ex-Army Captain) and
the town's Second Selectman Big Jim Rennie (used cars salesman and drug dealer).
Andy Sanders:
The town's First Selectman; a cheerful but dim-witted pharmacist who Big Jim uses as
a figurehead to maintain power over the town and a fall guy for his drug operation. While
trapped beneath the Dome, he loses both his wife and daughter and falls into a depression.
Phil "Chef" Bushey:
Operator of Big Jim's meth lab; a hermit who is hooked on his own product and a
self-declared prophet. Believes that making and sharing meth is God's will, but selling it is not.
Together:
Andy visits the meth lab in hopes that Chef, in his paranoia, will shoot him. Instead,
they become friends and start doing drugs together. Andy agrees to help Chef protect the
meth lab from Big Jim, who wants to cover up the evidence of his operations. Big Jim stages
a police raid on the lab; Andy and Chef kill most of the cops, but Chef gets shot. With Chef
mortally wounded, they detonate C-4 in the barn holding the meth operation's propane.
{download agents of the lord}
(01.) St. James Infirmary Blues cab calloway
folks, i'm goin' down to st. james infirmary / to see my baby there
she's stretched out on a long white table / she's so sweet, so cold, so fair
let her go, let her go, god bless her / wherever she may be
{Andy Sanders was indeed at the Bowie Funeral Home. He had walked
there, toting a heavy load: bewilderment, grief, a broken heart.}
(02.) I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry gabriel miller phillips
the silence of a falling star / lights up a purple sky
and as i wonder where you are / i'm so lonesome i could cry
{All he wanted was to go home to his empty house and have a stiff drink
and then lie down and think about Claudie and cry himself to sleep.}
(03.) Doctor Blind emily haines & the soft skeleton
all your pain will end here / let the doctor soothe your brain, dear
my baby's got the lonesome lows / don't quite go away overnight
{Just lie down on the bed, close his eyes, and then good night,
sweet pharmacist, may flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.}
(04.) Fixin' to Die g. love
feeling funny in my mind, lord / i believe i'm fixing to die
{Of course it was impossible to predict what Phil's reaction might be; Phil
wasn't himself these days. He might lash out. He might even kill the
bearer of bad tidings. But would that be so awful?}
(05.) Come Along (Nåid Remix) titiyo
come along with me / come along now
come along and you'll see it what it's like to be free
{"Come with me. I'm going to change your life."}
(06.) Pure Morning (Les Rythmes Digitale Remix) placebo
a friend in need's a friend indeed / a friend with weed is better
our thoughts compressed / which makes us blessed
and makes for stormy weather / day's dawning, skin's crawling
{"Sanders! Did you come out here so I'd kill you?"
"No," Andy said through his sobs. "Maybe. Yes. I can't say.
But everything in my life has gone wrong."}
(07.) Shake It Out (The Weeknd Remix) florence + the machine
and it's hard to dance with the devil on your back / so shake him off, oh
{Better than any of those things, the weariness that had lain upon
his shoulders and muddled up his thinking disappeared. He felt
he could move mountains in a wheelbarrow.}
(08.) The Good Times are Killing Me modest mouse
have one more, have twenty more 'one mores' and oh, it does not relent
jaws clenched tight, we talked all night / oh, but what the hell did we say?
{"I love you, Phil. Chef, I mean. I'm glad I came out here."
"Me too," Chef said.}
(09.) New World in My View sister gertrude morgan & king britt
i got the new world in my view / on my journey i pursue
lord, i'm running, running for the city / i got the new world in my view, amen
said let not your heart be troubled / believe in god, believe in me also
{A new world had opened in front of him. He knew it might turn out to be
a false world, but it was better than the shitty world he'd been living in.}
(10.) Personal Jesus (Acoustic) depeche mode
your own personal jesus / someone to hear your prayers / someone who cares
i'll make you a believer / i will deliver / you know i'm a forgiver
{"My brother," he sobbed into Chef's ear.
Chef thrust him back and looked at him solemnly. "We are
agents of the Lord," he said.
And Andy Sanders - now all alone in the world except for the
scrawny prophet beside him - said amen.}
(11.) Psalms 40:2 the mountain goats
lord, send me a mechanic if i'm not beyond repair
he has fixed his sign in the sky / he has raised me from the pit and set me high
{On the other hand, it was wonderful to the point of ecstasy, just to be out here
with Chef, getting stoned and educated. "I almost killed myself, but God saved
me," he told Chef. The thought was so wonderful that tears filled his eyes.}
(12.) The Cave (Stu Roland Remix) mumford & sons
but i will hold on hope / and i won't let you choke
on the noose around your neck / and i'll find strength in pain
and i will change my ways / i'll know my name as it's called again
{"Nothing, Chef," Andy said. "I was just talking to myself.
Seems like I'm the only one who listens these days."
"That's bullshit, Sanders. Utter and complete bullshit-aroonie. God listens.
He's tapped into souls the way the FBI's tapped into phones. I listen too."}
(13.) Dull Life yeah yeah yeahs
we've seen the nightmare of the lies you speak / the beast i lie beneath is coming in
well, it's a dull life, it's a dull life / it's a dark place, it's a dull life / know myself
{"Andy?" Stewart said, astounded. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been drafted into the Lord's army. And you are bitter men.
We know all about you, and you have no place here."}
(14.) Seven Nation Army (Glitch Mob Remix) the white stripes
i'm gonna fight 'em off / a seven nation army couldn't hold me back
{"It won't be no help, either," Chef said. "Our faith
is in the Lord, and our strength is that of ten."}
(15.) God's Gonna Cut You Down the gaslight anthem
go tell that long-tongued liar / go and tell that midnight rider
tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter / tell 'em that god's gonna them down
{"Take a gun. You're in the Lord's army now. You're a Christian soldier.
Your days of licking that apostate son of a bitch's ass are over."
"What apostate son of a bitch are you talking about, Chef?"
"Rennie. That apostate son of a bitch."}
(16.) Battle for the Sun diederik idenburg & ivo witteveen
i will battle for the sun / and i won't stop until i'm done
dream brother, my killer, my lover / dream brother, my killer, my lover
{"I know. I love you, Chef."
"Thank you, Sanders. I love you, too."}
(17.) Down Boy yeah yeah yeahs
i'll stand, kind of bent / kind of pushed
on that heavy land / i will stand for the sake of my friend
i will see him there / down, down / count me down
{The Big Jims of the world didn't get to have everything, nor did they get to
take everything away. There would be no negotiation this time, no politics,
no backing down. He would stand with his friend. His soulmate.}
(18.) Knights of Cydonia (Ocelot Remix) muse
no one's going to take me alive / time has come to make things right
you and i must fight for our rights / you and i must fight to survive
{"BEHOLD, THE DAY OF THE LORD COMETH, CRUEL BOTH WITH WRATH AND
FIERCE ANGER, TO LAY THE LAND DESOLATE! ... AND HE SHALL DESTROY
THE SINNERS OUT OF IT! ISIAH THIRTEEN! SELAH, MOTHERFUCKERS!"
With this homily and call to judgement, Chef opened fire, raking them from left to right.}
(19.) Lightning Field sneaker pimps
strike me down / give me everything you've got
strike me down / i'll be everything i'm not
{They started to turn. For you, Chef, Andy thought, and opened fire.}
(20.) Until Morale Improves... murder by death
ninety days of sweat and dirt / feels like one night when you've got nothing left
'til there's nothing left to do but die / your hands on my face
every step of the way / tryin' to peel away the pain
{"Chef!" Andy screamed, and ran to where his friend knelt in the grass, blood
streaming from his shoulder, side, and temple. The entire left side of Chef's
face was red and wet. "Chef! Chef!" He fell to his knees and hugged Chef.}
(21.) Oh, Death! pearl and the beard
i love you the way you are / the way you've always been
{Andy saw the garage door opener lying in the grass. He picked
it up and handed it to Chef. Chef wrapped his hand around it.
"You...too...Sanders."
Andy curled his hand over Chef's hand. "I love you, Chef," he
said, and kissed Chef Bushey's dry, blood-flecked lips.
"Love...you...too...Sanders."}
(22.) Set the Woods On Fire art in manila
oh, how long must the soul survive / under the weight of these haunted pines
set the woods on fire / set the woods on fire, now
{"Now...Sanders...now."
Mel opened fire.
Andy and Chef were driven sideways by the bullets, but before they were
torn asunder, their joined hands pushed the white button marked OPEN.
The explosion was white and all-encompassing.}