Blondell Wayne Tatum
Encyclopedia
Blondell Wayne Tatum, a.k.a. Chemo, is a fictional character who has appeared in two novels by Carl Hiaasen
, Skin Tight
(1989
) and Star Island
(2010
).
. His parents belonged to a religious sect that believed in polygamy
, vegetarianism
, and refusing to pay income taxes
. Tatum was orphaned at age six when his parents were killed in a shootout with FBI agents in a post office outside Grand Forks. He went to live with his aunt and uncle, who were fugitives from felony
mail fraud charges in New Jersey
, masquerading as Amish
wheat farmers in rural Pennsylvania
. Blondell first turned to crime when he was sixteen (holding up a bank
with a pitchfork
), eventually becoming a corrupt, though popular, city official in a small Pennsylvania town.
His life took a drastic turn due to a freak accident during an electrolysis
procedure to remove two ingrown hair follicles from the tip of his nose. While Tatum was unconscious, the doctor suffered a stroke
and mistakenly applied the needle to his entire face. After Tatum woke up, he killed the doctor and fled the city, trying to find a cure for his facial condition. One wrongly-prescribed medication produced a lasting effect which "looked as if someone had glued Rice Krispies
to every square centimeter of his face" and led to his nickname, "Chemo" (since many people wrongly assumed he was undergoing chemotherapy
).
In Bal Harbour, Florida
, he approaches Dr. Rudy Graveline, a plastic surgeon who offers him a discount on dermabrasion
treatments in exchange for Chemo killing Mick Stranahan, a former State Investigator who is causing Rudy worry.
During his first, failed attempt, Chemo drowns Stranahan's vengeful ex-wife, Chloe, with an anchor, after she points out the house she thinks is his. During his second, Chemo dives off the balcony of Stranahan's stilt house
in Biscayne Bay
, and his hand is bitten off by a strike from Stranahan's pet Great Barracuda
. Instead of a conventional prosthesis, he chooses to attach a portable weed whacker
.
The whole affair spirals out of control, though Chemo is able to steal an amount of cash from Graveline that allows him to undergo a complete facial dermabrasion from a competent plastic surgeon. Although this treatment succeeds in removing the "Rice Krispies" effect, his surgeon advises him that he will still have to regrow the outer layer of his facial skin.
Eventually, Chemo is caught in a confrontation between Graveline and Stranahan out on the stilt house, where he kills Graveline out of fear (or mortification) that Graveline is about to confess the terms of the "deal" that he and Graveline had for killing Stranahan. Chemo is later arrested, and sentenced to four concurrent seventeen-year life sentences at Raiford
.
In 2010, he is back in Florida, having been paroled after 17 years, and enjoyed a lucrative spell of employment as a mortgage loan
broker. After the subprime mortgage bubble bursts, he is back to doing security, sometimes as a bodyguard for visiting celebrities. He carves out a small specialty for himself as a life coach for those with self-destructive addictions, since he has no awe whatsoever of fame, is immune to seduction, and not at all averse to beating his charges to pulp if they misbehave themselves. After pop star "Cherry Pye's" latest drug-and-alcohol escapade, her record promoter recruits Chemo to be her latest bodyguard, over the objections of her family.
Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen is an American journalist, columnist and novelist.- Early years :Born in 1953 and raised in Plantation, Florida, of Norwegian heritage, Hiaasen was the first of four children and the son of a lawyer, Kermit Odel, and teacher, Patricia...
, Skin Tight
Skin Tight (novel)
Skin Tight is a novel by Carl Hiaasen. It focuses on a former detective for the Florida State Attorney's office, who becomes the target of a murder plot by a corrupt, and egregiously incompetent, plastic surgeon.-Plot summary:...
(1989
1989 in literature
The year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...
) and Star Island
Star Island (novel)
Star Island is a 2010 novel by Carl Hiaasen, released on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.The novel takes its name from Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, where part of the story takes place.-Plot summary:...
(2010
2010 in literature
The year 2010 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February - The Wheeler Centre, Australia's "literary hub", officially opened.*April 3 - First release of the Apple iPad, electronic book reading device....
).
Personal history
Tatum was born in North DakotaNorth Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. His parents belonged to a religious sect that believed in polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
, vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
, and refusing to pay income taxes
Tax resistance
Tax resistance is the refusal to pay tax because of opposition to the government that is imposing the tax or to government policy.Tax resistance is a form of civil disobedience and direct action...
. Tatum was orphaned at age six when his parents were killed in a shootout with FBI agents in a post office outside Grand Forks. He went to live with his aunt and uncle, who were fugitives from felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
mail fraud charges in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, masquerading as Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
wheat farmers in rural Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Blondell first turned to crime when he was sixteen (holding up a bank
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
with a pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
), eventually becoming a corrupt, though popular, city official in a small Pennsylvania town.
His life took a drastic turn due to a freak accident during an electrolysis
Electrology
Electrology is the practice of electrical epilation to permanently remove human hair. The actual process of removing the hair is referred to as electrolysis.-Overview:...
procedure to remove two ingrown hair follicles from the tip of his nose. While Tatum was unconscious, the doctor suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
and mistakenly applied the needle to his entire face. After Tatum woke up, he killed the doctor and fled the city, trying to find a cure for his facial condition. One wrongly-prescribed medication produced a lasting effect which "looked as if someone had glued Rice Krispies
Rice Krispies
Rice Krispies is a breakfast cereal that was created by Clayton Rindlisbacher for the Kellogg company, and later marketed by Kellogg's in 1927 and released to the public in 1928...
to every square centimeter of his face" and led to his nickname, "Chemo" (since many people wrongly assumed he was undergoing chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
).
In Bal Harbour, Florida
Bal Harbour, Florida
Bal Harbour is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,305 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bal Harbour is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of...
, he approaches Dr. Rudy Graveline, a plastic surgeon who offers him a discount on dermabrasion
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is a surgical procedure that involves the controlled abrasion of the upper layers of the skin with sandpaper or other mechanical means. Nowadays it has become common to use CO2 or Erbium:YAG laser as well. The procedure requires a local anaesthetic...
treatments in exchange for Chemo killing Mick Stranahan, a former State Investigator who is causing Rudy worry.
During his first, failed attempt, Chemo drowns Stranahan's vengeful ex-wife, Chloe, with an anchor, after she points out the house she thinks is his. During his second, Chemo dives off the balcony of Stranahan's stilt house
Stilt house
Stilt houses or pile dwellings or palafitte are houses raised on piles over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding, but also serve to keep out vermin...
in Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
, and his hand is bitten off by a strike from Stranahan's pet Great Barracuda
Great barracuda
The great barracuda is a species of barracuda. Great barracudas often grow over long and are a type of ray-finned fish.-Appearance:...
. Instead of a conventional prosthesis, he chooses to attach a portable weed whacker
String trimmer
A string trimmer, also known as a strimmer, line trimmer, weed whacker, weed whip, weed eater, weedy, or whipper snipper, is a powered handheld device that uses a flexible monofilament line instead of a blade for cutting grass and other plants near objects...
.
The whole affair spirals out of control, though Chemo is able to steal an amount of cash from Graveline that allows him to undergo a complete facial dermabrasion from a competent plastic surgeon. Although this treatment succeeds in removing the "Rice Krispies" effect, his surgeon advises him that he will still have to regrow the outer layer of his facial skin.
Eventually, Chemo is caught in a confrontation between Graveline and Stranahan out on the stilt house, where he kills Graveline out of fear (or mortification) that Graveline is about to confess the terms of the "deal" that he and Graveline had for killing Stranahan. Chemo is later arrested, and sentenced to four concurrent seventeen-year life sentences at Raiford
Union Correctional Institution
Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as “Florida State Prison”, “Raiford Prison” and “State Prison Farm” is located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford. Opened in 1913, the prison underwent large scale renovation and restructure in 1961 splitting into the present...
.
In 2010, he is back in Florida, having been paroled after 17 years, and enjoyed a lucrative spell of employment as a mortgage loan
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
broker. After the subprime mortgage bubble bursts, he is back to doing security, sometimes as a bodyguard for visiting celebrities. He carves out a small specialty for himself as a life coach for those with self-destructive addictions, since he has no awe whatsoever of fame, is immune to seduction, and not at all averse to beating his charges to pulp if they misbehave themselves. After pop star "Cherry Pye's" latest drug-and-alcohol escapade, her record promoter recruits Chemo to be her latest bodyguard, over the objections of her family.
Appearance
Aside from his facial condition (which never completely recovers after the electrolysis mishap) and the weed trimmer attached to his arm, Chemo's appearance is also frightening because of his pallid, almost-reptilian, complexion, the sparse hair on his scalp, and the fact that he stands 6'9" tall.Books with Chemo
- Skin TightSkin Tight (novel)Skin Tight is a novel by Carl Hiaasen. It focuses on a former detective for the Florida State Attorney's office, who becomes the target of a murder plot by a corrupt, and egregiously incompetent, plastic surgeon.-Plot summary:...
- Star IslandStar Island (novel)Star Island is a 2010 novel by Carl Hiaasen, released on Tuesday, July 27, 2010.The novel takes its name from Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, where part of the story takes place.-Plot summary:...