More Alt.Cyberpunk shat: 1 of 2

[John M. Krafft]

From:	MIAVX2::JMKRAFFT     "John M. Krafft"  4-MAR-1992 17:10:31.81
To:	
CC:	JMKRAFFT    
Subj:	Re: <None>

X-News: miavx2 alt.cyberpunk:587
From: rjdm at zds.com (Rian Murphy)
Subject:Re: <None>
Date: 3 Mar 92 14:11:23 GMT
Message-ID:<1992Mar03.141123.7332 at zds.com>

Obviously I missed the original article about Gibson and Pynchon.  
Somebody (Neil Tringham) thought Vineland was similar to Gibson's 
novels and wondered whether:

1) There was an Eighties zeitgeist and Pynchon and Gibson both caught 
   it;
2) The real eighties (as seen by Gibson) are simply the inevitable
   result of what Pynchon saw coming in the sixties;
3) Pynchon reads Gibson; or
4) All of the above

Let's get real, folks.  Obviously, both writers are aware of what's 
happening in contemporary USA; Gibson extrapolated on a few contemporary 
ideas for his vision of the future, Pynchon used contemporary society as 
the backdrop for _Vineland_.  Any writer uses this kind of material.  
Large corporations, ninja, underground government organizations, 
"commodification"--you can probably find references to these things in 
Sidney Sheldon.  Is Sidney Sheldon Gibson's love child?

To go further and wonder whether Pynchon gets anything from Gibson--
smile when you say that, pal.  Let's face it: 

(sorry, just a second--all you Gibsonites got your flame throwers
warmed up?  OK, let's proceed.)

Let's face it: in the grand scheme of Fiction, Pynchon is ten or fifteen 
times the writer Gibson is--as I'm sure Gibson would admit.  I don't 
think Pynchon needs to read _Neuromancer_ for inspiration, thank you 
very much.

I'll grant you that _Vineland_ isn't the transcendent experience
Pynchon fans were waiting for--but then I think _Vineland_ is something
Pynchon wrote to take a break, or to satisfy his publisher, while he
continues work on a far more ambitious project.

I'd also be willing to bet that Pynchon DOESN'T read Gibson.  Gibson is 
neither good enough nor bad enough for Pynchon to be interested in.

And you can bet your ass Gibson reads Pynchon.

AND ANOTHER THING:  Both Gibson AND Pynchon read William S. Burroughs.  
Burroughs is the godfather of punk and the godfather of cyberpunk as 
well.


Opinions my own, etc.  Let's hope I can post this so somebody else can 
see it...

R. Murphy