Strange Journeys

[Heikki Raudaskoski]

On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, Bonnie Surfus (ENG) wrote:

> On Mon, 1 Jul 1996, RICHARD ROMEO wrote:
> > Hi all,
> > Penny Padgett wrote:

> > Richard Romeo asks plaintively:
> > > How the hell do you pronounce Vheissu anyway? 

> > Tom Schaub, who taught my Pynchon seminar way-back-when,
> > always preferred "V-is-you."  ;-)
> > 
> > Penny
> > 
> > Thanks, Penny.  couldn't it be V--a boy named Sue?  :)  
> > 
> > Richard Romeo
> > 
> There are a number of ideas I've played with but one that sticks around
> most is "Wie heisst du?"  This is, of course, German "What are you called,
> or What's your name? (colloquially).  From there, the statement "V. calls
> you" seems to proceed, especially in Stencil's case.
> 
> Bonnie Lenore Surfus
> Department of English
> University of South Florida
> http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/surfus/lenore.html

In addition to these somebody has dropped the French 'vecu', Sartre's
term for 'lived experience'. Phonetically this limps: 'c' is pronounced
as 'k', not as 's'.

So perhaps we should quit all this Westernism, and agree that the word
comes from the Lappish, or better, Sami word 'viessu', 'mountain hospice'.


A-and does anybody know about Lotion's coming tours? That is, will they
have gigs in Austin in the near future? I will spend the next 11 or so
months in that town, from July 20 on. It's been marvelous to belong to
this list from Finland, and after this week you will hear from me from 
Texas, in a month I hope. (Yes, Roky Erikson...What other acts I shouldn't
skip in Austin?)

In a terrible rush,

Heikki