Daffy Duck and the New Yorker

[RICHARD ROMEO]

Mascaro writes:  "No, it's not pop culture in the raw I fear, it's this 
middle brow processing of everything 

critical and challenging to our fast Disneyfying world into 
some--safe--box.  Doesn't the 

NEW YORKER just love being able to discuss Pynchon in tones that, I 
swear, you 

would assume came straight out of TIME if you just read the text?  I 
think it's great 

that Pynchon wears a Godzilla T-shirt and hangs out w/ Lotion.  It's not 
so great that 

this is being seized on as a way to channel our conceptual grasp of him.  
(Look at those 

quotes again.  These guys, undoubtedly goofing on the whole interview. 
are framed in 

such a way that these quotes function as strong markers).  And where is 
his work in all 

of this?"



------------------

I wholeheartidly agree.  I mean what next analyzing a man's t-shirts?  He 
must be cool he likes Godzilla, etc..  But I'm not sure about the 
"seizing the conceptual grasp of the man thing". 

Despite your misgivings I don't see how this will affect Pynchon, the 
artist.  So he likes a cute little rock band and his name is bandied 
about. Will this make him trendy, I don't think so.   Do we all expect 
every word that we read of his (outside of his novels) to be relevatory 
like Oliver Stone's annoying Jim Morrison portrait? I sure don't.  It 
shows the guy wants to enjoy himself once in a while.  He must feel like 
Brian in The Life of Brian, all those people following him around, 
expecting miracles, etc.  I ask this with all sincerity:  what do you 
want from the guy besides that next offering whatever it may be?





Richard Romeo

Coordinator of Cooperating Collections

The Foundation Center-NYC

212-807-2417

rromeo at fdncenter.org