Pynchon interviewed in Playboy Japan re 9-11

[Phil Wise]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: Pynchon interviewed in Playboy Japan re 9-11


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Corathers" <crawdad at one.net>
> To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:32 PM
> Subject: Re: Pynchon interviewed in Playboy Japan re 9-11
>
>
> > It's difficult to imagine the author of Gravity's Rainbow being that
> vapid,
> > even in translation. If it's authentic, the interview is solid evidence
in
> > support of the theory that Doug is Tom.
>
> That's the conclusion one might immediately jump to. However I expect we'd
> best withhold judgement pending an annoucement from the familly that poor
> old Tom has truly gone round the bend. If it is so it will not be kept
> secret.That's not the modern way.

Why, just because he no longer likes your beloved NYT?  Or are you just
disappointed that Mr Pynchon appears (always assuming that the quotes are
both reasonably accurately translated and indeed from P; if either of these
things proves not to be the case all bets are once again off) to hold some
similar views about the media to the dreaded Doug?
>
> I think what concerned me even more than the banality was the evidence of
> behavorial change. He describes himself as suddenly  giving up reading the
> Times because it has become nothing but propaganda. I can't help thinking
it
> more likely P has changed radically than that the Times has.

>From outside the US, it is very easy to see that the editorial tone of the
NYT has shifted considerably from then to now.  If he regards it as
propaganda, why get up for it?  There's a lot of mainstream US media that's
open to that criticism right now, and whatever your view of whether that's a
good or bad thing, or of whether you agree with the messages contained in
the propaganda (nothing wrong with agreeing with propaganda, so long as
you've done yr independent thinking), you might as well recognise that
there's a lot of propaganda there.

Don't judge the comments made in the interview by their lack of complexity
or length - there are tons of reasons why that may not be (including that
they're not Pynchon, but also including that if they are he's not too
confident putting complex ideas into pithy statements).

phil
>
> We can only hope for the best.
>             P.
>
>
>