V. chapter 5, part II questions

[David Morris]

>From: Prokopis Prokopidis <prokopis at ilsp.gr>
>
>String smoking: Don't know what exactly Roony is smoking (some sort of 
>grass?) and how illegal it was in the 50's.

There is no such thing as smoking string.  It's an absurdity with illegal 
drug overtones.

>Charisma, Roony and their pusher: What I understand is that Charisma
>bought the string from a girl working in the Lord and Taylor's
>department of Bloomingdale's. Is that correct?

No.  Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor are separate department stores with 
two different contacts who are both presumably stealing the string from the 
stores.  But neither store would sell raw string, so my guess is that these 
girls are unraveling the sting from high quality clothing which both stores 
would sell.  I guess that's the illegal part.

>5) Roony Winsome's taste in music [p. 124]
>
> > Roony was an executive for Outlandish Records (Volkswagens in Hi-Fi,
> > The Leavenworth Glee Club Sings Old Favorites) and spent most of
> > his time out prowling for new curiosities.
>
>Volkswagens in Hi-Fi: Taking into account some other hits of Roony's,
>are these real vehicles? And not some band with this name?
>
>The Leavenworth Glee Club Sings Old Favorites: In his "A Reader's Guide
>To Thomas Pynchons's _V._", J. A. Pittas-Giroux mentions that
>
> > Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary is located in Leavenworth, Kansas.
>
>Is the reference to that institution obvious to an american reader?
>Accordingly, would that reader gather that the members of that choir(?)
>are probably prisoners?

Yes, whom would make unlikely "Glee Club" members.  "Glee," in addition to 
refering to a song for a chorus, means exultant high-spirited joy, which 
prisoners are unlikely to exhibit.

http://hcs.harvard.edu/~hgc/
http://www.yale.edu/ygc/






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