VLVL2 (2) Notes and commentary, pp17-21

[Paul Nightingale]

(17.37-18.2) "... his long Mohawk colored a vibrant acid green, except
at the tips, where some magenta shade was airbrushed on."

Prairie has only just complained that Zoyd judges Isaiah by his haircut.
Furthermore, the colours match those of Zoyd's dress.

(17.6) "Isaiah, in their greeting, wanted to slap and dap ..."

Cf. Zoyd's meeting with Hector (11).

(17.10) "Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze'".

Hendrix died in 1970. A tribute band calls itself Purple Haze:

http://www.geocities.com/purplehazeband/page2.html

(18.12-13) Zoyd: "... what happened to 'You lunch meat, 'sucker'?"

Aka 'spam' (the Monty Python kind).

(18.28-29) "... a gallon of guacamole and a giant-size sack of tortilla
chips."

Mexican food. Prairie has 'prepared' food (or at least waitresses it to
'her men') as part of the "hustle" that Zoyd recognises. Her "gift", he
feels, has been inherited.

(18.30-31) "a cold six-pack of Dos Equis"

Mexican beer:

"Dos Equis, pronounced (Dohs-Eh-Keys); translates in English as
"two-x's". The beer was originally named "Siglio XX", meaning 20th
century, to signify the approaching millennium. The brand carries the
distinctive "XX", symbolizing a celebration of the last century, its
revolutionary vision and honoring the new millennium. 

"Dos Equis Amber was first imported to the U.S. in 1973 and was followed
by Dos Equis Special Lager in 1983."

Complete entry at: http://www.beer.com/brands/us/dosxx/about.html

(18.35-36) "commercial salsa"

Spicy sauce, again Mexican in origin.

(19.2-3) "Isaiah's business idea was to set up first one, eventually a
chain of violence centres ..."

Like the films/TV shows already mentioned, these "theme parks" (or
"adult play centres - see Ritzer, The McDonaldisation Thesis, 1998) will
reproduce themselves.

(19.6-7) "a standardised floor plan and logo, for franchising purposes"

On predictability and what he calls "that Disney look", see George
Ritzer, The McDonaldisation of Society (1996). See an interview with
Ritzer at:
http://www.mcspotlight.org/people/interviews/ritzer_george.html

For a critique of Ritzer, see:
http://www.asc.upenn.edu/usr/chunter/iic.html

Video games first appeared in the 1970s. More recently, there has been
paintballing:

"You might not see yourself as an Arnold Schwartznegger or Lara Croft to
start with, but you will be thinking to yourself ....'I'll be back!'...
when you leave." More at: http://www.paintball-games.co.uk/default.html

(19.24) "Zoyd was barely ahead of the white water here ..."

The old surfer managing to stay afloat, keep up with the game.

(20.21) Zoyd: "Go see Ralph Wayvone Jr., over at the Cuke ..."

Zoyd's counter-hustle.

(20.27-28) "She'd never been a squirmer, not even as a baby."

Another observation on Zoyd's part that takes him back to 1970.

(20.34) Prairie: "They love it when you owe money."

A history of the 1980s in a single sentence: the decade that saw
consumer debt take off. In the mid-198s, the US became the world's
biggest debtor nation, largely due to military spending; in turn, arms'
sales were largely responsible for Third World debt.

(20.35-36) Zoyd's response: "Not like I owe it ... they'd take the
house."

Which of course is what will happen eventually, although not in the way
suggested here.

(21.15-16) "the recrudescence of Hector"

Interesting noun choice.

>From the OED:  

   1. The state or fact of breaking out afresh. Of a quality or state of
things (usually one regarded as bad), a disease, epidemic, etc.

   2. A revival or rediscovery (of something regarded as good or
valuable).

Cf the description of Hector's appearance in Ch1.