VLVL2: Pisks Privileged?

[Paul Mackin]

On Tue, 2004-02-17 at 12:32, Terrance wrote:
> > 
> > In Vineland they seem completely OPPORTUNIST if one judges by their
> > relations with the white student radicals. Shaming poor (totally
> > confused, if not downright stupid) Rex into giving them his flashy
> > wheels. But who says art must imitate life?
> 
> The Bruthas BAAD are, like so many P characters, a parodic
> multiplex-allusive-collage. 
> They got them Uniforms, Panther Style) and ChiCom style too (Vietnamese
> Bitch has a ChiCom pistol and pretty cool jump suit and red beret and
> she too is a parodic multiplex-allusive-collage, when she comes over the
> radio to talk to the boys we recognize her voice ... etc.) and they got
> a Chief of Staff who gots an X who talks like Malcolm. The UHURU
> allusion is multiple too, but in the context of the scent it means just
> what it says. 


Pynchon, it seems to me, gives the various and sundry characters and
goings-on just enough similarity to our memory of the actual period to
catch our notice (e.g., the details that Terrance notices). However
everything must be distorted into something considerably stranger and
more irrational than mere real life. His particular writing talent
requires this. He needs the bizarre and inexplicable to give full play
to his talent. Thus the revolutionary youths, though very childish in
some ways and often spouting utter nonsense, at times have reflections
that may appear more involved that anything we would normally expect
from twenty somethings.  

> Rex isn't quite radical chic, but his aberrant religious
> devotion to the cause is more dangerous in the short run. At least for
> Weed it is. 

As representative of real people I never know quite what to think of any
of our boys and girls. This is why the assignment of relative blame to
this or that character for the downfall of PR3 (that we talk about
sometimes) seems a little bit misplaced.  
> 
> 
> > 
> > I knew a 60s radical with a Porsche 911. he bought it used for about
> > $6000.
> 
> 
> Was it red, like cherry in a cocktail glass? 

It was a very dark green.
> 
> I hhad a GTO when I was a Freshman at Harvard. It was a babe magnet even
> for a divinity student like me.

       Cars are important. I'd drive a Porsche today if my reflexes were
                                better. As it is it's a Volvo. Safe car.