Yes! More on the Simpsons!

[jbor]

>> The neon sign pointing to the house and the placard he hangs over his neck
>> play around with his reputation as a recluse -- as we know, he's a famous
>> American author who has never once given an interview, or done a book
>> signing tour (i.e. those "free autograph[s]" he's hawking to passers
> by) --
>> and, again, for viewers who don't understand he refers to himself as "a
>> reclusive author".
>> 
> It's an understatement to say that Pynchon is extremely reluctant to agree
> to be interviewed, but let's not forget that he did, in fact, agree to a
> faxed interview with David Hajdu for the book Positively 4th Street.
> 
> Pynchon also made statements to CNN, around the time that M&D was released,
> in which he expressed his dislike for being photographed (at least for the
> media) and expressed scorn for media descriptions of him as "reclusive." So
> the imagery and wording of his Simpsons segment can certainly be considered
> a kind of in-joke with regard his positions.

And don't forget that Pynchon actually interviewed the band members from
Lotion, but I'll stand by the assertion. I believe that even Hajdu himself
subsequently referred to the two fax replies he received from Pynchon when
he was doing research for his book as "correspondence", and explicitly not
"an interview" -- and so I think it's fair to say that the exchange between
the two of them was actually quite a different thing to what any reasonable
person would consider as an "interview". That being the case, it's true that
Pynchon has never willingly *given* an interview -- specifically, he has
never spoken to a member of the press in order to publicise himself, his
opinions, or his work.

I also don't think that the call he made to the CNN people to ask them not
to broadcast the video footage supports the idea that he does not guard his
privacy to an extreme degree (and it's this incident which seems to me to be
the in-joke behind the "as much as I like cameras" line from the Simpsons
episode). As to the "reclusive" tag, he reportedly said something to the
effect that he believed that "recluse is a code word generated by
journalists ... meaning, 'doesn't like to talk to reporters'", which pretty
firmly establishes his scorn for journalists, and the unlikelihood of him
ever giving, or having given, an interview to one.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/05/pynchon/

We've been over this a number of times, I know, but it's still worth getting
the facts straight.

But, yes, that he refers to himself as "a reclusive author" in the clip does
make fun of the reputation he has garnered, even if that reputation is
warranted to a very large degree and is one which he has actively nurtured
throughout his career.

Whether he had a hand in writing or modifying the script for his cameo
appearance on the show, or merely agreed to say what was written for him,
seems irrevelant. I agree that the vocal characterisation is well done.

best