The Glory Days

[jbor at bigpond.com]

I've heard those "glory days" described by someone who was there as 
being akin to "putting your hand into a nest of vipers". The job done 
on Bonnie Surfus, for example, was pretty appalling. Having read the 
archives up to about late-1995 or so, there was indeed a greater 
proportion of content then than now (signal, as opposed to noise), and 
on-topic exchanges were more frequent and more lively. Though at times 
tending to the turgid, Andrew Dinn ran a pretty tight ship (and I think 
it's a quote from him that the '97 Village Voice article by Thomas 
Goetz was making fun of). There were a lot of quite high-profile 
participants back then too, though it sometimes seemed as if they were 
holding back, worried that, if they revealed them, their ideas would be 
poached before they could get them into print. In other words, the more 
significant and interesting participants seemed to play their cards 
pretty close to their chests, though it's still a shame that virtually 
none of those players stuck around into the later '90s and early '00s. 
 From what I can surmise, soon after the _Lineland_ debacle and the rise 
of, well, we all know who, the list was pretty much left with just the 
dregs from those early days. Koopman was indeed the quintessential 
"troll", and momentarily amusing, though pretty quickly he became just 
an annoyance from what I could see.

best

> A-and I still feel bad for those who were on the receiving end of 
> flames
> from Steely and Mittlewerk.
> Oh how that must've hurt!!!
> M.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Di Filippo" <pgdf@[omitted]>
> To: <pynchon-l@[omitted]>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:03 AM
> Subject: The Glory Days
>
>
> > As a recent returnee who was active during the "Glory Days" of 
> Tinasky,
> > LINELAND, etc., I've certainly noticed a change in the list.  Much 
> quieter
> > and low-key.
> >
> > As for trolls and flamers, can anyone ever replicate the 
> quintessential
> > weirdness of the legendary KOOPMAN, he of the surreal screeds?
> >
>
>
>