Pynchon the Guest Musician?

[Kent Mueller]

One or two members of the band were probably no more than one or two degrees
of separation from Pynchon, I'd guess, and direct acquaintances of such as
Bob Dylan, playwright/actor Sam Shepard, maybe some others. No direct proof,
but plenty of anecdotal evidence. I'd guess they got permission from Pynchon
on a handshake and the lawyers followed through with the paperwork.

Got a copy of the original LP. It's an odd, uneven but likeable album. "Be a
Hobo" and "Mr. Garfield" were highlights for me, sort of pre-Tom Waits.
"Eyes of a New York Woman", is, IMHO, kinda ordinary as a song, interesting
cuz of the Pynchon connection. And of course they took their name from
Burroughs before that was fashionable...
  
Kent Mueller  

> From: Dave Monroe <monropolitan at yahoo.com>
> Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2006 07:04:39 -0700 (PDT)
> To: Rcfchess at aol.com
> Cc: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: Re: Pynchon the Guest Musician?
> 
> Another late 60's and early 70's band indebted to
> Pynchon was called "The Insect Trust." Its most famous
> member was the noted writer, critic, and
> ethnomusicologist Robert Palmer. Two albums, Insect
> Trust (Capitol, 1968), and Hoboken Saturday Night
> (ATCO, 1970), were produced. The music ranges from
> surreal folk-rock, to pop-soul in the style of
> Booker-T, to flat-out free jazz. It is the latter
> style which is adopted on a song called "The Eyes of a
> New York Woman," sung by Nancy Jefferies and
> accompanied by a haunting jazz descant recorder solo
> played in a true virtuoso style. The song's composers
> are listed as Jeff Ogden and Thomas Pynchon, and the
> lyrics are taken verbatim from V., where they are sung
> by Benny Profane as he, Angel, and Geronimo are trying
> to pick up some girls (V. [1963; rpt. New York: Bantam
> Books, 1979], 127). When he sings his despairing song,
> all the girls can say is: "It doesn't have any beat"
> (128). Fortunately, "The Insect Trust" version has a
> great beat. The whole piece is moody and lazy, just
> like a hot Hoboken Saturday night, and you are lost,
> perhaps, in the streets with the Whole Sick Crew,
> where "The eyes of a New York woman/ Are the twilit
> side of the moon."
> 
> http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_music_insect-trust.html
> 
> --- Rcfchess at aol.com wrote:
> 
>> Maybe I just had too much beer last night, but I'm
>> confused: what's the relation between TRP & the
>> music? Or is it just a joke?
> 
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