More on the blurb brouhaha

[Dave Monroe]

We're STILL on this?  What's REALLY interesting ...

--- jbor at bigpond.com wrote:

> I agree, but I'd still contend that they got the
> most mileage they could out of that by exploiting
> the "mystery" of it....

... is that Doug and Robt. appear to exist in some
sort of curved space such that, as they've continually
backed away from each other to avoid each other's
projectiles (bullets, arrows, throwing knives, blowgun
darts, whatever, choose yr weapon) over the years,
they've now found themselves back TO back, albeit
still firing off into the distance ...

> Serendipitous or planned .... 

"Serendipitous" is such a strong word ...

> They didn't have to fork out a cent for advertising.

They wouldn't have had to anyway.  Amazon listed the
book even without a title, the press et al. would have
disseminated the announcement anyway ...
 
> December 5 release date gets your book delivered
> right in time for Christmas.

St. Nicholas' Day for us (is this being published
concurrently in the UK/Canada/NZ/Australia, at least? 
One would think, and sure hope, so, but ...).  I'm
gettin' me an extra big stocking, jut in case ...
 
> The new Penguin Classics Deluxe edition of GR with
> the cover art by Frank Miller, to be released just
> before the new one, was the other Pynchon story to
> do the rounds not long back... so the tie-in with
> Pynchon (which Pynchon himself asked for) was
> another clever stroke of marketing.

Well, again, Pynchon reputedly asked for Miller, first
off, and there's a whole line involved, second ...

http://us.penguinclassics.com/static/html/graphicclassics.html

... and the big score there, these days, at least, is
likely Chris Ware's Candide instead ...

http://us.penguinclassics.com/static/covers/all/6/2/9780143039426H.jpg

... after which you don't even NEED the novel (hm ...
Every Single Page of Gravity's Rainbow illustrated by
Chris Ware, ALL ON ONE PAGE ... hm ...) ...

By the way, am I the only one here who likes the
blurb, the title, AND the jacket?  A trifecta for me
...
 
> ... it's being marketed to new customers ...

You sure whatever degree you may or may not be using
right now isn't in marketing instead?  Or maybe you've
simply found yrself a new career.  We'll miss you ...

> ... with the Simpsons spots and the blurb he 
> comes across as someone who can make fun of himself

He may get a little testy about having his picture
taken ...

http://www.suntimes.co.za/1998/06/07/lifestyle/life01.htm

... or being accused of plagiarism ...

http://web.archive.org/web/20000824131346/pynchonfiles.com/cohn.htm

http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html

http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/cl49/GengCo.html

... he's seemed reasonably self-deprecating to
affable, even, at least in his occasional prose.  The
real surprise to me in his 'Simpsons" "appearances"
has been his voice, though I guess I ultimately had no
idea of what a long Islander might sound like ...

> And people look at the info about the author or do
> a bit of googling and think to themselves, hey,
> that might be a book I'd like to get.

Why, that's exactly how they got me!  Incroyable!  I
can hear mktg. calling yr name, Robt., it's a
veritable vocation for you, it is ...

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