authors under the influence

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

I got out of the house earlier than usual this morning for coffee and this high-density chocolate cookie that somehow justifies the presence of all those overpriced boutique vegetables at the local Whole Foods. Also picked up a New York Times, where I read of a Glenn Gould movie festival, a series of films directed by Bruno Monsaingeon of that famously self-medicated pianist:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/arts/music/20goul.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin

I'm struck as how Gould, along with Elvis, Proust and author, pianist, actor and general crank Oscar Levant were all self-medicated (probably as a mode of coping with all this incoming data—damn, it's paisley again![seriously, ask yourself: how many times did this happen to Proust?]), and were all unique individualists who produced rather large bodies of work. Might Pynchon be included on this list? Inquiring minds want to know—well, not really. It's pretty easy to figure out that one:

"Next time we run across that Englishman," Dzabajev looking curiously at his hands on the steering wheel, "or American, or whatever he is, find out, will you, where he got this shit?"
"Make a note of that", orders Tchitcherine. They both start cacking insanely there, under the tree.
                        GR, 398 (2000 repaigination. The rest of you need to pull out your Captain Midnight Kaballah Decoder Ring to find the right passage. Seriously, the new font for the Penguin QP edition is lovely and all, but the binding still falls apart in two months and you've gotta use a slide rule to find your place if you're reading sombody else's commentaries—Is it in Pynchon's contract that all paperback copies of GR have to explode in your hands?)
 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
> 
> On Oct 20, 2006, at 4:48 AM, Paul Mackin wrote:
> 
> >
> > On Oct 20, 2006, at 3:06 AM, robinlandseadel at comcast.net wrote:
> >
> >> I'd wonder, if only because:
> >> A: the drugstyles of the rich & famous [what was served up at,  
> >> say, Mme. Guermantes to-dos?]
> >> B: what was floating around at the time? Was Laudanum still being  
> >> prescribed? What about cannibus derivatives? I understand they  
> >> were still in common medical use during the turn of the century.
> >
> > With his connections he could have had any of these he wanted.
> >
> > His interests did seem to be recreational, but purely utilitarian,  
> > pragmatic--had to get the book finished.
> 
> Oops my very bad. Meant to say his interests DIDN'T seem to be  
> recreational . . . .
> >
> > Had long since  given up on the advice of doctors. He was his own  
> > expert on these matters.
> >
> >
> >
> >>  -------------- Original message ----------------------
> >> From: Steven <mcquaryq at comcast.net>
> >>> 	No cocaine?  Opium?  Anti-asthma cigarettes?  What was the secret
> >>> ingredient, if you know?
> >>
> >> That would be talent. Really no subsitute, you know. . .
> >
> > Absolutely.
> >
> > I though Steven was referring to the secret ingredient in the anti- 
> > asthma cigarettes  :-)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Oct 19, 2006, at 4:05 PM, Paul Mackin wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> amytal nitrate
> >>>> valerian
> >>>> pure adrenaline
> >>>> veronal
> >>>> caffeine
> >>>> anti-asthma cigarettes
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: Steven <mcquaryq at comcast.net>
> >> Date: October 19, 2006 10:22:51 PM EDT
> >> To: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
> >> Cc: pynchon-l at waste.org
> >> Subject: Re: authors under the influence
> >>
> >>
> >> 	No cocaine?  Opium?  Anti-asthma cigarettes?  What was the secret  
> >> ingredient, if you know?
> >>
> >>
> >> On Oct 19, 2006, at 4:05 PM, Paul Mackin wrote:
> >>
> >>> amytal nitrate
> >>> valerian
> >>> pure adrenaline
> >>> veronal
> >>> caffeine
> >>> anti-asthma cigarettes
> >>
> >
> 



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