AtDDtA1: An Enthusiastic Ukuleleist

Wed Jan 24 18:22:37 CST 2007

   "After dinner and Evening Quarters, the boys dedicated a few
moments to song, as a group differently engaged might have to prayer.
Since their Hawaiian escapades a few years previous (The Chums of
Chance and the Curse of the Great Kahuna), Miles had become an
enthusiatic ukulelist ..." (AtD, Pt.I, Ch. 2, pp. 14-5)

Evening Quarters

Main Entry: call to quarters
: a bugle call usually shortly before taps that summons soldiers to
their quarters

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

The Chums of Chance and the Curse of the Great Kahuna

Originally, Kahuna was the Hawaiian title for a priest, expert,
teacher, and/or adviser, and the term is still used in that context by
native Hawaiians. (See ancient Hawai'i) A kahuna nui was a high
priest.

The use of the term in reference to surfing can be traced back to the
film Gidget (1959), in which 'The Big Kahuna', played by Cliff
Robertson, was the leader of a group of surfers. The term then became
commonplace in Beach Party films of the 1960s such as Beach Blanket
Bingo, where the "Big Kahuna" was the best surfer on the beach.
Eventually, it was adopted into general surfing culture....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahuna

Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku (August 24, 1890 –
January 22, 1968), "The Big Kahuna", is generally regarded as the
inventor of the modern sport of surfing. He was also an Olympic
champion in swimming....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Kahanamoku

Season Four

#074-Hawaii Bound (Part 1)
Mike is able to take the entire family to Hawaii to check the
construction of a building he designed. The Bradys tour the island and
the boys get involved with an ancient tabu. Guest stars Don Ho.

#075-Pass the Tabu (Part 2)
Greg is saved from drowning and bad luck continues to plague the
Bradys. The boys decided to return the idol to the ancient Hawaiian
burial grounds to break the spell.

#076-The Tiki Caves (Part 3)
The boys return the tiki they found to the burial cave, where they
meet Professor Whitehead, who believes they intend to steal his latest
"find." Guest stars Vincent Price.

http://www.tvland.com/shows/brady_bunch/episodes/episodes4.jhtml

"It seems that Pynchon's sister Judith once taught at Suffolk
Community College and a colleague of [John Krafft, editor of Pynchon
Notes]'s actually dated her, and actually asked her, one time, 'What's
your brother likely to be doing right now?' and she said 'Watching The
Brady Bunch.' This, I learn, is a wholesome family sitcom which was
run and rerun throughout the Seventies, and it's Pynchon's favourite
show. So, Tom is just like you and me! He watches cruddy TV!"

http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/bio/influences.html

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0308&msg=84681

CHAPTER 5

The Japanese amulet. Flashback to Zoyd's flight to Hawaii (on Kahuna
Airlines) in pursuit of Frenesi -- who, we discover, had left Zoyd for
Brock Vond. We meet Frenesi's mother Sasha, a long-time leftist. In
Hawaii, Zoyd tries to win back Frenesi, but she's not interested. In a
flashback, we get more exposition on Sasha. Back in Hawaii, Zoyd gets
a gig playing keyboards on Kahuna Airlines flights. There's a weird
"Martian" hijack. Zoyd saves a mysterious Japanese businessman,
Takeshi Fumimoto, who gives him a magic "talisman" business card: the
same amulet that began the chapter.

p. 56 "Kahuna Airlines"    A reference to those silly AIP beach party
movies in which Frankie Avalon was "The Big Kahuna." [cf. p. 62]

http://www.mindspring.com/~shadow88/chapter5.htm

"Kahuna" is Hawaiian for witch doctor, and Hebrew for the priesthood.
I believe this is a coincidence.

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9802&msg=23908

enthusiastic

Main Entry: en·thu·si·asm
Pronunciation: in-'thü-zE-"a-z&m, en-, also -'thyü-
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein to
be inspired, irregular from entheos inspired, from en-
+ theos god
Date: 1603
1 a : belief in special revelations of the Holy Spirit
b : religious fanaticism ...

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=enthusiasm

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0202&msg=65028

Again ...

"... the boys dedicated a few moments to song, as a group differently
engaged might have to prayer ..."

I believe it was David Morris who brought that particular definition
to my attention during the fortuitously initialed MDDM, thanks again,
and as always ...

ukulelist

Ukuleles also appear in Gravity's Rainbow, Vineland, and Mason &
Dixon. According to Jules Siegel's article, "Who is Thomas Pynchon,
and why did he take off with my wife?", Pynchon himself played the
ukulele in college.

http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_15

E.g., ...

"Ukuleles, kazoos, harmonicas, and any number of makeshift metal
noisemakers accompany the song ..." (GR, Pt. III, p. 593)

   "Uh-huh!" the strange ukulelist replied.  "But it'd be easier--in
the key of G!'  Ukulele talk, all right ..." (VL, Ch. 5, p. 65f.)

But where's a uke in M&D?  Help!

Interestingly ...

From: <BenProfane@[omitted]>
Date: Fri, 26 May 1995 00:06:58 -0400
To: pynchon-l@[omitted]
Subject: Jules Siegel Playboy Article

[This message deleted at the request of Jules Siegel]

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9505&msg=1496

... that still shows up if you search "ukulele" in the Archives ...

Beaufort Scale

Beaufort Wind Scale

Developed in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort of England

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

"Who shall neither whine nor ejac-u-late"

Main Entry: ejac·u·late
Pronunciation: i-'ja-ky&-"lAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -lat·ed; -lat·ing
Etymology: Latin ejaculatus, past participle of ejaculari to throw
out, from e- + jaculari to throw, from jaculum dart, from jacere to
throw -- more at JET
transitive verb
1 : to eject from a living body; specifically : to eject (semen) in orgasm
2 : to utter suddenly and vehemently
intransitive verb : to eject a fluid

http://m-w.com/dictionary/ejaculate

"For his blood's as red and his mind's as pure
As the stripes of his bla-a-azer immac-u-late!" ...