VL-IV 1: other peripheral considerations

[Michael Bailey]

 bandwraith wrote:
> Nicely done.

seconded

>  In fact, he is obeying two laws- the law of The Man, which may
>  or may not be just, and, the second law of thermodynamics, which
>  may or may not be ultimately true. And yes, it's all about work.

where have i heard that before?

work in the labor movement sense - "dollar a day, 's work" - Bob Dylan

and/or in the physical science sense (Mrs Volpe in 8th grade science
stated: if you push against a piano for a half hour but it doesn't
move, you haven't done any work.  Likewise, Zoyd's charms - and they
must be considerable - don't "work" on Frenesi, or, "are seen not to
work on Frenesi")

>  Whatever Zoyd gains by his efforts- which tend as much toward
>  avoiding pain as obtaining pleasure- he will pay the price.

but not his union dues, apparently...
throwing this out as a sidebar - Zoyd's love for Frenesi may be real or not
(I tend to think it is) but he's way unaffiliated
which hampers him in the contest for her soul...

> Reading
>  novels is much the same thing. When were done, I guess, we
>  can decide if it was worth the effort.

there's a lot of good stuff in there.  I'm hooked on books anyway,
and find that I basically deteriorate if I skip reading for more than
a few days.

>
>  "I'm workin' on it"
>

as sez Zoyd whose jack-of-all-trades skills foreshadow Merle's (with
music at the center instead of techne)

>  "local laughing-academy outpatient" hints at Ronald Reagan's dismantling of
> the mental health system in California during his tenure as Governor and
> extending into his presidency.

and yet, the mental health system as such was full of Dr Hilariuses...

> with Charles Manson, Mark Chapman and the right-wing's dark fantasies
> regarding William Ayres.
>

all right wing catspaws (Manson's ability to stay out of jail and keep
the ranch open even after serious criminal convictions and complaints
from the neighbors was bird-dogged a little bit by Paul Krassner; usw)