VLVL(12) pgs 218-226 Orick

[Mark Kohut]

Let's play with this one a l'il bit......So, Vineland is published in 1990
therefore Pynchon knows all this about Jaco, presumably..........

But in 1984s time of the book, he is a sick suffering druggie artist.........

the fate of an artist in sick, suffering druggie America?



----- Original Message ----
From: Robin Landseadel <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7:05:45 PM
Subject: Re: VLVL(12) pgs 218-226 Orick

On Feb 25, 2009, at 3:56 PM, Mark Kohut wrote:

> "the restoration of a premodal innocence in which
> all the notes of the universe would be available to him".

> The goal of the artist, so to speak?.............


Maybe, but count Jaco Pastorius—Van Meter's inspiration for removing the frets of his electric bass—among those recently and famously dead as of the time of Vineland's publication.

    Pastorius suffered from mental illness and substance abuse,
    and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1985. He died in
    1987 from a physical beating sustained from a doorman while
    trying to gain entry into the Midnight Club in Fort Lauderdale at
    age 35.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius

Orpheus and the all-night rallentando seems like what's goin' on from this perch.