COL49 - Chap 1: Oedipa says no to drugs

[Paul Mackin]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <kelber at mindspring.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Monday, May 04, 2009 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: COL49 - Chap 1: Oedipa says no to drugs


> Of course Goldwater was the big bogeyman (in my house, anyway), bt was 
> Nixon completely off the public radar?  Chapter 2 starts out with a jokey 
> reference to a Beatles analog:  Sick Dick and the Volkswagens.  I've tried 
> to find the source of Nixon's "Tricky Dick" nickname.  At least one source 
> dated it back to the McCarthy hearings.

Helen Gahagen Douglas called him that in 1950.

California U.S. Senate race between the two of them.


> There's no way Pynchon could have known, at the time he was writing this 
> book, of the path Nixon's career would take, but is this possibly a 
> reference to the old Trickster?
>
> Laura
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: Bekah <Bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net>
>>Sent: May 4, 2009 10:23 AM
>>To: Bekah <Bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net>
>>Cc: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>, rich <richard.romeo at gmail.com>
>>Subject: Re: COL49 - Chap 1: Oedipa says no to drugs
>>
>>What this means is that in the 60s of COL49,  the Republicans were
>>basically the "outs" and the Democrats the "ins."   I remember those
>>good days - except for the Vietnam war - which Pynchon doesn't seem
>>to get into much.   1964 or so it wasn't such a big deal as it became
>>after 1965 - when the baby boomers started getting drafted.
>>
>>Bekah
>>
>>
>>On May 4, 2009, at 6:21 AM, Bekah wrote:
>>
>>> Nixon ran for President in 1960 and lost to Kennedy then he ran for
>>> Governor of California in 1962 and lost to Pat Brown (Jerry's
>>> father).  So he angrily dropped from sight for several years.
>>> Meanwhile,  Goldwater ran for President in 1964, lost but stuck
>>> around in the public eye for a few years.   And  Reagan ran and won
>>> the race for Governor of California in 1966 to start out his
>>> official political career.
>>>
>>> Bekah
>>>
>>>
>>> On May 3, 2009, at 6:45 PM, rich wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 7:11 PM,  <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Robin's described Oedipa and Mucho as affluent Young
>>>>> Republicans.  Are we absolutely certain she would have been a
>>>>> Nixon supporter?
>>>> _______
>>>> being the mid-60s wouldn't Barry Goldwater been more of a presence
>>>> than Nixon w/i Republican circles?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Oedipa wants OUT.  Hilarius wants IN.  No wonder she says no.
>>>>> Had it been some hedonistic offering at a party, or by Metzger in
>>>>> the motel room, she might well have said yes.  It's the invasion
>>>>> she doesn't like.  Hilarius is part of THEM.
>>>>>
>>>>> Laura
>>>> _____
>>>> every time I hear the name Metzger I think of the white supremicist
>>>> Tom Metzger who strangely enough was living in Southern Cal in the
>>>> mid
>>>> 60s and working in electronics in the defense industry--though he
>>>> wouldn't make his name until later decades w/ the KKK and the white
>>>> aryan resistance and thus just one of those kute correspondences I
>>>> suppose--he'd fit right in Lot 49
>>>>
>>>> rich
>>>>
>>>> rich
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>