IV (10) page 155

[Bekah]

Page 155

  "East of Sepulveda the moon was out... ":
  Sepulveda is probably the Boulevard just northeast of Manhattan  
Beach (it could be the old town now known as North Hills).   The moon  
is "out" probably because the evening cloud cover is not so thick east  
of Sepulveda. -
http://www.panix.com/clay/photo/mb.html

Doc takes 405 (San Diego Freeway) north to La Cienega to Stocker to La  
Brea to Pinks (a famous hot dog stand).
  http://www.pinkshollywood.com/
(You can find his route on a Google map of LA - start at Manhattan  
Beach and get directions to Sunset Strip.)

****
On the way he listens to "Soul Gidget,"  black surf music - which has  
overtones of Shaft by Isaac Hayes:
Yes,  I see it and see Pynchon Wiki for a good bit on the lyrics:
http://inherent-vice.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_10

But what is not on the Wiki?
Page 155  says,  "Meatball Flag."    Is this an early and  
fictionalized Meat Loaf?  With Electric Flag - (they used saxaphones  
but weren't surfish at all.)

"In Los Angeles, he formed his first band, Meat Loaf Soul.  During the  
recording of their first song, Meat Loaf hit a note so high that he  
managed to blow a fuse on the recording monitor; he was immediately  
offered three recording contracts, which he turned down.[6] Meat Loaf  
Soul's first gig was inHuntington Beach at the Cave, opening for Them,  
Van Morrison's band. While performing their cover of the Howlin' Wolf  
song "Smokestack Lightning", the smoke machine they used made too much  
smoke and the club had to be cleared out.[citation needed] Later, the  
band was the opening act at Cal State Northridge for Renaissance, Taj  
Mahal and Janis Joplin. The band then underwent several changes at  
lead guitar, changing the name of the band each time - including  
Popcorn Blizzard, and Floating Circus.[8] As Floating Circus, they  
opened for The Who, The Fugs, The Stooges, MC5, Grateful Deadand The  
Grease Band. Their regional success led them to release a single,  
"Once Upon a Time" backed with "Hello." Meat Loaf joined the Los  
Angeles production of Hair.[8]"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ns8t9iQck
He was in Hair (LA version) in 1971 -


"Electric Flag"
The Electric Flag was a blues rock soul group, led by guitarist Mike  
Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles...  One  
of the first rock groups to include horns."   (Sax fwiw.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Flag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnoGvCO3mug&feature=related

High-heel flip-flops = High-Heel Sneakers?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDTdPw-epDA
"Sandra Dee in an Afro wig"   ?
  "Got that patchouli all..."   could be patchouli "oil"  (oil/all)   
as we generally knew it - but the text-word is "all"

(This is a kick to hear on the audio version btw,  it's not good -  
it's really kind of bad.  But after you get used to it it works -  
somehow.)

Etc.


** Surfing music was pretty well gone by 1970.  but perhaps Manhattan  
Beach had not got word yet.   To me,  it feels like an anachronism  
which TPR is doing deliberately,  much like he mixed some dates in  
AtD.   But perhaps surf music was still popular on some local stations  
there.  (?)


****
ME:   Another thing,  I think Pynchon is going to some lengths to  
include specific elements of the racial/national diversity which is LA  
in one large celebration of cultural assimilation.  This is part of  
the myth of the 1960s/'70s,  although it was better than the 50s.     
If not "assimilation"  there was a huge acceptance of various races  
all immersed in one counter-culture - but I'm not sure that's true  
either - not really - but realism is not the point here, is it.


****
Then Doc heads over to Sunset Strip (FFO)  listening to " a Wild Man  
Fischer marathon"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Man_Fischer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygvhYE5veKU
(You laugh,  but he got around.)

************************


Bekah