IVIV (11) 178-9

[Mark Kohut]

For someone like Japonica, typical in her 'thinking' of many in her time, to see the possibility of the Book of Revelation is partly to expect the Beast? 

--- On Tue, 10/27/09, Clément Lévy <clemlevy at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Clément Lévy <clemlevy at gmail.com>
> Subject: IVIV (11) 178-9
> To: "pynchon -l" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 4:47 PM
> Meeting the police here.
> 
> Doc, riding on the passenger's seat, tries to control the
> car. Dr. Blatnoyd tries to fool the policeman, building up a
> sister-giving-birth-at-the-hospital-story.
> 
> Finally, Doc goes behind the wheel, and gets some info
> about the reason why the police are looking at everybody's
> ID: "Cultwatch" sounds like "Baywatch:" another innocuous
> activity? No, as "every gathering of three or more civilians
> is now defined as a potential cult." The cop mentions three
> reasons why the company here could be a cult, including
> "references to the book of Revelation." As a matter of fact,
> Japonica, asking "are you the Great Beast" may have sounded
> a bit prophetical to the policeman's ear. See Book of
> Revelation, chapter 13, of which I am quoting here the first
> lines:
> 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
> rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,
> and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
> of blasphemy.
> 
> 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and
> his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
> mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his
> seat, and great authority.
> 
> 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;
> and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered
> after the beast.
> 
> 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the
> beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like
> unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
> 
> 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
> things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to
> continue forty and two months.
> 
> 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
> blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell
> in heaven.
> 
> - So this was another mention of the Manson cult, and the
> investigations it provoked.
> 
> - "it'll go i some master data bank here and in
> Sacramento:" how computers will store everything from the
> early 1970s on.
> 
> - Note the castle (moat, dawbridge) in Bel Air. A mixture
> of Middle Ages and 20th century security practice (private
> guards, intercom). There's one on sale here, but without the
> moat:
> 
> http://www.marbellavillas.com/resale-details.aspx?id=R86160
> 
> Another example of "L.A. tradition of architectural whimsy"
> (168)
>