Prepare to search for a Thomas Pynchon cameo in 'Inherent Vice'

[John Bailey]

I can't imagine Pynchon selling himself as a DVD Easter Egg, which is
what this rumour is suggesting. Great marketing point, though - hard
to think of another rumour that would guarantee so many people going
through this film frame by frame, again and again, blowing up images,
running them through image sharpening programs, debating online,
putting forward theories and refuting others at length, maybe someone
collecting all of the arguments in a Room 237-type film one day...
actually, all that does sound rather Pynchonian.

But think of his cameo on the Simpsons. That was unexpected - his
surprise public appearance mocking the whole Pynchon-as-recluse myth.
To go from that to a shady background extra seems lame.

If he was to appear in the film, my bet would be that it would be
equally bold or funny. He's a faceless server at Tommy's Burgers with
the nametag TOM. Or he blatantly moons the camera from the Golden
Fang. Or he walks out in front of a red curtain at the start and
clears his throat before asking that the audience turn off their
mobiles.

However, the interview that all of this speculation is based upon is
soooo flimsy. Brolin is answering a different question - it's as if
he's been told by the interviewer that Pynchon was on set, and did he
notice at all? And Anderson as much as says no, didn't happen, but the
writer has imposed this cute interpretation of Anderson's expression
to hint that he really wants us to realise he's lying.

That's not journalism. That's just reader bait.

On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 3:07 PM, Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:
> Perhaps he’ll appear with his back turned - would that count? Could we tell?
>
> Bek
>
> On Sep 26, 2014, at 8:15 PM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Like. Smiling out Loud. -----
>>                                     Fanboy by default.
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On Sep 26, 2014, at 9:49 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I gotta admit that the prospect of a Pynchon cameo excites me like a fanboy.  I hate fanboys.
>>>
>>> David Morris
>>>
>>> On Friday, September 26, 2014, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> MY belief is that this is UNBELIEVEABLE ( in both senses, but not at once, if you think about it) publicity for the movie.
>>> I bet he will not be visible in any scene....even if his picture is taken by Anderson's cameramen, because he was an extra in some scene, he will end up on the cutting room floor.
>>>
>>> But I hope I am wrong. My working speculation is: he will not reveal himself as Thomas Pynchon in a photograph or picture. But, I may be wrong in another way if he does appear: he is NOT Thomas Pynchon as an extra in a movie.
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On Sep 26, 2014, at 12:06 PM, Henry M <scuffling at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> NFW! http://www.imdb.com/news/ni57789010/
>>>>
>>>> Yours truly,
>>>> ٩(●̮̮̃•̃)۶
>>>> Henry Musikar, CISSP
>>>> http://astore.amazon.com/tdcoccamsaxe-20
>
> -
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