From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V8 #117 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Wednesday, March 31 1999 Volume 08 : Number 117 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Sailing the Seas of Feg, Part 2 [Natalie Jacobs ] This is just too unbelievable... [Mark_Gloster@3com.com] mutiny! mutiny! mutniy on the fuckin'-- oh, hey: "strap on devices, 50% off." ["Capitalism Blows" ] Re: [YouBetcha] White Sea Screenplay. [MARKEEFE@aol.com] Re: ...do you, Mr Jones? [Eb ] Re: This is just too unbelievable... [The Great Quail ] Re: This is just too unbelievable... [Eric Loehr ] Re: This is just too unbelievable... [MARKEEFE@aol.com] ignore ["Paul Christian Glenn" ] oblique robyn content ["Capitalism Blows" ] To The White Sea [J Branscombe ] Re: [YouBetcha] White Sea Screenplay. ["Capitalism Blows" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:17:54 -0500 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: Sailing the Seas of Feg, Part 2 Day 19 Some good has come of the Chalkhillians' visit. In the wake of their passage, one of their posts was thrown into my boat by accident: a large, squashy beast, rather like a jellyfish, which flips and struggles on the damp boards, reeking of hyperbole. Upon closer examination, it proves to be a post comparing the water droplets at the beginning of "River of Orchids" to the rain at the end of "Travels in Nihilon." Allen flies enthusiastically around it, meeping, "H2O! H2O!", sounding for all the world like a chemistry teacher. Finally, I realize what he is trying to say and, pulling out one of my nearly-empty water buckets, I hold the post over it and wring it out like a washcloth. To my delight, a torrent of fresh water pours out of it! I weep for joy. Now I can continue my quest! When I catch a Tropical Flesh Mandala later this evening, I give every morsel to the wily quail. Day 20 We are becalmed. The sky has faded to a soft blue-grey, the ocean is perfectly smooth, and a light fog hides the horizon. For some reason, I am unworried by all of this. I feel strangely. . . calm. The very air seems to breathe forth stillness. I have lain here all day, trailing my hand in the water, oblivious even to Allen's agitated fluttering. I am dimly aware of. . . music, yes, music, at the very edge of my hearing. Such pleasant music. . . Eventually, hunger stirs me, and I drop the line into the translucent water. The line grows incredibly heavy and I pull up a dull metallic object, like a weighty crown - certainly not edible. What is it? After some examination, I realize that it is, in fact, a King's Lead Hat. We are marooned in the Eno Sea. If I do not act soon, I will never see my beloved Fegs again. Day 20 (continued) Aid has come, once again in an unlikely form. We have a stowaway. He says he is a native of this country, though he speaks with a strong New Zealand accent, and appears to be wearing a tiny XTC badge. He resembles a small, hairy flightless bird, though he claims to be able to take on any form. "Call me the Dignan," he says, strutting about on the bowsprit. "I can show you the way back to the Feg Ship." Allen looks at him askance, but says nothing. Should I trust the Dignan? It appears that I have little choice. Day 21 Disaster has struck! Oh, why didn't I trust the all-knowing quail? The Dignan promised to call up a wind that would free us from the deathly stillness of the Eno Sea and carry us back to Feggish waters, but when he perched on the side of the boat and whistled up a breeze, instead we were shaken from stem to stern by a massive gale! Now the two birds huddle in the bottom of the boat while I cling desperately to the side, the howling winds rocking us to and fro; the waves are ten and twenty feet high and crash continuously into the boat itself, drenching us with ancient colloquies; I even find myself spitting out a mouthful of "Perspex Island" reviews! Oh, it tastes stale and foul. The Dignan weeps and beats his breast with his tiny, functionless wings, but I refuse to accept his apologies. Surely we will be dashed on the infamous Troll Shoals (where the evil Rogerjackson sings his siren song), which loom out of the storm at us like... well, big black rocks. Not even during the Brian Wilson Wars have I been so terrified. Will we survive? Allen seems hopeful, but I cannot say. To be CONCLUDED tomorrow... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 11:22:07 -0800 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: This is just too unbelievable... I fear that I will be thrown off this list. If not physically, by the tremendous centrifugal force of the powerful brains that have the torque of billions of Peabody Pointdexter Nerdwhamulons Per Pound Foot Per Square Inches Per Pixel Per Page Per Nanofarad Henries Per Picosecond. It scares me that I may lack the glue to hold me here and the mere thought of the cold universe outside makes me sweat in terror. You see, it is with amazement and shock on my own part that I admit this to you: I may not be geeky enough for this list. There it is. I've said it. Okay, I've probably seen every Doctor Who episode since John Pertwee started, I have a strong knowledge of guitars, amplifiers, microphones, analog and digital recording apparati, work on Macintoshes, UNIX workstations, and those awful PC's. I design high tech printed circuit boards on computers. I have designed boards for computers, wireless communications, cable modems, you name it. I am reasonably sure that going downhill with a tailwind and a JATO on my back, I have an IQ that is more than one digit long. No, not positive, thanks. But still, I may not be geeky enough for this list. Here's the rub. I don't know the fucking origin of the Bagginses. I vaguely remember some of it from my youth, which was tragically stolen from me by the carcasses of forests manifested in torn pages of calendars in the landfills of the canyons of your minds. But I never cared enough to argue, knew enough to care, or could stand actually reading all the collected works of JRR Tolkein enough to actually know, even though _The Hobbit_ was one of the first books that I found engaging enough to read on my own. (That's right, Belladonna Took, right?) More: I haven't read more than 10% of the books on The Great Quail's site. I didn't sit and write out the lyrics of _The Wall_ in junior high. Of course, if I had, I would have lots of royalties coming to me. Haven't seen more than 20 movies in the year they came out in 10 years. Can't remember any actor's name. Very few actresses. I don't actually know how to even tell if somebody is making up their Welch or Gaelic posts. Just forget about Crickett. I can't even recite the infield fly rule. Redeeming: I couldn't believe that people actually scrawled out the words to _The Wall_ album, but I tried not to have too much judgement for those poor bastards who didn't have lives- at least until I reflected about my own. I then remembered that in High School that I had memorized about every single Monty Python scene, routine, and voice and forced everyone to hear them. I used to be able to explain how soap works. I have also met several fegs, some of whom would likely put in a good word for me if enough money changed hands. I've made my admission. I hope you don't all think terribly less of me, though I hope that is possible to do so. I am throwing myself at the mercy of the FegGeekCourtTV. Happies, appologies, Yours humbly, if not-nerdy-enough, - -Markg ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 11:34:31 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: mutiny! mutiny! mutniy on the fuckin'-- oh, hey: "strap on devices, 50% off." PART IV: "Loss Prevention" and fuck you if you think he's going to do netstuff at home. "bjorn"? what the fuck "bjorn"? i've never heard nuthin' 'bout any feg called "bjorn"! (and i'd want to know, right now, see? 'cause My Life As A Dog is my favorite goddam feature film!) you're telling me there's not only a feg called "bjorn", but that i took a motherfucking picture of him? i hope you're not fucking lying, man. because i fucking swear on the name of eric motherFUCKING broome that if you are, i'm going to fucking, um, i'm going to fucking dial "star 69" on your hippie ass! yeah, you heard me! fucking star fucking six fucking nine! on your hippie ass! really? "bjorn"? and what's this shit about michael jordan going to play for the hornets? besides which, lobsterman is in that picture too! why didn't you mention him??? are you dissing on my #1 homeboy, Optimus Lobstimus? god help you if you are, you fucking hippie! and how were you fucking even meeting fegs called "bjorn"? near as i could tell, the only thing you wanted to do after the gig was sign up for free Magic: The Gathering cards. it was like pulling teeth to get you to even sit still for two measly pictures, and here you are meeting fegs called "bjorn"! and not introducing them to the rest of us! not to mention that his cat [and may i take this moment to remind you, cher vivien, that you are NOT, repeat NOT going to be allowed out of portland until such time as you post the name of jeme's cat] is a fucking psychopathic demon from hell. i mean the really bad part of hell, too, not the wimpy mezzanine part. i mean, i was just fucking sitting there minding my own fucking business, and it tried to gouge my fucking eyes out. minding my own fucking business, i tell you! the part in Two-Headed Boy Part Two, that goes: "in my dreams, you're alive, and you're crying" for some reason always evokes that scene in Once Upon A Time In America where noodles is telling deborah that the way he stayed sane while he was in prison was by remembering that she was waiting for him on the outside. i know not why. (i mean, i know not why it evokes that scene, not i know not why he said that to her.) Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:50:29 EST From: MARKEEFE@aol.com Subject: Re: counting fegs, VCRs, glass hotels In a message dated 99-03-31 00:56:43 EST, you write: << Not that it matters, but if your VCR is not "y2k" compliant >> If I had a job as the Saturday Night Live new anchor, I'd feel obliged to make some joke about how catastrophic it would be if the "12:00" on everybody's VCR's stopped blinking when the year 2,000 rolls around. Of course, everyone on this list is too geeky *not* to know how to program their VCRs :-) - ------Michael K., ps - in case I don't respond to any other posts today, just thought I'd let y'all know that Liz and I are heading to New Orleans tomorrow and won't be back until next Tuesday night (yea!!!). So, please, try not to post anything interesting to the list while I'm gone. Oh, and, of course, any personal emails sent will be sitting in the unread mail box for a week -- so, NO PERISHABLES! ;-) See ya later! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 15:05:57 -0500 (EST) From: Eric Loehr Subject: Re: counting fegs, VCRs, glass hotels On Wed, 31 Mar 1999 MARKEEFE@aol.com wrote: > ps - in case I don't respond to any other posts today, just thought I'd let > y'all know that Liz and I are heading to New Orleans tomorrow and won't be > back until next Tuesday night (yea!!!). So, please, try not to post anything > interesting to the list while I'm gone. Oh, and, of course, any personal > emails sent will be sitting in the unread mail box for a week -- so, NO > PERISHABLES! ;-) See ya later! > What? It's not refrigerated? Eric ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 15:27:41 EST From: MARKEEFE@aol.com Subject: Re: [YouBetcha] White Sea Screenplay. In a message dated 99-03-31 04:29:47 EST, you write: << thought this was pretty interesting, despite all the spelling errors. >> I don't know. I felt kind of ambigious about the whole thing. Hey, ya know, the "u" and the "i" are *right* next to each other on the keyboard. Coulda just been a typo! I tend to think that the Brothers Coen will find a way of getting their film made, even if they have to scale it down a bit . . . assuming, that is, that the person who wrote this post isn't making the whole thing up in some desperate attempt to seem important and get attention. - ------Michael K. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 12:50:56 -0800 From: Eb Subject: Re: ...do you, Mr Jones? Quail: >Vivien's grade-school report cards (good grades, but the teacher noted >that she had an unnatural fixation on Sean Cassidy and was trying reach >his mother on the school phone) Misspelling "Robyn Hitchcock" is one thing, but goofing up dear Shaun's name is *unforgivable*. Two links for youze: http://www.bucknergarcia.com (I consider this the very nexus of Web intelligence as we know it) http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/apostro.html (I found this alternate album-cover photo oddly moving -- I think this is the most attractive, warm, "human" picture of FZ I've ever seen...no wonder the old crank ended up nixing it ) Eb now ehhing: UB40 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 99 16:07:17 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: This is just too unbelievable... >More: I haven't read more than 10% of the books on The Great >Quail's site Aw, neither have I! I just make up all the reviews and shit, or I have Eddie do them for me and then I delete all the instances of the word "fuck." I say, you ARE geeky enough! You are! I may not be on the FegGeekCourtTV jury, but I open my arms wide and say, "Anyone who has, ever, in any place, at any time, driven someone to distraction with the _There's a Penguin on the Telly_ skit, is certainly welcome in the Halls of Geekdom!" So clip on your pocket protector, buckle your slide rule, and give your Dr Who scarf an extra twist around your neck, it's time to par-tay! - --Quailbo Baggins PS: That was a *great* picture of Frank. I just replaced my StartupScreen of Beethoven with it. PPS: OK, so my *real* StartupScreen was actually Buffy. . . . +---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+ The Great Quail, K.S.C. (riverrun Discordian Society, Kibroth-hattaavah Branch) For fun with postmodern literature, New York vampires, and Fegmania, visit Sarnath: http://www.rpg.net/quail "The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven." --Psalms 105:40 (Also see Exodus 16:13 and Numbers 11:31-34 for more starry wisdom) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 16:11:21 -0500 (EST) From: Eric Loehr Subject: Re: This is just too unbelievable... On Wed, 31 Mar 1999 Mark_Gloster@3com.com wrote: > > I may not be geeky enough for this list. Nonsense! I haven't met you, or even played you on TV, but I know in my heart of hearts that you're as geeky as anyone here. Or at least as geeky as me. Doesn't that make you feel better? (Thanks for the mini-disc info, by the way). (Glostershire saucy soul-baring deleted) > Here's the rub. I don't know the fucking origin of the Bagginses. > I vaguely remember some of it from my youth, which was tragically > stolen from me by the carcasses of forests manifested in torn > pages of calendars in the landfills of the canyons of your minds. > But I never cared enough to argue, knew enough to care, or could > stand actually reading all the collected works of JRR Tolkein > enough to actually know, even though _The Hobbit_ was one of the > first books that I found engaging enough to read on my own. Well, see, that proves my point -- I also don't remember the fucking origin of the Bagginses, despite having read the Hobbit and trilogy several times in my youth. I tried reading the Silmarillion but my copy was coated with some sort of sleep gas that emanated from the pages every time I opened it up. Now that I'm a decrepit old fart my poor widdul brain won't go back and access the storage area where Bagginsinfo is kept (in small cardboard shoe box) -- although I'm pretty sure if I wasn't terminally sleep-deprived (hey -- wait a minute -- where's that copy of the Silmarillion?) I *could* be talking about furry toes and other hobbitary regalia with the best of them *if* I still cared. Of course maybe if I was awake I still would care? ....nahhh. Anyway, Viv claims that Jeme hasn't even read the trilogy or Silmarillion, and yet he still argues Tolkien! And you think you have to remember all of that stuff to be geeky enough for this list? I think not! You, I, and I'm sure many others on the list (even Eb!) share a love/like/familiarity of at least some of Mr. Frank Zappa's work. We're in pretty fegeeky company there -- who, if not even fucking Eb, better embodies true feglist geekiness? You, Jeme, and I are living proof that knowledge of and/or contemporary interest in the origin of Bagginses is not necessarily a prerequisite for being geeky enough to be on this list. There must be others out there without those credentials -- who's with us!?!?!?! > More: I haven't read more than 10% of the books on The Great > Quail's site. I didn't sit and write out the lyrics of _The Wall_ > in junior high. Of course, if I had, I would have lots of royalties > coming to me. Haven't seen more than 20 movies in the year they > came out in 10 years. Can't remember any actor's name. Very few > actresses. I don't actually know how to even tell if somebody is > making up their Welch or Gaelic posts. Just forget about Crickett. > I can't even recite the infield fly rule. I'm not sure if I've read more than 10% of the books on TGQ's site since I haven't actually read more than 10% of TGQ's site (sorry Q!) Where does he get all the time to not only read all that stuff, but to put up a web site about it? I rarely sleep and I don't have the time to do that stuff, even in made-up gaelic. I believe the infield fly rule has something to do with the batter being automatically out if he unzips his fly while adjusting his cup and other personal belongings at the plate. (Sorry! I hadda say it!) > Redeeming: I couldn't believe that people actually scrawled out the > words to _The Wall_ album, but I tried not to have too much > judgement for those poor bastards who didn't have lives- at least > until I reflected about my own. I then remembered that in High > School that I had memorized about every single Monty Python scene, > routine, and voice and forced everyone to hear them. I used to be > able to explain how soap works. I have also met several fegs, some > of whom would likely put in a good word for me if enough money > changed hands. See, I told you you were geeky enough Dimmesdale. I myself have actually only met one feg, the mighty rap-master woj, but regularly send stupid messages to a number of other fegs and feel like I've met them, in an electronic sort of way. > > I've made my admission. I hope you don't all think terribly less of > me, though I hope that is possible to do so. I am throwing myself at > the mercy of the FegGeekCourtTV. We sentence you to remain on this list ad nauseum, or for five minutes, (whichever comes first), reading and writing exactly as before. We love you (man) just the way you are. E ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 16:09:35 EST From: MARKEEFE@aol.com Subject: Re: This is just too unbelievable... In a message dated 99-03-31 14:35:54 EST, Marky G. writes: << I may not be geeky enough for this list. >> Good lord! If Gloster isn't geeky enough for the list, then I ain't even close! (that was supposed to be self-deprecating) I don't work with computers (just use them in a very everyday sort of way); never have watched Dr. Who; like Monty Python a lot but have never memorized more than a few lines here or there; have only ever read _The Hobbit_ (but none of the others); own and even watch TV with fair regularity; don't know any weird foreign languages; drive a car (a Honda Accord, no less!); eat fast food sometimes; donate money to pro-smoking campaigns; vote Republican; and regularly wear sleeveless shirts with 80's slogans on them. Okay, I'm stretching things a bit. I actually started reading _Lord of the Rings_ once. Other than that, though, I defy anyone to be *less* geeky than I am and, therefore, more deserving of being projectile vomitted from the list. Well, if you need us, Mark and I will be working at an accounting firm in Boise starting next week. - ------Michael K. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 15:48:11 -0600 From: "Paul Christian Glenn" Subject: ignore testing, testing, one, two, three... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:03:04 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: oblique robyn content . Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 17:15:09 -0500 From: J Branscombe Subject: To The White Sea Strange to relate I posted to Quail off-list about Malcolm Lowry's lost work, In Ballast To The White Sea only a few days ago. I don't suppose the putative new Coen piece is related. Or is it? The film adaptation of Lowry's meisterwerk Under The Volcano isn't too bad. The mighty Albert Finney turns in an immense performance. There is, perhaps, a thread here (though I've got a vague suspicion that something like it has been done before). Viz: good film adaptations of good books. I'm not talking The Stud here, or The Greatest Story Ever Told come to think of it. Two that immediately spring to my mind are Mike Nichols' Catch 22 and George Roy Hill's Slaughterhouse 5. Actually Lowry is a very Hitchcockian author: Lots of mythology, death and the sea. She Rex, there's a recommendation for you. Soft Boys connection - Lowry went to Cambridge Uni. Half Man Half Biscuit connection - he was born on The Wirrall. jmbc Fellow Of The Royal College Of Anoraks. (British for geek) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:42:08 PST From: "Capitalism Blows" Subject: Re: [YouBetcha] White Sea Screenplay. <. . . assuming, that is, that the person who wrote this post isn't making the whole thing up in some desperate attempt to seem important and get attention.> well, he's certainly not making the *whole* thing up. here's what the imdb has to say: Full Cast and Crew for To the White Sea (2000) Directed by Joel Coen Writing credits Ethan Coen Joel Coen James Dickey (novel) Produced by Ethan Coen Plot Summary for To the White Sea (2000) On a bombing mission over Tokyo during WWII Muldrow, a B-29 gunner, is shot down, forcing him to parachute into enemy territory. But Muldrow isn't like other men: Raised as a hunter in Alaska, he knows how to get things done. When he decides to head for Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, a harrowing odyssey begins that ends with a harrowing climax in the frozen, desolate landscape. Summary written by Erwin van Moll so i go into the post office every wednesday to mail the eat the state! subs, right? (it's been kind of interesting watching that big clock count down the days to the year 2000 by hundredths of a second (say, i wonder how frequently they have to recalibrate those things?) because it's always seven days less than the last time i was in. nothing profound there, since i go in weekly. but the inexorableness is sort of fascinating. on some level, i've been counting down the days to the year 2000 since second grade. not that i really give a fuck about the dumb odometer rolling over. but it's something that's sort of always been in the back of my mind. it's at 275 days now.) today i was in there, second in line, and the old lady in front of me wasn't paying attention when a clerk signaled "next please." so he raised his voice up quite loudly and asked, "ma'am, are you ready to mail?" i *thought* that would be the funniest thing i heard all day. but then i went up to make the deposit. most of the clerks, of course, know me and like me (er, it's probably not so much *me* they like, as the fact that they get to type "eat the state" into their little computer-thingies. in fact, they usually cry out "eat the state!" as i approach their cubicles. i've noticed this, too, with making little scenarios on envelopes generally comprised of nekkid people cursing, and perhaps jonesie will back me up on it: the postal clerks really dig things that are just a little out of the ordinary, just a little different.) but this particular clerk, though i'd seen him around, had never "serviced" me before. so i told him the permit number, then when he asked the name, i of course said, "eat the state!" to which he answered, "what? are you on parole?" after i'd picked myself up off the floor, he made me spell it out for him, and then said, "oh, i remember you guys. you're a restaurant, right?" Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 17:36:40 -0600 From: amadain Subject: Re: [YouBetcha] White Sea Screenplay. > I tend to think that the Brothers Coen will find a way of getting their >film made, even if they have to scale it down a bit . . . assuming, that is, >that the person who wrote this post isn't making the whole thing up in some >desperate attempt to seem important and get attention. I doubt he's making it up. Such improbable projects do get greenlighted all the time tho. "Until The End of The World", anyone? No real "storyline" to speak of, starring "arty actors" like Max Von Sydow and Sam Neill and Solveig Dommartin, directed by Wim Wenders, who makes a living but certainly is not a guy who makes blockbuster-type money. And that cost what, 35 million? Also, the Brothers Quaye manage financing. Their films have no stars in them (unless you count that Beauty and The Beast guy as a star, which I don't) and no "pitchable" sort of story to speak of and don't look like they were cheap to make at all. So I think it can be done. Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 1999 18:09:08 EST From: MARKEEFE@aol.com Subject: Re: To The White Sea In a message dated 99-03-31 17:25:50 EST, JimBic (sorry, but that's how your initials sound when said as one word!) writes: << There is, perhaps, a thread here (though I've got a vague suspicion that something like it has been done before). Viz: good film adaptations of good books. >> This is slightly cheesey, but _The World According to Garp_. I actually prefer the movie to the book, despite being a pretty big John Irving fan. I guess I'd put _Garp_ (the book) at around #6 on my list of favorite John Irving novels, with either _A Prayer for Owen Meany_ or _Cider House Rules_ at the top. Oh, this is also slightly cheesey. Well, the movie is *more* cheesey, but the book is probably *less* cheesey. Bernard Malamud's(sp?) _The Natural_. Keep in mind that I really like baseball, especially in an Americana folkloric sense (and in an actual watching/following it sense, too). The book was a lot different. I pictured the lead character as more mutt- faced. But the movie still pulls the right strings for me (it's emotional blackmail, I tell ya!). I guess both Thomas Pynchon and J.D. Salinger are both too cool to license out their material to Hollywood? (Quail?) Well, that means that 2/3 of my favorite authors are excluded form contention. Michael Ondaatje's _The English Patient_ would have to go down as one of my all-time favorite novels and one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. I think I've brought this up before. It deserves repeating. If you like well-researched works of historical fiction, then you should read it . . . although I'd hate to have to think of that movie while reading the book. Glad I read it before the film came out! Also, if you thought that, in the movie, the story line with the French nurse and the Indian sapper should've been fleshed out more, then you *have to* read the book -- for me, that was really what the book was about. That and lots of sand. - ------Michael K. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 31 Mar 99 18:44:53 -0500 From: The Great Quail Subject: Re: To The White Sea > I guess both Thomas Pynchon and J.D. Salinger are both too cool to >license out their material to Hollywood? (Quail?) Well, that means that 2/3 >of my favorite authors are excluded form contention. I can't speak for Salinger, but I think the problem with Pynchon isn't as much a fear he may have of Hollywood as much as it is the sheer literary nature of his major works. Gravity's Rainbow, V, and Mason & Dixon would all be very difficult to film, as they rely so heavily on tropes and techniques that don't make the transition very well from literature to film. (I remember reading an interview with Cronenberg after he made Crash, where the interviewer said, "Naked Lunch, Crash -- what's next? Gravity's Rainbow?" Sigh. One can only dream!) However, The Crying of Lot 49 and Vineland would make great movies, especially Vineland -- which is almost laid out in a cinemagraphic style, and makes constant references to TV and films. Indeed, I think than Vineland would make a great Cohen Brothers movie; although Oliver Stone would be an interesting choice as well. (It may be the only work that I can picture those two directorial choices simultaneously!) I am not sure how Pynchon would react to a good offer; to the best of my knowledge he has never said anything one way or the other. (Carrie? Do you know?) La la la, off to play with supermodels. . . . - --Quail Er . . . or at least, their pictures. . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great Quail, K.S.C. (riverrun Discordian Society, Kibroth-hattaavah Branch) For fun with postmodern literature, New York vampires, and Fegmania, visit Sarnath: http://www.rpg.net/quail "With the quail you had to stay on the move... Quail was king. Only the quail exploded upward into the sky and made your heart bang away so madly in your ribcage." --Tom Wolfe ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V8 #117 *******************************