Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

S

2009-08-19T12:53:05Z

Jc: Sorilege, divination by 'sorting' of 'lots' recalls COL49, Maxwell's Demon

'''St. Flip of Lawndale''' 
99; surfer; 256; Shasta staying at his house, 303; his "mythical break" aka Death's Doorsill, 357

'''"Samba do Aviao"''' 
162; Spanish: "song of the jet"; composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and used in the 1962 film ''Copacabana Palace'' by Italian director Steno (born Stefano Vanzina) (1915-1988)

'''Sanders, George (1906-1972)''' 
Sanders was an Academy Award-winning English film and television actor. Known for his smooth upper-crust English accent, cocking his eyebrows was a facial gesture he deployed in many of his films to express skepticism and other reactions. In 1950, Sanders gave his most widely recognised performance, and achieved his greatest success, as the acerbic, cold-blooded theatre critic Addison DeWitt in ''All About Eve'', winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

'''Sassoon, Vidal (b. 1928)''' 
British-born Israeli hairdresser and businessman; 127

'''scag''' 
334; street slang for "heroin"

'''Schiffer, Mr.''' 
338; Doc's PE teacher in high school

'''Scott''' 
353; Doc's cousin

'''Screaming Ultraviolet Brain''' 
10; headshop operated by Ensenada Slim, in Gordita Beach; 256

'''''Sea Wolf, The'' (1941)''' 
Black-and-white film adaptation of Jack London's novel ''The Sea Wolf'' with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. Refined fiction writer Humphrey van Weyden and escaped convict Ruth Webster (Lupino) are passengers on a ship that collides with another vessel and sinks. They are rescued by the ''Ghost'', a seal-hunting ship. At the helm is the brutal Captain Wolf Larsen (Robinson), a compassionless individual who delights in dominating and abusing his crew. Garfield plays the rebellious cabin boy George Leach who becomes Ruth Webster's protector; Doc recalling, 356

'''Shaggy''' 
190; character in Hanna-Barbera cartoon "Scooby-Doo" (1969)

'''Shank, Bud''' 
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank, Jr. (1926-2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He played flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra, on various recording sessions including ''The Zodiac : Cosmic Sounds'', and occasionally in live performances (as with The L.A. Four) until he gave it up later in his career to focus exclusively on the alto saxophone; at the Lighthouse Cafe, 298

'''Shannon''' 
205; dead waitress at the Arizona Palms, in Doc's dream

'''Shannon, Del (1934-1990)''' 
148; "Runaway"; suffering from depression, Shannon committed suicide in 1990 with a .22-calibre rifle; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKvCa5lkgUw View a 1982 performance of "Runaway" on YouTube...]

'''Shasta''' 
See [[H#shasta|Hepworth, Shasta Fay]]

'''''shikantaza''''' 
102; Japanese term for zazen introduced by Dogen Zenji and associated most with the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, but which also is "the base of all Zen disciplines."

'''short''' 
333; hipster slang for "car"

'''Sinatra, Frank''' 
61; "exchanging glances" ("Strangers in the Night"); watching Jonathan Frid, in Las Vegas, 233; Sinatroid, 337

'''"single up all lines"''' 
119; a phrase frequently used by Pynchon, likely because of its multiple meanings, metaphorically.

:"single up all lines" is used in its normal nautical context in [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_1#single_up_all_lines ''V.'', p.11]; [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_2#single_up_all_lines ''The Crying of Lot 49'', p.31]; [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_488-491#single_up_all_lines ''Gravity's Rainbow'', p.489]; [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_26:_257-265#Page_258 ''Mason & Dixon'', pp.258 and 260]; and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ''Against the Day'', p.3]. Perhaps we can understand this "line" as a text-string linking Pynchon's novels together (all but [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''Vineland'']?). Of course, the fact that ''Vineland'' ''doesn't'' include the phrase sort of throws a spanner in the works!

'''"Skyful of Hearts"''' 
338; song sung by Doc in Sinatroid style, at Kahuna Airlines

'''Skyhook Lodge''' 
115; where Leo & Elmina are staying

'''Smedley''' 
128; Spotted Dick's keyboard player, "doing Hanon exercises on his Farfisa" he calls Fiona

'''Smilax, Sauncho''' 
26; Doc's attorney at Hardy, Gridley, & Chatfield who practice maritime law; 89; 117; lagan, 267; having seen ''The Wizard of Oz'', 286; 340 [[Sauncho Smilax|DISCUSSION]]

'''Smith, Maggie''' 
204; Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, DBE (b. 1934), better known as Maggie Smith, is a pre-eminent English film, stage, and television actress who made her stage debut in 1952 and is still performing.

'''Sombrero, El''' 
221; "world-renowed Taqueria in Las Vegas

'''"Something Happened to Me Yesterday"''' 
193; Rolling Stones song on ''Between the Buttons'' (1967)

'''"Something in the Air"''' 
1969 hit for one-hit-wonder UK band Thunderclap Newman. It was originally titled "Revolution" but later renamed to avoid confusion with the Beatles' 1968 song of that name. A sample verse:

:Hand out the arms and ammo''' 
:We're going to blast our way through here''' 
:We've got to get together sooner or later''' 
:Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right''' 
:And you know that it's right

'''Sortilege''' 
11; used to work in Doc's office; Sortilege is the foretelling of the future by drawing lots. Sortilege is a form of Cleromancy, a form of divination using sortition, casting of lots, or casting bones, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but that are believed to reveal the will of God or other supernatural entities. Sortition, also known as allotment, is an equal-chance method of selection by some form of lottery such as drawing coloured pebbles from a bag; 101; "telling time from a broken clock" 282

It's apt that the 'sort' in 'Sortilege' comes from the word 'sort', recalling Maxwell's Demon and The Crying of Lot 49. Making it even more appropriate that the 'sorting' being done is the sorting of 'lots'.

'''"Soul Gidget"''' 
155; by Meatball Flag

'''Sound Mind Cafe''' 
172; "a secluded eatery" where Dr. Blatnoyd has first blind date with Japonica

'''Spade, Sam''' 
Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's novel ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1930) and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories written by Hammett. Known for his cold detachment, keen eye for detail, and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice, Spade is the man who has seen the wretched, the corrupt, the tawdry side of life but still retains his "tarnished idealism"; 97

'''Spaniels, the''' 
American R&B doo-wop group (1952-1974), best known for the hit "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight." Some historians of vocal groups consider Pookie Hudson to be the first true leader of a vocal group, because the Spaniels pioneered the technique of having the main singer solo at his own microphone, while the rest of the group shared a second microphone. "A Stranger in Love" was recorded for their album ''Heart and Soul Volume Two'' (1958); 368

'''Spanish Words & Phrases''' 
142: ''ése'' - This guy, or just this 
142: ''sinvergüenza'' - shameless 
142: ''esta gente no sabe nada'' - these people know nothing 
144: ''compinches'' - partner in crime 
145: ''hijo de puta'' - son of a bitch 
145: ''otra vez, si?'' - another time, yes? 
174: ''la cabeza'' - the head 
192: ''por vida'' - for life 
224: ''quien es mas macho?'' - who is more manly? 
331: ''palabra'' - word 
338: ''peligro'' - danger 
338: ''vato'' - dude, gangster, homeboy (colloquial)

'''Sparky''' 
195; new kid at Gotcha! adept at the ARPAnet; 258; 267; 364

'''Spike''' 
11; Vietnam veteran and boyfriend of Sortilege; 102

<div id="spivey">'''Spivey, Boris'''</div>
147; "Another member of Mickey's muscle patrol"; Dawnette, his fiance, 148; disappeared, 214; "the second AP Finance alumnus ... who'd hired on with Mickey" 285;

<div id="gilroy">'''Sportello, Gilroy'''</div>
Doc's brother, "the one with the life" 112; in Doc's dream, 205; promoted, 352

'''Sportello, Larry ("Doc")''' 
1; "sportello" is Italian for door or window; his Afro, 14; arrested, 23; is he black? 34; Hawaiian shirt, 77; aka Xpp, 106; going to Chryskylodon Institute, 186; goes to the Kismet in Las Vegas, 235; feeling "evidence everywhere of ancient visitation" in Las Vegas desert, 249; visiting Penny Kimball at the Hall of Justice, 275; tape interview at Hall of Justice, 281; conversation with Thomas Jefferson at the Plastic Nickel, 294; "hopeless stooge of the creditor class" 303; with Shasta, 303-310; negotiating with Crocker Fenway, 346; class-warfare conversation, 347-348

'''Sportello, Leo''' 
112; Doc's father

'''Sportello, Vernix''' 
352; Gilroy's wife

'''Spotted Dick''' 
127; visiting British band, at Boards mansion; Spotted dick is a steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currants), commonly served with either custard or butter and brown sugar; "George Formby covers, old movie music, regional folk material, plus their own stuff, which tends to be tuneful, poetic ... English" 130; zombies, 132; "Long Trip Out" 198;

'''Staccato, Johnny''' 
97; a private detective series which ran for twenty-seven episodes on NBC from 1959-1960. John Cassavetes played the lead role.

'''''Star Trek''''' 
73; "not logical, Captain" 140; 254; Mr. Spock, 325

'''Stavrou, Inez''' 
183; Tito's wife or girlfriend

'''Stavrou, Tito''' 
181; Doc's friend who runs a limo service and has a gambling habit; in Las Vegas, 227; 335

'''Stewart, James''' 
in ''Vertigo'', 298

'''Stodger, Burke''' 
92; movie star (see ''Paternoster Ruby'' by Charles Edmonds Walk, 1910 - Alexander Stilwell Burke and Stodger, a plain-clothes cop - a ''noir''-ish murder mystery); ''Commie Confidential'', 93; set up Coy with the Viggies, 308; and Shasta, 309; ''.45-Caliber Kissoff'', 309; ''I Was a Red Dope Fiend'' and ''Squeal, Pinko, Squeal'' ("modestly budgeted FBI dramas"), 309; [http://books.google.com/books?id=kd54UWt8QC0C&dq=%22paternoster+ruby%22+%2B+edmonds+%2B+walk&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=mfkolEDFk_&sig=g6LtMmYTkF8eXx7zavBAEgAE1a0&hl=en&ei=aZZPSpzUHpGgswOq8LmqDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1 ''Paternoster Ruby'' on Google Books]

'''''Stone Turntable''''' 
124; fictional "underground fan magazine"

'''Sun-Fary Market''' 
159; where Doc leaves Jason Velveeta

'''"Super Market"''' 
Appeared on Fapardokly's 1966 album ''Fapardokly''; "triple-tongue highway classic" 368

'''Sureños''' 
Group of Mexican American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California. There are hundreds of Sureño gangs in California, and each has its own identity on the streets; Tariq Khalil and Glen Charlock, 290

'''Surfadelic Freak-In''' 
Beer appearing at, 297; Hope and Amethyst's free passes to, in Will Rogers Park, 362

'''Surfaris, The''' 
101; "Wipe Out"

'''Surfer-Lowrider Wars''' 
46

'''"Surfin' Bird"''' 
124; 1963 surf tune by The Trashmen

'''Surfing''' 
"absent surfers" 100; north shore of Oahu, 357

'''swag lamp''' 
4

'''sweep frequency''' 
199; the horizontal sweep frequency of a TV picture is 15,750 Hz. It is based on the fact that 30 frames times 525 (scan) lines equals 15,750.

'''Sybil Brand Institute''' 
135; the Sybil Brand Institute For Women was a famous county jail in Los Angeles County, California. The facility was named after Sybil Brand (1899-2004), a noted local philanthropist and civic leader. Famously, this is where Susan Atkins admitted to another inmate that the Manson Family was responsible for the Tate-LaBianca murders.

{{IV Alpha Nav}}

Cars mentioned in Inherent Vice

2009-08-15T10:17:38Z

Jc: Added Dodge Dart and Mercury Woodie

There are so many, very specific, references to cars in Inherent Vice, so I think there's a strong case for collecting them here (not that I mean to replace the very good work already being done on the page-by-page annotations). Particularly for non-American readers, it's often very hard to know what a 1964 Dodge Dart or a 1949 Mercury Woodie looks like, etc. So this page is intended as a handy all-in-one reference. And I am of course hoping that someone else is going to do the spade work...

==64 Dodge Dart==
 
[[File:1964_Dodge_Dart.jpg]]

==1949 Mercury Woodie==
 
[[File:Example.jpg]]

Cars mentioned in Inherent Vice

2009-08-15T10:02:17Z

Jc: Created page with 'There are so many, very specific, references to cars in Inherent Vice, so I think there's a strong case for collecting them here (not that I mean to replace the very good work al…'

V

2009-08-14T12:35:37Z

Jc: Velveeta is a 'Pasteurized processed cheese food'

'''Van Cleef, Lee (1925-1989)''' 
204; an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures.

'''Van Helsing, Dr.''' 
58; Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a fictional character and a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, ''Dracula'', who drives a stake through Dracula's heart.

'''van Houten, Leslie (b. 1949)''' 
A former member of Charles Manson's "Family" who was convicted of the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. She remains imprisoned at the California Institution for Women in Chino, San Bernadino County, California; 138; 293

'''Veidt, Conrad (1893-1943)''' 
German actor, remembered for his roles in such films as ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1919), ''The Thief of Bagdad'' (1940) and ''Casablanca'' (1942); ''Caligari'', 115

'''Velveeta, Jason''' 
156; Jade's and Bambi's "pimp". Velveeta is a type of processed cheese, produced by Kraft Foods. Tehre's the obligitory wikipedia page, which is a tad dull. More fun is had with Velveeta, a "Pasteurized processed cheese food" here: [http://www.squidoo.com/velveetainfo What IS this stuff anyway?]

'''Vernix''' 
352; See Sportello, Vernix

'''''Vertigo'' (1958)''' 
American psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. In the film, a retired police detective who suffers from acrophobia is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of an acquaintance and uncover the mystery of her peculiar behavior; "supernatural Desoto" 298;

'''Vibrasonic''' 
368, with many references earlier [help fill them in here]. A kind of Fender amplifier made only between 1959 and 1964 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Vibrasonic] that's the heart of Doc's way-cool sound system for his Dodge Dart; he's installed it in his trunk, where it takes up a good deal of the space. The amp also features a JBL speaker. This little set-up makes Doc's ride more in line with how some "Lowrider" cars were being modified in the late '60s (and after), doesn't it, despite the general social divide that Doc notes between white surfers and Chicanos in LA?

'''Vietnam''' 
103; 117; 152; 161; 197; "Long Trip Out" (Spotted Dick song about a Vietnam vet), 198-199; 254; 310; handshake, 361; "infrared and night vision" 365

'''Vigilant California''' 
121; GOP activists at Nixon rally; Coy worked for them, 139; 161; Arthur Tweedle, 199; recruiting Coy Harlingen, 299-300; 346

'''Vincent, Larry (aka "Seymour") (1924-1975)''' 
261; a television horror host, famed for his character "Seymour," who presented—and heckled—low-budget horror and science fiction movies on Fright Night on KHJ-TV and Seymour's Monster Rally on KTLA, both local stations in Los Angeles between 1969 and 1974. He was noted for his style of criticizing the movies he presented in an offbeat and funny manner, usually appearing in a small window which would pop up in the corner, tossing a quip, then vanishing again.

'''Vineland''' 
43

'''"Volare"''' 
A 1960 hit for teen idol Bobby Rydell

{{IV Alpha Nav}}

Chapter 7

2009-08-14T12:07:44Z

Jc: /* Page 100 */ Pynchon remains unphotographed

{{Inherent Vice PbP Text}}

==Page 89==
'''Ginger . . . Skipper . . . Gilligan . . . Thurston Howell III . . . Lovey''' 
All characters from the TV show ''Gilligan's Island''. See below for more references to this iconic show.

==Page 90==
'''Charlotte Amalie''' 
The largest city and capital of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Amalie,_United_States_Virgin_Islands US Virgina Islands].

==Page 91==
'''Thomas Arnould''' 
An error. Should be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Arnould "Joseph Arnould"], who wrote ''Law of Marine Insurance'' (1848).

'''Theophilus Parsons''' 
There were two men ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_Parsons father] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_Parsons_(professor) son]) named Theopilus Parsons in the nineteenth century. This reference is to the younger one, who published A Treatise on the Law of Marine Insurance and General Average in 1868.

==Page 92==
'''L'll buddy''' 
Another reference to ''Gilligan's Island''. "L'il buddy" was the captain's nickname for Gilligan.

'''Eel Trovatore''' 
A perhaps obvious pun on Il Trovatore, the Verdi opera.

'''Burke Stodger''' 
This name is likely derived from a 1910 ''noir''-ish murder-mystery novel ''Paternoster Ruby'' by Charles Edmonds Walk. Alexander Stilwell Burke and Stodger, a plain-clothes cop, are two main characters. [http://books.google.com/books?id=kd54UWt8QC0C&dq=paternoster+ruby+charles+edmonds+walk&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=mfkqjKBGj4&sig=KGhSLPxiRPQqvVPLhOQ5WNEzSE8&hl=en&ei=mfBrStfrF4uAsgPltqmWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1 Google Books] Perhaps Pynchon's slyly recycling here some unused stuff from his vast research for ''Against the Day''? A excerpt from Walk's novel:

:"Nasty case," Stodger was imparting, in queer staccato sentences. "Shouldn't have much difficulty, though; responsibility lies between two men. Here all last night. Nobody else. Callahan and O'Brien holdin' 'em. One 's Page's private secretary; fellow named Burke Alexander Stilwell Burke. Peach of a monicker, ain't it? Has all three sections on his cards.

:[...]

:Suddenly she snuggled closer and clasped her hands tightly upon my shoulder. Her hair teased my cheek, and the delicate perfume of it made me light-headed. Twisting her pretty head sideways, she flashed an arch look at me from under her lashes, then glanced quickly away again. Blue eyes and long dark lashes are a potently disturbing combination.

:"Well," she sighed, "the Page case may have cost you a fortune, but it gave you ''me''. And ''I'' for one am very content and happy, Mr. Swift."

==Page 93==
'''a three-hour tour''' 
Yet another reference to ''Gilligan's Island''. This is a quote from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycmb7_LvsA theme song].

==Page 97==
'''Philip Marlowe''' 
Raymond Chandler's famous detective, featured in Chandler's many novels set in LA, including ''The Big Sleep'' (1939; his first appearance), ''Farewell My Lovely'', and ''The Long Goodbye''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Marlowe] There are many important parallels between Pynchon's Doc and Chandler's Marlowe, especially his world-weariness, his fondness for certain drugs of choice, and a penchant for cracking wise and getting beaten up and worse. (Ross MacDonald's fictional detective Travis McGee is also an important predecessor; see below). Of all Chandler's fiction, ''Farewell My Lovely'' (1940), which many think is Chandler's best, may be most relevant for the plot and themes of ''Inherent Vice''. For instance, in that novel Marlowe stays in a hotel in Venice Beach before going out to Laird Brunette's offshore gambling boat, the ''Montecino''. ''Farewell My Lovely'' also has "rehab" centers that serve as a front for torture and murder; characters with hidden identities; an impossibly convoluted plot; and a literary style that features striking metaphors, similes, and literary allusions. Marlowe is, like Doc, a dark mixture of cynicism, doggedness, and indifference--yet his goodness and inherent virtues can't be killed. To trace the parallels with Chandler's Marlowe, though, is to see how fully Pynchon has transformed and deepened the generic conventions of 1930s and '40s detective fiction (and film noir inspired by it) even as he pays homage to these.

'''Sam Spade''' 
Dashiell Hammett's detective in ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1930) and other crime fiction; in John Huston's famous film based on the novel, he's played by Humphrey Bogart. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Spade]

'''Johnny Staccato''' 
''Johnny Staccato'' is a private detective series which ran for twenty-seven episodes on NBC from 1959-1960. Title character Johnny Staccato, played by John Cassavetes (1929-1989), is a jazz pianist/private detective. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Staccato]

'''Krazy Kat''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krazy_Kat ''Krazy Kat''] was a popular comic strip that ran in newspapers from 1913 to 1944. Ignatz and Offisa Pupp are characters.

'''Steve McGarrett''' 
Detective in the TV show [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Five-O ''Hawaii Five-0''], important to both ''Vineland'' and ''Inherent Vice.''

'''"Why not get a houseboat up in the Sacramento Delta--smoke, drink, fish, fuck..."''' 
It's tough not to see this as a nod to Doc's brother shamus Travis McGee, the creation of Florida writer John D. MacDonald. McGee lives on a houseboat, taking his "retirement in installments," drinking, lounging on Florida beaches, meeting and inevitably helping beautiful women out of troubles that almost always involve a sinister land broker or two. Along the way Trav usually ends up pontificating about rapacious land developers, the increasingly artificial and isolated American lifestyle, and people's loss of connection with the natural world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_McGee]

==Page 99==
'''riding goofyfoot''' 
This is a surfing/skateboarding term for someone who rides left-footed. So-called regular foot riders keep their left foot at the front of the board, but goofyfoot riders put their right foot at the front. More [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footedness here].

==Page 100==
'''a surfer or two who'd found and ridden other breaks [...] unphotographed and unrecorded''' 
Even though Pynchon's reference to Mavericks would seem an anachronism, as no one other than a couple surfers had even tried Mavericks until Jeff Clark began riding the gigantic break in 1975, alone, until 1990 when he convinced some other surfers to check it out, this description would seem to fit Jeff Clark perfectly, discovering and surfing, alone, some of the largest waves on the planet. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Clark Jeff Clark Wikipedia entry...] Pynchon himself, as we all know, likes to remain unphotographed.

==Page 101==
'''Surfaris laugh . . . "Hooo-oo-oo-oo---Wipeout!"''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wipe_Out_(song) "Wipe Out"] was a 1962 hit originally performed by the Surfaris. You can hear the song, including the insane laugh, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UofdWQG346k here].

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

Chapter 7

2009-08-14T12:06:02Z

Jc: Removed joke stolen from Big Lebowski (brother shamus/Irish monk)

{{Inherent Vice PbP Text}}

==Page 89==
'''Ginger . . . Skipper . . . Gilligan . . . Thurston Howell III . . . Lovey''' 
All characters from the TV show ''Gilligan's Island''. See below for more references to this iconic show.

==Page 90==
'''Charlotte Amalie''' 
The largest city and capital of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Amalie,_United_States_Virgin_Islands US Virgina Islands].

==Page 91==
'''Thomas Arnould''' 
An error. Should be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Arnould "Joseph Arnould"], who wrote ''Law of Marine Insurance'' (1848).

'''Theophilus Parsons''' 
There were two men ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_Parsons father] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theophilus_Parsons_(professor) son]) named Theopilus Parsons in the nineteenth century. This reference is to the younger one, who published A Treatise on the Law of Marine Insurance and General Average in 1868.

==Page 92==
'''L'll buddy''' 
Another reference to ''Gilligan's Island''. "L'il buddy" was the captain's nickname for Gilligan.

'''Eel Trovatore''' 
A perhaps obvious pun on Il Trovatore, the Verdi opera.

'''Burke Stodger''' 
This name is likely derived from a 1910 ''noir''-ish murder-mystery novel ''Paternoster Ruby'' by Charles Edmonds Walk. Alexander Stilwell Burke and Stodger, a plain-clothes cop, are two main characters. [http://books.google.com/books?id=kd54UWt8QC0C&dq=paternoster+ruby+charles+edmonds+walk&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=mfkqjKBGj4&sig=KGhSLPxiRPQqvVPLhOQ5WNEzSE8&hl=en&ei=mfBrStfrF4uAsgPltqmWBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1 Google Books] Perhaps Pynchon's slyly recycling here some unused stuff from his vast research for ''Against the Day''? A excerpt from Walk's novel:

:"Nasty case," Stodger was imparting, in queer staccato sentences. "Shouldn't have much difficulty, though; responsibility lies between two men. Here all last night. Nobody else. Callahan and O'Brien holdin' 'em. One 's Page's private secretary; fellow named Burke Alexander Stilwell Burke. Peach of a monicker, ain't it? Has all three sections on his cards.

:[...]

:Suddenly she snuggled closer and clasped her hands tightly upon my shoulder. Her hair teased my cheek, and the delicate perfume of it made me light-headed. Twisting her pretty head sideways, she flashed an arch look at me from under her lashes, then glanced quickly away again. Blue eyes and long dark lashes are a potently disturbing combination.

:"Well," she sighed, "the Page case may have cost you a fortune, but it gave you ''me''. And ''I'' for one am very content and happy, Mr. Swift."

==Page 93==
'''a three-hour tour''' 
Yet another reference to ''Gilligan's Island''. This is a quote from the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qycmb7_LvsA theme song].

==Page 97==
'''Philip Marlowe''' 
Raymond Chandler's famous detective, featured in Chandler's many novels set in LA, including ''The Big Sleep'' (1939; his first appearance), ''Farewell My Lovely'', and ''The Long Goodbye''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Marlowe] There are many important parallels between Pynchon's Doc and Chandler's Marlowe, especially his world-weariness, his fondness for certain drugs of choice, and a penchant for cracking wise and getting beaten up and worse. (Ross MacDonald's fictional detective Travis McGee is also an important predecessor; see below). Of all Chandler's fiction, ''Farewell My Lovely'' (1940), which many think is Chandler's best, may be most relevant for the plot and themes of ''Inherent Vice''. For instance, in that novel Marlowe stays in a hotel in Venice Beach before going out to Laird Brunette's offshore gambling boat, the ''Montecino''. ''Farewell My Lovely'' also has "rehab" centers that serve as a front for torture and murder; characters with hidden identities; an impossibly convoluted plot; and a literary style that features striking metaphors, similes, and literary allusions. Marlowe is, like Doc, a dark mixture of cynicism, doggedness, and indifference--yet his goodness and inherent virtues can't be killed. To trace the parallels with Chandler's Marlowe, though, is to see how fully Pynchon has transformed and deepened the generic conventions of 1930s and '40s detective fiction (and film noir inspired by it) even as he pays homage to these.

'''Sam Spade''' 
Dashiell Hammett's detective in ''The Maltese Falcon'' (1930) and other crime fiction; in John Huston's famous film based on the novel, he's played by Humphrey Bogart. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Spade]

'''Johnny Staccato''' 
''Johnny Staccato'' is a private detective series which ran for twenty-seven episodes on NBC from 1959-1960. Title character Johnny Staccato, played by John Cassavetes (1929-1989), is a jazz pianist/private detective. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Staccato]

'''Krazy Kat''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krazy_Kat ''Krazy Kat''] was a popular comic strip that ran in newspapers from 1913 to 1944. Ignatz and Offisa Pupp are characters.

'''Steve McGarrett''' 
Detective in the TV show [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Five-O ''Hawaii Five-0''], important to both ''Vineland'' and ''Inherent Vice.''

'''"Why not get a houseboat up in the Sacramento Delta--smoke, drink, fish, fuck..."''' 
It's tough not to see this as a nod to Doc's brother shamus Travis McGee, the creation of Florida writer John D. MacDonald. McGee lives on a houseboat, taking his "retirement in installments," drinking, lounging on Florida beaches, meeting and inevitably helping beautiful women out of troubles that almost always involve a sinister land broker or two. Along the way Trav usually ends up pontificating about rapacious land developers, the increasingly artificial and isolated American lifestyle, and people's loss of connection with the natural world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_McGee]

==Page 99==
'''riding goofyfoot''' 
This is a surfing/skateboarding term for someone who rides left-footed. So-called regular foot riders keep their left foot at the front of the board, but goofyfoot riders put their right foot at the front. More [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footedness here].

==Page 100==
'''a surfer or two who'd found and ridden other breaks [...] unphotographed and unrecorded''' 
Even though Pynchon's reference to Mavericks would seem an anachronism, as no one other than a couple surfers had even tried Mavericks until Jeff Clark began riding the gigantic break in 1975, alone, until 1990 when he convinced some other surfers to check it out, this description would seem to fit Jeff Clark perfectly, discovering and surfing, alone, some of the largest waves on the planet. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Clark Jeff Clark Wikipedia entry...]

==Page 101==
'''Surfaris laugh . . . "Hooo-oo-oo-oo---Wipeout!"''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wipe_Out_(song) "Wipe Out"] was a 1962 hit originally performed by the Surfaris. You can hear the song, including the insane laugh, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UofdWQG346k here].

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

Main Page

2009-08-12T13:11:28Z

Jc: First chapter of IV now available for free download on amazon

[[Image:IV-book-lg.jpg|350px|right]]<big>'''Welcome to the ''Inherent Vice'' Wiki!'''</big>

To become a contributor/editor, [http://pynchonwiki.com/mycaptcha/captcha-page.php '''Create an account.''']

:[http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FInherent-Vice-Thomas-Pynchon%2Fdp%2F1594202249%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1248211370%26sr%3D8-1&tag=hyperartspynchon&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325'''Order ''Inherent Vice''''' (Amazon)]

[http://www.amazon.com/Inherent-Vice-Thomas-Pynchon/dp/1594202249/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249405649&sr=8-1 '''Listen to Pynchon narrate a 2.5 minute video about ''Inherent Vice''!''']

[http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/PENGN-EMS/InherentVice._V218759443_.pdf '''Read - or download - a PDF of the first chapter of ''Inherent Vice''!''']

[[Songs_mentioned_in_Inherent_Vice|'''Check out our playlist of the artists & songs in ''Inherent Vice'']] 
Unlike the [http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000413861 Pynchon-provided playlist on Amazon.com], ours provides video & audio of the songs.

This is the newly created Wiki for [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s ''Inherent Vice''. Besides using the [[IV_Alpha_Nav|Alphabetical Index]] and the [[Inherent_Vice_-_Page_by_Page|page-by-page annotation]], you can also take a look at [[Inherent Vice cover analysis|''Inherent Vice'' covers]], read the [[Inherent Vice Reviews|reviews]], or [[Inherent Vice Title|entertain some theories on the source of the title]].

<div id="announcement-home" style="display:none">
Professor Don Larrson, he of the Companion's Companion to ''Inherent Vice'' (which was rolled into this wiki), reviews Steve Weisenburger's the second, revised edition of ''A Gravity’s Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon’s Novel''. [[Weisenburger's Companion, 2nd Edition|Read it...]].

[[The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles|'''Hawaiian cultural references in ''Inherent Vice''''']]</div>

==Pynchon Narrates ''Inherent Vice'' Promotional Video==

{{#ev:youtube|RjWKPdDk0_U}}

Penguin Press confirms that the video is narrated by Pynchon. [http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/08/11/thomas-pynchon-speaks-inherent-vice-trailer/ Source]

[[Comments_and_Questions_re_the_Promo_Video|'''Read and participate in a discussion of this video »''']]

==How to Use this Wiki==

There are two major ways to use this wiki. The first is the '''''Inherent Vice'' Alphabetical Index''', used to keep track of the myriad characters, real and imagined, as well as events, arcana, and lots of other stuff. The second is the '''Spoiler-Free Annotations by Page''', which allows the reader to look up and contribute allusions and references while reading the book, in a convenient and spoiler-free manner.

Apart from those, it's up to you.

==Alphabetical Index==
Information on the characters, events, and everything else in ''Inherent Vice'', organized alphabetically:{{IV_Alpha_Nav}}

==Page by Page Annotations==
{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

== Pynchon Wiki Help and Contributor Guidelines==

[[Help:Contents|'''Click here for help with editing and creating pages.''']]

We have a few conventions we ask that you follow:

* When creating a new page, first check to make sure a page/article about what you want to write about hasn't already been created, by '''[[Special:Allpages|checking the list of all Wiki pages on this ''Inherent Vice'' Wiki]]'''. If a page already exists, please modify that one.

* When creating a new page, if its information pertains to one (and only one) specific Pynchon novel, please categorize it with the appropriate identifier. For example, a page pertaining to ''Inherent Vice'', should use the syntax <code><nowiki>[[Category:IV]]</nowiki></code>.

* To open a discussion on an individual listing of the Alpha Index, create one using the [[A|entry on Peter Tait]] as an example. Basically, give it a name that identifies the alpha listing (eg <nowiki>[[Name Discussion|DISCUSSION]]</nowiki>) and notice that the visible name will be "DISCUSSION" in full caps, so it stands out a bit.

* [[Help:Contents|More help for this wiki available here.]]

==External Links==

* [http://www.thomaspynchon.com/ ThomasPynchon.com]
* [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/ The Modern Word Pynchon page]
: [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_vice.html The Modern Word: Inherent Vice]
: [http://z11.invisionfree.com/thefictionalwoods/index.php The Fictional Woods] - a Pynchon forum
* [http://pynchonoid.blogspot.com/ Pynchonoid Blog]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inherent_Vice Wikipedia Inherent Vice page]
* [http://www.wired.com/special_multimedia/2009/pl_print_1708 Wired Magazine Unofficial Thomas Pynchon Guide to Los Angeles]
* [http://www.theaesthetic.com/NewFiles/pynchon.html Thomas Pynchon in Manhattan Beach]
* [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204619004574318360877609486.html ''The Wall Street Journal'': Pynchon’s Drugstore Thriller (July 30, 2009)]
* [http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/on/thomas_pynchon_tv_123248.asp GalleyCat's Jason Boog stitched together vintage footage of 1970s California, private detectives, old-time computers, and some choice passages from ''Inherent Vice'']

==Featured Articles==

'''The Inherent Vice Soundtrack''' 

[[Songs mentioned in Inherent Vice]]

'''Unreleased Backgrounds 

[[Pynchon's California Trilogy and the CIA]]

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Gallery==
Below are some of the images you will find on Pynchon Wiki. {{Special:Newimages}}

Thanks, and enjoy...

Comments and Questions re the Promo Video

2009-08-11T21:09:56Z

Jc: Why do people keep signing their contributions

[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/08/11/pynchon-revealed/ '''''Wall Street Journal'': Voice-Analysis Expert Says the Voice in the Video is Pynchon "Beyond a reasonable degree of professional certainty"''' »]

'''Let's put some reactions to the video here'''. We can do better than the (mostly) mindless posts re the video on YouTube. Here are some starters:

So are these scenes from Manhattan Beach, Pynchon's "Gordita Beach"? Any clues from the publisher re how this video got made and uploaded? Could Pynchon have shot and edited this? (No doubt he approved it or it wouldn't have been uploaded, natch.)

And this is definitely Pynchon's voice, "doing" Doc? (Sure sounds different than the high-pitched voice on the Simpsons episode, though.) [How can you say that his voice is different but it's "definitely" his voice?] [Well, you can play the excerpt from ''Diatribe of a Mad Housewife'', contrast and compare. Eventually someone will whip out a spectrum analyzer and settle it once and for all.]

Any clues about the music? Something Neil Young did, on request from TP? (Just a wild guess.)

The images emphasize how much "Gordita" has changed for the worse. Just about every space is partitioned, privatized, blocked, barricaded. And check out the black cat just when Doc starts meditating about bad karma. The fog, though, remains the same.

How many other books have been promoted by an "author" video playing with the p o v of one of the characters? Or is Pynchon the first, or one of the first, to catch this new wave? He's a goofyfoot rider, fer sure.

The whole thing's brilliant and funny and sad, right up to the kicker at the end. A "music video" for a novel! But far more than just a simple "promo." Notice how "Doc" is inside and outside of the book's time zone--he both talks about the story as if it's just beginning and he's living it AND as if he's outside of time, looking back, and a little lost, with his completed story residing in this book that some guy named Pynchon has published.
--Pschmid1 05:39, 10 August 2009 (PDT)

Another question: if this is current footage, why does he (whoever he is) say '...later this will all be high-rise..' etc.? I take that to imply that Gordita/Manhattan as it was in Doc's/Pynchon's day has been built over? But the footage doesn't look 'old' does it? Hmmm. 
--A "bi-location" video? (cf. this concept in ''Against the Day''?) That is, the "time" and "place" the vid represents actually exist in 2 separate but linked virtual worlds, Gordita Beach then/now? Sort of like Doc's own space-time fogs ... or like ''Firesign Theater''? (i.e., their 1969 album ''How Can You Be in Two Places at Once if You're Not Anywhere at All?'' ....)

I find it curious/typical that "HCYBITPAOWYNAAA" is an obvious reference point for Inherent Vice, but the Firesign Theater in not mentioned anywhere in the book. KRLA—home of ''Radio Free OZ''—is mentioned, the obscure, very funny & very surreal ''Bonzo Dog Band'' is mentioned, the entire set-up of ''The Stoned Detective'' is derived [at least in part] from ''Nick Danger, Third Eye'' but the four [or is it five?] crazy guys are not mentioned at all in any of Pynchon's books.--Robin Landseadel, 05:40 11 August 2009 (PDT)

Why do people keep signing their contributions? It's very annoying and distracting.

Comments and Questions re the Promo Video

2009-08-10T17:03:15Z

Jc: Is the video footage current?

'''Let's put some reactions to the video here'''. We can do better than the (mostly) mindless posts re the video on YouTube. Here are some starters:

So are these scenes from Manhattan Beach, Pynchon's "Gordita Beach"? Any clues from the publisher re how this video got made and uploaded? Could Pynchon have shot and edited this?

And this is definitely Pynchon's voice, "doing" Doc? (Sure sounds different than the high-pitched voice on the Simpsons episode, though.)

Any clues about the music? Something Neil Young did, on request from TP? (Just a wild guess.)

The images emphasize how much "Gordita" has changed for the worse. Just about every space is partitioned, privatized, blocked, barricaded. And check out the black cat just when Doc starts meditating about bad karma. The fog, though, remains the same.

How many other books have been promoted by an "author" video playing with the p o v of one of the characters? Or is Pynchon the first, or one of the first, to catch this new wave? He's a goofyfoot rider, fer sure.

The whole thing's brilliant and funny and sad, right up to the kicker at the end. A "music video" for a novel! But far more than just a simple "promo." Notice how "Doc" is inside and outside of the book's time zone--he both talks about the story as if it's just beginning and he's living it AND as if he's outside of time, looking back, and a little lost, with his completed story residing in this book that some guy named Pynchon has published.
--Pschmid1 05:39, 10 August 2009 (PDT)

Another question: if this is current footage, why does he (whoever he is) say '...later this will all be high-rise..' etc.? I take that to imply that Gordita/Manhattan as it was in Doc's/Pynchon's day has been built over? But the footage doesn't look 'old' does it? Hmmm.

L

2009-08-10T12:15:52Z

Jc: Lemuria plus Wolf Man plus Bigfoot

'''lagan''' 
267; goods (or wreckage) on the sea bed that is attached to a buoy so that it can be recovered, or simply goods or materials found or left on the sea floor.

'''Lagonda''' 
71; at coroner's office

'''L'Amour, Louis (1908-1988)''' 
American author. L'Amour's books, primarily Western fiction (though he called his work 'Frontier Stories'), remain popular, and most have gone through multiple printings; 148

'''Landers, Ann''' 
Pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Eppie Friedman in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, 'Ann Landers', though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon; 215

'''Land of the Pygmies''' 
336; Doc asks Kahuna Airlines to this destination

'''Lark''' 
237; "presentable young lady in a paisley minidress and white plastic boots" at the Kismet in Las Vegas

'''Laurel, Stan (1890-1965)''' 
English comic actor, writer and director, famous as the first half of the comedy double-act Laurel and Hardy, whose career stretched from the silent films of the early 20th century until post-World War II; 246; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Laurel Wikipedia entry]

'''Lawrence of Arabia (1888-1935)''' 
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence CB, DSO, known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18. His vivid writings, along with the extraordinary breadth and variety of his activities and associations, have made him the object of fascination throughout the world as Lawrence of Arabia, a title popularised by the 1962 film'' Lawrence of Arabia'' based on his life; 191

'''Laszlo and Ilsa''' 
Humphrey Bogard, as Rick Blaine, in the 1942 film ''Casablanca'' helps Victor Laszlo, a Czech resistance leader, escape from the Nazis and in the process falls in love with Laszlo's wife, Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), with whom he'd been involved before she met and married Laszlo. In the end, Ilsa and Laszlo leave Casablanca on a plane, and Rick stays behind; 360

'''Leej''' 
104; See [[S#sortilege|Sortilege]]

'''Leeway, Petunia''' 
13; "a stunner in a starched cap and micro-length medical outfit" who sort of does reception for Doc and Dr. Buddy Tubeside; 145

'''Lefty''' 
44; bassist in Beer

'''Lemuria,''' 
Hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography however, the scientific concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern understanding of plate tectonics. Although sunken continents do exist, there is no known geological formation under the Indian or Pacific Oceans that corresponds to the hypothetical Lemuria; "Atlantis of the Pacific" 101; 105; 109; "It isn't just a place" 167; "dark metallic gray promontory" in downtown LA, 315; "risen and redeemed" (in Doc's dream), 341; California as an ark for those escaping Lemuria, 352; See [http://www.lemurianconnection.com/en/about-mount-shasta.htm Mount Shasta and the Lemurian Connection]

Also, there is a connection between Mt Shasta, Lemuria, and the legend of the 'Wolf Man':

"Before 18,000 BCE, Lemuria was a large continent in the Pacific whose islands were controlled by pirates. An Atlantean named Kull was enslaved by Lemurian pirates and forced to work as a gladiator, where he faced a Wolf Man. Forging an alliance with that Wolf Man, he later slew the wizard Rotath for the Lemurian monarch Asphodel IV."

[http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Lemuria Lemuria at Marvel Comics]

And, here's s reported sighting of Bigfoot on Mt Shasta:

[http://www.bigfootencounters.com/articles/mtshasta.htm Bigfoot: Sasquatch Creature seen on Mt. Shasta in California 1976]

Is this the right place to mention how significant it is that Mickey Wolfmann reportedly gets upset when people don't spell his surname with a double 'n' at the end?

'''Lester''' 
66; riding with Bigfoot at Wolfmann residence

'''''Let's Make a Deal'' (1963-1976)''' 
Television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show was based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The contestants usually had to weigh the possibility of an offer being for a valuable prize, or an undesirable item, referred to as a "zonk". The show was hosted for many years by Monty Hall; 47, 253

'''Lewton, Val (1904-1951)''' 
American film producer and screenwriter, who is best known for a sequence of nine brooding horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s; ''I Walked with a Zombie'' (1943), 261

'''Liberace (1919-1987)''' 
Wladziu Valentino Liberace, better known by only his last name Liberace was a famous American entertainer and pianist of Polish and Italian descent. During the 1950s–1970s (when Elvis Presley and The Beatles were at the height of their popularity), he was the highest paid entertainer in the world; his "necktie covered with thousands ... of magenta and green sequins in a piano-keyboard pattern" 220; 344

'''Lighthouse Cafe, the''' 
297; Coy Harlingen spotted there by Scott Oof

'''Li'l T-Rex''' 
183; one of Tito Stavrou's creditors

'''lingonberries''' 
208; Swedish pancakes with; the ''Vaccinium vitis-idaea'' &151; often called lingonberry and also called cowberry, foxberry, mountain cranberry, csejka berry, red whortleberry, lowbush cranberry, mountain bilberry, partridgeberry.

'''Linus's Tavern''' 
354; where Doc meets Sauncho to observe the ''Golden Fang''; 359

'''Little Anthony & the Imperials''' 
300; Little Anthony & The Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. "Tears on My Pillow" (1958) was their first hit single. Sample lyric:

:If we could start anew, I wouldn't hesitate 
:I'd gladly take you back, and tempt the hand of fate 
:Tears on my pillow, pain in my heart, caused by you

'''Liv-a-Snaps''' 
195; a brand of dog food

'''Locard's Exchange Principle''' 
Locard's principle is applied to crime scenes in which the perpetrator(s) of a crime comes into contact with the scene, so the perpetrator(s) will both bring something into the scene and leave with something from the scene. Every contact leaves a trace; "every contact leaves traces" 213

'''Long Branch Saloon''' 
254; the saloon where Miss Kitty worked, in the TV series ''Gunsmoke'' (1955-1975) was a western which took part in Dodge City, Kansas

'''Loosemeat, Leonard Jermaine''' 
264; aka El Drano, found dead

'''Lourdes and Motella''' 
See [[R#lourdes|Rodriguez, Lourdes]] and [[H#motella|Haywood, Motella]]

'''Lunchwater case''' 
25; "one more of the squalid matrimonials that were occupying Doc's time"

'''Lupino, Ida (1918-1995)''' 
59; Anglo-American actress and director, self-described as "the poor man's Bette Davis"; Pynchon trivia: she directed the pilot episode of ''Gilligan's Island''.

'''Luz''' 
59; "presentable young Chicana" maid at Wolfmann's; contacts Doc, 142;

{{IV Alpha Nav}}

Inherent Vice Title

2009-08-09T10:50:56Z

Jc: Fix typos introduced during reformatting

Like all Pynchon titles, it's hard to know where to start, trying to gather up all the possible meanings and resonances. But, for openers:

*Inherent Vice - as a legal term: "A loss caused by the inherent nature of the thing insured and not the result of a casualty or external cause." [http://www.lectlaw.com/def/i043.htm 'Lectric Law Library]

*Inherent Vice - as it relates to classic Pynchon themes: compare with entropy. Everything declines. Everything falls apart. Everything goes wrong.

*Inherent Vice - as an analogy for the Christian doctrine of Original sin, which says that everyone is born sinful [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_sin]. Indeed this is what Doc initially believes the phrase to mean when he wonders, "Is that like original sin?" (IV 351). This theological interpretation raises the question, 'If vice is inherent, where do we locate virtue?'[http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/26/pynchon-churchwell-inherent-vice]

*Inherent Vice - as a general term: "A defect or cause of loss arising out of the material itself, such as the acid content in paper which will eventually destroy the paper." [http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Inherent%20Vice Online Encyclopedia uk defitition]

*The bit about paper in the above definition is particularly apt, when we consider all the stuff in Gravity's Rainbow about Slothrop (Pynchon'n's?) ancestors, paper mills, etc. 'Money, shit, and The Word' indeed.

*There's also the connections between this book and Vineland to factor in. That earlier book's theme (or one of them) was, reductively, 'what went wrong?', i.e. how did the 'revolutions' of the Sixties fail? Was it something inherent to the spirit of those times, and/or inherent to human nature? Why is it that some people are attracted to Fascism?

*Finally (?), a further political dimension which dovetails nicely with the 'flaws that let us fall for Fascism' question - the phrase was used by Winston Churchill: "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."

Talk:Chapter 1

2009-08-08T12:18:56Z

Jc: Created page with 'The entries for Page 10 here could use some tidying up. And references for some of the stories would be nice.'

The entries for Page 10 here could use some tidying up. And references for some of the stories would be nice.

Chapter 6

2009-08-08T12:11:46Z

Jc: /* Page 76 */ Ralphs and Lebowski

{{Inherent Vice PbP Text}}

==Page 72==
'''Wouldn't it Be Nice''' 
Beach Boys, 1966, off the album ''Pet Sounds''.

==Page 73==
'''Tommy's''' 
[http://www.originaltommys.com/ Tommy's] is a famous burger chain in the LA area. This place was a food shrine to the American Hamburger and people used to come from miles around to get them. /CW/

==Page 75==
'''Ron Karenga''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Karenga Ron Karenga] is an influential African American activist. He invented Kwanzaa.

'''Can I be frank for a minute''' 
A bad joke since Doc starts to sing Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon."

'''Lew Erskine''' 
main character in the TV show, "F.B.I.," which ran 1965-74. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058801/ IMDB]

==Page 76==
'''Ralph's''' 
Ubiquitous grocery chain in California. Plays an important role in the Coen brothers' 'The Big Lebowski', a film to which Inherent Vice is often compared.

==Page 77==
'''before he's slipped, as Jim Morrison might put it, "into unconsciousness"...''' 
lyrics from "The Crystal Ship" by The Doors: "Before you slip into unconsciousness / I'd like to have another kiss." The song was on the Doors' first album, The Doors, released in January 1967. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awi14wDTxNw Have a listen on YouTube...]

'''as Fats Domino always sez, "Never to be"...''' 
"Blueberry Hill" was written in 1940 and was recorded by Gene Krupa, Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey and Gene Autry, and others. In 1956, Fats Domino (b. 1928) recorded it and it was a #2 hit on the Billboard Top 40. Excerpt:

:The wind in the willow played 
:Love's sweet melody 
:But all of those vows we made 
:Were never to be

'''Hawaiian shirt''' 
One was worn by Tyrone Slothrop in ''Gravity's Rainbow'', part 2.

==Page 78==
'''Beach Boys''' 
This must follow some Beach Boys melody. Anyone?

==Page 79==
'''A toda madre!''' 
from Urban Dictionary:
Mexican slang that means something is totally awesome. Often abbreviated, especially in graffiti, as ATM.

"La fiesta estuvo a toda madre." translation: "The party was totally awesome."

==Page 80==
'''like Moe going, "Spread out!"''' 
Moe, of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_stooges Three Stooges] would yell "Spread out!" to the other two, and sometimes some other people, when fighting.

[[File:VincentThomasBridge.jpg|thumb|100px|right|The Vincent Thomas Bridge by night, as it appears today.]]
'''Kai Tak''' 
Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998.

'''San Pedro, Terminal Island, Vincent Thomas Bridge''' 
All back in L.A.

==Page 81==
[[File:Cheongsam.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Model in a red cheongsam. [http://www.cheongsamboutique.com/2008/07/cheongsam-qipao.html Source]]]
'''Cheongsam''' 
a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women.

'''Fan-tan... dollar-a-stone Go''' 
Fan-Tan is a form of gambling long played in China that has similarities to roulette. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan-Tan Wikipedia]. 361 stones are used in a game of Go, making this a pricey game for the 60s...

==Page 82==
'''LZ''' 
Vietnam soldier slang for "landing zone."

==Page 83==
'''Dan ranking''' 
the dan ranking system is a Japanese mark of level is used in martial arts (and also traditional fine arts, including mastery of the board game, Go).

==Page 85==
[[File:PostExchange.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Post Exchange in Mogadishu, Somalia.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PostExchange.jpg Source]]]
'''PX''' 
abbreviation of Post Exchange. A service mark used for a military store on an Army or Naval base that sells goods to military personnel. Apparently, the PX often appeared in the Beetle Bailey comic strip from the 1950s. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_exchange Wikipedia].

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

Chapter 8

2009-08-08T11:58:56Z

Jc: /* Page 116 */ James M. Cain wrote 'Postman', not Hammett.

{{Inherent Vice PbP Text}}

==Page 116==
'''Cora Smith''' 
Also from ''The Postman Always Rings Twice''. This is another detective favorite of Pynchon from James M. Cain, the other being Double Indemnity.

==Page 119==
'''Charlie the fucking Tuna''' 
Charlie the Tuna is a cartoon character and mascot for StarKist Tuna. You can see his "designer shades" and "beret" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_the_Tuna here].

'''single up all lines''' 
This is a special phrase for Pynchon. It is used in ''V.'' (pp.11 and 438), ''The Crying of Lot 49'' (p.31), ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p.489), ''Mason & Dixon'' (pp.258 and 260), and it is the very first sentence of ''Against the Day''. Apparently, ''Vineland'' is the only novel without this phrase.

See [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_1 here] for a longer note on the significance of this phrase.

==Page 121==
'''yet another Hitler documentary''' 
The "another" implies that they had watched other Hitler documentaries - the most famous being Leni Riefenstahl's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_will ''Triumph of the Will'']. The description of the Nixon rally that Doc is watching has similarities to ''Triumph''.

One of Pynchon's research materials for writing [http://gravitysrainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] was a book called ''From Caligari to Hitler'' by Siegfried Kracauer.

Note that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_will ''Triumph of the Will''] was a favorite film of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._Gordon_Liddy G. Gordon Liddy], a man responsible for the eruption of "Cop" shows on TV and the emergent "War on Drugs" in the early 70's.

==Page 122==
'''fuck Spiro, too!''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew Spiro Agnew] was Nixon's Vice President.

'''Anybody know the dog's name?''' 
Yes. Its name was [http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/checkers.html Checkers].

'''the P-DIDdies''' 
A (deliberately) lame joke. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_daddy Sean Combs] is a rapper, producer, and entrepreneur whose stage names include Diddy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy.

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

B

2009-08-07T09:06:37Z

Jc: Belaying pin mentioned in review of 'The Sea Wolf'

'''Bambi''' 
76; Chick Planet masseuse; at Boards mansion, 130; at Sybil Brand Institute, becoming lovers with Jade, 135; missing, 154

'''barratry''' 
358; (maritime law) a fraudulent breach of duty by the master of a ship that injures the owner of the ship or its cargo; includes every breach of trust such as stealing or sinking or deserting the ship or embezzling the cargo.

'''Bay of Pigs''' 
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (began April 17, 1961), was an unsuccessful attempt by a U.S.-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba with support from U.S. government armed forces to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. It was widely seen as a serious misstep of President John F. Kennedy; ''Golden Fang'' bringing arms to the anti-Communist guerrillas, 95

'''Beach Boys, The''' 
The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of cars and surfing. Brian Wilson's growing creative ambitions later transformed them into a more artistically innovative group that earned critical praise and influenced many later musicians. The Beach Boys were the first American hit group to write their own music. Brian Wilson, their guiding light, developed psychological problems beginning around 1967 and gradually retreated from the group; 72; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L--cqAI3IUI "Wouldn't It Be Nice"]; 78; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9SmT6cXGFQ "Help Me, Rhonda"] 364; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC_UILNwWrc "God Only Knows"] 368

'''Beatles, The''' 
Rock group that formed in Liverpool, England in 1960 John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison & Ringo Starr and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music. Their music dominated the music and culture of the 1960s; "Can't Buy Me Love" 3; George Harrison, 166; [http://www.beatleswiki.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Beatles Wiki...]

'''Beaverton, Puck''' 
149; bodyguard for Mickey Wolfmann who betrayed Glen Charlock when Wolfmann was abducted; "One of Mickey Wolfmann's jailhouse praetorians" at home of dealer who provided Coy Harlingen with heroin that killed him, 211; Trillium Fortnight looking for him, 217; swastika tattoo on his shaved head, 218; screwing Trillium "California Department of Corrections style" 223; in Nine of Diamonds, 231; 258-259; 264; "one of Prussia's people" 269; with Doc and Adrian Prussia, 317; "False Inhaling" 317

'''Beer''' 
43; Oof and Elfmont's band; opening for the Boards at Surfadelic Freak-In, 297; "'Steamer Lane' and 'Hair Ball'" at Surfadelic Freak-In, 363

'''Belairs, The''' 
125; Formed in 1960 by guitarists Paul Johnson and Eddie Bertrand, The Belairs were the premier surf instrumental band along California's South Bay. Their release "Mr. Moto" was a 1961 hit. The original band was completed by drummer Richard Delvy, sax player Chaz Stuart and keyboardist Jim Roberts. Eddie Bertrand quit the band and formed Eddie and the Showmen.

'''Belaying Pin''' 
89; "local fish place" in San Pedro. A "belaying pin" is a device used on ships for securing ropes. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belaying_pin here].

A belaying pin also makes a handy cudgel-like weapon. Intriguingly, this use of belaying pins is alluded to in the CineBooks review of 'The Sea Wolf', one of the key John Garfield movies mentioned in Inherent Vice. Here's the relevant part: "...the Ghost is manned by shanghaied sailors who have been pressed into service with belaying pins and Mickey Finns in the old British way,..." Isn't it curious that belaying pins are mentioned in such a context, in a review of The Sea Wolf, and then Pynchon calls his restaurant 'The Belaying Pin'? Full text of review: [http://movies.tvguide.com/sea-wolf/review/117034 'The Sea Wolf']

'''bent''' 
182; broke, as in the Del Reeves country tune "I Ain't Broke but I'm Badly Bent":

:I ain't broke but I'm badly bent''' 
:I had a little money but that's all been spent''' 
:When I look back I wonder where it went''' 
:It ain't no joke, I ain't broke but I'm badly bent

'''Bermuda Triangle''' 
90; a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have disappeared in mysterious circumstances which fall beyond the boundaries of human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters; and the ''Golden Fang'', 92

'''''Beverly Hillbillies, The'' (1962-1971)''' 
American sitcom that was one of the most successful comedies in the history of American television. It ranked among the top 12 most watched series on television for seven of its nine seasons, twice ranking as the #1 series of the year with a number of episodes that remain among the most-watched television episodes of all time. The series was about a hillbilly family transplanted to Beverly Hills, California after finding oil on their land; 200

'''''Big Bounce, The'' (1969)''' 
A film starring Ryan O'Neal and directed by Alex March; score, 318

'''''Big Valley, The''''' 
American television Western which ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, as the widowed matriarch of the wealthy, influential Barkley family living in 19th century Stockton in California's central valley; Beer rehearsing show's theme, 43

'''Bishop, Joey''' 
American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. Bishop appeared on television as early as 1948 and was a frequent guest on television talk shows, game shows, and comedy shows; ashtray he threw up into, in Las Vegas, 220

'''Bjornsen, Lieutenant Christian F. "Bigfoot"''' 
8; LAPD cop; addiction to chocolate-covered bananas, 139; "One of America's true badasses" 202; Vincent Indelicato, his partner of many years in the LAPD, 284; "LAPD's own Charlie Manson" 332; See [http://www.lemurianconnection.com/en/about-mount-shasta.htm Mount Shasta and the Lemurian Connection]

'''Bjornsen, Chastity''' 
260; Bigfoot's wife

'''Black Dahlia''' 
Elizabeth Short (1924-1947) was an American woman who was the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. Nicknamed the Black Dahlia, Short was found mutilated, with her body severed, on January 15, 1947 in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. The murder, which remains unsolved; "good old-time L.A. murder mysteries" 209

'''Black Guerilla Family''' 
Prison gang founded in 1966 by George Jackson while he was in the San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco. The gang is ideologically-based, established as an African-American Marxist revolutionary organization. It was founded with the stated goals of eradicating racism, maintaining dignity in prison and overthrowing the United States government. Historically, it was associated with a number of leftist groups, including the Black Liberation Army, Symbionese Liberation Army and Weather Underground; "George Jackson's outfit" Tariq was in in prison, 16

'''''Black Narcissus''''' 
115; ''Black Narcissus'' (1947) is a film by the British director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel of the same name by Rumer Godden. It is a psychological drama about the emotional tensions within a convent of nuns in an isolated Himalayan valley, and stars Deborah Kerr, Sabu, David Farrar and Flora Robson, and features Esmond Knight, Jean Simmons and Kathleen Byron.

'''Black Nationalist''' 
Advocates a racial definition (or redefinition) of black national identity, as opposed to multiculturalism. There are different black nationalist philosophies but the principles of all black nationalist ideologies are 1) Black pride, and 2) black economic, political, social and/or cultural independence from white society. Martin Delany is considered to be the grandfather of black nationalism; 221

'''Black Panthers, The''' 
Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, the Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was an African-American organization established to promote Black Power, and by extension self-defense for blacks. It was active in the United States from the mid-1960s into the 1970s. The Black Panther Party achieved national and international fame through their deep involvement in the Black Power movement and in American politics of the 1960s and 70s; 75

'''Blatnoyd, Dr. Rudy, DDS''' 
168; at Golden Fang Corporate HQ; trampoline death, 203; "puncture wounds on his throat" 213; autopsy, 259; 293; 345

'''Blondie-san''' 
82; gangster-type at Club Asiatique in San Pedro, accompanied by a "yakuza torpedo named Iwao"

'''Blue Cheer''' 
San Francisco proto-heavy-metal band that initially performed and recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with their 1968 album ''Vincebus Eruptum'' and the hit "Summertime Blues" (the Eddie Cochran tune). They were a power trio like Cream and Jimi Hendrix with electric guitar, bass and drums. They were known for the gigantic stack of Marshall amplifiers which dwarfed the band standing in front of them; 95

'''Boards, The''' 
36; surf band with Coy Harlingen; Topanga mansion, 124; tattoo sandals, 126; zombies, 132; trash Denis's place, 196; Symphonic Poem for Surf Band and Orchestra, 223; plotting against Denis, 296; house dezombified by an exorcist, 299

'''Bodhi and Zinnia''' 
124; "house groupies" at The Boards' mansion in Topanga Canyon

'''Bong Users' Revolutionary Brigade (BURBs)''' 
302; group Coy Harlingen is infiltrating at UCLA

'''Bonzo Dog Band''' 
56, 289; The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band, The Bonzo Dog Dada Band and, colloquially, as "The Bonzos") are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz, psychedelic rock, and avant-garde art, the Bonzos came to the attention of a broader British public through a children's television programme, ''Do Not Adjust Your Set''; "Bang Bang" - Cher's second single, written by husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. It was covered by the Bonzos in 1969.

'''Boone, Pat (b. 1934)''' 
130; whitebread singer and actor, most (in)famous for his covers of Black artists' music, rendered in a bland style; 240;

'''Borderline, Special Agent''' 
72; FBI agent with Penny Kimball; in Las Vegas looking for Puck and Einar, 220

'''Boris''' 
See [[S#spivey|Spivey, Boris]]

'''Bostic, Earl (1913-1965)''' 
American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist, a pioneer of the post-war American Rhythm and Blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep" and "Where or When", which showed off his characteristic growl on the horn. He was a major influence on John Coltrane; 37

'''''Brady Bunch''''' 
American television situation comedy starring Robert Reed and Florence Henderson, and which revolves around a very large blended family. The show originally aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on the American ABC network and was subsequently syndicated around the world; Burke Stodger in episode of, 310

'''Branch, Farley''' 
104; Vietnam veteran and friend of Spike's; darkroom, 137; footage of Chick Planet Massage raid, 141-142; 201

'''Breeze, Elmina''' 
8; Doc's mother and Reet's kid sister; 112; 352; getting high, 353

'''"The Bright Elusive Butterfly of Love"''' 
330; "Elusive Butterfly" is a popular song by Bob Lind released in 1966. It was also recorded and released in 1966 in the UK by Val Doonican. The chorus:

:Don't be concerned, it will not harm you''' 
:It's only me pursuing somethin' I'm not sure of''' 
:Across my dreams with nets of wonder''' 
:I chase the bright elusive butterfly of love

'''Bugliosi, Vincent (b. 1934)''' 
An American attorney and author, best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders and later writing a book about it called ''Helter Skelter'' (1974) which became the biggest selling true crime book in publishing history selling over 7 million copies; 280

'''''Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, The''''' 
ABC began re-running ''The Bugs Bunny Show'' on Saturday mornings in August 1962. The series was rerun in color beginning in 1965, and remained on ABC until September 1968. At this point, the series switched to CBS, where it was combined with ''The Road Runner Show'' (which had aired on CBS since 1966) to create ''The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour''; 199

'''Bugs Bunny''' 
Fictional character who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1945; 326

'''Bunco Squad''' 
138; handles "resurrections" at the LAPD

'''Byrds, the''' 
The Byrds were an American rock and roll band. Formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964, The Byrds underwent several personnel changes, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group's disbandment in 1973. They achieved popularity covering Bob Dylan songs, beginning with "Mr. Tambourine Man" (1965), but had continued success with their own compositions; "Eight Miles High" 135;
{{IV Alpha Nav}}

Chapter 8

2009-08-05T08:36:57Z

Jc: /* Page 122 */ is joke lame?

{{Inherent Vice PbP Text}}

==Page 116==
'''Cora Smith''' 
Also from ''The Postman Always Rings Twice''.

==Page 119==
'''Charlie the fucking Tuna''' 
Charlie the Tuna is a cartoon character and mascot for StarKist Tuna. You can see his "designer shades" and "beret" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_the_Tuna here].

'''single up all lines''' 
This is a special phrase for Pynchon. It is used in ''V.'' (pp.11 and 438), ''The Crying of Lot 49'' (p.31), ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p.489), ''Mason & Dixon'' (pp.258 and 260), and it is the very first sentence of ''Against the Day''. Apparently, ''Vineland'' is the only novel without this phrase.

See [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_1 here] for a longer note on the significance of this phrase.

==Page 121==
'''yet another Hitler documentary''' 
The "another" implies that they had watched other Hitler documentaries - the most famous being Leni Riefenstahl's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_will ''Triumph of the Will'']. The description of the Nixon rally that Doc is watching has similarities to ''Triumph''.

==Page 122==
'''fuck Spiro, too!''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiro_Agnew Spiro Agnew] was Nixon's Vice President.

'''Anybody know the dog's name?''' 
Yes. Its name was [http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/checkers.html Checkers].

'''the P-DIDdies''' 
A (deliberately) lame joke. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_daddy Sean Combs] is a rapper, producer, and entrepreneur whose stage names include Diddy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy.

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

Movie references in Inherent Vice

2009-08-04T17:08:17Z

Jc: SOme more movie refs

References to Movies, Actors, Directors, Cinematographers, etc.

----

7 - '2001: A Space Odyssey'

58 - 'Body and Soul'

58 - 'They Made Me a Criminal'

58 - 'Dust Be My Destiny'

58 - 'Saturday's Children'

59 - 'Out of the Fog'

115 - 'Black Narcissus'

115 - 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari'

115 - 'Metropolis'

116 - 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'

147 - 'Now, Voyager'

171 - 'Fort Apache'

204 - 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly'

204 - 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'

233 - 'Kiss Me, Kate'

247 - 'Call Me Madam'

254 - 'He Ran All the Way'

261 - 'I Walked with a Zombie'

281 - 'Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster'

281 - 'Roman Holiday'

286 - 'The Wizard of Oz'

298 - 'Vertigo'

Movie references in Inherent Vice

2009-08-04T16:53:29Z

Jc: Add some movie references

Movie references in Inherent Vice

2009-08-04T09:36:35Z

Jc: Add movie references page

References to Movies, Actors, Directors, Cinematographers, etc.

----

L

2009-08-04T09:29:50Z

Jc: Ida Lupino dircted pilot episode of Gilligan's Island

Inherent Vice Reviews

2009-07-31T11:58:39Z

Jc: Add Independent (UK) Review by Andy Martin

==Review aggregators==

:[http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/popus/pynchon.htm The Complete Review]

==Reviews==

'''Please add any relevant reviews as they come in. Blog reviews are fine as long as they're substantial and more than a few paragraphs.'''

'''07/31/09''' -[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/inherent-vice-by-thomas-pynchon-1764863.html '''The Independent (UK)'''] - Andy Martin:
"I was reading the new Pynchon while grooving at a music festival. It seemed as if the ambience of hipness and the aromatic mellow mood found a fraternal echo in these pages. Listening to Thom Yorke and reading Thomas Pynchon, more or less simultaneously, struck me as deeply resonant and right. The book exudes a vibe that locates it somewhere between Woodstock and Altamont, the rhythm of peace and love syncopated and blood-spattered by baseball bats and motorbike chains.

Inherent Vice is Pynchon's hymn to the Sixties, both homage and lament. In the novel we are at the end of the long Sixties, when the Manson gang have already sliced up Sharon Tate, the US military is still napalming Vietnam, and the West Coast counter-culture is suffering from an immense post-coital depression and hangover."
[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/inherent-vice-by-thomas-pynchon-1764863.html Entire review »]

'''08/03/09''' - [http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/08/03/090803crbo_books_menand?currentPage=all '''The New Yorker'''] - Louis Menand: "Pynchon’s capacity for goofball invention is limitless. A list of characters’ names, drastically abridged, might be enough to suggest the variety, and also the relative fineness, of the narrative texture: Ensenada Slim, Flaco the Bad, Dr. Buddy Tubeside, Petunia Leeway, Jason Velveeta, Scott Oof, Sledge Poteet, Leonard Jermaine Loosemeat (a.k.a. El Drano, anagram of Leonard), Delwyn Quight, and Trillium Fortnight. Not overly fine, in other words. Plotwise, there are probably too many pieces of the puzzle to hold in your head, and it’s not completely clear where, or whether, every piece fits. But that, too, is standard business procedure in the form. Despite Chandler’s demand for greater realism, his own plots could be pretty far-fetched, and they’re not always coherent, either. When Howard Hawks was shooting the film adaptation of “The Big Sleep,” he got in touch with Chandler to ask who was supposed to have killed one of the characters, a chauffeur. Chandler was embarrassed to say he didn’t know." [http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/08/03/090803crbo_books_menand?currentPage=all Entire review »]

'''07/29/09''' - [http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/books/article.html?Crime_tale%92s_a_rich_diversion&in_article_id=710577&in_page_id=28 '''Metro.co.uk'''] - Alan Chadwick: "Best of all, however, is the way Pynchon maps the psycho-geography and shifting sociopolitical sands of America at the time (drugs; the widening gulf between 'straight life' and counterculture; paranoia; and secret information)." [http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/books/article.html?Crime_tale%92s_a_rich_diversion&in_article_id=710577&in_page_id=28 Entire review »]

'''07/28/09''' - [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/backwash-from-the-woodstock-generation/Content?oid=1928147 '''The Stranger'''] - Paul Constant: "Beneath it all, surfacing sporadically like a cheap serial villain, is the nascent internet, which in the late '60s was called the ARPAnet. One of Doc's friends introduces him to the prototypical World Wide Web, and he increasingly relies on it for information. He wonders why "they"—the men he's positive rule the world from a smoke-filled room—don't make it illegal, the way "they" criminalized acid. Pynchon, doing some of the nimblest, most whimsical work of his career, doesn't provide the answer to that mystery, or many of the mysteries in Vice for that matter, but he shares his infectious excitement about living in a world full of useless, beautiful ideas. For Pynchon, it's not the truth but the search for the truth that matters." [http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/backwash-from-the-woodstock-generation/Content?oid=1928147 Entire review »]

'''07/28/09''' - [http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Arts/87111-Surf-bored/ '''The Boston Phoenix'''] - Peter Keough: "So it's a long way around the block for little reward. And though it's true that Pynchon never pays off in terms of closure or neatly resolved meaning (that being the point), in ''Inherent Vice'', ambiguity deteriorates into inanity. He's either trying too hard or not hard enough. Okay, you could scarcely expect another densely woven, absurdist masterpiece so soon after 2006's magnum opus, ''Against the Day'', which at nearly 1100 pages weighed in as Pynchon's heaviest tome to date. Then again, ''Lot 49'' came out only three years after his groundbreaking debut, ''V.''" [http://thephoenix.com/Boston/Arts/87111-Surf-bored/ Entire review »]

'''07/27/09''' - [http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/the941/2009/07/27/book-review-with-his-seventh-novel-inherent-vice-thomas-pynchon-invents-a-new-genre-marijuana-noir/ '''guardian.co.uk | Creative Loafing'''] - Cooper Levey-Baker: "But despite its uncharacteristic focus and brevity, it’s clear from sentence structure alone that ''Inherent Vice'' could have only sprung from the pen of Thomas Pynchon. One early sentence describing an LA dry spell goes like this: “In the little apartment complexes the wind entered narrowing to whistle through the stairwells and ramps and catwalks, and the leaves of the palm trees outside rattled together with a liquid sound, so that from inside, in the darkened rooms, in louvered light, it sounded like a rainstorm, the wind raging in the concrete geometry, the palms beating together like the rush of a tropical downpour, enough to get you to open the door and look outside, and of course there’d only be the same hot cloudless depth of day, no rain in sight." [http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/the941/2009/07/27/book-review-with-his-seventh-novel-inherent-vice-thomas-pynchon-invents-a-new-genre-marijuana-noir/ Entire review »]

'''07/26/09''' - [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/26/pynchon-churchwell-inherent-vice '''guardian.co.uk | TheObserver'''] - Sarah Churchwell: "Like many a Pynchon protagonist before him, Sportello is on a doomed quest. Pynchon's novels are always more or less picaresque journeys; his characters travel perpetually, but rarely arrive anywhere meaningful. What ''Gravity's Rainbow'' calls "the terrible politics of the Grail" means that quests in Pynchon are inevitable and also inevitable failures. At best, they will be mock-heroic; at worst, they will be tragic, but they will never succeed. ''Inherent Vice'' may be Pynchon's most overtly nostalgic book, featuring a character overcome by a longing he pretends to shrug off." [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jul/26/pynchon-churchwell-inherent-vice Entire review »]

'''07/24/09''' - [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/5893305/Inherent-Vice-by-Thomas-Pynchon-review.html '''Telegraph.co.uk'''] - Tim Martin: "Unlike much of Pynchon’s other work, however, ''Inherent Vice'' wears its learning lightly, intermixing it with dialogue that zings, jokes that never overstay their welcome and a stream of hilariously bad puns and wickedly acute observations. Who would have thought it? One of America’s most wilful and obscure writers has produced the most enjoyable beach read of the summer." [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/5893305/Inherent-Vice-by-Thomas-Pynchon-review.html Entire review »]

'''07/06/09''' - [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6668314.html '''Publishers Weekly'''] - David Kipen: "Pynchon sets his new novel in and around Gordita Beach, a mythical surfside paradise named for all the things his PI hero, Larry “Doc” Sportello, loves best: nonnutritious foods, healthy babies, curvaceous femme fatales. We’re in early-’70s Southern California, so Gordita Beach inevitably suggests a kind of Fat City, too, ripe for the plundering of rapacious real estate combines and ideal for Pynchon’s recurring tragicomedy of America as the perfect wave that got away."
[http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6668314.html Entire review »]

Chapter 1

2009-07-22T21:43:05Z

Jc: Light through the window, echoes vineland

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Title==
"Inherent Vice" has a number of meanings. See [[Inherent Vice Title]]

==Cover==
The painting on the cover is titled "Eternal Summer," by the artist Darshan Zenith. [http://www.darshanzenith.com/ Official site]. Zenith subtitles the painting "A 'Retired' Caddy Hearse Greets Daybreak at a Beach Surf Shop." Prints of the painting can be purchased [http://www.cruiserart.com/1959_hawaiian-surf-surfer-surfing-art.htm here]. More info at [http://www.thomaspynchon.com/inherent-vice.html Thomaspynchon.com]

==Book jacket description==
Pynchon himself wrote the copy to the book jacket description of ''Against the Day'' (text [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Against_the_Day_description here]). It is possible that Pynchon did the same for ''Inherent Vice''.

==Epigraph==

'''Under the paving-stones, the beach!''' 
"Sous les pavés, la plage" - slogan dating from the 1968 Paris student riots. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_1968_in_France Wikipedia] Literally, it refers to the paving stones thrown at the police. Figuratively, it refers to the ideal life to be found beneath the confines of society.

==Dedication==
Like ''Against the Day,'' Inherent Vice has no dedication. Pynchon dedicated previous novels to friends and family: ''Mason & Dixon'' ("For Melanie, and for Jackson"), ''Vineland'' ("For my mother and father"), and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' ("For Richard Fariña").

==Page 1==
'''Country Joe & the Fish T-shirt''' 
A Berkeley-based rock band most widely known for musical protests against the Vietnam War, from 1966 to 1971

'''Shasta''' 
Shasta is a soft drink brand that reached the peak of its popularity in the 1980s. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shasta_(soft_drink) Wikipedia]. Note that Pynchon has named characters after soda before, e.g. Wicks Cherrycoke in ''Mason & Dixon''.

Shasta is also the name of a town in northern California, near Redding. [http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=shasta&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=bLdbSou3F4yMMtPF3EI&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1 Google Maps]

'''They stood in the street light through the kitchen window there'd never been much point in putting curtains over and listened to the thumping of the surf from down the hill. Some nights, when the wind was right, you could hear the surf all over town.''' 

Like Vineland, and Gravity's Rainbow, here a Pynchon book begins with light coming through a window. Also like Vineland, the sentence structure and rhythm is just slightly jarring - that '...in the street light through the kitchen window...' seeming to echo Vineland: "Later than usual one summer morning in 1984, Zoyd Wheeler drifted awake in sunlight through a creeping fig that hung in the window, with a squadron of blue jays stomping around on the roof." In both cases, it's just a little odd that Pynchon doesn't refer to the light 'that shone' through the window.

==Page 12==
'''wasn't that they were fucking, exactly, but it was something like that.''' 
This sentence structure is a Pynchon trademark found throughout his works: "not X, exactly, but Y..." For instance, ''Gravity's Rainbow'', pg 137: "...you begin to wait for something terrible-- not exactly an air raid but something close to that."; ''Gravity's Rainbow'', pg 580: "Not as an enterprise, exactly, but at least in the dance of things."

{{Inherent Vice PbP}}

Inherent Vice Title

2009-07-22T21:15:08Z

Jc: Added Winston CHurchill quote

Like all Pynchon titles, it's hard to know where to start, trying to gather up all the possible meanings and resonances. But, for openers:

- Inherent Vice - as a legal term: "A loss caused by the inherent nature of the thing insured and not the result of a casualty or external cause." [http://www.lectlaw.com/def/i043.htm 'Lectric Law Library]

- Inherent Vice - as it relates to classic Pynchon themes: compare with entropy. Everything declines. Everything falls apart. Everything goes wrong.

- Inherent Vice - as a general term: "A defect or cause of loss arising out of the material itself, such as the acid content in paper which will eventually destroy the paper." [http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/Inherent%20Vice Online Encyclopedia uk definition]

- The bit about paper in the above definition is particularly apt, when we consider all the stuff in Gravity's Rainbow about Slothrop's (Pynchon's?) ancestors, paper mills, etc. 'Money, shit, and The Word' indeed.

- There's also the connections between this book and Vineland to factor in. That earlier book's theme (or one of them) was, reductively, 'what went wrong?', i.e. how did the 'revolutions' of the Sixties fail? Was it something inherent to the spirit of those times, and/or inherent to human nature? Why is it that some people are attracted to Fascism?

- Finally (?), a further political dimension which dovetails nicely with the 'flaws that let us fall for Fascism' question - the phrase was used by Winston Churchill: "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries."

Inherent Vice Title

2009-07-22T17:17:49Z

Jc: Definition(s) of 'Inherent Vice'