I own, and wear, this t-shirt.

“My function is to raise the possibility, ‘Hey, you know, some of this stuff might be bullshit.’” — Robert Anton Wilson

Robert Anton Wilson

Pope, Genius, Awesome

BoingBoing paid homage to one of the most underappreciated pillars of the post everything culture. He is, by far, the most influential person in my life. I just realized this, upon reflection. He showed me that I am the master who makes the grass green, and the map is not the territory.

BoingBoing devoted a whole week to Robert Anton Wilson. You can read every wonderful word of it right here.

Thanks for the image, Mystic Politics

Mr Meany, is it true we face a labor crisis in this country?

I used to have a blog before this one, Youdopia. It was called You-Dope-ia and it was on blogspot (before blogger). Many of those old posts are actually fairly information rich, and substantive, unlike the fluff I serve up today. In the interests of reviving some of these dead ideas, I will start reposting some of these old posts. I hope it might add some erudition to my site, since I obviously still thought of myself as a writer, not a blogger. Consider these posts to be reruns of Klassic Krusty (see image above). If you don’t like it, scroll around, there are lolcats and silly shit to amuse.

The old post begins here:

Tonight my beloved is away. To ease my pangs of loneliness, the heavens have shown grace, and bestowed upon me a rare gift. On the one night when I could watch this movie unchallenged, Turner Classic Movies plays F for Fake. This is one of Orson Welles’ last films, and it to me it holds manifold relevance.

1.) Orson Welles is arguably the greatest filmmaker of them all, and his genius in theater is legend. I have read a biography of his, and find him fascinating.

2.) One of the people most influential in my adult life, Robert Anton Wilson, wrote about Welles in general, and F for Fake in particular… to be continued… ok. I’m back.

3.) The thing about F for Fake is that it is ostensibly about Elmyr, the famous art forger of the 1960′s and 70′s. This guy was so good, it’s admitted that a significant portion of “real” art is in fact Elmyr’s.

4.) The film addresses Elmyr through the lens of his biographer, Clifford Irving. Clifford Irving was an unsuccessful writer, who struck gold with his biographer of Elmyr. He also wrote an autobiography of billionaire genius/nutcake Howard Hughes, which turned out to be bullshit. He also forged Howard Hughes’ will, which got him in some hot water, and embarrassed the hell out of all the “experts” who authenticated all “Hughes’” writing.

5.) So, we have a movie about a fake, told through the eyes of a fake. Neat that.

6.) The issue of experts. All the experts that authenticated Elmyr’s Picassos and Cezannes, etc. All the experts that authenticated the chicken scratch allegedly handed to Irving by a crazy, drifter Hughes on a Las Vegas road. How if Elmyr’s art “is” as good as Picasso, then why does it have the value of a Picasso. I want to clarify that Elmyr painted “original” works. He didn’t copy paintings, he copied styles….and signatures.

7.) Welles himself is a fake. He faked the War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938. Also as important, if little remembered, Wells was an excellent stage magician. Another form of fakery.
8.) So, we have a movie about a fake, told by another fake, filmed by another fake. That’s pretty cool.

9.) The movie’s filmed, and edited brilliantly. Just like Welles’ Touch of Evil presages Tarantino and Pulp Fiction by 35 years, so too does F for Fake foretell the fast cut, flash , flash, ever moving editing of today. The MTV video was foretold decades ahead of time. By this I mean that F for Fake looks new. Not the fashions, but the film work. It’s contemporary, while being over thirty years old.

That’s like putting on a Grand Funk Railroad LP and hearing Radiohead.

10.) Many times dialogues between people are in fact monologues, from different times, places, and subject matters, edited to look like conversation. In fact, a good portion of the movie is Welles sitting at an editing table, telling stories.

11.) At the beginning, Welles tells us that everything we hear will be true. Promise. While he is saying this, a message appears on the screen saying that everything in the next 60 minutes will be true. So, just over an hour into the movie, Welles regales us with a tale of how his super hot, young, rich, girlfriend made her money by selling Picassos. Paintings that the artist had made of her, for her, after she charmed her way into his studio, and modeled. She is yummy. This tale, brilliantly told and executed, is fake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUrKCUTUSPo

So.. see it. You’ll dig it, if you subscribe to my blog. It’s the sound of one hand clapping. It’s the Master who makes the grass green. It’s the alpha and omega. Robert Anton Wilson on Elmyr, Welles, and Fake
For a much more in depth, and erudite discussion of this point, you should visit:
http://locumteneo.blogspot.com/

Howdy, Youdopia. I have a dram of wisdom for you Hemlock junkies. Robert Anton Wilson, he of the fnord, completely explains Quantum Mechanics. I can’t recall if I got this from my friend Brigid, or the other way around (probably got it from her) but it’s a nice little slice of clarity in a world where logic is fuzzy. Coolest Shit Ever.

You can’t have too much of a good thing, Youdopia. This clip is as close to what I can say that I “believe” as I can get on YouTube. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.

A little wisdom from Uncle Bob. Robert Anton Wilson changed my world as profoundly and Deeply as Siddha Yoga and Led Zeppelin combined. Taste this tidbit from the Man not long before he died. Fnord, and 23 skidoo, monsignor. Every man and every woman is a tsar, Youdopia. There is much to learn from Robert Anton Wilson.

Youdopia, it doesn’t get much better than Alan Moore giving a reading from Robert Anton Wilson’s Masks Of The Illuminati. This is from one of Bob’s memorial services. I miss him. I almost met him. He sent my roommate a copy of Orson Welle’s F For Fake in the mail, simply because my roommate wrote him and asked where he could find a copy. I love Uncle Bob, and I miss him greatly. I’m proud to have been one of the few who helped finance his great DVD Maybe Logic. Please enjoy. fnord. It’s the Coolest Shit Ever, for sure.

Yep, youdopians. There is a Texan (no word on if he’s from Bad Ass, Texas) but he sells these dandy stickers that one can place anywhere appopriate. Biphenyl.org is where I found this tidbit (via Boing Boing).  It’s been quite an intense week.  The collapse of the free market affected our business, and we made very little, but… kink never sleeps, and time passes.