Great post! We must be on a similar wavelength as I just finished the second draft of an article that has slack as one of its main themes. Far out!
I don't go into the Church of the Subgenius in my article really (fan though I am). What I do use as a jumping off point is the movie Slacker. I trust you are familiar with your fellow Texan Richard Linklater's first feature film? If not, it's worth the time IMO, but of course, it might just be a hassle for you.
In any case, I like what you had to say about hassle. That jibes. And your thoughts on being in a platoon also cohere with what I've heard from other people who've been in the armed forces.
Hope you have a good rest of the week! I'm going to try to get some pipe time in, myself.
Hah, must be a message from "Bob," or else one of JHVH-1's satellites!
Ashamed as I am to say, I actually have not seen Slacker, so I'll have to fix that, as I have mostly appreciated Linklater's stuff that I've seen - Dazed and Confused is a classic, Before Sunrise may be a bit cheesy, but nails what it's doing, School of Rock was good, clean fun, and Bernie is pure genius, especially if you're a Texan. A Scanner Darkly was, well, very wierd. I wonder if I ought to revisit it.
Thank you for the kind words! I included the bit about how I felt in the Army, for I feel like that's the least like what you typically get from the Church of the Subgenius, and might offer some interesting other directions to approach slack from. I definitely think there is more to say.
As for Philip K. Dick, I have, well, mixed feelings. Some of his stories are absolutely brilliant, and he was always incisive, but later on in his life/career, the cynical paranoia really crept into everything. I have heard that of the movie adaptations, A Scanner Darkly is likely the most accurate. That being said, I plenty enjoyed Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, despite (because of?) the liberties they took with the adaptations.
I like the schlocky/pulpy stuff too. Blade Runner is my wife's favorite movie, and despite the flying cars, I even the sequel was pretty good. Total Recall was a favorite as a kid/teen -and it still holds up.
Of course PKD did get very paranoid -but what I like about his later novels is the mystic gnosticism and contemplation you get in VALIS (with its mysterious satellite), The Divine Invasion & The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Ideas about reincarnation and different states of reality, really spoke to me.
While I might not agree with his views about the world as a "black iron prison" per se, as someone who was exploring reality or realities, I really felt like PKD was also in line with others around his time -Robert Anton Wilson for instance.
In any case... sorry to get off topic. Just enjoying some slack on the job, before I get back to work.
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Slack Seeker
(Anonymous) 2023-09-26 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)Great post! We must be on a similar wavelength as I just finished the second draft of an article that has slack as one of its main themes. Far out!
I don't go into the Church of the Subgenius in my article really (fan though I am). What I do use as a jumping off point is the movie Slacker. I trust you are familiar with your fellow Texan Richard Linklater's first feature film? If not, it's worth the time IMO, but of course, it might just be a hassle for you.
In any case, I like what you had to say about hassle. That jibes. And your thoughts on being in a platoon also cohere with what I've heard from other people who've been in the armed forces.
Hope you have a good rest of the week! I'm going to try to get some pipe time in, myself.
Praise "Bob"!
Justin Patrick Moore
www.sothismedias.com
Re: Slack Seeker
Ashamed as I am to say, I actually have not seen Slacker, so I'll have to fix that, as I have mostly appreciated Linklater's stuff that I've seen - Dazed and Confused is a classic, Before Sunrise may be a bit cheesy, but nails what it's doing, School of Rock was good, clean fun, and Bernie is pure genius, especially if you're a Texan. A Scanner Darkly was, well, very wierd. I wonder if I ought to revisit it.
Thank you for the kind words! I included the bit about how I felt in the Army, for I feel like that's the least like what you typically get from the Church of the Subgenius, and might offer some interesting other directions to approach slack from. I definitely think there is more to say.
Enjoy your pipe time, and Praise "Bob"!
Re: Slack Seeker
(Anonymous) 2023-09-26 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)Slacker is one of my favorite films... and Linklater a favorite director.
I really loved Waking Life... probably my favorite. It's like the dream/astral version of Slacker.
Of course, as a major Dickhead, A Scanner Darkly did the late writer's novel justice.
All the best,
Justin
Re: Slack Seeker
As for Philip K. Dick, I have, well, mixed feelings. Some of his stories are absolutely brilliant, and he was always incisive, but later on in his life/career, the cynical paranoia really crept into everything. I have heard that of the movie adaptations, A Scanner Darkly is likely the most accurate. That being said, I plenty enjoyed Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, despite (because of?) the liberties they took with the adaptations.
Re: Slack Seeker
(Anonymous) 2023-09-27 12:50 pm (UTC)(link)Of course PKD did get very paranoid -but what I like about his later novels is the mystic gnosticism and contemplation you get in VALIS (with its mysterious satellite), The Divine Invasion & The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Ideas about reincarnation and different states of reality, really spoke to me.
While I might not agree with his views about the world as a "black iron prison" per se, as someone who was exploring reality or realities, I really felt like PKD was also in line with others around his time -Robert Anton Wilson for instance.
In any case... sorry to get off topic. Just enjoying some slack on the job, before I get back to work.
Re: Slack Seeker
And no worries - I don't yet have enough commenters to be overly worried about staying on-topic.