Pynchon Pals

20: In which Patrick uncovers the Pynchon-Star Wars connection (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.6-2.8)

Is Slothrop a ghost? Is gravity time travel? Is Joe Biden a fan of the show? What’s in The Zone? These questions and more will not be answered… yet. Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 3.1 and 3.2, or pp. 285-319 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals [http://patreon.com/pynchonpals] and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/pynchonpals.bsky.social].  For the month of June’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode we’re watching Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).  Show Notes: “Tantive IV” via Wookiepedia (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tantive_IV [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Tantive_IV])  Brian Daley’s website (https://brian-daley.com/BrianDaley-books.htm [https://brian-daley.com/BrianDaley-books.htm])  “Gusev” by Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett, via Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57333/57333-h/57333-h.htm#Jlink2H_4_0009 [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57333/57333-h/57333-h.htm#Jlink2H_4_0009])  Joe Biden quotes Thomas Pynchon (https://youtu.be/u0zog-s3UBU [https://youtu.be/u0zog-s3UBU])  Orson Welles’ “Cuckoo Clock” monologue from The Third Man (https://youtu.be/cydkTy6GmFA [https://youtu.be/cydkTy6GmFA])   “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man (1962) (https://youtu.be/LI_Oe-jtgdI [https://youtu.be/LI_Oe-jtgdI])  “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius,” by Jorge Luis Borges, .pdf via University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (http://faculty.las.illinois.edu/rrushing/242/ewExternalFiles/Borges.pdf [http://faculty.las.illinois.edu/rrushing/242/ewExternalFiles/Borges.pdf])  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, genocide. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io [http://www.patf.io] and @patfio.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/patfio.bsky.social]). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland [https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/polygondwanaland].

19: In which this book is sort of like The History Channel meets The Great Mouse Detective meets Severance meets Riverdale meets Dumb and Dumber (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.3-2.5)

Debauchery. Grotesquerie. Eschatology. Showtunes. That’s Thomas Pynchon, for ya!  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.6, 2.7, and 2.8, or pp. 247-282 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals [http://patreon.com/pynchonpals] and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/pynchonpals.bsky.social].  For the month of May’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode we watched Hitler's Secret Weapon: The V-2 Rocket at Peenemunde (1977) (link via [https://archive.org/details/HitlersSecretWeapon]Archive.org [http://archive.org]), V2: Nazi Rocket a.k.a. Hitler's Space Rocket (2016) (there seems to be a couple cuts or versions of this one across streaming platforms and maybe international distributors—but here’s a link to one version on YouTube [https://youtu.be/1R_VosHA9W8]), and “V2 Assembling and Launching” (1947) (link via YouTube [https://youtu.be/amL3CnZNCb0]). Show Notes: “The Great Mouse Detective - The world's greatest criminal mind (lyrics)” via YouTube (https://youtu.be/8UQg4zb9dsA [https://youtu.be/8UQg4zb9dsA])  An open-access article that very probably contains spoilers beyond where we are in the book, but which goes deep on Pynchon’s sources for the equation we talk about in this episode and others: Engelhardt, N. & Engelhardt, H., (2018) “The Momentum of Pynchon's Secret Formula: Gravity’s Rainbow’s Second Equation between Archival Sources and Fiction”, Orbit: A Journal of American Literature 6(1). (https://doi.org/10.16995/orbit.486 [https://doi.org/10.16995/orbit.486]) Songfacts interview with Devo that mentions “Whip It”’s Pynchon inspiration (https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/devo [https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/devo]) Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io [http://www.patf.io] and @patfio.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/patfio.bsky.social]). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland [https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/polygondwanaland].

18: In which Patrick finally finds an excuse to do his Jimmy Stewart impression (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.1-2.2)

Ah, now this is what we’ve been missing! The sun, the sea, the songs! This episode’s all escapades along the esplanade. At least until the paranoia sets in.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.3 through 2.5, or pp. 208-247 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals [http://patreon.com/pynchonpals] and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/pynchonpals.bsky.social].  For the month of May’s Patreon-exclusive bonus episode we’ll be watching Hitler's Secret Weapon: The V-2 Rocket at Peenemunde (1977) (link via [https://archive.org/details/HitlersSecretWeapon]Archive.org [http://archive.org]), V2: Nazi Rocket a.k.a. Hitler's Space Rocket (2016) (there seems to be a couple cuts or versions of this one across streaming platforms and maybe international distributors—but here’s a link to one version on YouTube [https://youtu.be/1R_VosHA9W8]), and “V2 Assembling and Launching” (1947) (link via YouTube [https://youtu.be/amL3CnZNCb0]). Show Notes: “Weather Station Kurt,” the secret Nazi weather station in Labrador, via Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Station_Kurt [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Station_Kurt])  “Pynchonesque” film series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, programmed by Jesse Trussell (https://www.bam.org/film/2026/pynchonesque [https://www.bam.org/film/2026/pynchonesque])  “Spray of Glory: The Seltzer Bottle,” by Anthony Balducci (https://anthonybalducci.blogspot.com/2021/07/spray-of-glory-seltzer-bottle.html [https://anthonybalducci.blogspot.com/2021/07/spray-of-glory-seltzer-bottle.html])  Chuck Jones’ Wile E. Coyote Rules via Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_the_Road_Runner#Laws_and_rules [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wile_E._Coyote_and_the_Road_Runner#Laws_and_rules])  Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, genocide, animal abuse. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io [http://www.patf.io] and @patfio.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/patfio.bsky.social]). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland [https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/polygondwanaland].

17: In which we tour Mr. Pynchon’s Mysterious Society for Peculiarly Gifted Bureaucrats (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.17-1.21)

Do we dare go beyond “Beyond the Zero”? Well, first we’ve got to meet a bunch of characters who will surely—surely—be important later. Then, this book heard you liked the occult, so it put a séance in its séance so you can speak to the dead while you speak to the dead. Finally, Roger and Jessica just keep breaking our hearts.  Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.1 and 2.2, or pp. 181-208 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals [http://patreon.com/pynchonpals] and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/pynchonpals.bsky.social].  For the month of May’s bonus episode, we’ll be watching Hitler's Secret Weapon: The V-2 Rocket at Peenemunde (1977) (link via [https://archive.org/details/HitlersSecretWeapon]Archive.org [http://archive.org]), V2: Nazi Rocket a.k.a. Hitler's Space Rocket (2016) (there seems to be a couple cuts or versions of this one across streaming platforms and maybe international distributors—but here’s a link to one version on YouTube [https://youtu.be/1R_VosHA9W8]), and “V2 Assembling and Launching” (1947) (link via YouTube [https://youtu.be/amL3CnZNCb0]). Show Notes: “Hark the Sound,” by William Starr Myers [https://library.unc.edu/music/unc-school-songs/], a.k.a. “Far Above Cayuga's Waters,” a.k.a. “Annie Lisle,” a.k.a. the Yoyodyne “Hymn” via the UNC Library  Picasso’s “Las Meninas, [http://web.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/picasso/artworks/maids_of_honor] or one of 58 anyways, via the Guggenheim Museum “Is Time Real? The Physics Behind the Illusion of Time” [https://youtu.be/PuLaUYQFIwg] with Carlo Rovelli, via Quanta Magazine “Six Degrees of St. Elsewhere,” by Dwayne McDuffie [https://www.cbr.com/revisiting-mcduffies-six-degrees-of-st-elsewhere/], the origin of the Tommy Westphall Theory, via CBR  Thomas Pynchon Name Generator [https://pynchoname.com/] (spoiler alert?) Gwenhidwy’s Drink [https://drunkpynchon.com/2018/04/09/gwenhidwys-drink/], via Thomas Pynchon’s Liquor Cabinet Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, genocide, albeism, antisemitism. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io [http://www.patf.io] and @patfio.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/patfio.bsky.social]). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland [https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/polygondwanaland].

16: In which Crest the savior is born (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.14-1.16)

GR just keeps getting V.-ier and V.-ier. Luckily, there’s a funny scene about candy waiting for us on the other end. And hey, it’s our favorite couple Jessica and Roger! Oh dear, they look very sad… Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.17-1.21, or pp. 139-180 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition.  Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals [http://patreon.com/pynchonpals] and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/pynchonpals.bsky.social].  Show Notes: “Kristen Lopez on FREAKS (1932),” [https://www.tcm.com/articles/1531928/kristen-lopez-on-freaks-1932] via Turner Classic Movies “Tulipmania: A Garden Historian's Perspective,” [https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/tulipmania-garden-historians-perspective] via University of Oxford Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, genocide, ableism.  --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli (www.patf.io [http://www.patf.io] and @patfio.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/patfio.bsky.social]). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland [https://kinggizzard.bandcamp.com/album/polygondwanaland].