Monday, October 20, 2008

God Is An American

This made me laugh. Christian dispensationalism is generally hilarious, and trying to ferret out any coherency just ruins the fun. I mean, the Jews got the Midrash and Gemara, and Catholics get Canon Law and post-denominational American evangelicals get . . . Left Behind. Revelation was always one of my favorite science fiction texts, and the voluminous fanfic industry that's grown up around it makes me sad, as I am always sad to see good works tarnished by lame imitators. Remember when Frank Herbert's kid decided that he was going to be like Christopher Tolkein, only better, and started cranking out Dune: Sex God and Dune: House Retardo at a rate of fifty-thousand pages a year? It's like that . . . only worse.

My only point is this: David Bowie was right.

Posted by IOZ at 2:21 PM | email »
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26 comments:

AlanSmithee said...

What? Did you miss our turn-of-the-millennium apocalypse panting suicide-athon / clambake? Oh man, you really missed somthing! The Parusia-peddlers were thicker than lobbyists on a senator.

3:31 PM
cb said...

While I share your hatred of the rampant corpse-fucking of cherished titles, have you read Frank Herbert's own sequels to Dune? By the time his kid got to that series, it wasn't screwing the corpse anymore... more like trying to bone the crumbling skeleton.

5:34 PM
Anonymous said...

From Hedge Fund Manager Steve Lahde's Farewell Letter:

"I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supportingthe Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the otherside of my trades. God bless America.

"There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list of those deserving thanks know who they are.

...

"I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years.

...

"My only conclusion as to why it {Ganja} is illegal, is that CorporateAmerica, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources."

Johnny wants pussy and cars

Prof

5:51 PM
rowan said...

cb, the original wasn't really any good to begin with. I was a huge science fiction geek and never really enjoyed Dune. Had some interesting ideas, but never had any interesting characters.

7:04 PM
TGGP said...

Frank Herbert's sequels did really drop off in quality, but at least I could read some of them. His kid's I could not.

7:41 PM
paul from the clue-by-four said...

Who gives a shit about the fucking marmot?

8:12 PM
Agi said...

Vote Gus Hall for president!

9:34 PM
Phillip Allen said...

IOZ, the Xtian fanfic is depressing. I want to see some New Testatment and Revelations slashfic. That might give a giggle.

Paul, I'd like to see the fucking marmot. Rather, the marmot fucking. Even if it's a male and female doing it. With small furry mammals I can just cover my ears, sing LALALALALA and imagine it the way I really like it. Otherwise, it's just gross, ya know?

9:40 PM
Ryan Kushner said...

'Thirty years old and living again with my parents...I've been a fulltime volunteer...in the EastEnd of Pittsburgh for the last month....[We are a] rag-tag bunch in my office [some] used to be craftsmen, laborers or professionals. We are now uniform and united in purpose to defend our country. We are the Obama Army for Change....Despite being a volunteer army this is an organized and highly motivated war machine....Working for Mein Furher gives me a woodie, along with this really cool button I get to wear while I shitkick old, lame-ass Repubs standing in my way...I am a dude with a missive...and this is a war fought block-by-block, knocker-by-knocker...ah fuck it, I'm just fuckin' with y'all. My name's Latimer and I'm actually a Palin/McCain troll. I just posted here at HuffPo to watch all the queer Libs get stiffies.'

from "Riding the Enthusiasm Gap Home to Pittsburgh"

8:21 AM
sirtagio said...

someone please enlighten me on the Bowie reference -- right about what?

8:47 AM
Anonymous said...

Something about idols singing falsetto about leather, leather, everywhere, I should think, sirtagio. That, or about red shoes and dancing the blues. Who fucking knows.

8:56 AM
IOZ said...

I'm afraid of Americans.

9:52 AM
Inkberrow said...

Rowan---

The original Dune had no interesting characters, you say? Let me guess, your ex-lover left you for a Dune aficionado. If it's still there, look sharp that Baron Harkonnen doesn't pull your heart-plug.

10:27 AM
Brian said...

I thought Sting was hot when he writhed shirtless! Does that count as interesting character developpment? :)

11:03 AM
Anonymous said...

What about the speedy decline of Kyle Mclachlan's career post-Twin Peaks? Have we got time for that?

11:16 AM
IOZ said...

His name is a killing word.

11:54 AM
Inkberrow said...

You bet it does, Brian! Rather like Alan Arkin's character development in "Catch-22", or Greg Peck's in "To Kill A Mockingbird".

Them's two other cases, BTW, in which you may wanna break down and shell for the Book of the Film. Look for authentic still photography on the cover.

1:13 PM
rowan said...

inkberrow, your attack is intruiging, but logically flawed. Why on earth would I be reading Dune AFTER I lost my virginity?

1:51 PM
Anonymous said...

But then again, has David Bowie ever been wrong?

2:05 PM
cb said...

rowan - I, of course, disagree with your assessment of the original novel. But out of respect for your riposte on inkberrow, I will not press the subject. Good show!

2:09 PM
Anonymous said...

"But then again, has David Bowie ever been wrong?"

Yes, most certainly. He claimed that we all wanted young Americans. Now, this was the 70s. They were fit and fresh, then, coked out of their minds and totally willing. These days, they're chubby and have terrible haircuts. No, thank you, sir. I'll take a nice Norwegian, semi-nude.

3:03 PM
IOZ said...

David Bowie was wrong about Brian Eno.

3:41 PM
guthrie said...

And people are wrong about the sequals to Dune. The second trilogy is in its own way a masterpiece.

4:12 PM
Inkberrow said...

Rowan---

I should have specified the literary epoch in which I had envisioned you and your romantic endeavors. By "lover" I meant, of course, "accepted suitor" as in an Austen or Trollope novel.

Forget second base, third base, or, heaven forfend, stealing home. You'd touched hands, and boldly intended to take the next step. So you were on the roster, hoping to get on deck....

4:40 PM
Anonymous said...

Bowie was right about the first half of Low, wrong about the second half. Call it a push.

7:01 PM
scott douglas said...

The interminably bored God Emperor's interview with his latest reactionary, snapping-Duncan clone - capped by another failed attempt at assassination - is a comic masterpiece. At least Herbert could admit he was just churning out product...

7:36 AM

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