I am fucking sick of all the hype of this bullshit. The same shit was discussed in more appealing ways by Robert Anton Wilson in his books, including his Historical Illuminatus Chronicles (which is now in print again) 20 years earlier. I feel that with his attempts to at least put together decent stories and check historical facts, Bob Wilson should at least get some attention. My question to you is what makes Brown's books so much more popular and appealing than Wilson's?

I just want to see one of Wilson's novels made into a fucking movie. Or hell, somebody could make the screenplay he wrote into a movie.

I'll admint.
I thought the Da Vinci code was disappointing. It was a good read, but hardly as deep, intricate, or unputdownable as it was made out to be,

That's why it was (and still is) so popular.

It's an easy read and it doesn't get so deep as to excommunicate the populus.

Most everone can pick it up and take off with it... it's not like reading The Hiram Key which is pretty much exclusive in content to a certain niche.

Or The Name of the Rose, which could alienate readers with its complex language, characters, and plot.

Dan Brown is not the first author to do this story, but he is also not the first to do pastiche.

People love crap.

If you want to make money on a project, you have to dumb it down.
Way down.
It's a rule of nature.

The afficionados will deride your work, but it will be saleable.
If you insist on bringing a high-quality work to the public,
then you are either brave, a committed artist, or both.

I didn't know Dan Brown liked Pastis?

Is he more a Pernod or Ricard pasties guy?

Cornish pasties, I think.

Mmmmm Pasties

It's refreshing to know that regardless of what's transpired here in these past few months we're still very efficient in getting off topic!

Hope you don't mind me being so rude as to bring us back on topic for just a moment. So it is generally believed that the reason for the popularity of his BS is that Brown was writing for the idiot masses, as opposed to Wilson who tries to push "Intelligence Increase" on his readers. Anyone else read anything by him?
At least the Book of the Breast a.k.a. Ishtar Rising, which I believe he wrote while an editor for Playboy...maybe a bit to heady for some, but it discusses (and shows) tits through the years, all the way back to early sculptures.

Stone boobies are my fav'rit!

yes.

And Ron Howard is making the movie of it. I'm sure it will rewrite the definition for "sack of shit".

Wooden characters, a retread plot and an endless chase scene. What's not to love?

i read both A&D & davinci code and enjoyed them both.

they're very quick reads, and if you used to like reading hardy boys books as a kid, you'll probably enjoy them as well.

they're also fun to read because you laugh at a lot of shit that you know is utter bullshit.

great books? no
make you think? sure
fact? not even close
fun for a rainy day? sure

hey, much like a lot of crap movies that have shitty plots and bad acting can be fun to watch,

these books are fun as long as you don't take them or yourself too seriously.

Yeah, but could you elucidate further upon the author's use of 3rd person omniscient point of view while juxtaposing the subtext of Jesus's antidisestablishmentarianism with the oblique catharsis of the crusaders?

I was expecting to learn the meaning of life from the novel, so I was thoroughly disappointed.

(actually I haven't read a word of it, but the plot sounded interesting to me. I just don't like Ron Howard movies).

yeah, clint howard movies rock, though.

I saw an interview (Discovery channel) with the weather forcaster who quit to persue this theory that the yakazu are controlling the weather.

His interview confirmed my opinion that he is indeed a few short of a six pack.

The program was a series of smaller programs covering (1) weather control, (2) End of Time as indicated by weather getting worse, etc. Fun intertainment while playing with the dog.

Yeah, Beethoven's 5th was gnarly.

CG, there are many things I have fantasized about you doing on a rainy day. I can honestly say curling up next to the fire with a good (sic) book was not one of them.

Were you, perhaps, masturbating a fish while you were reading this "book"?

Wearing flannel pyjamas several sizes too small?

Applying mascara to your crotch in an attempt to make your "lashes" look fuller?

Eating paste with a spoon?

Filming elephant porn?

Note: The Da Vinci code does not apply to this post. Search for truth elsewhere.

Oh, BTW, I have read R. A. Wilson extensively. Generally speaking, his work is a sad relic of the psychedelic heydays of the sixties and seventies, much like the writings of Terrence McKenna, or the music of the Grateful Dead. He writes of common psychedelic and mystical experiences that simply do not resonate in an increasingly isolationist and drearily practical world.

I enjoy the larger than life characters he draws, however. I've read the Illuminatus Trilogy, Cosmic Trigger 1, and Wilhelm Reich in Hell.
I also own a copy of the Principia Discordia, which is cool.

For quality drug-crazed narrative, I recommend Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, and for psychedelic imagery, I like The Last Museum, by Brion Gysin, or anything by Terry Southern. For paranoid ramblings, which Wilson excels at, I would recommend James Shelby Downard's freaky essay on JFK called King/Kill 33 Degrees.

Excuse me, I forgot about this lovely piece of biographia......

This man founded the JPL, for chrissakes, and his company still makes all the fuel for the space shuttle.

As well, he was aquainted with Kenneth Anger and Aleister Crowley, and L. Ron Hubbard stole his girlfriend.

I agree with much of what you say, but perhaps some of the stuff that I dislike, I ignore when I think of his stuff.

I have never really enjoyed putting chemicals that will affect my mental clarity (HA!!! what a joke, fucking ADD) into my body. I rarely drink, and when I do I am pretty picky about what I drink. That shit isn't for me.

As for "paranoid ramblings" it seemed to me that he may have been implying that such is worthless, as even if you think you have control, you don't, and if you are in fear, then you are being controlled. On top of that, the 2 opposing groups in The Illuminatus! Trilogy in his other Discordian themed works are either the same, working together, or as can be understood as true by looking at real evidence, that his group was a part of the Discordian Society, and that it included him, his made up chararacters, and maybe friends and family.

The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles is a bit easier to digest than some of his "wilder" stuff, but shows the lineage of the charachters used in some of his other works. I am a bit of a fan of the Illuminati Papers, which goes well wth the Discordian/Erisian shit out there.

I will look into JSD's stuff, thanks.
Also, which version of the Principia do you have...sadly someone should create another book like this so that this type of work and these ideas can get out to more people. I guess those Chic Tract things are kinda like that, but in my opinion those are some of the worst piss poor pieces of shit that can be compared to the Principia Discordia, which is actually one of the purposes of such books...yeah, I have no clue what the fuck I am talking about...In the time it took to type this I could have started writing a book, rather than discuss them. Hey, look at this:

Fnord

First sign you have a problem,
you become a fucking liar.

As for me...no,
I drink too much,
I forget tons of shit,
and my left arm is numb,
and I poured another beer.

Yeah...I avoid POEE, as they seem a bit too dogmatic, especially to be the founders of the idea of replacing dogmas with catmas...If they hadn't tried taking credit for all things, both positive and negative, and the people behind these things I might be able to claim a preferred group. Like the Aluminum Bavariati. Just what these "things" are I do not recall, but there are things, trust me. Mu.

One great thing about POEE, though, is the awareness raising they did regarding all things Emperor Norton...long live the Norton Bridge!

Oh, and I think beer tastes like piss.

I read them both, too. I enjoyed them, like CG. They're brain Twinkies.

Network TV makes me pissy.
I have to get mindless entertainment somewhere.

So that's why you come here.

It's all starting to fit together, ain't it?
And why do you come here?
You struck me as a man of refinement.

All of us have something in common --











This is a place of shared depravity.

Fuck innocuous.

When I write my crap, it'll be in first person prose.
Not yet, save most of you fuckers.

I'm all about the moment (without names).
Piece of shit ;) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

See, now that's funny shit!

shit? yes

funny?no

You got THAT right, Teaser.

...™