god is communicating with me via pink laser beams (world galaxy day(s))

having remarked that a friend resembled a character from a philip k. dick novel horsemouth spent most of sunday reading valis back to back with radio free albemuth - these two novels dating from PKD’s ‘god is communicating with me via pink laser beams (or maybe it’s the soviets)’ period - both novels contain a science fiction author (and in valis he is even named as philip k. dick).

before it develops into cosmic tragedy valis has a prolonged period of black comedy - with great set up lines at the start of every chapter ‘horselover fat’s nervous breakdown began the day...’, ‘although there was nothing I could do to help horselover fat, he did escape death’, ‘it reminds me of a girl I knew who was dying of cancer...’

eventually the superior literary quality of valis dragged horsemouth off along that trajectory (meaning that he still has radio free albemuth to finish). hopefully the recency effect will save the project.

to finish off last night horsemouth watched jan svankmejer’s alice - an then again this morning he watched early silent movie versions of it (alice in wonderland that is). this included one called elsie and the brown bunny  - the rabbit was brown because he was from bourneville he explained (and proceeded to take alice on a tour of this quaker designed worker’s paradise).



the last time horsemouth did this book comparison thing (and very instructive it is to - encouraging a closer attention to how and when things happen in the text) was with alice in wonderland and the communist manifesto. again horsemouth ran out of steam before the project was completed.

some photos have emerged of horsemouth drunk (4 pints in) in the company of poets last sunday after the sun at night gig - he is an amiable soul (but also clearly - in the cold light of day - a fool).

tomorrow and the day after (november's 15th and 16th are world galaxy days - the anniversary of the recording of this album (recorded 1971, released 1972).