Im nearly done Illuminatus

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I think a lot of the band list were jokes that worked at the point in time, as opposed to now.

Joan Baez for example, in the time period of the book was in the news for having her comments on Vietnam censored on a TV show (laugh in?).

Riot in Cell Block 10 was a double joke. "Riot in Cell Block 9" is the alternate title for the Perry Mason theme song and Riot in Cell Block 11 is an old 1950's movie (the movie itself covering some parallels to libertarian themes)

The Signifying Monkey is a African trickster god and one of the roots of Papa Legba. Many trickster deities show up in the book besides Eris in one fashion or another. (This is the same god that Neil Gaiman used as Ananasi or Mr. Nancy, in American Gods) Bugs Bunny is another Trickster that he sticks in with his 1(+)4 carrots.

Poor Richard and his Rosicrucian Secrets is an obvious reference to Franklin and the Rosy Cross which was one of the early roots of the modern Illuminatus conspiracy etc.

The Dog Star followed by Nuthin' Sirius are both referencing Bob's experiences that he documented in Cosmic Trigger. Which at the time, Bob was still trying to figure out the significance of.

Overall, I think that the Band list as well as some other bits are areas where Bob and Bob wanted to mention stuff that they didn't have space to really work into the story as it was. "Acceptable Radiation", more Lovecraft references like "The Thing on The Doorstep" where one of the characters is definitely not who they appear to be... well, at least the soul is not what it appears to be LOL.


According to RAW, you could find a reason for 'almost' every band name to be there... of course, with him, 'find' might require LOLo5's I dunno.

[hooplala]

Are you sure it was SC?  It replayed the jail escape scene from the first book, etc.


And the Harry Coin wasn't so much as joke as it was simultaneous character perspective (did he rape George or not?).

Oh, that, yeah that was good.

Yeah, the names of sex acts replaced by 'Potter Stewart' and 'Rhinequist', et al, was in the last book of Schrodinger's Cat, "The Homing Pigeons".  The reason the jail escape part was in there was because Dashwood was supposed to be George Dorn, but couldn't remember.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Hairy Coin Spots were very popular in the 60's as patterns on wool. You know, the big round spots of colored fur on a base of different colored fur...  

Apparently it now (maybe then?) references a butt crack as well... considering Harry's part of the story, that may not be far off.
Hairy Coin Slot = buttcrack
Hairy Coin Purse = Obvious Reference is Obvious

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Oh and "The Goose in the Bottle" is a reference to a Zen Koan.

I used to have more notes on this stuff but I dunno where they went. I am digging therough memory and Google trying to piece that stuff back together

Oh and it was Smother's Brothers not Laugh In that Joan got censored on.

[Triple Zero]

both in Illuminatus and the SC trilogy they reference the letters "HC", that's Hagbard Celine, Harry Coin, some other I forgot and the Hot/Cold knobs on a shower.

I have been puzzling the significance of that too, or is it just a Lo5 thing?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

both in Illuminatus and the SC trilogy they reference the letters "HC", that's Hagbard Celine, Harry Coin, some other I forgot and the Hot/Cold knobs on a shower.

I have been puzzling the significance of that too, or is it just a Lo5 thing?

Well if one were to posit that Hagbard was playing the same game Crowley was in Masks of the Illuminati... it would have made perfect sense for him to double as Harry Coin to push George into a mindset where he would accept Hagbard's universe.

Hrmmmm....

[Telarus]

Never Trust H.C., eh?

On the other hand, isn't there a scene in the Submarine with Harry Coin and Celine?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Never Trust H.C., eh?

On the other hand, isn't there a scene in the Submarine with Harry Coin and Celine?

I don't remember and I can't find my copy 

[Cain]

Yes, there is.  Celine is trying to provoke Coin, to get him to overcome his societal programming.

[Telarus]

Yeah, the scene where Celine takes the gun out and puts it on the table so that Harry can catch himself going through all of the robotic imprints and reactions that a gun causes him. Thanks Cain.

And here's a good resource:
http://www.rawilsonfans.com/articles/characterguide.htm

H.C.   Never trust anyone with the initials  H.C.    Harold Canvera, Hagbard Celine, Heathcliffe Clark, Harry Coin, Howard Cork, Hart Crane, H.C. Winifred  I128, E; I324, G34.

[Cramulus]

I still see H.C. as initials and think "Can't trust that guy"

[the last yatto]

i actually read Schroedinger's Cat first...

[hooplala]

Me too.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I wonder if that would make it more or less confusing.... 

[the last yatto]

i actually meet the chessire cat up in some park, while reading it,
sitting at a cafe with a bunch of spades. she took my hat...