The New Yorker appropriately quote's the genre's master Raymond Chandler in its review: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean." Pynchon's Sportello fits into this dictum as an everyman of his era: perpetually stoned, an avid fan of both Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and John Garfield, and susceptible to the charms of popular music, whether it's Roy Roger's "Happy Trails To You" or the The Beach Boys "Wouldn't It Be Nice."
Here's a playlist derived from songs and bands that appear in the novel:
Rolling Stones - "Something Happened To Me Yesterday"
Chantays - "Pipeline"
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band - "I'm The Urban Spaceman"
Archies - "Sugar Sugar"
Roy Rogers - "Happy Trails To You"
Trashmen - "Surfin' Bird"
Tommy James & The Shondells - "Crimson and Clover"
Thunderclap Newman - "Something In The Air"
Surfaris - "Wipe Out"Dominico Modungo - "Volare"
Buy the book at Amazon or your local independent book store.
that's a fantastic piece of art
ReplyDeleteuh, no pun intended