What if Thomas Pynchon, the genius writer of V. and Gravity’s Rainbow, wrote a Private Eye novel? Well, he did and Inherent Vice is the result. Hippie-dippy P.I. Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of real estate billionaire, Mickey Wolfmann (although Doc is more interested in his old girl friend, Shasta, who is one of Wolfmann’s harem). The usual Pynchon riffs on conspiracies (the secret organization “The Golden Fang”) and the drug culture references are here in abundance. And the goofy Pynchon names pop up all over the place: Puck Beaverton, Bigfoot Bjornsen, Rudy Blatnoyd, Elmina Breeze, and that’s just the “B”s. Pynchon even provides a soundtrack to the book:
# Bamboo” by Johnny and the Hurricanes
# “Bang Bang” by The Bonzo Dog Band
# Bootleg Tape by Elephant’s Memory
# “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles
# “Desafinado” by Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto, with Charlie Byrd
# Elusive Butterfly by Bob Lind
# “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
# “Full Moon in Pisces” performed by Lark
# “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys
# The Greatest Hits of Tommy James and The Shondells
# “Happy Trails to You” by Roy Rogers
# “Help Me, Rhonda” by The Beach Boys
# “Here Come the Hodads” by The Marketts
# “The Ice Caps” by Tiny Tim
# “Interstellar Overdrive” by Pink Floyd
# “It Never Entered My Mind” by Andrea Marcovicci
# “Just the Lasagna (Semi-Bossa Nova)” by Carmine & the Cal-Zones
# “Long Trip Out” by Spotted Dick
# “Motion by the Ocean” by The Boards
# “People Are Strange (When You’re a Stranger)” by The Doors
# “Pipeline” by The Chantays
# “Quentin’s Theme” (Theme Song from “Dark Shadows”) performed by Charles Randolph Grean Sounde
# Rembetissa by Roza Eskenazi
# “Repossess Man” by Droolin’ Floyd Womack
# “Skyful of Hearts” performed by Larry “Doc” Sportello
# “Something Happened to Me Yesterday” by The Rolling Stones
# “Something in the Air” by Thunderclap Newman
# “Soul Gidget” by Meatball Flag
# “Stranger in Love” performed by The Spaniels
# “Sugar Sugar” by The Archies
# “Super Market” by Fapardokly
# “Surfin’ Bird” by The Trashmen
# “Telstar” by The Tornados
# “Tequila” by The Champs
# Theme Song from “The Big Valley” performed by Beer
# “There’s No Business Like Show Business” by Ethel Merman
# Vincebus Eruptum by Blue Cheer
# “Volare” by Domenico Modugno
# “Wabash Cannonball” by Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans
# “Wipeout” by The Surfaris
# “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
# “Yummy Yummy Yummy” performed by Ohio Express
If you’re in the mood for a drug haze of a novel, Inherent Vice is the book for you. GRADE: B
Since I have yet to get through one of his books, I guess I’ll give this a pass.
I’ve read almost everything Pynchon has published, Patti. He’s an acquired taste.
I love V., so I’ll give this one a shot.
INHERENT VICE isn’t as good as V., Bill. And there are no alligators. But you’ll get the patented Pynchon riffs on drugs, sex, and rock & roll.
Is this the same book that Bill ran a video on?
I don’t think so, Rick.
That’s a nutso “sound track”, it’s all over the wall. It’s hard to imagine how The Champs and The Rolling Stones relate to a common whole, and Sinatra & Blue Cheer? Uh, yeah. Might as well be Patti Page & Vanilla Fudge, or Barney and Edgar Winter…
The characters in most Pynchon novels are scattered mentally, Rick. The characters in INHERENT VICE are mostly druggies so the bizarre “soundtrack” makes a sort of weird sense.
Just checked back, yep it is the book Bill ran a link to a video, with Pynchon reading part of the book. I put it on my PaperBackSwap wish list – I’m #39 of 70 right now, so it will be a while before it comes. (
I stand corrected, Rick.
I’ve been looking for a paperback of V.
Try a local college bookstore, Jeff. V. and THE CRYING OF LOT 49 are two of Pynchon’s most required titles in college courses. And, of course, when the semester is over, the students sell their books back to the college bookstore. I’m sure you can pick up a copy cheap. And some of those copies of V. will have never been opened!
I sole the video set (VHS) for a buck about a month ago at a garage sale. At least someone paid me for it. I had to throw the anime tapes away. **SIGH**
Diane and I are almost ready to dump all our VHS tapes, too. But it’s hard…