Monday, May 17, 2010

Symbionese Liberation Army! Holy F***!!!

This morning at 5 a.m. after too little sleep I awoke with a jolt and the thought: "Symbionese Liberation Army!  Holy fuck!!!"

Probably not too many other people can say that.  Anyway, what it means is that in my subconscious dream world the neurons finally clicked, and I realized that my novel and podcast of Famous Potatoes make a reference to the Symbionese Liberation Army, which didn't exist until 1973 and didn't become nationally infamous until 1974 when they kidnapped Patty Hearst. 

In my podcast description, and in the ebook edition, I state that the events of the novel take place in 1971.  Actually, the story covers more than one year, and one of those years obviously has to be 1973 or later.  I'll correct this in the podcast description and in the ebook blurb as soon as I can - which might take a few days for the changes to percolate through all the various servers out in the internet world.

Most of Famous Potatoes is based on, or at least inspired by, actual events in my life which took place in the years 1967-1971.  Billie, the character who mentions the SLA, is somebody (name changed) I met in 1970.  Obviously the real "Billie" couldn't have mentioned the SLA because it didn't exist back then, but the fictional Billie could because, hey, this is fiction.  I wrote the novel in the years 1974-1976.  Hence my confusion when, 35 years later, I wrote the podcast description and ebook blurb.

And by the way, isn't it time for a revival of the SLA?  They were hilarious - and murderous.  Naive - and despicable.  Nuts with guns, not too different from what we have today in certain groups making the news.

2 comments:

  1. yeah, we have the teabaggers today. i drove through LaHonda the other week. my sis and i went to a workshop down at Esalen.... still pretty beautiful along the coast highway anyway. thanks be to god.

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  2. Yes, still pretty nice around here, but you've got better. I just watched The Proposal, in which Sandra Bullock goes to your home state, Alaska. Preposterous story, but it sure made Alaska look good.

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