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equals Spencer Preskin ’ s, the more farm and serves mainly as a framework view, at the core of which is the denial
celebrated Shiva s Headband violinist. for Lunar s discoveries about himself: of all free will. That in itself isn t as bad
’
’
'
The photographs may not be crystal 1) He hates hippies; 2) He is gay;3) His as what that denial works out to be in
clear, and there isn’t much text (aside ego must die so that he can live. The practice: anyone above you in the
from a brief, excellent introduction by plot (this is a detective story) includes Company hcirarchy, anyone psychically
Chet Flippo). In a few of the shots, ail Lunar ’ s crime (he dared to love), his stronger than you, can decide for you
of each band is not visible. Perhaps valid apprehending and sentencing himself for what you are ordained to do, what you
criticisms were this a fancy art book on the crime, and the punishment: death. must do since the Forces demand it.
flowers. Burton’s Btx >k of the Blues, Not mortal death, rather the acid- tinged Any two- bit fundamentalist preacher
however, is a chronicle of a place and a lobotomy peculiar to followers of knows that and makes it work for him,
time when mtisic seemed, if not the Manson (Man s Son, get it?) and Lyman as does any spiritual con-man. It ' s only
’
answer, then good enough to pass for (Ly-man: Wolf-man?). All becomes one, recently that the con- men have dis-
the solution. one becomes all. Cod is evil, you are covered the walking wounded of the hip
Important exclusions like Sir Satan, we are cosmic, let’s visit the generation and have found out just how
Douglas, Bobby Bland, Townes Van galaxies this weekend my dear if it vulnerable these plump little rabbits are.
Zandt, Albert Collins, Clifton Chenier doesn’t rain. If it does, we ' ll just keep There’s one excellent, albeit tawdry,
and John Clay will be in the sequel, struggling here in God’s eternal movie. example of the fledgling Company
which Wilson is currently preparing. (Hey, that brings to mind the Jesus mentality at work in Tropical Detective
Burton’s Book of the Blues costs $5 treaxs at bxpio, the Jesus festival in Story: a fellow named Will (a thin
(less than 8 cents a picture ). It is Dallas that they themselves dubbed pseudonym for a certain rock writer and
paperbound, 8” by 9 ’ and can be “God’s Forever Family Reunion.” founder of a well-known rock magazine)
*
acquired from the author, c/o P.O. Box Maybe somebody should introduce Billy moves into an apartment in New York
5203, Austin, Tx. 78763. It’ s a fine, Graham to Mel Lyman ... ). where Lunar is staying with two
fine book, easily worth the price of I don’t know. That’s glossing over women. Will decides that he wants to
another new album and something the most important thing: Mungo is one make love to one of the women. He
you’ ll be leafing through long after helluva good writer. It’s just that it pursues her, sleeps on the couch near
you’ve grown to loathe most of your bothers the hell out of me that one of her bed. She ignores him. He persists,
records. his talent and insight (and, it must be saying that he wanted her love and that
John Lomax admitted, emotional confusion) could she couldn’t deny him since he wanted
be sucked into the Lyman vortex. it so strongly. She finally became
There ’ s really no point in summar-
hysterical and threw him out. It didn 't
TROPICAL DETECTIVE STORY occur to him that she didn ' t want him.
Raymond Mungo izing the book (novel) because all it
really is, is a series of Lunar’s/Mungo’s
E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc. Chet Flippo
progressions to the Company’s point of
Raymond Mungo is dead, I ’ m sorry
CUH 0»r*-
to report. He of the sparkling prose, wry ( Vf » »( A0 ON tHf SulJ ( CT ** M,.4vV »o ' pd TH | MSI THING I VI
-
wit and devastatingly cockeyed view of \ * f . i * • * ®b • • » «<v4 wbiVth ' * « • • SC«f « AHAGA/lNf
•
•
r
oU»
"• * <« M <
{
this country perished about three- l«K » • «« ( 0 J © « * Ko«0 C ' rtW Qj C. 9 * 4 * N O * I, bo» <vd
-
quarters of the way through his new * # r C»AWDADOf MAG ATINT
novel, Tropical Detective Story. Mungo
died at the hands of a Lymanish figure
named Zagg, who lured poor little Ray THEGOURMETC0KEB00K
into his New York den, fed him acid
-
and in twenty four hours killed the ego
that went by the name of Raymond
Mungo. Zagg filled the remaining human D
shell with the Lyman sermon - “evil” is \ %
“live,” to live you must die and that
whole oatmeal-brained rot.
Now Mungo is alone (which is really
“All one” - get it?) and is engaged in
“Company work,” which seems to be
mainly hastening the apocalypse, be - to
coming an Extra- Terrestrial and fleeing
this globe (been listening to too much 9 contpLere aaioeTO cocwe
Starship brand of limp fantasizing, I’ll _
wager), and loving the human race “too Pleeae tend ma
much to see it continue.” book« M.95e#ch plus $.25 handling
To backtrack a little, Tropical P.O. Box 2793
Detective Story is supposed to be a WHITE MOUNTAIN PRESS Grand Central Station
novel (peopled with many thinly - - CSf New York. NY. 10017
disguised characters you’ll recognize) M P T
and Mungo as central character and
narrator is here known as Dennis Lunar,
Astral Traveler.
A slim plot (this is a novel) traces
Dennis Lunar ' s various travels to Europe
and Florida and Central America and his art. mtt OP
experiences at a certain New England
November, 1972 59