And, of course, that is what all of this is -- all of this: the one song, ever changing, ever reincarnated, that speaks somehow from and to and for that which is ineffable within us and without us, that is both prayer and deliverance, folly and wisdom, that inspires us to dance or smile or simply to go on, senselessly, incomprehensibly, beatifically, in the face of mortality and the truth that our lives are more ill-writ, ill-rhymed and fleeting than any song, except perhaps those songs -- that song, endlesly reincarnated -- born of that truth, be it the moon and June of that truth, or the wordless blue moan, or the rotgut or the elegant poetry of it. That nameless black-hulled ship of Ulysses, that long black train, that Terraplane, that mystery train, that Rocket '88', that Buick 6 -- same journey, same miracle, same end and endlessness." -- Nick Tosches, Where Dead Voices Gather
Relevant Quote #56
Calling All Boys (vol. 2, #14; November, 1947)
"Moral self-infatuation has its own corruptions, after all. With time, almost every other principle acquired an ironic echo, a sort of cackling aftermath." -- Renata Adler
When I saw it early this morning, I thought it had to be a joke; a skillful mock-up someone created. After all, rumors about Hoover had been circulating, at least around Washington, since the 20s. Why he'd willingly participate in something that could only have kept those whispers alive (though now they'd be mixed with a healthy dose of derision) is mind-boggling.
At any rate, the cover is real. And the irony just radiates from it, don't it.
Ah, those innocent days of yesteryear. Doubtless Hoover saw this as a self-promotional tool, and as he and many others at that time lived in a strange, isolated universe of their own, I daresay nary a discouraging word was heard. I find Hoover's face disturbing in its own right, let alone plastered on a come-along pean to the gullible youths. Blech!
Ah, those innocent days of yesteryear. Doubtless Hoover saw this as a self-promotional tool, and as he and many others at that time lived in a strange, isolated universe of their own, I daresay nary a discouraging word was heard.
***** Probably not. I don't think any of the whisperings about Hoover surfaced into public earshot until the late 1960s. It was strictly a Washington phenomenon. My guess is Hoover didn't even know about this cover. The Public Relations office at the Bureau routinely allowed his likeness to be used in all manner of publications, so long as they conferred greater glory upon the FBI and, more important to their mission, J. Edgar Hoover himself.
4 comments:
Wow...that cover is disturbing on so many levels...
Isn't it, though.
When I saw it early this morning, I thought it had to be a joke; a skillful mock-up someone created. After all, rumors about Hoover had been circulating, at least around Washington, since the 20s. Why he'd willingly participate in something that could only have kept those whispers alive (though now they'd be mixed with a healthy dose of derision) is mind-boggling.
At any rate, the cover is real. And the irony just radiates from it, don't it.
Ah, those innocent days of yesteryear. Doubtless Hoover saw this as a self-promotional tool, and as he and many others at that time lived in a strange, isolated universe of their own, I daresay nary a discouraging word was heard. I find Hoover's face disturbing in its own right, let alone plastered on a come-along pean to the gullible youths. Blech!
BCNU
Rob wrote:
Ah, those innocent days of yesteryear. Doubtless Hoover saw this as a self-promotional tool, and as he and many others at that time lived in a strange, isolated universe of their own, I daresay nary a discouraging word was heard.
*****
Probably not. I don't think any of the whisperings about Hoover surfaced into public earshot until the late 1960s. It was strictly a Washington phenomenon. My guess is Hoover didn't even know about this cover. The Public Relations office at the Bureau routinely allowed his likeness to be used in all manner of publications, so long as they conferred greater glory upon the FBI and, more important to their mission, J. Edgar Hoover himself.
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