Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I found a list of SF stories, that, when
> > sorted by publishing date, the 1950s read like
> a
> > compendium of the stuff I had liked.
> >
> >
> [
en.wikipedia.org]
>
> > ion_short_stories
> >
> > I read lots of this stuff in my formative
> youth,
> > and now, reflecting back, those readings, and
> R.
> > Crumb in the 60s, could explain a lot...
> >
>
> Lots of good stuff on that list. Much variation, I
> have only read a small part of it.
Same here.
Thinking on this list, what I know of it--the stories I'm familiar with--it seems as you remarked about van Vogt; *ideas* seemed paramount at that time. Plot is a vehicle to express a new idea or a new wrinkle on an old idea.
One of the things about van Vogt that I initially liked as a kid, then later eschewed and for the most part still do, is that to advance the story, he gave no (or little) explanation of how stuff worked, just that it did, and its effect was needed at that time. Like in "War Against the Rull", there were these various kinds of ray guns that had somewhat different properties, and this was just presented as a given. I noted the same when reading "The Monster", but it seems to be appropriate for his kind of storytelling.
For Crumb, he's the guy who postulated a bright, shiny, Tommowland-like future, with everything made of rubber so that car wrecks were viewed as something like slapstick comedy, and "everyone will have *all* of *everything*"--patently impossible, but a lot like what leadership promises the electorate.
In the same strip, the only limitation was that on turning 65, a person would be hunted down and have a cyanide pie thrown in his/her face. While I sorta laughed at this at the time, I now wryly note that by this criterion I'd have been dead 8 years ago.
He ends the strip, where the pie is thrown, with a cheerful Warner Bros-like: "That's All, Folks!"
>
> Robert Crumb, Hah!, yes I can see a possible
> similarity of mentality there! Crumb 1. Crumb 2. I
> was never a collector, but I have a few old
> undergrounds and fanzines. I enjoy his Silly
> Pigeons, like when they go to the swimming hall.
> Silly Pigeon 1.
I don't recall that one. I only really read his stuff in Zap and Bijou, I think.
--Sawfish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~