Monday, March 16, 2009

Kirkpatrick Sale = Sideshow Mel?

kirkpatrick-sale.jpg =sideshow-mel.jpg ???

On The Simpsons, Sideshow Mel once popped up to second a comment by Thomas Pynchon, referring to him as “my fellow Cornell alumnus!”

I don’t know if Mel believes the theory, propounded three decades ago by a writer named John Calvin Batchelor, that “Pynchon” was simply a pseudonym for J.D. Salinger.

But in reading about that now-debunked controversy, I learned that Pynchon and America’s most prominent Luddite writer, Kirkpatrick Sale (who ends his speeches by literally smashing a computer), were Cornell classmates and co-wrote a musical there (Is it mere coincidence that Sideshow Mel once had his buttocks frozen with liquid nitrogen and smashed with a hammer?).

I saw Sale speak once (at the old Libertarian Book Club at one time run by scientist and political activist Robert Goodman — who could use a job, if you’d care to contact him at robgood[at]bestweb.net). However, now that I think about it, I’ve never seen Sale and neo-primitivist Sideshow Mel in the same place at the same time. Could this be the real case of double identity?

And then, of course, there’s that Shakespeare/Bacon theory. Mmmm — Shakespeare-bacon…

Sorry. Helen’s been talking about making chocolate-covered bacon, inspired by ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com. So I’ve got bacon on the brain — but I’m not the only one. I once saw an interview with a guy who was searching for the Loch Ness Monster by dropping bacon into the Loch. His sophisticated scientific reasoning? “Everybody loves bacon.” I guess so.

4 comments:

Todd Seavey said...

P.S. I notice that as of today, one of the items on the front page of ThisIsWhyYoureFat is the Meat Cake, which should please fans of the comic book of that name by Dame Darcy (who does not look like she eats too many items from ThisIsWhyYoureFat herself):

http://www.damedarcy.com/

P.P.S. My favorite name of a TIWYF item remains, of course, the Meat Ship.

Gerard said...

The most remarkable aspect of that website is that with the exception of deep-fried Mars Bars and Oreos-my personal favorite-I have never seen any of those snacks in real life.

Ali Kokmen said...

An episode of the Food Network’s DINNER IMPOSSIBLE had chef Michael Symon having to concoct a meal at a NJ boardwalk using the local vendors’ supplies. For a dessert, he sent bacon through a fudge shop’s chocolate-enrobing machine, and topped the thing off with almonds.

If chocolate covered bacon catches on, clearly Chef Symon deserves some credit…

Ali Kokmen said...

Briefly noted:

This Is Why You’re Fat: The Book

http://theharperstudio.com/2009/03/this-is-why-youre-fat-the-book/

“HarperStudio acquired the rights to a book based on the blog, which has pulled in over ten million page-views in its first month….”

Plan accordingly.