Thomas Pynchon?

[travisnealtodd70]

I thought Inherent Vice was dope. And Vineland.

[miwoleit]

For not knowing anything he makes a lot of words about it. The code is that there's a man walking down the street with a slight resemblance to the young Pynchon. And the meaning is that Pynchon is a guy who simply wants to be left alone and lead a normal life. Why not leave it this way?

[faunflynn]

This narrater is just so much bullshit.

[walteryoule]

Why don’t we all wait 50 years, then visit the "Thomas Pynchon Huis" because that’s what’s on the agenda for this little legend! I call it pro active History! And do any of you know what he's telling us about in these novels? (THAT’S IF HE IS A MAN! He's probably as much a man as his Mother is???? ) I'll give you a clue where it’s at! It’s Orange and primarily Red! It’s lovely weather-surprisingly! It’s a soul searching camp if you like, it’s Not Centre Parks! But they've all been there!

[filmerado]

Yes!! That is the man I saw sitting at a Jim Knipfel event at B&N Astor Place in 2002 or so. Sat second row and talked to the author.

[AllanWellsfanclub]

bizarre is right. Unnecessary springs to mind. Jeez...

[groalerable]

T PIzzle My NIzzle!

[aztiff]

Dude, that is not Tommy

[sydferret]

That's Lou Reed, you moron.

[itchcity]

i smoked weed w/ thomas pynchon

[andrewtheman19]

@itchcity

When and where?

[oraclecrank]

@itchcity

far out man

[thephlebotomist]

@itchcity hahahaha

[gotham61]

Pynchon's son Jackson used to take piano lessons from my next door neighbor in upper Manhattan, and I would occasionally see TP waiting outside the building for the lesson to end.

I did meet him one time when the music teacher's students, including Jackson, gave a concert for the parents down at the Musician's Union hall.

[ClassicRockDVD]

@gotham61 So can you confirm if this is him? I personally think it is - that it's the footage from CNN that was never broadcast

[TemplarReturns]

This person, who apparently to this shmuck, is Thomas Pynchon;looks more like Stephen King. King is an avid Boston Red Socks fan, and he wears glasses like that. DEBUNKED. This man should just leave Mr. Pynchon alone.

[thafons]

Pynchon is not "hiding from society" he's just not enticed by fame and would rather you not try to interpret his books through some autobiographical lens of his life. we should read into his books for meaning and not try to compare it to his life to find some meaning, and this i can totally understand. pynchon is the greatest!

[dibaron]

c'mon, pynchon would conduct a similar (but more humourous) exegesis if he saw Tyrone Slothrop or Pierce Inverarity walking down the street. Every piece of evidence would be analysed. take it with a grain of salt.... also, yes it DOES look a lot like stephen king.

[Tron1276]

goddamn is this ever frightening and downright CREEPY! ...if you reallllly love the man as much as you claim, at least respect his basic right to privacy...

[swarden100]

While I'm not much of a fan of Thomas Pynchon as a writer (I think Gravity's Rainbow is overrated), I just have one thing to say: LEAVE HIM ALONE MEDIA!

[KellanWrites]

Yeah, you're right. Gravity's Rainbow is TOTALLY overrated. I mean, EVERYONE reads that fucking book...wait...no, I was thinking of Twilight. WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, OVERRATED?!

[RThornhill69]

What is the code? What is the meaning?

Simple. This poor man can't be left alone.

[clemensetz]

This is so pathetic

[dutchtrader]

This guy is not Pynchon. He looks more like Stephen King. But this is a good example of why Pynchon and others, stay out of the public's eye. Isn't there a law in the US abt stalking someone?

[slilowl]

I really think Pynchon's obsession with staying out of the limelight is really about staying popular, as

goldbarth points out (though about poets, but true for novelists, too) how much fame can a amous author really accumulate, as compared to an actor, or director, or musician of similar talents?

[itchcity]

@slilowl i think the effect you're discussing is really just a side bonus. i know that i personally would enjoy having his career, but feel uncomfortable at the idea of interviews or photo sessions. just would want do what i like and earn a decent living off of it

[gdubb70]

what's Stephen King doing in the city? oh sorry..poor Mr. Pynchon,no wonder he avoids media.

[aeolus925]

"[p.]"? Give me a break! With freaks like you out there, no wonder Mr. Pynchon prefers to stay out of the limelight. Why not take all this free time you've apparently got and, say, take up writing?

[porfavormeudeus]

You are a freak.

[Fawksian21]

Well, now we all know what he looks like and the enigma is all but over. It definitely looks like the same person from those old high school photos.

Frankly, I'm sure there are lots of pictures of Thomas Pynchon, just none that have been taken for the press. I mean, he can't have a family and not have family photos, right?

Anyway, it would still be amazing if he finally decided to give an interview or publish his memoirs.

[Muskadash]

Looks like Lou Reed.

[roxzal]

It looks like a scene from Alice and the wonderland on his hat. any thoughts?

[sqazsquat]

who filmed this and how you know it's him?

[aztiff]

I sat one row behind this man at a Jim Knipfel reading / book signing in NYC in 1999.

[funkatraz]

this is brilliant - 'potentially he could be writing' said as if he where a soothsayer; the examination of hieroglyphics, like tribes predicting weather systems - the canary in the coal mine- Pyncheon has become the LANGUAGE he utilizes: a metaphysical, religious symbol used by humans to help them interpret the matrix of codes. Why not say: he appears to be wearing clothes encouraging, we know Pycneon s skin still has receptors attuned to temperature regulation.

[Muskadash]

Beg pardon?

[c1k3]

pretty flimsy reasoning.

[monsterfashion]

Just leave him alone

[solitudeokc]

I'll be honest - while enjoying Pynchon, I have always thought his reclusiveness and paranoia about being photographed, interviewed, filmed, etc. is actually the opposite of what most people think. So many see it as the actions of a humble man who simply wants his privacy. I think this is wrong and, as I said, just the opposite. Actually, Pynchon is arrogant and full of himself to the nth degree. His invisibility is merely his "brand," and he has milked it now for for decades. (Post #2 below)

[solitudeokc]

(POST 2)I'm not saying he doesn't actually have an aversion to publicity. However, most people learn to deal with it. He has found that the path of no book tours, no interviews, no photos, etc. is his way to overcome the fact that, frankly, much of his work would not see the light of day from a major publisher were it not from the "mysterious" Thomas Pynchon. But, the whole, "leave him alone," crowd just feeds into his "brand" -- and he laughs all the way to the bank. The joke's on us.

[lebrongordon]

I can understand how you feel he gains publicity from hiding in the public eye, but I simply can't agree with the statement about his work not seeing light of day from a major publisher. And if that is the case, that is more shameful on our part than it is Pynchon's. He might have an ego, and he might build onto it by hiding, but by no means is his entire career built off of a personality gimmick. The guy's a writer, not a rockstar.

[Prezedont]

I thought it was stephen king at first too

[RThornhill69]

Mr. Pynchon, if you're watching this clip, I'd like to say that on behalf of the entire human species throughout all history and speaking for every single atom in the universe that form everything from dogs to cats to ants, microwave ovens, and even words, our sincerest apologies.

[woolfkatz]

LOSER

[mowriter]

God...no wonder Tom is so reclusive. His fans are out of their friggen minds.

[Hubrizoid]

Rather than see his face, I should prefer to see his personal library.

[snewhous]

So, is this footage from the cnn video? I have been trying to track down the 3-minute cnn video where they show people walking, and for 1 second pynchon is visible (read about it on wikipedia). It is still hosted on cnn, but in an old and unviewable video format.

[monkman42]

that isn't him. he actually has a phobia of red clothing and almost didn't go to cornell for that reason. so he would never wear a red cap.

if anything the loser headhunter confused him with stephen king but the real pynchon now looks more like an older fred macmurray.

[sslotroph]

what a fuck

[m1ch1227]

"..we start to look for the code, we look for the meaning.."

*fart*

[Winzip115]

Thank you. This video is a horrible waste of time. "Looking for code" and "Meaning" in a man do something so ordinary as walking down the street is no different than looking for codes and meanings in a man taking his daily shit. Do you think there is alot you could tell me about Pynchon watching him take a shit?

[GolumTR]

Obviously, You never did the Kenosha, kid!

:P

[itchcity]

@m1ch1227 lol

[C21Potlatch]

No, that's not me.

[KickMeAndCancel]

Haha, what if all this speculating was for nothing and the guy in this video was just some average joe.

That guy can't be Pynchon, he doesn't have buck teeth.

[Willowville]

If you look up some biographical information, there has been a lot of reports that he has undergone drastic dental surgery since those 50s photos.

[Ruvanaha]

um, what biographical information? The guy's a recluse. All we know is that he had buck teeth and that he writes novels.

[Willowville]

Just punch in 'Thomas Pynchon' in your goggle search engine. I guarantee you'll find much more information about his life than his dental records and the fact he writes novels. Granted, he is a recluse, and therefore what information we do have comes in fragments. However, those fragments have been compiling for the last fifties years, so by this time we have a good deal of knowledge about him now. For example:

1. Married his literary agent, Melanie Jackson, in 1990.

[Willowville]

2. Bore a son, named Jackson, the next year.

3. Currently resides somewhere on the Upper West side of New York City.

4. Worked at Boeing in the early sixties.

5. Lived in the Manhattan Beach area in California while completing Gravity's Rainbow.

6. The manuscript for Mason & Dixon had been in the works as early as the '75-'78 time frame.

7. Pynchon himself did not think very highly of The Crying of Lot 49, a book that he reportedly wrote due to a need for money.

[Willowville]

Confirmed facts, not conspiracy theories, my friend.

[stlmxc]

except for number 7, which is neither confirmed nor a fact.

he couldn't have been making a self-deprecating joke when he referred to lot 49 and gravity's rainbow as big pieces of shit. humor? pynchon? pssh, no way.

[Willowville]

As far as Gravity's Rainbow goes, the only time I've ever heard of Pynchon making a comment remotely degrading towards the book is when he stated to Jules Seigel (I believe) that "I was so fucked up when I was writing it, that now that I look back over some of those sequences I can't begin to imagine what I was thinking". Granted, Pynchon is known for his sense of humor. But that's just it, HIS brand of humor, which is often complex when it comes...

[Willowville]

to his writing. I mean, c'mon, I could understand if he was just being modest even, but a self-depreciating joke? Hell, even his guest appearance on the Simpsons fits the man's style of humor better than just a simple 'I seem to have forgotten everything I learned up until that point' in commenting on Lot 49 in the introduction to Slow Learner. I see it more as an honest reflection. Also, the introduction to Slow Learner is not the only source that indicates this.

[ChemicalDynamics]

Pynchon himself would probably get a kick out of this video.

[Jobided15]

amen bro. he probably collaborated with this creep to film it. just to fuck with the public.

[heavydeathmetalwaits]

Pynchon appeared on multiple episodes of The Simpsons, doing parodies of himself and his reclusiveness. He's also still active as a writer, doing reviews in the New York Times and other shit. He is a normal dude. Fuck this shit is weird. He obviously would rather lead a normal life instead of being interviewed for the "meanings" behind his books. Fuck this dude.

[pauls1]

"We look for the code, we look for the meaning..."

It's just a guy walking down the street for Pete's sake! This video is just about as creepy as anything you'll find in Gravity's Rainbow if you ask me!

[filmerado]

I saw Pynchon one row behind me at a Jim Knipfel book reading & signing in NYC in 2002. He approached the author but didn't blow his cover.

But, yeah, regular guy, his neighbors call him Tommy.

[buskotteke]

then how do you know it was Pynchon?

[WandaTheGermanMaid]

He smelled it, hehe just joking :D But honestly, leave Mr. Pynchon alone, please.

[cornbruiser]

I met Pynchon once. Nice, average guy.

[Manwithcam]

So is this actually footage of him? Because I read somewhere a while back that there was some debate as to whether or not it was.

[Manwithcam]

I've read about this CNN footage. I share a deep interest in the whole Pynchon-mythology, but I think you're digging too deep. Sure, it's neat to see him, just because there isnt supposed to be any recent photos or footage. But he is just a man, after all.

[ichbinderausgang]

...............looks like stephen king

[punchandjudas]

hideous fawning nasal pusillanimous psuedo-profound analysis from podgy pig (badpig) with prurient hands in his pants.

[jsn1981]

i'm suprised this creepazoid didn't start tossing off to his footage. kill yourself, loser.

[samuelsackeroff]

Here here barriaga

[barriaga]

This narrator's a creep...analyzing his clothes and face, etc. Although Pynchon is a literary genius I really get the feeling that he would really be a very normal guy, except for the fact that he just happens to be perhaps the greatest writer of the second half of the 20th century.

[NickJones55]

I've no interest in bothering the man, but I am fascinated by him. I'd like to meet him, buy him lunch, and just hang with him for an afternoon.

He's 69 now, and I hope he has at least one more book in him. And I'd love to see him break his prohibition against pictures and interviews just once to do an hour with Charlie Rose.

[tomdedust]

jeez maybe he doesn't want people doing this to him would you appreciate it if i spied on you every minute give them man some freackin privacy

[aztiff]

yeah thats him in 92, so what

[mechuckknoblauch]

pynchon is my spades partner. we beat up on danielle steele and scooby doo

[sanspoint]

Jesus Christ, let the fucking man ALONE. Pynchon is deserving of privacy. Let him communicate with us in his books.

[snewhous]

narrator is creepy. Pynchon rules and gravity's rainbow is the best

[skidoo2323]

uahuhauha... I wonder what the good´n old Tom thinks about this....uhehe..this fucking sociopath looks just like any paranoid character out of one of his books. By the way, Against the Day is another masterpiece.

[SconeMason]

I wish people would leave the man alone. We have his peerless body of work, why do we need to "expose" him if he has no interest in it? If Pynchon asks not to be photographed, the least we could do in this paprazzi societ is leave the man alone. Read his books and be done with it. Do you think that this is going to win some kind of prize? You will forever be on TP's shit list, probably at the top. Why would you want that?

[okeyeye]

Search 'forensic artist Mancusi's Pynchon'

to see my possible later TP-sighting

It begins: "Pynchon's world is a place of chance, serendipity and constant coincidence." --Hey, me too!

[SconeMason]

This video certainly confirms Pynchon's own complaint "every weirdo in the world is on my wavelength"

[SconeMason]

hommage, actually there is talk that he wrote the first draft of Gravity's Rainbow in long hand.

[dramallama48]

And on engineering paper, no less.

[hommageakerouac]

"In the pocket, we see a pen. Good news, he's still writing."

He writes on a typewriter, though.

[olahula]

"We start to look for the code" hahaha

[decadentcherub]

the narrator is scary...

[azkarraga]

just imagine he really is him...

i guess i just don't wanna see him