Subject: Re: Philip K. Dick parallels in Twin Peaks
From: tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM (Tom Neff)
Date: 1990-10-10, 01:22
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

In article <8050@gollum.twg.com> james@twg.com (James Marshall) writes:
> >Doesn't the whole bit of getting messages in dreams from outer space
> >aliens kind of reek of ALL of Philip K. Dick's later works?  I mean,
> >that seemed to be his whole theme near the end.

(Dreams from outer space) usually == (dreams from God) in the late PKD
oeuvre.  They certainly are a handy narrative tool.  Dick hardly had a
monopoly on it of course.

The things that seem most Dickian about TWIN PEAKS are its willingness
to invoke the spiritual as a key story element, and its concentration on
the individual quirks of "little" people.  Those things resonate, as
does the tendency to spin out endlessly complex Byzantine intrigue in
layer after layer as the series progresses.  I'm sure Phil would have
enjoyed the show.

Most unlike PKD is the proliferation of truly stupid characters (there
are hardly any in Dick's work), and the lack of articulate revelation
into Cooper's character and inner motivation.  A true Dick narrator is
chatty, introspective and empathic.  Think how much we know about Rick
Deckard, Jason Taverner, Angel Archer or "Phil Dick"/Horselover Fat in
only a few chapters.

Now, if Cooper started quoting St Paul and the Dead Sea Scrolls instead
of all this Tibet stuff... :-)

> >(Has anyone else read Philip K. Dick?)

I will revive the PKD mailing list shortly.  Look for an announcement.

-- "Just the fax, ma'am." o..oo Tom Neff -- John McClane .oo.. tneff@bfmny0.BFM.COM