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From: Allan C. Weisbecker
Date: Wed 21 Jul 1999 - 23:56:00 IST
To John, James, Steve "Scooter", and any and all of you twisted Banditos and
Banditas in webland, whatever your nom de guerre.
I'll only be at this address for the next 2 or 3 days, after which I''ll be
off to parts unknown -- but I think any messages will be forwarded to another
friend in that area. Anyway, I MUCHO appreciate your interest in and support
for my book. MUCH0. Truly gladdens my heart.
I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have, either about
the book or about me -- rumors of my secretiveness are greatly exaggerated.
One question I would expect I'll answer now: some of the events in the book
were in fact based on occurrences in my real life. Much more about that in my
upcoming book, In Search of Captain Zero, which will hopefully be out next
year. I say this not to drum up business for the thing -- I'm not much
financially motivated in the things I do -- but only to say that at some
point my whole sordid past will be out there for everyone to see.
Anyway, fire away if you're so motivated. If you don't immediately hear from
me, it's only because I'm incommunicado, netwise (I don't have my own modem
so must rely on the kindness of others).
One thing (I mentioned this in my previous message): My literary agent and I
are trying to get CB back in print and are in need of any evidence that the
book has a following. Your group is a perfect example of this. Any other
evidence -- even small stuff, anecdotal stuff, personal reactions -- would be
a help in impressing the powers-that-be that a reissue of the book would make
them a buck. I first became aware of the following through amazon.com's
reader reviews, which, as with you guys, was very gratifying.
If any of you are so inclined, adding your comments to the amazon.com Cosmic
Banditos page would be a help -- everyone who takes the time to do so
represents many more people out there who would buy the book.
In trying to secure copies of the book for publishers, I also found out how
valuable the damn thing is: this guy at a used book store in L.A. also quoted
me 100 bucks. Without telling him who I was, I got into an amusing
conversation with the fellow about why it's going for so much. At one point
he conspiratorily tells me that "the rumor is that A. C. Weisbecker doesn't
exist." This came as a bit of shock to both myself and my mother, but an
explanation was forthcoming: "Thomas Pynchon wrote it," he assured me.
Also, I'm hoping to get the files of your previous communications regarding
the book. I've found other people's interpretations of it very valuable in
terms of my own understanding of what I was trying to do in writing it --
aside from making the reader laugh, which is the most important thing any
writer can do, in my view. Makin' 'em cry, that's a piece of cake.
Look: From my point of view, the thing is simply about people who stick
together, a phenomenon I've found all too rare in real life. That's the
fantasy. That's what the Bandito myth I tried to create is about. But again
-- and I really believe this -- your views are as valid as mine. And the
stranger the better.
Okay. Looking forward to hearing from you -- and to getting the files.
A. C. Weisbecker (call me Allan)
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