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My backwards discovery of Philip K. Dick


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My backwards discovery of Philip K. Dick
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murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2006-05-09, 14:31

So I read A Scanner Darkly a couple of weeks ago after watching the trailer online. It looked pretty cool, and I had just read a Wired article about the making of the movie.

The book was really good. I actually read some reviews of the book before I read it, and a few people said there were parts of it that made them laugh out loud, and of course I thought they were full of shit. Well I’m reading the book at midnight with everyone else in bed, laughing hard at the 9 foot tall walking block of Afghanistan hash worth eight trillion dollars screaming at the Eskimos, and putting the thing down several times to try and stop myself from waking the kids up. I’m thinking “Damn, this guy is a pretty good writer. I wonder if he’s written anything else good.”

And now yeah, all of you science fiction guys are sitting back and laughing at me. That’s cool. I’ll admit I ain’t usually much for the readin’ n’ stuff. Science fiction? Pfft.

Anyway, I was at the library last week stocking up on CDs to copy listen to, and I thought I’d stroll down and see what other books they had of his. There were 3 books full of short stories, so I took the first one out. I’ve been reading them off and on for a few days. Last night’s bedtime story was a cool one named Paycheck, which I thought was good. Kind of a neat storyline, and better than most others that I’ve read in the book so far.

Man, I’m kind of behind the times, eh? I realized this morning that it was already made into a movie starring Ben Affleck. Well, that’s why I never recognized it! If it were anyone else starring in the movie, I’d have probably seen it.

Oh yeah, and he also wrote Minority Report… and Blade Runner. Yeah. A few of you just might know who this guy is.

Anyway, this thread is just to amuse you with how out of touch I am with this shit, and to say that this guy is actually turning me into a… *gasp*… READER OF PICTURELESS BOOKS. You have no idea what a feat this is.

Considering the audience here, me admitting such ignorance is probably like a 15 year old saying to their dad “hey dad I discovered this really cool band… ever hear of the Rolling Stones??”

Well, back to my book.

  quote
Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-05-09, 14:33

ROTFL

Welcome to the fold, brother!

Yeah, Dick is great. I really like Dick. Dick makes me happy.





Hmm.
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ghoti
owner for sale by house
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Charlotte, NC
 
2006-05-09, 14:35

Welcome to AppleNova, murbot!
  quote
Wrao
Yarp
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Road Warrior
 
2006-05-09, 14:36

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
ROTFL

Welcome to the fold, brother!

Yeah, Dick is great. I really like Dick. Dick makes me happy.





Hmm.
Does he make you wii?
  quote
murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2006-05-09, 14:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
ROTFL

Welcome to the fold, brother!
I knew you'd be the first one in here, you geek.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha
Yeah, Dick is great. I really like Dick. Dick makes me happy.
Dude, did you lose the URL for the clinic?

  quote
murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2006-05-09, 14:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by ghoti
D'OH!!!

Dammit.
  quote
drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2006-05-09, 15:50

Wait until we get you to read some Cordwainer Smith....
  quote
Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-05-09, 15:52

Mmmm... Smith.

I loves me some Cordwainer Smith. Truly one of the most innovative writers few have heard of.
  quote
drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2006-05-09, 15:55

Should we even tell him about Hockey McStrutson's EpiWhen Universe? You know how much he likes hockey.
  quote
Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2006-05-09, 15:56

Quote:
Originally Posted by murbot
I knew you'd be the first one in here, you geek.

Duh.

Quote:
Dude, did you lose the URL for the clinic?

See, this is why everyone uses his *full name*.
  quote
RacerX
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-05-09, 16:15

I enjoyed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (which was the very loose basis of Blade Runner). My absolute favorite is Eye in the Sky.

The thing that one should keep in mind is that it is rare that a movie can capture the essence of a Dick story line. The stories are usually way too deep and play with reality too much for a movie to do the story justice.

Of the Dick stories made into movies so far, the one that does the best job being Dickian in nature is Total Recall... and that was by accident! The short story was not one of my favorite Dick stories and the movie doesn't follow the story all that closely... but the fact that it leaves the viewer wondering what is and is not real is the quality I have always loved in his novels and short stories.

Movies based on Dick stories that I can recall off hand...
Blade Runner
Total Recall
Minority Report
Paycheck
I started reading Dick novels back around 1979 or 1980, and he is the only writer I have read any amount of work from.
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2006-05-09, 16:36

My favorite Philip K. Dick novel is "Time Out of Joint." I've never read it, but The Truman Show is so incredibly close to being based off of it, it counts.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
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Robo
Formerly Roboman, still
awesome
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
 
2006-05-09, 16:38

Quote:
Originally Posted by RacerX
Movies based on Dick stories that I can recall off hand...
Blade Runner
Total Recall
Minority Report
Paycheck
There are a few more than that. You missed, of course, the upcoming "A Scanner Darkly," and there was a lame 90's flick called "Screamers" that was based (loosely) on one of his stories.

And, of course, there was the almost-Dickian "The Truman Show," which I've already mentioned.

and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong
  quote
RacerX
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
 
2006-05-09, 16:45

Well, those were the ones I could remember... I knew that there were many more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roboman
And, of course, there was the almost-Dickian "The Truman Show," which I've already mentioned.
The most Dickian movie I've seen recently was Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind... that was both a story worthy of being written by Dick and a great example of how some of the Dick stories could be brought to film now.
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murbot
Hoonigan
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Canada
 
2018-08-22, 14:45

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
Yeah, Dick is great. I really like Dick. Dick makes me happy.
I always figured you might be an android.



Damn long book titles.
  quote
drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2018-08-22, 22:32

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

I love you dicks.




...
  quote
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