Rating:  Summary: Nothing else on earth like it, mercifully... Review: After trying a number of different ways to go about getting the very best out of a reading "The Principia", I've come to one unalterable conclusion. First, you must outfit a room with a minimum of three (maximum of ten) semi-literate, indicriminitely socialabe types or, failing that, fans of *any* style, school or brand of satirical writings, mystical/philosophical manifestos or unorthodox occult tomes (sometime just a group that's sick to death of talking politics will do in a pinch.) and lock the doors. Ply your gathering with as much alcohol as they can safely consume (or you can reasonably afford.) Print out one of those pirated mss. of the "Principia" that's been running around on BBSes all over the English speaking world for the past 5 years or more and start reading it in rounds. You'll discover that there's really no other way to read it than in rounds because sooner or later, the poor person who takes his/her turn is going to wind up on the floor in paroxysms of laughter and somebody's going to have to grab it away from them before they roll all over it and either rip, crumble or mess the paper up so much so that all the pages will be out of order. The real trick here is to get beyond more than just, say, the first 20 pages. It's too much to ask of any one group of reasonably intelligent people with at least passibly good senses of humor to do more than that. Provide time for a "cooling down" period, like they do in aerobics of at least 45 minutes after everybody's given up trying to get through 'just one more paragraph! Please!' Also, just one last quick side note. There's no point in assigning designated drivers to get everybody home that night, whether they've had anything to drink or not. It's just not safe turning people loose on the highway after reading like this. Better to just borrow alot of blankets from your neighbors (or ask your guests to bring their own) and letting everybody sack out whereever they can find a comfortable place. But, for Eris' sake, DON'T mention to your guests how hard the book is to actually find or special order. Don't that is, unless you're quite prepared to run through a couple of reams of printer paper, ALL in one sitting... Naturally, now that the book's finally back in print, there's no good reason not to buy it. Wilson richly deserves the royalties and your printer will definitely live longer. Besides: when's the last time you saw a computer printout of a fabulous book on anybody's coffee table? What's more, what you're invariably going to spend on printer paper is alot less than just biting the bullet and buying the damned book...
Rating:  Summary: How do you rate a Bible? Review: GREATER POOP:Is Eris True? MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER:Everything is True. GP:Even False things? MAL-2:Even False things are True. GP:How can this be? MAL-2:I don't know man, I didn't do it.Discordianism, we don't mind if you have other gods, we don't want your eternal soul, fnord, if you don't want to join we probably won't recruit you. But, for those who have glimpsed our lady of the void, she what done it all, Lady Chaos, Eris, Discordianism is as True a philosophy as any other and gauranteed to be at least 134.6% more fun than gouging your eyes out with a rusty spork. Or Christianity for that matter.
Rating:  Summary: Distilled Mindgroove Review: The Principia Discordia (or affectionately "the principia") will set you mind a-groovin`. Incredibly funny, Incredibly playful. It's a cosmic experience definately. A large inspiration to my band Screwtape (members.tripod.com/~skrewtape). If everybody read this book and got just a little bit of it, the world would be a much more fun place. forty six & 2, just ahead of me.
Rating:  Summary: Yes, yes, we all know RAW is not Mal2... Review: This book (I say truthfully) is the key to enlightenment. Or maybe that's a blatant lie. Buy everything Wilson has ever wrote and sqeeze it into your narrow Aristotlean brain. And don't forget to thank me.
Rating:  Summary: one of my favorites Review: I owned this book for a brief period a few years ago. Then my world civilazations teacher asked where I was getting my 'bizarre' outlook from so I let her 'borrow' it. She burned it I think in a sacrifice to what some call 'reality'. A definate must-read for those who've been told to sit down and behave. It's a comic book (that could be a lie, consult your pineal gland) but it's really the truth (talk to your friend, mr. pineal gland again.)
Rating:  Summary: NOT written by Robert Anton Wilson, but it should have been Review: As others have pointed out, this is not an R.A.W. book, but much of his writing and philosophy stems from it. In actuality, it was written by Kerry Thornley, a 60s Berkeley radical, who himself became a victim of the type of conspiracies Wilson parodied in many of his other works. That said, I recommend the "Principia" for anyone with a sense of humor. This is a work that will have you rolling off your chair at every turn. But, whether it's parody or not, you'll never be sure. Taking the form of the official tract and tenets of a non-existent (?) religion, it points out in a gonzo, agit-prop way the flaws and foibles of all religions that try to nail down the "Truth." If you've read "Illuminatus!" then you'll recognize a lot of the rules that appear here. If you haven't, then this book is a good primer. The first time through, pretend it's all real. Subsequent times, enjoy the joke. In any case, it's something that needs to be read by people in the 90s, the decade that pretends to be oh too hip and beyond it all, but which, in reality, takes itself far too seriously for anyone's good. Hail Eris! All Hail Discordia! And all that jazz...
Rating:  Summary: Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted Review: Although not written by R.A. Wilson, it fits that this title should come up when doing a search on said writer, as it is mentioned in nearly every novel he's put out. Read this book. Learn this book. Know this book. Then, perhaps, you too will find the Goddess, and share in the Malaclyptic experience. Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. Hail Eris - All Hail Discordia - KALLISTI
Rating:  Summary: a blessed-o-teric wonderland of fanciful truths Review: just as lying and 'magical' as any other religious text... just... shorter. and it's got all of the other stuff. i mean... the bagavad was so long... y'know. also, 'cos it's short, it has got less of the author's comment in it... which is good for a religious text
Rating:  Summary: Better than Jesus Review: I love this book. everything is true. everything is a lie. consult your penial gland. all and nothing will be revealed. THIS holy book will not leave you ignorant like some others (or does it?). THIS one won't condemn you (or will it?). Read it to find out!
Rating:  Summary: NOT written by R.A. Wilson - still great! Review: This book is NOT written by Wilson (he is friends with the author, but had no contribution to the book itself). Great book, though, and Wilson fans should be able to appreciate it.
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