David Gill (37) lehrt kreatives Schreiben und Literaturwissenschaft an der San Francisco State University. Er lebt mit seiner Familie in Oakland, Kalifornien, gut fünf Meilen entfernt von dem Apartment, in welchem Philip K. Dick bis 1964 lebte. Seine Masterarbeit schrieb über Dick, seit nunmehr 15 Jahren beschäftigt er sich mit dem Autor. Aktuelles dazu könnt ihr auf seinem Blog nachlesen. Ich hatte die Gelegenheit, ihm zu PKD und "Radio Free Albemuth" einige Fragen zu stellen.
The many parallels between the real Philip K. Dick and both of the narrators are striking. Furthermore, in his novel dick is repeatedly making references to the bible. Do you think that Dick uses books as a mass medium to spread a spiritual message?
In 1974 PKD had what he called a series of 'mystical experiences', involving what he perceived to be a supernatural communication with a superior intelligence. I think Radio Free Albemuth was, at least in part, an attempt on Dick's part to try to come to grips with that experience, to try to determine what he had perceived accurately, and what he may have added to his reality.
With the exception of a short story called "Orpheus with Clay Feet", RFA is the first text where Philip K Dick is a character, and of course the book is very autobiographical. I think it is a mistake, however, to chalk this book up to pure autobiography. Dick is clearly writing a science fiction novel, and as such is embellishing the story, altering it to suit his dramatic purposes, not just therapeutic ones.
So what kind of message does the book carry?
I think PKD thought words were very powerful. Books, in many ways, were alive to him. This is something my friend and fellow Dickhead Erik Davis [1] helped me to understand. Insofar as books can change the world around them (by influencing their readers, calling them to make the changes) I guess I agree. Our Universe is made out of information, organized by our brains. That is not to say THE Universe exists in our minds, but this is the only place we can understand the Universe: reconstructed in our heads. Wouldn't you like to know how this operation works? What part of our reality do we perceive, and what part we construct, separate from external stimulus? The fact that we can never get an objective sense for what we perceive accurately and what we add to our reality (either through error, or unconscious desire, or influence) can be terrifying.
Speaking of stimulus and complex brain operations, we had long discussions about the relation between Nicholas and VALIS. Nicholas is willing to shake his life completely up and in the end, he even sacrifices himself for the purpose of helping VALIS. Do you think he act on his free will or is he being programmed by VALIS?
I'm going to cop out of answering this one by simply saying, I don't think there's a clear answer provided by the text, and, therefore PKD probably wanted us to wonder about this individually rather than to come to a consensus solution. If you decide on your own, though, have you answered for yourself or has PKD pushed you to arrive at this conclusion? The problem admits to no solution.
Indeed the intentions of VALIS and the government are of different nature, however, both of them communicate in a similar manner: hierarchically from top to bottom, with no feedback possible. both are willing to sacrifice humans for their purposes. Do you think that VALIS portrays an example of "positive" manipulation?
Yeah, I guess I do. I think PKD makes it pretty clear that the authoritarian society depicted is a dystopian one; anything that helps us transcend this bad world should probably be considered a positive manipulation. But since, like the media, we have no real sense for the agenda that VALIS may be pursuing, we should also be skeptical of its motivations.
Do you think that valis represents a metaphore? Or, taking this thought even further: that valis is god himself?
Yes I think VALIS is a metaphor. I think science fiction often operates by literalizing the figurative. VALIS is a supernatural force that brings wisdom to the world. Of course so do science fiction books (PKD's in particular) so the metaphor operates on many leves: autobiographically, allowing PKD to seperate the part of his personality that believed his supernatural experiences were legitimate, and the part of him that was skeptical of them; there is also a historical metaphor at work, drawing connections between tyranny and the desire for freedom: two forces that have been at war since the beginning of civilization. Finally, as I hinted above, VALIS, as an information source, is remarkably similar to the author: transmitting information.
Which information about the mass media do Dicks stories transmit? What's the authors stance on mass media?
Dick once said "If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who use the words." Dick, I think agrees with Orwell, that language can both reveal AND conceal our intents. As such, we must be wary, as corporate media pursues a fundamentally corporate agenda (if I may insert my own opinion for a moment). What's scary is that the media adds a layer to our perception of reality, by telling us how they see the world. Now we must not only contend with what we may have perceived accurately, as well as what we may have led ourselves to perceive, but we must also try to determine how accurately the media is perceiving reality, and what they may be adding to that reality in pursuit of their own agenda.
That's actually another issue the book deals with: Manipulation. Ferris F. Freemont's government censors and manipulates the mass media. Why do you think that those in power are so frightened by popular culture?
Probably because they need us more than we need them. It may be hard to see, but it's a symbiotic relationship between the government and its citizenry. Too often, I think (again, my own opinion) it's easier for the government to change the way they sell us their plans, than it is to come up with good plans. Because there is deceit involved in this transaction, it engenders fear among its perpetrators.
Why should „Radio Free Albemuth“ still be read? How does it relate to the present?
Because it's important to understand that there are parts of our lives which are uncertain, uncategorizable, morally ambiguous, and it is at these moments when our humanity is tested. Will we extinguish the complexity for an easy answer, or will we challenge ourselves to se the Universe from as many viewpoints as we can imagine? Will we struggle with the solution, or the problem? While the book is about the adventures of others, in a parallel universe, it depicts our own struggle with certainty, with freedom, and with right action. And does it in a way that embraces our humanity rather than running from it.
Lastly, I hope you don't mind me asking a personal question: What is it that fascinates you so much about the literature of Philip K. Dick? How did you discover his works?
I discovered PKD's writing when a roommate gave me a copy of A Scanner Darkly at 18. I guess one of the reasons I've studied PKD for so long is that the more I learn about him, about history, about literature, about PKD's life and the books he read, the more I feel like I 'get' the books. Also, Dick's work has served as a role model for me, helping me transition from a selfish young man into an adult who cares about the people around him. I have found empathy, striving to see the world from other people's perspectives, has helped me as a teacher, a father, a husband, a man, and a human being. I've learned that what is real is, put simply, that which we are sincerely and emotionally invested in. Our concern for others makes them real, and us human. Now, I find it incredibly fulfilling when I pass those lessons on to my students through PKD's books....
David, thank you for this interview.
[1] hier gebraucht im Sinne von Philip-K.-Dick-Fan, David Gill selbst nennt sich "a total dickhead"
In 1974 PKD had what he called a series of 'mystical experiences', involving what he perceived to be a supernatural communication with a superior intelligence. I think Radio Free Albemuth was, at least in part, an attempt on Dick's part to try to come to grips with that experience, to try to determine what he had perceived accurately, and what he may have added to his reality.
With the exception of a short story called "Orpheus with Clay Feet", RFA is the first text where Philip K Dick is a character, and of course the book is very autobiographical. I think it is a mistake, however, to chalk this book up to pure autobiography. Dick is clearly writing a science fiction novel, and as such is embellishing the story, altering it to suit his dramatic purposes, not just therapeutic ones.
So what kind of message does the book carry?
I think PKD thought words were very powerful. Books, in many ways, were alive to him. This is something my friend and fellow Dickhead Erik Davis [1] helped me to understand. Insofar as books can change the world around them (by influencing their readers, calling them to make the changes) I guess I agree. Our Universe is made out of information, organized by our brains. That is not to say THE Universe exists in our minds, but this is the only place we can understand the Universe: reconstructed in our heads. Wouldn't you like to know how this operation works? What part of our reality do we perceive, and what part we construct, separate from external stimulus? The fact that we can never get an objective sense for what we perceive accurately and what we add to our reality (either through error, or unconscious desire, or influence) can be terrifying.
Speaking of stimulus and complex brain operations, we had long discussions about the relation between Nicholas and VALIS. Nicholas is willing to shake his life completely up and in the end, he even sacrifices himself for the purpose of helping VALIS. Do you think he act on his free will or is he being programmed by VALIS?
I'm going to cop out of answering this one by simply saying, I don't think there's a clear answer provided by the text, and, therefore PKD probably wanted us to wonder about this individually rather than to come to a consensus solution. If you decide on your own, though, have you answered for yourself or has PKD pushed you to arrive at this conclusion? The problem admits to no solution.
Indeed the intentions of VALIS and the government are of different nature, however, both of them communicate in a similar manner: hierarchically from top to bottom, with no feedback possible. both are willing to sacrifice humans for their purposes. Do you think that VALIS portrays an example of "positive" manipulation?
Yeah, I guess I do. I think PKD makes it pretty clear that the authoritarian society depicted is a dystopian one; anything that helps us transcend this bad world should probably be considered a positive manipulation. But since, like the media, we have no real sense for the agenda that VALIS may be pursuing, we should also be skeptical of its motivations.
Do you think that valis represents a metaphore? Or, taking this thought even further: that valis is god himself?
Yes I think VALIS is a metaphor. I think science fiction often operates by literalizing the figurative. VALIS is a supernatural force that brings wisdom to the world. Of course so do science fiction books (PKD's in particular) so the metaphor operates on many leves: autobiographically, allowing PKD to seperate the part of his personality that believed his supernatural experiences were legitimate, and the part of him that was skeptical of them; there is also a historical metaphor at work, drawing connections between tyranny and the desire for freedom: two forces that have been at war since the beginning of civilization. Finally, as I hinted above, VALIS, as an information source, is remarkably similar to the author: transmitting information.
Which information about the mass media do Dicks stories transmit? What's the authors stance on mass media?
Dick once said "If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who use the words." Dick, I think agrees with Orwell, that language can both reveal AND conceal our intents. As such, we must be wary, as corporate media pursues a fundamentally corporate agenda (if I may insert my own opinion for a moment). What's scary is that the media adds a layer to our perception of reality, by telling us how they see the world. Now we must not only contend with what we may have perceived accurately, as well as what we may have led ourselves to perceive, but we must also try to determine how accurately the media is perceiving reality, and what they may be adding to that reality in pursuit of their own agenda.
That's actually another issue the book deals with: Manipulation. Ferris F. Freemont's government censors and manipulates the mass media. Why do you think that those in power are so frightened by popular culture?
Probably because they need us more than we need them. It may be hard to see, but it's a symbiotic relationship between the government and its citizenry. Too often, I think (again, my own opinion) it's easier for the government to change the way they sell us their plans, than it is to come up with good plans. Because there is deceit involved in this transaction, it engenders fear among its perpetrators.
Why should „Radio Free Albemuth“ still be read? How does it relate to the present?
Because it's important to understand that there are parts of our lives which are uncertain, uncategorizable, morally ambiguous, and it is at these moments when our humanity is tested. Will we extinguish the complexity for an easy answer, or will we challenge ourselves to se the Universe from as many viewpoints as we can imagine? Will we struggle with the solution, or the problem? While the book is about the adventures of others, in a parallel universe, it depicts our own struggle with certainty, with freedom, and with right action. And does it in a way that embraces our humanity rather than running from it.
Lastly, I hope you don't mind me asking a personal question: What is it that fascinates you so much about the literature of Philip K. Dick? How did you discover his works?
I discovered PKD's writing when a roommate gave me a copy of A Scanner Darkly at 18. I guess one of the reasons I've studied PKD for so long is that the more I learn about him, about history, about literature, about PKD's life and the books he read, the more I feel like I 'get' the books. Also, Dick's work has served as a role model for me, helping me transition from a selfish young man into an adult who cares about the people around him. I have found empathy, striving to see the world from other people's perspectives, has helped me as a teacher, a father, a husband, a man, and a human being. I've learned that what is real is, put simply, that which we are sincerely and emotionally invested in. Our concern for others makes them real, and us human. Now, I find it incredibly fulfilling when I pass those lessons on to my students through PKD's books....
David, thank you for this interview.
[1] hier gebraucht im Sinne von Philip-K.-Dick-Fan, David Gill selbst nennt sich "a total dickhead"
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