Five questions for Joseph Matheny

Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Blog, Internet resources, online reading groups, articles and interviews, Illuminatus! info.

Episode 31: Joseph Matheny – Multidisciplinary Artist

Original post: http://www.rawillumination.net/2024/03/five-questions-for-joseph-matheny.html

If you haven't listened to it yet, the new Hilaritas podcast interview of Joseph Matheny is one of the best since I began listening to the podcast series. It's interesting and entertaining, and Mike Gathers does his usual good job of posing the questions and commenting.

The episode was to promote the new edition of Reality Is What You Can Get Away With, which Joseph wrote the introduction for. As I mentioned the other day, Rasa is happy with the ebook edition, so you can buy it now, but the paperback edition still has a few bugs to squish, and Rasa recommends that people who want the paperback wait until they are fixed. I'll tell you when it's OK to buy the paperback. 

Mike is apparently pretty happy with how things went with the podcast, too, because on X, he wrote that his three favorite podcast episodes so far are the interview with Mr. Matheny and interviews with John Higgs and Lon Milo DuQuette. Browse all of the podcasts here. 

The official Joseph Matheny website has lots of information and goodies, so check it out. 

After I listened to the  interview, episode 31 in the podcast series, I had a few things I was curious about, and Joseph kindly agreed to take my follow-up questions. So as an appendix to the podcast, here are five questions and answers. Please note the links!

You mention on the podcast that you eventually found out why Robert Anton Wilson didn't drive. Would you like to share?

MATHENY: He simply said, "Salvador Dali didn't drive." I left it at that. Later I found out it was in part due to his legs being unreliable due to his childhood polio. The car in question was a stick shift, but I don't know if that played a part. Maybe he never learned to drive at all, like I said, his answer was good enough for me.

You said there have only been about four movies that once you watched them, you had to immediately see them again. What were the four?

MATHENY: Naked Lunch, Liquid Sky, Jacob's Ladder, Altered States. Come to think of it, I stayed for another showing of Simon with Alan Arkin too. [Note: The 1990 version of Jacob's Ladder is being recommended, NOT the remake.]

Are there any RAW books particularly meaningful to you, aside from Cosmic Trigger and Reality is What You Can Get Away With? [There's a lot of discussion of those two in the podcast.]

MATHENY: Of course, Illuminatus!, I loved The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, Right Where You Are Sitting Now and Prometheus Rising.

As far as "RAW Material," the show notes link to 'The I in the Triangle" and I have been linking on the blog to the "Lost Studio Session," is there anything else you want to point to? [I am referring to lectures and interviews of Robert Anton Wilson that Joseph produced].

MATHENY: You could point to TAZ and a YouTube version. 

What's the update on the definitive version of Ong's Hat?

MATHENY: It's called Ong's Hat: Compleat and it should will be out next year. 

I'm also still promoting  The Liminal Cycle, a trilogy I finished last year.