Sunday, March 11, 2007

"All Tomorrow's Parties:" Titular Significance

The title of our final course text, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties, has its genesis in the first single by the influential 60s cult band Velvet Underground comprising Lou Reed (who wrote the song), Nico, and John Cale. Click here for the song lyrics.
There is further circularity, by the bye, in that band having taken the title of a bizarre book for their name.

1 comment:

Adam Nowek said...

I've noticed that he seems to be influenced by music, and vice versa. The title, for instance, brings in the Velvet Underground and, for myself, Apoptygma Berzerk, an industrial band which covered the song, and whose version I think fits better with reading the novel. The "opiate for the masses" phrase is the name of a relatively unimportant rock band these days, as well. The way Gibson phrases things just seems to have a musical resonance.