Bladerunner would be forgettable without the soundtrack.

[SODDI]

So did Philip K.Dick also invent cyberpunk? In 1968? I always knew he was a genius!!

Dick was primarily preoccupied with the nature of both human identity and reality, and there was very little of what would normally be associated with Cyberpunk in DADoES. Maze of Death from '68 does include references to a virtual reality, though, the mechanism behind the shifts of reality the protagonists unknowingly experience.

Its not alone for addressing VR in that timeperiod; for example Ben Bova's "The Duellng Machine" detailed immersive VR in 1969.

For some reason William Gibson's 'Neuromancer' seems to get the credit for 'inventing' the concept, yet Blade Runner (and of course DADoES) predates it.

Realistically it is probably something that has no point of origin and only the term has a point of origin.

The works of Dick have often been cited, yet if we look at it in terms of the use of future technology in media, I have heard a convincing argument that Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' is a forerunner of the concept.

I think the only thing we can really say with any certainty is where the term originated from.

Bruce Bethke coined the phrase as a title for a 1983 short story. I always thought it was Bruce Sterling, but I looked it up...

There are plenty of SF precedents for the cyberpunk "movement" - Brunner's "Shockwave Rider", 1975 is a real good example.

Dick's hand-picked heir apparent K.W. Jeter wrote a very Dickian pre-movement cyberpunk novel "Dr. Adder" in 1972. It barely saw the light of day until a publisher horny for "cyberpunk" cachet re-published it in 1984. He went on to write two excellent, more mainstream SF sorta c-punk novels, "The Glass Hammer" and "Farewell Horizontal", seriously recommended. He now writes movie and TV tie-ins - and the "Blade Runner" sequels.

But, only in my very personal opinion, Dick is NOT the progenitor of the cyberpunk movement. Gibson's work always seemed more equal parts Chandler and Norbert Weiner. Dick's stuff seems to me to be much more nuanced, personal and (here I get into trouble) delicate. Speed-freak surrealism.

My favorite Dick novel is "A Scanner Darkly", which, depending on your mood could be major c-punk or closer to real literature. His most major work was "The Man in the High Castle", the perfection of the alternate history genre. Notice no one has dared take that on for a movie.

Cyberpunk was mainly used as a book marketing term and by naive young rock bands. Then there was "spatterpunk". And don't even get me started on "steampunk".

[hibidy]

Didn't read a "scanner darkly" but loved "man in the high castle"

There is a series coming out, I wonder if it will be shit or good?

[SODDI]

Didn't read a "scanner darkly" but loved "man in the high castle"

There is a series coming out, I wonder if it will be shit or good?

I had not heard about that... it would be best as a limited series, but after what I've seen of the Dick adaptations I'm not going to hope too much.

When the original "Total Recall" came out, I think it was Baird Searles who pointed out that if cast according to Dick, your typical Dick hero would look more like Woody Allen than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" is the best of all Dick adaptations - if you can get over the cinematic technique. Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant and I suspect he may have lived some of this story. It is a very sad story.

[hibidy]

I was turned off by it for some reason and didn't watch it. Not sure why. I'll look into it.

@blade runner: Let's face it, "do androids dream" is really a treat to read. Not over long or drawn out. Very much leads the imagination running wild. I think they did a good job of adapting it for modern cinema and that imagination side. That's just me.

[camsr]

"You're in your bedroom, staring at the bookshelf, when all of a sudden you spot a book"

"What one?"

"What?"

"What book?"

"It doesn't make any difference what book, they made it into a motion picture."

"But, how come it'd be there?"

"Maybe you like books. Maybe you want to enjoy the story by yourself. Who knows? You look down and see the cover page, Leon, it is embossed..."

"Cover page, what's that?"

"Do you know what a book is?"

"Of course!"

"Same thing..."

"I've never read the book... but I know it's there."

"You flip the book over on it's face, Leon."

"Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden? Or do they pay you to ask them?"

"The book is turned on it's cover, it's backside boiling under the desklamp, beating it's legs trying to turn itself over, but it won't. Not without your volition."

"What do you mean I'm not reading it?"

"I mean, you're not reading it. Why is that Leon?"

[Leon has become visibly shaken]

"They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response... Shall we continue?"

[whyterabbyt]

There are plenty of SF precedents for the cyberpunk "movement" - Brunner's "Shockwave Rider", 1975 is a real good example.

Yup, I mentioned it earlier.

Dick's hand-picked heir apparent K.W. Jeter wrote a very Dickian pre-movement cyberpunk novel "Dr. Adder" in 1972. It barely saw the light of day until a publisher horny for "cyberpunk" cachet re-published it in 1984. He went on to write two excellent, more mainstream SF sorta c-punk novels, "The Glass Hammer" and "Farewell Horizontal", seriously recommended. He now writes movie and TV tie-ins - and the "Blade Runner" sequels.

Ive got about a dozen of his books, including those mentioned. Dr Adder is, erm, interesting. I love it, although I imagine a lot of folk would find it difficult. PKD, of course, makes a guest appearance. Farewell Horizontal is also excellent.
His first two sequels to Bladerunnner are well worth reading, Ive mentioned them before several times as they (fairly successfully, IMO) attempt to retcon BR with many elements of DADoES.

His most major work was "The Man in the High Castle", the perfection of the alternate history genre. Notice no one has dared take that on for a movie.

<cough>

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740299/

[whyterabbyt]

Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" is the best of all Dick adaptations - if you can get over the cinematic technique. Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant and I suspect he may have lived some of this story. It is a very sad story.

I'll happily agree with that.

[robogone]

Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" is the best of all Dick adaptations - if you can get over the cinematic technique. Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant and I suspect he may have lived some of this story. It is a very sad story.

I'll happily agree with that.

That's been on my 'to do' list for a while - I really need to get round to it.

[SODDI]

As for poor old PDK and music, he loved Linda Rondstadt. I mean loved in a creepy stalker kind of way. Todd Machover invented the MIDI Glove for performing his 1987 opera "Valis", based on Dick's novel.

Dick was a thoroughly disreputable man, a self-described "flipped-out freak", an often brilliant prolific writer and constantly broke; I have no doubt that all the Hollywood types sucking on his literary corpse for profit (and most of the people who watch movies based on his writing) would not give him the time of day if they were to meet him in person.

The afterword to "A Scanner Darkly": http://onak.blogspot.com/2008/08/scanne ... -full.html. Take the time to read this, please.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

"You're in your bedroom, staring at the bookshelf, when all of a sudden you spot a book"

"What one?"

"What?"

"What book?"

"It doesn't make any difference what book, they made it into a motion picture."

"But, how come it'd be there?"

"Maybe you like books. Maybe you want to enjoy the story by yourself. Who knows? You look down and see the cover page, Leon, it is embossed..."

"Cover page, what's that?"

"Do you know what a book is?"

"Of course!"

"Same thing..."

"I've never read the book... but I know it's there."

"You flip the book over on it's face, Leon."

"Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden? Or do they pay you to ask them?"

"The book is turned on it's cover, it's backside boiling under the desklamp, beating it's legs trying to turn itself over, but it won't. Not without your volition."

"What do you mean I'm not reading it?"

"I mean, you're not reading it. Why is that Leon?"

[Leon has become visibly shaken]

"They're just questions, Leon. In answer to your query, they're written down for me. It's a test, designed to provoke an emotional response... Shall we continue?"

[ghettosynth]

This thread is starting to look like it's going to need a soundtrack.

[hibidy]

I'll do the seven string guitar parts

[SODDI]

I'll do the splosions.

[ghettosynth]

I'll do the splosions.

You gots to have splosions!

[SODDI]

I say Michael Bay should do the sequel. He cain't go 5 minutes without a splosion!

Chris Evans as the young Deckerd, Mena Suvari in the Sean Young role, Vince Vaughan as Tyrell and Jack Black as J. F. Sebastian. Probably Danny Trejo as Gaff.

No replicunts, giant flying robots! With photon torpedo eyes.

And, of course, Skrillex is the only fit replacement for Vangelis on soundtrack duties. They both only got one name.