good movie, but the book is beeeeeettttteeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. actually the book is one of those rare beasts that deserve to be called profound.
just started reading through the 2000+ comments attached to this youtube. seems the combo of this beautiful song & the 'beauty' of how alex (chris) lived have conjoined to create their own profundity. lives changed by a youtube ... a-mazing :D
I mean to say, read the book, not seen the fillum. Love the soundtrack. Stirs up so many feeling rants I end up being flippant (prolly wasnt the berries, hey) Dont know if I want to crap on about my own early 20s existential backpacking thru hippy communities and os & living on air, or crack it with McCandless for not learning how to stay alive, or ponder a fabulously intelligent mate with aspergers whom I feel the urge to take care of from time to time (keeps cutting off contact with his olds...has an amaaazing relationship with his favourite philosophers... was the first person to put me on to McCandless last year) Meanwhile, check this traveller Dave Korn's scribblings in 4 parts on McCandless and his bus, if you haavent read them before: http://www.christophermccandless.info/into-the-wild-essays/david-korn-intothewild1.
wilmsy! so glad you mentioned the aspergers, for that's surely what plagued young mr supertramp. there is so much about the whole business that stirs up STUFF in so many. unlike the vast number of 'inspirational' jurneys to be had out there in "some shit went down so I'll make a killing by writing about it" land - this one sticks. and sticks. and sticks. is it the fact that when he said "bite me" to the world, he included every last one of us - even those who's own paths might have veered close to his, literally or metaphorically?
whatever the power of his life means, I still remember the impact of reading the book for the first time years and years ago. still undecided about the wisdom of filming it. could have been better, but could have been worserer, too.
...and will check out the film! Although, knowing how it ends, the story always twists the knife for me.. re Aspergers: maybe. I'm sure if Alex Supertramp were alive he would despise anyone who tried to impose a label on his (or anyones) behaviour. All I know is that my friend was/is very taken with the whole idea of heading off into the bush and not needing to conform to societal expectations; he related to the whole disassociating with relating and the need to think about it at all, at all...
good points, wilmsworth. he was just who he was. and I don't doubt for a minute that he'd despise every attempt to label. I imagine he'd even despise the "don't label him, man" lobbyists :D it was the job lot of us and our combined idiocy that sent him packing, after all. the finished tapestry held no beauty.
meanwhile, outta the mouths of babes. after giving an overview of the alex story to kid #2, recently, she replied, "oh, you mean like buddha?"
far out !
ReplyDeletejust started reading through the 2000+ comments attached to this youtube. seems the combo of this beautiful song & the 'beauty' of how alex (chris) lived have conjoined to create their own profundity. lives changed by a youtube ... a-mazing :D
DONT EAT THE BERRIES!
ReplyDeleteAND HANG OUT WITH YOUR MATES; THEY'RE GOOD FOR YOU TOO!
....love eddie's uke :)
ReplyDeleteI mean to say,
ReplyDeleteread the book, not seen the fillum. Love the soundtrack.
Stirs up so many feeling rants I end up being flippant (prolly wasnt the berries, hey)
Dont know if I want to crap on about my own early 20s existential backpacking thru hippy communities and os & living on air, or crack it with McCandless for not learning how to stay alive, or ponder a fabulously intelligent mate with aspergers whom I feel the urge to take care of from time to time (keeps cutting off contact with his olds...has an amaaazing relationship with his favourite philosophers... was the first person to put me on to McCandless last year)
Meanwhile, check this traveller Dave Korn's scribblings in 4 parts on McCandless and his bus, if you haavent read them before:
http://www.christophermccandless.info/into-the-wild-essays/david-korn-intothewild1.
xxxCath
wilmsy! so glad you mentioned the aspergers, for that's surely what plagued young mr supertramp. there is so much about the whole business that stirs up STUFF in so many. unlike the vast number of 'inspirational' jurneys to be had out there in "some shit went down so I'll make a killing by writing about it" land - this one sticks. and sticks. and sticks. is it the fact that when he said "bite me" to the world, he included every last one of us - even those who's own paths might have veered close to his, literally or metaphorically?
ReplyDeletewhatever the power of his life means, I still remember the impact of reading the book for the first time years and years ago. still undecided about the wisdom of filming it. could have been better, but could have been worserer, too.
meanwhile, will check out the dave korn musings.
@ betts. not sure he could do the mates thing the way we do. he was a different animal entirely. it's expensive, being different.
ReplyDelete...and will check out the film!
ReplyDeleteAlthough, knowing how it ends, the story always twists the knife for me..
re Aspergers: maybe. I'm sure if Alex Supertramp were alive he would despise anyone who tried to impose a label on his (or anyones) behaviour. All I know is that my friend was/is very taken with the whole idea of heading off into the bush and not needing to conform to societal expectations; he related to the whole disassociating with relating and the need to think about it at all, at all...
good points, wilmsworth. he was just who he was. and I don't doubt for a minute that he'd despise every attempt to label. I imagine he'd even despise the "don't label him, man" lobbyists :D it was the job lot of us and our combined idiocy that sent him packing, after all. the finished tapestry held no beauty.
ReplyDeletemeanwhile, outta the mouths of babes. after giving an overview of the alex story to kid #2, recently, she replied, "oh, you mean like buddha?"