Popular Culture Review Vol. 8, No. 1, February 1997 | Page 26

22
his illn ess. M o s t of his life h a s b e e n a c a re fully plott e d m e d i a e v e n t, so
w h y not his d e m i s e ? ” A “c are fully p l a n n e d m e d i a e v e n t,” i n d e e d. In a
o u r m e d i a cu lture , a tt ention is s u c c e s s.
M E : M E LV IN C H A R L E S S E E S H O LT Z , 1 9 5 0A m i d d l e -c l a s s st ud e n t l e a d e r in high sc h o ol, o n e of th e in-gro u p, a
‘g o o d k id’ (e x c e p t f or th e tim e Mi k e a n d I b o m b e d th e p h ys ic s t e a c h e r's
c a r with e g g s) (a n d t ho s e w e e k e n d drin k ing b in g e s) (a n d s k ipping
c h urc h to g o s m o k e cig a re t t e s, drin k e x pr e s s o a n d e a t d o n u t s with th e
g u y s). I k n e w Dr. Ti m o t h y L e a ry o n ly a s a n a m e in a s o n g.
T h e M o o d y B l u e s ’ Legend of a Mind o n th e ir In Search of the Lost
Chord a lb u m. I o w n e d a c o p y. S o did most o th e r P e n n St a t e f re sh m e n
in 19 6 8. If s o m e o n e a s k e d m e , t h e n, “D o y o u k n o w w h o Timothy Leary
is,” I’d pro b a b ly h a v e cit ed th e s o ng
If s o m e o n e a s k e d m e in 1 98 6 T u r n o n, t u n e in, dro p out. " T h e
a b o u t Timothy Leary , I w o u ld n ’t
sl o g a n w a s not a L e a ry origin al.
h a v e b e e n a bl e to tell him m u c h
T i m s a id h e got it fro m M a rsh a ll
m or e : H a rv a rd pro f e ss or, L S D ,
M cL u h a n , w h o w a s t al k ing a b o u t
j ail, a M o o d y B lu e s so n g.
t e l e vision, a t a p arty.
T h e n , s u d d e n ly, w e w e r e
H u c k F i n n a n d T o m S a w y e r. W h e n w e w e r e n ’t p hysic a lly tog e th e r, w e
w e r e c o n n e c t e d b y p h o n e a n d m o d e m s e v e ra l tim e s a d a y, e v e ry d a y.
H e w a s m y b e s t fri e nd. I w a s his. W e a gr e e d o n that. H e w a s th e big
bro t h e r I’d b e e n loo k ing for. H e w a s a n o n ly child, literally and
m e t a p h oric a lly. S o h e s a w m e a s T h e s o n I a lw a y s w a n t e d .” W e h a d
wild a n d c r a z y tim e s tog e th e r, cri e d a n d l a ugh e d a n d h a d int e ns e
tim e s, a lo n e , tog e th e r.
M YTH TA K E N : a w ord c o in e d b y Vic ki M a rsh a ll to d e s cri b e
m a n y m o th s d r a w n to (a n d b urn e d b y) L e a ry’s
Light.
I w a s o n e