RIP RAW

[King Bob]

Robert Anton Wilson died on January 11th. As far as I can tell, there was no notice of this in the mainstream media. I found out through a link I had followed for an unrelated story.

Although I enjoyed Illuminatus a great deal, I think Schroedinger's Cat is his best work of fiction.

[Drunk Monk]

I loved Illuminati. He turned me on to the whole Eris trip. Looks like there's a memorial on Feb 18, (Chinese New Year). too bad I'm already booked.

Robert Anton Wilson Cosmic Meme-Orial
February 18, 2007

Hail Eris! All Hail Bob!

Celebrate the life, work and continued multi-dimensionality of Robert Anton Wilson by joining us in a giant, jammin' Translation Celebration and 8th Circuit Soiree!

- Reconnect with old friends. Make new, like-minded friends. Share ideas. Exchange email addresses. (It's like the Internet, only in person.) .
- Be a part of Bob's Raucous Processionary Send-Off as his ashes sail out of the cove and rejoin his beloved's in the Pacific! .
- Watch continuous video clips of RAW from "Maybe Logic" documentary and from his numerous Trajectories videos.
- Expand your mind (and your tummy) with hors d'ourvres, soft drinks, and a cash bar.
- Expand your neighbors' minds by sharing remembrances and anecdotes at the open mic! (Brevity and levity are appreciated!) .
- Mingle, nosh, remember, appreciate, celebrate! .
- And above all, Keep the Lasagna Flying!

RAW DATA:

Where: The Cocoanut Grove, on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA: <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com">www.cocoanutgrovesantacruz.com</a><!-- w -->
When: Sunday, February 18, 2007 Time: 1 - 6 PM
Tickets: $23 each Limited number available! To purchase tickets, or for additional information: <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.impermanentpress.com/pages2/raw-tix.html">www.impermanentpress.com/pages2/raw-tix.html</a><!-- w -->

RAW FAQ:

Q: How can I help kick out the jams?
A: Contribute to the media presentation. Forward photos of Bob or other creative visual remembrances that relate to RAW and his work. Your images will be included in a projected media presentation for all to enjoy. Please email your .jpegs (300-600 dpi) to <!-- e --><a href="mailto:trichster@aol.com">trichster@aol.com</a><!-- e --> no later than February 11th. Please consider contributing even if you can't be there in person.

Q: Is it always sunny in California?
A: Not in February, Chester. It's winter, and it can get DANG cold at the ocean. If you plan to play outside, dress for CHILLY weather and you will be fine and toasty.

Q: I'm coming from a long way away. Can I crash at your place?
A: Umm... not really. Click here to search for lodging in Santa Cruz County: <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.santacruzcounty.travel">www.santacruzcounty.travel</a><!-- w -->

Q: I'm sorry...I spaced. Where did you say this was again?
A: The Cocoanut Grove is a famous ballroom attached to the Santa Cruz, CA, Beach Boardwalk (which is celebrating its centennial this year). Boardwalk arcades and amusement park rides (including the Giant Dipper, regularly voted one of America's Top 10 Rollercoasters) are open from 11am to 6pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the President's Day Holiday! All Hail Thomas Jefferson! Impeach Bush!

Q: So what is there to do before/after the ceremony?
A: If you've never communed with the redwoods, visit Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, just minutes up the road! Or enjoy one of Santa Cruz's fine restaurants (Bob loved the Golden Buddha in Soquel, for instance). Click here to search for more activities in Santa Cruz.

**Feel free to repost this announcement without changes**

http://hostgator.rawilson.com/main.shtml

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

They did cover his passing. Now, where did I read it. It was either on my Yahoo portal or on the radio.Or it was the Sci Fi channel website.

[Drunk Monk]

...and the mainstream media that's dying is print magazine publishing, lemme tell ya...

Bob's announcement was the first I've heard, and I was quite the fan of Wilson - it got totally past me. I had heard he was bedridden or something last year. I mentioned it to Patrick, our senior graphic artist who was hip to Wilson, and he quipped the RIP RAW eigfhr back, but he thought Wilson died months ago. Typical Wilson time warp. Of course, Patrick just twisted his ankle rather badly and has been hobbling around on crutches for the last week, I had this other death to cope with, and our boss just dropped a major project in our laps...perhaps that's a Wilson warp too. We can only hope. God damn. What the hell happened last week?

I want a RIP WAR shirt now!

[King Bob]

There was an internet rumor several years ago that he had died.

The only obit item I could find without a lengthy search was this:
http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/01/11/r...1932-2007/

DM - my judgment of his fiction comes from a fairly recent rereading of both trilogies and reverses my initial opinion. I still think Illuminati is great, particularly for the ideas in it, but Schroedinger's Cat works better as a novel because everything ties up better. Plus the first book of the trilogy has one of the best endings ever in a multi-volume work (which would seem to preclude a sequel). I won't spoil it. Read the book!

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Here is what they posted on Sci Fi.com. , my only source for real news.

Illuminatus! Author Wilson Dies

Robert Anton Wilson, co-author of the cult book series known as The Illuminatus! Trilogy, died on Jan. 11 at his home in Capitola, Calif., the New York Times reported. He was 74.

Wilson was the author of 35 books on subjects like extrasensory perception, mental telepathy, metaphysics, paranormal experiences, conspiracy theory, sex, drugs and what he called quantum psychology. Together with his friend and fellow Playboy editor Robert J. Shea, Wilson wrote The Eye in the Pyramid, The Golden Apple and Leviathan, which were all published in 1975 as part of The Illuminatus! Trilogy, a mind-twisting science-fiction series about a secret global society. Though none of the books reached the best-seller list, they have not gone out of print since their publication.

Wilson was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 18, 1932. He attended Brooklyn Polytechnical College and New York University. He worked as an engineering aide, a salesman and a copywriter, and was an associate editor at Playboy from 1965 to 1971. He is survived by his three children: daughters Christina Pearson of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Alexandra Gardner of Eugene, Ore., and a son, Graham, of Watsonville, Calif. His wife of 39 years, the former Arlen Riley, died in 1999.

[El Dingo]

I read 'The Illuminatus Trilogy' 3 times as a teenager and loved the concept of a massive conspiracy theory. It helped explain a lot of things that made absolutely no sense.

However, as I got older the trilogy started to lose relevance. It was more of a 'whoa, dude! that's trippy! Give me another hit!'

'Schrodinger's Cat' on the other hand explored the concept of time, space and parallel universes which I found much more interesting. The ability to 'slide' between realities (usually just as a disaster occured) was nifty.

RIP Robert, thanks for making my brain do cartwheels!