Sunday, December 21, 2008

BITE: Our Quotidian Notable Quotable

"The future of the book is the blurb."
— McLuhan

5 comments:

  1. "the future isn't what it used to be"
    MM

    or
    "It is the business of the future to be dangerous"
    MM

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  2. P'raps MP. But, if I know McLu the way I used to do, he'd go for the quiplash:

    "We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future."

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  3. Not if you're Finn Awake instead of Finn Asleep. Like most of what MM said he recanted the rear view thing as a party throw away at Alan Thomas' place at UBC. The blurp comment though is quintessential MM

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  4. Uh-oh, HCE. Whether he recanted it or no, MP, he did say it; and, more to the point, the second sentence matters most in this context, n'est-ce pas? After all, "[t]omorrow is our permanent address."

    See here, here, or here (for starters). In the meantime, I'll check with Eric on this because I don't think McLuhan recanted much of anything; in fact, he would only and always go so far as to say — and, I'm paraphrasing here — These are my probes, my probings, my investigations into phenomena. I don't claim to be the first and last word on anything. (Nor do I; but, I know a pretty good biography of McLuhan you might wish to gift upon yourself this festive season; it's but one of three officially sanctioned by the McLuhan estate; scroll right down to the bottom: Marshall McLuhan: Wise Guy).

    OTOH, can you provide proof of this because, IMO, that would help both myself and scholars in the field, ISTM?

    Thank you for the op to further quote My Main Man (and, please note, I do not earn royalties on used-book sales):

    "All advertising advertises advertising."

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  5. Eric will confirm, but I will too, but the ref is not at hand so I'll dig it up.

    There are no scholars of McLuhan any more outside of me (I cover the digital)and Eric (covers the analog) and Bob Dobbs (covers the para-normal.)
    MP

    One question about your book is the business about McLuhan's brain operation in NYC and the validity of your insider views on that. Some think it's more fictional than real.

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