NYC Hunch

Hunch. First night back in NYC. I went to the Union Square Regal Cinema at 8 for Blackkklansman tixs. I misread the times and there's no 845 showing...only 1010. Fine. Two hrs of roam time. I got the tixs and wandered over to The Strand. I remembered that I agreed to do some research for someone else's new (and sure to be brilliant) musical. I asked the clerk at the information desk if they knew any authors from West Virginia. The guy punched something into the computer and apologized: he can't look up books by regions. I told him that it was no big deal: I just had a hunch. That word hung in the air between us for a moment... (such a strange midget sound...hunch...hung...hunch). As I started to walk away he said 'wait a minute' and raced from the computer off into the obscure labyrinth of stacks. He came back and handed me this book. "Breece D'J Pancake!" He said a former employee from the Appalachians raved about this guy. I look him up. Born 1952. Died 1979...the year I was born. Suicide. He left the earth two days before I arrived. Huh. Okay.

After buying the book I go to Blue Water Grill. I just want to sit at the bar for a light snack but almost all the seats are taken. I sidled up at the end of the bar next to an older white guy. I ordered and started reading the book. The older patron asked me if he could see the book. I handed it over to him and looked at me. "How did you get this book? This used to be really hard to find." He told me he was an English major, and a friend suggested that he read Breeece D'J Pancake. He was stunned by the writing. I told him that I literally just picked up the book 10 minutes ago on a hunch from a Strand clerk. We started talking about literature and Pancake. I reached into my bag and took out Michel Houellebecq's "The Elementary Particle" which I had just finished a week ago. I told him I was in silent meditation and could only read the books I had with me. And there was nothing else to do in between meditations so started reading "The Elementary Particle." I absolutely hated it...at first. Revolting people. But, I had nothing else to read so I kept going. I'm 'hate reading' this novel and about 2/3rds of the way through a reveal happens and I almost fell on the floor. I understood everything. I raced through the book and all the disgusting things made sense. The patron said 'oh, I can't read that guy. I love humanity too much' I told him yeah, I know, Hoellebecq is a bit despicable, and he's definitely a racist, anti-Muslim, misogynist...but there's always a shocking reveal that changes things. The bartender joined in on the conversation and she snapped a picture of Pancake for her records. He asked me about the research project and I said that it involved something in West Virginia and something in rural China.

The patron said that his family was living in West Virginia...in a really isolated valley. His brother-in-law was walking on a highly sensitive super telescope that required no cell phone or radio activity in the surrounding area, so there was a valley town in West Virginia that agreed to host this project. None of the residents have cell phones, there's no radio, no Wifi or satellite. Only land lines and computers with wires. He said that his in-law's company works in West Virginia...and in China. Hunch. We continued talking about West Virginia and China and Pancake suicide, and literature and racism in the Appalachians vs racism in the South, culture, America. And then I raced off to see the powerful and amazing "Blackkklansman." First night back in NYC. Hunch.