On Paul Nelson's Shelf
Not far into Jonathan Lethem’s novel Chronic City, Perkus Tooth mentions that he's procured a videotape of director Gillo Pontecorvo’s film Burn! Tooth is the walleyed rock critic who most resembles Paul Nelson, Lethem's real-life friend and mentor, in his obsessive dedication to the music, books, and movies he loves. And Burn! is an obscure movie that its star, Marlon Brando, purportedly liked more than any of his other films.
The mention of Burn! in Chronic City set off a small explosion in my head, and I immediately went to my computer to find a photo I'd taken in Paul's apartment three years ago next week, shortly after the medical examiner had finally unsealed the premises. There, on Paul’s shelf, amongst his hundreds if not thousands of videotapes, turned outward and on display as only certain tapes were, was Burn!, just as I'd remembered it.
Jonathan was truly amazed when he saw the photo. "I honestly had ZERO way of knowing Paul even knew of Burn!, let alone cared for it, when I placed it in that prominent place in Perkus Tooth's obsessions."
Copyright 2010 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.
The mention of Burn! in Chronic City set off a small explosion in my head, and I immediately went to my computer to find a photo I'd taken in Paul's apartment three years ago next week, shortly after the medical examiner had finally unsealed the premises. There, on Paul’s shelf, amongst his hundreds if not thousands of videotapes, turned outward and on display as only certain tapes were, was Burn!, just as I'd remembered it.
Jonathan was truly amazed when he saw the photo. "I honestly had ZERO way of knowing Paul even knew of Burn!, let alone cared for it, when I placed it in that prominent place in Perkus Tooth's obsessions."
Copyright 2010 by Kevin Avery. All rights reserved.