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From: 'induced by re:mote' <remotepush@hotmail.com>
To: 're:mote induction' <remoteind@hotmail.com>
Subject: re:mote leatherette - is imitation art?

>THOUGHT ONE:
If you read William Gibson's short story 13 Views and thought it was a work of genius then you'll love this. Shame. I thought that story was sh/-/it.

>THOUGHT TWO:
Knee Jerk reaction. Momentary and fast. Then gone on reflection.

>THIS MOMENT:
Disco 2000 was an end of the millennium collection of stories. In which a coherent sample of Digital Leatherette was featured. Within that novel it is just a coherent sample, perhaps among many coherent samples? Reminds in a passing thought of some of Grant Morrison's writing.

>QUESTION ONE:
How long can i string together sentences and call it commentary before it becomes irritating? By doing so does it constitute art?
:reset:
How long can i string together sentences and call it commentary before it becomes irritating? Does the repetition of options enhance this sensation?
:reset:
How long can i string together sentences and call it commentary before it becomes irritating? How many permutations will you read before you give up?
:resume:

>ANSWER ONE:
Actually i guess it does in some way represent art. And such is the way of Beard's novel. Though with one of his previous works being described as an anti-novel i would suspect that this could be counted as one also.

>PLOT DETAIL 1.0:
According to the Mayan calendar 2012 is the year of the new millennium. In 2012 the Ukanian nation is undergoing upheaval, with the assassination of the Queen, London's bid for independence, semiotic terrorists attempting to headfu/-/ck the nation, the rise of the techno cult of Isis and conspiracy upon conspiracy. All encoded in the text of email messages, mailing list samples, news broadcasts, film scripts and game segments.

>PLOT DETAIL 2.0: AN EXMINATION -
>From the Gibson quote on the cover it is clear that he dug this collection of words. And with the continual reference to Loas and cyberspace we feel the virtual flashback to Gibson's definitive Sprawl Trilogy. Steeped in London mythos, we also feel an encounter with Gaiman's Neverwhere and Sinclair/McKean's Slow Chocolate Autopsy.

>TURN 1.0: OFF
The London mythology becomes tiresome, flashing back to Elizabethan times and the quabalistic conspiracies that formed the Ukanian Empire isn't that interesting. Even dressed up as a film script, with a techno soundtrack, and plenty of refs to leylines, cyber reality and sigils of power. On top of that some of the cult pop references are a little too now, a little too contrived - considering that we are expected to believe that they will still have any appeal in 12 years from time.

>TURN 2.0: ON
While the whole security agency and intelligent software agent dialogues can be difficult to follow it is quite cool. As are the agencies attempts to penetrate the terrorist organisation, and all the detail of that organisation's intent. the ideas of the pervading cyber culture and info revolution do have a certain appeal. Conjuring spirits = virtual avatars = loa = software agents? Travelling along the byways of cyberspace = link of leylines? Conjured by carefully spoken words = encryption - tools of the quabal = cults = corporations. Though for me it should be faster and harder - a kicking fu/-/cking blade to your central processor. At least that's what Beard's descriptions of wasteland techno cults on a mission to project spiritual software to the Dog Star while thrashing to the sexual energies of 200bps would suggest.

>SET: CONCLUSION
In some ways Digital Leatherette is an incoherent pile of shi/-/te.
In others it is a compelling piece of subversive fiction,
steeped in its own distinctive mind set and encoded in its own double speak.

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>IN:SERT<

RVWR: PTR
October 1999

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