Monday, April 16, 2007

Ever Had Naked Lunch?

I had to meet my namesake, Amit Rahul, at Max Muller for lunch, to getsome gyan about an academic paper I had to write. Amit's hostel roomgenerally had stacks of heavy books that could fall on your head,death metal that could ensure that you'd never hear again, and randompeople, most of them PIGs (permanent illegal guests) who even hedidn't know. So we met at Max Muller. He was sipping on pinacolada andreading a book called Naked Lunch. As I stared incredulously at thename, wondering if it was some kinky stuff, he smiled his devilishdeath metal smile, "A frozen moment when everyone sees what is at theend of the fork." Amit had been derided ever since he had been readingthe deconstructionist Jacques Derrida. "Don't look so, you uneducatedfool. This is what the writer William Burroughs said to explain thetitle."The book, I found later on, is a series of vignettes containingcharacters that are psychopaths, sociopaths and all kinds of 'paths'except those who take the regular path. "So what's about this bookthat keeps Amit the great occupied?" I asked."It has fetishes, fantasies, taboos, hell lot of a fun, and Mugwumps,"he chuckled."Mugwumps like Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter?" I asked"Shut up you asshole. Do you think I care for such shit?" he retorted.And smiled again, "You know there's a section in the book called'talking assholes' where a man teaches his you-know-what to talk andit overtakes the man. He can only eat and you-know-what."And off went Mr Baishya. He went on about Foucalult, Deluze, Derrida, Edward Said, Brthes, post structuralism and more. I thought he himself had become TalkingYou-Know-What. Now you know what to do when you are out on a date forlunch. Don't blame me for your murder but. I was compelled to dedicate a limerick to my friend:

That bathing fukolting man of Argon
Who could not speak but of Jargon
He took naked lunch at Max muller
Of madness he became fuller and fuller
That deluded derided much said man of Argon!

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