R. Crumb's 1986 comic on Philip K. Dick's religious experience resurfaces online
The Religious Experience of Philip K. Dick by R. Crumb (1986)
A 1986 R. Crumb comic strip depicting Philip K. Dick's religious experience, originally published in Weirdo #17, has been reposted on philipdick.com, sparking a heated comment thread. The discussion veers from the comic's artistic merit to debates over Dick's sanity, with one commenter claiming to be Dick's reincarnation. Critics argue the focus on his 1974 'awakening' overshadows his broader literary output.
The walls in Plato's cave is a hologram… PKD 1974
- PaulRobinson
Having dealt with a few people with schizophrenia, either diagnosed, or clearly exhibiting many of the symptoms and refusing to engage with medical professionals until I cut off relationships for my own safety. I think something really sad was happening here.
In fact, in a bout of lucidness, he tried to take his own life because "Elijah had left him". That's horrid.
The people I have known have hurt themselves and took actions that were designed to hurt others - physically, emotionally, in one case financially - because they believed in a higher order. Sometimes, that higher order was, errr, me. [1]
If the story of saving his son's life is true, that's marvellous and mysterious and wonderful. But the surgery referred to at the start of the surgery sounds like it introduced an infection and/or change in brain function somehow, and he suffered with the consequences the rest of his life.
As an aside, it's weird how many stories of mental hallucinations are tied to the music of the Beatles. Perhaps its popularity, or because it was a step change in how music was written and produced, but I was watching something the other night that mentioned just how obsessed Manson was with the White album. Now this with Strawberry fields. Don't know what to make of it, just an odd data point.
[1] These people felt I was controlling their mind, I could read their mind, I was instructing them, and so on. I was just having a chat down the pub with them, nothing more (but then, if I were a mystic […]
- keiferski
The link isn’t loading for me, but I definitely relate to the title at least. PKD’s stories definitely have a tendency to untether you to reality, and you finish them feeling both extremely creative and kind of mentally lost in space.
The interesting thing though is how it seems like he developed this over time. Many of his stories are just straight up bad, goofy cliche messes. When you read an anthology of his short stories, for example, at least half of them read like bad jokes an AI came up with.
At some point I need to read his works in chronological order, just to observe his growth as a writer more directly.
- Animats
"Onset of acute schizophrenia, or a genuine mystic revelation, or is there a difference?"
That's a great insight.
- KingFelix
Crumb is awesome, he let me use this work in a Philip k Dick event I put on years ago
- permalaise771
I really want to read this. But the resolution is just so insanely low. I don't know how anyone can read this. I downloaded the .cbr and its the same.