Customer Reviews

Robert Anton Wilson - Maybe Logic

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought this to be a mind-blowing, brilliant film. Robert Anton Wilson is a fascinating character that kept me laughing out loud, while I pondered the expansiveness of his intelligence and the limits of my own.
I thought the editing was creative and the music fit the movement. This film is a must-see for anyone looking to expand their understanding of human perception or their 'reality tunnel' as Wilson would say. I am surprised I had never come across his work before, Wilson is quite the sage. Tom Robbins also makes a priceless appearance too.

If you enjoy movies like Waking Life or Mind Walk then this film is one to own.
I wish people would make more films like these.

... I can say this unequivocally regarding Robert Anton Wilson. The man's wit and glittering intelligence is utterly phenomenal. His humor and light is infectious. This DVD is essential viewing because it is the only place I know of where one can see and hear the man. Robert Anton Wilson's books have changed my life. He has entertained, dazzled, and enthralled me, helping me to become a more enlightened, intelligent, and compassionate person in the process. It made me incredibly sad to hear that RAW is having major financial difficulties right now in the Twilight of his amazing life. This is a grave injustice. It boggles my mind that this incredible man is not more known. The fact that he has such a brilliant and relevant oeuvre of work, yet is penniless actually makes me want to cry (and nothing ever makes me feel that way).

If you are reading this review, you no doubt are familiar with RAW's amazing books. You need to purchase this DVD immediately. Not only will it help RAW financially, it will also help you. If you have not read any of RAW's books but happened to serendipitously stumble across this DVD, I highly recommend reading one of them first. 'Schrödinger's Cat' is possibly my favorite fiction book of all time. 'Prometheus Rising' is an amazing life-changing operator's manual for the infinitely lovely human brain. Either of these books or 'Cosmic Trigger' would be perfect entry points into the one-of-a-kind body of work put forth by RAW.

I realize I have not talked much about the DVD, and therefore this may not be the most affective review... however, whilst bumbling around Amazon, I happened upon this DVD (which I purchased 3 years ago), and felt instantly and very strongly compelled to give it my glowing endorsement. This is more of an endorsement for the amazing polymath Robert Anton Wilson, than anything else. That being said, if you are a fan of RAW, you MUST purchase this DVD immediately. It is touching, intelligent, fascinating, entertaining, and like nothing else- just like Robert Anton Wilson...

I feel like most of the 5 and 4 star ratings that this documentary has received are primarily given for the man himself and not for the quality of this DVD. It is interesting to watch once, but doesn't have much replay value. Most of his earlier talks that are included can be found online now, so it's really only the newer interviews that you'd be purchasing. And even these are just reaffirmations of his lifelong philosophies, along with some reflections on the pain of post-polio syndrome. Sprinkle in some vaguely trippy transitions and Boards of Canada to top it off.

Listening to Robert Anton Wilson speak on the nature of reality and the 8 dimensional universe is much like listening to a Bene-Gesserit from Frank Herbert's novel 'Dune.' He speaks of "plans within plans", oops, I mean "metaphors within metaphors" and "models within models."

Dispensing his own personal brand of melange (sorry, another 'Dune' reference) Psychonaut Wilson folds space and time (at least figuratively) taking the viewer through a labyrinth of thought so foreign that it may take sometime to fully recover from the voyage. Such is the protean and eclectic nature of the Robert Anton Wilson experience. Consider this your warning.

Here's your once in a lifetime opportunity to open wide your third-eye and join the self-proclaimed Discordian Pope as he travels at light speed beyond all our self-imposed metaphors and models and through 'Chapel Perilous' on the way to Sirius. I will leave you with one word of advice before your departure. If you see a Pooka* on the journey remember to SMILE!

*[Pooka: Found in Irish fairylore. Can take on a variety of forms, one being a six foot white rabbit].

If you've read and enjoyed his cult classic 'The Illuminatus Trilogy' or 'Cosmic Trigger' you should really get a hold of this DVD. If you're unfamiliar with his work and writings it still 'Maybe Interesting.'

I don't imagine you're looking at this item not knowing who Robert Anton Wilson is. If you don't like him or understand him, this video won't change anything. This video is for those who want to see the man talk about what you've already read in his books. Some of its verbatim.

Be warned that the video plays like a cheesy amateur school project. There's constant nagging background music and blocky unnecessary animation distractions. Personally, I don't mind, I think it's charming. I enjoy listening to the man talk.

If you've never encountered Robert Anton Wilson, skip this DVD and buy yourself a copy of Illuminatus! (fiction, writen with Robert Shea) or Quantum Psychology (non-fiction).

If you're already a fan of Wilson's work, you're unlikely to learn anything new here; but you'll probably enjoy yourself all the same. If, like me, you never got the chance to met Wilson in person, this is probably as close as we'll get to sitting down for a chat with elderly "Uncle Bob". There's also a random assortment of material of varying quality from earlier in his life.

My recommendation in brief: read some of his books first, then leave this video playing on your TV as you go about your daily chores and let Uncle Bob worm his way into your brain.

In Maybe Logic BoB Anton Wilson Explains Everything from Quantum Physics to J. Z. Knight aka Ramtha (from "What the Bleep Do We Know") and never gets boring.

I've owned this since it's original release in 2003 and I've watched it 8 times, and every time I do I learn something new and deeper then I did before. Robert Anton Wilson is the Mother load and his ideas are both simple and complex. Simple in that a person feels like they get them at first encounter but you can keep going deeper with what RAW teaches and if you truly got it, I feel, you'd be left simply loving.

...and maybe a little pissed off that others, like George Bush, are trying to keep you from being simply that way.

I've also listened to Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything (or old bob exposes his ignorance) once a year since I first purchased it 5 years ago and recommend it highly. Does he explain everything, Maybe! Like the DVD each time I experience it I understand new things or in a different more beneficial way then I ever did before.

Now that I've seen this again and again I realized WoW BoB explains both Taoism and Yoga and what it means to understand the true meaning of Mystical Enlightenment and now I get it!

Even if you don't get it like I get it but you get it in your own unique individial way RAW will make you more intelligent, more free, and more understanding, and benevolent. He is a brilliant, wise, humble, and very funny man!

Check out RAW, he's life changing!

Robert Anton Wilson believed that there is no meaning in life; that meaning is in sentences. As a result, all perceptions are considered gambles: we believe what we see and then we believe our interpretations to be reality, not realizing that our interpretations are just interpretations. So we all perceive the world from the point of view of our individual "reality tunnels," and there is no vantage point from which "real" reality can be seen. Once one realizes that everyone else is looking through their own reality tunnel or grid or focus, it is easier to empathize, understand, and even forgive others. And if we are willing and able to tune in and listen, non-judgmentally, to other perceptions, we may learn something interesting about our world.

This DVD is well-produced and well worth watching for the compelling ideas and the humor of a man who challenged traditional Aristolian "either/or, yes/no" notions of logic (in favor of the "maybe logic" of quantum mechanics) and who refused to let his intellect and emotions be usurped by ideological dogma.

What I found particularly interesting, though, was Douglas Rushkoff's take on the element of danger inherent in R. Wilson's philosophy: "The biggest thing I got from Bob is that all of our reality constructs are models. All of them are approximations, are metaphors, are allegories for what's going on, and that we live in a world where we are all negotiating on behalf of our stories. We each create a story, a narrative, a picture, an allegory, a model for what's going on here and then we fight, sometimes to the death, to make others, if not believe in that model, we fight to be able to keep believing in it ourselves. So we try to erase contradictory evidence to that model. But it also becomes [to the point] where I end up parting ways philosophically with him, too. I get the feeling that Bob is not just _aspiritual_, but that he's _anti-spiritual_. He doesn't believe in God or Spirit or a special super-reality connecting us all--because it's not there, because it's not evident, because it's not apparent. And I feel in a way like Bob's world view, having passed through The Chapel Perilous of Wonder, that his view now is that, 'Well, there's nothing. This is it. Period.' As far as I'm concerned, the idea that there's nothing is just another, What if? It's the skeptic in _Cosmic Trigger_. It's the skeptic's world view. But it's just a world view. And I don't think it's any intrinsically _safer_."

old Bob's at it again,this time on film. When you read what he writes he has a crafty habit of creeping up on you,like just when you thought it was safe to wander off, he hits you with an idea, a way of noticing what was actually so obvious you missed it! He's a trickster, who always gives the impression of enjoying himself hugely even when commenting on the mundane, I have watched this complilation a few times and still come back to it like his books, especially Prometheus rising,(which I read first and struck a thousand chords) Ishtar Rising, Sex Drugs and magick and Quantum psychology, he's no bodys fool.

If you are new to the writings of Robert Anton Wilson, maybe you have just heard of him or maybe you are a science fiction fan who has read only The Illuminatus Trilogy, then don't bother to get this video. If you are intrigued by this writer and want to hear more of his message, then just read more of his books. Any of his books will do; however, I shall recommend Cosmic Trigger, Schroedinger's Cat, and/or Right Where You Are Sitting Now.

If you have read three or more of his books and you would really like to know more about the man, then definitely get this DVD. I met him at a convention about twenty years ago. I got to hear him talk and even to hang out with him a little bit. This man had an incredible presence and a beautiful spirit. Yes, I meant the past tense since he has since passed away. The video does a great job capturing the life and essence, and final days, of this heroic, visionary writer.