A follower of the original "Inside the LC" webseries, I expected Weird Scenes to be that plus some additional material (and with greater narrative continuity). And if that were the case, I'd give the book 4 stars, no problem. But what we have is a quite beautiful book that deserves shelf-space between The Collected Works of Charles Fort and Thos. Pynchon's Inherent Vice. "Conspiracy literature" in a broad sense, but McGowan's sense of humor - and *story* - distinguishes him from many such writers/researchers. And, really, there is plenty for those of a non-conspiratorial bent to chew on: Weird Scenes functions as a Rock History - documenting a particular scene - with keen insights (such as the splitting up of the folk-rock movement). The Arthur Lee chapter alone is vital for anybody who ever, well, *loves* Love. And "Brianistas" will recognize the names Jack Rieley and Tandyn Almer -- Right-wing and/or intelligence connections? It would be far from the strangest thing to happen in the Beach Boys universe. And that's where McGowan gets his hooks in: there is so much thoroughly documented Weirdness associated with the L.A. music scene that it begs for at least the beginnings of a STRUCTURE. Those looking for a neat "the Illuminati/Space Lizards did it" type explanation will be disappointed: like Charles Fort, the author brings forth information and asks the questions that pretty much nobody has thought to ask. The book is filled with possible scenarios supported by hard fact: a speculative history because there's really no official history of all these people/events to measure it against (Graham Nash's recent memoir? he truly loved Joni, is still miffed at Neil, next slide *please* ..). Like the mysterious "factory" in P.K. Dick's A Maze of Death - or the monolith in 2001 - sits Laurel Canyon's Lookout Mountain Laboratory, a honest-to-god military facility in the heart of hippiedom. McGowan doesn't dwell too much on it, because it's one of those uncanny things that, once you hear, you never forget: it's the hum in the background when you discover that Frank Zappa learned much of his studio wizardry from a former missile engineer. There are some who will shake their heads at the last two chapters, one on Houdini's intelligence connections and the other on the Spook-ridden Copeland clan and the late 70's/80's music scene. I thought these worked remarkably well in terms of providing some outside-the-Canyon *context*. To wit, what if the 60's/70's Laurel Canyon scene was simply a concentrated form of Weirdness that can be shown to be at work in other places, at other times? Well, we as readers would want examples, naturally. The Houdini material is illustrative of the sometimes nexus of the Entertainment world and intelligence work. Coming at the end of the book, the author can stand back and let the reader make connections (a delight for any devout reader of Mysteries). For example, the story of a Dr. Crandon and leagues of "disappeared" children called to mind the CIA/"Finders" cult that was news, briefly, in 1987. Other readers, with a different store of experiences, will have other revelations. What makes Weird Scenes so rewarding is that it invites revisiting: the Mystery remains open ..
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Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on January 26, 2024
One of the Best Books of Our Generation - The Best Kind of Conspiracy Book One Could Ask For
- RobDReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 16, 2021
Another insight into our crooked dark twisted world!?
-
Opinionist ™Reviewed in Italy on November 6, 2019
Schiaccia l'anima sapere che la CIA era dietro tutto!!
