Episode 29: Scott Apel – writer, movie critic, and long time friend of RAW
In this episode, Mike Gathers chats with Scott Apel – writer, movie critic, and long time friend of RAW. Scott was the original editor and publisher of the new Hilaritas Press release of Chaos and Beyond: The Best of Trajectories. Scott also created Beyond Chaos and Beyond, which Scott describes in this episode.
Links…
• Scott’s Wikipedia page:
https://www.hilaritaspress.com/portfolio-item/chaos-and-beyond-the-best-of-trajectories/
• PKD: The Dream Connection:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/226496.Philip_K_Dick_
• Scott’s books:
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BashoMarx
• Scott’s intros to “The Prisoner”:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB9EA0F94DFEB81EC
Scott’s interview with Bob:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKFr-vM8n_U
• • •
An excerpt from the chapter, “Bob and Me,” from Beyond Chaos and Beyond: The Best of Trajectories, Vol. II. Scott tells this story in this podcast, but just in case you want to read it or share the text, here it is…
• • •
This is my favorite story from our relationship: One Saturday evening in April or May 2005, circumstances dictated that I visited Bob alone. He was still somewhat ambulatory at this point, although it was a drain on his energy to pull himself up off his couch to do anything. At one point in the evening, he asked if I would pour him a cup of coffee. I did, and when I set it on the tray in front of him, he responded in abject humility: “Oh, thank you thank you thank you,” he chanted. I’d seen him respond similarly often in those days, giving an overly effusive response to a minor favor. “Bob,” I said. “Hey. It’s just us. Just you and me. How long have we known each other—thirty years now? There’s absolutely no need for you to be so profusely thankful about something as minor as getting you a cup of coffee. I’m happy to do it. I do what you ask because I want to.” He just looked at me…askance, I’d say, if pressed for an adverb. I hoped I hadn’t offended him somehow. But we returned to our conversation and everything seemed fine. Half an hour or so later, Bob asked if I could get him a glass of water, which I did immediately. And when I set it on his tray, he looked me square in the eye and said, “Fuck you!” ROTFL might be a metaphor, but I did in fact literally fall into my chair and laughed my fucking ass off. Bob was seated, but he L’d his FAO as well.
Hooray for Scott! Thanks for getting him here!
Hello All, thank you for continuing Bob’s legacy with this podcast. I enjoy every episode and always look forward to the next each month. I wanted to ask if you all had considered asking Alan Moore to join the podcast one time? He has mentioned Bob quite often in other interviews and perhaps he would be a great guest to have on. His comic series, “Promethea” is one of the most spectacular depictions of Magick, Kabbalah, Tarot amongst many other subjects, that I have ever read, and in the last issue he mentions Bob by name in a wonderful crescendo of the series. Just a thought, but please consider! Keep on keeping on! -Jon