The Act Of Creation by Arthur Koestler

[Bill Tobelman]

Been saying that this book is SMiLE's raison d'etre, well at least vis a vis Brian's religious experiences, since the end of April.

You can access the book here:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35292595/Arthur-Koestler-The-Act-of-Creation

Doubters might find page 29 of interest, page 610 as well.

One thing is for certain. If SMiLE was indeed modeled on The Act Of Creation, then there must be a second layer of meaning at work in SMiLE.

My guess has long been that this second layer of meaning has to do with Brian's spiritual LSD experiences (which matches Brian's comments to Tom Nolan as far as the basis for his new 'spiritual music') & strangely enough the closest anyone is likely to get at the contents of those experiences is from passages in his condemned bio.

Anyway, maybe some of you may imagine yourselves in Brian's shoes in 1966-- competing with the Beatles & vying for the #1 worldwide spot at a time calling for a pop album to reflect the positive possibilities of LSD.

When Brian says "we got a little over our heads" this book helps show what he was up to.

Of course this is all conjecture & theory.

[rab2591]

Also, speaking of the Beatles; Brian said he felt like he was in competition with The Beatles during that time. The Beatles were making songs like 'Tomorrow Never Knows' 'She Said She Said' 'Here There And Everywhere'  - it would only make sense he would seek out a spiritual avenue to help intellectualize his records.

It is interesting that possibly Brian was reading up on Zen, Astrology, etc only to beat the Beatles at their own game.

[rab2591]

Could you possibly copy and paste page 29 onto a post here (unless it's too long)? My computer won't load the last 75% of the page for some reason.

[Bill Tobelman]

Sorry, I can't copy & paste that page but I will tell you that it connects laughter to the smile. Page 610 has the da-da reference.

[Bill Tobelman]

This has been posted before, but for the uninitiated:

http://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/pop/12377/

[Bill Tobelman]

Just one more thing....in order to make such a project work, you do not reveal the secret to the consumer. That would be like explaining the joke to the audience...it loses all it's magic that way.

[bgas]

Could you possibly copy and paste page 29 onto a post here (unless it's too long)? My computer won't load the last 75% of the page for some reason.

Couldn't get it to copy; isn't there a place to download the entire document for free?

[SloopJohnB]

Just one more thing....in order to make such a project work, you do not reveal the secret to the consumer. That would be like explaining the joke to the audience...it loses all it's magic that way.

Assuming there IS a secret...


I read The Act of Creation in its entirety a couple of years ago and, quite frankly, I don't think it's strongly linked to Smile. Sure, an important part of the book deals with laughter and humour, and we all know Brian was particularly interested in those subjects at the time, but he could also have been interested in them before reading the book. Saying Smile is based on The Act of Creation is... A bit far-fetched.

[Bill Tobelman]

SloopJohnB said:

Assuming there IS a secret...

It's as much a secret as the contents & whereabouts of Brian Wilson's ultimate spiritual LSD trip. Face it, that's a secret that has been kept secret for decades.

Off the top of my head....The Act Of Creation starts out with the logic of laughter which includes the requirement of energy, or adrenaline, as a requirement for successful laughter. This physical requirement of energy can be related to Brian's "health is an important ingredient in spiritual enlightenment" quote as well as the vegetable & fitness "obsessions."

Laughter is discussed to the point of going through the dynamics of the smile & the 15 muscles related to the smile. The Latin word for smile & laughter are the same word!

The simplest for of the logic of laughter is the pun, which we all know Van Dyke Parks employed for SMiLE.

The visual pun is also discussed & we know Frank Holmes used this technique for SMiLE.

People doing animals & visa versa is discussed.

The juxtaposition of child & adult is another topic.

The dream state is also a big part of the book & SMilE suggests a dream throughout.

Ego transcendence & the 'oceanic' feeling of oneness with the universe is possible through such processes (in other words: it's spiritual enlightenment). This is how the child views the world & "da-da" is an expression of this (spiritually enlightened) world view.

The example of riding a bicycle is used to illustrate that the unconscious is largely at work in our daily lives more than we know.

Chess pieces & the chess board help illustrate the logic of laughter (& these images are used in SMiLE).

These are a few examples of the book's contents that seem to have some SMiLE connection.

The point is that if Brian was trying to promote epiphanies via SMiLE (as Michael Vosse's claims suggest) the book suggests that such things could be done through laughter, scientific discovery, or art itself: through laughter or tears (see "Surf's Up") or intellect. 

[Bill Tobelman]

Koestler coins the term "bisociation" in The Act Of Creation. Many of the techniques mentioned in my previous post are "bisociative." Bisociation is essentially a vibration. When things bisociate they vibrate.

So in the Beautiful Dreamer DVD when Brian says because of "Good Vibrations" he was going to take things further in the same direction: you can see where The Act Of Creation fits into the scheme of things.

[bgas]

Koestler coins the term "bisociation" in The Act Of Creation. Many of the techniques mentioned in my previous post are "bisociative." Bisociation is essentially a vibration. When things bisociate they vibrate.

So in the Beautiful Dreamer DVD when Brian says because of "Good Vibrations" he was going to take things further in the same direction: you can see where The Act Of Creation fits into the scheme of things.

You are a master at quoting strings of thought to take them in the direction you want the tale to go.

[Bill Tobelman]

Quote from bgas:

You are a master at quoting strings of thought to take them in the direction you want the tale to go.

You are correct. It's going to seem like that is the case.

What your quote illustrates, in Arthur Koestler talk, is that we're on two different matrices. What I'm suggesting is that SMiLE is supposed to have those two matrices.

[Mike's Beard]

Quote from bgas:

You are a master at quoting strings of thought to take them in the direction you want the tale to go.

You are correct. It's going to seem like that is the case.

What your quote illustrates, in Arthur Koestler talk, is that we're on two different matrices. What I'm suggesting is that SMiLE is supposed to have those two matrices.

Glad that's cleared up then.

[Bill Tobelman]

Bing Crosby's reflection said:

Glad that's cleared up then.

Well actually my comment is meant to inspire curiosity & participation in the topic at hand. But I'll be clearer.

SMiLE is presented on more than one level of understanding.

We all pretty much know the obvious level because people have been telling us what it is all our lives....you know, it's the Americana thing with Brian's obsessions thrown in the stew as well.

The other level is that the album metaphorically documents Brian's spiritually enlightened religious drug experience(s). I cannot prove this beyond a doubt as such information has been kept secret....but by using carefully selected parts of Brian's bio likely scenarios seem to paint the picture.

So, for instance, Brian's bio notes regarding Brian's 1st LSD trip that, "there was a sacredness to it all--from the way we said hello...." which seems to correspond with the "Cabinessence" lyric "timely hello." The bio's dating of Brian's 2nd trip has him enduring an ego death in 1965. This corresponds to the H&V lyric "at 3 score & 5 I'm very much alive."

There are loads of similar examples I could bring up but I'd likely be scolded for being irrational for using a discredited source (Brian's bio).

But even if we simply treat these selected passages from the bio as possibility or a hypothetical exercise.....a second layer of meaning can be gathered from SMiLE.

This is exactly what Arthur Koestler's The Act Of Creation suggests be present in works of art to enable the desired result which Koestler calls an 'oceanic' experience but Brian Wilson calls 'spiritual enlightenment.'

So when Brian tells Michael Vosse that when people laugh at something they are more open to what's making them laugh then at any other time, we can apply this idea to this second level of meaning in SMiLE. If the hidden layer of meaning has to do with spiritual enlightenment then perhaps the discovery of such a level of experience could inspire a similar level of experience in the consumer of the art.

[Paulos]

I would really like to get hold of some of the weed that Bill has clearly been smoking a lot of...

[Bill Tobelman]

I asked my friend Pete (who actually lived through the sixties) if anyone would conspire to make an album that possibly could inspire a spiritual experience comparable to the LSD experience. Pete responded right off, "Oh yeah, Grace Slick wanted to turn everybody on" (or something to that effect).

Paulos has a good point through his drug reference. In the sixties this sort of thing (the positive effects of drugs) was considered "cutting edge" as far as the ultimate potential of  human possibilities.

But who would guess that Brian Wilson was on the forefront of such ideas? Apparently not many Beach Boys fans.

[Bill Tobelman]

A few posts back:

Just one more thing....in order to make such a project work, you do not reveal the secret to the consumer. That would be like explaining the joke to the audience...it loses all it's magic that way.

Actually my post should be more complete than it is. If one looks across the full spectrum of Koestler's contentions then secrecy is important for Humor as well as for Science or Discovery (which produces the "eureka" event) and Art (which produces the self-transcendent event). In all cases the value is in the individual consumer's picking up on the hidden meaning or truth for themselves.

[Bill Tobelman]

One thing that's completely mind-blowing is that the hidden layer of meaning in SMiLE is so hidden that most listeners aren't likely to find it.

Arthur Koestler addresses this by pointing out that the greater the distance between the obvious & the hidden meaning: the greater the act of creation involved in accessing the meaning.

So when Brian Wilson's comments from the sixties indicate that he wanted to promote spiritual enlightenment: such a project vis a vis The Act Of Creation would likely employ an incredible distance between the obvious & the hidden, the farther out the idea the farther out the connection. Use of Koestler's principles to promote such a thing would likely suggest that Brian attempted the near impossible (the idea that a record album could promote spiritual enlightenment....you might pray to such an album).

To take this even further....the idea that the idea of God or a similar realization is an act of creation has a tie with Brian's Landy era comments about his solo album & "Rio Grande." Brian says something to the effect that "we cannot concieve of God so we put him up in the sky" (or something to that effect). This would suggest a creation: which I would suggest expresses truth on a number of levels. Some of the "out of the wild & what into you can conceive you'll achieve" from BWPS seem to be on this level.

Wow, it's as if SMiLE really was on the level Brian was outlining in 1966.

[bgas]

One thing that's completely mind-blowing is that the hidden layer of meaning in SMiLE is so hidden that most listeners aren't likely to find it.

Arthur Koestler addresses this by pointing out that the greater the distance between the obvious & the hidden meaning: the greater the act of creation involved in accessing the meaning.

So when Brian Wilson's comments from the sixties indicate that he wanted to promote spiritual enlightenment: such a project vis a vis The Act Of Creation would likely employ an incredible distance between the obvious & the hidden, the farther out the idea the farther out the connection. Use of Koestler's principles to promote such a thing would likely suggest that Brian attempted the near impossible (the idea that a record album could promote spiritual enlightenment....you might pray to such an album).

To take this even further....the idea that the idea of God or a similar realization is an act of creation has a tie with Brian's Landy era comments about his solo album & "Rio Grande." Brian says something to the effect that "we cannot concieve of God so we put him up in the sky" (or something to that effect). This would suggest a creation: which I would suggest expresses truth on a number of levels. Some of the "out of the wild & what into you can conceive you'll achieve" from BWPS seem to be on this level.

Wow, it's as if SMiLE really was on the level Brian was outlining in 1966.

Ok, so I'm a bit slow. with this last message, I finally figured out what you're doing. 

While you'd be happy if people here believe what you're saying, that's not your main thrust; you're trying to convince yourself that everything you've been saying is true!  And it looks like you might be winning your arguments with yourself. 
Not with anyone else, yet,  but at least You are coming around

[Bill Tobelman]

bgas said:

Ok, so I'm a bit slow. with this last message, I finally figured out what you're doing.

While you'd be happy if people here believe what you're saying, that's not your main thrust; you're trying to convince yourself that everything you've been saying is true!  And it looks like you might be winning your arguments with yourself.
Not with anyone else, yet,  but at least You are coming around

That's not true. What I'm doing is showing that everything Brian Wilson said in the mid sixties as well as all of the strange surrounding events surrounding SMiLE make total sense. What I'm doing is exposing that SMiLE was everything it was originally supposed to be, if not more.

What we've been brought up on regarding this project has always been based upon folks observing this thing from the outside. Ever see The Act Of Creation connected to SMiLE? I haven't either. Guess it's been a secret. The logic behind the creative process explained in The Act Of Creation only works if it's a secret.

In the Beautiful Dreamer film Van Dyke Parks says that Brian wanted to present something without explanation. It all works out.

SMiLE was meant to promote spiritual enlightenment by use of the mystery. "It really is a mystery" indeed.

[DonnyL]

Hey Bill,

i do think you're on to something with your theories, however we might also consider that perhaps these things were not specifically planned out by Brian, but rather cosmic coincidences.  Or perhaps Brian was connected to some of these things naturally ... He is a very intuitive person and was obviously quite sensitive and aware during the SMILE period.

[Bill Tobelman]

Unconscious thought plays a big part in Koestler's way of thinking as it is truly creative.

Our conscious way of thinking works on a single plane or code of thought. But unconscious thinking breaks these rules and therefore presents opportunities for creative associations.

This free associative unconscious process can be found in the lyrics of SMiLE. "Bicycle rider see see what you've done done to the church of the American Indian" is a fine lyric to illustrate the point.

"Bicycle rider" forms a thought pattern in our minds. "See see" breaks that mold by suggesting C. C. Rider. And ending with the Church of the American Indian parts with the established though/directions even more.

By employing such techniques SMiLE suggests the unconscious mind.

Koestler explains that presenting opposites together suggests the same. So the phrase "heroes and villains" would likely work in the same manner, as would "boys and girls" (which one finds hidden in the H&V backing vocals).

Repetition also suggests this "primitive" mid-set. So when "heroes and villains" is repeated over & over it would appear that the goal is to achieve something on the level of the unconscious.

Frank Holmes' comment regarding the SMiLE Shop picture being "not accessible in conscious reality" also suggests that the unconscious is where we need to go to understand SMiLE.

As Van Dyke Parks would say, "don't awaken me."

[louielouie]

Also, speaking of the Peedles; Brian said he felt like he was in competition with The Peedles during that time. The Peedles were making songs like 'Tomorrow Never Knows' 'She Said She Said' 'Here There And Everywhere'  - it would only make sense he would seek out a spiritual avenue to help intellectualize his records.

It is interesting that possibly Brian was reading up on Zen, Astrology, etc only to beat the Peedles at their own game.

Excuse me, why you call them The Peedles?

[Matt Bielewicz]

That one I CAN answer - this board's text filter currently knobbles any attempt to write the full name of the famous pop quartet from Liverpool who had their first number one with Please Please Me in 1963 and split up in 1970 after releasing Let It Be. That's why I've not written their name here, because it will just be altered to the Hamburg slang name for them again, whether I like it or not!

Similarly, the name of their founder (whose surname rhymes with 'Glennon') is always replaced here automatically with his alter-ego from the Eric Idle film The Rutles (Ron Nasty), and the name of his bass-playing chief songwriting associate (whose name resembles the US senator that persecuted communists in the 1950s) is always mangled to Rutles sidekick Dirk McQuickly.

My sides just can't take the humour. Nurse, make with the side-reseaming equipment already...

MattB

[Andrew G. Doe]

Indeed. Juvenile doesn't even cover it.