William J. Craddock. Postsingular Cover.
Stoner humor is a way of giving the finger to consensus reality. That’s what I always liked in Burroughs’s Yage Letters or in Phil Dick’s Scanner Darkly, or William J. Craddock’s Be Not Content. Turning your back on received ideas. Participatory surrealism.
I thought I’d blogged about Craddock’s book, but most of what I’ve written about it is in my pre-blog journals. I’m gonna drop two chunks in here today. And, guess what, his wife Teresa has put up a small webpage about him. She’d like to get his books back in print. I, for one, would love to write a preface for Be Not Content. Here’s two recollections about the book.
(1) Oct 5, 2003. I bought a used book on the web, William J. Craddock, Be Not Content, a book I worshipped in the 1970s, and then lost. I paid too much for this used copy, $140, and it’s not in very good shape, but I just had to own it again. It was pure joy rereading it, I recognized so very many bits that I’ve totally integrated into my worldview, so many kicks and tricks that I used in my own transreal work. What I hadn’t remembered/understood in reading the book in the Seventies is that it’s set in San Jose. It’s a Bildungsroman transreal novel about Craddock’s experiences as an acid-head while a student at San Jose State, 1963-1967.
[4D Painting by David Povilaitis.]
He was born in 1946 like me, and went to college the same years! I wish I could find him and give him a copy of my mirror-world right-coast work in the same vein, on the same period, The Secret of Life. Looking for him on the web reveals only one hit, a reprint of something he had in one of those Authors Lives reference sets back when Be Not Content came out. [Note, I can’t find this link anymore.] He was born in Los Gatos. Was living in the Santa Cruz mountains. Right when I moved here in 1986, I remember seeing a column by him the Santa Cruz free newspaper Good Times. I hope he’s still alive. Maybe I could help get Be Not Content back into print.
I’m always worrying about wasting time, right, and I saw a great line in Be Not Content, the author-narrator Abel Egregore expresses this fear to one of his stoner friends, who guffaws, “Time? How can you waste time?” And I get a little enlightenment there. Time and space, the all-pervasive ineluctable modalities. What’s to waste? You use one second per second no matter what you’re doing. A wonderful teaching.
(2) September 25, 2005. A fan emailed me that Craddock is dead, so today I went to the SJSU library to look up Craddock’s obit. It was on microfilm, San Jose Mercury News, March 20, 2004, a tiny obit written by, I think, his wife Teresa. How little recognition he died with. It was eerie, the microfilms are down in the basement in this new and graphically uncluttered room with an art piece that makes the room look like a mausoleum — the two facing side walls are covered with mirrors set into tiny arched openings like the doors to crypt boxes. Like being in Citizen Kane. I pull open the huge flat metal drawer with ranks and ranks of microfilm boxes, my hand reaches in, plucks out the box with Billy’s obit. Go to the microfilm reader, the same old big clunky kind of machine as ever, grind forward to his the obits on 3/20/04, I’m looking for a big article, but it’s just a little tiny thing, with a picture him looking tired and sad, his eyes hidden in dark sockets.
How bum, how alien, how weird it would be for him to see this microfilm room in a flash-forward, him walking careless and high around the campus forty years ago and suddenly, whoah, he sees the hand pulling out the box of microfilm with its image of his weary, suffering face.
When I go outside, the bell on Tower Hall is ringing an hour, tolling deep and reverberant, the sounds overlapping and forming beats. “It tolls for thee.” I really am going to die, and someone will walk around this campus marveling that Rudy Rucker once trod here, and now is no more, that really and truly is gonna happen. Nobody escapes. William Craddock knew this his whole life long, I think he wrote something like “there is only the one trip, the true trip of life itself.”
It’s not quite accurate to call the book “stoner humor,” by the way. Better to post what Billy said about it on the back cover of his book:
See also his entry in Gale Contemporary Authors in one of the comments below…
===============
On other matters…
The new issue of my webzine Flurb is doing well, my authors are happy with it, and we got 1,000 visits on day #1 then 3,000 on day #2, then back to 1,000 on day #3. 5,000 in the first three days, with a long tail to come. Yaar.
While I was poking around on the web to see how Flurb is doing, I Googled my story title “Postsingular Outtakes,” and ended up at Amazon where, lo and behold, they already have a cover up for Postsingular. Wonderful cover. A green hole in space with a purple cuttlefish emerging from it. And they’re using a great blurb Bill Gibson wrote for me, where he says that I “should be declared a national treasure of American science fiction.” Yeah, baby.
I went over the page proofs for Postsingular, and then I got into the sequel, Hylozoic , again — at last — marking up the first chapter, working slowly, and now I’m slowly typing the changes in. Wow, the last time I worled on the new the novel was March 21. My writing muscles are creaky and out of shape.
I feel like I’ve been lost in a maze of hype—what with the readings for Mathematicians in Love, Rochester and Amsterdam appearances, the Psipunk speech and video, also all the blogging I did on the road, the Flurb promotion, and the Postsingular push to come. Instead of thinking about my work, I’ve been thinking about my hype.
It’s nice to get away from the hype and back to the actual work. The Hylozoic material is better than I remembered. Funnier. I’m glad to have my character, Sonic, delivering some stoner humor, I live for that stuff, sober or not.
April 27th, 2007 at 10:12 am
Be Not Content is an unforgettable book. At one point about 20 years ago, Stephen P. Brown was lending his copy around; I was next in line after Gibson. That’s how scarce they were even then. I saw one copy in a used bookshop a few years later–should have snapped it up.
April 29th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
I agree — cool book jacket. I’ll read anything with tentacles on the cover!
April 30th, 2007 at 6:27 am
Who knows, Rudy, maybe you’ll be the one guy who doesn’t die. 100 years from now you’ll still be crankin’ ‘em out.
April 30th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
*You ain’t dead yet, gramps.
*They just figured out a way to hotwire Alzheimers’ cells.
You may be kicking it at 95.
May 1st, 2007 at 4:35 am
in Flurb.. The Maria magdalene story was The best!! veery god!!
May 7th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Interesting post by Paul Di Filippo about Craddock today, regarding his novel Twilight Candelabra.
I didn’t like Twilight Candelbra as much as Be Not Content, it’s kind of a downer. A coke book instead of an acid book.
I don’t think I mentioned that I talked to Craddock’s wife Teresa on the phone a couple of years ago—we were put in contact by a biker who was buying Craddock’s hog—and she mentioned that there were still about five of his unpublished novels floating around in manuscript form.
May 16th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Hey Rudy,
It was nice to read your thoughts about Bill Craddock. I was close friends with him for many years. I always loved his writings, sense of humor and warm heart. So glad others are still enjoying the books, and are able to see things through his incredibly perceptive vision. He was/is a great person, who I shared many wonderful experiences with. My life is richer because of our friendship. I have had the pleasure of reading (many years ago) some of his unpublished work, and can testify to his continuing greatness as a writer. I hope others will be able to read some of these stories in the near future. Thanks again for mentioning him and his work. All the best to you and your readers.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Hi Pat,
Was so sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. He was a hero in my mind, as well as a truely kind soul. I have read Be Not Content at various stages in my life and it never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Was nice hooking up with you in Reno. Hope all is well. God bless.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Here’s the Gale Contemporary Authors entry on Wm. Craddock from 2002, sent to me by Pete Risley. Thanks, Pete!
William J(ames) Craddock
1946-2004
Nationality: American
Entry Updated : 02/26/2002
Place of Birth: San Jose,
CA
Personal Information: Family: Born July 16, 1946, in San Jose, CA; son of William O. (an executive) and Camille J. (Hatch) Craddock; married Carole Anne Bronzich, November 27, 1967 (divorced); married Teresa Lynn Thorne (a fashions buyer), July 27, 1975. Education: Attended San Jose State College (now University), 1964-67. Politics: None. Religion: None. Avocational Interests: Motorcycles, collecting antique firearms, writers (including Peter S. Beagle, Philip K. Dick, and Anne Steinhardt), paintings of Richard Dadd, drawings of Martin Van Maele and George Metzger, and miniature replicas of human skulls.
Memberships: National Rifle Association, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, Lompico Volunteers, Night Riders Motorcycle Club (secretary-treasurer, 1966-67; vice-president, 1967–). Addresses: Office: 2872 Chesterfield Dr., Santa Cruz, CA 95062. Agent: Joan Stewart, William Morris Agency, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.
Career:
Writer. Worked as ditch digger, 1962.
WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:
Author of unpublished novels, including “Backtrack, ” 1970, “The Fall of Because, ” 1973, “The Fading Grass, ” 1975, and “A Passage of Shadows, ” 1976. Columnist for Los Gatos-Saratoga Times Observer, 1963-67. Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Easyriders, and to other publications, sometimes under pseudonym William James. Editor and publisher of Mobius Strip, 1966-67.
Sidelights
Craddock told CA: “Doubleday tentatively accepted Be Not Content in 1968. They asked me to omit certain chapters detailing the effects of LSD-25 and revise various `too esoteric’ passages they felt would be `incomprehensible to the reading public. . . which is’–they reminded me–`largely unfamiliar with drugs or the underground drug culture.’ (Even in 1968 I thought they were being just a bit conservative–but didn’t wanna argue the point.)
“While waiting for the anticipated wild joy of actual publication I wrote a second and much longer novel (intended as a sequel and wrap-up of Be Not Content) entitled `Backtrack, ‘ which followed the first book’s main characters through the disillusioning reentry years immediately after the winter
of 1967 and the death of hippie-hope. This grand opus was rejected after due consideration.”
After Craddock received an advance for his novel Twilight Candelabra, he “moved back into the mountains where, for the next three years, I did any number of things besides write. I managed to do a short and admittedly unmarketable book called `The Fall of Because, ‘ a satire overlaying a serious
allegorical treatment of `modern magick, ‘ which was submitted to and rejected by Doubleday, thereby meeting and completing my second contract with them.
“I remarried and was moved (not to say enticed) to a lovely old house above Los Gatos, CA, where I wrote a novel about the transitional early 1970’s entitled `The Fading Grass.’ From the `quaint village of my birth, ‘ my wife and I then moved to the Santa Cruz mountains and, once settled, I did an occult novel called `A Passage of Shadows.’ ”
Craddock has attempted to resolve the dilemma of his unpublished manuscripts by acquiring an agent. “In the meanwhile–having stumbled past my thirtieth birthday, somewhat less enthusiastic than I was ten years ago about the idea of filling pages with cloudy reflections of personal visions, suddenly able to
report `nostalgic Americana’ firsthand in the wake of a motorcycle accident that put me in the hospital for the first time in a decade-and-a-half of constant riding, still unable to adjust my waking hours with the sun–I have begun a book on certain selected people throughout history who fall (usually inadvertently) into a particular category.”
Source: Contemporary Authors
Online, Gale, 2002.
Gale Database: Contemporary Authors.
June 1st, 2007 at 10:47 am
Rudy, thanks for posting the note about Bill Craddock. I hadn’t heard that he died. I chatted with him many times during visits to the Classic Motorcycles shop that Pat Simmons owned on Mission Ave. in Santa Cruz, and I remember his newspaper column. He lived on Pat’s property for a while, before Pat moved to Hawaii. He was a nice guy and I’m saddened to hear he’s gone.
June 4th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Hi Jim. Photos i received. Thanks
June 17th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
How interesting that so many people, including myself, that have such vivid and fond memories of reading Bill Craddocks book Be Not Content (I read it in 1970 or ‘71 while living in Redwood Estates) have just now learned of his passing three years ago. What drew me to the Internet to Goggle in William Craddock? What brought on a wave of memories of the years 1970 to 1972, of those who shared experiences, mostly pot and acid induced, in the Santa Cruz Mountains? Why did I suddenly have a need to job my memory even to recall Bill’s first name, and fail at recalling the name of his great novel? Maybe it was my 61st b-day and finding out I would need a drug to control high blood pressure. Or maybe it was a PBS film on “the Hippies” that I found kindly to those of us who never reached either a state of enlightenment or contentment (I would have to reread Bill’s novel to know if that was to be expected), and perhaps wasted a good deal of our potential in the trying. Who knows? All I can say is that I am glad I took the time to do the googling, sad that Bill’s life ended at such an early age, and happy that there are others still out there that remember Be Not Content as the holy grail of the 60’s.
November 15th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I find your site/blog really interesting, and I am wondering how we can get his books back into print?! I read Be Not Content in high school (’00) and recently again last year, and its always been a favorite of mine. I think its really powerful, & important for the current times. I appreciate what you have put together here.
Peace.
December 7th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I had wondered over the years what had become of WJC. B/c of Google, and my increasing satisfaction from looking up old books and movies, including the very esoteric, an old curiosity struck me, about the author of TC, which I had bought in paperback in the early 70s at a college bookstore b/c it just seemed to jump out at me, as I was fresh back from the Marines (in the rear with the gear). TC is one of the few books I have read more than once (e.g., The Crying of Lot 49; Remembrances; Love in the Time of Cholera; One Two Three Infinity; The Immense Journey, several others), mainly b/c I thought that the narrative was either autobiographical or pure inventive genius, or both. It was at once shocking and realistic. It has been nearly 40 years, but who could write those passages about Damon Dusk and Herwoman and all the rest without having been there? Something in this man’s testosterone and acid addled delirium resonated with my view of a desperately confused, endangered world. I knew he was a spokesman for the times we were going through. Thanks to Google, and the details provided by his widow’s website and others, I was saddened to learn of his death, but even more saddened to learn that he hadn’t found the following and support he deserved. I shared some of those 60’s experiences, in my own oblique way. WJC pushed the boundaries of literature and consciousness, but his success depended on the psychedelic intelligence of his readership, which proved wanting. I have not read Be Not Content (which I had never heard of until this web search), but I will. I don’t think the vision is dead, just dormant, and its relevance will only be plain as the conditions become more horrible. WJC understood the violence inherent in human nature and knew that to effectively moralize against it, to advance civilization, you must first draw attention to reality. I am glad I Googled him. It sews up some loose ends. I’m sorry I never knew him. I will find “Be Not Content”, b/c if it is better than TC (as the reviewers say), it is worth a read 35 years later.
December 24th, 2007 at 10:32 am
I recently made a list of my top 20 lifetime books. My criteria include being a book that I’ve held on to, that I’ve often recommended to others, and that I’ve reread often. My list is mostly non-fiction.
One of the few novels on the list is “Be Not Content”. It moves me in ways that few other books have ever done. I’m saddened that it is so hard to find, as it makes my recommendation almost meaningless.
December 29th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Yes, thanks so much for this blog. I read Be Not Content in about 1971 in a typical house of that time, probably 8 or 10 of us living in a cabin at Donner Lake. The book disappeared before I had the chance to finish it, and I’ve never found another copy, but it had a huge influence on me and my thought processes as well. Its quality of introspection is missing from nearly all modern work–and people, too. I’ve been fascinated reading your blog and the comments after it.
December 29th, 2007 at 9:43 am
I appreciate all the positive comments about Bill Craddock’s work.
I have been trying to get a few publishers to reissue BE NOT CONTENT, but so far none of them seems to be going for it.
I still hope someone will step up, if they can get a contract with Bill’s widow Teresa (and help her revert the rights from Doubleday).
Although a big legit publisher would best, if all else fails, maybe a small wildcat press could do it. Kevin Kelly has an article “Book Yourself” in the Uploads section of issue #12 of MAKE magazine describing how it really is quite easy to publish a book in POD (Print On Demand) and ebook format. The article isn’t online, but there is a little stub with links to the sites mentioned in the article.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 am
Billy Craddock’s passing was not overlooked by those who knew him well. Some memorials were posted in 2004 by members of his high school class:
http://vintage64.blogspot.com
Those of you who are interested in his writing may get a better picture of his true self in these remembrances. Scroll through the articles to find those about WJC.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm
wow , do i remember bill wild bill cradoock —? ? ? —–> yes , los gatos times obsever employee ( me ) —> i thought he was WILD BILL ——> I GREW UP
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
we lived in the santa cruz mts read his LGTO column , doobie bros ? sure , we knew everyone , chateau , lexington school alumn , LGHS , alma , newts , REDWOODS , ———-> why did i google his name > ??? who gave me a computer ? sorry to see he passed -0——-> i think i must have met mr craddock at the office ? its all fuzzy , T-Observer , Mr Held ? dateline , mt shasta
January 20th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
On a whim after bits of “Be Not content” zizzed through my aging brain, I googled it and found that Craddock is no longer here. I remember him sitting in the funky but cool old house my room mate (Barbie Sussman) and I shared in the foothills of east San Jose surrounded by abandoned orchards (likely all tract homes now) in ‘71. At 19, I was younger than the handful of humans hanging out (one couple were “characters” in the book and cheerfully giving him flack about the literary liberties he took) and was in a sort of awe. He was beautiful and funny as hell. A movie starring Sophia Loren was on and he went into a rant about how lovely Sophia could be with that “little old fat guy”. He was intense and hilarious. A couple months after that, the house caught afire and burned down. I married a musician in a band with another “character” David Anderly (?) from the book. Left San Jose and never saw Bill again and have no friends or family in San Jose now so never go near it. I also remember Pat Simmons at Barbie’s place. I was hoping he was still riding and writing.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
If someone (not between the ages of 55-65) asked me about the 60s “Be Not Content” would be the book I would reccomend. I so indetified with the book that I actually grew a beard because of the cover and I have had a full beard ever since.
I am optimistc that humans will eventually find there way again, and that the ideas, questions, themes and truths found in “Be Not Content” will be seen as prophetic.
Jeff
Boulder County Colorado eqhex@yahoo.com
March 11th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I read Be Not Content way back when and it was the real deal then and still is. Have been looking for a copy for nearly 30years but no luck. Hope a publisher is found soon. A mighty mighty book both for the narrative and the ethos which has gone the way of all good things in this mad world of post modern nihilism. Am not a publisher but one might be found here?
March 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 am
I was studying for finals at Library East at UF sometime in the early 70’s and saw the red re-bound copy of Be Not Content on the jammed shelves in front of me. I barely withstood the urge to start reading it right then, but blowing off finals was out of the question that quarter at least, so I contiued my studying with thought that as soon as my last final was done I would reward myself with reading that book. I LOVED it. I enjoyed it more than Electric Cool Aide Acid Test, Remember Be Here Now, High Priest, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and On The Road. Over the years, I could only rarely remember the title and never recall the author, but never forgot that very cool book. And here is a Blog. Love the Internet. I hope to find a copy some day. I want to re-live that experience so much. Good luck to you all and if anyone finds copy lets try to do an e-book!!
May 14th, 2008 at 4:12 am
I read the book, in high school, 1970 I think, a bunch of us passsed a copy around. We did a lot of stuff, my favorite line was “it dosen’t matter what you do in life as long as you do it with a soul”, the internet amazes me.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:13 am
I got it wrong “a little more soul”
May 20th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I just read Be Not Content last night… AMAZING. I stumbled across a mere listing of it on a website and became curious and, after discovering copies ran upward of fifty bucks (I think I’m willing to shell out this much now, I gotta own a copy), I was delighted to find it at the Kansas City library. Being 24 I can’t lay claim to specific nostalgia in regards to the decade, but of course psychedelic experiences are timeless… he was a totally beautiful writer. What I wouldn’t give to read the sequel… it’s a total tragedy that such a book has withered into obscurity since its original publication. I feel certain that there must be a publisher, if only small-time, who would recognize its value as both firsthand cultural ‘document’ and superb memoir.
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Was recently telling my college going son about the wonderful story, Be Not Content, and decided to read it again. Had no idea it was so difficult to find and am glad to have treasured my copy all these years. Never knew the man but ran the same streets, mountains, campus at the same time, so identified completely with the trip. Sure walked some similar drug paths. Sorry to hear of his passing, but so glad to see the following he has retained decades after. Far out.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I grew up in San Jose and lived in Santa Cruz at about the same time William did. I am a bit younger than he was, but had almost a parallel situation with some of his book Be Not Content. In our cadre of friends we had about two copies passing around that we would read in our travels to the mountains or beaches. It was read and quoted many times, though it would be hard to emulate. There was some mythical LSD experiences related in the book as I recall. Most of us were a bit too frightened by the edgy places Williams character went with his mind. I seem to remember, when I lived in Santa Cruz seeing William riding around in a sportscar convertible, his blond hair flying behind him. Someone was always saying he was spotted here and there. A good friend of mine still has one of the copies of the book. The book is so rare now, it costs up to $500 to get a nice copy.