Great Jones Street (novel)
Encyclopedia
Published in 1973, Great Jones Street is Don DeLillo
's third novel. It centers on rock
star Bucky Wunderlick, who also narrates the novel. There is a good deal of surreal
imagery. Running Dog, a parody of Rolling Stone
introduced in Great Jones Street, would later play a central role in DeLillo's 1978 novel of the same name.
and tries to pare things down. A spokesperson for Happy Valley Farms named Skippy arrives with a sample of a drug that wreaks havoc on the language
centers of the brain
. His possession of the drug, as well as his iconic status in the counterculture, attract the attention of a domestic terrorist organization known as the Happy Valley Farm Commune. A skinhead
-like offshoot known as the Dog Boys also rampages through Wunderlick's apartment building.
In the novel Wunderlick's girlfriend Opel passes away from neglect of her health. She had arranged for the Mountain Tapes to arrive at Wunderlick's apartment for his birthday. The novel also covers his relationship with the other tenants in the building; upstairs lives a struggling author and downstairs a mother who is ashamed of her disfigured son and keeps him locked in his room after she was unable to sell him to the circus.
Bob Dylan
is reputed to be one of the models for the character of Bucky Wunderlick. A key subplot involves the theft of Bucky's unreleased "Mountain Tapes." These are clearly inspired by Dylan's "Basement Tapes", which would not be released until the summer of 1975 and were still shrouded in mystery. Ambitious but neurotic guitarist
Azarian reflects less-than-complimentary stories about The Band
's Robbie Robertson
. Wunderlick's general sense of withdrawal and contrariness fit the public image of Dylan.
The Mountain Tapes are eventually destroyed by the Happy Valley commune. They also inject Wunderlick with a drug that affects the language center of the brain so Wunderlick will no longer be able to form words, only meaningless noises. Near the end of the book the drug wears off and Wunderlick begins to gain back his speech, beginning with the word "mouth."
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
's third novel. It centers on rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
star Bucky Wunderlick, who also narrates the novel. There is a good deal of surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
imagery. Running Dog, a parody of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
introduced in Great Jones Street, would later play a central role in DeLillo's 1978 novel of the same name.
Plot and characters
Dissatisfied with the life that his fame, fortune, and revolutionary image has bought, Wunderlick retreats to an unfurnished apartment on Great Jones Street in ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and tries to pare things down. A spokesperson for Happy Valley Farms named Skippy arrives with a sample of a drug that wreaks havoc on the language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
centers of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. His possession of the drug, as well as his iconic status in the counterculture, attract the attention of a domestic terrorist organization known as the Happy Valley Farm Commune. A skinhead
Skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and then spread to other parts of the world. Named for their close-cropped or shaven heads, the first skinheads were greatly influenced by West Indian rude boys and British mods,...
-like offshoot known as the Dog Boys also rampages through Wunderlick's apartment building.
In the novel Wunderlick's girlfriend Opel passes away from neglect of her health. She had arranged for the Mountain Tapes to arrive at Wunderlick's apartment for his birthday. The novel also covers his relationship with the other tenants in the building; upstairs lives a struggling author and downstairs a mother who is ashamed of her disfigured son and keeps him locked in his room after she was unable to sell him to the circus.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
is reputed to be one of the models for the character of Bucky Wunderlick. A key subplot involves the theft of Bucky's unreleased "Mountain Tapes." These are clearly inspired by Dylan's "Basement Tapes", which would not be released until the summer of 1975 and were still shrouded in mystery. Ambitious but neurotic guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Azarian reflects less-than-complimentary stories about The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
's Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
. Wunderlick's general sense of withdrawal and contrariness fit the public image of Dylan.
The Mountain Tapes are eventually destroyed by the Happy Valley commune. They also inject Wunderlick with a drug that affects the language center of the brain so Wunderlick will no longer be able to form words, only meaningless noises. Near the end of the book the drug wears off and Wunderlick begins to gain back his speech, beginning with the word "mouth."