However, the peculiar sado-masochism/manipulation of the
pimp/whore
relationship does stand out to me. Iceberg describes it all,
first from
the point of view of the "mark," later from the "mack." As I
was
searching for some info online, I came across this quotation
from a
newspaper interview in the seventies, in regards to Iceberg's
theory of
"Heelism."
" ... the pimp's mauling of the sexual object is perhaps a
more severe
version of what happens in conventional relationships. For
instance, in
so-called "square" sexual bouts, the woman winds up, of
course, flat on
her back in a submissive position. If a man is aware of what
sexual
button to push to enhance a woman's gratification, he will
bite her with
the proper degree of ferocity. If he inflicted that kind of
punishment
on her when she was not in a state of rapture, she would
resent it... "
Thus, Iceberg's work and life represents a sort of apogee (or
nadir) of
the fantasy of male potency and control. This ideal, to my
mind, is
directly related to the hard-boiled school, which is
basically male
centered and oriented. But Iceberg Slim doesn't hold back in
his
exploration of the bleakness of life on the street -- the
sheer
psycho/physical brutality of his scenes continually
fascinates me -- on
a level far more powerful than, say a Block or Ellroy,
because theirs
feel like writerly fabrications. Of course, Iceberg could
just be
hustling me ...
The interviews I'm referring to are worth a look. In a truly
articulate
fashion, he discusses the rage of the black male in American
society, as
manifest through pimpdom and hustling ...
http://www.fringeware.com/subcult/Iceberg_Slim.html
Excuse me, but I gotta split and score myself some "vines
..."
Dave
--
"Fate, or some mysterious force, can put the finger on you or me for no good reason at all."
-- Tom Neal, "Detour"
# # To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.vex.net/~buff/rara-avis/.