Comments on: Madison Kirby, a.k.a. Peckover http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:07:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michael Jones Sept Soeurs a Londres http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-115 Michael Jones Sept Soeurs a Londres Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-115 The revelation that Peckover is actually American came as quite a surprise to me, and that is because I had always assumed that the nationality given was a fact. But it begs the question: why did Henry feel the need to change certain details. But the really interesting thing here in reading Kreg's page, is that Peckover comes across as quite a colourful character. Of course there is nothing interesting about playing with death, but from reading about his over zealous acrobats it immediately brought to mind the scenes in the brilliant film Toal Eclipse. At the start of this Arthur Rimbaud (played by Leonardo Dicaprio) is seen pulling back from a railway platform seemingly just at the last second, and in a further scene he is shown standing on the slanting roof of a building. The other comparisons are the scenes in Oliver Stone's the Doors, where (and weirdly enough) we are also shown two scenes where Morrison dices with death from high buildings. I have a biography of Rimbaud on my Amazon wish list and as yet can't verify that this was a personal trait of his, but if it was this could maybe explain Peckover's behaviour if he had indeed read a book about Rimbaud. Well from what I can remember about him in TC he was portrayed as a rather mundane person with no interesting characteristics, and with no age given (if I'm right) I always felt that he was in his fifties or sixties. Assuming this and knowing that Miller wasn't too crazy on him or the English--which is understandable given his treatment at Newhaven--I always thought that this was why he never gave him too much attention in the book. But it still begs the question: why turn him into someone else? Well the only answer I have been able to come up with, is that out of some sense of respect to Peckover and his wife he felt obliged to at least camouflage some of the details. But the weirdest aspect to all this, is that years later Miller was standing on the roof of the Villa Seurat, and observing the planets he himself was to fall through a glass plane and end up in hospital. The revelation that Peckover is actually American came as quite a surprise to me, and that is because I had always assumed that the nationality given was a fact. But it begs the question: why did Henry feel the need to change certain details. But the really interesting thing here in reading Kreg’s page, is that Peckover comes across as quite a colourful character. Of course there is nothing interesting about playing with death, but from reading about his over zealous acrobats it immediately brought to mind the scenes in the brilliant film Toal Eclipse. At the start of this Arthur Rimbaud (played by Leonardo Dicaprio) is seen pulling back from a railway platform seemingly just at the last second, and in a further scene he is shown standing on the slanting roof of a building. The other comparisons are the scenes in Oliver Stone’s the Doors, where (and weirdly enough) we are also shown two scenes where Morrison dices with death from high buildings. I have a biography of Rimbaud on my Amazon wish list and as yet can’t verify that this was a personal trait of his, but if it was this could maybe explain Peckover’s behaviour if he had indeed read a book about Rimbaud. Well from what I can remember about him in TC he was portrayed as a rather mundane person with no interesting characteristics, and with no age given (if I’m right) I always felt that he was in his fifties or sixties. Assuming this and knowing that Miller wasn’t too crazy on him or the English–which is understandable given his treatment at Newhaven–I always thought that this was why he never gave him too much attention in the book. But it still begs the question: why turn him into someone else? Well the only answer I have been able to come up with, is that out of some sense of respect to Peckover and his wife he felt obliged to at least camouflage some of the details. But the weirdest aspect to all this, is that years later Miller was standing on the roof of the Villa Seurat, and observing the planets he himself was to fall through a glass plane and end up in hospital.

]]> By: Eric L http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-117 Eric L Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-117 Kreg- This is a great note. Perhaps James might want it for Nexus? Eric Kreg-

This is a great note. Perhaps James might want it for Nexus?

Eric

]]> By: Helmut Schwarzer http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-118 Helmut Schwarzer Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.millerwalks.com/content/madison-kirby-peckover#comment-118 Another tidbit for us compulsive obsessives: Kirby, as a member of the San Francisco Athletic League, in 1918 won a 880 yard race in 2:11.6... Another tidbit for us compulsive obsessives: Kirby, as a member of the San Francisco Athletic League, in 1918 won a 880 yard race in 2:11.6…

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