Tuesday, April 03, 2018

'Wild Wild Country" (2018): One Wild Nutty Ride

Wild Wild Country (2018): "A Netflix Original Documentary Series" in six parts (so far). Set mostly in the 1980s and the nearer past, it's a dazzling, freaky kaleidoscope swirling with the cult of personality, tipped elections, conspiracy, challenges to the separation of church and state, surveillance, immigration themes, homeless people, cuisine, religion, G-men and semi-automatic weapons. What a show -- and how pertinent to our current Trump show!  Imagine the Branch Davidians and Jonestown on a large, international scale, making it successfully. Are you ready? Think Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, the 700 Club and the PTL -- Praise the Lord aka "Pass the Loot" -- Club, armed to the teeth and ready to rumble.     
Wild Wild Country: the Eyes of Texas are Upon You. Or more accurately, the Eyes of Oregon and India are Upon Each Other. "You can't make this shite up."
For all these years I've had this snapshot of a restaurant sign in Copenhagen, Denmark, loving its name: "Zorba the Buddha."  Not until I saw Wild Wild Country did I realize that this was part of the Rajneesh movement -- even though it clearly reads just below the name: "RAJNEESH RESTAURANT." Location in 1983: Strøget, Frederiksberggade 15, København 1459. Suggesting once again that everything is connected to everything else in the grand scheme of things.

Today's Rune: Breakthrough. 

2 comments:

the walking man said...

I wasn't going to watch this and then I saw your write up Erik. It was odd in that I remember this pretty clearly, and still see from the original newscasts that picture of Baghwan riding in his rolls in my mind. It was good to learn all of the backstory I didn't pay attention to when it was happening. Antelope and Rajaneeshpuram are pretty much ghost towns now.

I didn't know about Bill Bowers and his progeny being involved in the oppo--I kept thinking where's Pre? It may have been a sea change if them of the Oregon persuasion had just let them zone themselves from the out set--I dunno by then I had been through Oregon, legally slept on beaches with open fires, and moved on through.

Erik Donald France said...

Hola, Walking Man - cheers on your comment! Right on, dude ~ huzzah ~ !