BigShinyThing

Thursday 12 October 2006

The ’90s TV mini-series that saw it all coming.

What with all this wanging on about Second Life we think the time is absolutely right for a cyberpunk revival. Back in 1993 Bruce Wagner and Oliver Stone (of all people) saw the future. And it had Angie Dickinson in it.

Featuring an all-star cast and movie-size budget, Wild Palms was a fantastically silly mini-series about a virtual reality TV show which was really a syphon for an evil cult. Crack cocaine, avatars, cyber-sex, Scientology — it’s all there referenced in some form or another. Good old Genesis P Orridge — who has also just re-emerged — as a s/he — was hired as a consultant on the series and cyberpunk overlord William Gibson makes a cameo. If you just can’t get your head around why people love Second Lifeing so much have a crack at watching Wild Palms. It might explain a few things. Or not.

Posted by Anne-Fay | Tags: virtual reality, Wild Palms
1 Comment

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This article is provided under a Creative Commons license.

Contact: anne-fay (at) bigshinything (dot) com

LIFESTREAM | TWITTER / Sep 3^rd 2010

AF: “@mokbeehive at the risk of sounding like an ad, using Skype has saved us a fortune in conference-call related costs xxx”

DB: “The Orb and David Gilmour have released a collaboration? Cannot WAIT to get my time machine fixed and return to C21...”

AF: “plotting trip to beloveds in Amsterdam”

Sep 2^nd 2010

DB: “Bo Ningen brilliant at The Macbeth tonight. Can't wait to see them at #offsetfestival. Photos to follow tomorrow...”

AF: “Bo Ningen at the Macbeth and I am wearing Jigsaw ha”

AF: “Paul Boudens at The Wapping Project

”

DB: “At the Paul Boudens PV at Wapping. Good stuff, well selected, beautifully presented...#wappingproject”

AF: “fan girl day”

AF: “@timhayward what about the cat? and what child? glad to see that we are preoccupying your subconscious though xxx”

DB: “Ping reminds me, both Look & Feel and function, of the terrible software Sony used to ship in the last days of minidisk (& prob still does)”

AF: “@timhayward looks familiar

”

DB: “Ping recommendations -- Gaga? Katy Perry? Linkin Park? Based on my library of Tibetan ritual music, ECM, postpunk... #fail”

AF: “geeking out

”

AF: “@mokbeehive fab - give me a call when you're free. Am around all today/tomorrow - whenever! x”

Sep 1^st 2010

AF: “Flying spine

”

AF: “Following the Tabi footprints #Margiela

”

DB: “looking forward to shooting at #offsetfestival this weekend...”

AF: “@mokbeehive enjoy Liberty and don't walk into any of the mirrors! How did things go with MW in the end? x”

AF: “v excited about catching the Margiela 20 exhibition at Somerset House. Am painting myself white in preparation”

Aug 29^th 2010

DB: “@eyelust we were also VERY underwhelmed. Looked like random stuff from the back of the archive...”

AF: “RT @darrellberry: RT @petermread: I'm at Notting Hill Carnival w/ 94 others.

<< 94? carnival not so big w 4sq demographic i see”

DB: “RT @petermread: I'm at Notting Hill Carnival w/ 94 others.

<< 94? carnival not so big w 4sq demographic i see”

DB: “RT @annehyphenfay: We have grown a small tomato

<< unbelievable but true #vegetables #impossibility”

AF: “We have grown a small tomato

”

Aug 28^th 2010

DB: “Cardboard cutout hipsters seem to have discovered the lovely The Grapes pub on Narrow Street. Sad if true.”

DB: “RT @guardiannews: Ekow Eshun: Why I'm quitting the ICA

<< because on his watch it lost all contemporary relevance?”

AF: “Installing the @net-a-porter iPhone app. Hilariously, it's 'free'”

AF: “that pigeon is getting closer”

AF: “stunning autumn day and I'm inside copy editing. Tum ti tum”

AF: “really hoping that @icalondon can now start afresh and get some relevancy back. Maybe revisiting perfomance and digital art might help?”

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