The Decadent Worker

“Among the first and oddest things Brother-in-law was to bring up in our talks at his house were instances of freak radio reception. A woman had picked up a radio broadcast through her hair curlers. Every now and then, someone discovered their tooth fillings were sensitive to radio waves.

“‘Things like that actually happen,’ he said, ‘although rarely.’

“‘Yes,’ I answered. ‘I think maybe once or twice it happened to me. A few months ago, when I was living across from Lafayette Square in a little room over Fred’s Inn I seemed to hear radio programs as I was drifting into sleep during afternoon naps — with station breaks, news, commercials, weather reports and music. When I woke up afterwards, though, I couldn’t remember the call letters of the station.’

“Brother-in-law nodded — as if to indicate that, yes, he knew about that.

“Since I had not discussed it with anyone, I dismissed his response as simply inappropriate. From such an unusual man I did not expect entirely comprehensible behavior at all times.

“I think I failed to add that I had also experienced audio hallucinations of a different nature when going to sleep at nights sometimes when I was in the Marines — during the interval I was serving with Lee Oswald in Marine Air Control Squadron Nine. I had written them off as a peculiar category of dreams. Nor did I tend to think that my radio program dreams experienced more recently had other than psychological causes.

“I gathered early on that Brother-in-law had a perchant for the exceptionally bizarre, and that his mind tended to wander from one weird variety of trivia to another without the benefit of a healthy skepticism…” (p. 46-A)

“Then there was something he mentioned once or twice that seemed even less credible than flying saucers powered by German secrets of perpetual motion. ‘In the state of California, Kerry, there is a plan to begin performing mind control experiments on people who live there. I.G. Farben, the economic arm of the Third Reich is involved in it. They are going to put surveillance devices in the heads of their experimental victims, in order to monitor them, and then they are going to subject them to mind control. So, if I were you, Kerry, I would think maybe it would be a good idea to stay out of California in the future.’…

“A couple of other times he spoke of what, perhaps because of the way he phrased it, sounded more credible. ‘Kerry, the Fascists are now experimenting with advanced thought control techniques. You know, there are Fascists in this country. Among them is Henry Luce, who publishes Time and Life Magazines. They are planning to build a society comprised of nothing but human robots, with translators installed in the backs of their heads, so that they will be absolutely obedient to subliminal messages.’” (p. 140-1) — The Dreadlock Recollections, Kerry Wendell Thornley (c) 1984 (manuscript version)

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