DavidCronenberg,ourforemosttheoreticianofviralhorror,polymorphousperversity,andlIuncontroliable

flesh,

hasbroughtJ.G.Ballard'swhiplashingsci-finovel,

Crash,

tothescreen.Thereis,asBallardwould

say,acertainnightmaregeometrytotheconjunction.'

Crash

isabouttheposthumanpsychologyandpathologicalsexualityofcharactersseducedbywhatBallardcallsIIthatbrutal,eroticandoverlitrealmthatbeckonsmoreandmorepersuasivelytousfromthemarginsofthetechnologicallandscape.

ItisagenreuntoitselLautoeroticismintheliteralsense,writteninastylethatisasobsessivelyrepetitiveasthethrumoftiresonconcreteandasantisepticasatextbookdescriptionofcraniofacialtraumainhead-oncollisions.Inmanyways,it'saboutourincreasingalienationfromourownbodiesandotherpeopleatatimewhenourinteractionwiththeworldaroundusconsists,increasingly,ofheadfirstimmersioninmachineswithscreensorhumancontactsqueezedthroughwires,whetherthey'reconnectedtophones,faxmachines,ornetworkedcomputers.

Crash's

terminallynumbnarrator,autobiographicallynamedJamesBallard,isjolted

outofhispostmodernautismbyacollision,litheonlyrealexperienceIhadbeenthroughforyears.

Vaughan,acar-crashfetishisthemeetsthroughhisaccident,embodiesthesped-up,out-oF-controlpsychologyofthelate20thcentury.RepresentingtheFinal,fatefulcollisionofautonomoustechnologyandthehumanpsyche,VaughanmasturbatestocarefullyorchestratedcrashesattheRoadResearchlaboratory,savorsslow:m.otionfilmsoftestcollisionsasoneiricpornography,anddreamsofdying,atthemomentoforgasm,inaspectacularaccidentwithElizabethTaylor'slimousine.likewise,Cronenberg'sperverselybrilliantbio-horrorconstitutesanextendedmeditationonthemind/body

0...1

.0.1.I1111_..

II.I..

I.1

mind/body/machine,

asScottBukatmanpointsoutintheessaycollection

AlienZone.

Thefilmmaker,whohaswon-deredifIIwearejustbeginningaveryimportantphaseofourevolutionll-asortofunnaturalselectioncatalyzedbytechnol-ogy-islIalwaystalkingaboutMcluhan,

accordingtoMartinScorseseinChrisRodley's1986documentaryonCronenberg,

LongLivetheNewFlesh.

Inasense,CronenbergisMcluhan'sdarktwin,theorizingelectronicmediaandmechan-icaldeviceslessasMcluhanesquelIextensionsofmanllthanasagentsofamorphogenesisthatisnotalwaysprettytolookat.Innearlyallofhisfilms,thedichotomybetweenmindandbody-theage-oldconundrumattheheartofthehumancondi-tion-isexacerbatedbytheever-more-technologicallandscapewelivein.AstheroboticistHansMoravecnotesin

MindChildren:TheFutureofRobotandHumanIntelligence,

IIlnthepresentconditionweareuncomfortablehalfbreeds,partbiolo-

gy,partculture,withmanyofourbiologicaltraitsoutofstepithth",

inv",ntinnnf

nllrmindsII

Often,Cronenberguseshumansexuality,morphedand.mutatedbyourincreasinglycyberneticpsychology,asamag-nifyingglasstoexamineBukatman'smind/body/machinetrichotomy.Hislittle-knownearlymovie,

CrimesoftheFuture

11970,

nowavailableonvideo),imaginesanear-futureplagueculturestraightoutof

BeautyMyth

authorNaomiWolf'sworstnightmares:postpubertalwomenaredyingfromadiseaseinducedbycosmetics;menaresproutingbizarreneworgansinanevolutionaryresponsetothedisappearanceofpotentialmates;andpedophiliaisbeginningtolooklikethelast,besthopefor$-p-eciessurvival.

The

Brood

11979),themutagenictechnologyinquestionisacultishformofpsy-chotherapycalledPsychoplasmics,atongue-in-cheeksendupofPrimalScreamthera-pyinwhichaDr.Raglanteacheshispatientstobringtheirneurosesandpsychosestothesurface-literally,intheformofgut-wrenchingstigmata.Theresultsarenotalwayspromising,asadis-

traughtgraduateoftheprogramreveals.lilt'saformofcancerofthelymphaticsystem,

heexplains,expos-inggrotesquetumorsonhischest.IIRaglanencouragedmybodytorevoltagainstmeanditdid.NowIhave

asmallrevolutiononmyhandsandI'mnotputtingitdownverysuccessfully.

Videodrome

11982),

thefilmmaker'smasterpiece,'theagentofevolutionarymutationisthewelterofdisem-bodiedelectronicfictionsthatconstitutesourmediareality.TheIImediaprophetllProfessorBrianO'Blivionspeakstoallofuswhenhetellsthemovie'sprotagonist,MaxRenn,IIYourrealityisalreadyhalfvideohalluci-nation;ifyou'renotcareful,itwillbecometotalhallucination.You'llhavetolearntoliveinaverystrangeIrl~

ConvincedthatIIpubliclifeontelevisionwasmorerealthanprivatelifeintheflesh,

IIO'BliviondesignedamutagenicTVsignal.CovertlytransmittedinasadomasochisticsnuffprogramcalledVideodrome,thesignalstimulatestheproductionoflIanewoutgrowthofthehumanbrainwhichwillproduceandcontrolhallucinationtothepointthatitwillchangehumanrealityllIO'Blivion).TheprofessorbelievesthatthetumorsinducedbytheVideodromesignalwilltriggerthenextstageinthecoevolutionofhumanityandtechnology.Meanwhile,Renn-thejadedownerofapornchannelwhoisattemptingtotrackdownthesourceofthemys-terioussignal-hasalreadybeenmutatedbyVideodrome,andissufferingfrombizarre,techno-sexualhalluci-nationsVaughanwouldenvy:avaginalslitgapesinhisbelly,moistlyawaitingtheinsertionofavideocas-

nIA

tiervews

extadath

eihePAh

eo9ma

sette;hisTVheavesandmoansinconcupiscentecstacy,itsscreenbulgingtowardhiswaitinglips.SurrenderingtothepostmodernmadnessofaworldinwhichdistinctionsbetweenthisandthatsideoftheTVscreenarenolongermeaningful,Rennkillshimself-or,asthetechnophilicHeaven'sGatecultistswhorecentlycommittedsuicidewouldhaveit,abandonedhis"vehicle."Hishandmorphsintoagunmadeofmolten,marbledfleshIreality?videohallucination?both?1andheblowshisheadoffwiththeposthumanistrallyingcry,"Longlivethenewflesh!"InaneeriepremonitionoftheflyingsaucertheologyoftheHeaven'sGatecultists,Renntakeshisownlifesothathemaybebornagainasdisembodiedsimulacrum-whatO'Blivion'sdaughtercalls"thevideowordmadeflesh."Watching

Videodrome,

wecannothelpbutthinkofBallard'schillingobservation,inhisintroductionto

Crash,

thatwearewitnessingthe

"demise

offeelingandemotion."Truetohername,NickiBrand,thedeadpan,affectlessmediapersonalityin

Videodrome,

derivessadomasochisticpleasurefromsear-ingherbarefleshwithacigarette."Weliveinoverstimulat-edtimes,"sheasserts;like

Crash's

narrator,shehasbeendeadenedbythenonstopshocktreatmentofpostmoderncul-ture,distancedbythemultiplyinglayersofelectronicmedia-

tionbetweenherselfandembodiedexperience.Onlyextremepaincanbringherbacktoherphysicalbody;cellbycell,sheisbeingreplacedbythenewflesh,thevideoflesh-asareweall,incyberculture.Obviously,CronenbergandBallardtravelthesamepsycho-geography,and.

Crash

Ithescreenversionlisthepredictablesiteoftheirhead-oncollision.LongtimeBallardianswillmisstheastringentwitofthenovel'sdeadpannarration,itsapho-risticone-linersI"TheworldwasbeginningtoflowerintoIwounds"!,thedeviantbeautyofitssurrealimageryI"Thepas-sengercompartmentencloseduslikeamachinegeneratingfromoursexualactanhomunculusofblood,semen,andenginecoolant"l.LongtimeCronenbergianswillmiss

Scanners'

tangledwebofconspiracy,

DeadRingers'

psychot-icbreakwithreality,

TheFly's

mutagenictechnologiesanduncontrollableflesh.Strangely,themovielacksthebook's

sexual

frisson,exudingalunarcoolthatdetractorswilllikentoJoop!cologneadsanddevoteeswillcomparetothemoon-littableauxoftheSurrealistpainterlandBallardpassionlPaulDelvaux.Evenso,it'safilmthatmustbeseenlatleasttwice,accordingtoCronenberg!,anindispensableroadmaptothelate-nighthighwaysofthemillennialmind.

RAGESEPTEMBER997.

MARKDERY:INHISINTRODUCTIONTOTHEFRENCHEDITIONOF

Crash,

BALLARDCALLSTHENOVEL"ANEXTREMEMETAPHORFORANEXTREMESITUATION,AKITOFDESPERATEMEASURESONLYFORUSEINEXTREMECRISES."Is

Crash

ANAPPROPRIATEMETAPHORFOROURAGEOFAERIALDISASTERS,ALIENABDUCTIONS,ANDMADBOMBINGS?

DavidCronenberg:

Well,it'stemptingtolookatwhatevertimesonelivesinasbeingincrisis,butIthinkwe'realwaysinextremetimes;Ihaveabuilt-inresistancetoseeingthesethingsasleadingussomewhere.Iseeawonderful,inbuiltneedinthehumanmindtoanalyzeandextrapolatethemsothatwecanantici-patefuturedevelopments,butIhavethistendencytosay,

"Well,myhistoricalreadingsuggeststhatNietzschewasbasicallytalkingaboutthesamethingin

(

ferentguise,"andsoon.

MD:

SOMEONELIKEYOURSELFWHOCLEARLYHASASENSEOFHISTORICALCONTEXTISLESSLIKELYTOWA

"UPEVERYMORNINGFEELINGTHATTHEMILLENNIUMISUPONUS.

DC:

Yeah.

ButIdosensethatsomeofthethingsthatIdealwithin

Crash,

ata25-yearremovefr<whenBallardwaswritingthenovel,aresignificantlydifferentfromwhathasgonebefore,andonethesethingsisthenatureofsexuality,whichIreallythinkischanging-changinginawaythatweI

notseenbefore.Thefactthatwecannowreproducewithoutsexisahugemomentinhuman

histor

MD:YouMEANTHROUGHCLONING,IN-VITROFERTILIZATION?

DC:

Right.

Onecananticipateatime

maybenottoofarinthefuture,whenyouwonttneedhumansataltoreproducehumans,wheretheDNAcouldbereproducedsyntheticallyandyoutllhavesyntheticspern

andeggs.

Thequestionthenbecomes,"Whatissex?"Ithasnever,forhumans,beenasimpleterofreproduction.Infact,therehavebeenculturesthatdidn'tevenconnectsexwithreproductionNow,we'reatapointwhereweconsciouslyseesexbeingcutfreefromitsbiologicalimperatives,demandingtoberedefined,reinvented-averyexistentialdevelopmentthatforcesustotakerespobilityfordecidingwhatsexwillbe.It'saverypowerfulforce,stillverymuchinbuiltinus,butitnolongerhasthepurposethatithadbefore.Andwhereassexhasalwaysbeenusedinvariousways,fromweaponrytoperformanceart,it'snowdemandingtobeprofoundlyredefined,andit'stechnocaldevelopmentswhichhavecausedthis.Idon'tthinkit'sjustaconceptualchange;Ithinkeventu(it'llbeaveryfunctionaldifference.

MD:WHAT,EXACTLY,DOYOUMEANBYTHAT?

DC:

Well,Ithinkthatmoreandmorepeoplewillusesexlessandlessforreproduction.Thisisn't

Brave

NewWorld

warningthatsexwillbecontrolledforgeneticbreedingpurposes;Ijustthinkthathenaturalcourseofthingstherewillbelesshaphazard,naturalchild-creatingandmorecontrolled

child-creating,whichwillmakeitmoreobviousthatsexhasbecomeanewthing.

MD:SHOULDWEBESOQUICKTODISMISSHUXLEY'SWARNING?FOLLOWING

TheBellCurve,

THERESEEMBEASTEALTHOPERATIONUNDERWAYTOREHABILITATEEUGENICSANDSOCIALDARWINISM:CHRISTOPHERBR.

ASELF-STYLED"SCIENTIFICRACIST"WHOLECTURESATEDINBURGHUNIVERSITY,RECENTLYSUGGESTEDTHAT

GLEMOTHERSSHOULDMATEWITHHIGH-IQMALESTOIMPROVETHEGPOOL.SOrr'sNOTENTIRELYALARMIST...

DC:

Oh,Iwouldneversuggestthattherewon'tbelargemassenergydevotedtothatcraziness;I'mjustsayingthatit'snotinevitablethatonethingleadstotheother.WhatI'msayingisnowthatwehaveseizedcontroloverourownevolution,natur<selectioninthedefinitiveDarwiniansensedoesnotexistwithhumanbeings.Imean,isittheguywhomakesenoughmoney