{"id":459,"date":"2009-12-19T05:37:50","date_gmt":"2009-12-19T05:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/12\/19\/happy-birthday-michael-moorcock\/"},"modified":"2012-08-17T05:18:46","modified_gmt":"2012-08-17T05:18:46","slug":"happy-birthday-michael-moorcock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutionsf.com\/revblogs\/geekcurmudgeon\/2009\/12\/19\/happy-birthday-michael-moorcock\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy Birthday, Michael Moorcock!"},"content":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Michael Moorcock’s 70th birthday, I’m reprinting my essay "Michael Moorcock: No Ordinary Buckaroo." I originally crafted this piece in 2001 for a Salon<\/span> essay contest. I didn’t win. This essay first appeared in my book Geek Confidential<\/span><\/a>. This is the first online appearance.<\/p>\n

Nearly ten years after I crafted this piece, everything I wrote about his drive still holds true. I imagine it’ll still be the same when he reaches 80 and 90. Michael Moorcock can’t help but push the limits of creativity by him and those around him. That’s the core of what makes him an incredible author, visionary editor, and a guiding light to countless writers and artists.<\/p>\n

Happy Birthday to one extraordinary gentleman, Mike Moorcock!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Michael Moorcock: No Ordinary Buckaroo<\/span><\/p>\n

\tBuckaroo is one of those weird words in the English language; funny sounding and almost antiquated. The truly odd thing is that it is the favorite word of one of the most forward thinking literary minds of the 20th century. And like the buckaroos of the past, Michael Moorcock is often on a mission.<\/p>\n

\tMoorcock first rode unto the public consciousness when, after a ten year editing career for other British pulps, he became the editor of New Worlds<\/span> in 1964 at the age of 24. Worlds<\/span> was Britain\u2019s answer to Astounding<\/span> and Amazing<\/span> and was established in the SF pulp mode. Almost immediately Moorcock changed all that. He had seen the future in Burroughs. Not the more traditional SF Edgar Rice, creator of Tarzan, but rather William S., king of the hipsters and writer of Naked Lunch<\/span>. In Burroughs, Moorcock saw a new and unconventional type of SF, one that focused on entertainment and was a reflection of the times. During the next 35+ years, Michael Moorcock\u2019s career as a writer and editor would feature unconventional entertainment that not only reflected the times, but also shaped them.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\tFrom his saddle atop New Worlds<\/span>, Moorcock oversaw a literary movement, the New Wave, which created ripples that are still being felt today. The list of writers whose work appeared in New Worlds<\/span> reads like a who\u2019s who of fantastic fiction. J.G. Ballard, Harlan Ellison, Samuel Delany, Roger Zelazny, John Brunner, Thomas Disch, Norman Spinrad, D.M. Thomas, M. John Harrison, and Moorcock himself all produced some of their best works for New Worlds<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\tThis New Wave, guided by a Moorcockian vision, revolutionized not only the worlds of fantastic fiction but some 15 years later would be a significant force behind the cyberpunk movement of the early 80’s. Visionary writers like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling mention Moorcock and several other New Wave writers as influences. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\tIt was one of Moorcock\u2019s own pieces from New Worlds<\/span> that could arguably be cited as the very first cyberpunk story. 1965 saw the serialization of the first Jerry Cornelius novel, The Final Programme<\/span>. Cornelius was the ultimate postmodern anti-hero, a master manipulator of everything from people to reality itself. Moorcock\u2019s melancholy and streetwise character would later inspire the anarchistic and bleak future of the cyberpunks.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, Moorcock\u2019s influence extends far beyond the cyberpunks. He popularized what he terms the multiverse. The origin of the word and concept may sometimes be in doubt, but there is no question that Moorcock is the trail boss in this arena. The multiverse is a literary construct in which multiple parallel realities co-exist and are constantly intersecting. Moorcock has created many characters that exist in different parallel realities. The characters\u2019 lives and worlds interact from time to time, sliding between worlds like we cross the street. It can all make for some chaotic fun.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\tFirst appearing in the early 60’s, the most popular creation from Moorcock\u2019s multiverse is Elric, the exiled albino king. His tragic tale of exile, illicit love, and the battles between the forces of Chaos and Order would be showcased in a fantasy sequence unlike anything the world had ever seen. Elric was Conan gone mad. He would become one of the most popular anti-heroes in fantasy fiction and eventually an industry unto himself. In the 1980’s the popular British acid band Hawkwind recorded an entire Elric-themed album, The Chronicle Of The Black Sword<\/span>, and Blue Oyster Cult had a minor hit with the song Black Blade<\/span>, based on the adventures of Elric and his soul sucking sword. (BOC also recorded the Moorcock-penned song Veteran of the Psychic Wars<\/span> for the cult film Heavy Metal<\/span>.) There have been comics, games, posters, figures and other merchandise. Almost forty years after his initial appearance Moorcock recently produced his most ambitious Elric work to date, The Dreamthief\u2019s Daughter<\/span><\/a> to much fanfare and delight.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\tHis ability to transcend the limitations of a genre is the thing that makes Michael Moorcock truly unique. To him there are no boundaries. Considered to be his best book, Mother London<\/span> is one of the finest novels ever written about the great city and was nominated for the prestigious Whitbread Prize. Using genre elements, Moorcock created a mainstream novel that captures essence of London. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\tLike his New Wave co-conspirator J.G. Ballard, Moorcock transcended the genre ghetto and emerged as one of the most important and influential literary minds of his generation. And the sun has yet to set on this buckaroo as evidenced by the recent U.K. release King of the City<\/span><\/a> (And soon to be available in the States). This sequel to Mother London<\/span> is being heralded by critics and readers alike as a literary epic.<\/p>\n

\tAs Michael Moorcock, editor and writer, enters the sixth decade of his professional life, his outlook and work remains as fresh and diverse as the day he began. This buckaroo is still in the saddle and riding lead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In celebration of Michael Moorcock’s 70th birthday, I’m reprinting my essay "Michael Moorcock: No Ordinary Buckaroo." I originally crafted this piece in 2001 for a Salon essay contest. I didn’t win. This essay first appeared in my book Geek Confidential. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n