Robert Anton Wilson, author of many illuminating works including the Cosmic Trigger trilogy and Illuminatus! (as co-author), died on January 11, 2007 at the age of 74. He had been suffering from post-polio syndrome.
The Schrödinger's Cat trilogy, Masks of the Illuminati, Right Where You Are Sitting Now, Prometheus Rising, and Coincidance are among his most memorable books. The Illuminatus! trilogy, however, gave him greater fame, and helped many readers acquaint themselves with ideas they might not otherwise have considered. The trilogy mixes fact and fiction to get readers to think for themselves and take no "reality" for granted. Here and in his other works, he used many methods to get his readers to look at situations utilising multiple "maps" of reality — with no single model representing the absolute "truth."
His influence on forteanism and conspiracy theory (where multiple maps thrive) was extensive; so was his optimism about human possibility. Strange Magazine and many other publications would not be the same without his groundwork.
Early in his career, from 1965 to 1971, he was an Associate Editor for Playboy magazine. He worked with fellow Associate Editor Robert Shea (his Illuminatus! co-author) at editing the Playboy Forum — a stint which provided much material for the trilogy. (The job also provided more; character names found in these books showed up as letter writers to the Forum — a method used to raise subjects of concern when actual correspondents were not doing so.)
A friend and colleague of Timothy Leary, he helped popularize many of the latter's ideas, including the SMI2LE scenario promoting space migration, intelligence increase and life extension. Other areas of his interest included the occult, Freemasonry, Yoga, James Joyce, Charles Fort, possible extraterrestrial signals, Buckminster Fuller, as well as the Discordian and Subgenius religions — in both of which he was a Pope. His fanbase included not only devotees of these, but also futurists, anarcho-libertarians, users of psychedelics, and hackers. A remembrance at the Wonkette website noted that: "He was and is a principal proponent of a kind of techno-hippie-mystic-2nd Amendment libertarianism that is worlds away from the Cato stereotype yet incredibly influential in Silicon Valley and electronic media."
In recent years, his written output lessened because of a downturn in Wilson's health which came after the death of his wife Arlen Riley Wilson in 1999. Wilson's post-polio syndrome was further worsened by a June 2006 fall. Unable to walk, he came to be bedridden. In June and July of that year, his friends and family thought he could die at any time. After that, his condition temporarily improved. But medical and rent expenses were a problem, and his daughter Christina Pearson set up a PayPal account so that those who wished to do so could donate money.
By October 3, 2006, more than a month of rent was covered. His daughter was touched, as was Wilson, who was relieved that he could be staying at home rather than facing eviction. Because of wide web publicity, especially at the Boing Boing pop culture site, enough money had come in by October 5 to cover not only months of rent but also his 24-hour care. The contributions sufficed for the remainder of his life.
Though he is gone, his influence continues and may be increasing. Having previously established himself as author, playwright, lecturer and stand-up comic, works which appeared in 2006 added to his media presence, allowing new audiences to be exposed to the breadth of his ideas. The DVD documentary Maybe Logic (The Disinformation Company Ltd., www.disinfo.com) summarizes many strands of his thought, as does a production of his play Wilhelm Reich in Hell (www.wilhelmreichinhell.com) which was also recently released in that video format.
Among the many tributes posted after his death, a comic one stands out. In mid-January 2007, the Subgenius website posted many pictures of him accompanied by a dedication: "POPE BOB. May He Rest in Even More Slack Than He Gave Us."
— Douglas Chapman
"Illuminated Manuscripts," Reason Online, http://reason.com/news/show/117878.html
Wonkette, http://wonkette.com/politics/robert-anton-wilson/guns--dope-party-founder-ra-wilson-is-dead-228473.php, 1/12/07
The Robert Anton Wilson Home Page, http://www.rawilson.com/main.shtml
The Church of the Subgenius, http://subgenius.com//bigfist/pics13/RAW/index.html
David Rushkoff's Blog, http://www.rushkoff.com/blog.php
Boing Boing, http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/02/robert_anton_wilson_.html, 10/2/06
Boing Boing, http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/03/robert_anton_wilson_.html, 10/3/06
Boing Boing, http://www.boingboing.net/2006/10/05/note_from_robert_ant.html, 10/5/06
Boing Boing, http://boingboing.net, 1/15/07