Description

Against loud music, McCaffery says this is an interview of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, but it is Sterling alone. Sinda Gregory also takes part. They discuss artificial intelligence, and Sterling brings up the work of Rudy Rucker and the idea of “postmodern science.” Sterling says of Gibson, “His brain works in mysterious fashion." Gibson’s “perceptions are very acute,” not like other science-fiction writers, who “are very interiorized.” They discuss Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace. Sterling uses “pomo” for “postmodernism.” They talk about Difference Engine characters and the real Sam Houston. McCaffery asks about the character John Keats. They discuss the place of the book Sybil or the Two Nations, in their book. Sterling says Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher are parodied in the book. Jim joins the interviewers. Sterling says the narrator is an extremely advanced artificial intelligence from 1991, getting closer to being able to see itself. “This book is about the conceptual roots of the information revolution” where the computer becomes self aware at the end of the book.” About the process, Sterling says, “I think it’s a very seriously computer constructed book." McCaffery talks about sampling and Sterling discusses détournement. The second tape begins with Sterling telling a story about Langston Hughes and Arthur Koestler. In the book, Sterling says what looks like chaos theory was “more of a metaphorical thing” than scientific. Sterling says he began his career doing historical fantasy. McCaffery says that the book has the “underworld, outsider perspective” of the cyberpunk genre. Sterling replies that “Angel of Goliad” was an earlier draft. “We started with Sybil,” he says. Sterling says there are those who can see “that this is some kind of experimentalist narrative,” and those who ask “Where’s the plot?” “Why was it set specifically in 1855?” McCaffery asks, and what about 1907? The dates, Sterling says, were to establish “the sense of historical scope” and ability to move back and forth in history. 30 years into a computer revolution is “where we are right now.”