Amerika Psycho: Behind Uncle Sam's Mask of Sanity

The first chapter in this amazing multi layered polemic is based on an essay the author published in Australia several months before 9/11. A seasoned visitor to America, Richard Neville let loose his scathing cascade soon after President George W Bush dumped the Kyoto greenhouse agreement. This was announced around the time Gladiator won the Oscars, and Neville weaves together the impact of these two events on the consciousness of the wider world, a world that would increasingly resist and resent US political & cultural domination.When this piece was first published it caused a storm - Neville includes the hate emails - while now it seems prophetic. He suggests America is "the wildest rogue nation of all" and shreds our obessive materialism, the "triviliasation of desire", porno violence and the wars against the developing world.All this with humor & gusto. Having once written a book about a famous serial killer, The Life & crimes of Charles Sobhraj, Neville argues that the personality of a psychopath equates pretty closely to that of Uncle Sam. There are Chapters on Who Killed the Counter Culture, the enviro rape of Texas (guess who by?) and even the politics of romantic partnerships ("to love, honor & throw away"). The last Chapter, from the cave to K-Mart, brings together all the themes and projects into the realm of alternative possible futures - "the journey to whole Earth healing inches ahead...". This is a fast, easy read and I have since enjoyed following Neville's controversial futurist raves on his website . While I don't agree with all his judgements, he has inspired me to think about the world in a new way. Amerika Psycho is already a cult classic in my neck of the woods.

He writes about love, cruelty and the culture of greed, a kind of Noam Chomsky on ectasy. While warm towards American citizens and their radical roots, he despairs of their ignorance of the crimes perpetrated in their name. This is a passionate, minority view, one which looks like it could become mainstream as events unfold in the Middle East. I was charmed by its exuberance, moved by its passion, intrigued by its holistic view of the world ans surprised by its humour. Apparently Neville was something of an underground press celebrity in the sixties and this cheeky spirit shines through each page. Very relevant in times of random cluster bombing described as ?liberation?, and the division of the world into good and evil. Strangely philosophical, highly recommended.