Club Jaguar: Article - Our America

a brief continuing article, designed to try to explain the slightly 'skewed' version of the US in which the 'Boss' and the boys find themselves.

By the title 'Our America' we mean, of course, the 'America' that features in 'Club Jaguar', and not any other possible America - real or imagined.

Therefore this short article is included in order to explain any anomalies that a reader might notice between the 'America' of 'Club Jaguar' and the 'America' that may be familiar to the reader.

In the 'Multiverse' of Hugh Everett III there are, inevitably an almost infinite, (or maybe really an infinite), different versions of that 'place' and 'time' that we - in our world, know as the USA - America.

The vast majority of theses 'Americas' will be practically identical to the America that we would know.

Perhaps just one tiny detail would differentiate them, one from another.

In other worlds, however, the differences would be enormous.

In some worlds the USA would be a smoking radioactive wasteland - the result of an un-winnable war with the USSR.

Some of these 'Americas' would be effected by changes ranging back to much earlier events - for example, the premature death of Lincoln, and the unexpected victory of the Confederate States.

Some Americas, (not even called 'America'), to go back even further, would be vast landscapes of prairie, on which would roam unimaginably large herds of bison, to be hunted by the original inhabitants of the continent.

Our America, in the story of Club Jaguar, however, is at least recognizable.

It would be quite possible for you to stroll around Las Vegas, and make your bets in Caesars Palace, without noticing anything untoward, or unusual, unless you were American yourself, and happened to notice the Stars and Stripes fluttering from some building.

If you look carefully at the arrangement of the stars on the header of this chapter you may just realize that the America of 'Club Jaguar' is just a little different - and in more ways than one......

Now it would be expecting a lot to presume that young Faunus, and little Glaux, would manage to get the 'Boss', and the 'boys' all back to the America that we - in this universe - know - so he sensibly chose the one that seemed best.

What was really surprising was that he managed to get them all back to the same America - although they didn't all arrive on time, and there were a few glitches, as Faunus himself admitted.

And why America, anyway.

Well to Faunus it seemed like the next best place to ancient Rome - although he did get side tracked into Mexico and the Maya - partly because they were so 'bloodthirsty', and partly because they had the good sense to honour many gods - but more of the Maya later.

To Faunus, however, America appeared to be, with the exception of the Civil War, a peaceful country which, if it did fight wars, was sure to fight them in other peoples' countries.

It was also a culture in which much reverence was paid to personal wealth and status, and in which their existed a tradition of 'rags to riches' which was available to some.

Faunus had come up with Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Sam Walton (whose surname Faunus later selected for Josh) - to name just a few.

In this America that Faunus had found, it mattered less who your father or family were, and more about how much money you had in the bank.

Of course making money for his 'friends' was not a problem.

As Faunus had said before, 'I can have anything that I want' - after all, he was a 'magic' faun.

However, it helped if you were living in a culture where few people really cared where your money came from.

As such, individuals could suddenly appear, fabulously wealthy, and apparently from nowhere, and no question would be asked - and if they were, then it was easy to buy off the questioner.

Faunus noted that this America that he had found was undoubtedly as corrupt as the Empire that he had so 'recently' left - if not more so.

Faunus, along with the 'Boss' and the 'boys', however, had no knowledge of 'modern' history, and so accepted the social, political and economic situation in the 'world' that they came to be in as perfectly normal, which it also was for the inhabitants of that world.

Somewhere along the 'time line', however, something had occurred that had skewed the America that they came to significantly away from the America that you, the reader, may know from your world, and it was more than just a matter of the number of stars on the 'star spangled banner'.

The Civil war seemed to have occurred without any noticeable alterations, and the United States had equally participated in the First World War in the 'accepted' manner.

Divergence, however, occurred in the periods prior to, and during the Second World War.

It seemed that between the wars, isolationism had become a strong political influence, delaying the entry of the United States into the conflict of the Second World War.
This was also part of a tendency towards and pronounced social, cultural and political conservatism.
This was partly under the influence of a resurgent religious revivalism, and partly the result of the influence of Ford's 'Dearborn Independent' ('The Ford International Weekly'), and the 'German American Bund', which also had the effect of making anti-Semitism endemic, particularly in the north of the 'States', while the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, as a result of 'The Klansman', by Thomas F. Dixon, and 'Birth of a Nation' by D. W. Griffith, had a similar effect in the South.
These influences also strongly effected the rate of immigration from Europe into the United States in the immediate pre-war period.
One of the results of these changes in this America was the fact that many eminent scientists and cultural figure who emigrated from Germany, Austria and central Europe ended up in Great Britain, rather than the United States.
So, no Einstein at Princeton.
This resulted in a technological slow-down in the USA, which prolonged their involvement in the Second World War, and slowed the industrial development of the USA in the immediate post war period.

One individual that we might think of as being important in American history, Faunus didn't even notice.
This individual was the son of a wealthy, politically influential Massachusetts family.
In this different America they were not quite as influential as they might have been, however, as they were Catholics - and the insular, inward looking America of this 'world', and this period was not well disposed towards Catholics, seeing them in similar, but not such extreme terms as Jews and Negroes, or people of colour.
The ideal, of course, was the white, Anglo Saxon Protestant.

The individual concerned was John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Having irregularly attended Princeton and Harvard - the boy was constantly beset with illness - he eventually obtained a BA in government.
Through family influence Kennedy was then able to join the US Navy despite his physical disabilities.

In 1943, the patrol boat to which he was assigned was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, and all hands, including Kennedy were lost - and so, unknown to Faunus, there was no president Kennedy, no spurious 'Camelot', and no Daley Plaza.
So with no JFK, Lee Harvey Oswald would not be shot, and would continue to waste his life away as an obscure, confused Left-wing 'fellow traveller', with an obsession with guns, but in addition, he would never kill a cop, and never kill a president, and never get saddled with the most unbelievable conspiracy imaginable.

The death of bright young JFK, along with the loss of the eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. - a bomber pilot during the Second World War, practically destroyed the family, and in particular Joseph senior, and none of the surviving sons ran for office in the US government - so, no Kennedys - which was probably good news for Marilyn Monroe - who in this world didn't die in 1962, but rather lived on to be an alcoholic, drug taking old lady - pottering around the Phoenix Biltmore in an Alzheimer's haze, (see Chapter XXI).
Joseph P Kennedy, very much his father's son, wrote to his father before the Second World War praising Hitler's sterilization policy as "a great thing" that "will do away with many of the disgusting specimens of men.", adding that "Hitler is building a spirit in his men that could be envied in any country."

After the Second World War, Dwight D Eisenhower, a graduate of Westpoint Military Academy, was elected president, and the USA of this world settled down to an era of relative peace, and considerable prosperity.
The key words throughout, however, were a 'comfortable conservatism', in which family values predominated.
And what about 'Frank' ?

We meet Frank in Chapter I of 'Club Jaguar'.

In the 'alternative America, he's basically an 'enforcer', employed by the 'Boss' in order to maintain security at the various gambling establishments owned by the 'Boss'.

In this 'Everett World', Frank has little singing talent, though he does have ambitions - but then that is not unusual for young, good-looking guys, then and now.

But, like so many, Frank never gets the breaks but, as time passes he rises through the hierarchy of the organisation run by the 'Boss', until finally he runs up against the wrong guy, and ends up with a bullet in his head in an alleyway in LA.

Howard Robard Hughes Jr

And what about this 'cute' little guy ?

Any guesses...... well of course - you can read the caption.

It's Howard Hughes, before he went 'weird', or perhaps he already was 'weird', and no one noticed.

Not a self made man, of the kind that Faunus admired, but a boy who inherited his wealth - which possibly was not a very good thing - at least for him.

However, in 'our America', Howard Hughes never gets the chance to get really 'weird', as he is killed on July 7, 1946, while test flying the XF-11, which he crashes near Hughes airfield at Culver City, California.

One result of the death of Howard Hughes was the fact that there was no Howard Hughes to buy up the 'Desert Inn' hotel and casino in Las Vegas - which was subsequently bought by the 'Boss'.

With regard to culture, in the 'America' of 'Club Jaguar', American art - such as it was, was largely uninfluenced by European 'expressionism' and other 'isms' of this period, as there were fewer immigrant artists.

Much of the abstract expressionism of the period in other 'Everett Americas' was encouraged and financed by immigrant artists and wealthy dilettantes, who were either absent, or far less influential in the America of 'Club Jaguar'.

So....no Jackson Pollock alcoholic splatters !

The most 'popular' American artist in 'our America' was undoubtedly Norman Rockwell, not only because he espoused an easily understood realism, but also because he was unequivocally 'American'.

Another undoubtedly 'American' artist who was popular in 'our America' was Frederic Sackrider Remington, who specialised in paintings, and often sculpture depicting what subsequently came to be termed the 'Wild West'. (and yes....Remington is related to the Remingtons who manufactured the famous guns).

Remington, however, was not only important as an artist, but also as a detailed and accurate chronicler of Native American (Indian) culture, which was soon to disappear - and a culture that was of particular interest to the 'Boss', because of his studies at Harvard, and subsequent involvement in the study of Mayan culture. (see also Chapter III and Chapter XIX).

In a less 'Romantic' and more modern manner - the art of our America could be epitomised by Hopper's painting -'Nighthawks' - which summed up eloquently the nature of city life in the 'America' of 'Club Jaguar'.

In 'our America' figurative art continues to be popular but has now divided into two main traditions - a realistic form of impressionism, and what is often termed 'super-realism.

Joseph Larusso is just one of many artists who follow the realistic impressionism tradition, producing works which have a 'contemporary' feel, often by representing figures in an obviously 'contemporary' setting.

Super-realism, however, relies on a near photographic depiction of subjects, although such depictions in many cases (wisely) have a 'timeless' feel.

Teresa Elliott is a startling example of the Super-realist school, producing many animal studies as well as other, more enigmatic works.

Music in 'our America' was very much influenced by the musical traditions of Europe.

For the 'boys', coming from a very alien musical culture, the music of America had very little meaning.

The American wealthy upper classes feigned interest in the ballets, operas and symphony concerts, but real American music had its origins in the folk-music of Europe.

Eventually, those European folk traditions went their own ways, and produced the huge variety of American folk music styles.

All attempts to produce a truly American music failed, doubtless because the real music of America was the music of the native Americans, slowly dwindling into obscurity on their reservations - (see Chapter XIX).

There were significant American composers, who at least managed to 'sound' American, in an odd sort of way.

John Philip Sousa, of course, was famous for his marches - more suited to the football field that the parade ground.

Rather more 'high-brow' than Sousa was Howard Hanson - the pet composer of George Eastman, who created the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York.

Hanson studied in Europe (where else ?), and wrote a number of symphonies in a central European, 'late Romantic' style.

Similar to Hanson, but in no way as academically respectable was Ferde Grofé.

Grofé's music, however, was real 'Americana', which is very odd, as his real name was Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofé (yes, he was a 'von' - a German aristocrat - and, incidentally a very large number of artists, entertainers, film stars and such like - when in America - changed their names - often to hide the fact they were Jews).

Von Grofé studied music in Leipzig, (as one would expect), after working as a milkman, truck driver, usher, newsboy, elevator operator, helper in a book bindery, and iron factory worker, and he ended up playing in a 'piano bar' for two dollars a night as an accompanist.

His best known work was the 'Grand Canyon Suite', but he also wrote a piano concerto and many more suites and other pieces.

(Faunus got the boys to order the Disney version of the 'Grand Canyon Suite' in a desperate attempt to help them understand America ?)

Ferde, however, has another claim to fame, which is not quite so well known.

George Jacob Gershwin, was also trying to compose real American music, despite the fact that many would not have considered him to be a 'real' American.

What Gershwin wanted to do was create a 'synthesis' of jazz, and the symphonic music of Europe.

His first real attempt at this we now know as 'Rhapsody in Blue'.

There was a problem, however.......

George was good at writing tunes, but didn't have the first idea of how to orchestrate those tunes - and that's where Ferde (trained in Leipzig - remember) came in.

It was Ferde Grofé who orchestrated 'Rhapsody in Blue', which is why it sounds so good.

One of the problems with American folk-music in 'our America' is the fact that there are so many styles - and so we have 'bluegrass' (Appalachian music), 'country music', 'gospel', 'old time music', 'Appalachian folk', 'Cowboy' songs, and 'blues' to name only some styles.

Much of this music fed into the new urbanised music of the cities, which was commercialised on record and in films.

It was from these forms that 'rhythm and blue', 'jazz' and 'rock and roll' emerged.

Our America was deeply 'conservative' in many ways, and the so called 'baby-boomers' were far more compliant than in the 'world' with which the reader is probably familiar, and so what we now know as 'pop-culture', was slow in developing.

Pop music was still relatively 'staid' but there was a young guy in Mississippi who felt that he had a contribution to make - and Faunus - being an emissary of the entity that we know as 'Apollo', the god of the arts, and music, had a plan for our Mississippi boy, and was eventually to send the 'Boss' and Jim on a foray to Memphis - (not the one in Egypt) - to find this young man.

And the rest - as they say - will be History.......

to be continued.....

for an explanation of how this 'alternative America' can exist go to:

'The Multiverse'