In the future those that have had it with life in general can plug themselves into one of the Feelies for life or just a weekend. The media companies refer to them as Integrated Entertainment. You can spend the rest of your life in whatever fantasy you choose. Not a surprise that most choose sexual fantasies they’d never tell their friends about. Of course things can go wrong.
Wilson Heffer always wanted to be Billy The Kid. While plugged into the Feelie he has a day of tearing through a western town only to have it out with Pat Garrett. When Pat guns him down the fantasy is on a never ending loop and he continues to get gunned down. There’s no way he can call technicians for help. That just one example of the ugly side of the Feelie business.
If you can’t afford a Feelie you can win an adventure on the sleazy quiz show “Wildest Dreams.” Wanda-Jean is desperate to be a contestant. She even puts up with casting couch tactics from a gofer and others to get picked in the audition process. She makes it. She wins a number of rounds and now the public thinks she’s a “Bad Girl.” She’s not happy and thinks that could get her tossed off the show in a fixed competition.
Note:This was written in 1990 before the so-called wacky quiz shows hit the tube in big numbers. The stunts may have seemed fantasy back then…but not now.
Guarding the Feelies are Ralph, a drunk, Sam who isn’t all there and Artie who is always missing. Ralph thinks he may be abusing the women in the Feelie containers. One person has died on their watch but they don’t get blamed. It really wasn’t their fault.
The media company has the “anything for ratings” mentality. Their audience shouts and screams at the contestants. In one stunt the players could drop into a pool of goop with a wrong answer and are then out of the game.
The Feelies themselves offer lots of sexual fantasy along with outer space heroes and other similar experiences. One TV show that blasts everything is hosted by Bones Bolt. He was in jail for armed robbery serving a sentence of fifteen years to life. He helped save some hostages during a prison riot and was pardoned. Now he’s adopted a street preacher persona for his raucous talk show.
Farren comes up with an interesting world and one that has possibilities for a real future. Check it out.
Farren died July 27,2013 when he collapsed on stage in London with his band The Deviants. He was sixty years old.
Mick Farren
Vintage45's Blog 