{"id":460,"date":"2026-01-09T15:26:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=460"},"modified":"2026-01-09T15:26:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T20:26:16","slug":"white-noise-delillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=460","title":{"rendered":"White Noise (DeLillo)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><strong>White Noise<\/strong> is a 1985 novel by American author Don DeLillo. A significant entry in the canon of postmodern literature, White Noise tells the story of a small-town college professor whose suburban routine is shattered when a train crash results in a massive chemical spill. As the characters struggle to accept their own mortality, the book explores a range of contemporary issues including consumerism, mass media, and conspiracy theories. <\/i><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i>Jack Gladney and his wife Babette who are both afraid of death. Jack is head of Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill. His colleague Murray runs a seminar on car crashes. Together they ponder the instances of celebrity death from Elvis to Marilyn to Hitler. Through the brilliant and often very funny dialogue between Jack and Murray, DeLillo exposes our common obsessions with mortality.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>I read this during the fires in Los Angeles. It seemed prophetic:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cBecause we\u2019re suffering from brain fade. We need an occasional catastrophe to break up the incessant bombardment of information.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s obvious,\u201d Lasher said. A slight man with a taut face and slicked-back hair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe flow is constant,\u201d Alfonse said. \u201cWords, pictures, numbers, facts, graphics, statistics, specks, waves, particles, motes. Only a catastrophe gets our attention. We want them, we need them, we depend on them. As long as they happen somewhere else. This is where California comes in. Mud slides, brush fires, coastal erosion, earthquakes, mass killings, et cetera. We can relax and enjoy these disasters because in our hearts we feel that California deserves whatever it gets. Californians invented the concept of life-style. This alone warrants their doom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>White Noise is a 1985 novel by American author Don DeLillo. A significant entry in the canon of postmodern literature, White Noise tells the story of a small-town college professor whose suburban routine is shattered when a train crash results in a massive chemical spill. As the characters struggle to accept their own mortality, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":193664754,"featured_media":461,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1376],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/White-Noise.jpg?fit=345%2C522&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgfYCB-7q","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":357,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=357","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":0},"title":"Kids","author":"Old Griffy","date":"December 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 Jon Monson-Foon, Stephanie Griffith, Alexa Griffith, Jack Baldwin, Tory Griffith, and Tian Griffith","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Family&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Family","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?cat=1375"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0619.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0619.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0619.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0619.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0619.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":632,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=632","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":1},"title":"DAILY SCHEDULE (Definitions)","author":"Old Griffy","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"What follows, is a personal schedule which could be applied to any pilgrimage. A way of ordering the day so that each step, each pause, each encounter participates in the deeper journey already underway. First Light (A quiet time of reflection, prayer, meditation, and\/or poem\/song) COFFEE is the First Thing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?cat=1379"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":637,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=637","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":2},"title":"April 18 &amp; 19, 2026: Travel Days","author":"Old Griffy","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"DAILY SCHEDULE (Definitions) First Light (coffee and conversation with Lorraine before I left.) \"Rotten Little Song\" by Donna Fargo Key Lyrics:\u00a0\"All in all it has been a rotten day \/ And I wouldn't have it any other way \/ And I won't try to analyze all the if's and but's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?cat=1379"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/img_4926.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/img_4926.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/img_4926.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/img_4926.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":624,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=624","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":3},"title":"Personal Note on the Following Articles","author":"Old Griffy","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NOTE: In October of 2023 I did something crazy and signed up to walk the Camino. I became fascinated with the concept of pilgrimage and especially spiritual pilgrimage. So, last year (2025) I decided to walk a portion of the Camino Frances for a second time, feeling I did not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?cat=1379"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5c098c42-daaa-4c41-a546-25057fe88cd9-1-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5c098c42-daaa-4c41-a546-25057fe88cd9-1-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5c098c42-daaa-4c41-a546-25057fe88cd9-1-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/5c098c42-daaa-4c41-a546-25057fe88cd9-1-1.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":630,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=630","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":4},"title":"Why Walk the Camino in 2026?","author":"Old Griffy","date":"April 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Before setting out step by step, it is worth pausing to ask a quieter question: \u201cWhy walk at all?\u201d Why has humanity, across continents and centuries, felt compelled to leave home in search of something that cannot be purchased, scheduled, or fully explained? As a teen in the 1960\u2019s we\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/64018079-389a-4ec2-a23b-aa96ea8566f1.jpg?fit=578%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/64018079-389a-4ec2-a23b-aa96ea8566f1.jpg?fit=578%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/64018079-389a-4ec2-a23b-aa96ea8566f1.jpg?fit=578%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":656,"url":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?p=656","url_meta":{"origin":460,"position":5},"title":"Late Night April 19 &#038; April 20: Bilbao &#038; Burgos","author":"Old Griffy","date":"April 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NEVER A DULL MOMENT For those following these posts, which of you doubted I would arrive in Burgos and check in to my hotel without further difficulties? YOU GOT IT WRONG! My excuse was I did not sleep on my uncomfortable flight from Atlanta to Madrid. And because of all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Personal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Personal","link":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/?cat=1379"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_1887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_1887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_1887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_1887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oldgriffy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG_1887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/193664754"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=460"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":478,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460\/revisions\/478"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oldgriffy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}