First, go back to Robin Williams's movie, "Good Morning, Vietnam."
Williams does a wonderful bit about what the Viet Cong wear: black pajamas. You can fight in them during the day,then add a string of pearls for evening.
William Gibson is playing with the same notions in his new novel, "Zero History."
Gibson's protagonist from 2007's "Spook Country," Hollis Henry, is back along with Milgrim, Gibson's tranquilizer-addicted Artful Dodger. This time they are teamed up by Blue Ant's Hubertus Bigend, who sends them on a quest for the ultimate in denim wear. So why are they being trailed by members of the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Intelligence Service? Well, perhaps, as Bigend explains, it's because for the past 20 years American male fashion has been heavily influenced by military attire. Consequently, the young Americans prepared to volunteer for the U.S. military expect their uniforms to be as stylish as the stuff they've gotten used to wearing in civilian life. Consequently, knowing what the Army and Marines are prepared to buy can mean huge government contracts for the successful clothing manufacturers. "Intelligence is advertising turned inside out," Bigend told us last time around. Once again, as in "Spook Country," the War on Terror meets Pop Culture in unexpected ways with intriguing results. Is this satire or serious stuff? Only Gibson knows for sure.
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