283 – Call Of The Wild: Jack London And The Paranormal
When you think of turn of the Twentieth Century writer Jack London, you immediately think about of the Yukon and his most famous works like White Fang or Call Of The Wild. And in fact, Harrison Ford returns to the screen next week with the latest version of the classic novel (written from the dog’s perspective, there are few works like it!)
Jack London led a tumultous and adventurous life, just like his characters. And he didn’t just write stories about the Gold Rush to Alaska, but also wrote plenty of ghost stories and science fiction. And even though he was an avowed atheist, that didn’t mean that the rest of his family was. And that doesn’t mean that the people around him didn’t experience paranormal activity like:
- His mother was a spiritualist , who was would channel the spirit of Indian leader, Black Hawk
- His father was a famous astrologer
- His second wife, Charmian claimed she saw the ghost of Jack London shortly after he died
- People say her ghost haunts the home she built on their ranch after his death
- One of the most common themes in his work, atavism (or genetic memory) actually has a basis in science!
So whether it was the rejection of his real father or the fact that his mother famously attempted suicide twice after she found out she was pregnant, Jack London wasted little time in his life. In fact, two months before he died he said this quote to his friends that would later be known as his credo:
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London
And that’s the theme of this week’s song, “I’d Rather Be Ashes Than Dust”.
‘fore I was born my mother did her best to die
but the bottle and the bullet didn’t kill her
So I came out a little stronger, stronger than the average guy
Gonna write my bio as a thriller
Ohh ohh
I got to hit the road
ohh ohh
Don’t you hear the call
I’m gonna go out shooting ‘fore my body turns to rust
cuz I’d rather be ashes than dust
Half a world away is where I will find my passion
Someone told me that there’s mountains full of gold
Headfirst into the fray looking for some action
I’ve got to see this world before I’m old
Ohh ohh
I got to hit the road
ohh ohh
Don’t you hear the call
I’m gonna go out shooting ‘fore my body turns to rust
cuz I’d rather be ashes than dust
