A Review of Bash Bash Revolution by Douglas Lain

“Lain’s novel Bash Bash Revolution is not just a very funny work of science fiction (though it is). It is also very much a piece of engaged leftism; its irony and satire are never declaratory or moralistic…”

Introduction

Bash Bash Revolution is the latest work of fiction by Douglas Lain, the publisher of the counter-cultural outlet Zero Books and frequent YouTube commentator. He was recently profiled in Merion West and in a recent article of mine, where I discussed how Lain and a number of other left-wing commentators demonstrate that a sea change is going on among progressives. I characterized Lain and others, such as Contrapoints Natalie Wynne and Current Affairs Nathan J. Robinson, as part of the “Engaged Left.” Engaged Leftists are those who still agitate powerfully for progressive causes but have shifted away from the tone and style associated with so called “social justice warriors.” Engaged Leftists are less ironic and declaratory, and more communicative and argumentative.  They are also willing to concede some of the points made by their conservative opponents, dropping the moralizing rhetoric which has come to be associated with certain leftist figures.

Bash Bash Revolution

Lain’s novel Bash Bash Revolution is not just a very funny work of science fiction (though it is). It is also very much a piece of engaged leftism; its irony and satire are never declaratory or moralistic but are always focused first and foremost on demonstrating the finitude and often absurdity of human (and machine) relations. Communication with other conscious beings is a major theme and plot point throughout, though with a healthy smattering of sly political analysis frequently bubbling to the surface. It reminded me of the work of a younger David Foster Wallace, particularly the Broom of the System. Most of the youthful (and not so youthful) characters inhabit a blandly suburban world on the surface and spend a great deal of their time drinking, getting high, and having long conversations which range from the mundane to the extremely high-end. In the hands of a more bitter counter-cultural author such as Bret Easton Ellis, this might have been the subject of scathing denunciation and deconstruction. But Lain is always keen to showcase that his very human characters are often desperate to form meaningful connections in a neoliberal society often oriented toward discouraging that. It is a refreshing change of pace.

In a very Wallacesque fashion, there are also frequent meta-conversations about the nature of Bucky, consciousness, and society, with figures from Descartes to Marx popping into the text. These references are handled with an admirable lack of pretension, serving as helpful clues into the deeper nature of what is going on.

The style and plot of Bash Bash Revolution veers quite rapidly. The book is never anything less than playful, though there are serious matters aplenty to discuss. The protagonist is named Matthew Munson. He lives in a nondescript American town and spends a great deal of time getting ice cream and hanging out with his friends playing video games like Bash Bash and drinking. Matt also has a crush on a girl named Sally, who is relatively cautious about his clear interest in her. His father is developing a new form of Artificial Intelligence named Bucky, who is variously a supercharged Siri or a computer smart enough to potentially resolve all the major dilemmas of human life and society—perhaps most importantly how a smart but lazy young guy can find himself a secure and long-term relationship.