From uwvax!zazen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!ubvax!igor!rutabaga!jgp Thu Apr 18 10:34:02 CDT 1991 Article: 13392 of alt.tv.twin-peaks Xref: uwvax alt.tv.twin-peaks:13392 rec.arts.tv:40328 Path: uwvax!zazen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken!ubvax!igor!rutabaga!jgp From: jgp@rutabaga.Rational.COM (Jim Pellmann) Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks,rec.arts.tv Subject: TP: Book review: Cooper's autobiography Message-ID: Date: 17 Apr 91 06:41:39 GMT Sender: news@Rational.COM Followup-To: alt.tv.twin-peaks Distribution: na Lines: 151 "Give yourself a present today--enter the bizarre world of Dale Cooper, whose quirky obsessions and crime-solving passions led him to the evil forces that darken the spirited little town of Twin Peaks." So reads the back cover of the latest Twin Peaks book: The Autobiography of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper My Life, My Tapes As heard by Scott Frost Paperback, 195 pages Pocket Books, $8.95 ISBN 0-671-74400-3 The back cover continues: "Former Eagle Scout and lifetime audio freak Dale Cooper brings us his autobiography, culled from his private collection of personal tape recordings beginning with his thirteenth birthday. Discover the secrets, never before seen on television, of Twin Peaks' most-wanted man, who scored a perfect 100 on his marksmanship test and once let a gentle, beautiful woman lead him astray. He's Dale Cooper--the man who seems too good to be true--and this is his story." This "autobiography," is by Peaks co-creator Mark Frost's brother Scott, who wrote two episodes and the Grammy-nominated cassette of Cooper's dictations to the unseen Diane. Like "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer," this book promises to provide additional insight to the TP universe. But unlike the diary, which was filled with Laura's psychosexual traumas and murky references to BOB, this book is a straightforward record of the events in Dale's life, starting with his first recording upon receiving a reel to reel tape recorder at age thirteen. To be sure, there are multiple references to the ominous evil presence that first Dale's mother, and then Dale himself, experience in dreams and in life. As his FBI career involves him in heinous crimes, he wonders how the evil presence fits in. And later as Dale comes to grips with the death of Caroline Earle, he believes Windom was taken over by evil. As the book ends with his receiving the news of Laura's murder and heading off to Twin Peaks, he wonders, "What moment in history is my life meant to instersect with?" So on one level, the book attempts to tie together Dale's spiritual leanings, the evil in the world, and Windom Earle, and how they all are to convene in Twin Peaks. But the book also works as an entertainment, revealing pre-Peaks aspects of Dale's quirky and obsessive behavior. His naivete and innate curiosity about human behavior and bodily functions started at an early age, sparking intense studies of why asparagus makes his urine smell bad, and what exactly testosterone has to do with his reaction to seeing the girl next door dancing in her underwear. There are also many hilarious passages describing his college years, as he discovers both alcohol and women. Dale's crime-solving inclinations are also evident at an early age, from his attempt to retrieve his neighbor's stolen bicycle from a teen gang, to his letters to Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and J. Edgar Hoover. In yet a third function, the book serves as a companion to the TV series, revealing where and how Dale first encountered Gordon Cole, Dennis Bryson, Albert Rosenfelt, and Diane (whose last name is not even known to Dale). (We do get a brief mention of Dale and Diane's one non-work related social engagement.) For true Peaks Freaks, the major function served by this book is to reveal exactly what happened between Dale and Windom and Caroline Earle. I won't spoil the fun of reading it for yourself. I'll just say it provides edge-of-the-seat reading and that in Windom, Dale has met his Moriarty. What follows is a summary of the book's contents and some of the more interesting tidbits found in it: Part 1 - from Christmas, 1967 to September, 1970 Age 13 to high school graduation: - Dale was born on April 19, 1954. - Dale has one brother, who fled to Canada in 1968 to avoid the draft. He has not seen him since. - During an asthma attack in December, 1968, Dale has his first dream about a man who is trying to get to him. Dale's mother revealed she also has dreams about the man, and tells him he must never let him in. - The origin of Dale's gold ring is revealed. Part 2 - September, 1970 to April, 1973 Three "missing" years of Dale's life story, while he goes in search of something to believe in. The only recordings are three letters to his family, on January 1 of each year. Part 3 - April, 1973 to February, 1976 Return home, odd jobs, and off to Haverford College, an all-male school outside Philadelphia. - His interest in joining the FBI is diminshed by his doubts that good can overcome evil. - Scored 800 on both the English and math sections of the SAT. Dale believes that the SAT is a poor test of an individual's readiness for college: "A good leap from a bamboo tower with a vine tied around your ankles would go a long way in filling our colleges with a better caliber of students." - Meets Windom Earle in December, 1975 at the FBI booth of a job fair. Rekindles his interest in joining. One year short of the eligibility age to join the FBI, Dale graduates early and disappears for a year. Part 4 - June, 1977 to December, 1977 Training at FBI Academy. Loses valedictorian honors to a woman who was a better marksman. First assignment is to Pittsburgh office. Part 5 - December, 1977 to July, 1979 Dale's first cases, teaming up with Windom, the events leading to Caroline's death: - Upon meeting Diane, Dale describes her as "an interesting cross between a saint and a cabaret singer." Part 6 - February, 1980 to February, 1989 Reassignment to San Francisco, a stint with a joint FBI/DEA drug interdiction team, gaining expertise in tracking serial killers: - While undercover at a gay bar, Dale finds "the feel of leather against skin is a surprisingly sensual experience" and after being propositioned five times in an hour, remarks "I must be doing something I didn't do when I was in college, because I never had that kind of luck before." - Describes "a new investigative technique I'm working on based on the writings of a Tibetan monk named Gumm." (Hmmm. That Gumm you like is going to come back in style?) - Describes the investigation of the Theresa Banks murder. In summary, while the book is mandatory reading for any Peaks Freak, I think it would serve as an excellent and entertaining introduction for non-Peaks people as well. It gives a portrait of one of the most original fictional characters encountered in books or TV in some time. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's no sense in being precise when | Jim Pellmann (jpellmann@rational.com) you don't even know what you're talking | RATIONAL about. --- John von Neumann | Santa Clara, California