Psycho Too (Will Self & Ralph Steadman, 2009)

As a fan of Will Self, geography, and walking, Psychogeography proved an irresistible acquisition for my library. Finally, I got around to reading the successor and concluding volume, Psycho Too. It's not for all tastes, but certainly makes for some interesting reading.

As was structure the previous book, Psycho Too begins with an extended (about 75 page) piece about one of Self's jaunts from J. G. Ballard's home to Dubai (he takes a plane...it's not that extended) which is somewhat reminiscent of his walk to New York chronicled in the first book. After that it's about 50 short (2 page) reprints from the actual Psychogeography column from the Independent. Ralph Steadman's madcap color illustrations dress every piece and pair well with the writing; Hunter S. Thompson would be proud.

In spite of the scientific-sounding name, this is hardly a geography textbook. Will Self adheres to the belief that to really understand a place or place as a concept, one needs to walk from point to point. Driving causes a psychological detachment between the point of departure and the destination. From this concept, Self's writing stream forth in various directions.

I like to think of myself as one who undertakes psychogeographical pursuits, such as trying to walk on every street of my town, or walking (in segments) to work. Things like this really help to foster connections between the places that compose your geographical existence and let you see how interconnected things really are. Or not.