ZEBRA (or, 2-3-74: The Divine Invasion of Philip K. Dick)
(2025)3(II,III=picc).3.2.bcl.2.dbn-4.3.3.1-timp.perc(4)-hp-synth-pft(=cel)-org(opt)-str
Abbreviations (PDF)
Boosey & Hawkes
For Sean Shibe
- Pink Beams of Light from God in the Gutter
- Horselover Fat’s Hymn of the Soul
- Firebright
Zebra is God. Well, at least in the mind of the American science fiction author Philip K. Dick who, between the months of February and March 1974 (hence 2-3-74), experienced an overwhelming mystical revelation that came to dominate his thinking until his death.
The story goes that after a delivery woman came to his door with some routine medication, her necklace suddenly began to glow and radiate intense beams of pink light. This experience set off a series of intense visions and hallucinations that ranged from temporal displacement and messages from the Roman Empire, nightmarish hypnagogic visions, visitations from three-eyed invaders, new thoughts, feelings and bizarre anomalous behaviours. During this period Dick began to feel the presence of a spiritual being in his surroundings. He would notice movement from the corner of his eye and would feel himself being observed. But the being would camouflage itself from view, hence the name: Zebra.
Dick became obsessed with Zebra and throughout his life would come to experience it in different forms: a humanoid life-form, Christ, The Holy Spirit, a false God. He spent the last eight years of his life trying to make sense of the various possibilities Zebra could be in his vast, diary-like series of notebooks he called The Exegesis.
The first movement launches us directly into the 2-3-74 experience with an explosion. It responds specifically to the full mind/body experience of what this moment may have felt like for PKD. Erratic flutes flutter over beautiful string sonorities to evoke a sense of paranoia which leads us to the first Zebra-tutti: a thickly-layered orchestral passage with rocking drum-kit, pulsating string chords overlaid with blazing brass and electric guitar. The music hurtles us towards a fast climactic moment followed by stillness and calm.
The second movement responds in more specific terms to the spiritual side of the 2-3-74 experience: the confrontation with “God”. Slow, lilting string chords accompany yearning electric guitar melodies that rise up towards large orchestral passages. It is so titled because PKD used ‘Horselover Fat’ as an alter-ego in his later works. (‘Philip’ in Greek = Horselover. ‘Dick’ in German= Fat).
The third movement is a response to the Zebra entity itself - the spritely figure always hiding but ever present. PKD had called it various other names: ‘Firebright’ being one. Fast, relentless energy leads us towards the climax of the movement.
Mark Simpson, 2025
Reproduction Rights
This note can be reproduced in concert programmes with a credit to the composer.