Verne Tildon is very probably Dick’s first character based on his Art Music boss and long time role model, Herb Hollis. Carl’s obvious admiration for Verne, and his final break with Verne, prefigure Dick’s admiration for, and eventual break with, Hollis. And the Hollis character template is central to some of Dick’s best work (such as the Glen Runciter in Ubik and Leo Bulero in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch), as well as a recurring motif in his mainstream work. I think Verne Tildon is also based partially on another Art Music employee, Vince Lusby, who arranged for Dick to lose his virginity (and seems to have shared Verne’s fondness for jazz).
In the end, Gather Yourselves Together is much more successful as a historical document than as a novel. Gather shows us just how early some of Dick’s themes and tropes began to develop. Though it doesn’t come close to the tear-your-heart-out intensity of Dick’s best work, it remains, I think, a valuable addition to the man’s work, and an invaluable window into his life.
Dwight Brown
(stainles@hga.com)
Austin, Texas
April 1994.
