Just a little note on the Mikado and the Z connection.
I sometimes feel that too much is made of this. Was Z a fan of the Mikado? A light opera buff? An admirer of Gilbert and Sullivan? Well, yes – he could have been. But he could equally well have been someone who found that particular reference clever – or suitably sinister. I know the lyrics to many songs that don’t mean anything in particular to me at all. I may quote these for effect in various contexts. Doesn’t mean I admire the writer – doesn’t even mean I like the song very much.
I guess what I’m suggesting is that looking for Z in the shape of someone likely to frequent theaters in order to catch the latest musical – might not be the right approach. Z may have liked Groucho Marx much more than Gilbert. Or Sullivan. And he may not have taken any particular interest in any one of them.
It seems that to some researchers the Mikado connection – seen as something more than a reference Z made for one reason or another – is practically a criterion any viable suspect must meet. To me it remains unclear to what extent the Mikado meant anything truly significant to Z – just as it remains unclear precisely what should be inferred from the fact that he wore military boots and used ciphers. Was Z an ex serviceman, trained in cryptography whose main interest besides killing people was light opera? Possibly. But then again he could have been someone who had access to an army surplus store, who learned to make codes from a comic book (as I did myself when I was a kid) and who couldn’t care less about light opera, beyond using certain lyrics to a sinister effect.
Well – just an observation.
IMO, Z simply identified with the executioner. The lyrics, in and of themselves, probably held no special significance.
The Lamplighters, hailed as one of the oldest company’s in the Bay Area, specializing in Gilbert and Sullivan, operated at the Harding Theater throughout the 1960’s and were performing the Mikado in San Francisco in 1969, opening on April 20th. This connection is nothing new, with many speculating the Zodiac Killer could have been a cast member or had viewed the production, prior to his version, when he tabled in the Little List Letter on July 26th 1970. But it is equally likely he may have been a theater technician, employed in the area of stage management, lighting, electrics or quite possibly wardrobe, trained in costume design, as a tailor or more specifically wardrobe crafts involving masks and disguises.
He claimed in his Bus Bomb Letter of November 9th 1969 ‘ The police shall never catch me, because I have been too clever for them. I look like the description passed out only when I do my thing, the rest of the time I look entirle different. I shall not tell you what my descise consists of when I kill ‘.
He also made a grand appearance at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969, having either purchased, borrowed or crafted a black executioners hood and a waistline bib, emblazoned with the Zodiac crosshair, but either way his entrance was of theatrical proportions.
One thing evident throughout his correspondence, was his use of the word ‘shall’, leading to speculation that he may have been of British origin, as the word ‘shall’, is infrequently used in American English, but another option exists. As a member of theater production, his exposure to the word ‘shall’ would have been far more common in the performance of stage plays, particularly in traditional works of English origin, but sought maximum impact when he took it to the next level and started crafting his own scripts.
I, for one, believe The Mikado is very relevant. There’s another thread on here where the topic is concerning what kind of person z really was, and for some inexplicable reason most people think he was a blue collar worker, and uneducated. I think people are easily fooled and not looking beyond the superficial things, like misspellings and fairly rudimentary grammar. If you look past all that and pay attention to the context, it’s quite obvious that Z was a theatrical kind of guy. Especially when you take his LB costume into account. Maybe the killings were his plays, his artistic acts, in his mind. But there’s no doubt he was higly influenced by the theatre, music, and literature. He was a culture vulture.
Just to clarify my point – I’m not saying the Mikado isn’t relevant. It may be very relevant on certain levels. What I’m saying is that Z’s use of these lyrics – for his own purpose, whatever that purpose was – doesn’t say anything positive about his degree of interest in the work (or the composers) as such. To some it seems almost a given truth that Z was a light opera buff – and that, to me, isn’t a valid assumption. He could have been, yes – but he could also have been a sarcastic, sinister bastard who quoted these lines for effect. The executioner motif? Yes – it’s obviously there. But whether Z truly identified with the executioner or not – I don’t know. Maybe he – like Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction – just thought it was "some cold blooded shit to say at the time."
Just to clarify my point – I’m not saying the Mikado isn’t relevant. It may be very relevant on certain levels. What I’m saying is that Z’s use of these lyrics – for his own purpose, whatever that purpose was – doesn’t say anything positive about his degree of interest in the work (or the composers) as such. To some it seems almost a given truth that Z was a light opera buff – and that, to me, isn’t a valid assumption. He could have been, yes – but he could also have been a sarcastic, sinister bastard who quoted these lines for effect. The executioner motif? Yes – it’s obviously there. But whether Z truly identified with the executioner or not – I don’t know. Maybe he – like Samuel L. Jackson’s character in Pulp Fiction – just thought it was "some cold blooded shit to say at the time."
Hey Norse, even though i find we are usually on the same page, I respectfully disagree with you on this one. I think it went beyond him just saying some cold blooded shit. He identified with the executioner in the play, and he wears a executioner’s costume for at least one of the attacks. Seems to me like he’s trying to send some kind of message. That’s what I find so infuriatingly fascinating about Z. It’s like he is dropping hints all over the place, but mixing them with red herrings. I think all of the cultural references are great influences to him, and whether it’s The Exorcist, Badlands, Most Dangerous Game, thematically they are all connected.
Hey Norse, even though i find we are usually on the same page, I respectfully disagree with you on this one. I think it went beyond him just saying some cold blooded shit. He identified with the executioner in the play, and he wears a executioner’s costume for at least one of the attacks. Seems to me like he’s trying to send some kind of message. That’s what I find so infuriatingly fascinating about Z. It’s like he is dropping hints all over the place, but mixing them with red herrings. I think all of the cultural references are great influences to him, and whether it’s The Exorcist, Badlands, Most Dangerous Game, thematically they are all connected.
That’s pretty much my take on Z too, Joe – he does seem to mix hints and herrings, on purpose, as though this (the mixing) is part and parcel of the kick he gets out of the whole thing. He toys with the media, the cops, with whoever tries to make sense of his "clews".
But this is precisely why I’m skeptical of reading too much into ANY of his statements or references. There’s this veil of double-meaning, irony, sarcasm…call it what you will, which hangs over everything he says. The spelling being a prime example of this. The Belli letter – a genuine "cry for help"? Or pure, pitch black sarcasm? I tend to think the latter.
But, just to make that clear, I don’t downplay the executioner angle. He did make a deal of it, whatever it means – and maybe he was, "simply", a nutcase who actually believed himself to be some sort of executioner righteously killing off sinners who had it coming. He could have been that too. There are aspects of his letters which don’t rhyme at all with a sarcastic, clever fiend. The "slaves in the afterlife" business is pure madness, so to speak, of a more "conventional" kind, much more in line with what you’d expect from a serial killer.
So, yes – it’s a puzzle, isn’t it? But we knew THAT already!
I know, Norse, that "collecting slaves in paradice" delusion really throws me off too. That part doesn’t seem tongue in cheek like his other statements. He gives the impression he really believes it. It doesn’t necessarily mean he was psychotic I suppose. There could be some Satanic/cult aspect to it. I tend to believe he was a sociopathic maniac motivated by power and control, but the delusional, insane aspects were a bit of a put on. He just seems too with it most of the time. Compare his letters with Son of Sam who comes across as way more of a whack job.
IMO, Z simply identified with the executioner. The lyrics, in and of themselves, probably held no special significance.
IMO Z identified with the executioner absolutely and entirely in all respects and the lyrics were ESPECIALLY significant, as were his motivations, actions and general demeanour. Buying the CD with Groucho singing that very same material helped. Seeing the play perfomed helped further. And it’s a good larf.
I often wonder why the writer didn’t bother with "Trial by Jury", the much earlier one-act play? It’s got some good jokes in, too.
The thing I keep having to remember is that back in the day, you couldn’t go rent a movie that you loved and geek out and sit and watch it over and over on your VCR/DVD. He would have seen the film, for sure, it probably influenced his choice of dress, he was certainly hung up on the music, and the markings at the bottom of the letter where he quotes the "billowy grave" lyrics from "Titwillow" look very much like Japanese characters. I got hung up myself on a photo from the film which shows a flag in the background that resembles one of the characters which I am sure someone else has noticed.
But obviously, he didn’t have the film to pore over as we do, and he was probably in possession of the music and maybe only saw the film or the play a couple of times. Its significance is personal and it seems to me when you start to try and figure out what those would possibly be you can suddenly find yourself slipping into a wormhole.
I have heard many times of the fact that ALA was apparently identified by two separate former students who said that he would mutter "titwillow" under his breath in class at times. I don’t know how deeply corroborated that is, but its intriguing. But I don’t think the "Mikado" itself is some big dead giveaway.
On the other hand, don’t think I haven’t thought of somehow taking the score and mathematically rendering it or transposing it in some obscure way to possibly break the remaining ciphers. Lord, stop me- speaking of wormholes.
