Linda Ronstadt and Philip K Dick: A sci-fi writer’s deathly obsession with soul’s “dark haired twin”
Philip K Dick was a troubled bloke, bless him. A creative literary genius of science fiction, no doubt, but that was mainly because what the rest of the world viewed as a story was his reality.
There was never much in the way of a comfort blanket that could be offered to him in this respect, because a series of purported strange events seemed to inform the course of his life and work in a way frankly unimaginable to the outside world. You only have to look as far as his magnum opus, The Exegesis, to find the prime example of that.
The only thing – or, in this case, person – who ever did really serve to soothe him was Linda Ronstadt. Yes, you did read that correctly. Warbling sci-fi authors and 1960s folk stars don’t tend to have a hell of a lot in common, granted, but Dick truly felt a connection to Ronstadt that soared him to his highest heights, while also marking his darkest lows.
As with many aspects of his life, however, what started out as an innocent enjoyment of her music soon warped itself into something far more twisted, ominous, and sinister. Dick began by writing Ronstadt fan letters – innocent enough – but this soon morphed into an obsession whereby he genuinely believed that she was speaking directly to him.
The disturbing manifestation of this came to a head one night when he awoke to the dulcet tones of Ronstadt emanating from the radio, singing her hit song ‘You’re No Good’. Dick began to scream – he believed it was a direct message to him – and imagined that she added the words “Die, die, die” at the end, calling anti-Christian forces towards him from the year 70AD.
As bizarre as this obviously sounds, Dick had, in his mind, a salient reason to be so obsessed with Ronstadt. It was far more than what we would contemporarily deem a parasocial relationship; indeed, he thought it was a real-life relationship. There’s an argument to suggest that Dick believed Ronstadt to be his long-lost “dark-haired twin”.
Those familiar with the author’s writing will know that this was a recurring motif throughout his work, largely inspired by his sister, who tragically died at birth. But Ronstadt had dark hair, didn’t she? And there must have been a reason why he always felt so allured to her. He figured this was because they must have been related in some way.
This was to the point where Dick wrote in a character heavily based on Ronstadt to his novel The Divine Invasion, viewing her as both a physical figure and object of his wildest imagination. There was no telling precisely why the author picked out Ronstadt over any other dark-haired singer of the same era, but their connection, whether real or otherwise, is something that dictated the course of his life in a very palpable way.
It’s probably a sensible move for Ronstadt to veer away from ever opening up about Dick and his obsession with her, even decades after his death. She simply wouldn’t want to get caught up in that madness. Yet whether it was through spectral haunting or sheer fantasy, she is bound to the sci-fi writer for the rest of time. If there is another side after life, who knows if the gods will ever make their paths cross.
