This blogpost is about the character Bobby Quine in Burning Chrome by William Gibson. The Burning Chrome master blogpost is here.

What does Bobby Quine Look Like

Gibson describes Bobby Quine’s physical description in two ways. First, he describes him as a a “thin, pale dude with dark glasses.” In other words, he is a just like the likely reader – a nerdy white guy with glasses. Gibson seems to be using it as a shorthand to say, “This guy is one of us. Identify with him.” The description is so unimaginative, I missed it the first several times I read the story.

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The second description is much more unique/imaginative/precise. It describes Bobby as having a “young-old” face. This captures the stress of not just hacking into the matrix, but having to compete daily in a economy that has been completely deregulated. Any 28-year-old white color worker faced with the threat of AI and outsourcing and H1B would have the same look.

bobby Quine Is A Console Cowboy

Gibson tells us several times that Bobby is a cowboy, and he makes clear that Bobby is a console cowboy. Cute phrase. It hits Gibson’s usual themes of a deregulated “wild west” but does so in a striking image: imagine a cowboy at High Noon but instead of a revolver at his side, he has a computer console.

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It’s a bit of a flattering image for the white nerdy kid who’s into computers in 1984. He gets to leave his nerd shell and be a jock, be a cowboy. There’s a good amount of wish fulfillment at play. No different than the same thrill that women get when they read a romance novel about some tall, dark mysterious man “taking” them. So, the image is great – literary but not too literary – but it is worth keeping in mind what’s working underneath the surface.

Does bobby Actually Love Rikki Wildside

One matter of dispute is whether Bobby is actually in love with Rikki. Is he actually burning Chrome to help Rikki out so she can buy some cybernetic eyes? Or is he just telling himself that because that’s what he always does. He always falls hard for some bargirl and then quickly recovers when the quick romance burns out.

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I think the story only makes sense if Bobby only tells himself that he loves Rikki. From Jack’s description of Bobby’s habits it seems that Bobby is acting throughout the story as he always does. There’s no evidence that he’s being sincere when he says “I’m doing it for her. You know I am.” Bobby uses women as a “private tarot” or a omen. Jack in facts mentions that he’s seen the exact scenario play out with over a dozen women. So, no, Bobby doesn’t have any self awareness. He’s only aware in the matrix, a cowboy playing with his console.

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THE LAST BLONDE is my take on the cyberpunk genre. You can read it at www.blackflagliterature.com