Here’s the full transcript of an interview of Into the Wild subject Christopher McCandless by Bernard Graves on Graves’ show “Night Hour.”¹ Graves is basically a cross between Dick Cavett and David Letterman, but with the hair of Tom Snyder and his angle is that he can’t seem to draw a bead on most human behavior.²

• Bernard Graves
• My guest today is Chris McCandless, a young man in the process of selling off all of his possessions in anticipation of moving to Alaska and living off of the land. Please welcome Chris McCandless.
• (applause)
• guest sits
• Graves
• Now, Chris, do I have that right? You're moving to Alaska to live a more naturalized lifestyle? Something akin to Thoreau?
• guest leans in to speak quietly in Graves' ear
• McCandless
• Actually, please call me "Alexander Supertramp."
• Graves
• I don't follow.
• McCandless
• (quieter, barely audible above audience snickering)
• Yeah, well this is kind of awkward, but I changed my name to "Alexander Supertramp." Kind of a long time ago.
• Graves
• holds up his notes to audience
• It just says "Chris McCandless."
• laughter
• McCandless
• No, I know. But..."Alexander Supertramp," please.
• Graves
• Ok, I'm hearing you but I confess I don't fully know what you're saying. You legally changed your name from, from "Chris" to "Alexander Supertramp." I suppose I get that. But I have to say I don't understand why somebody would do it. What compelled you to do that?
• McCandless
• Well a lot of people change their names, of course, and I just felt that--
• Graves
• --Cher, I guess you mean?
• McCandless
• Cher. Right. [Long pause]. You mean the singer?
• Graves
• How many people do you know that go by the singular "Cher"?
• McCandless, sheepishly
• Well, I just wasn't sure if you meant, uh--
• Graves
• --You weren't sure if when I said the word "Cher" I meant the Cher or some other, totally unknown "Cher"?
• laughter
• McCandless
• It's not that, I just-- Listen, it's not a big deal to change your name. It's pretty common.
• Graves
• No, you're right. Marilyn Monroe did it. Caligula did it. I get it. Granted. So off you go to Alaska, let's talk about that.
• McCandless
• Yes. Right. So it's become clear to me that we're all just wasting our time, you know? Our entire lives are lived on, you know, cars and buses and traffic or buying groceries or watching T.V. and buying--
• Graves
• --Not everybody is watching T.V., I find.
• (laughter)
• McCandless
• Right, right. So anyway we're basically all just becoming mindless slaves to the machinery that dictates where we go and what we do and how we should think about it, right? And it's worse still that this is everybody! Nobody looks around and thinks about what they're doing and why. They just pace--
• Graves
• --And as a result, I gather, you're moving to Alaska.
• (laughter)
• McCandless
• Well, yeah, I mean in order to--
• Graves
• --I guessed that right, then, did I? You're moving to Alaska for reasons stated?
• McCandless
• I don't think I follow.
• Graves
• You're not alone, friend. Alexander Supertramp, everybody. He's moving to Alaska!
• (applause)

Ok, so that was fake. But it’s as good a take on Chris McCandless as any other - that dummy-poet with the spirit of a troubadour and the mind of a spoiled, high school literature student.

Anyway, the track is mapped to the location of bus #142, where McCandless gave up the ghost of Thoreau, got back on mass transit, then gave up his own ghost.

MAPPING IT

Flag it down here.

HEARING IT