As has been stated on many occasions in these end-times, human beings no longer are ”who they are” or ”what they do,” but rather what they consume. Well then, if this is so, then this was/is me 2023:
The Weird Tales Boys, by Stephen Jones
This is a great introduction to a very important phenomenon: the pulp magazine Weird Tales and its three most celebrated authors: HP Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert E Howard. Basically, without these influential authors, Weird Tales wouldn’t have had the impact it has for so many generations of science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans. A hardcore cultural impact zone. Pulp fiction of the WT kind has shaped our western culture to a greater extent than most people care to admit. Not least in the arena of science fiction and its lesser offspring: science proper. How many crazy scientists have grown up with the pulps as inspirations and instigations (even though most of these stories ended in havoc and disaster!)? Almost whatever we like in contemporary weirdness comes via the creative imagination of only a small handful of people. One distinct legacy, for instance, being Clark Ashton Smith to Ray Bradbury to Stephen King. And that’s really only the tip of the iceberg within literature specifically! This enthusiastic book traces the Weird Tales trio’s interrelationships, and the Weird Tales phenomenon as such. A great and important addition to the history of fine literature.
Gothick Meditations at Midnight by Stephen E Flowers
An absolutely excellent book for anyone interested in horror culture. The author grew up during the 1960s and was thus exposed not only to a thriving cinema culture in Texas but also TV reruns of classic monster films and what not. In this fascinating volume he provides (and I quote the cover subtitle) ”Esoteric Commentaries on Classic Literature and Film 1919-1975.” Being a magician of renown and stature, and obviously a dedicated horror aficionado, Flowers roams through his memory as well as the annals of pulp and cathode rays. It’s a very entertaining and informative read, and one that will hopefully increase the sales of small DVD labels and presses specializing in offbeat masterpieces.
The Outer Limits
Wrapping up my autobiography Meetings With Remarkable Magicians early in the year made me realize how haunted I’ve been throughout the decades by this phenomenal American TV series (1963-1965). It’s a perfect mix of Science Fiction, Horror, Psychology, and Comic Book sensibilities. We revisited it this year after realizing that Joseph Stephano wrote ”Psycho” for Hitchcock, and then rather moved on to creating ”The Outer Limits” instead of staying on with Hitch. A commendable feat, as the series is like a cosmic Mount Rushmore of intelligent TV/movies, and Hitchcock definitely dwindled after Stephano left.
Survivors
This is a great British TV-series that was aired between 1975 and 1977. I distinctly remember watching it on Swedish TV as a kid, and being mesmerized by beat up Land Rovers driving in the British mud, connecting small tribes of people huddling and trying to rebuild societies after a massive pandemic has wiped out almost all of humanity. Very dark and depressing stuff – and how prescient & prophetic fictional dystopias tend to become eventually! There’s no streaming TV series pizzazz or special effects here whatsoever; just bleak 1970s British TV drama in rolling hills, mud, Land Rovers, rifles, deceit, self deceit, violence, and… a few Survivors.
Every Man For Himself An God Against All, by Werner Herzog
The great sui generis artist/filmmaker writes his memoir and of course it’s a must read. Herzog’s life story is unlikely, his work voluminous (to say the least), and his impact colossal. This book cannot and doesn’t cover everything I would like to read about, but it’s a highly entertaining insight into a human being who can deservedly be called an Übermensch. As disappointed as I was by his 2021 novel The Twilight World (boring, flat, misdirected), as overjoyed have I been delving into this autobiography. Perhaps that’s the key to his essence: he needs to be personally involved for it to be interesting? Compare ”Aguirre – the Wrath of God” or ”Fitzcarraldo” or many of his best documentaries with flat hack films like ”Bad Lieutenant – Port of Call.” When Herzog is present and passionately engaged, there’s no one like him. This great memoir shows these unique perspectives and attitudes, and all I can say (in awe) is ”Wow!”
The Book of Chuang Tzu
On my desk lies a tiny, bruised copy of the Tao Teh Ching that I bought in Kathmandu in 1999 and have brought with me on many trips around the world. Lao Tse’s book is of course a classic, but so is the work of Chuang Tzu. Re-reading him has brought out the best in my magical perception of life and its endless possibilities. The very best thing about having devoted my life to learning (about) magic, was coming across Taoism and then being extremely happy unlearning everything I ever thought was important.
Approaches – Drugs and Altered States, by Ernst Jünger
Jünger’s presence on the English-speaking markets is increasing, and that’s a great thing. He was a very special thinker and author, and one who has inspired me in many ways. Not least because of his honesty regarding the benefits (necessity, even) of organically or chemically induced transcendences. That aspect is clearly present in this volume, which collects his writings on altered states and his own experiences with them. It really is a key work in that it shines a light on much else he has written about. The transcendental and the natural world illuminate all other aspects of (his) life, basically. Yes, he was a philosopher, and yes, he was a decorated soldier. But mainly he was an author driven by a genuine curiosity to see what’s hiding behind the next corner of one’s mind, and placing that in a greater natural context – not unlike other German giants like Goethe and Novalis. This is a highly recommended book.
Lion of Light – Robert Anton Wilson on Aleister Crowley
This is a great book if you’re into RAW and/or Crowley. It’s centered on a previously unpublished essay by Wilson that lay dormant in the Harvard archives for decades. The essay, ”Do what thou wilt,” ambitiously presents Crowley in an initiated and benevolent light, as well as Thelema as a philosophy. But there’s also his introduction to Regardie’s Crowley-bio, The Eye In the Triangle, and the intro for the Crowley anthology A Portable Darkness, and some reviews of other Crowley material. Thus the book becomes more than just one revived essay; it really gives a clear mosaic of Wilson’s approaches to Crowley and Thelema. I found it to be enlightening; it even made me want to read some Crowley again.
Wyrd Times – Memoirs of a Pagan Renaissance Man, by Nigel Pennick
A great and fun book by British magician (and a whole lot of other things) Nigel Pennick. His vast authorship spans his ditto mind and interests: magic, paganism, traditionalism, masks, runes, witchcraft etc. I love reading about people who have devoted their lives to the mysteries; there is a courage and intelligence here that most people unfortunately lack. By reaching out and over the decades this book also works wonderfully well as a general cultural history; specifically dealing with British counterculture and all its spiritual offshoots.
Coumplete Poems 1960’s & 70’s, by Genesis P-Orridge
Genesis P-Orridge was a magician first and foremost, and poetry was always his main expression. Many a different epithet has been branded upon him throughout the decades (many by himself, too) but the fundamental poetry was and is always there. That’s why it’s delightful and interesting to look through this fine little volume of collected poems. This is early stuff, predating the public shenanigans of COUM, TG and PTV etc. They give a unique insight into what was there already early on, and what was about to come: very formative expressions. In ”Obsession,” for instance, we can read ”Within the dank cave/The Dissident Watchers/Mark their cards/To cast into the eternal/Flames of chance.” Hearing that in Gen’s voice to me evokes the two first albums of Psychic TV, or even our collaboration ”At Stockholm” (1990). It is interesting that his voice is so present in not only the formulations proper but also in what the reading brings forth in the reader. Of course, that may not be true for someone who has never heard Gen’s voice, but for me it’s almost eerie. Reading is seeing, reading is hearing, reading is being there. Evocations from youth, and from beyond the grave. A sweet little book!
The Knot, by Michael Gira
Heavy! It’s a heavy book! ”Complete Words for Music, Collected Stories and Journals.” That’s something. Michael Gira is basically a writing man, and always has been. The work with the band Swans has integrated a lot of this writing into compositions and performances. But as we can see here, basically whatever Gira writes also works as standalone, undefinable, undeniable, and free expressions from a very creative human being. ”Lyrics,” short stories, journal entries (that also contain strong fictional elements), and thoughts… For anyone enjoying Swans, this anthology becomes like a bible of sorts: a deep introspective insight into a life, and into the forces pushing that life onwards to an almost pathological process of creation. I confess to loving Michael Gira and his relentlessly soul-searching work. What an amazing artist he is. This book for me is therefore valuable and highly cherished.
Modern Occultism + Uncertain Places – Essays on Occult & Outsider Experiences, by Mitch Horowitz
American author Mitch Horowitz is a key player in the general occulturation of the civilized world. His diligent authorship of essays, lectures, and books proper, as well as editing many a book on causative thinking, has generated a status of authority well deserved. You can always find out new and interesting things when reading Horowitz’s work; mainly because he is a great writer and more open-minded than academics: a very important combination in this day and age.
This is how I blurbed his latest book Modern Occultism: ”In many ways, Horowitz is the perfect mix of Manly P. Hall, Joseph Campbell, and Prometheus, eloquently carrying the torch of mythic and spiritual illumination into the 21st century.”
Uncertain Places is an anthology of Mitch’s great occulturation essays: pieces of intelligence and scholarship that contextualize esoteric history and places its development and fragmentation/dissemination in our modern world.
Both these books are like a crash course in heavy duty knowledge that many of us need to fully understand how things literally move from the hidden spheres of history and culture and right into the mainstream. A highly relevant, revelatory, and important topic.
Check out Modern Occultism here.
Check out Uncertain Places here.
Tumzantorum, edited and published by Sean Woodward
A very interesting occultural journal that always contains fresh perspectives on all things magical. Vanessa and I were featured in issue number 3, but I would recommend checking them all out. Masterminded by highly talented artist-magician Sean Woodward, Tumzantorum always provides great food for thought.
Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the Films of Ingmar Bergman, edited by Vanessa Sinclair
My lovely wife edited this anthology of psychological texts about the work of Ingmar Bergman, and invited me, too. Marital nepotism is a delight – as well as great for this book. I wrote an essay on Bergman’s masterpiece ”Hour of the Wolf” (1968) and am very pleased with it. My quite distinctly Jungian goggles make for a good balance within a cluster of Freudian and Lacanian perspectives that sometimes trip themselves skidding on a thin ice of intellectual (b)anality. But that’s also the genius of Bergman: like all genuine artists, he provokes different things in different people, and that’s exactly how it should be. Hopefully this book will encourage people to watch the films, so that everyone can have an opinion of their own.
