Best known for his editing role on Monty Python’s ‘The Life of Brian’ and special effects man on Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’, Julian Doyle returns with his B-Movie take on Aleister Crowley in this years ‘Chemical Wedding‘. Deciding not to take the biographical role, and instead envisioning Crowley in a modern setting, the film took a panning by critics, and Crowley fans alike. We sent in our man, Adrian Dobbie, to find out what Doyles motives and reactions were behind the film…

Resurrecting the Beast

I’ve only been in the company of ex-Monty Python collaborator Julian Doyle for half an hour or so but already the conversation has been surprisingly brisk. So far we’ve discussed the Osirian symbolism behind the story of Abelard and Eloise, the influence of early Christian Britain on the Roman Empire before Constantine and the idea that giants built many of the Neolithic stone circles in the British Isles.  Oh and we’ve touched on quantum theory too. Just a little.

I’m at Doyle’s North London home to interview him about the movie Chemical Wedding, which alongside Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson, Doyle co-wrote, directed, edited and produced. To date, Chemical Wedding is by far the most ambitious and commercially successful feature film to have been made about the character of Aleister Crowley. And I do mean the character of Aleister Crowley rather than Aleister Crowley himself because Chemical Wedding, which premiered at the London Science Fiction Film Festival earlier this year, certainly isn’t a straight biopic of the Beast.

The film chooses to eschew the option of a straightforward period retelling of Crowley’s life and works, opting instead to play with a ‘what-if?’ scenario by bringing ‘the Beast 666′ back from the dead in the modern era. In the film, a ‘virtual’ reincarnation of Crowley (artfully realised by British Shakespearian actor Simon Callow) is released on an unsuspecting modern day Cambridge, thanks to an experiment involving a university professor, a virtual reality suit and a supercomputer that has been programmed with the numerical codes contained in the magickal rites of the Master Therion.

When the trial run of the VR suit goes horribly wrong, the brain of stuttering classics professor Oliver Haddo is bombarded by Crowley’s ritual symbolism and in a shocking overnight transformation, he ‘becomes’ the Beast 666. He shaves his head, dons a natty purple suit and fedora hat and proceeds to wreak total havoc around the Cambridge campus, urinating on students, defecating on desks, conducting orgies and generally behaving very badly in his three-day quest for permanent reincarnation. Suffice to say, those hoping for historically accurate tales of Golden Dawn leadership battles, life in the Abbey at Cefalu or lucid expositions of the Law of Thelema will be sorely disappointed.

Instead, Chemical Wedding revels in being a quintessentially British, low-budget romp. Think the bastard child of Blood on Satan’s Claw and Carry On Screaming. The film is possessed of an undeniable charm, bags of humour, a tongue planted firmly in cheek at all times and, as it plays with the ideas of non-linear time, multiple universes and the creation of magickal children, it never forgets to have great fun along the way.

The film polarised opinion among Crowley enthusiasts and the general cinema-going public alike and it’s very easy to see why. While those harbouring a vested interest in Crowley’s positive portrayal baulked at the film’s sensationalist portrait of the Beast ‘at large’ in the 21^st century, others found the lack of serious content a stumbling block too great to overcome. The great cinema going masses largely ignored it, much as they ignore anything to do with Aleister Crowley, so no great surprises there.

Reviews were decidedly mixed on its initial theatre release. The high-brow papers rubbished it, while the tabloids and lad-mags hailed it as a ‘guilty pleasure’. Despite the bad press Doyle is unbowed as he unwraps a brand new DVD of the film. He’s eager to give me a peek at two reinstated deleted scenes that, he says, tie up a few loose ends in the plot; “Reviewers seeing the DVD version have likened the story to a kind of dark Da Vinci Code,” says Doyle, “I wanted to get two new occult theories into the film; one, that the story of Abelard and Eloise actually details the workings of a sex magical ritual which has only been enacted 4 times in history, the other that Joseph of Aramathea may have been the real father of Jesus…”

Hardly top contenders for the dominant themes running through a film about Aleister Crowley one might think, but then it depends very much on what kind of interest you have in the man himself. There are two types of people who get excited about Crowley: first there are the ‘Thelemites’ who are generally so focused on Crowley as the Prophet of the Aeon of Horus, that they forget there are plenty of folk who simply like Crowley because, well, he was a really interesting guy. There’s no shortage of people out there who are turned on by Crowley the iconoclast; the mountaineer; the drug fiend; the ‘black magician’; the ‘man behaving badly’. To my mind there’s nothing wrong with this level of interest. It’s all grist to the mill.

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that when the latter type of person makes a film about Aleister Crowley, the former can’t expect it to be tailored to them alone. This is where a lot of serious students of Crowley have had trouble attempting to understand this film - it’s just not aimed directly at them and they just can’t understand why the hell it isn’t.

Doyle is quite clear about his motives for making the movie; “To me it’s all about making a film that’s entertaining. I think the film is very watchable and that’s what I was after. It’s one thing to make an interesting film, but I like stuff with hidden meaning. The story of Chemical Wedding has meaning behind it and it’s got this very interesting character centre stage, someone we can reignite interest in. That’s a really nice thing to be able to do”.

Doyle isn’t too concerned about a duty to portray Crowley in a particularly positive light. Given the premise of the story the audience is never asked to believe that the character on screen is the ‘real’ thing and this allows for a considerable amount of artistic leeway; “We were attempting to make a film that was populist. I already had enough trouble with the financiers when I was trying to get anything of any interest into the film,” he laughs, “…y’know - they just wanted a horror film with black cats and people drinking blood, but I didn’t want to make it that simple. The film doesn’t have a genre. It’s impossible to classify.”

You can say that again. Although plenty of people I know have used certain four-letter words in attempts to categorise the film, Chemical Wedding does avoid the pitfalls of simplistic shlock on the one hand and preaching to a converted audience on the other. Instead it goes unashamedly for the bigger, popular vote. Whether it succeeds is another matter but either way you have to admire the sheer determination involved in managing to get a film about Aleister Crowley financed, made and distributed to mainstream cinemas. It’s nothing short of a miracle.

Doyle’s first contact with co-conspirator Bruce Dickinson came while shooting the video for Iron Maiden’s 1988 classic ‘Can I Play with Madness?’, which featured the late ex-Python Graham Chapman. Dickinson first approached Doyle with the idea of making a film about Crowley in the early 90s; “Bruce had wanted to do a film about Crowley for years. He came to me with a number of scripts and eventually we decided we couldn’t do a period piece, partly because of budget restrictions and partly because the story of Crowley doesn’t have the right kind of drama to make a successful film…” argues Doyle, “…then Bruce sent me a script featuring a virtual reality suit, and this was when VR was very new. I took that script, restructured it, gave it some shape and colour and all the time I was adding the occult stuff that I wanted to get in there. About 80% of the final story is mine.”

The film took the best part of 2 decades to reach full realisation, much of that time was spent in attempting to gain funding for what was and still is a risky project. In the time between the writing of the script and the making of the film, interest in the possibilities of VR has dissipated to such a degree that when one watches the film, one gets the distinct feeling that it was made 15 years too late. Chemical Wedding is undeniably flawed; a large proportion of the cast’s youthful inexperience is brought into sharp focus when contrasted with the commanding presence of the lead and the low budget means a few corners were cut in production. Doyle admits as much but defends the film’s homespun sensibilities; “I’m certainly not embarrassed by the end result. The film has that Hammer Horror look because we didn’t have the time or the budget for much sophisticated camera work, so it has that kind of feel and think that’s perfectly fine.”

Whatever criticisms we may lay at the door of Chemical Wedding, all are agreed that the film comes alive whenever the character of Oliver Haddo, the Cambridge don possessed by the spirit of Crowley, arrives on screen. Simon Callow who plays Haddo/Crowley was not the first choice to play the lead role, but he quite simply saves the film single-handedly with his boisterous portrayal of the Beast; “…I was very unsure of Simon at first, but as soon as we heard him read the script we knew - it was him.” says Doyle, “Simon hits the right note between the heaviness and high camp the role requires.” He’s right. Callow plays a convincing Crowley, albeit as a conscious pastiche. In one memorable scene the Crowley figure is hauled before a panel of university bigwigs to explain his errant behaviour; Callow gives an incredibly strong performance, with ‘Crowley’ quoting freely from the more lurid passages in the Bible as he successfully attempts to undermine his peers’ faith in the ‘good book’. It’s a great scene and genuinely funny.

The film attempts to draw parallels between science and magick, referencing the real Crowley’s own interest in the then burgeoning science of Quantum Physics. This is a very strong thread throughout the film and one that Doyle is keen to emphasise; “Along with the two new occult theories, I wanted one new piece of scientific information to come through and that was about the nature of time.” Says Doyle “I have this theory that time doesn’t actually exist, its only the degradation of matter, the slowing down of matter. If you speed up matter to the speed of light, time ceases to exist. How long ago was the big bang? For light, the big bang is still happening.”

It’s evident that Doyle is enthusiastic about his subject matter. What is also evident to the serious student of Crowley’s work is that maybe a little more research ought to have been done before committing such a parody of Crowley to film for general consumption. While the film is littered with Crowley in-jokes; the female lead is called Leah; Oliver Haddo is the name of W. Somerset Maugham’s magician from the book of the same name, himself based on Crowley; the Z93 supercomputer; all this suggests a cursory level of research and it’s all good fun spotting the references in the film. However, beyond that we get very little of the ‘true’ message of Crowley. The concept of Thelema is conspicuous by its absence throughout and Liber Al, the Holy Book which is central to any understanding of Crowley’s life never once gets a mention. Doyle defends his decision to leave Thelema out of the equation; “I couldn’t see how we could successfully work that into a commercial film. I was more interested in making Crowley a shocking character, updating the shock value.”

And that, really, is the bottom line with Chemical Wedding. It’s ultimately much more concerned with exploring the shocking, controversial aspect of Crowley and imagining what might happen if he were alive in a modern setting than it is with bringing the real message of Crowley to the popular world. Yet before leaping to criticise, it is worth remembering that if the script had attempted to do that, the film would never have been made as it would never have secured financial backing.

So, the film’s got a bit of science, a bit of magick, a bit of controversy and some laughs, but it’s not a film about the real Crowley. It’s fun if you forgive the rather patchy production and below-par acting of the majority of the cast, but if you are expecting a film that’s a good advert for Crowley or his doctrine of Thelema, this certainly isn’t it. In a way, I hope there never will be. Perhaps Crowley is best left where he is - in the shadows.

Adrian Dobbie

Taking the Path of Least Resistance in Magic

If there is one challenge that magicians face when it comes to determining the effectiveness of magic, it is figuring out if the magic you performed aligned with your internal values. Sometimes, even if we think we want a particular result, we actually don’t want that result. Speaking from personal experience, I always found it odd when I would do a successful act of magic and get the result I desired, but then have the impact of that result not really count for handling my situation. It was only much later that I would recognize that the magic I did at that time was going counter to my internal values. I’ve also noted this type of occurrence with other magicians: they would get results, but when those results were not in alignment with their internal values an essential part of them rejected the results.

Recently I read a passage that I would like to share, which speaks to this issue, “Magick defines suffering as the result of straying from one’s natural path of ‘least resistance’” (Schueler 1988, p. 222). Suffering arises from straying from one’s natural path of least resistance. This is an interesting statement, because it speaks to several questions. Is a degree of suffering necessary, and if so, how much? When we are on our path of least resistance, which some might call true Will and others would name a calling, are we then aligned with our internal values?

Considering these questions is important when considering the effectiveness of magic, when magic should be employed, and more importantly why it should be employed. If a magician gets a result, but finds that the result is wasted, then the magical work has also been wasted. Internal work is needed to determine the problem in the process, and if the problem is a conflict with internal values, then the magician needs to determine if what s/he is doing is causing hir to deviate from the path of hir Will. If that’s the case, there’s still the consideration of suffering and how much is needed in order to learn from a situation.

While I don’t advocate suffering for its own sake, I do recognize that it has a valid place in the continuum of personal experience. I don’t subscribe to a karmic notion of it, but I do believe that a person will have the experiences s/he needs to have. Over time one can learn to realize hir will, calling, or internal values; this knowledge is necessary to engage in the path of least resistance. People, by nature, are usually not equipped with the skills to recognize what they truly want. Martha Beck explains this in terms of a conflict that is created by the social self focusing on cultural-social approval while ignoring the values of the essential self (2001). The social self is the aspect of your personality that wants to fit-in in every situation and have people like it. It’s concerned with external environment. The essential self is aspect of your identity connected to your internal values, to what you really want, as opposed to what your friends, family, and society think you should want. The social self can be so focused on what someone else believes that the magician should want that s/he forgets about what is truly desired, what truly aligns with hir internal values.

This happens with everyone, including magicians. Even if a magician is involved in a counterculture, there are still social expectations that determine expected behavior. Regardless of how you consider yourself socially, the social self is involved with allowing you to fit into those circumstances, even if they run counter to what your essential self wants. Consequently, the social self can put us into situations where we suffer. We end up in unsatisfying relationships, in jobs we hate, or in social situations where we don’t like the people. The suffering we encounter is not intrinsically due to the social self, but rather to the conflict between the essential self’s desires and the social self’s drive to ‘fit in’. The essential self will sabotage your social situation, in an effort to get you back on track with your internal values. I can personally point to this in my life; even though my social self said I should get a tenured position in a university because it’s as secure a job as you can get, my essential self found that to be unbearable and consequently derailed that effort. I looked back later, after I had left my Ph.D program, and could see how I had sabotaged myself because my essential self and my internal values were at odds with my social self and what I felt I should be doing.

In the present, I find that my life has gotten easier because I’m learning how to figure out what my internal values are. I still listen to the social self, but I balance it with an awareness of following my true calling. The amount of suffering in my life continues to decrease. This isn’t to say it’s automatically easy, but I can face challenges with mindful presence and awareness of my needs and internal desires. That makes a big difference when I choose to apply magic to a situation.

Magic is often treated as a quick way to deal with a situation, but rarely is it examined as a process for focused change. Used mindfully, with awareness of intent and impact, one can steer the direction of one’s life towards the path of least resistance. In my case that it is only in the last few years that I have begun to work magic as an ongoing process, as opposed to just getting results to quickly fix a situation. It has involved stepping back and examining the direction of my life and how magic can be applied to it. I’ve asked myself if I’m really listening to my internal values, true Will, or whatever term one chooses for being in touch with the essential self or Holy Guardian Angel. Magic, used as a process, has helped me ask if I need to use it in any particular situation or if I need to handle that situation differently. I’ve come to recognize the impact of my magical intent and used that to determine if the magical action I’ve taken is really in alignment with my internal values. If it isn’t, chances are the result will manifest, but the situation will still not be resolved in quite the way I wanted.

Taking the path of least resistance is learning to take the path where your internal values shine forth and guide you through the challenges you face. Magic, used mindfully, is a process and a tool that is helpful for directing you on your path. Listening to your essential self will let you know how and when to use magic so that you get more than just a momentary result.  You can manifest change that lasts a lifetime and helps you achieve your goals; working in alignment with your internal values will reveal your path of least resistance.

Taylor Ellwood

Bibliography

Beck, Martha. (2001). Finding your own north star: Claiming the life you were meant to live. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN: 978-0812932188.

Schueler, Gerald J. (1988). Enochian physics: The structure of the magical universe. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications. ISBN: 978-0875427126.

Taylor Ellwood is the author of Pop Culture Magick, Space/Time Magic, Inner Alchemy, and Multi-Media Magic, and co-author of Kink Magic (With Lupa). He is also the managing Non-Fiction Editor of Immanion Press. More information about him can be found at http://www.thegreenwolf.com or http://magicalexperiments.wordpress.com and can be emailed at taylor@spiralnature.com

One of the greatly ignored mediums of our little corner of the web so far has been comics which, in my opinion, produce some of the most compelling, original and revolutionary concepts of our time. When I first thought of who to ‘pen’ a regular feature, it was imediatly obvious; Scott Carelli, one of the first guests on our podcast, has a passion for comics and all things ‘geek’ unlike anyone else I can think of, he’s also really good at expressing that passion in the written word…

When I was asked to begin writing reviews for comics with a counter-culture spin for Sitting Now, only one comic immediately came to mind: Preacher. Part Western, part Horror story, part Religious Epic, and a lot of weird, Preacher is as counter-culture as it gets.

Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, Preacher is the story of a small town Texas minister, named Jesse Custer, slowly losing his faith in the god he’s devoted his life to. In one bizarre instant, his life is changed forever, and with his gun-toting ex Tulip and a hard-drink Irish vampire named Cassidy, he aims to find out why and who’s to blame. The story that Ennis and Dillon have crafted here is unlike any other, comics or otherwise. It’s done so masterfully well that as an aspiring writer myself, I find it both inspiring and discouraging, knowing full well that nothing I can ever do will be at the quality of storytelling that Preacher succeeded in being so effortlessly. 

Reverend Jesse Custer is the perfect protagonist. Confidant but not without his flaws, Jesse never ceases to be interesting, and regardless of the other worldly circumstances he may come against throughout the story, he continues to be an everyman who simply asked God what everyone has asked at some point, “Why me?” The difference is, this is a story about that everyman determined to find the answer, no matter the cost. Jesse is a man of principles, through and through, In his world, no one gets by without answering for the things they’ve done. Not even God.  

Jesse isn’t alone in his journey, either. Preacher is filled with a cast of characters that are just as well-rounded. Tulip, Jesse’s ex whom he left to pursue his life as a preacher (for reasons I won’t reveal here), is a damaged and mysterious woman who’s story is slowly told through late into the series. Tulip and Jesse’s connection is as believable as it is heartbreaking. It’s that  relationship that we’ve all found ourselves in at one time or another. The kind of love that never goes away, no matter how many time you hurt each other. Jesse and Tulip are two people who are absolutely fated to be together, and when its not taking Jesse across the world on his search for God, Preacher spends a lot of time focused on their trials and tribulations as a couple. 

Then of course there’s the fan-favorite, Cassidy. An Irish vampire who is about as complex a character as I’ve ever experienced in any medium. In a story like this, the sudden appearance of a supernatural being like a vampire should seem out of place, but Ennis makes it work in a way that is commendable. Cassidy, while being a bloodsucking abomination, is still relatable. He’s that guy who just can’t help but make bad decisions. He’s always fated to make the wrong choice, no matter what. It’s Jesse’s friendship that makes him decide to become a better person, the idea that someone believes in him gives him the strength to try, but it never seems like enough. This is his character’s constant struggle, and it makes for the most interesting progression of the series.

A man of God who has lost his faith. A demon who is trying to renounce his evil ways. A woman who just wants to get her life back on track. The kinship  of these three characters is the biggest strength of this series. Ennis writes a convincing portrayal of a modern friendship between three people who can barely get a handle on themselves, let alone be a good influence on each other. But they stick together, despite a few set backs, to the bitter end. And I do mean bitter.

Now, while Preacher is praised as one of the best (albeit, unquestionably adult) comics of the past 20 years, it isn’t without its critics. Most of which write it off as a perverted, ultra-violent illustration of blasphemy. Funny thing is, I can’t really argue with them as Preacher can be all of those things at times. Ennis is showing us, however exaggeratedly,  the evil and ugliness in the world, but is in no way condoning any of it. His constant commentary on religion and spirituality that soaks every page can very easily be construed as blasphemous, but it’s really just meant to be thought-provoking. At the end of the day, this is a work of fiction that should hold no bearing on your actual religious beliefs, and if it does, well I don’t think the comic is to blame for that.

I would also be remiss to not mention the artwork of Steve Dillon. Preacher is as much his story as it is  Ennis’. There is no one on the planet who could possibly draw this book any better. He brings a sort of ugly realism to the series that no other artist would have brought so well. Ennis and Dillon have a natural synergy when they work together. They compliment each other so well, that you wonder why they ever stop. It was like that on Hellblazer, it was like that on Punisher, but it was never any better than when they were on Preacher. I would love to see them work together again (and I hear they are soon with a sequel to their Punisher run), but I think that topping Preacher would be impossible to even attempt.

So, while I’ll admit that Preacher isn’t for everyone (the conservative and the religious spring to mind…), it will go down as one of my favorite series of all time. What Ennis and Dillon created is nothing short of genius, and they should be praised and envied. I know I’ll never have enough good things to say about it. I’ll never stop preaching about Preacher…

… until the end of the world.

Scott Carelli loves comics and other geek-related stuff. He talks about it weekly on his podcast Two Geeks a Mic and a Podcast on Geekshow.us. He also created and produces an audio series called Geek By Night also on Geekshow.us. Check them out!

NEXT TIME: The Walking Dead

Canadian researcher Nick Longrich discovered the remains what is purported to be the smallest dinosaur of North America.

According to Longrich, it is “evidence that the dinosaurs migrated to Asia from the bottom part of the Western hemisphere.” Longrich’s research is published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

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Cosmetic vaginal surgery is on the rise and worrying urogynaecologist Professor Linda Cardozo of King’s College Hospital in London as the procedures are ultimately only for vanity and not functional. She warns that the effectiveness or safety of the prodcures is quite founded on very little evidence.

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The Independent reports that American scientists have found that sexism in the workplace is advantageous for chauvanist men in comparison to “modern-thinking” men -men who view the sexes equally in competence. On the other hand, women who hold more feminist views have about a $1500 difference in salaries. The research can be found published in the most recent edition of the US Journal of Applied Psychology.

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In Portland, Oregon, construction workers complained about roller blading woman’s nudity.

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A woman was reportedly “tricked into sex” from adivce by a gynaecoloist using a penis cream treatment.

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According to Louth Leader, more and more sightings of orange UFO lights have been spotted and have been causing people to wonder if they are related to the Large Hadron Collider experiment taking place in Geneva. And: there has been “another mass UFO sighting” in the Northern Territory recently.

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Two semi-subs carrying cocaine were captured recently, bringing attention to this particularly hidden method of drug transport. The semi-submersibles are said to be very difficult to detect, and especially so without prior intelligence.

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The Japanese have invented an airbag to prevent injury from falling for the elderly (especially with epilepsy). The only problem is that it reportedly doesn’t protect when falling forward.

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Two officers from the NYPD tased a man named Inman Morales, who consquently fell to his death. The incident has brought attention to the usage of stun guns and in which circumstances they should be used.

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Marijuana crops are recently being infiltrated in vineyards.

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Mysterytopia.com recently published an article about the world’s youngest mother, who was five years and seven months old when she gave birth.

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Shoppers in China buy uranium by mistake!

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Michael Moore’s new film was released for free online on September 24th.

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A man sues his medical doctor for “stapling [his] butt shut.

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And in cryptozoology: Beware of the Mongolian Death Worm!

Fantastic new addition to the SittingNow writing-crew, Adrian Dobbie, gets down and dirty with the recent Julian Doyle (Monty Python)/Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) written, Chemical Wedding. Is this release finally what acolytes of Aleister Crowley have been waiting for? or another Magickly-huge disapointment?…

Carry-On Crowley?

Among occultists and Thelemites specifically there has long been a certain desire to see their hero Crowley immortalised on film. The exploits of the Master Therion would seem to offer pre-packaged prime subject matter for an industry that thrives on titillation and sensationalism, but while general interest in Crowley does seem to be on the rise, the definitive Crowley film remains to be made. In the last few years we’ve seen a number of documentaries of varying quality and lately the internet has been awash with teasers and half-baked trailers promising more dramatized takes on the life and times of the Beast 666. Yet none of these have seemed more likely to come to fruition than Bruce Dickinson’s project ‘Chemical Wedding’. For those who may not know who Dickinson is, he is the yodelling, spandex-sporting front man of legendary UK metal band Iron Maiden. I have to admit that when I first heard about the Brit-rock legend touting his screenplay around Hollywood, my heart sank. In my opinion, Dickinson was possibly the worst person to be planning a movie about Crowley; I just couldn’t see how a man so steeped in juvenile horror-movie imagery from his years on the heavy metal circuit could possibly come up with anything other than a hatchet job if let loose on the Crowley story. So when the imminent release of the movie was announced I’ll admit I feared the worst but my curiosity was piqued nonetheless. Upon seeing the trailer online I actually thought it could be a good film after all, if slightly sensationalist. When I heard that the premier was happening last month just a few miles from where I live, I just had to get a ticket. So off I duly went to London’s West End to see what the fuss was all about.

The story opens in 1947 with two young students visiting an ageing Crowley at his lodgings in Hastings, England. We learn that one is a regular caller, while the other is nervous about meeting the Beast for the first time. As they enter Crowley’s dark bedsitting room, they find the prophet of the new aeon ailing but still lewdly vigorous. Crowley however is preoccupied by the exploits of his young acolytes in Pasadena. He has learned that Jack Parsons & L Ron Hubbard have been busying themselves in attempts to produce a Moonchild and Crowley is not best pleased. With this initial portrayal of the Beast in his latter years we get the first hint that the film will be taking more than a few artistic liberties. The man we see before us, although masterfully realised, is the stout, bald Crowley of two decades previous and certainly not the wizened pipe smoker that we know he was during his final years. Nevertheless - we are only treated to a few minutes of Crowley in this incarnation before he is mortally struck down. He dramatically celebrates his greater feast during his young friends’ visit, presumably as a direct result of the dark forces unleashed by his two wards on the other side of the Atlantic.

We now fast forward to turn-of-the-millennium Cambridge where a team of visiting scientists from Cal Tech are preparing to unveil a state-of-the-art virtual reality suit before the assembled academics of the University. The suit is controlled by a supercomputer called - wait for it - the Z93, whose chief programmer, a certain Victor Newman, just happens to be a student of the works of Aleister Crowley. We learn that Newman has distilled the rituals of Crowley’s magick into a numerical code that he has fed directly into the program that runs the VR suit. Eager to test his invention before its official maiden voyage, he manages to lure the bumbling, stuttering, classics tutor, Professor Haddo (Simon Callow), into giving the suit a sneaky whirl. The hapless professor, fresh from an on-campus masonic meeting, agrees to take part and it’s here that the story properly begins.

Haddo dons the suit and is bombarded with the accumulated power of Crowley’s rituals in virtual form. When we next see him, the shy, floppy haired don has disappeared and instead, he has morphed into a strangely familiar, bald, menacing character, wilfully striding down the University’s corridors on his way to deliver a lecture on Shakespeare. In the course of ensuing events it becomes obvious to all, not least the Cambridge don who years ago visited the Beast on the day he died, that Haddo’s body has been taken over by a ‘virtual Crowley’, who has plans to stick around for good. In order to do so, the resurrected occultist must perform a magickal operation called the ‘Chemical Wedding’ whereby, with the help of a Scarlet Woman, he will summon the demon Choronzon and so take permanent possession of his new host.

From here on in the film becomes an example of the kind of high-camp, low-budget British thriller-cum-horror that we haven’t seen much of since the demise of the Hammer marque nearly 30 years ago. As his quest to find the perfect scarlet woman unfolds, the reincarnated Crowley sets out on a rampage round Cambridge leaving a trail of flagellation, sex magick, murder and scatology in his wake. The girl in his sights turns out to be Leah, a plucky young student reporter and it isn’t long before she and a visiting American professor called Mathers team up and set about thwarting Crowley’s plans for permanent reincarnation.

It’s wacky stuff, and in places it’s laugh-out-loud funny. In fact it’s as much Carry-On as it is Hammer Horror. Callow camps it up royally in cartoon Crowley mode and in so doing puts his fellow cast members in the shade. There are a few stand-out scenes: an operation to enlist the help of a hapless aide is hilarious, Crowley’s method of acquiring a rather natty purple suit and fedora hat brought howls from the audience and in an act of sex magick designed to entrap his muse we see Crowley ‘charging’ a talisman and then sending it via fax to Leah.  She discovers a rather sticky mess coming through on the copy at her end…

It’s all good fun when it works, but all too often the clumsy editing, redundant plot twists, below-par acting and the shot-on-digital-media feel let the picture down. Some will undoubtedly enjoy playing ‘spot the Crowley reference’ as the film blunders on. In-jokes abound; half the characters in the film bear names not too dissimilar to associates of the Beast and there’s enough trivia to satisfy the nerd in any of us. However, those looking for a positive or serious take on Crowley’s doctrine of Thelema will be disappointed - it’s just never mentioned. Not once. On the other hand, those fearing misrepresentation can largely breathe a sigh of relief, the Crowley character’s murderous tendencies notwithstanding. The film does attempt to pose some real questions about the nature of the relationship between magick and science (VR as ersatz astral plane, the potential for downloading personalities as digital information) but it ends up trying to cover so much ground that it fails to do any more than scratch the surface of a fascinating subject, while various plot devices such as Crowley’s masonic connections are alluded to but never elaborated. As such it’s as frustrating as it is fun. The definitive film about Crowley this certainly isn’t, but if you have a penchant for oddball British camp-horror, who knows? This film may just be for you.

2/5

Adrian Dobbie

www.chemicalweddingmovie.co.uk

Bob’s back! One of our favourite guests, and knowledgable chap when it comes to global folklore! In this episode, we build on our discussion in last interview by analysing ZOMBIES! Bob has a new book coming out soon entitled Zombies: A Field guide to the Walking Dead, so make sure you get your hands on that! Bob has some great tales that he picked up on his travels to research this latest book, so join us as we take a journey into the world of Zozobra’s, undead-monks and more!

This weeks featured music comes in the shape of The Melvins, with the track The Kicking Machine from the album ‘Nude with Boots’. You can download the track in MP3 form from the Southern Records site here.

Background music comes in the form of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros (no really!) played in Orchestra form!

We have some great guests coming up in the coming weeks so stay tuned for more Sitting Now oddness!

In this age of online-piracy, where big US companies like ComCast are strangling consumers bandwidth privileges, who can the big software houses and Internet providers call on to reach the kids of tomorrow?

Well, back in the early 90’s, it wasn’t Superman or Batman that protected classics like Monkey Island and Wing Commander 2. No, it was a bad-ass rapper, come super-hero that the really reached out to the kids. 

In this ‘caught on camera’ expose, witness the mighty ‘Double Def’ preventing two innocent kids from taking their first steps into a life of crime:

If the Internet-Police had such speedy countermeasures today, we could all rest easy!

Little is known of what happened to the MC, however it is rumoured that he was accidentally deleted in the late 90’s, whilst trying to stop a kid from copying Quake…for shame…he wasn’t just def…he was DOUBLE def!

Ken Eakins

Experiment: a test, trial, or tentative procedure; an act or operation for the purpose of discovering something unknown or of testing a principle, supposition, etc.: a chemical experiment; a teaching experiment; an experiment in living.

A Sontaran: An ugly potato-headed alien from Doctor Who; heavy-set, thugish and with an obsession for conflict and total domination of the universe.

After just one listen of this brutal outpouring, it’s not hard to see why these guys chose their name!

This, their debut album, is an epic and adventurous work of three ‘acts’ each lasting anywhere from 15 - 25 minutes. Yes! I know what you’re thinking: “Urgh! I hate it when bands do this”, but stick with me here.

 The album opens with layers of strange electronic ambiance, which are brutally interrupted by an explosion of bowel-emptying doom. The tone and tempo of the record shift around like a disturbed and violent rockweiler, one minute you are nodding along (wishing you had a big doom-fan beard) and the next you are thrown into an almost Napalm Death blast-beat-ridden hellfest. The album takes some seriously cool little sidesteps when you least expect it;  Act II, for example, goes down a, dare I say, almost jazzy avenue at one point!

So, I told you to bare with me and here’s why: Yes, this is a long record, but no it’s not at all pretentious or overally self indulgent. The Sontaran Experiment succeed where so many fail when it comes to this type of release, they keep it interesting and varied, not flying off too far into the ‘experiment’, by keeping it in check with the ‘Sontaran’…OK, that made sense to me at least!

4.5/5

Ken Eakins

Check the Sontaran Experiment on Myspace here

Here at Sitting Now, we don’t claim to be Conspiracy theorists, Mystics or Counter Cultural experts (though, I am working on the latter), we just find it all really interesting and enjoy discussing, and exploring it. Now, i’ve gone on the record in one of our shows saying that, personally, I find the world of Magic/Magick (call it what you will) fascinating…but a bit too snobby. There are a few exceptions to this rule, and one of those is the author and magician Lon Milo Duquette.

In Enochian Vision Magic, Duquette attempts to not only document the fascinating story of Dr John Dee and Edward Kelly’s quest to make contact with spiritual entities, but also to instruct the reader in the practical application of their findings in the modern environment.

Readers not already familiar with Duquette’s writings will feel instantly at ease with this book, while regulars will appreciate his attention to detail/yet solid conveyance of the topic at hand.

What I feel separates this work from others on the subject, is the intensive research and notation of the original Dee texts. Duquette doesn’t just present the reader with a ‘how-to’ textbook, he painstakingly explains all the symbology and application of each element. At the same time he also provides the reader with a pretty concise historical document, which I think will also appeal to the more casual reader interested in simply understanding the topic.

This book is a great blueprint for those interested in becoming practitioner’s of Enochian magic, as well as being a well written, and hugely accessible text for those just wishing to study the subject at an arms-length.

5/5

Ken Eakins

Check our exclusive audio-interview with Lon Milo Duquette on episode 5 of our podcast here. Lon’s website is also a great resource for those wishing to check out the author.

ASVA are probably my favourite of the ‘Drone/Doom’ (whatever) bands out there, SUNN O)) coming a very close second, so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this release. Formed a few years ago by Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Goatsnake…and I think he was a part of SUNN O)) at one point as well?), and featuring such names as Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3, Mr Bungle) and the oddly named B.R.A.D. (Burning Witch), this is quite the ’super-group’.

In their debut album, Futurists Against the Ocean, ASVA took the slow cue from bands like Earth and then added their own, very unique flavour.  In this record that blueprint was dusted off and added to, giving a much more individual feel to each track. At points far more sinister and claustrophobic than it’s predecessor, at others faster and more urgent. Spruance’s influence on this record feels a lot greater as well, the varied instrumentation, and what sounds like alternate tunings at some points. 

The standout track on this record is the incredible ‘A Trap for Judges’, which lurches slowly like a grim leviathan nearing some awful, unearthly climax (and can be downloaded from the Southern site here). If you’re interested in testing the ‘Drone’ waters then this is the perfect introduction, both nightmare inducing and oddly positive at the same time, love it!

Ken Eakins

5/5

http://www.myspace.com/asvaband

http://www.southern.net/southern/band/ASVA0/28148.php

I can’t believe i’ve not encountered this band until now, I love them! 

Kylesa play a mixture of Doom-metal and hyper acid-rock that literally grabs your attention the way all good bands should! Some parts of this record remind me of Black Cobra and elements of early Mastodon, to give you a hint of what to expect. The pace of this record is really clever, slow broody noise tracks ala Old Man Gloom set the scene for huge riff-ridden chunks of fast noise.

The only real complaint I have about this record is the production, it’s begging for ‘fatness’, and less tinnyness, but it’s not bad enough to impare your enjoyment of this great record. The standout track for me is ‘Hallow Severer’, which lurches into a sonic explosion laced with epic, almost Minor Threat-esque intensity.

 I cannot recomend this record enough. It fills the void between the doomy elements of ‘Red Sea’ era ISIS and ‘Houdi’ era Melvins perfectly.

4.5/5

Ken Eakins

www.kylesa.com

www.myspace.com/kylesa

I think this DVD was released on a ‘need-to-know’ basis; I for one, had totally forgotten it was available! So, imagine my surprise when this arrived in the Sitting Now mailbag! 

This was well timed by Ipecac, it’s been a while since the last Fantomas record, Suspended Animation  and I think fans of Mike Patton’s crazy cut-up metal supremos, used to a pretty much annual release, are starting to get a bit itchy for new material.

Ipecac released a CD of a similar show a few years back and for some reason, I think shoddy sound levels, I couldn’t get into it. That mistake has been rectified in this release, however, and what you see is pretty much what happened on the day both audibly, and visually (I was at the show). 

I wasn’t too sure about the animations added into the mix at first, but you soon realise that they compliment, rather than hinder your enjoyment of the show. One of the truly weird elements of this release has to be in the DVD commentary. Buzz and Dale of the Melvins, the promoter of the show, the (I think) filmmaker and Danny Devito (what the hell?) deliever a rather random conversation that includes a quite amusing skit on ‘how to rip off a band’.

All in all, I would recomend this DVD to anyone looking for a good live Fantomas show, but Patton’s additions to some of the Melvins songs may annoy hardcore fans of Buzz Osbourne’s doom-army! Now, give us a new album!

4/5

Ken Eakins

This is no joke! The benches have apparently been installed to celebrate the city of ‘Stavanger’, which is apparently Norway’s cultural capital. As ridiculous as this may look, however, the music offered includes tracks from the amazing John Kaada, who happens to come from the apparently culturally-rich city, and this lady seems to dig him, so she’s ok with me!

Hmmm, well, I’m just trying to figure out if the dog has some special dog-orientated ear buds down there?

source www.dagbladet.no/

12 years!…i’ll say that again: 12 YEARS! I have waited 12 years to see this, my favourite band.

Back in ‘96 when the Trey Spruance released the mighty ‘First Grand Constitution and Bylaws‘, I was frankly blown away, the crazy mix of Eastern/electro/break-beat/metal was just what the world needed, even though the world barely noticed (a normal symptom of music-fans it seems). Since that first album release (I Know they released some vinyl prior to that, shhh!), we have been treated to an ever evolving slew of epic-genius and crazyness culminating in, to me, one of the greatest releases of all time in ‘Book of Horizons‘…and now I finaly get to see it live!

Cargo is a great venue, I saw Part Chimp and Bullet Union here not so long ago and it was one of the best times i’d seen both bands. Huge sprawling pipes on the walls, a really nice big bar area and a cool garden for us filthy smokers. I grab myself a tonne of merch and head into the main room to witness Zu.

Imagine getting Naked City’s debut album, mixing it with Morphine’s Yes and blending it all down into a slow melting pot with some Old Man Gloom thrown in for good measure and you’ve got Zu. Massive sprawling improvised epics of jazzcore and doom are their recipe, and oh boy do they do it loud! Even though the set was quite long, I was left hungry for more. I look foward to seeing these guys (maybe performing with Mike Patton) at ATP in December. 

Next up, after what seemed like an eternity of a wait, are the Secret Chiefs 3. Dressed like magickal masters in hoods and robes, they appear suddenly on the stage. ‘Medieval‘ is tonight’s opener featuring just 3 of the chiefs (see what i did there), which is a rythmic pleasure of Saz, drums and bass. The second song calls the remaining members to the stage (including Timb Harris from Estradasphere on Violin), and the journey truly begins! Eastern, traditionalist strings, huge sounding bass, epic keyboards and samples swirl around the stage reaching some truly epic highs. The highlight of the set for me are the older pieces from Book M and Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws, that space out into huge improvisations that defy even my high expectations. 

I leave the venue a very happy man; I have finally seen the Secret Chiefs 3, it all seems like a blur, but a very cool blur indeed! Trey Spruance really is a visionary musician, I can put my hand on my heart and say that I have never witnessed anything quite like what I have seen tonight, and heard on their records, and that, at least to me, is the sign of true greatness and originality. I cannot wait to see the these guys again, but lets hope it’s not another 12 year wait!

Ken Eakins

You can check out our exclusive two-part interview with Trey Spruance (featuring some generous audio clips of the music) on episodes 2 and 3 of the podcast here and here. From what I gather, the new album should be just around the corner, we’ll be sure to get an extensive review of it as early as possible on the site…keep em peeled!

This gig had a slightly surreal quality for me because I have been a devout Pavement / Stephen Malkmus fan for a decade now but this was my first opportunity to see the great man live. I couldn’t really believe that he was going to actually appear for some reason.

Thankfully, openers “Maths Class” didn’t give me a chance to get any pre-date nerves because they were very, very loud. In fact my girlfriend had to stick her fingers in her ears and screw her face up and look at me in a funny way they were so loud. This is a mark of success in my book. I have to admit I’d never heard of “Maths Class” so was slightly surprised to find they have had hundreds of thousands of hits on MySpace. But this increasing success is not just down to the volume at which they can play…no. And it’s not entirely down to the fact that they cut their own hair either. I suspect it’s mainly because they do a very professional line in Liars / Biffy Clyro style screamo. They wouldn’t describe it as screamo, because it’s not the Nineties anymore but that, to all intents and purposes is what it is. Some natty shouting, simple and effective choruses (chorus ?), sharp guitar and bass, clinical disco-punk drumming and obligatory electronics noodling all added up to a live performance that got me and a whole room of people from not paying a great deal of attention to giving them a fairly hefty cheer when they left the stage. The only fault I can find with the burgeoning Maths Class is that their recorded stuff struggled to keep up with the live sound. That said I would strongly recommend giving them a listen and lets see what they get up to.  When they start puberty they’re going to be even better.

When Stephen appeared he was welcomed like a shambolic religious figure. I could see that I wasn’t the only Malkmus worshipper, but we were all trying to keep our cool. Neither he nor the Jicks were overly chatty but (cliché alert) he used his music to do all his talking, and considering how complicated and verbose his music is becoming he probably needs the rest between songs. He gave Real Emotional Trash a good working over, playing nearly everything of it (particularly fine versions of Dragonfly Pie, Gardenia, We Can’t Help You, Cold Son and a hilarious stop/start attempt at Hopscotch Willie) and paid a healthy visit to his three other albums with brilliant versions of (to name a few) Dark Wave, Jenny and the Ess-Dog and Do Not Feed The Oysters.  A cluster of new tunes (well new to me anyway) sounded good but he doesn’t make music that is instantly appealing, it takes time and nurturing to make the most of his stoner prog.

The only negative mark on the whole shebang was when some pissed mod bloke felt compelled to shout “Play some Pavement…” which was roundly ignored by everyone in the room.  An excellent gig with a quiet but appreciative audience that made me feel even warmer towards Stephen and the Jicks, while Maths Class have now introduced even more shouty music into my life. Something I’m sure my girlfriend appreciates.

Daddy Tank

WE ARE BACK! After some hefty technical problems, a brief spell of sickness and some general booking of awesome new guests…and I mean awesome, we finally return!
This week me and our returning guest/co-host Raymond Wiley chat about The culture of Conspiracy belief! We decided the subject was so large that we would wax about some of our own experiences, some key theories and funny ones to boot!

There is no music this week, mainly because we have been rushing around to much to find anything in time.

Expect a total change of format in the coming weeks! We have sorted all the techy glitches and now we are adding a new audio version of the Weird Weekly News into the show. We’ve done a dummy run with Claire and it sounds cool, so that will start as of episode 15 next week!

Also, keep your eyes peeled to this site for a really cool announcement of a new show featuring some of Sitting Now’s staff!

And… we’re BACK with the Weekly Weird News. This time, there’s going to be an audio version you can listen to (but it’s not up yet). Feedback is welcome, and I hope that I’m not speaking too quickly. At any rate, you can always read.

A teacher in Phoenix, Arizona gave a photography lesson to his students then decided to use his computer to watch porn. While work and play might go together at times, he made just one mistake. What he forgot to do was turn off the screen projector. As a result, all the students were able to watch exactly what he was enjoying, not so privately, on his own monitor. To worsen matters, when the students tried to get his attention, he hardly perked up. Students said they made loud comments such as, “Wow what is he watching?” but he was too engrossed to notice.

Italian comedian Sabina Guzzanti insulted Pope Benedict XVI and is now facing a prison term of up to five years. In her routine, she said that Benedict should go to Hell and be punished by homosexual demons. She is being prosecuted for quote, “offending the honour of the sacred and inviolable person” of Pope Benedict. There has been much dissent regarding the prosecution, some people claiming that it is a return to the Middle Ages or the fascist era.

New spy satellites might soon be able to identify people by their shadows all the way from space. First, the movement of the shadows is recognized and then the identities of the owners are discovered using a technique called gait analysis, which identifies a person by their walking pattern- taking in details such as rhythm and stride length. The technology is useless however, once the sun goes down, but during daylight hours, as long as suspect’s gait is on file, they say the footage can confirm their identity.

A man in Greater Manchester named John Renehan thought for years that his father was dead when they’d found what was supposedly his body up until just recently when he viewed a television program on missing people. He said he recognized his father immediately and showed photos to the police to prove it. Years ago his father turned up in town one day with amnesia and could not remember his own name. He was admitted and through what is being called an “extraordinary series of errors” by the police. As for the other man, the one who was thought to be John’s dead father, he was cremated and his identity is unknown.

Youtube is now banning videos which “incite violence.” In a blog post, Youtube states, “We realise it’s not always obvious where we draw the line on content that’s acceptable to upload.” In their guidelines section they say, “Graphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed… If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked or humiliated, don’t post it.” Youtube maintains that it encourages freedom of speech and unpopular viewpoints, but still upholds a rule against hate speech.

The Church of England is offering Charles Darwin an apology for the 200th anniversary of his birth. It is, “an apology for misunderstanding his theory of evolution and making errors over its reaction to it.” In addition to an essay by Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, the church’s head of public affairs, called “Good Religion Needs Good Science,” the Church has also posted many articles on its website which you can read at here.

And: Catholic priest named Reverend Christopher Layden was charged with possession and distribution of cocaine.

Master of music Sir Milliard Mulch, a.k.a. Dr Zoltan has really thrown down and giving you simple humans a treat here. You, yes YOU can learn to play Faith No Mores 1995 opus Digging the Grave on the keyboard:

I really don’t know how he does it, every note spot on!
For those of you that don’t have a clue what tune the Dr is trying to teach you (for shame), here’s a little reminder:

Thank you Dr Zoltan!

Hey, just thought i’d let you, our dutiful readers and listeners, know that we have finally sorted all of our technical gremlins and will be resuming normal service as of Friday this week!

Show - The show is back this Friday morning and is an interviewy discussiony type affair with mysef and Raymond Wiley. In this ep we will be discussing the ups and downs of conspiracy belief. After that, Dr. Bob Curran returns to wax undead again, this time however, about Zombies…swwweeeeeet!

Reviews - As of this week, we will be reviewing Books, Music, Audiobooks, gigs and Films. We had a bit of a problem sorting how this was going to be done, but that’s all sorted now, so expect that!

Equipment - This is all looking gooood now (fingers crossed), I invested a bit more of the mighty Sitting Now budget on some nice gadgets to make the show sound better and easier to produce, so we’ll hopefully be back to our usual weeklyness as of now!

Finally, we are all over Social Networks now like a bunch of cheap ho’s! you can find us on Facebook here, Myspace by clicking the link in our menu bar and we’ll have a brand new Twitter account sorted and active on the site, i’ll let you know the address sooon!

Exciting stuff!

Ok, now is it just me or does that fruit look like?….

Imagine my horror when arriving at London’s most annoying train station, when I looked up and was faced with the most disturbing food-stuff I have ever seen!

“What is it mummy?? BAAAAAAWW!!!” and “I’M NOT EATING THAT, DON’T MAKE ME!!!” seemed to be popular comments spouting from the mouths of horrified children, one literally too scared to look at it. 

Now, i’ll be the first to throw my hands up and admit i’m no fruit expert, but what in the name of all that’s holy is that stuff? The offending picture is part of a collage on display in London’s Victoria train station. The collage of different exotic fruits and plants appears to be aimed at getting commuters to consider healthy alternatives to popular foods and remedy’s. However it seems to have had the opposite effect.

One commuter summarised the visual nightmare by declaring, “now I can’t trust fruit….I literally cannot trust fruit!!!”, quickly leaving the scene and entering a nearby greasy-spoon (greasy English-breakfast serving cafeteria, to you non brit readers out there), apparantly to gorge on flesh and other trustworthy english stalwarts! 

But seriously for a second, is this really going to convince people that fruit is great, or am I missing the point somewhere here? Surely, a nice bowel of kiwi and mango fruits, mingled with some nice nectarines and passion fruit…that is more tempting than…well…the weird eye beasts out doom!…amirite?

Though not one of the top sites I check, a friend of mine recently pointed me to a headline on CNN.com, because above all, what the world really needs to hear about are the Virgin Marys on toasts, and in this case, Mickey Mouse shaped potatoes.
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For those interested in the 9/11 conspiracy, and especially in the physical aspect of it, a study of a “new phenomenon” called thermal expansion has been attributed to the collapse of the towers by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Counterpoint comes from Richard Gage, the founder of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth and a member of the American Institute of Architects.
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A Swiss man named Yves Rossy (or self-titled “FusionMan”) made a round on his jet-powered wing recently as a test for September 24th when he intends to cross the channel from Calais to Dover which will be streamed live on the National Geographic Channel.
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In other space news, ABC news recently published an article on how the mental health of astronauts is worth worrying about. A psychologist at NASA named Marc Shepanek asserts that it’s more stress than depression, stating, “You’re in a strange environment, you’re concerned about radiation, you’re in microgravity. They’re hard on your body, hard on your health, hard on your immune system.”

& want to watch Mars on webcam?

io9.com posted Four Reasons Not to Give Up On Interstellar Travel in case you had any doubts. And nasa.gov released news on black holes.
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Here is an update on The Large Hadron Collider.
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As of Monday, August 25th, XBox 360 users are able to register to vote participate in presidential polls and voice their opinions to the presidential candidates.
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Some universities this autumn are giving out iphones and ipods to their students for their mobile technology. While some claim that it could be counterproductive, others insist that the technology will bring the class closer together and encourage a more active approach. Or, the university will just have a huge increase in applicants next year!
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Microsoft has introduced a new tool to representing location- rather than a mere photograph, Photosynth recreates overlapping photos into a three dimensional panorama. Microsoft blew everyone’s minds at the TED conference last year and surprisingly, has made the software free to all. Visit photosynth.com to get started.
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Since California became the second state in the US after Massachusetts to legalize gay marriage, Hallmark has decided to produce and sell gay greeting cards. The company maintains that this decision was not made due to political pressure, but from consumer demand. Supposedly, the number of companies providing same-sex greeting cards are increasing in number, but Hallmark mentioned receiving a little backlash from some. That being the case in this tricky business, Hallmark has decided to give companies the option of opting out of their new card options.
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The world’s oldest man, Habib Mian, died at 138. And a woman give birth to her own grandchild

SHOCKING NEWS, EVERYONE!
The Bigfoot that two men from Georgia put forward was not real. Much to the chagrin of Sasquatch-enthusiasts and people whose time was wasted investigating the “evidence”, I am sure, the Bigfoot carcass turned out to be nothing but a rubber gorilla suit encased in a block of ice. As the ice thawed, the truth became more and more evident.

Links: Yahoo news
Photo: AP

This week we cosy-up with our new pal, occult author Taylor Ellwood, to discuss the many and varied ways to approach magic/magick/chaos Magick…arrrrgh my head is exploding!! Taylor has authored many books on the subject of new and experimental approaches to magic, as well as being a professional life-coach…though, like us, he has still yet to figure out how to make fireballs come out of his hands!

Featured music this week is a cool live recording of the amazing Ma Meeshka Mow Skwoz by Mr Bungle.

Taylor Ellwood Biog:

Taylor Ellwood lives in Portland with his beautiful mate Lupa, and two cats. He’s a co-author of Creating Magickal Entities (with David Cunninghman and Amanda Wagener), and Kink Magic (with Lupa. He is the author of Pop Culture Magick, Space/Time Magic, Inner Alchemy, Multi-Media Magic and the editor of the Magick on the Edge Anthology, Manifesting Prosperity Anthology, and the Pop Culture Grimoire. When Taylor isn’t editing Non-fiction books for Immanion Press, or working on his latest work, he can be found gaming, reading, and enjoying the company of his lovely wife. For more information about Taylor, please go to The Green Wolf or visit Magical Experiments.

“Tree Man” Dede from Indonesia might be cured after fighting warty “roots” growing from his arms and legs for years. Dr Anthony Gaspari of the University of Maryland declared that it was caused by Human Papilloma Virus and it was found that his peculiar condition worsened due to a suppressed immune system. Doses of synthetic Vitamin A will be administered to him and are likely to help the warts diminish so that he will be able to use his hands.
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If you ever wanted a faster computer, Magnetoresistive random access memory (RAM) is your answer!
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Research has shown that Democratic politicians who appear on the Colbert Report gain a 40% increase in donations within the following 30 days after their on-show appearance. The research is published in the July issue of Political Science and Politics, which you can read here
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Starting September 10th, experiments using the Large Hadron Collider- a particle accelerator built along the French-Swiss border- will take place to attempt to produce the “Higgs boson” particle. There is a possibility that other particles may be observed as well. News.cnet.com says it’s “considered one of the world’s largest physics experiments to date.”
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New research has shown that books can affect the mind just as powerfully as television. They write, “[This experiment] provides insights into the neural basis of the captivating experience of reading a book: While previous studies on social perception used movies of other people’s experiences or arbitrarily colored symbolic cues, our combination of movies and written material in the present experiment demonstrates that reading (mental imagery) as well as watching other people experience what is imagined recruits brain regions involved in experiencing an emotion.”
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The “Unabomber,” Theodore Kaczynski wrote a letter expressing his discontent that his Montana cabin is now part of an exhibit in a museum.
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Scientists at the University of Reading have created a robot with a biological brain!
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Who wants to play the War On Terror Boardgame? The game was seized by police officers because the ski-mask included in the game could be used “in a criminal act.” Yes, but so could a paper bag you got from the grocery store?

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The Science of Star Wars: The Clone Wars explored, with author Jeanne Cavelos.
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New software PC Pandora helps you spy on your employees, significant other, child, friend- whatever!- recording every keystroke made.

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Joyce McKinney is an interesting woman. Known for spending £25,000 to clone her deceased dog, and admitting to a sexual abduction case in the 70s, she is now being charged with peculiar case of burglary in which she supposedly instructed a fifteen year old boy to break into a home to steal money for her beloved three-legged horse. Which, I come to wonder, she will orchestrate more theivery for to fund its cloning in the near future.

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A new species of water lily was discovered in Manitoba, Canada, which museum curator of botany at Manitoba, Diana Robson, says is exciting because “the flora in Canada is quite well-known. [And] most scientists don’t really expect to find a new species of plant anymore.” The water lily is a hybrid which evolved over the last 2000 years to better adapt to its environment.

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In another (less plausible?) instance of new species discovery, two men from Georgia had claimed to have discovered Bigfoot or Sasquatch. At a press conference yesterday in Palo Alto, California, enthusiasts Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, and Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi showed their DNA evidence of Bigfoot. As always, much skepticism surrounded the case, and experts said that the DNA test would not prove anything, as there wouldn’t be any other Bigfoot DNA to compare it to. As it turned out, the samples of DNA came from probably an opossum or a human. Click here for more from the Scientific American.

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L. Ron Hubbard explains the history of Xenu in a secret voice recording.

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And finally, a couple of people people seem to think this goat is saying, “Bob!”

It’s V mask time again, as the kids and oldfags alike take to the streets to continue their protest against the Church of Scientology tomorrow.

If you’re London based and want to go along for some lulz, check here for details of how to get involved.

The theme of this months protest is ‘Cult-Fiction’:

On Saturday, August 16th, the collective known as Anonymous will again stage a protest against the Church of Scientology’s corruption, and its abuse of its members and critics. This will be Anonymous’ seventh global protest since the inception of its campaign in January. From 11am (local time) onwards, Anonymous will take to the streets in peaceful protest at over 130 Church of Scientology centres around the globe

You never know, some of the RWYASN staff might be there as well…just for the lulz!

Checkout Wirah.com, Enturbulation.org and londonlulz.com for ‘MOAR’ info!

It’s only taken them 6 albums, a load of US tours, several Australian tours a Tzadik Masada release and a whole load of really cool 7″’s, but the Secret Chiefs 3 are FINALLY coming to the UK!

To add to my excitment, the best band ever are playing at the best venue ever; Cargo in Shoreditch, London; with its bizzare set of pipes and odd outdoor sitting area gardeny thing making a perfect setting for the show.

Support for the Chiefs comes in the shape of Italian Avant weirdos Zu and amazing