Kenneth Anger (photo from Vice)

The people over at Vice have thrown out a cool video interview, and feature, with esoteric/avant filmaker Kenneth Anger. If you’re at all familiar with this site, and it’s podcasts, you will have seen Anger’s name pop up all over the place. It’s pretty rare these days to get him on a coach to talk, let alone on camera; so this is somewhat of a treat. In the interview, Anger waxes on his book ‘Hollywood Babylon’, and his most seminal films:

Make sure you head over to Vice and check out the feature, and if you can, pick up a copy of Anger’s new record with friend of SittingNow Brian Butler ‘Technicolor Skull‘.

Ken Eakins

For any fans of the occult, and in particular occult-videography, the release of Jimmy Page‘s soundtrack to the seminal Kenneth Anger classic ‘Lucifer Rising, will come as nothing, but great news. The history of the films score is almost as sordid a tale as the history of the film itself, and I must admit to being a little surprised that Page is finally putting this out; but either way, it’s something we’ve all been looking forward to:

“On March 20th, the Spring Equinox 2012, the title music for Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks will have its premiere and release. The title music, along with other musical pieces recorded at my home studio in the early Seventies, have been revisited, remixed and released for the first time. This is a musical diary of avant-garde compositions and experiments, one of which was to appear on the film ‘Lucifer Rising’. The collection has been exhumed and is now ready for public release. This will be available exclusively on the website. There will be a standard release on heavyweight vinyl. In addition there will be a special run of 418 numbered copies. The first 93 copies will be signed and numbered. There are liner notes and commentary to each track. 

The release will be available on Jimmy Page’s site  in various editions, ranging from £20 – £195 (signed, limited to 93). This will be a must for any fan of occult history, and cool pieces of music.

Ken Eakins

This week – Crowley the Jack the Ripper wannabe, Kenneth Anger’s Theramin, Found footage foul-play, Occupy heats up, Frank Miller is a douche, The end of legal weed, Huge Asteroids, Jack the Ripper’s knife, and Facebook censorship.

Welcome to your reality.

Personnel – Joe Nolan, Kim Monaghan, Joseph Matheny, and Ken Eakins.

Email us with stories you think we should discuss here.

Show Links:

Musical Interludes:

Axxon – Choc Milk Addiction

Kid 606 – Comeuppance

Bob Log III – Make you say wow

Judging by the video, this should probably be called ‘Exorcism of my Possessed Sister’, but hey I dig the Kenneth Anger reference, so I’ll let it pass.

Witchhouse, you have to love it.

(via §ђ∆ZzV⇂∆)

Kenneth Anger is a seminal avant film-maker

This is a bit insane. Kenneth Anger, occult-savant, and legendary avant garde film-maker has produced a 2 and half minute film for a fashion house. Dangerous Minds reports:

Rather astonishing news from the fashion and film world. Dangerous Minds’ favefilmmaker Kenneth Anger has released a two-and-a-half-minute film dealing with the fall/winter collection of the Varese-based house of Missoni, produced by filmmaker/Anger manager/Dangerous Minds pal Brian Butler and scored by French composer Koudlam

.

Vogue Italia‘s Mariuccia Casadio provides some details:

A man of few words, this fascinating former actor who still takes care of his appearance first filmed the settings for his film “Missoni”: mostly locations near bodies of water in the Sumirago countryside and part of Rosita and Ottavio’s garden. For the indoor sequences, he built a set in the Council Room of the Sumirago Town Hall, a basement room with a vaulted ceiling. The mood of the film and the poses and movements of Margherita, Jennifer, Angela, Rosita, Ottavio, Ottavio Jr. and all other [Missoni] family members are reminiscent of Sergei Parajanov’s “The Color of Pomegranates”, a 1968 film that inspired Anger to create his Chinese box-style storyboard.

Do yourself a favor and go full-screen with this one. And if you’re unfortunate enough to not be familiar with Anger, do yourself another favor and click one or both of the links below. You’ll be glad you did.

By Eakins

We have spoken at length about Kenneth Anger with the producer of this film, Brian Butler,  on our show. Check the interview here.

Night of Pan in London

Brian Butler, the guest of our latest podcast (see the frontpage), is screening his new film ‘Night of Pan’ for free at London’s Horse Hospital tomorrow night.

As well as an appearance by Butler himself, the film features seminal film-maker Kenneth Anger as the Magus, and Buffalo 66′s Vincent Gallo as Pan.

Brian will be performing live music on the night with Death in Vegas’ Richard Fearless, who will also be DJing the event.

Check this mini-version of the film:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The event kicks off at 7:30, admission is free, but we recomend getting there early to avoid disapointment.

The Horse Hospital : Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1HX

Ken Eakins

This weeks guest is Brian Butler

This week we venture back into the worlds of the Occult, and film-making. Brian Butler is a film-maker, Magician, and colleague to legendary director Kenneth Anger.

In this weeks episode we discuss: Jack Parsons and his magickal journey, The Night of Pan, Kenneth Anger, and how the occult can influence the film-making process.

Brian is screening his new film ‘The Night of Pan’, as well as performing live music with Death in Vegas’ Richard Fearless in London this week, make sure you don’t miss it – the event is free, and you can get more details here.

Daddytank returns with his excellent MySpace heroes (which for some reason includes a rant by Alex Jones); this weeks heroes are:

Wakamiya - Pretty Pretty
Waiting Life – It’s In Your Court
Wally Quid – Nebula

(more links when I get sent them)

If you have any queries, suggestions, insults etc. Please feel free to email ken@sittingnow.co.uk.

Enjoy!

Brian Butler Bio:

Brian Butler is a musician, writer, and filmmaker living in Los Angeles.

He has written on occult related subjects for numerous magazines including Dazed and Confused and Tease. His writings have been published in books such as Disinformation’s Book of Lies, which features his “Wormwood Star” article on life of Jack Parson’s wife and muse Marjorie Cameron. He has appeared on television internationally as an expert on the occult. He recently worked as a consultant for Showtime Networks Development on the biopic of Jack Parsons.

He directed, wrote and produced the documentary Raising Lucifer: Story of a Cursed Film (2008), which deals with the production of Lucifer Rising, and features an exclusive interview with Manson family murderer Bobby Beausoleil from prison. Other film projects include documentary segments for the Disinformation DVD (2004) such as Satanism, Rocket Boy and Uncle Goddamn. Butler also produced and edited the Kenneth Anger film Ich Will! (2008)

He has recorded and or performed music with artists such as VON LMO, Rozz Williams (Christian Death), and Moving Units. Current music projects include the experimental Clouds Without Water and Technicolor Skull — a multimedia performance collaboration with Kenneth Anger, which premiered at Donaufestival in Austria on April 30th, 2008 and has subsequently toured Europe at such instutions as the National Museum of Art in Copenhagen and The Serravales Museum in Portugal.

Recent film projects include producing the Kenneth Anger film Brush of Baphomet (2009) and directing the short “Night of Pan” which features Vincent Gallo and Kenneth Anger and has screened all over the world including the Cannes Film Festival, the Athens Biennale , and the Festival Internazionale Del Film Di Roma.

Vincent Gallo in 'Night of Pan'

Wow! This is quite a combo:

“Night of Pan” is a seven and a half minute film featuring film auteur Kenneth Anger and actor Vincent Gallo. The film has been screened in various versions internationally – Beijing, Lisbon, Cannes, Athens, Rome, Berlin and elsewhere, but never in Butler’s base, Los Angeles.

In the film, Anger, Gallo, and Butler depict an occult ritual that symbolizes the stage of ego death in the process of spiritual attainment.

Brian Butler is a multidisciplinary artist who creates works around dark magical themes. He had worked extensively as a producer on director Kenneth Anger’s recent work. Additionally he has written for Dazed & Confused and performs along with Anger in the band Technicolor Skull.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Source:Brian Butler & Dangerous Minds)