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Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Blog, Internet resources, online reading groups, articles and interviews, Illuminatus! info.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Robert Shea, men's magazine editor


Before Robert Shea took a job at Playboy magazine, he served from 1965 to 1967 as the editor of Cavalier, a men's magazine similar to Playboy.

If you are curious about what a magazine edited by Shea would be like, I have an example to point to. The Internet Archive has a copy of the September 1966 issue of the magazine; a PDF of the complete issue may be downloaded and examined. 

A few observations: Robert J. Shea is listed as editor. Arthur Kretchmer, who had a long career at Playboy, is listed as managing editor. 

The table of contents includes a story by Bruce Jay Friedman and also a story by John D. MacDonald. There's a column by Shea's friend Paul Krassner, and an article on British political cartoonists by Bob Abel, another friend of Shea's.  If Shea was doing Abel a favor here by providing a market, surely Shea was repaid; Abel was the Dell book editor who bought Illuminatus! There are two photo features of attractive young women. Some of the cartoons aren't bad, and the ads are interesting. 

The issue also has a piece by Shea, apparently a regular column, "The Cavalier Attitude," about attending the showing of an Andy Warhol movie. 

I wondered if some of the replies to the letters column were written by Shea. One reply defends the space program. A letter on page 10 from a reader in Winnipeg warns that the publication of nude photos in Cavalier will inspire God to destroy America. The editor's reply says "What about Canada?" 

The advertisement for subscriptions ($6 if you live in the U.S.) says, "Like good cigars, brandy and LSD, Cavalier is best enjoyed in a comfortable, warm and secure atmosphere." 

Another Internet site has a directory of back issues of Cavalier for sale, from 1966; it lists an article for July 1966, "Dr. Timothy Leary on the Psychedelic Revolution," and it shows that Isaac Asimov was a contributor to the magazine. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Five questions for Joseph Matheny [UPDATE]


If you haven't listened to it yet, the new Hilaritas podcast interview of Joseph Matheny is one of the best since I began listening to the podcast series. It's interesting and entertaining, and Mike Gathers does his usual good job of posing the questions and commenting.

The episode was to promote the new edition of Reality Is What You Can Get Away With, which Joseph wrote the introduction for. As I mentioned the other day, Rasa is happy with the ebook edition, so you can buy it now, but the paperback edition still has a few bugs to squish, and Rasa recommends that people who want the paperback wait until they are fixed. I'll tell you when it's OK to buy the paperback. 

Mike is apparently pretty happy with how things went with the podcast, too, because on X, he wrote that his three favorite podcast episodes so far are the interview with Mr. Matheny and interviews with John Higgs and Lon Milo DuQuette. Browse all of the podcasts here. 

The official Joseph Matheny website has lots of information and goodies, so check it out. 

After I listened to the  interview, episode 31 in the podcast series, I had a few things I was curious about, and Joseph kindly agreed to take my follow-up questions. So as an appendix to the podcast, here are five questions and answers. Please note the links!

You mention on the podcast that you eventually found out why Robert Anton Wilson didn't drive. Would you like to share?

MATHENY: He simply said, "Salvador Dali didn't drive." I left it at that. Later I found out it was in part due to his legs being unreliable due to his childhood polio. The car in question was a stick shift, but I don't know if that played a part. Maybe he never learned to drive at all, like I said, his answer was good enough for me.

You said there have only been about four movies that once you watched them, you had to immediately see them again. What were the four?

MATHENY: Naked Lunch, Liquid Sky, Jacob's Ladder, Altered States. Come to think of it, I stayed for another showing of Simon with Alan Arkin too. [Note: The 1990 version of Jacob's Ladder is being recommended, NOT the remake.]

Are there any RAW books particularly meaningful to you, aside from Cosmic Trigger and Reality is What You Can Get Away With? [There's a lot of discussion of those two in the podcast.]

MATHENY: Of course, Illuminatus!, I loved The Historical Illuminatus Chronicles, Right Where You Are Sitting Now and Prometheus Rising.

As far as "RAW Material," the show notes link to 'The I in the Triangle" and I have been linking on the blog to the "Lost Studio Session," is there anything else you want to point to? [I am referring to lectures and interviews of Robert Anton Wilson that Joseph produced].

MATHENY: You could point to TAZ and a YouTube version. UPDATE: One more title: Robert Anton Wilson remembered. 

What's the update on the definitive version of Ong's Hat?

MATHENY: It's called Ong's Hat: Compleat and it should will be out next year. 

I'm also still promoting  The Liminal Cycle, a trilogy I finished last year. 

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

RIP Vernor Vinge [UPDATED]

Vernor Vinge

 Science fiction master Vernor Vinge died recently. Ted Hand wrote, on X, "RIP Vernor Vinge. The story that first comes to mind for me is 'True Names' a seminal document of cyberpunk that makes connections between the magical and hacker worldviews, as described in this essay by Erik Davis."

To which Erik Davis added, "Very sad to hear that. 'True Names' was one of the most important SF stories for me ever. Not sure if I would have written Techgnosis if it weren't confirmed by the imaginal connections Vinge made there."

Go to the first link for more about Vinge. Apparently there won't be an obituary in the New York Times, which is disappointing. UPDATE: They finally ran one. (As Jesse notes in the comments.)




Monday, March 25, 2024

'Lion of Light' online reading group wraps up


The Lion of Light reading group at Jechidah wraps up with a final blog post, mostly written by Oz but a little bit by Gregory. The discussion includes the proposed alternative cover, above. 

Here's a quote from the piece:

"Another big attraction to Magick for me: it works when applied; sometimes much more than expected; sometimes shockingly so.  Simply expressing an intention puts things in motion. Coming into contact with Crowley's material presents the first obstacle or barrier –  wild stories and concern about the man himself. It's been said that he exaggerated any lurid stories about himself to amplify this bad reputation. It may have gotten out of hand; at times in his life he appeared to regret all the bad publicity coming his way. Getting hung up on Crowley's personality can effectively filter out anyone not ready for the material."

Another reading group at Lion of Light is planned this summer; the topic isn't selected yet. 

Sunday, March 24, 2024

'Sex Magicians' update


At Hilaritas Press, work seems to be continuing on an official edition of The Sex Magicians. A note from Charles Faris on Twitter: "By the way, I just finished text editing the Sex Magicians, and if you think of it as the pulp porn version of Illuminatus! it just reveals the truth of the old dictum, as above so below. In other words, it’s pretty freaking awesome. And a quick, easy read!"

Wikipedia has some background on the book. 


Saturday, March 23, 2024

Hilaritas podcast with Joseph Matheny, 'Reality Is What You Can Get Away With' released [IMPORTANT UPDATE]


The Hilaritas Press edition of Reality Is What You Can Get Away With has been released (I would expect the usual official announcement to arrive soon) and Joseph Matheny is the interview subject for the latest Hilaritas Press podcast, released today on the 23rd as per usual. (Hilaritas has not yet sent out the official publication announcement, but that should arrive soon, and of course I will cover it  here.) Update: Don't buy the paperback yet, see announcement below. 

Mr.  Matheny also has released a Substack newsletter issue with the news, so you may as well take a moment to subscribe to the newsletter if you haven't already. "I recently sat down with Mike Gathers for the Hilaritas Press Podcast to discuss the newest reissue of Robert Anton Wilson's book Reality Is What You Can Get Away With and why I have a personal connection to it," he explains. 

More soon, but I've already bought the book and I have the podcast posted above for your convenience, although it should be available wherever you get your podcasts. 

[UPDATE] Rasa says that while the ebook is fine, he suggests that people hold off buying the paperback for a few days. (I bought the Kindle, so apparently I'm fine). When Rasa says it is safe to buy the paperback, I will let you know here. 

Here is Rasa's statement:

Just a note about our new edition of Reality Is What You Can Get Away With

Currently the ebook, Kindle at Amazon, Nook at Barnes and Noble, Apple books, etc – these versions of the book are available and look great. The print edition is a different story. We were really hoping to get it ready before our podcast with Joe Matheny, but we ran into a bit of a snag that should be worked out in a few days, but we'd love people to not buy the paperback book from Amazon until the bug is worked out. 

Hilaritas Press uses Amazon's KDP to produce books for sale on Amazon, and we use Ingram to print books for all other outlets, including all brick and mortar stores. This book has a lot of dark graphics, and the proofs we got from Amazon's KDP just did not look good enough for us. The Ingram versions look fine, but as part of the process, Amazon puts up the book for sale even before we can view a proof! We decided that we didn't like the KDP versions of the book, and so we have deleted that book from our KDP account. Sadly, the Amazon page may still sell the KDP version for the next day or two before they switch over to the Ingram version. 

If you want the ebook, buy it now. It's fine. If you want the print edition, I'd say wait a few days until we are sure Amazon is selling our Ingram version. 

So sorry about this! We were going to get this together sooner, but Ingram made a mistake in one of the proof printings, and that kind of delayed the whole process. Usually we don't have these issues, but as I say, this book has a lot of graphics, and we really wanted to be sure that people were getting the best version that we could make! Our official announcements of new books come in our newsletter. As soon as you get the newsletter, you can be assured that the Ingram books are for sale on Amazon. 

If you want to sign up for the Robert Anton Wilson Trust Newsletter, just fill out the form at one of our websites. This one’s fun to visit: http://rawtrust.com/

Friday, March 22, 2024

FBI says it has no file on Robert Shea


A 1977 photo of Robert Shea, right, and Robert Anton Wilson in London. 

On March 8, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request, asking the FBI if it has any files on author Robert Shea. I figured if he was an anarchist active in the antiwar movement, who hung around with dodgy characters such as Paul Krassner, Robert Anton Wilson and Timothy Leary, there might be something in the FBI files.

I've received a letter from the FBI pertaining to my Robert Joseph Shea inquiry, dated March 14. The relevant sentences say, "Based on the information you provided, we conducted a main entity record search of the Central Records System (CRS) per our standard search policy. However, we were unable to identify records subject to the FOIPA [Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts] that are responsive to your request. Therefore, your request is being closed." 

If I had additional information, I could submit a new request. I'll notify Robert Shea's son, Mike, about the response, but unless he or anyone else can think of something, I don't plan to make another request.

Footnote: Based on my experiences submitting Freedom of Information Act requests as a newspaper report, I figured a response would not arrive for months, if I got anything at all. When the FBI letter showed up in the mail yesterday, it did not occur to me it was a response to my request, and my worried wife asked why I was getting a letter from the FBI. Apparently, Ann doesn't realize I'm even more harmless than Robert Shea. 



Thursday, March 21, 2024

Peakrill Press begins Kickstarter for 'True Clown Stories'


The folks at Peakrill Press have begun a Kickstarter for True Clown Stories, featuring stories by James Burt and others. As usual with Kickstarter, supporters can pledge various amounts of money and get various rewards. 

James Burt says, "My clown stories are about people who want to be entertaining. They want to bring people some innocent joy, but reality has thwarted them. These are stories about people who've devoted themselves to red noses and giant shoes but struggle to survive.

"I've been writing clown stories for years. These pieces are strange and intense, and I'm proud to share them. They might be about grubby, angry performers, but they are also about the world we all live in."

More here. 

Here is the website for Peakrill. 

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Details about the new Alan Moore and Steve Moore book

 


In a blog post on Feb. 17, I covered the announcement of  The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by Alan Moore and Steve  Moore, out on Oct. 15, hardcover $50 in the U.S. The book is the revival of a book project from years ago that went into limbo for awhile after Steve Moore's death. 

If  you use the link to go back to that post, you'll get a lot of information about the book. But now I have belatedly learned that artist  John Coulthart did a blog post on Feb. 19 on both his involvement in the book and more details about it.

Lots of information in Coulthart's post, too. Here is an interesting bit: 

"I was surprised to discover that the pair first began talking about magic after Steve introduced Alan to the Illuminatus! trilogy in the 1970s; Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson’s books also stoked my own interest in magic at the same time, this being a subject I was already curious about thanks to my Dennis Wheatley-reading mother. Alan and Steve didn’t formalise any of their occult preoccupations until the early 1990s but the Illuminatus! connection makes me feel that the Bumper Book might be seen as one of the long-tail artefacts generated by Shea and Wilson’s trilogy."

Via the new John Higgs newsletter, which has lots of event news and announcements. It's John's 50th newsletter. 



Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Why fentanyl busts cause drug deaths to go up


                                                      Dr. Jeffrey Singer

Huge numbers of people die from drug overdoses in the U.S., but somehow drug warriors still get to set policy. 

In a new piece, "Fentanyl Police Busts Actually Make the Overdose Problem Much Worse," David J. Bier and Jeffrey Singer explain why the law enforcement in what RAW called "the war on some drugs" actually makes overdose deaths more likely. Excerpt:

"Start with the short term. When local law enforcement conducts major drug busts, they do temporarily disrupt the market for street drugs, but people who use and have grown dependent on drugs do not simply give up drugs and live clean. Instead, they search out new, unfamiliar dealers who might sell them drugs with different ingredients and potency, which can lead to more deaths.

"Now, it’s true that it might take days or weeks for drug users to connect with a new dealer, and this might seem to 'save lives.' But this often backfires, because by the time they find a new source, users’ tolerance has waned, making them more susceptible to a fatal overdose if they consume their usual dose."

Singer is a reliable source of good information on the war on drugs. (I suspect Bier is, too, but Singer is the person I am more familiar with.)


Monday, March 18, 2024

Archived issues of Mondo 2000


Cover of issue 14 of Mondo 2000.

 Mondo 2000, the cyberculture magazine co-founded and edited by R.U. Sirius, featured contributions from the likes of Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary and Rudy Rucker. It came out in the 1980s and 1990s.

Every issue of the magazine is now available for download. Find all of the issues here. 

I downloaded the first issue, and it includes a piece by Robert Anton Wilson, "Cyber Evolution: Montage." 


Sunday, March 17, 2024

James Burt Nirvana story, and Kickstarter

 


Copyrighted free use photo, credit Paul Fritz Surachit, details here. 

"Hidden Tracks," a short story by James Burt about Nirvana fans, is both touching and funny. Two of the characters save up to visit Aberdeen in the state of Washington in the U.S.

"(Our friend Emily thought that Nirvana came from Aberdeen in Scotland, and couldn’t figure out why it was taking Henry so long to save up. When we realised, we took the piss. But Emily got a first in her degree and I was a long way from that)." 

"Taking the piss" means to mock somebody; my wife and I watch a lot of British mysteries, so we had heard the expression.

James sends out emails of short stories, none of them longer than about 700 words. Sign up here. 

James also has announced a Kickstarter for a new book:

"I’ve been chatting with Dan from Peakrill Press, and we’ve set a date for launching the True Clown Stories kickstarter: March 21st. We’ve uploaded a preview page where you can sign up to be notified on launch.

"The clowns in this book are not the creepy ones from horror stories. Rather, these are talented people who’ve found themselves in a world that doesn’t value their skills. These are stories about how they fight back against that disappointment.

"This book has been far too long in the works and I’m excited about launching the kickstarter. Nervous too - it’s so much harder to promote things online these days. But we’ll see what happens."

As I mentioned in an earlier post, James Burt worked on the Mycelium Parish News 2023. 



Saturday, March 16, 2024

Jesse Walker reviews 'Tripping on Utopia'



Jesse Walker's comments on Benjamin Breen's book, Tripping on Utopia, attracted some discussion in the comments for my recent blog post.  Jesse's review of the book has now become available at the Reason magazine website. 

I don't think the sole focus should be on Jesse's review, particularly as he is kinder about Tim Leary than other reviewers. Charlotte Shane's review for the New York Times is available here.   The book also was reviewed in the Los Angeles Review of Books. (The headline for that review is "Timothy Leary Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.") Publisher's Weekly also reviewed it.