Adam Parfrey (1957–2018)

Apocalypse Culture is a gritty look back at a time before the Internet and the explosion of the Information age when publishing houses like Feral House (and let's be fair, there were and still are very few publishing companies like Feral House) were the reading audience's main window into the more obscure deviant, bizarre, and downright disturbing counter/sub-cultures of the 80's. Much of this anthology is comprised of articles written for obscure counter-culture magazines, as well as show more hand-made zines and handwritten letters or flyers, and is highly reminiscent of a time when the small press and self publishing were almost a form of revolutionary guerrilla tactics.

Apocalypse Culture, which has seen two upgrades (including a 25th anniversary edition) and a sequel, is chock full of dark side of human nature that was not normally available to the general public, from necrophiliacs and masochists to schizophrenics and conspiracy theorists. Everything from Lycanthropy to Eugenics is touched upon, and there are enough iconic personalities represented - Full Force Frank (confessed psychopath and publisher of how-to mass murder newsletters), Antone LaVey (Founder of the Church of Satan), G.G. Allin (Punk Rock Singer), Joe Coleman (Artist/Performance Artist), Peter Sotos (Controversial Writer), to name just a few.

Some of the work in Apocalypse Culture may seem a bit mild compared to what one can scrounge up with a simple Google search these days, but there are still materials to be found that even today are somewhat taboo. But more importantly, this collection of taboo materials is a snapshot of a cultural component that many people are not even aware existed (and to an extent still exists), so for many reading this anthology will be like lifting a rock to see what's been lurking under the surface of the past. Not for the weak of heart, fragile souls, or the easily offended, but highly recommended to those who are unafraid to stare into the abyss. show less

This book is a bit overlong, as the ridiculous covers and cover text are so repetitive, using the same themes (Nazis, animal attacks) and even identical or almost identical story titles. But it is definitely worth going through this to appreciate just how stupid men (I'm one myself) are to eat up this stuff. I can justify reading sexist pulp fiction from the 1950s, like Manhunt Magazine, because a lot of stories are engaging and well-written as well as being repellent. But it's hard to keep show more my attention on one of these Men's Adventure magazines. There are lots of full scans on Archive.org, so check it out and see what I mean. The other thing detracting from this volume is that Parfrey's writing is just bad, pointless, or both. Luckily, much of the text is contributed by others. Bruce Jay Friedman's recollections of his time in the industry, for instance, are hysterical. On the plus side, in addition to the reproductions of hundreds of covers, there are examples of the original artwork that really make you appreciate the talent and the attention to detail these artists had. The best of them were super-talented, whether drawing a sadistic Nazi or a voluptous readhead (who is probably chained up by the Nazi, who is about to set a deadly spider on her face or do some equally dastardly deed.) And yes, if you are wondering, the "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" cover is here as well. So read this book in memory of Frank Zappa. show less

I had previously read W.S. Bainbridge's study of the Process Church, titled Satan's Power, in my quest for information on this fascinating cult with roots in Scientology, Christian apocalypticism, and Western occultism. While Bainbridge's book was helpful, and probably the best account in print at that time, the Feral House multiple memoir and archival anthology Love Sex Fear Death totally puts it in the shade by furnishing insider dope from a variety of personal perspectives, along with show more organizational literature, glossy color propaganda reproductions, and photos of key players.

The words of the title, while seeming to offer two independent clauses in the imperative mood, were titles of four themed issues of The Process magazine, which have their cover art and various contents reproduced in the second part of this book. Roughly the first half of the volume is the Processean memoir of Timothy Wyllie, onetime designer and editor of The Process, an early and enduring member who was part of the group's inner circle, but who--according to his own account--always occupied a marginal position relative to the group's social core and theological identities. Following Wyllie's piece are an assortment of shorter reflections and reports from former Processeans. Between these and the archival reprints, there is an essay by Genesis P-Orridge regarding the Process Church influence on TOPY, and the ways in which TOPY history reflected its predecessor.

Reading these stories certainly de-glamorized the Process for me to a considerable degree, I had less sympathy for their internal practices and mores than brief previous exposures had led me to think I would. The Process Church of the Final Judgment is a sort of "kissing cousin" to Thelema, as demonstrated by their harmonization in TOPY, and by the fact that the first chartered master of an O.T.O. camp of my acquaintance was a former Processean with very fond memories of his time in the Process. They paid their wry respects to the Beast in various events and publications, and their psychological theories were keyed to the work of Adler, whom Crowley noted as the best of the psychoanalytic pioneers of his own period. The Process was also a notable feature of the Chicago counterculture, having had a conspicuous presence in this area from their first efforts to spread in the US (circa 1970) until the eventual quiet implosion of their successor group the Foundation in 1976.

Still, the old Process literature continues to impress with its bravura. The archival materials here also include sheet music for some charming Processean liturgical tunes, like "Christ and Satan Joined in Unity." The varied memoirs, while sometimes pointing up the shortcomings of the organization and its leaders, still show the nobility of the aspirations among the membership, and their ability to benefit from radical social experimentation. This is an excellent collection for anyone interested in new religious movements generally, and the countercultural moment of the 1960s and 70s particularly. show less

Kids say the darndest things.

So do political extremists, religious fringe-dwellers and a whole host of other people, their incendiary views ably reproduced here.
Everyone from serial killers to surrealists, Marat to Meir Kahane.

How has the human race managed to survive as long as it has with such whack-a-doos running about?