Read Season of the Witch : How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll (9780698143722) Online
Authors: Peter Bebergal
Mitch Horowitz is quoted in “Jay-Z: A Master of Occult Wisdom?” National Public Radio, September 19, 2009.
Quotes on the contemporary occult scene and music are from an email interview with Raymond Salvatore Harmon and a phone interview with Stephen O'Malley. Some insights into theories around Madonna's Super Bowl appearance are from “âYe Shall Be as Gods': Madonna's Super Bowl Occult Satanic Ritual” posted at beginningandend.com, February 8, 2012 (accessed May 8, 2014).
Papa Emeritus quotes are from “Show No Mercy: Ghost B.C.” by Brandon Stosuy, pitchfork.com, April 12, 2013 (accessed May 8, 2014).
First and foremost, thanks to my editor, Mitch Horowitz, for pushing me to get this just right. I had little more than an idea and he helped turn it into a book. A bigger mensch you will never meet. Of course, I wouldn't even have thought the idea any good if it wasn't for my agent, Matthew Elblonk, who has been a constant support, a kind critic, and a steadfast advocate. Thanks to the brilliant Arik Roper for the cover of my dreams. I was a fan for years, and now am proud to call him a friend.
Thanks to all the folks who contributed their time by way of interviews, suggestions, and support, including Rodney Orpheus, Robert Fripp, Arthur Brown, Greg Lake, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, Nik Turner, Zeena Schreck, Emil Amos, Aubrey Powell, Roger Dean, Bernie Worrell, Herbert Deutsch, Bill Laswell, Stephen O'Malley, Mark Pilkington, Simon Reynolds, Raymond Salvatore Harmon, Richard Metzger, David Metcalfe, Pam Grossman, Mark Fraunfelder, Chris Bohn, and Cosey Fanni Tutti.
Special thanks to Ethan Gilsdorf, whose fellowship and writerly support were with me all the way. My deepest gratitude to Scott Korb for his rigorous editorial input, spiritual guidance, and unwavering friendship. To my dear friend Joe Gallo, for being there when it all started. And to Ezra Glenn for his loving companionship.
There are too many friends and family to name, but there are some who had a particular impact on the writing of this book, including my
Sunday night D&D group (J. P. Gluting, Michael Marano, Janaka Stucky, et al.), Seth Riskin, Amy Ross, Jim Lopez, Tony Tauber, and Tim Halle.
Thanks to my sisters, Karen Bebergal and Lisa Mead, to my fantastic extended family, Judy Ashworth and the entire Neill clan, with special fondness in my heart for Emily and Sarah. And to the memory of Byron, Ruth, and Eric Bebergal.
Thanks to my buddy and son, Sam, who offered some excellent advice, who kept me laughing, reminding me to take time to play, and who is the light of my life.
But how to thank my wife, Amy? She is my guiding star, my home, and my heart. Her humor, insight, and love kept me afloat. The poets tell of nine muses. But I will lay my flowers only at the feet of Amy.
The page numbers in this index refer to the printed version of this book. The link provided will take you to the beginning of that print page. You may need to scroll forward from that location to find the corresponding reference on your e-reader.
Abrahams, Ian,
179
acid rock.
See
relax and float downstream
“acousmatic,”
184
Acoustical Society,
180
“Adam in the Garden,”
17
â18
“Addis” (Om),
229
Adorno, Theodor,
179
advertising and rock art,
44
Aethenor,
222
Affenstunde
(Can),
189
African traditions,
xxii
,
xxiii
,
xxvi
,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
â6,
10
â20,
26
,
75
Albarn, Damon,
221
â22
devil rides out,
84
,
99
,
100
â101,
106
,
118
â19,
120
,
121
relax and float downstream,
58
â60,
68
,
84
space ritual,
191
â92,
192
â93,
197
â98,
200
,
201
,
203
(you make me wanna) shout,
27
See also
occult influence on rock
Alice Cooper,
136
â37,
138
,
151
,
152
Alien
(movie),
198
aliens,
xiv
,
xxiii
,
xxvii
,
139
,
141
,
142
,
143
,
144
â45,
153
,
174
,
175
,
176
,
178
,
180
“Allegro Barbaro” (ELP),
199
Alpert, Richard (Ram Dass),
38
,
39
Alpha Centauri
(Tangerine Dream),
190
Amboy Dukes,
68
American Front,
166
American South,
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
â9,
14
,
16
â17,
27
Anaheim Convention Center,
128
Ancient of Days, The
(Blake),
47
Anderson, Jon,
201
â2
Angels?
(Chick),
123
Anger, Kenneth,
81
â83,
85
,
86
,
102
Animals,
54
Anthology of American Folk Music,
27
â28
Apple Records,
62
Aquarian Age,
65
,
84
,
107
,
172
,
174
“Aquarius,”
67
Archies,
69
“arcs of sound,”
173
Arena,
149
Aristophanes,
41
Armstrong, Neville,
187
“art rock,”
196
Asch, Moses,
26
â27
Asher, Jane,
48
Ash Ra Tempel/Ashra,
190
Astaire, Fred,
51
“Astral Chant, An” (Pink Floyd),
36
“Astral Projection” (Garson),
186
“Astronomy Domine” (Pink Floyd),
36
“Astro Zombies” (Misfits),
120
Ataraxia: The Unexplained
(Musical Expressions of the Occult)
(Garson),
186
Atem
(Tangerine Dream),
190
“Atropos” (ELP),
197
“Attack of the Demon” (Black Widow),
116
“At the Mountains of Madness” (H. P. Lovecraft),
68
Augustus Caesar,
228
“Aumgn” (Can),
189
Aurora Plastics Corporation,
106
Autobiography of a Yogi
(Yogananda),
201
automatons,
205
Baalzebul,
124
“Baba O'Riley” (Townshend),
92
Bacchae, The
(Euripides),
xxxii
Bach, Johann Sebastian,
xxviii
,
183
Baez, Joan,
172
Baker, Phil,
80
Baker, Robb,
125
Balch, Antony,
159
Baldwin, Jason,
210
Ballard, J. G.,
179
Bangs, Lester,
95
â96
Baraka, Amiri (LeRoi Jones),
8
“Barbarian, The” (ELP),
199
Barrett, Syd,
31
â32,
32
â34,
36
â37,
45
â46,
47
Barrett
(Barrett),
46
Bartók, Béla,
199
Battelle, Phyllis,
22
Baudelaire, Charles,
26
,
42
,
85
,
87
,
148
Bauhaus,
168
Bay City Rollers,
13
Baynes, Cary F.,
36
BBC News Magazine,
109
â10
BBC Radiophonic Workshop,
187
BBC Television,
77
Beat Generation,
25
â26,
28
,
39
â40,
49
Beat Instrumental,
116
Beatles,
xiv
,
xv
,
xvi
,
xxiii
,
xxiv
,
32
,
44
,
48
,
50
â54,
55
,
56
,
57
,
58
â62,
74
,
84
,
91
,
96
,
99
,
100
,
101
,
193
Beaver, Paul,
186
bebop,
26
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” (Vincent),
97
Beggars Banquet
(Rolling Stones),
77
“Bella Lugosi's Dead” (Bauhaus),
168
Ben Hur
(movie),
200
Benson, Ezra Taft,
101
Berg, Philip,
216
â17
Berkeley,
182
Bewitched
(TV show),
72
big band music,
26
Bikram yoga,
227
â28
Birthday Party,
168
Bishop, Bainbridge,
132
biting head off bat (Osbourne),
105
“Black Corridor” (Hawkwind),
179
â80
Black Flag,
211
Black Mass
(Lucifer),
186
Black Sabbath,
xiv
,
xxiv
,
105
,
108
â13
“Black Sabbath” (Black Sabbath),
110
Black Sabbath
(movie),
108
Black Sun,
165
â66
Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna,
48
â49,
65
,
131
,
133
,
148
â49,
166
Blizzard of Ozz
(Osbourne),
106
Blount, Herman (Sun Ra),
176
â78
blues,
xx
,
xxi
,
xxiii
,
xxiv
,
2
,
3
,
7
â9,
10
,
12
,
19
,
21
,
32
,
78
,
97
Bogan, Lucille,
7
Boing Boing
(webzine),
223
Bolan, June,
34
Bolan, Marc,
151
Bonham, John,
103
Bonnell, John Sutherland,
57
Boston Gardens,
202
Bowie, Angela,
146
Bowie, David,
xiv
,
xvii
,
xxiv
,
xxxiii
,
139
â43,
144
â47,
148
,
149
â51,
152
,
153
â55,
161
,
219
Boyd, Joe,
40
Boyle Family,
43
â44
Bradbury, Ray,
193
Brain Salad Surgery
(ELP),
197
â98
Brand, Stewart,
182
Branwyn, Gareth,
223
Brian Jones Presents the Pipes of Pan at Joujouka,
160
“Bride of Evil” (Slayer),
120
Brim,
44
Briscoe, Desmond,
187
British folk music,
199
Brock, David,
173
Brown, Arthur,
xiv
,
43
,
125
â29,
132
,
133
,
134
â35,
135
â36,
138
â39,
146
,
173
,
180
,
219
Brown, Barbara,
63
Brown, Jerry,
63
Bruford, Bill,
200
â201
Bruno, Giordano,
129
Buckley, William F.,
115
Buddhism,
xix
,
25
,
37
,
39
â40,
49
,
57
,
66
,
127
Bulgakov, Mikhail,
85
Burdon, Eric,
54
â55
Burial Hex,
222
Burroughs, William,
xxv
,
144
,
145
,
157
â59,
160
Byrds,
54
“Cabala” (Garson),
186
California's State Assembly's Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee,
103
call and response,
17
Can,
189
“Candlewolf of the Golden Chalice” (Sunn O)))),
223
Catholicism,
4
â5,
23
,
74
,
109
,
212
â13
Cave, Nick,
168
Celestial Monochord
(Fludd),
27
“Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family” (Bowie),
153
“Chapter 24” (Pink Floyd),
36
â37
Charge of the Goddess (Valiente),
117
Chariots of the Gods
(Von Däniken),
175
Chick, Jack,
123
Child, Francis,
27
â28
Child Ballads,
27
â28
Childhood's End (Clarke),
100
“chord of the pleroma,”
133
Choucha, Nadia,
159
Christianity,
xix
âxx,
xxi
,
xxii
,
xxiii
devil rides out,
81
,
86
,
105
,
110
,
111
,
113
,
114
,
117
,
122
,
124
relax and float downstream,
57
,
61
,
64
,
71
,
72
,
74
,
75
space ritual,
175
(you make me wanna) shout,
2
,
3
,
4
â5,
5
â6,
7
,
10
,
11
,
12
,
13
,
14
,
15
,
16
,
19
,
23
,
24
,
25
,
28