Where no bird can fly no fish can swim til The King is born in Tupelo!

February 24, 2013 6:32 PM

Rock’n'roll as spontaneous Paganism: Mick Farren on Nick Cave, Elvis and the Devil is an essay by the author of Gathering Of The Tribe: A look at the role of the occult in music through key albums. Another excerpt is Punk-Esotericism: The Occult Roots of the Wu-Tang Clan
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants (7 comments total)

It should also be noted that Farren has indulged in a little spontaneous paganism of his own in the past.
posted by ryanshepard at 6:39 PM on February 24, 2013 [5 favorites]

I just can't see the Wu Tang Clan as being punk.
But I did like The Man With The Iron Hands.
So we'll call it a draw.
posted by Mezentian at 6:59 PM on February 24, 2013

huh haven't thought of Farren in awhile. Been a long time since I've read his books. They where...fun, for a given value of fun. Found Necrom in a seedy second hand book store about 1992 and went on a mini tear through 4 or 5 of his books. The Long Orbit was my favorite, had a sort of Blade Runner feel to it.
posted by edgeways at 7:05 PM on February 24, 2013

Another good book about the rock 'n' roll/occult connection is Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius by Gary Lachman a.k.a. Gary Valentine, the bass player from Blondie.
posted by jonp72 at 8:55 PM on February 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

There is no mysticism in the Clan other than that which was absorbed by kung-fu movie osmosis.
posted by Gin and Comics at 10:55 PM on February 24, 2013

I don't really get your joke, Gin and Comics. The article is lacking in examples, but Wu-Tang is indeed loaded with references to NOI and Nations of Gods and Earths teachings. "Wu-Revolution", for instance, is a recitation of some of Elijah Muhammad's writing.
posted by chrchr at 12:50 AM on February 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yeah, Necrom wasn't bad. The Armageddon Crazy was pretty good, too.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:40 AM on February 25, 2013