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Confessions of the evilest man ever.

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21:26 / 18.10.05

I had to go all of the way to upper Wisconsin and fetch this book out of my mothers attic where she hid it. Rick James asked me to get rid of it a few years ago and so I sent it to her for safe keeping. It was published in 1969 and I haven't seen another copy anywhere. Story goes that the drummer of Wasp owned it and got rid of it because because all of the "dark" things in his life were killing his mother, who later died of cancer.
I started re-reading this thing yesterday and it is the best read I've had in a long time. He makes me laugh.

"In other matters, however, the school (Barbelith)had a long way to go. Bullying went on unchecked, the perfects being the foremost offenders. As a shy, solitary boy in ill-health, incapable of football, I naturally got more than my share, and this led ultimately to one of the few actions in my life with which I have ever felt inclined to reproach myself. The tone of the school was brutal and imbecile. The authorities had done much to stamp out the practice of 'greasing', which consists in spitting as smegmatically as possible either in people's faces or on their backs. It still flourished at our house, Huntingdon's, No. 4, and constituted our only claim to distinction. I do not think we had a single member in either of the elevens. The perfects were hulking louts, shirking both work and play, and concentrating on obscenity and petty tyranny. It annoyed them particularly that my conduct was irreproachable. They could not cane me without the housemaster's permission. I did not realize how closely I was being watched, but ultimately I committed some trifling breach of discipline during 'prep'. After the hour was over the perfect in charge gleefully hastened to the housemaster. He found me there already. I got my licking; but there was a fine series of expulsions to balance it. Of course my action was technically indefensible; but after all, I had held my tongue uncomplainingly for months and it was only when they appealed to the housemaster to fight their battles that I appealed to him to fight mine.

How ironic. We have so many similar views yet I have no urge to climb mountains ever.
Plus sex is impossible for me at this point. I can still smoke, I guess.
Why would anyone be afraid of this book?

21:52 / 18.10.05

What makes Crowley "the evilest man ever"?

21:57 / 18.10.05

Unfamiliar with this title...isn't it just called "The Confessions of Aleistar Crowley?" From what I know, it was edited by Isreal Regardie and released in '69. Maybe the "Evilist" title was in the UK only, which is why your copy is titled that. I've been meaning to read the Crowley bio Pedurabo, which is supposed to be great.

22:15 / 18.10.05

Well, if it involves Rick James and WASP, the it surely must be rotten to the core.

Mordant Carnival

22:37 / 18.10.05

Hmmm. Don't think I've come across the "evilest" title; possibly Morphie is drawing on a blurred memory of that press nickname "The wickedest man in the world."

Tenebruous cursage notwithstanding, interested parties will be happy to learn that the book is freely available through the usual online channels and that they need not raid anyone's attic for a copy.

Would anyone who's read the book care to comment on it here? Aside from drawing tenuous parallels between Barbelith and institutional child abuse, that is.

00:12 / 19.10.05

I believe that a (wo)man, any (wo)man, who goes about making sure to defy every institution s/he's had contact with, and to proclaim hirself a "satanist" and making a point to be thought of as "evil" (yeah, grow up, Al..), MUST have endured quite some "institutional child abuse". Believe me, I've been there, when I was still my yester-self, and I can see the appeal to be thougth as evil and fearful. After all, it's cool, isn't it? It's like Magneto's "Brotherhood of EVIL Mutants", such title is meant to cause awe in the audience. Crowley may have enjoyed being considered the "evilest man alive". Myself, I reacted to such abuse by clinging to the "solitary hero" ethos, which got me deeply hooked on super-hero comics, which may be the perfect opposition to Crowley's approach. Works just as well.

Anyway, I would love to read his Biography. Cant't be worse than Hitler's Mein Kampf, or spookier than the Bible's Book of Job, I reckon

01:55 / 19.10.05

Oh. Tut.

Barbelith wouldn't even be here and modern magic probably wouldn't exist, if it wasn't for Uncle Al.

I shall elaborate when I've had some sleep, but for now I suggest a flick though http://tim.maroney.org/CrowleyIntro/index.html

Mordant Carnival

02:11 / 19.10.05

Well, quite. It's also worth noting that whilst the whole "I am the Great Beast!" thing is old hat now, Al's antics at the time were deemed shocking beyond belief.

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

03:13 / 19.10.05

Mmm, every generation needs its very own claridad, and Uncle Al had a certain panache.

17:43 / 19.10.05

Has anyone read Duquette's Magick of Aleister Crowley/Magick of Thelema? I saw the earlier edition at a used bookstore once (the earlier edition is titled Magick of Thelema, new one's M. of Crowley), but for whatever reason didn't pick it up. Having messed around with the Golden Dawn tradition (via Kraig's Modern Magick and another title or two), I'm interested in Thelema. Did anyone find this book useful?

18:58 / 19.10.05

I read Duquette's book.

It explains in plain english what Thelema is and--most important--gives a nice, clear description of all of the rituals.

It is written very carefully so as not to change any of Crowley's original intent. Thus, there's none of Duquette's humor (eg, the demon summoning in My Life With the Spirits). None of Crowey's humor, either, for that matter.

15:11 / 20.10.05

I remember the autohagiography being an ace book. Cracking yarns. I haven't read it for over twenty years, but it's great.

I'd take a pinch of salt, though, obviously.

15:59 / 20.10.05

I read the 'autohagiography' about ten years ago, and enjoyed it a lot ('hagiography,' incidentally = the life story of a saint, so that's a fairly good gag to be going on with, I think.) My only slight reservation was that it seemed a bit light on detail with regard to some of the more interesting stuff, the receipt of the Book of the Law and so on, possibly because Crowley didn't fully understand this period himself. At least, that was the impression I got anyway. Good book though.

--

23:59 / 20.10.05

Wow, Crowley mentioned Barbelith in his book? He really was ahead of his time.

00:27 / 21.10.05

sypha, no shit! I saw that line and thought "huh?" Glad you brought it up.

To all, I recommend Perdurabo if you want to read a very well-rounded account of Crowley. It focuses muchmore on Crowley's magickal life without being too forgiving.

--

01:21 / 21.10.05

Well, I was kind of being sarcastic, LVX23. Maybe you are too? Damn, this place needs smilies.... or emoticons... or whatever the kids call 'em these days.

Eh, I've always liked Crowley. I mean, yeah, he had his faults, but at least the guy had style and a sense of humor, not to mention a knack for self-hype and showmanship. Anyone who fucks a tree and declares himself a god is a-okay in my book. I've always admired those who set themselves up to be larger then life... Sure, they run the risk of looking like total prats, and very often they do, but at the very least they make the world a more colorful place.

Mordant Carnival

01:28 / 21.10.05

I think the difference between Crowley and the various "total prats" who've come and gone over the years (cf Kevin Carlyon, ect.) is that Crowley, for all his exaggerations and self-aggradisment, actually did a fuckload of magick. He didn't just prance around in a silly hat shagging "scarlet women" and trying to get his name in the paper. He devised rituals, tried them out, wrote up his results--in short, he did the work. So many people forget that part...

--

01:34 / 21.10.05

Well, yeah, that too.

10:57 / 21.10.05

its the dirty jokes are the best in crowley - take any given paragraph, like the one above, and there's egg-white gems like:

The authorities had done much to stamp out the practice of 'greasing', which consists in spitting as smegmatically as possible either in people's faces or on their backs. ...

I got my licking; but there was a fine series of expulsions to balance it.

11:24 / 21.10.05

What I find amazing is Morph links with this guy. Morph, perhaps you were in a P funk band in the early eighties?

11:34 / 21.10.05

You're right. That is by far the most interesting thing about this thread. There is a story here that needs to be told, I think...

12:00 / 21.10.05

This evil book has also passed through the hands of the drummer of cock rock metal band Wasp remember. There is something deeply sinister going on here and i don't think anyone should touch what has come through these guys sweaty hands.

Mordant Carnival

13:19 / 21.10.05

Yes! It's a work of profound evil. Penned by the wickedest man in the world, every single copy is personally fondled by members of WASP before being sent out to unsuspecting punters. Smell that smell? That's not the wholesome fragrance of Book. That is the vile whiff of stale hairspray and pleather-sweat.

Evil.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:01 / 21.10.05

Please don't get him talking about Rick James again...

03:36 / 24.10.05

I am prepared to pay good money for a rare Crowley book owned by Rick James and some guy out of WASP. I don't give a fuck about bad ju-ju - that is one hell of a story, IF it can be substanciated.

So - what do you want for it?

01:03 / 10.11.05

"Please don't get him talking about Rick James again..."

Never did till now...ya frumpy lout.

With Rayne, I was the last artist to work and write with him.
If you don't know him you should shut the fuck up with any sort of insults...he treated me better then most in this business.
I have nothing to do with Wasp. I just bought the book from a store that bought it from the drummer of Wasp.

The book is really funny.
And I just got past the part where he fucked a tree...awesome.

The book is rare because I have the 69 print of it. Falling to pieces...Charles Mansons son, Matt gets it next.
M

Not for sale.

All Acting Regiment

08:03 / 10.11.05

Too late, I nicked it.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

02:49 / 11.11.05

Anyway, I would love to read his Biography. Cant't be worse than Hitler's Mein Kampf, or spookier than the Bible's Book of Job, I reckon.

*pendantic aside*

The Book of Job has a very profound and mostly pretty uplifting message that no one seems to find on their first reading (understandable; its a long book and pretty boring in the middle parts). I made a thread about it. I think its somewhere in the Headshop.

*pendantic aside over*

I have a copy of the necronomicon that was once owned by the League of Women Voters and then passed through the hands of RATT, if anyone's interested. I think Alicia Keyes might have stepped on it once. It smells like cat urine, but that's probably just the evil.

10:52 / 11.11.05

M

Not for sale

Oh come on now, Mr M, each man, surely, has his price?

It's how capital-asm survives. (Did you see what I did there? Capitalism = orgasm, yes, but also Cataclysm...

If you didn't notice what I did there, then frankly, YoU aRE ASlEeP!!!1!)

Surely for a six pack of beer you'd be virtually anyone's?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:59 / 11.11.05

If you don't know him you should shut the fuck up with any sort of insults...

Um... I wasn't actually insulting Rick James...

13:44 / 11.11.05

Evil.

Yes?

Mordant Carnival

13:54 / 11.11.05

Oh, nothing. Still, while you're up--make us a cuppa tea.

14:24 / 11.11.05

Why do I always fall for that?

21:55 / 11.11.05

Because you're a frumpy lout?

(That's my favourite cod-1960s gendermixed insult of the moment. It's like calling someone a mumsy hooligan.)

22:36 / 11.11.05

I don't even know what "frumpy" and "lout" me
an, but it sounds offensive,hehe.

Anyway, if you ask me, the entire 1980's rock scene is the work of the devil

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