Heavy Metal’s Ghost and their irrational number: or, a diabolical infinite regress where capitalism and Satanism are literally indistinguishable

So I just blew my own mind, thinking about Sweden’s neo-traditional heavy metal band Ghost.

It was as fun as it sounds.

Reading some recent article on SawtoothWave.com, some hyperlink led me to their review of Ghost’s Opus Eponymous.

For those of you who don’t know (and I definitely didn’t)– there’s this band, Ghost. They’re Swedish. They released this LP, Opus Eponymous, late in 2010 (here’s the Allmusic.com review of it, if yer innerested) and apparently quickly became wicked popular.

Allegedly, no one knows who’s in Ghost.  Allegedly, they are Satanists out to enslave/destroy the world. They perform in weird costumes (the leader up there, called “The Nameless Ghoul”), is dressed to the nines in Pope Gear© (mitre and everything).

Bottom line on the critical-consensus of Ghost:

They’re essentially Blue Öyster Cult with subtly-Satanic/diabolical lyrics that are also pretty literate: for example, there’s a tune on there, one “Satan Prayer,” which has a parallel structure and lyrical content to one Nicene Creed, from the Catholic/Episcopalian mass.

Sinisterly-literate.

Now, I love BÖC. And since their latest oeuvres are, shall we say, less than stellar, the chance to listen to a sound-alike was too much to resist.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine (who loved their album), the leader, said nameless ghoul (NG), claimed (as he has in many an interview) that Ghost’s explicit plan was dominate and control the world in the name of Satan.

So far, so metal, right?

What was interesting was NG’s possibly-chilling candor regarding their game plan/war strategy in dominating said Welt:

he said that there were actually counting on people assuming their gimmick (anonymous Satanic cult) was a marketing strategy.

Now, let that sink in a minute.

Why Atheists Have the Most Faith

They agree to let the world happen… however it does.

Me like poetry sometimes! Heehee!

I loved this: http://invocare.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/from-the-journals-of-benjamin-t-cundiff/

Poetry is where you find it… I guess….

The Poetry of Charlie Sheen.

Not being ironic with this: his words do actually end up sounding like Bukowski or someone similar. I dig it.

Money Is Not Real

Obviously, there’s been a shitload of discussion, these last few years, regarding the recession.

Most of it useless, abstract, conjectural finger-pointing, generally in a manner suggesting the furthering of political agendas: “Democrats did it,” “Republicans did it,” “Banks did it,” and so on.

I won’t pretend to understand the intricacies of economics. However, I’m not stupid. I went to college. I worked a long time at a job that required me to think critically about nearly everything.

And something in the economic brouhaha seemed wrong.

Why atheists and fundamentalists are both idiots

Stephen Hawking is fairly sacrosanct among intellectuals. Really most people. As Homer put it, “the wheelchair guy” is Heralded every few seconds.

And probably should be. He’s a smart motherfucker.

But this article on Livescience.com illustrates to me why, generally, either extreme point of view is usually a little batshit nuts, and often fully batshit nuts.

Far left liberals are usually crazy (I’ve lived in the northeast all my life; I know of what I speak), and far-right conservatives are fucking crazy too.

Why?

The answer’s really pretty simple:

The new stasi: or the sad polar opposite of the Kitty Genovese incident

This is from an article on Disinfo.com about a “service” called “Internet Eyes Limited.” Here’s the description:

In the autumn of 2009 Internet Eyes Limited hit the headlines when they announced their desire to launch a CCTV game that they were keen to claim was not a game. Private individuals would subscribe to private camera feeds connected to the internet and spy on people going about their business, with a cash prize each month for the person who reports the most infringements.

 

Goddamn people. I know the trite clichéd “Those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it” trope.

The secret selfishness of the new-parent “epiphany.”

How many of you know someone, maybe it’s you, who fits this mold:

• Somewhat irresponsible;
• Probably mid to late-20s;
• Recently had a child(ren);
• Suddenly very enthusiastic about the Meaning of Life.

Perhaps you’ve heard (or said) some transliteration of this: “I understand life now”; “My life before seemed meaningless”; “I suddenly seem so insignificant”; “You just don’t understand… I get it now….”

Oi.

This is what I’m going to call (why not?) the Fallacy of Profundity of the Recent Parent.

The recent parent is suddenly Inspired, suddenly Understands It All, Just Gets It, etc.

Here’s what is actually happening:

Dead Butterflies: Exorcism and the thirst for the Unreal in a “Rational” world

There’s been a recent sem-glut of articles about the Vatican’s attempt to expand the understanding of the Ritual Romanum, or the rite of exorcism– read about it here.

In a seemingly concrete, [boldly overly-] rationalist society, why would we care? More to the point, why would MSNBC invest enough of their capitalist-based belief in your wanting to read about it, and why would the Vatican (who don’t publicize anything on anything, let alone exorcism of all fucking things) seek publicity about this area?

Are they asking to be mocked?

Nope.

Those religious fuckers are shrewd. They understand branding. They know how to get Your Love back.

The Cowardice of Irony

Irony is a bullshit facade, a pose designed to make you look sophisticated while you hide behind semantics.

Mean what you say.

RISK something. Put yourself out there. Actually have the Balls (or the Clit) to stand behind something, and actually fucking risk Having An Opinion. Buddha Forbid you should be VULNERABLE.

But don’t go so goddamn far as to qualify for Fundamentalism.

It’s a balance, motherfuckers. Life is not on either extreme.