Speakers
Clinton, MA-based artist, architect and polymath, Paul Laffoley has spent the better part of the last 40 years constructing hyper-left-brained reality schematics in almost total obscurity. Often lauded as the da Vinci of his time, he has finally begun to receive the mainstream acclaim that had so long eluded him, being featured at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Kent Gallery, among other major national and international collections.
After a long hiatus from public speaking, Mr. Laffoley has abandoned his hermetic seclusion and will address the participants of esoZone as keynote speaker. Come see Paul display his epic paintings (often upwards of 5 feet square) in large format slide presentation with precise explanations of almost every single cell.
Few embody “it” in contemporary occulture better than Chicago’s Viking Youth. Their popular podcast addresses such divergent topics as Philip K. Dick, the Eschaton and Aquaman. Fueled by whiskey, the Vikings are a slap in the face to any establishment you’d like to pick, from new age book publishers to big media to geek orthodoxy. Alternately crassly insulting and intensely spiritual, the Vikings are a panel of occulture everymen. Come see the Vikings in their first live appearance!
Freeman, host of The Freeman Perspective, has been witness to phenomenon that some men only dream of. His natural curiosity necessitated voracious studies of high weirdness which have led him to discover the hidden code behind corporate logos, the the secret of ancient astronauts, while finding time to investigate HAARP and chemtrails. Conspirologists take note: Freeman starts were Alex Jones leaves off. In the spirit of David Icke and James Redfield, Freeman illustrates a world that is both cosmic and miraculous. He presents hope displayed in the creative spirit of humanity.!
James Curcio performs in industrial rock concerts, bitches incessantly on his blog, skulks about in dark recording studios, and writes dystopian novels for a generation of disenfranchised drug addicts. He has written and produced podcasts for Disinformation, JIVE Magazine, Alterati.com, Greylodge.org, Key23 and New Falcon Press, among others. As a co-founder and creative director of Mythos Media he hopes to develop a viable platform for the creation of more living, modern myths. His most recent novel, “Fallen Nation: Babylon Burning” is nearing completion, and will most likely offend a lot of people when it’s put to print.
Wes Unruh (or just “Wu”), the mastermind behind the Unquiet Mind and Philip K. Nixon sonic terrorism projects, has been lauded as the Brion Gysin of his time. His ground breaking book Metamagical Graffiti explores the cut-up method, modern mythology, and the creation of symbol systems. He is currently hard at work in the corporate magick salt mines of Troy, New York and was instrumental in the creation of esoZone and its network of agents.
John Harrigan is one of the leading occultists on the contemporary
British scene as the founder, writer and director of the Foolish People occult / weaponised theatre collective which has performed at such prestigious venues as the Horse Hospital in Bloomsbury, London. When not dropping memetic bombs on an unprepared London, he teaches classes in myth creation, drama and ritual and retroactive magick at Treadwells Bookshop London. He is a prolific student of the occult with working familiarity in almost every tradition and the first recipient of the Magi of Trygonia award by the Dionysian Underground.
Few have pushed the boundaries of magic (no “k” thank you) quite as sensibly as Taylor Ellwood. With Pop Culture Magick and Space/Time Magic he expanded upon the magick of William S. Burroughs. He is also the author of Inner Alchemy which features innovative approaches to working with the physiology of the body. He’s recently finished up Multi-Media Magic (2008) and his co-written book Kink Magic: Sex Magic Beyond Vanilla (With Lupa) will be out in November 2007.
Lupa possesses a prodigious knowledge of atavistic magic
and the mysterious “other people” that populate the myths of all lands- and her books Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic and A Field Guide to Otherkin reflect that.
An eclectic and experimental practitioner (with a heavy emphasis on that word), she also maintains thegreenwolf and kinkmagic with her mate Taylor Ellwood, with whom she is currently at work on Kink Magic: Sex Magic Beyond Vanilla (November 2007).
Bill Whitcomb was born a typical child of the 20th century until contracting Semiotic fever, an imaginary disease characterized by oneirodynia, mythopoetic swelling, and hermeneutic convulsions, resulting in chronic obsession with symbols and language. Some claim that after being bitten by a wide variety of non-radioactive creatures and exposure to extra-terrestrial solar rays, Whitcomb exhibited a seemingly complete lack of paranormal abilities, though there is little proof of this assertion. Whitcomb is best known for his books on magical symbolism and practices, The Magician’s Companion and The Magician’s Reflection, both published by Llewellyn Publications. Bill Whitcomb is believed to be living in the Pacific Northwest United States where he researches the practices of non-existent secret societies. He is currently at work on a book that will unite the mysteries of Neuro-Linguistic Programming with Raja yoga.
“At every turn in its thought, society will find us - waiting.” - Bureau of Surrealist Research. Vehemently not an occultist, Trevor Blake (aka Onan Canobite) sure spends a lot of time around them. A SubGenius member in good standing since 1982 and editor of OVO (home of Hakim Bey’s earliest writings), Blake gives voice to outsiders, continually pushing the artistic envelope and teaching you things you’d rather not know. His varied interests include transgressive art, gender dynamics and the alternative realities of the alleged “insane.“
A recent addition to the occult scene, Nick Pell has already inspired his share of controversy. In a few short years he has come out of obscurity to become the Editor-in-Chief of Key64.net, editor for Immanion Press, spokesmodel for the Magickians of Bowlbetterology, a rogue Director of Neurocam International- PDX a frequent guest on Occulterati and a mastermind behind the esoZone event. An eclectic and experimental practitioner, Pell has worked with Enochian, witchcraft, TOPY magick and Zos Kia Cultus. But who the hell is this guy and who does he think he is? Pell will welcome participants to esoZone, as well as perform with the Foolish People occult theatre troupe.
On January 23, 2000 Klint Finley (aka Klintron) launched Technoccult, one of the earliest occult and fringe culture blogs on the web. Since then he has become one of the web’s preeminent curators of the weird and wondrous. In 2004 he co-founded the occultural community Key 23 (now known as Key 64) in between extensive traveling in Europe and the US. He eventually landed in Portland in early 2006 and, along with fellow esoZone organizer Danny Chaoflux, co-founded Portland Occulture in order to meet local occultists and other fellow mutants. In addition to editing Technoccult and serving as Portland Occulture’s organizer, he serves as executive director of esoZone. Klintron will moderate the Mutant Meatspace Networks panel in an attempt to further the understanding of the joys and challenges of alternative communities.
