Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
Society & Culture
On this edition of Parallax Views I take a "walk on the dark side" of rock 'n' roll as the late rock historian and journalist R. Gary Patterson would say (more on him later in the episode) with two exciting guests.
My first guest is actress and filmmaker Phoebe Dollar who will tell us about her rock 'n' roll Hollywood vampire movie Sunset Society, being released by on DVD, Blu-Ray, and video-on-demand through Cleopatra Entertainment on July 24th after a L.A. premiere on July 6th.
Sunset Society tells the story of a vampiric secret society living on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood whose existence is threatened by a meddling street walker whose captured their activities on camera. The twist is that the movie takes the perspective of the undead bloodsuckers as opposed to their mortal victims.
Sunset Society features an all-star cast of rock legends including the L.A. Guns' Tracii Guns, Guns N' Roses' Dizzy Reed, and, as the leader of the of the titular vampire society, the late Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead. In addition the movie also features appearances from cult Hollywood figure Randal Malone of MTV's Singled Out fame, Jackass's Steve-O, and Ron Jeremy.
Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister on the set of Phoebe Dollar's Sunset Society
Ron Jeremy in Sunset Society
Lemmy has a Dracula moment in Sunset Society
Phoebe Dollar in Sunset Society
Phoebe Dollar
My second guest is veteran radio host Richard Syrett of The Conspiracy Show, Conspiracy Unlimited, and Coast to Coast AM who has a new podcast called Rock 'N Roll Twilight Zone on WWE superstar Chris Jericho's Talk is Jericho network through Westwood One.
We begin the conversation by talking about the late "Fox Mulder of Rock 'N' Roll Journalism" R. Gary Patterson and how his work helped inspire Rock 'N' Roll Twilight Zone. Richard tells a very interesting story about a possible paranormal experience he may have had involving Patterson that you'll not want to miss.
After that we delve into rock 'n' roll historical connection to the occult starting with the tale of blues musician Robert Johnson and the legend that he "sold his soul" to the devil for fame and fortune on the crossroads of Mississippi. From there we jump into Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin's obsession with the Thelemic occultist Aleister Crowley and how it may have led to a magical curse for Page and his circle of friends and associates.
Robert Johnson
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page at Aleister Crowley's Boleskin House in Loch Ness
After that we move on to another topic that always seems to arise within rock 'n' roll lore: conspiracy theories. We tackle this through the legend that The Beatles were a British psyop designed to subvert American culture. This portion of the show features references to acclaimed media theorist Marshall McLuhan, Theodor Adorno and the Frankfort School of sociology, and the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. While this conspiracy theory stretches credulty for both myself and Richard it's an entertaining and fascinating example of conspiracy theory in rock 'n' roll lore. And who knows, maybe, just maybe, there's a grain of truth to it all. I'll let you decide.
The Beatles
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan
The Frankfurt School's Theodor Adorno
We wrap up the conversation discussing the documentary-style of the show and why myths and legends about rock's "dark side" still fascinate our culture to this day.
Richard Syrett
I hope you enjoy this special "walk on the dark side" of rock 'n roll with Phoebe Dollar and Richard Syrett!
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