Weird Studies

Victoria Nelson saw it first: Popular culture teems with occult ideas, vestiges of bygone belief, fragments of ancient magic disguised as common entertainment. Her 2001 work The Secret Life of Puppets is in many ways the ur-text of weird studies, so prescient and probing it is even more relevant now than it was when it first appeared. In episode 128, Phil and JF discussed Nelson's wonderful first novel Neighbor George (2021). In this episode, Nelson joins the hosts of Weird Studies to talk about the vision that drove her to write Secret Life along with its equally insightful follow-up, Gothicka. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop SHOW NOTES Victoria Nelson, The Secret Life of Puppets, Gothicka, Neighbor George M. R. James, Collected Ghost Stories Tzvetan Todorov, The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontents Carol Clover, Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film Bruno Schulz, The Street of Crocodiles Stephenie Meyer, Twilight series William P. Young, The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity _ Against Everyone with Conner Habib, episodes 202 & 203 James R. Lewis, _The Gods Have Landed Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire Honoré de Balzac, "Séraphîta" L. Ron Hubbard, founder of ScientologySpecial Guest: Victoria Nelson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Technic and Magic: The Reconstruction of Reality, the philosopher Federico Campagna argues that we moderns have exhausted the reality system we devised at the dawn of our age, a system he calls Technic. Technic has one goal: to reduce all things to language by naming, tagging, measuring, and quantifying them, by turning every parcel of the physical and psychic universe into a "unit" defined by its position in the system. The result has been an erasure of the mere "suchness" of things, the singularity of things simply existing as they are. To replace a worldview that is now revealing its endemic nihilism, Campagna proposes Magic, a way of seeing that reestablishes a balance between the measurable and the ineffable. JF and Phil discuss Campagna's magisterial performance in this episode. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop SHOW NOTES Federico Campagna, Technic and Magic Bill Hicks, “Bit on Marketing” Fredric Jameson, The Seeds of Time Plotinus, Neoplatonist philosopher Francis Bacon, Irish artist Samuel Beckett, Irish author William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch Weird Stuides, Episode 87 on Arthur Machen Northrop Frye, Anatomy of Criticism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the term "weird studies" gaining currency inside and outside academia, Phil and JF thought it was time to discuss the philosophical method they've been developing on the podcast since 2018. Borrowing a term from Erik Davis, they call it weirding, and here set about trying to understand what it is, and what it means. David Lynch's fondness for crying, the practice of queering in cultural theory, the all-too-real phenomenon of "global weirding,"the spooky agency of artworks, and the tragic death of E.T. at the hands of Damien Hirst are just a few of the subjects touched on in the conversation. "Weirding" also happens to be the working title of the book your hosts are writing for Strange Attractor Press, as well as an eight-week series of lectures and discussions starting October 25th, 2022, on the Nura Learning platform. Header image: David Lynch, Mulholland Drive Link to the upcoming course: Weirding: An 8-Week Course With the Hosts of the Weird Studies Podcast SHOW NOTES Ludwig van Beethoven, 9th Symphony James Elkins, Pictures and Tears Eugenie Brinkema, The Form of the Affects David Lynch (dir.), Mulholland Drive Gilkes Deleuze and Felix Guattari, What is Philosophy? Weird Studies, Episode 121 on “Mandy” Erik Davis and Timothy Morton, “Uncanny Objects” episode of Expanding Minds Coen brothers (dir.), Hail Caesar Esther Williams, American swimmer Weird Studies, Episode 120 on Radical Mystery Douglas Rushkoff, Survival of the Richest William Shakespeare, Macbeth Erik Davis, “Weird Shit” Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (dir.), Up Steven Spielberg (dir.), E.T. Alejandro Jodorowsky, Psychomagic Martin Buber, I and Thou Gilbert Simondon, Imagination and Invention Weird Studies, Episode 106 the Wanderer Charles Ludlam, “On Camp” in Ridiculous Theater Weird Studies, Episodes 14 and 15 on “Stalker Weird Studies, Episode 35 on M. C. Richards’ “Centering” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With his 2010 film Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the German filmmaker Werner Herzog peeled away the veneer of familiarity on the Chauvet cave paintings, restoring them to their original eldritch sparkle. In this conversation, Phil and JF discuss a cinematic jewel that was wrought under tremendous pressure – and is all the more dazzling for it. The episode was recorded live at the Supernormal Festival in Oxfordshire, England, where your hosts were also subjected to unexpected pressure as the band Plastics started their set at the same time as the talk! Though we feel the musical accompaniment adds depth to the dialogue, listeners who find it distracting can skip to the end of the Plastics' set around 41:30. All listeners are urged to visit the band's Bandcamp page to sample some choice hardcore. Weird Studies thanks Strange Attractor Press, the Supernormal Festival , and Plastics. JF Martel gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts in making this live recording possible. Header image via Wikimedia Commons. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop SHOW NOTES Werner Herzog, “The Minnesota Declaration” Tom Waits, “Step Right Up” Herman Melville, Moby Dick Weird Studies, Episode 76 on “Hellier” Stanley Kubrick (dir.), 2001: A Space Odyssey Paul Bahn, Images of the Ice Age Weird Studies, Episode 101 on “In Praise of Shadows Weird Studies, Episode 129 on “The Fall of the House of Usher” Matthew Barney, The Cremaster Films Stanley Kubrick, The Shining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this bonus episode, originally released for Listener's Tier Patreon supporters, a discussion of the books Phil and JF are reading leads to a debate about the place of plot, story, and worldbuilding in narrative art. The episode contains information on "Weirding," a new course that the hosts of Weird Studies will be teaching together at Nura Learning, starting in late October. Visit nuralearning.com for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The historian of religion Jeffrey J. Kripal writes, "The world is one, and the human is two." The line captures the riddle of reality. What is it with our species? Equipped with an intellect able to grok the basic laws that govern the physical universe, we seem unable to wrap our heads around as simple a question as "What is real?". Recorded live before a learned audience at the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) in August of 2022, this episode approaches the enigma by teasing the Weird out of the very idea of intellection. If the architects of DISI are right to say that mind, far from being confined to human skulls, enjoys wide distribution across nature, what might such ideas as magic, synchronicity, and prophecy tell us about intelligence and meaning? DISI is a three-week interdisciplinary event held each year at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The hosts are grateful to Jacob Foster and Erica Cartmill of UCLA for inviting them to speak at the institute. **Header image: **Detail of The Ancient of Days by William Blake. SHOW NOTES Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) Earlier iteration of Jacob Foster's talk, "Toward a Social Science of the Possible" Pauline Oliveros's Tuning Meditation Norbert Wiener, American mathematician Joshua Ramey, "Contingency Without Unreason: Speculation After Meillassoux" E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande Aristotle, Physics and Metaphysics Jeffrey J. Kripal, "The World is One, and the Human is Two: Tentative Conclusions of a Working Historian of Religion" Jeffrey Kripal on Weird Studies: episodes ## and ## Aleister Crowley, See The Vision and the Voice and Magick in Theory and Practice The "Unwritten Doctrines" of Plato Plato, Republic, "Seventh Letter" & Phaedrus Phil's prophetic dream report (Patreon supporters only) H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (for description of Azathoth) C. G. Jung, Synchroncity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, Alchemical Studies & Mysterium Coniunctionis Charles Taylor, A Secular Age New York Times article on 2022 UFO hearings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In August, 2022, JF and Phil flew to the UK to attend the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) at the University of St. Andrews and the Supernormal Festival in Oxfordshire. In addition to recording two live shows (to be released in the coming weeks), they encountered billiant minds, novel ideas, and arresting works of art that opened new avenues for thought. It's these encounters that anchor this conversation, which branches off to touch ideas such as the elusive ideal of intersciplinarity, Hakim Bey's temporary autonomous zone, the legacy of the 20th-century counterculture, the fate of revolutionary movements, non--human intelligences, and the weirdness of human thought. Header Image by RomitaGirl67 via Wikimedia Commons. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop References Dial M for Musicology, Interdisciplinarity Hakim Bey, The Temporary Autonomous Zone Entitled Opinions Podcast William Gibson, Foreword to Samuel Delaney’s Dhalgren DISI Podcast, Many Minds John Krakauer, professor of nuerology and neuroscience Hunter S. Thompson, American journalist The Great Ape Dictionary, specific database used by Cat Hobaiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edgar Allan Poe can be lauded as a major inspiration for many innovative artists, genres, and movements, from horror fiction to the music of Maurice Ravel. He has also been a major inspiration for Weird Studies, particularly his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher." In this episode, JF and Phil try to pinpoint just what it is about this tale that is so compelling, discovering in the process that whatever it is cannot be pinpointed. Instead, the haunting mood of the story emerges from the peculiar arrangement of all its parts, becoming something entirely new. Click here for more information on the Supernormal Festival, Aug 12-14, in Oxfordshire, England. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop References Edgar Allan Poe, “The Fall of the House of Usher” Edgar Allan Poe, “The Masque of the Red Death Klangfarbenmelodie, musical technique Edgar Allan Poe, "The Poetic Principle" Graham Harman, Weird Realism: Lovecraft and Philosophy Lovecraft without adjectives Weird Studies, Development of Circle vs. Spiral: Wheel of fortune, Blade Runner, The Star, Birhane Matei Calinescu, The Five Faces of Modernity Weird Studies, Episode 101 on ‘In Praise of Shadows’ Phanes, deity James Herbert, The Dark Joseph Adamson, “Frye and Poe” Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, French anthropologist James Machin, Weird Fiction in Britain Edgar Allan Poe, “Eureka” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American writer and thinker Victoria Nelson is justly revered by afficionados of the Weird for The Secret Life of Puppets and its follow-up Gothicka. Both are masterful explorations the supernatural as it subsists in the "sub-Zeitgeist" of the modern secular West. In 2021, Strange Attractor Press released Neighbor George, Nelson's first novel. In this episode, JF and Phil discuss this gothic anti-romance with a mind to seeing how it contributes to Nelson's overall project of acquainting us with the eldritch undercurrents of contemporary life. Click here for more information on the Supernormal Festival, Aug 12-14, in Oxfordshire, England. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop References Victoria Nelson, Neighbor George Victoria Nelson, The Secret Life of Puppets Victoria Nelson, Gothicka Wendy Lesser, American critic Ward Sutton Onion cartoons Extension, metaphysical concept Terry Castle, The Female Thermometer Cessation of Miracles, theological belief E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande Greg Anderson, “Retrieving the Lost Worlds of the Past: A Case for the Ontological Turn” Orcus Grotto, sculpture Margaret Atwood, The Edible Woman Nathalie Cooke, Margaret Atwood: A Biography Weird Studies, Episode 96 on Beauty and the Beast M. C. Richards, “Wrestling with the Daemonic” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Caligula declaring war on Neptune and ordering his troops to charge into the Mediterranean Sea, our technological masters are designing neural networks meant to capture the human soul in all its oceanic complexity. According to the cognitive scientist Abeba Birhane, this is a fool's errand that we undertake at our peril. In her paper "The Impossibility of Automating Ambiguity," she makes the case for the irremediable fluidity, spontaneity, and relationality of people and societies. She argues that ongoing efforts to subsume the human (and the rest of reality) in predictive algorithms is actually narrowing the human experience, as so many of us are excluded from the system while others are compelled to artificially conform to its idea of the human. Far from paving the way to a better world, the tyranny of automation threatens to cut us off from the Real, ensuring an endless perpetuation of the past with all its errors and injustices. Phil and JF discuss Birhane's essay in this episode. Header image from via www.vpnsrus.com (cropped). Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons. Listen to volume 1 and volume 2 of the Weird Studies soundtrack by Pierre-Yves Martel Support us on Patreon Find us on Discord Get the new T-shirt design from Cotton Bureau! Get your Weird Studies merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc.) Visit the Weird Studies Bookshop REFERENCES Abebe Birhane, "The Impossibility of Automating Ambiguity” J. F. Martel, “Reality is Analog: Philosophizing with Stranger Things” Melissa Adler, Cruising the Library: Perversities in the Organization of Knowledge Weird Studies, Episode 75 on 2001: A Space Odyssey Weird Studies, Episode 114 on the Wheel of Fortune William James, American philosopher Midjourney, AI art generator Rhine Research Center, parapsychology lab George Lewis, “Improvised Music after 1950: Afrological and Eurological Perspectives” Abebe Birhane, “Descartes was Wrong: A Person is a Person Through Other Persons” Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, German philosopher J. R. R. Tolkein, “On Fairy-Stories” Martin Buber, I and Thou Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices