The Prankster and the Conspiracy

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

As a surprise, Sjaantze picked up a copy of 'The Prankster and the Conspiracy" the biography of Kerry Thornley aka Ho Chi Zen aka Omar K. Ravenhurst. Herein are my thoughts:

First, its a great book. I thought it was well written and the material hooked me pretty quickly. The author did tons of research and interviews, documenting the inception and explosion of Discordianism from the Bowling Alley in the late 50's to Thornley's one and only IRC chat before he died. This is not a fluff piece either... the author claims not to be a 'card carrying Discordian' and there is no 'hero worship' in this... All of the good and amazing bits, along with the sad, pathetic and downright troubling bits are here. It also provides a view of how heavily Discordianism influenced the counterculture movement in the 60's, 70's and 80's.

Now to the actual content and my thoughts.

The book covers the founding of Discordianism, mixed liberally with the circumstances surrounding Kerry's life. For those who aren't aware, Kerry was in the navy with a guy named Lee Harvey Oswald (yep, THAT Lee Harvey Oswald). The experiences that they shared led Kerry to write a book titled 'The Idle Warriors' and its main character was based on Oswald. After the events in Dealey Plaza, Kerry became inextricably tied up in all sorts of issues surrounding the death of the president and the subsequent 'conspiracy theories'. While it probably wasn't the sole cause of paranoid delusions (or were they?), Kerry spent much of the rest of his life manically focused on that part of his life, convinced that 'they' were fucking with him. It may be that he was just crazy, but the book covers all of the odd synchronicity surrounding Kerry, Oswald, and Jim Garrison's almost maniacal pursuit of TEH CONSPIRACY. It even includes a guy that wore a wig and eyebrows,  cut from a mohair carpet and glued to his head. If there was not a conspiracy, the Eris certianly had her hands in Thronley's life. Another thing I really liked was that the book doesn't try to polish Kerry as a human, including his rather troubling views on fucking anything and everything... including children and chairs.

The book also does a great job of covering several of the early Discordians, including Mal-2, Camden Benares, Bob Wilson, Lady L, Mama Witch, Dr. Bob and many others. Although it doesn't try to glorify the lives of any of them, it does provide a rather interesting view of these random spags, acting, well not all that differently than we random spags here. Funny how that works. It also seems to indicate that we were drawing the seriously werido crowd way back in the beginning... Mama Witch appears to been able to give AKK and IANAR a run for their money (she would have left Daruko, Wade and DK in the dust).

I think the author does a great job of showing that Kerry lived a life which was free in many ways, but in the end, he died a sick, crazy old man, with 15 cats, few friends and a chaotic legacy. The story was both inspiring and cautionary.

After all the shit had hit the fan, Omar said in a letter, "If I'd known it was all going to come true... I would have picked Venus."

Also, I found it quite interesting that Mal-2 began this silly religion as an Atheistic Joke. However, in the years that followed, Greg Hill (aka Mal-2) dropped his atheism due to his experiences with Eris. Some of the letters that are quoted in the book are simply stunning bits of philosophy and brilliant thinking.

I give it 5 stars, mostly because of the Law of Fives, but also because I think its a great read.

[Aufenthatt]

ITT a glorius plug

I fully intend to steal a copy.

[LMNO]

Also, I found it quite interesting that Mal-2 began this silly religion as an Atheistic Joke. However, in the years that followed, Greg Hill (aka Mal-2) dropped his atheism due to his experiences with Eris. Some of the letters that are quoted in the book are simply stunning bits of philosophy and brilliant thinking.

Let the buyer believer beware.

After all the shit had hit the fan, Omar said in a letter, "If I'd known it was all going to come true... I would have picked Venus."

Too true.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I find it disturbing that Uncle BadTouch has anything in common with one of our founding fathers. 

[LMNO]

Welcome to Discordia, where there's a turd in every punchbowl.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I find it disturbing that Uncle BadTouch has anything in common with one of our founding fathers. 

Well, actually I would say that Thornley was in a different situation... Uncle BadTouch promotes the philosophy that age shouldn't be a 'legal' barrier to relations between two people. However, he has not, to my knowledge, done anything illegal. Thornley, on at least two occasions was interrupted by people and stopped from doing something illegal (or at least illegal now, I dunno what the law was back then).

His rationale appears to have been that everyone was a sexual being and should enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. I think this is a different mindset from a child predator, but one that is surely disturbing. From the book it seemed that Kerry didn't really care what he stuck it in, as long as it wasn't another guy (and yes, there is a picture of him fucking a chair). That of course doesn't make it OK, but it does seem to be a different sort of mental state that the one you see on Dateline NBC.

I'm not sure what to make of this, except perhaps an example of how "pedophilia" may be a label covering many different psychological issues. Some of which may result in the murder of children at one extreme, the abuse of children in general, and this almost Peter Pan like syndrome that simply doesn't differentiate between child and adult at the other extreme. I don't think that makes any of them OK, but it may mean that pedophilia is a symptom of a number of different mental states, rather than a diagnosis in and of itself.



EDIT: Also, I don't think those human failings should be the focus of a discussion about Thornley's life. The interesting things he did, far outweigh his personal faults (of which, I'm sure there were many).

[parabolee]

The VERY disturbing incident can be read here -

http://books.google.com/books?id=tCxmamU5ZuUC&dq=Kerry+Thornley&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=y-7CPlROP5&sig=wIJ-qzhUHT99t2S3sRWRJe6LX1o&hl=en&ei=EazsSfmvApzItgeZwu2cBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA157,M1

Page 157

I could not find a second occasion? Care to point me to it?

I think if Kerry was the main writer of Principia and not by all accounts (at least later in life) a madman. This would prevent me from enjoying Pricipia Discordia in any way.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

I think if Kerry was the main writer of Principia and not by all accounts (at least later in life) a madman. This would prevent me from enjoying Pricipia Discordia in any way.

Kerry was one of the writers of the PD. Later in life, he has some serious issues which could have been due to madness (paranoid schizophrenia, probably). However, to be fair, the issues in Kerry's later life may have been due to a number of different things, including drug abuse, serious psychological pressure during the Jim Garrison investigations or experimentation by the US Military on his brain while he was in. According to the biography, his unit was one that the US government had done MK-Ultra experiments on. Also, note that in the last hospital stays, he got some treatment for schizophrenia and responded quite well to it. So perhaps, if psychology medicine had been further along, and available to someone like Kerry in the 80's, he would have been in much better shape, mentally. Of course, it also seems possible (unlikely but possible) that a lot of his schizophrenia was based on reality. There are certainly some very strange coincidences related to the 'conspiracy' surrounding him. Most of his friends felt he had lost it, but also probably had a reason for losing it. 

The number of authors that have serious psychological issues appear to be quite high. Why would that necessarily stop you from enjoying their work? Besides, if anything, its a good reminder that Omar and Mal-2 were no different, better or more enlightened than any other monkeys on this planet. They had human faults and human failures just like most of us. Even if Kerry died a crazy old homeless man... I think he wrote some brilliant stuff, just like many other madmen.

I'd say that the life of Thornley and Hill make a startling counterexample to that of RAW, Leary and Benares. They were all movers and shakers in the counterculture movement. They all had similar ideas about government, religion and the possibilities of the human race. The biggest difference between them was their attitude. Mal and Omar tended to be more pessimistic about life/the future etc, RAW and Leary tended to be extreme optimists and Benares appears to have simply focused on running until he fell over.

Kerry died alone and homeless.
Mal-2 died alone, a middle management banker and alcoholic.
Leary died surrounded by people who felt he had changed their life.
RAW died surrounded by people who felt he had changed their life.
Benares died, living a wild and outlandish life, apparently quite pleased with the way things had gone.

Now that doesn't necessarily mean anything, it could just be pattern matching...

[parabolee]

The number of authors that have serious psychological issues appear to be quite high. Why would that necessarily stop you from enjoying their work?

It's not his possible madness that would prevent me from enjoying his work. His mental problems in fact help make it easier to enjoy his work in light of the very disturbing account of his attempt to sexually molest an 8 year old girl.

Crowley was most likely insane and at the end of his life so was Nietzsche. Both writers I greatly admire. But they also didn't try to get it on with a child.

[Cramulus]

the very disturbing account of his attempt to sexually molest an 8 year old girl.

can I get a citation on that?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

The number of authors that have serious psychological issues appear to be quite high. Why would that necessarily stop you from enjoying their work?

It's not his possible madness that would prevent me from enjoying his work. His mental problems in fact help make it easier to enjoy his work in light of the very disturbing account of his attempt to sexually molest an 8 year old girl.

Crowley was most likely insane and at the end of his life so was Nietzsche. Both writers I greatly admire. But they also didn't try to get it on with a child.

That you know of...

Most humans do something utterly horrific in their life at some point. The question is, do you use their worst moment to be that which defines them?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

the very disturbing account of his attempt to sexually molest an 8 year old girl.

can I get a citation on that?

See the link in the above post:
http://books.google.com/books?id=tCxmamU5ZuUC&dq=Kerry+Thornley&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=y-7CPlROP5&sig=wIJ-qzhUHT99t2S3sRWRJe6LX1o&hl=en&ei=EazsSfmvApzItgeZwu2cBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA157,M1

EDIT: I also had thought I read two incidents, but as the book quote shows... there was only the one incident that anyone knows of.

[parabolee]

That you know of...

Most humans do something utterly horrific in their life at some point. The question is, do you use their worst moment to be that which defines them?

True, and I try not to use the worst moment of anyone's life to define them. I usually draw the line at child molestation though.

But I think had he been the main writer and creator of Principia Discordia as opposed to Mal-2. I would find it very difficult to enjoy such a wonderful peice of work because of this revelation. A shame to be sure.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

That you know of...

Most humans do something utterly horrific in their life at some point. The question is, do you use their worst moment to be that which defines them?

True, and I try not to use the worst moment of anyone's life to define them. I usually draw the line at child molestation though.

But I think had he been the main writer and creator of Principia Discordia as opposed to Mal-2. I would find it very difficult to enjoy such a wonderful peice of work because of this revelation. A shame to be sure.

Well, neither of them were the main creator, as the PD is a collection of many different people... Thornley and Hill were the ones first inspired to start it and were very vocal in promoting it, but the book itself has many different authors (later editions have even more).

However, your personal judgments are yours to make. Since the PD has nothing to do with Child Molestation, and since Thornley's incident didn't happen until years after the PD had been written, I'm not sure that I agree with your position...

but hey, "To each their own" said the old lady as she kissed the cow.... 

[Cramulus]

*shrug* crazy people occasionally do crazy things. That's why we think they're insane.

But I second what Rat said - the PD doesn't have any of that vibe in it, except for a touch of the free-love vibe. (which is kind of subtle) I only know of one person who read the PD and interpreted it as an excuse to explore free love with minors. So I think the worth of the PD shouldn't be measured against Kerry's life.


I mean frankly, the PD could have been written by a robot, or Bizarro Hitler, and it wouldn't change how I felt about it.


I mean, Jefferson fucked his slaves, that doesn't make him a bad president.