The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels
Encyclopedia
The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels is the name of a group of occultists and performers including writer and magician Alan Moore
, Bauhaus
member David J
, and musician Tim Perkins, who perform occult "workings" consisting of prose poetry set to music. Several of these "workings" have been released onto CD. It was also the name of the group's first performance piece which was released as a spoken word
CD in 1996.
as "a return to his roots of performing from the days of the Northampton Arts Lab and the various bands along the way from there to here." David J and - particularly Tim Perkins provide "musical backdrop to Alan's monologues and verse... [sometimes] accompanied by a dancer." Some performances are recorded live, others are "recreated in the studio" after the fact.
(a Roman snake deity) and "a tour of the wild magic of the London area the piece was being performed in."
Fellow writer Warren Ellis
wrote in 2000 that parts of Moore's monologue "emerged first as introductory pieces to FROM HELL
, [as well as in] the Iain Sinclair
mockumentary
-documentary for Channel 4
... [entitled, "The Cardinal & the Corpse"; in which Moore appeared] as an occult fanatic trapped in a room with strange old books."
Tracks from the CD release have featured on other albums, with the first track - "The Hair Of The Snake That Bit Me" - appearing in 1995 on Hexentexts, the Creation Books
Sampler CD, for which Alan Moore drew the cover.
The 'birth caul' itself a thin piece of the placenta
sometimes present at birth, and traditionally kept as a good luck charm. Moore's text treats the caul as a map of humanity. With it, he examines the connections between language, identity and our perceptions of the world, regressing from early adulthood through adolescence, childhood and infancy to prenatal existence, in a quest for a primitive consciousness existing before language. In 2000, Warren Ellis described the working as
In 1998, after completing the artwork for From Hell
, Moore played the CD recording to artist Eddie Campbell, who immediately asked if he could do a pictorial interpretation; this was self-published by Campbell in 1999. In 2005, it was reprinted as part of Moore and Campbell's A Disease of Language
. Warren Ellis called it an "excellent adaptation."
In 2003 an essay - "Unwrapping the Birth Caul" - examining the text, performance and comic by English teacher and comics reviewer Marc Singer was published in the 50th Birthday tribute book Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman
.
, in London. The CD was designed by John Coulthart
and released in November, 2000. During his study of the area, Moore looks at - among other things - the building of the football stadium
(and the Arsenal
football team itself), construction of the underground
, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
, and local gangsters.
Warren Ellis described it as an "evocation/invocation of a specific area... Highbury, in London" in the same mould as the groups initial, self-titled working. It comprises
's record label RE: (1998–2003). Founded in 1998, RE: was Severin's independent label created primarily to "release 3 solo albums of commissioned music" Having released three albums (1998–2000), Severin "concentrated on developing the label by bringing on board the inestimable talents of comics legend, Alan Moore... [releasing] 3 spoken word albums by Alan Moore in collaboration with his musical partner, Tim Perkins."
Severin's RE: label released a number of diverse CDs over its five-year life, including three by the Moon & Serpent collective/Moore & Perkins.
A limited-edition print of the CD cover by John Coulthart
was also sold.
at a meeting of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
by Moore, with music by Tim Perkins. It explored the local area and its magical associations, and dealt particularly with the disinterment of Oliver Cromwell
and Elizabeth Siddell, and Arthur Machen
's visionary experiences.
In 2001, it was adapted into comic-form by frequent collaborator Eddie Campbell, and in 2006 was reprinted as part of the pair's A Disease of Language
.
A CD - the collective's fifth - was released in 2003 by RE: (RE:CD05).
. Moore and Perkins performed alongside Jah Wobble
, Billy Bragg
and Fat Les
. Patti Smith
presented an evening of poetry and music devoted to Blake at the same event.
artistic collaborator Eddie Campbell into self-published comic books in 1999 and 2001. These were collected, with additional interview material, in 2006 as A Disease of Language by Palmano Bennett and Knockabout Comics
(ISBN 0861661532).
(Moore's mentor; no relation) - is due out from Top Shelf Productions
in 2013. The book intends to be "a clear and practical grimoire
of the occult
sciences," containing "profusely illustrated instructional essays upon the Moon & Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels sect's theories of magic" from c. 150AD to the present.
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
member David J
David J
David John Haskins , better known as David J, is a British alternative rock musician. He was the bassist for the gothic rock band Bauhaus and Love and Rockets....
, and musician Tim Perkins, who perform occult "workings" consisting of prose poetry set to music. Several of these "workings" have been released onto CD. It was also the name of the group's first performance piece which was released as a spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
CD in 1996.
History
The group formed in the mid 1990s, as part of Moore's " "coming out" as a magician," described by Warren EllisWarren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
as "a return to his roots of performing from the days of the Northampton Arts Lab and the various bands along the way from there to here." David J and - particularly Tim Perkins provide "musical backdrop to Alan's monologues and verse... [sometimes] accompanied by a dancer." Some performances are recorded live, others are "recreated in the studio" after the fact.
The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels
The group's initial, self-titled "working" occurred in 1994. It was released on CD in 1996 on the Cleopatra label, (just a week after Birth Caul), and re-released in limited form in 1999/2000. The "most overtly occult," it was an exploration of magic, GlyconGlycon
Glycon was a snake god, according to the satirist Lucian, who provides the only literary reference to the deity. Lucian claimed Glycon was created in the mid-2nd century by the Greek prophet Alexander of Abonutichus...
(a Roman snake deity) and "a tour of the wild magic of the London area the piece was being performed in."
Fellow writer Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
wrote in 2000 that parts of Moore's monologue "emerged first as introductory pieces to FROM HELL
From Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
, [as well as in] the Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
-documentary for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
... [entitled, "The Cardinal & the Corpse"; in which Moore appeared] as an occult fanatic trapped in a room with strange old books."
Tracks from the CD release have featured on other albums, with the first track - "The Hair Of The Snake That Bit Me" - appearing in 1995 on Hexentexts, the Creation Books
Creation Books
Creation Books is a British publishing house specializing in experimental literature, surrealism, erotic and decadent literature. Creation also publish non-fiction, with books on magic, subcultures, and taboo topics such as suicide and serial killers. They are best known for publishing a number of...
Sampler CD, for which Alan Moore drew the cover.
The Birth Caul
The trio's second performance (and technically their first CD release) was The Birth Caul (A Shamanism of Childhood), a spoken word piece by Moore with music by David J and Tim Perkins. The performance took place at the Old County Court in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, on November 18, 1995, and was released on March 5, 1996 by Charrm (CHARRMCD22).The 'birth caul' itself a thin piece of the placenta
Placenta
The placenta is an organ that connects the developing fetus to the uterine wall to allow nutrient uptake, waste elimination, and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply. "True" placentas are a defining characteristic of eutherian or "placental" mammals, but are also found in some snakes and...
sometimes present at birth, and traditionally kept as a good luck charm. Moore's text treats the caul as a map of humanity. With it, he examines the connections between language, identity and our perceptions of the world, regressing from early adulthood through adolescence, childhood and infancy to prenatal existence, in a quest for a primitive consciousness existing before language. In 2000, Warren Ellis described the working as
In 1998, after completing the artwork for From Hell
From Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
, Moore played the CD recording to artist Eddie Campbell, who immediately asked if he could do a pictorial interpretation; this was self-published by Campbell in 1999. In 2005, it was reprinted as part of Moore and Campbell's A Disease of Language
A Disease of Language
A Disease of Language is the 2005 collection of adaptations by Eddie Campbell of two of Alan Moore's performances, The Birth Caul and Snakes and Ladders . It is rounded by a 2002 interview of Moore conducted by Campbell for Egomania 2 and sketches...
. Warren Ellis called it an "excellent adaptation."
In 2003 an essay - "Unwrapping the Birth Caul" - examining the text, performance and comic by English teacher and comics reviewer Marc Singer was published in the 50th Birthday tribute book Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman
Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman
Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman is a tribute to comics creator Alan Moore edited by Gary Spencer Millidge and Smoky Man and published by Abiogenesis Press in May 2003...
.
The Highbury Working, A Beat Séance
This was performed on November 20, 1997 at The Garage in Highbury by Moore and Perkins, with dancer Paule van Wijngaarden. This dealt with an exploration of the area of HighburyHighbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
, in London. The CD was designed by John Coulthart
John Coulthart
John Coulthart is a British graphic artist, illustrator, author and designer who has produced book covers and illustrations, CD covers and posters...
and released in November, 2000. During his study of the area, Moore looks at - among other things - the building of the football stadium
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
(and the Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
football team itself), construction of the underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
, and local gangsters.
Warren Ellis described it as an "evocation/invocation of a specific area... Highbury, in London" in the same mould as the groups initial, self-titled working. It comprises
The RE: label
Starting with the CD release of The Highbury Working, the Moon & Serpent group (Moore & Perkins)'s CDs were released on ex-Siouxsie and the Banshees songwriter and co-former Steven SeverinSteven Severin
Steven Severin , is an English musician, composer, bassist and co-founding member of Siouxsie and the Banshees....
's record label RE: (1998–2003). Founded in 1998, RE: was Severin's independent label created primarily to "release 3 solo albums of commissioned music" Having released three albums (1998–2000), Severin "concentrated on developing the label by bringing on board the inestimable talents of comics legend, Alan Moore... [releasing] 3 spoken word albums by Alan Moore in collaboration with his musical partner, Tim Perkins."
Severin's RE: label released a number of diverse CDs over its five-year life, including three by the Moon & Serpent collective/Moore & Perkins.
A limited-edition print of the CD cover by John Coulthart
John Coulthart
John Coulthart is a British graphic artist, illustrator, author and designer who has produced book covers and illustrations, CD covers and posters...
was also sold.
Snakes and Ladders
Performed on the 10th of April 1999 at Conway Hall in Red Lion SquareRed Lion Square
Red Lion Square is a small square on the boundary of Bloomsbury and Holborn in London. The square was laid out in 1698 by Nicholas Barbon, taking its name from the Red Lion Inn. According to some sources the bodies of three regicides - Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Henry Ireton - were placed...
at a meeting of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development...
by Moore, with music by Tim Perkins. It explored the local area and its magical associations, and dealt particularly with the disinterment of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and Elizabeth Siddell, and Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen
Arthur Machen was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror...
's visionary experiences.
In 2001, it was adapted into comic-form by frequent collaborator Eddie Campbell, and in 2006 was reprinted as part of the pair's A Disease of Language
A Disease of Language
A Disease of Language is the 2005 collection of adaptations by Eddie Campbell of two of Alan Moore's performances, The Birth Caul and Snakes and Ladders . It is rounded by a 2002 interview of Moore conducted by Campbell for Egomania 2 and sketches...
.
A CD - the collective's fifth - was released in 2003 by RE: (RE:CD05).
Angel Passage
This was performed on February 2, 2001 at The Purcell rooms as part of the "Tygers of Wrath" evening of readings and performances celebrating the life of William BlakeWilliam Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
. Moore and Perkins performed alongside Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
, Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
and Fat Les
Fat Les
Fat Les is a British band consisting of Alex James from Blur, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst. Vocals on their singles were provided by Keith Allen , Alex James , Lily Allen , Andy Kane , Lisa Moorish and Michael Barrymore .Fat Les created the...
. Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
presented an evening of poetry and music devoted to Blake at the same event.
CD releases
Five recorded versions of the groups performances have been released to date. Since 2000, these have been on the RE: label. In order of release, they are:- The Birth Caul (Carrm [CHARRMCD22], 1996)
- The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels (Cleopatra [CLEO 96882], 1996)
- The Highbury Working, A Beat Séance (RE: [RE:PCD03], 2000)
- Angel Passage (RE: [RE:PCD04], 2001/2002)
- Snakes and Ladders (RE: [RE:CD05], 2002/2003)
Other
In addition, tracks from The Moon and Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels have appeared on other audio compilations. These are:- Hexentexts: A Creation Books Sampler (Codex [CODE1], 1994)
- Features "The Hair Of The Snake That Bit Me" and a cover by Moore.
- Cleopatra Records Presents Goth Box (Cleopatra [CLP 9798-2], 1996)
- Features "The Enochian Angel of the 7th Aethyr" (credited to David J only)
- Gothic Legends 3CD Limited Edition Set (Cleopatra [CLP 0741-2], 1999)
- Comprises the previously-released Grand Egyptian Theatre.. (1996) alongside Eva OEva OEva Ortiz better known as Eva O is a music artist most notable for her previous works in Christian Death and a band she formed with her then husband Rozz Williams called Shadow Project...
's Past Time (1993) and Christian DeathChristian DeathChristian Death is an American deathrock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1979. The band was founded and fronted by Rozz Williams. Christian Death is most notable for their first album Only Theatre of Pain....
's Death in Detroit (1995).
- Comprises the previously-released Grand Egyptian Theatre.. (1996) alongside Eva O
A Disease of Language
Two of Moore's spoken-word pieces - Birth Caul and Snakes & Ladders - were adapted by his From HellFrom Hell
From Hell is a comic book series by writer Alan Moore and artist Eddie Campbell, originally published from 1991 to 1996, speculating upon the identity and motives of Jack the Ripper. The title is taken from the first words of the "From Hell" letter, which some authorities believe was an authentic...
artistic collaborator Eddie Campbell into self-published comic books in 1999 and 2001. These were collected, with additional interview material, in 2006 as A Disease of Language by Palmano Bennett and Knockabout Comics
Knockabout Comics
Knockabout Comics is a UK publisher and distributor of underground and alternative comic books.-History:It was formed by Tony Bennett and Carol Bennett in the 1980s to distribute Gilbert Shelton's Freak Brothers titles as well as British work from creators such as Hunt Emerson and Bryan...
(ISBN 0861661532).
The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic
This book - written by Alan Moore with Steve MooreSteve Moore (comics)
Steve Moore is a British comics writer.Moore is credited with showing acclaimed writer Alan Moore , then a struggling cartoonist, how to write comic scripts...
(Moore's mentor; no relation) - is due out from Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, Portland, Oregon, and New York City, New York....
in 2013. The book intends to be "a clear and practical grimoire
Grimoire
A grimoire is a textbook of magic. Such books typically include instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination and also how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons...
of the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
sciences," containing "profusely illustrated instructional essays upon the Moon & Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels sect's theories of magic" from c. 150AD to the present.
External links
- "Come in Alone" by Warren EllisWarren EllisWarren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
for Comic Book ResourcesComic Book ResourcesComic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
, December 16, 2000. - "The Alan Moore Magic Site" - includes reviews of The Moon and Serpent.., A Highbury Working and Angel Passage.