Humor

“It is a beautiful night for the end of the world” – The Reasonabilists (Parks and Recreation)

For a while in the 1970s, our town was run by a freaky cult, and every few years the remaining members predict that the world’s gonna end, and they have an all-night vigil in the park. It’s super annoying. Turns out when you think the world’s ending, you don’t aim so carefully in the port-a-potties. … Read more“It is a beautiful night for the end of the world” – The Reasonabilists (Parks and Recreation)

“The Man and the Monster”

Rüdiger Weida, a.k.a. Bruder Spaghettus explains his practice of Pastafarianism in this short, entertaining documentary by filmmaker Alex Alford: … when I actually met Rüdiger I discovered there was much more to his story than initially met the eye. As a student growing up in oppressive East Germany post-WWII, he fell in love with satire … Read more“The Man and the Monster”

“Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God”

From a review of author/magician Alan Moore’s very long-awaited grimoire, The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic: Magic, for the Moores, is somewhere between metaphor and spiritual practice. It’s a way, like art, of exploring the rich territory of internal worlds, following the maps offered by tools like kabbalah and the tarot, and shaping … Read more“Alan Moore Wants You to Invent Your Own God”

Thanksgiving/Day of the Dead in Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure, 1992)

The good people of Cicely, Alaska enjoy their eccentric, Day of the Dead-inflected version of Thanksgiving in this scene from Northern Exposure (1992). As explained by Marilyn Whirlwind (Elaine Miles), the indigenous people of Cicely do not regard the orthodox Thanksgiving as a day of celebration. In fact, they carry a lot of ancestral anger … Read moreThanksgiving/Day of the Dead in Cicely, Alaska (Northern Exposure, 1992)

“Tarzan and Jesus” – a Parable from Tom Robbins’ “Another Roadside Attraction” (1971)

Jesus was sitting on a rock in the desert, meditating and reading the Law, when Tarzan came riding up on a goat. Tarzan was munching nutmeg seeds and playing the harmonica. “Hi, Jesus,” he yelled. Jesus jumped like he was stung by a scorpion. “You startled me,” he stammered. “I thought at first you were … Read more“Tarzan and Jesus” – a Parable from Tom Robbins’ “Another Roadside Attraction” (1971)

“Kumaré: the True Story of a False Prophet” (2011)

Kumaré documents American filmmaker Vikram Ghandi’s self-reinvention as the guru Kumaré, in an attempt to explore and expose the guru/disciple dynamic in the cultic milieu. Growing out his hair and beard, dressing like a holy man and imitating his grandmother’s voice, Gandhi invented his own yoga and other rituals on the fly, gathering a devoted … Read more“Kumaré: the True Story of a False Prophet” (2011)

“Ruby Takes a Trip” (documentary, 1991)

I recorded this unusual and imaginative documentary on VHS tape back when it first screened, and re-watched it several times. During the first two-thirds, comedienne and presenter Ruby Wax lampoons various California New Age therapies and ostensibly mystical practices (or at least provides color commentary as they lampoon themselves) and it’s fun and funny to … Read more“Ruby Takes a Trip” (documentary, 1991)