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)