Apocalypse Theory (Untheories of Nonexistance)

When I say "apocalypse", I'm not talking in Biblical terms. This little thingie of mine, originally called "The Beginning of the End", will clarify everything...or so I hope. Basically this explains why my major website is called Electric Apocalypse, and why as the keeper of said site I started calling myself Apocalypse Girl.


ENTER THE FOUR HORSEMEN

What is an apocalypse? What does "apocalypse" mean? Why is this apocalypse electric? As the author of this domain, I am very proud of the research I have done which has gone into the creation of this site and the themes of Electric Apocalypse Productions.

There are four characters which may be familiar to you in name, if not in fact. These are my interpretation on a classic theme. They are War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death--the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The Horsemen appear in the Book of Revelation (New Testament) and symbolize the supposed evils that will claim the earth at the end of the world. Traditionally, Death (also called Conquest) is mounted upon a white horse, War on a red horse, Pestilence (also called Plague) on a pale horse, and Famine on a black horse. As you can see, I have my own interpretation.
These evils, as stated, are harbingers of the end of the world. But I have to ask, have they not been among humanity since the beginning of human history? People have always been fighting each other. People have always gone hungry. People have always suffered from disease. People have always died. In this case, then, are the Four Horsemen signs of things to come, or are they revealatory in themselves, showing a darker and uglier side to human existence?

None of these things--Revelation, the Four Horsemen, apocalypse--are simply explained. What is more, I don't believe there is one correct definition. Here, I will be presenting my own take, based upon my research and a great many hours in contemplation. It is my hope that my point of view will be clear and understandable to you, but I in no way am claiming anyone should adopt my conclusions as their own. This has been a great journey of discovery for me, one I want to share with you.


APOCALYPSE TRADITION

Before I begin, I would like to give you a few standard working definitions from the New Testament. I will be adding more information in the course of this exposition.
APOCALYPSE - Another name for the New Testament Book of Revelation, from the Greek word for "revelation"; a final catastrophe; the end of the world; the end of time.
REVELATION - The last book of the New Testament, also called Apocalypse; the violent end of the world is foretold and the truth of the end of days is revealed; describes Armageddon, the Second Coming, Judgement Day, and the new heaven and earth.
ARMAGEDDON - The site of the final and conclusive battle between good and evil.
SECOND COMING - The return of Jesus to judge the living and the dead and bring about the final triumph of good over evil; this has been said to be in the near future for centuries.
ANTICHRIST - An enemy of Jesus who will appear before the Second Coming and win over many people who would otherwise follow Jesus.
Pretty clearly, an apocalypse would seem to be synonymous with the end of the world. Indeed this is a common connotation of apocalypse. However, to stop there is to miss out on a richer meaning.

"Apocalypse" comes from the Greek (Anglified) "apokalypsis", which in turn combines "apo" (un) + "kalyptein" (cover). In other words, an apocalypse means to uncover, to reveal. Revelation, then, is the uncovering of divine wisdom and prophecy regarding the end times and what the faithful must do.

I won't go into an exegesis on the Book of Revelation here, as it does not really serve any purpose in this instance. But we have uncovered two definitions of "apocalypse", both of which I ask you to keep in mind.

The ultimate end-all total turn around flip over and undoing of anything and everything.
The revelation of knowledge, even though that knowledge might be ugly.
APOCALYPSE CULTURE

Have you ever wondered about rubber necks? You know, the annoying drivers that slow down almost to a stop to gawk at a nasty auto accident?
I think this scenario applies to a great many situations in human life. People are fascinated by the appalling. It's an attraction-avoidance conflict in which attraction inevitably wins. Look at the tabloids. Yes, it's cattle fodder, but it also sells. What have been the obsessions? How long has the little beauty queen Jon Benet been dead, and she's still moving magazines. For that matter, what of the Kennedys? There's more said about them in death than in life. What other treats are presented to us? Diet tragedies and starvation stories, have mindblowing sex but get closer to deity, beauties beat up by enraged spouses, and of course the constant kicker, the imminent end of the world. If we're not living in an apocalypse culture, I can't imagine what this is.

In 1991, Feral House published Apocalypse Culture, a compendium of documents depicting the less savory side of our times. Includes are "Latter-Day Lycanthropy: Battling for the Feral Soul of Man", "The Unrepentant Necrophile", "Frank Talk from a Psychopath", "Aesthetic Terrorism", "Schizophrenic Responses to a Mad World", and "Long Live Death!" among many others. In 2000, in spite of the ardent determination of editor Adam Parfrey that Apocalypse Culture would never have a sequel, Feral House published Apocalypse Culture II, which is widely regarded as even more extreme than its predecessor. What exactly are these books? More than anything, these are books of revelation--books that bring the twisted side of mankind to light for you to peruse, if you dare. These are the things the general media sweeps under the rug, the things people never dicussed in a long ago day and age and still consider taboo.

More to the point, the Apocalypse Culture books are a manifestation of their title--the Apocalypse Culture. Who and what is Apocalypse Culture? Do you like peeking behind closed blinds after explicitly being told not to do so? Do you see what's really going on around you not through the goggles society would fit you with but through your own eyes? Can you see and appreciate the revelation of humanity's insanity? Do you agree that circumstances need some serious shaking up, and maybe even want to be one of the shakers? If any of these notions appeal to you, you might already be an active participant in Apocalypse Culture (as opposed to the passive participant who chases ambulances and likes reading about popular deaths without understanding their own urges).




APOCALYPSE THEORY

At this point I would like to mention that the concept of an apocalypse is one that has fascinated me for most of my life. This is not the same as being obsessed with the end of the world, mind you. To me, apocalypse always meant change, first and foremost. Granted, this is change on a grand scale, but change nonetheless.
I began to think out Apocalypse Theory when I survived the end of my own personal world. I won't go into the details, but I will say that everything that was for me was no more, and I was left to rebuild virtually from scratch. In time, I began to see that was I was making anew for myself was infinitely better than what I had lost. The medical analogy that when a broken bone heals badly it must be broken again to heal properly kept occurring to me. I saw where there was real strength in having undergone this complete debacle and rebirth. What happened to me? I had gone through a personal apocalypse, a mental apocalypse.

Yet there was more. In the process, I also had an apocalypse in the sense of revelation. I learned truths about myself, some of which were beautiful and some of which were the stuff of nightmares. The very nature of the world around me was revealed. I'd never really had the wool over my eyes before, but now it was gone forever. I saw and thought clearly. I was strong in my own convictions and not easily swayed by anything. I would include this as part of the personal and mental apocalypses previously mentioned.

This is Apocalypse Theory on a personal level, but what about applying the same principles to society? I believe that we as human beings are never stronger than when we've been shaken down to the very core of our being and then gone ahead to meet the challenge of a new beginning. The ugliness of mankind is revealed every day. We're destroying the planet, we're destroying ourselves. We're choosing apathy over action. We're fascinated by the death of one famous person and indifferent to the deaths of thousands in an earthquake. It's all revealed, but humanity's nature is to ignore what is displeasing and look the other way.

It's time for a shake up, and I say a shake up is long overdue. Naturally I don't mean the literal destruction of everything and everyone. But the broken bone hasn't healed properly; humanity has backed itself into a corner. The solution I propose is to break the bone again.

This, then, is Apocalypse Theory.




ELECTRIC APOCALYPSE

The tale of Electric Apocalypse is one of speculation, theory, and parallel. Please keep this in mind.
Our story begins in the eighteenth century. This was the time of the Enlightenment, the time when society turned away from religion and superstition in favor of science and reason. In this climate, the notion that anyone, especially people of note and power, would be dabbling in "Black Arts" and "Satanic Activities" might seem ludicrous. Yet, this may very well have happened--or something like it, or maybe something nothing like it at all that would have been dull without the diabolical veneer.

Parliament was into it. The American Founding Fathers were into it. But what was "it"? Welcome to the fact and lore of the Hellfire Club. Whether or not this organization conducted Satanic rites or if membership was just an expression of cynicism towards conventional religion is still debated (though folks will claim to have the absolute facts, a claim I refuse to make). In fact, the veracity or fable of the Hellfire Club is irrelevant here; one way or another, the name and the idea persist.

But the United States has some interesting potential connections to the Hellfire Club. Benjamin Franklin is said to have been an active member as he helped shape and form the new nation. Many of the other Founding Fathers had unusual views on Christianity. George Washington refused to kneel in church or take communion. Thomas Jefferson stated that he did not see a single redeeming feature in Christianity. James Madison said, "What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity, in both superstition, bigotry and persecution". Today, some Americans swear allegiance to their flag with the words "under God". "In God We Trust" appears on American currency. Yet the original motto of the Founding Fathers was "E Pluribus Unum" or simply "Out of Many, One". The Constitution guarantees religious freedom for all. How much can be attributed to the influence of the Hellfire Club?

More than two centuries after the drafting of the Constitution, the Hellfire Club rears its head again. This time, the philosophy is expressed in song and put to music--dance music, diabolical disco, even. The ideas are thriving again, but something's different this time. What is it? How is this happening? Of course! ELECTRICITY! Well, this is how I imagine the birth of one of my own favorite bands, the Electric Hellfire Club.

Nice, nice, but what does this have to do with me?

If you've read through the documents on this site, you're pretty familiar with my version of apocalypse. Aha, but just how do I bring that version to life through my production company? Of course! ELECTRICITY!

But I'm not just discussing the watts and voltage here. There's a creative electricity here too. That electricity is the heart of the whole effort. What exactly am I producing? Works for the Apocalypse Culture, works to wake people up, works to reveal the nastier side of human nature, in writing, film, graphic art, in any and every medium that occurs to me.

Such was the birth of the Electric Apocalypse Production Company, which I would say was established in 1987 when I shot my first film, "Skateboard Apocalypse". Essentially, nuclear warheads had been launched and death was a certainty. Given a short time left to live, what does a group of urban high school students choose to do? SKATE!

I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this introduction and for getting to know what Electric Apocalypse Productions is all about.