Pop Apocalypse
by Matthew J. Dillon
Pop Apocalypse explores gnostic, esoteric, and mystical currents in popular culture. The podcast features interviews with artists, musicians, and writers about the experiential and spiritual dimensions of their work. Music by Secret Chiefs 3.
Episodes
-
Exploring the Mysticism of Mathematics with Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo
Episode 22 of the Pop Apocalypse features part two of Matt's epic interview with musician and mathematician, Robert Schneider. Robert and Matt discuss the status of the third Olivia Tremor Control record (2:44), and how that story is interwoven with Robert’s own move from music into mathematics....
-
Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective with Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo
Spirituality and The Elephant 6 Collective With Robert Schneider In episodes 21 and 22 of the Pop Apocalypse, host Matt Dillon welcomes musician and mathematician Robert Schneider. Schneider is the lead singer of the psychedelic pop band The Apples in Stereo, a producer for bands including…
more -
Acting, Dreamwork, and the Study of Religion - A Talk with Amy Brenneman
In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 20, we welcome actress, writer, producer, and activist, Amy Brenneman. After earning her B.A. in Comparative Religions at Harvard, Amy went on to a successful acting career, with star turns in the film Heat, as well as the shows like "The Leftovers," "The Old Man," and...
-
From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman
In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the…
more -
Integrating Wisdom Christianity and “The Work” of G.I. Gurdjieff: A Talk with Cynthia Bourgeault
In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 18, we welcome theologian, author, and Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault, whose work combines the Christian contemplative and wisdom traditions, “The Work” of GI Gurdjieff, and the philosophy of Henry Corbin into a lived mystical theology. Throughout the episode (2:38)…
more -
Mysticism and the Simulation Hypothesis – A Talk with Rizwan Virk
Do we live inside a Matrix-like simulation? For Episode 17 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome one of the leading theorists behind the simulation hypothesis, Rizwan Virk, to discuss that question. Virk is an entrepreneur, videogame pioneer, and academic author of two major works on simulation…
more -
AI, Hip-Hop, and the Digital Uncanny – A Talk with Paul Miller, aka “DJ Spooky”
For Episode 16 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome composer, artist, and media theorist Paul Miller. Miller is best known for his music as DJ Spooky, the avant-garde turntableist who has collaborated with artists ranging from Chuck D to Yoko Ono. He has also re-scored classic films, such as The Cabinet...
-
Gnostic Myth in Film - A Talk with Fryderyk Kwiatkowski
For episode 15 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome assistant professor, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski, on to discuss the relationship between ancient Gnostic myth and modern cinema. Fryderyk takes us through the impact European intellectuals 20:29 Carl Jung, Hans Jonas, and Eric Voegelin on popular conceptions…
more -
Madness, Mysticism, and Philosophy – A Talk with Wouter Kusters
For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss (5:26) how the experience of...
-
Photographing the Invisible: A Talk with Shannon Taggart
For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting...
-
Black Metal and Orthodox Christianity - A Talk with Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy
For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and...
-
Women, Art, and the Spirit World - A Talk With Jennifer Higgie, Author of The Other Side
For Episode 11 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Jennifer Higgie. Jennifer is the author of several books, including Bedlam, a novel about the artist Richard Dadd; The Mirror and the Palette, a history of women’s self-portraits; and The Other Side: A Story of Women in Art and the Spirit World, a...
-
Music and the Esoteric Imagination - A Talk with Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3
For episode 10 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the musician, composer, and producer Trey Spruance. We discuss (3:42)Trey’s early musical and occult explorations and how reading the philosopher Henry Corbin changed the course of his life. Trey then takes us through the esoteric dimensions of Secret...
-
Religion, Technology, and Extraterrestrial Intelligences – A Talk with Diana Pasulka
For episode nine, we welcome to the show Diana Pasulka, Professor of Religious Studies at UNC – Wilmington. Her books American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology and Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligences are both classics in the field of Religion and Technology studies. We discuss…
more -
Dreams, Creativity, and Precognition – a talk with Eric Wargo
For our eighth episode, we welcome the author Eric Wargo to the show. Eric is perhaps the world’s foremost expert on precognition. His most recent book, From Nowhere, examines precognition in its relationship to creativity in the lives of major authors and artists. We discuss the nature of time,...
-
Psychedelics, California, and the Cultures of Consciousness - A Talk with Erik Davis.
For episode 7, we welcome the writer and scholar Erik Davis (4:06) to reflect on the journey that led to his new book, BLOTTER: The Untold Story of an Acid Medium. We discuss Erik’s writing for the Village Voice in the early 90s, his breakthrough monograph Techgnosis, and how his home state of...
-
Inside the Mind of a Spirit Channel - A Conversation with Paul Selig
For our sixth episode, we welcome the spirit channel, teacher, and playwright Paul Selig. In this conversation 8:14, we explore Selig’s early career as a playwright and professor, his spiritual awakening during the Harmonic Convergence of 1987, how he cultivated his mediumship abilities, and the...
-
Ecstatic Knowledge and the Study of Religion - featuring Jeffrey Kripal
For episode five of the pod, we are honored to welcome Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Chair of Philosophy and Religious Thought at Rice University. In this career-spanning chat 10:36 we discuss Kripal’s Catholic upbringing, psychoanalysis, and the ecstatic experience in Calcutta that changed...
-
Monsters, Fictional Worlds, and the Repressed Supernatural - a talk with Victoria Nelson
For episode four, we welcome the acclaimed novelist and scholar Victoria Nelson. Nelson is the academic doyen of what is today labeled Occulture Studies. Her first monograph on the supernatural in popular culture, The Secret Life of Puppets (2001), practically willed the field into existence. The...
-
Aliens, Eros, and Life After Death - An Interview with Whitley Strieber
For our third episode, we welcome the #1 New York Times best-selling author Whitley Strieber. Whitley discusses his boyhood as a Roman Catholic, the erotic dimensions of alien contact, his lifelong meditative practice, evolving views of the afterlife, and the recent U.S. Congressional testimony...
-
Psychedelic Gnosis and the Imaginal Double with Laurence Caruana
For episode two, we welcome Laurence Caruana, one of the leading figures in the European visionary art world. We discuss the ontology of dreams, Henry Corbin, ayahuasca visions, the language of images, Jesus in the Nag Hammadi Library, the ascent of the soul at death, and Laurence’s plan for an...
-
Waking from the Flesh Dream with Allyson and Alex Grey
For our premier episode, we welcome the visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey. We discuss Alex and Allyson’s early performance art, the ecstatic experiences behind their paintings, the history of their Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and the culture-shift around psychedelics in the last twenty years.…
more
About this show
Pop Apocalypse explores gnostic, esoteric, and mystical currents in popular culture. The podcast features interviews with artists, musicians, and writers about the experiential and spiritual dimensions of their work. Music by Secret Chiefs 3.
Hosted by
Matthew J. Dillon
Categories