Adam Parfrey
“Adam Parfrey is probably the most influential ‘underground’ publisher in post-millennial America. If you are a fan of film-maker Ed Wood; have read the biting social commentary of Church of Satan founder Anton Szandor LaVey, or witnessed the contemporary revival of 1950s burlesque culture, you have been touched by the singular mind of Adam Parfrey.”- Alex Burns of Disinformation
To say this man was a huge influence on my life is tantamount to saying Julius Steicher’s Der Sturmer influenced antisemitism in 1930s Germany.
It was back in 1988 when I first heard of his book produced by AMOK called Apocalypse Culture, a sort of bible for daring and insane ideas. In the preface of the revised edition he had stated:
In the first six months or so, writers could not place reviews of Apocalypse Culture anywhere; editors were wary of “that book.” Without publicity and only limited shelf space, Apocalypse Culture somehow began to sell, and in its way affected things. I heard of it busting up a couple of marriages, one partner drawing the line over “that book.” Reviews began to appear, subjugating the book to vitriolic attack of abject praise.
I for one can attest to people flipping out in a rabid-dog display of reactionary anger. One day a gal I was dating (we will call her ‘Jane’) stopped over for a visit as I was re-re-re-reading Apocalypse Culture. I then sat the book down and told her I am going to get changed so we could go grab a few drinks. When I returned, there Jane was sitting on the couch looking at me as if I had a roll in the hay with her granny backwards up-hill over briars, she then threw the book at my head and called me everything from a hate filled crazy to a child molesting pervert. It probably didn’t help that I was laughing through the entire debacle.
In 1989 Adam split with his then partner at AMOK press to start his own company FERAL HOUSE (named by his comrade in hijinks Boyd Rice) and brought about the resurgence of Anton LaVey by putting out all the books that the other so called free thinking imprints refused; The Devils Notebook, The Satanic Witch, Satan Speaks and The Secret Life of a Satanist. In the way of Kulture he had put out American Hardcore, Lords of Chaos, Bubblegum Pop, Death Scenes, The Gates of Janus, Extreme Islam, Apocalypse Culture I & II, Cult Rapture, Lexicon Devil, and many others.
Since then he has been accosted for nearly every social ill and problem and his reaction is this;“upsetting people is a beautiful thing. Because it gets people to think beyond their last visit to 7-Eleven. There’s a lot about this world to be upset about.”
Parfrey’s critical reputation, and received accolades from X-Files creator Chris Carter, actor Crispin Glover and serial killer Richard Ramirez.
So here’s to you oh Adam Parfrey king of uncomfortable, purveyor of perversion, and maven of mayhem! Thanks for making my life more palpable and much more humorous!