The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music with Christopher Knowles

The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music with Christopher Knowles

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Jim Morrison is widely regarded as a shamanic figure in the pantheon of rock. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin famously experimented with guitars, gods and gurus of both eastern and western mystery traditions. Deadheads, Phishheads, and many other fans of rock bands, form tribes and faithfully follow their chosen group with a religious zeal. Today’s techno scene bespeaks a literal need for ecstatic experience. Why this urge to go “into the mystic?”

Is rock 'n' roll a modern phenomenon or simply the most recent incarnation of an artform whose roots can be traced back to the Stone Age? Did the ancient world have its own rock stars, its own Woodstocks and Lollapaloozas, even its own heavy metal headbangers? Who was the Jimi Hendrix, the Kurt Cobain or the David Bowie of ancient times?

As shown in The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll: The Mysterious Roots of Modern Music, the urge dates back to the ancient origins of rock: the religious phenomenon known as the “mystery religions.” These cults devoted to individual deities arose when the people of the ancient world became bored with the official pantheons of the state. Bridging the gap between ancient paganism and Christianity, the mystery religions offered a direct connection to your favorite god or goddess — as well as a hell of a good time.

The mystery religions used many of the same trappings as rock 'n' roll: drink and drugs; loud, percussive music; outrageous ritual garb; and lots and lots of sex to bring the initiate out of his/her mundane life and into the transcendent realm of the gods. For this, participants often risked brutal crackdowns by the authorities, who saw these cults as nothing less than dens of rebellion against the state.

Author Christopher Knowles, who wrote the award-winning Our Gods Wear Spandex, reveals in The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll how all of our favorite rock bands fit into the same archetypal roles as the ancient gods. It’s a wild read… You’ll be blown away how little the rituals have changed!

Times and technology have evolved, but human nature stays the same. Though most people today see rock as the marriage between technology, African roots music, and European folk, The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll shows that its spirit also comes from something far more ancient.

About the Author:

Christopher Knowles is the author of the Eagle Award-winning book Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes, Clash City Showdown: The Music, The Meaning, and Legacy of the Clash, and co-author of The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths, and the Movies. He was an associate editor and columnist for the five-time Eisner Award-winning Comic Book Artist magazine, as well as a writer and reviewer for the UK monthly, Classic Rock. Knowles writes about pop culture on his "Secret Sun" and "Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll" blogs. He lives with his family in New Jersey.

Scheduled Time:

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Date: Friday, November 5, 2010
Time: 7:00-9:00 PM Central

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