Death Equinox '98 Features

Opening Ceremonies:
Howdies from the Master of Toast and Chair Tyrant, free-form speeches from the Guests of Honour. If we're as cuddly as we were last year, we'll likely include introductions to a good crop of the audience as well. The Opening Ceremonies happen at 6pm on Thursday, and lead in to the programming (though you can visit the dealers' and art rooms, or mill around with everyone, from noon onward). Time: Thursday, 6pm.

Church of SubGenius Devival:
Rev. Ivan Stang, himself, in the COS' continuing War on Gods, will be preaching the gospels of Bob. Hear him rant, see the accompanying videos, hear the music, behold the True Pipe, and be expanded... or at least led astray. Time: Friday, 7pm.

The Films of Rev. Ivan Stang:
This year's film feature will be a sampling of the oft award-winning, and brilliantly devious, works of our Slack-Magickal GoH (Rev. Ivan Stang). Entries will include Arise! and a documentary on the recent end of the world, which he is currently working on. Stang will be speaking about the films as well. Time: Saturday, 1:30pm (the films will repeat during the convention, but the talks won't).

Personal Crank Theories, or Danger! Don Webb, Danger! -- Why You Might Not Be Able to Do Both the Internet and Alchemical Sex Magic:
This is a talk hosted by General GoH KW Jeter. What, you mean the title wasn't self-explanatory enough for you?! Time: Friday, 8pm.

Evil Trancemedia:
Veteran GoH Don Webb and poet Winter Marchosias, with the additional help of a large multi-media crew, will be combining their talents for a reading of Winter's dark poetry, Don's prose, atmospheric music, magic, and visuals. Time: Saturday, 7pm.

Hector:
T. Motley, founder and benevolent dictator of the Hector comic collective for 8 years, and Craig Gassen will host a slide show of comics by themselves and other Hector artists. Naturally this presentation will also involve the use of their thoughts and vocal cords. Time: Friday, 5:30pm.

Secrets of Unprofessional Cartooning:
This will be an informal discussion, hosted by T. Motley and Craig Gassen about the theory and practice of comic art as we enter the new millennium. Time: Sunday, 3:30pm.

Handling Tarantulas
Arachnologist Gene Santagada continues his endless, yet oft-times successful, quest for converting phobes to fans. This year he will be lecturing about, you guessed it, handling tarantulas. Some people feel that they shouldn't be handled at all, others disagree. He will, once again, have an entire menagerie of live specimens with him at the convention. Time: Saturday, 2pm.

Cnidarian Worship:
Sermons from The Blasted One, and other High Radiate-Initiates, followed by the Cnidarian panel. "Behold the Blessed Cnidaria, or Beget the Fiery Rain of Cnidocytes." Come "mentally prepared" for the best enjoyment potential. Visuals provided by Tantric Lobotomy Commission. Blasted participants include St. Sailing, St. Hemmingson, St. Young, St. Yardley, and St. Klock. The Cnidarian Sermons are a Saturday night tradition. Time: Saturday, 9pm.

Morbid Curiosity Open Mic:
Hosted by Morbid Curiosity editor Loren Rhoads. Contributors to the magazine will open this event with readings. Afterward, people will be able to come forward with their own personal morbid curiosity tales. Topic examples include: absinthe, Amsterdam, the aurora borealis, autoerotic stimulation, black mass, cremation, Dachau, DMT, eating insects, electrocution, endorphins, firewalking, fossils, ghosts, goat skulls, graveyards, heroin withdrawals, Hill of Crosses, House of Death, mescaline, mortuary science, necrophilia, parochial school, psychic vampirism, self-mutilation, shrines, S/M film-making, tarantulas, thunderstorms, torture museums, and zombie salmon. Time: Friday, 5pm.

Little Fyodor:
Live music performance, accompanied by the infamous Babushka. Salt them slugs, and get closer to God like a true blessed Idiot. Projected visuals provided by Tantric Lobotomy Commission. Being the new Manson of DE, poor Little Fyodor is now being forced to play every year. He speaks to us in ways we cringe and giggle at... Time: Friday, 10pm.

Winona Righteous:
Live music through the incredible vocals of Winona Righteous. Winona's soul came to this dying planet to sing her songs of the trials and tribulations of her assimilation into the hostile human race; and, hopefully, to save us through her message of peace, love, and bizarre sexual ritual. We know we can at least accept the latter... Time: Friday, 9pm.

DJing and Improv:
We didn't want to force everyone to give it up and go to bed after the band performances, so we're sticking this in here for people to do as they will with it. Knowing Death Equinox, it'll begin on a low-key and unorganized level, and then eventually grow. Time: Friday, 11:30pm.

Tribal Rhythmic Entrainment:
Esoteric music improv and primal break-down. Bring your click sticks, drums, didjeridoos, rattles, pipes, etc. This particular event became an all-nighter last year, and will be structured toward the end of a block of primal demonstration and ecstasy in '98. Unfortunately the fire needs to stay outside. Tribal Rhythmic Entrainment is Saturday night (late) event. Time: Saturday, 11:30pm.

Pain-Fest Ease-In:
A low-key show 'n' tell of pain and sex toys, to ease perverts and kinks into Death Equinox together or to let them become reacquainted after a year's physical absence. Either watch, or bring toys and join in. Time: Thursday, 11pm.

Motion:
Michael Hemmingson will be finishing his graphically kinky novel, Motion (due out from Masquerade Books in 1999), under scrutiny at Death Equinox. While this will mainly be happening in the middle of the night, he should also be able to be coerced into doing some of it during the day -- if interest warrants it. The manuscript will be completed in time for the auction, and then sold off to the lucky person who will be the first to read it in its entirety. Time: varies.

Live Web Hi:
Sign in on the Death Equinox web site and give your comments. Make everyone who didn't come jealous! The Web Hi tends to happen whenever it happens, which is generally right about when we are all too incohesive to type. We do try, though! Time: Varies.

Death Equinox '97 CD-ROM Demo:
CD designer Ron Howerton will be showing off the assortment we included on the Death Equinox '97 multi-media CD-ROM for 3 reasons: nostalgia, a chance for you to see it and buy it, and as a way to clue attendees in on what they might want to contribute to the '98 edition. The '97 CD features tons of fiction, non-fiction, film clips, animation, music, art, photos, etc, from participants as well as live A/V footage from the actual convention. Time: Once or twice, every day.

Auction:
The annual auction is held in support of Death Equinox. This year's Master of Toast, Lee Ballentine, a one-time street vendor with sales deeply imbedded in his blood, instinctively grabbed the gavel last year and will be taking it again this year. In '97 he initiated the manic bidding wars over anything from rare Throbbing Gristle records to old Re-Search issues to books desecrated by their authors to odd historical and occult relics. If anything, this year will be yet more interesting. Time: Sunday, noon.

Closing Ceremonies:
Everyone tells everyone to quit boozing, go home, and feel miserable for a week. Formally, though. The Closing Ceremonies take place on Sunday evening. Dead dog programming continues running afterward, but everything becomes considerably more entropic. Time: Sunday, 5pm.

Back to the DE '98 Programming options.