- ID GERMANIA 1993
- SLAYER 1993
- AUDIOVIEW 1994
- SYMPOSIUM 1994
- ESOTERRA 1995
ID GERMANIA 1993
– White Stains. Does this name have a deeper meaning?
W.S.: Yes, it certainly has. Originally the name was taken from a collection of poetry by Aleister Crowley. This collection includes the poem ”At Stockholm” which is a favourite of mine. We even made a CD together with Psychic TV with that name. It’s about when A.C. visited Stockholm in the late 1800’s and got highly illuminated by spending a night together with a Swedish girl. But it also has other meanings, like that of a white stain on a map – uncharted territory, although in our case more of a psychic kind than a geographical. Unexplored realms of the imagination.
– I’ve read that Anton LaVey supports White Stains’ productions. Is that correct?
W.S.: It’s correct in the sense that he’s liked all the material we’ve released so far. And he’s also featured on one of our CDs, ”Dreams Shall Flesh”, performing a song called ”The Satanic Hambo”. It’s still available in Germany.
– What do you think of The Church Of Satan? Are you perhaps a member?
W.S.: Yes, I’m a member of the Church. I’m very supportive of the aims and philosophies of The Church Of Satan, and have been so for approximately six years now. Although it’s not a magickal order in the ordinary sense, I derive a great deal of stimulation from other members I know. All very fine, intelligent and creative people.
– Many things from White Stains sounds like Sex Magick. Has Magick and the Master of Magick, Aleister Crowley, any influence on you?
W.S.: Yes, true in both cases. Crowley’s Thelemic philosophy is one of my main inspirations in life, as is the magickal system he developed from various sources. And although it doesn’t really matter whether or not people specifically perceive that our music is ”magickal”, I can say that the music we make is very much an expression, a vehicle, for one side of my own personal magickal work. If the listener takes in our music in other ways than intellectually, then my magick has been successful.
– PRPCP – what is it and what is the aim of it?
W.S.: It’s a company I started in 1990, and it’s released CDs, books, video-cassettes, promoted film-shows, organized concerts and many other things. An all-round creative outlet for what’s been going on in Stockholm the past few years. The aims have been to produce and release material that interests me. Most often of an esoterical and occult kind.
– Is PRPCP only your organisation?
W.S.: Yes, in the sense that I’m the owner. But there are a lot of people involved creatively, and not least Peter. We’ve also started an Institute called The Institute Of Comparative Misanthropology which will handle more of the creative projects and explorations from now on.
– What is the future of White Stains/PRPCP?
W.S.: The future of White Stains is glorious and splendid, with many new works, concerts and CDs ahead. We hope to work especially with cinema-soundtracks in the future, and also with touring, to meet new people and our fans in person. As for PRPCP, I’m not so certain. I’m not a businessman, so it’s very likely that The Institute Of Comparative Misanthroplogy will take over more and more, and that PRPCP will be put to sleep eternally. But… One never knows!
SLAYER 1993
– Your music has progressed quite a bit since the early days. Are you now at the level where you wish to be?
W.S.: Yes and no. We try to move on all the time, but sometimes it feels as though one is chasing one’s own tail… We have certainly evolved into something very much more potent, but it’s important not to let it all happen too fast. I hope we never reach the level where we wish to be… Because if we’d be there, there’d be no challenges left, would there?
– Your early releases were really limited, like the singles in 93 copies and so on. Isn’t it really expensive to print such small amounts?
W.S.: Of course… But the thing is that it doesn’t reach any hilarious sums because of the small amount. There’s always a balance between how many copies you want to have pressed, and how much money there is. There’s really no point in pressing thousands of copies if you’re not sure you can sell them. It’s much wiser to start on a miniscule level, and work upwards from there.
– You used to do T.O.P.Y. in Sweden. Why did you leave? And who is doing it now , by the way?
W.S.: I left because there was no devotion from my side, and also no time. There was a lot of paperwork to take care of every day, and I don’t have time for that. One should never indulge in anything half-heartedly! I belive T.O.P.Y. is an interesting organisation as an entrance to alternative ways of thought and behaviour, and by the time I left, I felt I had found a way of my own to develop these ways. I didn’t feel a need to express my feelings or my personal developments, magickally or otherwise, in the quite insular T.O.P.Y.-bulletins. I wanted to WORK, and that’s where I am today. As far as I know, no one is handling Sweden or Scandinavia as a specific area. If anyone’s interested, they should contact the people called ”T.O.P.Y. Station 23”.
– On your new CD, both THE HAFLER TRIO and ANTON LAVEY appear, and you have earlier worked with PSYCHIC TV. Is it important for you to work with other artists?
W.S.: That depends very much on whom we’re discussing… The people you’ve mentioned are people I admire and respect as artists in the true sense of the word. In these specific cases, it’s been a question of intercourse between creative minds. All of these intercourses have proved to be very fruitful, and I’m grateful to all of these geniuses for contributing to our Work. But, I wouldn’t say it’s important to work with other people as an end in itself. It all depends what kind of dirt you need to get out of your system…
– Will you use only the CD format in the future?
W.S.: It’s most likely that we’ll focus our releases to CDs only. Not only because they’re technically superior to vinyl, but because the market dictates this development. I have always been interested in tapes though, and I try to keep up with what’s happening on this scene, with small labels and companies, etc. We will put out a lot of cassettes this year, with White Stains as well as other groups. Another excellent format not to be forgotten is, of course, video. Our initial experiments with compilation videos, and also our promotional videos, have been inspiring for ourselves at least, and this should mean that there’s a certain amount of people who are likely to enjoy it all too.
– Would you like to be signed to another label?
W.S.: A tough question… The advantages must be severely judged against the obvious drawbacks. We have friends who are on SONY, WEA, and other biggies, and the horror-stories we’ve heard… At the moment, I don’t think I’d enjoy better distribution and marketing budgets at the cost of being treated as excrement. I’d rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven, as I quote on the CD…
– What about live-shows? Can you say there’s a certain atmosphere when you play live?
W.S.: We’ve only played a few times, so it’s hard to say whether there’s some pervading atmosphere…
– What kind of musical styles fascinate you nowadays?
W.S.: Anything powerful basically… I listen to a lot of Wagner and other classical heroes. Also a lot of experimental stuff. At the moment a great series of CDs called ”Anckarström”, with contributions by The Hafler Trio, John Duncan, Karkowski, Phauss and others. We have one in there too that I like a lot.
– I heard from the guys at dBUT that there were plans for you to play in Norway… What is going on with that?
W.S.: Unless some big disaster occurs, we will play in Oslo on March the 6th and in Bergen on March the 7th. We look forward to that very much.
– You were also featured on their tape sampler. Did you like any of the other bands featured?
W.S.: Yes, I like Jarboe and Munch, to name a few. The Jarboe song is like watching an old suspense thriller from the 1930’s, entirely filled with clichés, yet very stylish and exciting.
– What kind of people are attracted to your live shows?
W.S.: I have no idea! I think we can appeal to a great variety of oddballs, and now that we’ll finally hit the roads this spring, we’ll see. I often wonder who the hell buys our records…
– What is going on in Sweden now? Are there any exciting bands you could tell us about?
W.S.: There are a few psychedelic bands that I like, all from the Stockholm region: St. Mikael, who’s made three great LPs, Nature Dream Phase, STP, XTABAY, Gone… These are very seldom seen or heard, but when they do make a noise, they’re great. Otherwise, Sweden is contaminated by the terrible English pop-wave. Anemic and worthless nonsense – No fun for a true vampire!
– Thank you for talking to us… Anything more?
W.S.: Absolutely not! We’ll see you all in Norway, this time or the next! Fans and friends, get in touch!
AUDIOVIEW 1994
– Who are White Stains?
Carl Abrahamsson: White Stains are a musical group, consisting of me and Peter Bergstrandh. I started the group in 1988 as more of a psychedelic rock-band, and since then a lot of things have happened. We’ve changed styles many times, and we probably will at some point again. Because of this the members have varied. Peter joined in 1989, and we have worked together ever since on all the projects. He’s more of a musician than me, so he does a lot of the programming and the actual music. I’m more of a conceptualist and a producer, suggesting things and sounds and ideas. Usually we both end up pleased with the result, and that is of course why we continue to work together.
– How did you become involved in non-mainstream music?
C.A.: I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we’re always working from a spark, an idea, a vision or whatever. We try to stick to that as closely as we can, and most of the time our spark has nothing to do with a so-called mainstream music. We try to evoke certain feelings and emotions, and this is usually done by very improvisational methods and means. Once we’ve done something, it’s there, and it’s very seldom we want to go ”back” and change things. In that sense, I guess you could say that we’re radical and conservative at the same time, which sounds like a pretty fine balance to me. However, it has always been important for us not to become type-cast or narrow-minded, so we may eventually deal with ”mainstream” music too. We also come from a background where the music we’ve cherished hasn’t been mainstream. We love old and new experimental stuff, as well as a lot of classical and ethnic music, so we’ve never been rock’n’roll-buffs in that sense. The music that we listened to as kids opened up our minds in a creatively very favourable way.
– What is the working relationship and process like, when working on musical material?
C.A.: We usually know that something has to be done: a new album, somrthing for some compilation, etc., and we work out of the ideas that pop up after having discussed it a bit. Then we just go to work. We never plan too much, we just let the inspiration take charge. We’ve also worked together for such a long time now, that we usually don’t even have to talk about things. We can communicate well in the studio, because there’s no need for us to express things in words.
– What instruments/techniques do you use?
C.A.: Concerning techniques… We’re very improvisationally minded and try to get useable first takes whatever we do. Then we just build and toy around on top of these, to see what will emerge. Instruments… We have a most primitive studio in Stockholm, ”Immergeil Studios”, with one master synth, a lot of effects, a drum-machine, a tiny mixing desk, and, of course, our best friend – the Macintosh.
– What was the collaboration with Psychic TV like? Do you like to collaborate with other musicians?
C.A.: The collaboration was great, and ”At Stockholm” is still one of my all time favourite CD’s. Genesis and Paula came over to Stockholm, and we had most of the music prepared in structure. Then he just read his poetry live in the studio we worked in, and Paula mixed various weird tapes at the same time. They were extremely professional, and most of what you can hear on the CD is just first takes. Then we had a hard time mixing everything together, as we wanted the end result to be one long flow from beginning to end. At this time, we weren’t using any ”Sonic Solutions” or ”Soundtools”-programmes for digital editing, so we simply mixed it ”live”, changing reels and keeping track of volumes, etc., under a phenomenal stress. But it worked in the end… I think we pulled through all the 70 minutes on the seventh take or so, completely exhausted! Yes, we like to collaborate with other musicians, but what comes out of it in revelation, is usually that we enjoy working together just the two of us best of all.
– Besides all the ”experimental” releases, you have also released a more rock-oriented CD. Why such a commercial release?
C.A.: The ”Dreams Shall Flesh”-CD reflects what we listened to at that moment, and the kind of music that we wanted to make. Simple as that. I’m actually very pleased with it, as it shows a variety of styles that I think we handled pretty well. And we also worked with friends again, which was fun: Anton LaVey from the Church of Satan and The Hafler Trio.
– By what or who are you influenced?
C.A.: As a group, I don’t think we have any super-heroes or idols. There are a lot of people we are inspired by, and whom we admire a lot, but usually these are not musicians at all. Personally, I derive a great deal of inspiration from classical composers: Wagner, Shostakovich, Mahler, Beethoven, the really big and bombastic guys. Also a lot of psychedelic stuff, from the 1960’s and up until today’s techno- and ambient-scene. Anything that affects me emotionally and in illuminatory ways, because that’s what I think music should be all about.
– You have recently been on tour together with Cassandra Complex in Germany, Austria and Prague. What was it like?
C.A.: It was fantastic. We played every night for three straight weeks, so we naturally had a good time. We had to confront every aspect of the business: the new and old fans that really liked us, the ecstasy of playing, all the people who hated us, the tough tour-plan, exhaustion, illnesses and hard work, the beautiful cities, the respect, love and friendship of everyone involved, and the emotional and physical ”vacuum” when we eventually got home again. Simply, it was fantastic.
– You also make films. What are they like? Is there an intense interaction between the music and images? Are they available?
C.A.: My films are usually made on super-8 or 16 mm film. This I love, because of the piercing quality of real film as opposed to video. I would say that the films are very psychedelic. There are no story-lines, no plots, no conscious coherence. Just pictures and images and people floating along and around in strong colours and symbols. Same process here, usually a very improvised way of working. So White Stains’ music fits very well to the films. Or vice versa. Nowadays, we work with a Swedish viedo artist by the name of ”Fetish 23”, whose work we really like. We’ve made one video together called ”Sex Ambient”, which has a lot of sexual images mixed up with computer-fractals and assorted psychedelic fun. The music is material from ”Misantropotantra”, and also some exclusive tracks. This cassette is not available any longer, as it was released through a company I ran, Psychick Release PCP, and which I’m not running anymore. So if there’s anyone out there who wants to release and distribute this or any of the other works we have created to titilate the audio-visual synapses, please get in touch!
– What’s planned for White Stains in the near future?
C.A.: Basically, new recording sessions. We have a new album to make, and also a couple of nice offers to be on some new compilations. So, we’re just going to isolate ourselves from the world and the so-called reality and work, work, work…
SYMPOSIUM 1994
– Could you introduce White Stains? When did you start your career? Did you belong to, or did you take part in, any other projects before creating White Stains? Have White Stains always been a duo?
Carl Abrahamsson: White Stains consist of a nucleus of me and of Peter Bergstrandh. We have played together since 1989. Before this, W.S. was more like a psychedelic rock-band, very noisy and pretty bad. Before this, I didn’t really have any musical experience, but Peter had been in some famous Swedish bands before entering the White Stains-project. We’ve often worked with other people, but that had more to do with the fact that we needed musicians for certain things, not that we needed any extra inspiration or extra wills involved.
– I have a feeling that a lot of bands, artists and labels are active in Sweden nowadays. Do you share my point of view? What is your opinion about that?
C.A.: Yes, it’s true that a lot is going on, but I don’t really know whether this is a new development or not. There have always been interesting bands and movements here, if you ask me. But I guess it has to do with the fact that they get more and more attention these days. My favourite band is without doubt Omala. Their label, Frequent Frenzy, always releases interesting material. Cold Meat Industry and Multimood are two other excellent fellow travellers on the path to enlightening musicks. High quality products and good bands, generally.
– You released a videotape with Omala. What are your relations with them? What did the tape consist of? I’d like to know more about Fetish 23. Who is he exactly? And, are you friends with Mental Hackers?
C.A.: We’re good friends with Omala, and, as I said, they’re my favourite music-makers from Sweden. I used to run a company called Psychick Release, and we released the video ”Relics”, which had their music and video-art by Fetish 23. A great little thing! The videomaterial is basically treated footage from TV and some of Fetish’s own super-8-material, all blended together splendidly in a highly psychedelic mix. White Stains have also worked with Fetish 23 on various video-collaborations, the latest one being a release called ”Sex Ambient”. It has music from our ”Misantropotantra”-CD, plus some exclusive stuff, and very sexy visual material. Fetish 23 is a great and dear friend, and a brilliant video-artist. He’s been working by himself for many years, with video-installations, photography (he usually shoots the pictures for our covers) and various Swedish ”rock-videos”. As for Mental Hackers, I know some of the members.
– I’ve read that you’re a member of the Church of Satan. How did you get in touch with it? Why did you choose to integrate it? What is your definition of Satanism? What is the philosophy of this Church? And what do you think about Christianity? Is the Church of Satan only the antithesis of Christianity?
C.A.: It started out with the very first White Stains-release in 1988. It was a 12″-single with a song called ”Sweet Jayne”, a tribute to one of my all time favourite actresses: Jayne Mansfield. I sent a copy to Anton LaVey, and he liked it a lot, because he knew Jayne in the 1960’s. So he made me a member, something I’m very, very proud of today. We just kept in touch, and we’ve met in San Francisco a couple of times. He’s a wonderful and very wise man. I haven’t chosen to actively integrate Satanism in White Stains at all. It’s just the fact that people know for some reason or other that I’m a member (and every fanzine seems to be bringing it up!), and they always want to hear about it. Yes, I’m a Satanist and proud of it, and I think our music is usually Satanic, in the sense that it’s very powerful and rooted in some strange thoughts about Nature and Natural philosophy. Some people may disagree, and that’s perfectly fine. We’re definitely not on any sort of mission though, and we hope that our music will always be enjoyed by as many people as possible, without any philosophical or spiritual or religious prejudices about what’s ”right” and ”wrong”. Also, Peter is completely uninterested in magick or the spiritual life, and he’s half of White Stains. Concerning the definition: I would recommend that people read LaVey’s ”The Satanic Bible”. It’s a fine magickal manual about how to improve oneself. The philosophy in it is a mix of Crowleys’ Thelemic thoughts, Nietzsche, insights in the structure of Nature, etc. Pretty basic stuff, but extremely well formulated. And a very funny book too, which is important. I’m not a Christian, but I have a deep respect for those who have truly experienced ”Jesus Christ” on a spiritual level. I’m a Gnostic, and I think that people should strive for individual illumination, regardless of what terms they choose to define the experience with. The illumination is the same, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, whatever… The problems always come when there pops up a rigid religious structure. All the monotheistic ”religions” are very dangerous, because of the intolerance and lack of respect for the individual will and the individual well-being. They’re socialistic in structure, and that’s something I dislike actively. The Church of Satan is not an antithesis to Christianity as such. It’s a philosophy of Will and Individuality and Strength. That far, we can see antithetical points of reference, but it’s too easy to generalize in these ways.
– Some people think that The Church of Satan is more of a ”joke” than anything else. What would you say to make them silent?
C.A.: I have no interest in silencing anyone. I can subjectively say that I think they’re wrong, and that they obviously can’t see the serious side of The Church. There is so much creative action going on within The Church that it simply cannot be discarded. I know that, and they don’t. Concerning the ”joke”-aspect: People who claim this quite obviously don’t have a sense of humour. And when you get right down to the nitty-gritties, they’re usually very ill-informed about what The Church of Satan is truly all about.
– Boyd Rice said in an issue of the American magazine ”Forced Exposure” that Anton LaVey was ”the Walt Disney of the Dark Side”. Isn’t that rather funny? Do you agree with this?
C.A.: Yes, I would definitely agree, and of course it’s funny. Walt Disney is a symbol of an immensely powerful magickal world, and so is LaVey. Disney has the power to appeal to almost everyone on this planet, and I think everyone knows by now that Mickey Mouse is the most well-known character on this planet, and, speaking from a perspective of human knowledge this far, the most well known character in all the Universes in the infinite Universe. To have achieved that in one lifetime is an exemplary force of magickal power. And to build this huge empire on the fantastic, the human imagination, and on high art, that’s truly a fantastic achievement. LaVey is the same, although on a somewhat smaller scale, and he will never have the same populistic appeal because of the outspoken elitism of the Satanic philosophy.
– Sweden is often considered one of the most democratic countries in Europe. Did you ever have any trouble with ”justice” or the police, because they could have considered you ”dangerous”?
C.A.: No, not really. And I don’t see why I ever should. I’m not involved in any illegal activities, and I’m not trying to subvert people in any way. Maybe it’s because I’m politically conservative… If I would have been to the ”left”, or an extremist in some way, or just politically active, maybe then I would have met trouble. But I’m not.
– You’ve said that White Stains stand for unexplored realms of the imagination. In which way do you think that the music explore these realms?
C.A.: I’m not so sure the music does. When we make the music, we certainly explore our own psyches and our own imaginations, because we work very impulsively and on a very improvisational basis. What comes out of the process is what comes out, and that’s it. Our experience is though, that our fans and listeners get a similar sort of feeling when they listen to the music. And that’s great… What more could you strive for as an artist, than to have the ”consumers” actually explore themselves with the things you’ve produced?
– You sem to be very interested and involved in sex in general. What does it mean for you? Life? Domination/slavery? Magick? It seems you often refer to Aleister Crowley…
C.A.: Like every human being on some level, I’m very interested and involved in sex in general. But I’m certainly not a slave to my libido, like some people I’ve met. I don’t know whether this is good or not, but that’s just the way I am. Maybe I’m boring – I just like pretty straight sex with beautiful girls. I’m not interested in any sort of extra-sexual behaviour, like S/M, various fetishes, etc. As for the magickal use of sex, the attraction is obvious. Sex is the ultimate creative act, and as such can be used for many creative things. But most important of all, it’s good for the health, the psychic as well as the physical. Sex as therapy is definitely an overlooked aspect of contemporary psychology. Crowley? Yes, an illuminated magician by all means, but a pretty nutty and obnoxious character in real life, I would say. I’m certainly a Thelemite, but that has to do with the philosphy and with the eminent magickal structures and Orders he worked with. Crowley and sexual Magick? Pretty basic eastern tantra. That was Crowley’s main strong point, that he was such a fine ”synthesizer” of wisdom from east and west.
– Psychick Release PCP is the Scandinavian branch of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, isn’t it? What are the goals and principles of PRPCP?
C.A.: No, PRPCP is not the Scandinavian branch of T.O.P.Y. I used to be involved with T.O.P.Y. for many years, but I’m not anymore. Psychick Release was a business enterprise created to make money out of things I produced, but that doesn’t exist anymore either. PRPCP and T.O.P.Y. shared the same post office Box, and also worked together on some creative projects, but that was that.
– You created The Institute of Comparative Misanthroplogy. Do you want to breed the science of misanthropy? If so, why and how? If no, what is the role of the Institute?
C.A.: The answer is yes and no. The research of the Institute today is equally divided between anthropolgy and misanthropy. You could say that I’m an anthropologist with a currently very misanthropic attitude. There is no such thing as a science of misanthropy. However, I’ve created the science of misanthropology, which will some day be recognised as a true and valid science. The role of the Institute is very much that of any Institue at any University. To be a centre of administration and of information for the researchers and students involved. Right now, the activities are focussed on setting everything up properly and business-like, so that we can approach more ”regular” Universities and similar institutions and make a serious impression. We welcome collaborations, and will soon start to plan the first expeditions and field-trips. These will research ignored aspects of magico-anthropology all over the world.
– A question which is linked to the previous one: Why the title ”Misantropotantra”? It seems that you play with the words ”Misanthropy” and ”Tantra”. Does that have a meaning?
C.A.: Corrcect. A play with two words that I’m highly interested in.
– You edit ”The Fenris Wolf”. Could you tell me more about that?
C.A.: It’s a magazine in book-form that usually includes things that fascinate me. It’s an anthology with many eminent and prominent contributing writers, on all matters occult, esoteric, cultural, anthropological, etc. I aim to make this the official publication of the Institute of Comparative Misanthropology. It will probably become more and more academic, and I will work hard on its increased intellectual quality and appeal.
– What is your relationship with Kadmon from Allerseelen? Do you appreciate the work made by the defunct ”Nekrophile Rekords”-label?
C.A.: White Stains have a piece on one of his cassette-compilations, ”Blut und Blute”. He seems to be putting out some pretty interesting stuff. What I’ve heard from Nekrophile, I like a lot. I guess most of the old stuff is coming out on CD nowadays.
– What about your solo-project, Tan Trick? What exactly is ”Just playing with myself, the organ makes funny noises”? Is it only based on sounds created out of your or someone else’s body?
C.A.: No, although that sounds like an interesting idea. It’s more a pun on the word ”organ”, as the music on this specific cassette is played very much on an organ. The music that Tan Trick makes is quite accessible and harmoniously ambient. Almost pretty sometimes. I’m recording some new material right now, that’s coming out on a German cassette-label. And then it’s time to make a CD. If I can find someone who’s interested in releasing it, that is.
– Your next projects? Do you want to work in other artistic fields?
C.A.: Yes, for sure. White Stains are currently working on a new CD, the follow-up to ”Why not forever?”. And I’m working slowly but surely with the Tan Trick-project. One of the strategies for this year is to write more. Articles, lectures, and, who knows, there may or may not even be a novel coming out later this year. On verra bien!
– Do you think your music is open to everyone, even if the listeners aren’t involved or interested in magick?
C.A.: Well, I certainly hope so. If only true magicians were to buy our CDs, then we wouldn’t sell a lot at all! I hope that more and more people will start to appreciate the material that we produce, no matter who they are or where they come from.
– What could one wish for White Stains for 1994?
C.A.: More inspiration, more energy, more recordings, more concerts, more opportunities, more communications, more attention, more groupies, more money, and just more of everything that’s good and creative in life.
ESOTERRA 1995
– When and why did the band form? What is the significance of the name, ”White Stains”?
CARL ABRAHAMSSON: Originally, White Stains were a trashy rock’n’roll band with psychedelic leanings. This was back in 1987. People came, people went, etc… The same old story. I became more and more interested in electronic music, and adapted the combo accordingly. Why the band formed? Simply because I was (and still am) a great muic fan, and I wanted to create the ultimately fantastic music together with friends. Did I succeed? Who can tell? Concerning the name: I first came upon it through Crowley’s collection of erotic poetry, ”White Stains”. I liked, and still like, that book very much.
– Who are your musical influences?
C.A.: Right now almost exclusively classical music, mainly from the 1800’s. I’m a big Ravel- and Wagner-fan. But on a more general level, I’ve liked most modern stuff from the past three decades. Psychedelic music of all sorts, experimental, ambient and techno a lot these last few years.
– To what degree are you and the band involved with the occult?
C.A.: The band I wouldn’t say that much at all, unless we look at a truly occult angle of modern music, which is to affect the individual through a combination of vibration and poetry, i.e. more or less structured messages appealing to other strata than the conscious rational mind. Myself, I’m a Hocus Pocus kind of a guy, and see myself as far too far gone on my path to ever be able to turn back…
– Of late, you seem to have lost interest in T.O.P.Y. Why? When did you first become involved with T.O.P.Y. and why?
C.A.: In the early 1990’s I was involved in administrating T.O.P.Y. in Europe, and it turned out to be one hell of a bureaucratic task in the end. I followed (and follow) the Thelemic maxim of ”Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”, and moved on to other things with slightly less paperwork involved. However, I still carry a lot of respect and admiration for T.O.P.Y. as such in my magickal back-pack. I first became involved in 1985 as a youngster checking out the Order-territories of Europe, and at that time liked the loose structure of the Occult Network-idea, and the ideas and techniques that were at my disposal within this Network. I worked diligently and ”completed my 23”, so to speak. Which taught me a damned lot about myself. The funny thing is that the main administrative guys: me, Gen and Tom in Denver, all quit at about the same time, mid ’91. It seems that we were tuning into each other synchronistically. Gen has now set up a new ”Process” in Northern California, Tom I guess is studying Central American lore, and I’m as hooked as ever to writing and creating a lot of printed matter.
– Currently, your sights seems to be leaning toward The Church of Satan? Why? What is your affiliation with Anton LaVey? I know White Stains have collaborated with him on at least one occasion.
C.A.: We are friends, and I’m certainly very proud of the friendship. I see myself as a ”LaVeyan” Satanist, and I really like his blend of ideas and currents. A potent mix indeed! Right now, my new company is working on the release of the Swedish translation of ”The Satanic Bible” in 1995. That’ll be fun! I’m often surprised at ”established” occultists’ way of seeing and discarding LaVey as a mere con-man. Actually, I often use this as a sort of an acid test with ”occult” people I meet, if they can understand ”The Satanic Bible” as such or not. In the end it often turns out that the most ”liberated”, ”tuned in” and ”open-minded” individuals still carry a great fear of the S-word, which in essence just means that they’re really scared of the deeper levels of themselves.
– Why did you start the publication, ”The Fenris Wolf”?
C.A.: Firstly because I’m an intellectual junky, hooked to printed matter. Secondly, because ”The Fenris Wolf” is the forum for the researches of ”The Institute of Comparative Misanthropology”. We’re probing into territories of magico-anthropolgy and comparative religion in their cultural aspects, not always necessarily through a misanthropic state of mind though.
– Who are some of your literary influences?
C.A.: Concrete literary influences… I really can’t think of any, but there are certainly very many sources of inspiration: Aleister Crowley, a genius, Burroughs, Sven Hedin (a Swedish adventurer and friend of Adolf Hitler’s), Alexandra David-Neel and William Seabrook, to name but a few.
– What do you think about society and the direction it is heading?
C.A.: Gee, a pretty tough question I’d say! Which society, first of all?
– Would you call yourself a misanthropist, and why?
C.A.: I see myself as a very ”positive” character and I like to create and work and work and work until I blot myself out totally. I’m an optimist and a magician. But I can’t really seem to enter totally into my own little dream world, so naturally, like everyone else I have eyes and ears and emotions and I really don’t like what I see, hear and feel most of the time. I have no respect for humanity as such and am terribly aware of over-population and the soul- and culture-lessness it brings. It’s in a sad and dreary state right now, this old beautiful planet of ours, and we only have ourselves to blame. Or credit, if we ever get down to doing something about the problems. I foresee the positive revolution through war, famine, plague and general diseases and disasters. We have interesting times up ahead, if not always pleasantly so…
– In what publications has your literary work appeared?
C.A.: Mostly in ”The Fenris Wolf”, and in Swedish and Scandinavian fanzines and magazines. I hope this will change soon, to include full-length books and work in International Fora.