Soft soulful whispers against cool jazz riffs- forested skyline ablaze with autumn sunset- moving west down the main strip. Violet gold flares and subsides ahead as star-flecked purple closes in behind. Nostalgic and Gothic. Welcome.     More stuff about me - I actually am ordained, by virtue of the First Amendment, the Free Enterprise System, and the US Postal Service, as a Pastor in World Christianship Ministries. * I have done two stints (1980-82, 91-92) in the John Birch Society, finally concluding that we just have different visions of the American Right.  Unlike most mainstream Conservatives, I do believe in New World Order conpiracies, but I don't regard all who differ with me as pawns of the Illuminati. I do thank the JBS for its work in exposing the Establishment Collectivists, who often have operated through groups like the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commision. * My Christian conservative views are best embodied in Taylor Caldwell's Dear and Glorious Physician (her novel of a compassionate man's fight with a seemingly uncaring God as the free republic about him degenerates into a decadent empire), with a Libertarian streak reinforced by Ayn Rand's epic of the creative minds on strike against a parasitical world- Atlas Shrugged (tho without, of course, her atheism or sternness.) Lately, I've discovered the Christian Reconstuction (aka Dominion, Theonomics, Preterist Postmillenialism) of Gary North, Gary DeMar, the late David Chilton, the late Greg Bahnsen, James Jordan, Ray Sutton, Ken Gentry, and Rousas J. Rushdoony. Their work in explaining Bible prophecy from a Preterist stance and applying Biblical (mainly OT) Law to the Christian faith & modern life is both controversial and thought-provoking. In short, most hold the Tribulation was the 1st century persecution of Christians and the Roman siege of Jerusalem, and now Lord Jesus governs the world from Heaven through His Church, who is to get in gear and exercise His Love and Law in all nations. I don't fully agree here but I don't fully disagree either. I like to call myself a Biblical Libertarian, but that just means I usually vote Conservative Republican while hoping for something better *G*. * I was raised Christmas & Easter Catholic as a WEE child, tho around 4th grade started attending a Christian & Missionary Alliance Church, where I really got grounded in the Faith. Reading Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Earth- a pop presentation of Bible prophecy from the Rapture-Tribulation- Christ's Return-Millenium-Eternity format (aka pre-tribulation Rapturist pre-millenialism)- at age 13 (1975) really activated me as a Christian, tho I had become interested in the Bible a few years earlier through, of all things, Erich Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods and other "Ancient Astronaut"/UFO literature. While I am now a late-trib Rapture historic pre-miller, I find the Preterist position quite worthy of consideration. David Chilton's The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation is required reading for anyone interested in "End-times Bible prophecy" from any perspective. * With the checkered political-theological background I've admitted to, of course, I'm also a Charismatic *S* Spirit-baptized with tongues in an Assembly of God revival around 1978, discipled in an Episcopal/interchurch prayer group, veered into a New Agey Manifest Sonship sect from 1982-84, and then settled in my local Assembly of God, where they love and accept me but don't fully understand me either. * Random info- my patron saints are C.S. Lewis (St. Jack of Narnia) and Mary Magdalene; I love the social satire of the late Southern Gothic Catholic Existentialist Walker Percy (Love in the Ruins, Lancelot, The Second Coming, Lost in the Cosmos); and I think Eastern Orthodoxy & Celtic Christianity will be shown necessary to the spiritual growth of the Western Church.  * Movies and Music! I was blessed to be raised at the time when the local (now closed) Drive-in Theatre showed (sometimes in first run) the horror films of Hammer Studios (usually starring Christopher Lee and the late great Peter Cushing) and of AIP director Roger Corman (usually starring the also late great Vincent Price- whom I once met, and based around the works of Edgar Allen Poe.) PLUS, WTTV out of Bloomington IN would air "Nightmare Theatre with Sammy Terry", a burgundy cloaked & hooded ghoul or vampire or something who would rise from his coffin to present classic horror films (and occasionally the cheapie p.o.s.) PLUS, my parents would actually buy me the Warren Publications magazines- CREEPY, EERIE, VAMPIRELLA     (well, Dad first bought Vampi just for himself) and my personal favorite FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, edited by the not-late but greatly revered Forrest J. Ackerman (whose mansion-museum in Horrorwood, Karloffornia I finally got to tour! YIPPEE!!! The Sistine Chapel of the Horror-SciFi Fan!) My favorite horror films- NOSFERATU (1922) FRANKENSTEIN (1931, Universal)
 BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (U) DRACULA (U) THE MUMMY (U) THE WOLF MAN (U)
    FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (U) NIGHT OF THE HUNTER INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS THE SEVENTH SIGN HORROR OF DRACULA (Hammer) BRIDES OF DRACULA (H) BLACK SUNDAY (starring Barbara Steele)
CARNIVAL OF SOULS THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (AIP) THE DUNWICH HORROR (AIP) THE RAVEN (AIP) THE HAUNTED PALACE (AIP) THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (AIP) THEATRE OF BLOOD FRANKENSTEIN (1973 w/ Bo Svenson) FRANKENSTEIN-THE TRUE STORY CARRIE COUNT DRACULA (1970-starring Louis Jordan, BBC/PBS) INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS ERASERHEAD NOSFERATU (1979) REANIMATOR WILD AT HEART  TWIN PEAKS-FIRE WALK WITH ME SILENCE OF THE LAMBS BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA
  MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN THE JIM ROSE CIRCUS SIDESHOW THE RAPTURE
THE ADDICTION  STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND STEPHEN KING'S STORM OF THE CENTURY Probably quite obvious now that I lean to classic Horror, such as Poe, Shelley, Stoker, Lovecraft & King. These are the two best horror novels I've seen since 1988- Jeffrey Sackett BLOOD OF THE IMPALER (woefully out of print. Young irresponsible Malcolm Harker has disregarded the faith which Grandpa Quincey tried to instill in him.  As a result, he has weird dreams of being a medieval Wallachian tyrant & strange symptoms of the family's blood-curse. This fine work is a sequel AND prequel to Bram Stoker's DRACULA.)
    Kim Newman ANNO DRACULA (an alternate history that begins as Dracula defeats Van Helsing, weds Queen Victoria, and places literature's classic vampires in charge of the British Empire. Meanwhile, vampire harlots in East End London are being slain by a killer called Silver Knife, aka Jack the Ripper, aka Dr. Jack Seward- former suitor to a Miss Lucy Westenra.  A hodge-podge of historic persons such as John Merrick and Oscar Wilde, and literary characters like Dr. Moureau, Henry Jeckyll, and Mycroft Holmes take sides around Prince Consort Vlad's regime.) Musically,  the awesome chants of Hildegard Von Bingen, the elaborate works of Johann Sebastian Bach, the majestic joyous Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, the moving strains of Wagner's "Magic Fire Music" and "Siegfried's Rhine Journey" from his RING OF THE NIBELUNG, and the haunting melody of Tschaikovsky's SWAN LAKE (used as the theme of Lugosi's DRACULA and Karloff's THE MUMMY) are my classical faves. More recently, Roy Orbison, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, the Alan Parsons Project, the Doors, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Enya and Tori Amos among my faves. Ultra-special recognition goes to Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise for their David Lynch collaborations- FLOATING
INTO THE NIGHT, THE VOICE OF LOVE, and TWIN PEAKS. But my favorite group, who has written the theme song to my life- The Moody Blues- DAYS OF FUTURE PAST- NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN.  

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