Amazingly, it seems I never landed on this one before:

Jack Parsons & the Curious Origins of the American Space Program

On a related note, it seems both David Duchovny and Marilyn Manson had desired to make a movie based on Sex & Rockets (an excellent biography on Jack Parsons by John Carter, recommended to all into either magick or rocket science!).

While writing about Parsons, why not also link to Freedom is a Two-edged Sword for what it’s worth; it was obviously an influence on my Escape from Heaven album.

All ways are the right way when will and love are the guides. The grace and bounty of life are free to all, saint and sinner alike, who desire them. The voice of the wind, the poignancy of music, the shout of thunder all cry out to man, daring him to know himself. Sunlight, sea and stars and the splendour of a naked woman are the signs and witnesses of a covenant that is forever. We know these things; we know them with the only certainty that is ever given us. This is the beautiful-pitiable knowledge of childhood and first youth — that the world denies and necessity circumvents. This is the knowledge of the poets, artists and singes who are beloved and outcast by men and of the mystics whom the world calls mad.

Half Born in Half Light is now available from Some Place Else in MP3 format as well. MP3s are 192-320kbps VBR (best quality). Zip package includes PDF booklet with artwork, liner notes etc. similar to the booklet that comes with the CD.

With the new album, I made no such pre-order bonus disc as for example Tower of Silence was to Escape from Heaven. Instead, there is a bonus that is available to anyone who obtains the album and pays sufficient attention to it. But I shall say no more…

There it is, bathing in the radiant beams of the partial eclipse. And myself, refreshed by black currants, burnt by nettles, energized by coffee and in ever joyous company of the loved one. Half Born in Half Light can now be ordered from Some Place Else on CD. MP3 version will be available soon as well.

Another peek into the forthcoming album:

Niko Skorpio – Worm in the Foundation

See more info and download MP3 at Some Place Else

The Lost Rings of Saturn serves as a “temporary album” that will showcase odd, forthcoming, forgotten or otherwise unreleased material. The contents will change on a whim. Some of the tracks will get a proper release in the future, in such cases consider this a taster of things to come.

The Lost rings of Saturn - available for listen at last.fm exclusively

On a related note, I previously made a series of 3″ CDRs with the same title. In similar context they carried a variable content of unreleased, unfinished or otherwise unknown tracks, and they were sporadically included with Some Place Else’s outgoing mail to the addressees’ surprise, confusion and pleasure.

Back in the day, when exchanging thoughts with someone about the everyday multiple personality order (as opposed to disorder) I came up with the word “monilo” — multividual in English — derived from “yksilö” (individual). For a long time I went on with the impression that I was the first to come up with that term and put it to good use.

Then, fairly recently actually, I discovered multividual is an actual term — here’s what Urban Dictionary has to say about it.

What’s more, Satu and I got a few bags of old books from the local flea market the other day (30 books for 5 euros, not bad). Among them was Onnen virus (”Virus of happiness”) by someone who calls himself Bobi-Paavo-Stellus Monilo on the cover. Published by Kynämies Oy in 1953. Bobi-Paavo-Stellus uses the word monilo in more or less similar context as I, only 50 years before!

“Leikkiäkin tarkoittaen voidaan sanoa, että kukaan ihminen ei ole yksilö, vaan monilo. Hän ei ole samanakaan päivänä koko ajan yksi, vaan joskus nukkuva ja joskus hereillä, joskus hyväntuulinen, joskus muulla tavoin. Sitäpaitsi hän ei ole kuollessaan samanlainen kuin syntyessään, vaan muuttuu joka hetki ainakin fyysillisesti. Ihminen ei siis leikillisesti sanoen ole yksilö, vaan monilo.” — Bobi-Paavo-Stellus Monilo (Onnen virus, back cover)

That’s too wordy to translate at this time, but basically it’s about how a person never remains the same but changes every moment emotionally and physically, hence we should call ourselves multividuals instead of individuals. I’ve yet to read the entire book, but in his optimism and humour Bobi-Paavo-Stellus reminds me of the late, great Robert Anton Wilson - without psychedelics perhaps, but anyway:

It is nicer to like than dislike,
it is nicer to laugh than unlaugh

Besides, the conversations between the “partial-persons” Bobi, Paavo and Stellus recall RAW’s Shaman, Skeptic, Fool etc. as presented in Cosmic Trigger (which I’ve enjoyed re-re-re-reading lately) for example.

According to Antikvariaatti.net there’s a copy available in ABC-kirja, Turku at the moment. Recommended!

“For years I’ve been asking: why does the gnosis always get busted? Every single time the energy is raised and large-scale group illuminations are occurring, the local branch of the Inquisition kills it dead. (…) I’ll tell you what I think. There’s war in Heaven. The Higher Intelligences, whoever they are, aren’t all playing on the same team. Some of them are trying to encourage our evolution to higher levels, and some of them want to keep us stuck just where we are.” — Grady McMurtry aka Hymenaeus Alpha, according to R.A.Wilson (Cosmic Trigger I, p. 163)