If I were asked to pick the absolute last place I'd imagine occultism to manifest itself in pop music, it would be in a music video for Aztec Camera's "Oblivious."
But, oh, how wrong I would be.
2026-09-02
Let's Not Dance and Say We Did
As with The Police’s Synchronicity and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, it’s impossible to talk about the early 80s without talking about David Bowie’s multi-platinum LP, Let’s Dance.
2026-08-19
2026-08-18
Forgotten Nineties: Catherine Wheel, on Their Way Down
Shoegaze gurus Catherine Wheel hopped aboard the grunge-lite red-eye with their 1995 single, "Way Down." The song's commerciality puzzled their original fan base, but I still think this single and video are '90s highlights.
The tune and the album it was taken from (Happy Days) were clearly designed to "break America." But even though "Way Down" and the album's other single, "Judy Staring at the Sun," hit the upper reaches of the modern rock charts, the album itself petered out at a paltry #163 on the Billboard Top 200.
That said, do note that Catherine Wheel singer Rob Dickinson is the cousin of Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, who was also the writer and producer of Chemical Wedding, a sci-fi horror film about a scientist looking to resurrect the Great Beast 666 Aleister Crowley.
BONUS NOSTALGIA: I used to wonder if Chris Carter saw the "Way Down" video and used it as inspiration for the Mythology two-parter Tempus Fugit/Max.
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2026-08-10
How Bill Clinton and His Cronies Killed Popular Music
So many of the seeds of popular culture's demise were planted in the Nineties, and Paul Chato walks you through the poisoned fruit of one of those evil blossoms.
2026-08-06
Name and Shame the Rock and Roll Destroyers.
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