ROCCULT THEORY | SIGNALS FROM THE STARS

Few things in life are more fascinating than the mysterious symbiosis between rock'n'roll music and occult magic, but it takes a turn for the worse when darkness looms...

Founded in a bid to umbrella the phenomena, Roccult serves as more of a belief system than a movement as such, encompassing many of the most thought-evoking tales and spookiest secrets appearing to surround the entertainment industry.

Given the wealth of thrilling material buried beneath such a topic, knowing where to start remains obvious since all stories ought be told from the beginning, and rumours of other-worldly connections to rock music formed at it's roots in blues with a man named Robert Johnson.

The locals couldn't believe their ears when the kid notorious for unsatisfactory performances of the genre returned, allegedly from a trip to the crossroads to meet with the Devil himself, possessing such incredible new-found skill with his instrument and vocal delivery he brought the house down, rendering the crowd who once mocked his abilities, speechless!

Robert's life came to a halt at the age of (you guessed it) 27 for reasons that remain unclear to this day though rumours of poison and foul-play have been known to circulate. It is said however, that the forces of ill he brought forth to the scene prevailed in his absence, and despite a multitude of suspicious fatalities in his wake, the great 'Curse of Rock'n'Roll' never died!

One infamous character who appears somewhat misunderstood is occult practitioner and member of 'The Golden Dawn' Aleister Crowley, who, while he may later have developed a deep fascination with the black ways amidst a taste for grotesque poetry and obsession with the summoning of evil, his story began with a global study of ritualistic meditation, holistic healing and the honest desire to grace the world with it's enlightenment. It stands to reason therefore that an opportunity to brand him with such a title as The Beast 666 would be exploited by any authoritative bodies wishing to detour the public at large from such insight AKA most of them! And so it is that for all his artistic and educational efforts, Aleister went down in history for the principle behind four basic words "Do As Thou Wilt" - a phrase which forged deep significance within the Satanic community.

A few decades later, he caught the attention of Led Zeppelin’s charismatic guitarist Jimmy Page, whose obsession saw him purchase the Boleskine House in the Scottish Highlands - the very walls between which the late Crowley had attempted many times to summon demons! While alleged unsuccessful for the most part, it is still said that the building is haunted to this day as a result of Crowley's rituals, but Jimmy's purchase of the property resulted in the unfolding of a new mystery, known as 'The Curse of Led Zeppelin'.

In addition to personal struggles faced by lead singer Robert Plant, habitual substance abuse issues befalling Jimmy amidst terrifying tales of ill fate surrounding previous occupants of the dwelling, perhaps the most notable event contributing to the rumour of dark forces plaguing the band following Jimmy's purchase of Boleskine, was the devastating death of their beloved drummer John Bonham, whose legacy went on to inspire future players of high acclaim from Dave Grohl to Lars Ulrich and many more...

While on the topic of great occultist's of our time it's worth mentioning the views shared by fellow Golden Dawn member Dion Fortune in her fascinating book - Psychic Self-Defence - a read I highly recommend to any budding practitioner or suspected victim of magic abuse - wherein she discusses in good humour what significant harm can, and perhaps ought, materialise for sorcery dabblers short of suitable expertise and experience, which given the additional use of mystic symbology within their works, may well have been the case for Led Zeppelin, though I prefer to visualise them as highly advanced magicians! Either way, little has been disclosed of their actual capability when it came to dealing with the dietes of the dark.

Zeppelin were not the only rockstars intrigued by Crowley's legacy with David Bowie seemingly revering and referencing him in lyrics to 'After All' and 'Let's Dance', while Ozzy Osbourne titled one of his famous compositions 'Mr Crowley' in which he expresses desire to better understand the man. The theme of demonic symbolism bled into the works and performances of Black Sabbath, spurring many other bands to follow suit, and to this day heavy music is represented with the unsettling hand-gesture of horns.

Such tales are merely the tip of the iceberg since Roccult's original interest was rooted in the peculiar development of the 27 Club, consisting most notoriously of (in order of passing) Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and (for the sake of remaining faithful to the genre in question) finally Kurt Cobain. The following theories encompass the underlying basis upon which the Roccult concept was built...

It's advisable to stop reading now if you wish to uphold the belief that 'Hotel California' by The Eagles was nothing more than an upbeat jam evolving around cool, random and entirely fictional lyrics, since it was a deeper look at this number that seemed to answer many of rock'n'roll's most disturbing questions...

It didn't take much research at the time to uncover that the song had been written by the band about the music industry, specifically the debauchery therein, and appears to describe a scenario of accidental entrapment being experienced by the storyteller "I couldn't find the passage back to the place I was before". This lyric follows what can barely be depicted as anything less than the witnessing of a ritualistic sacrifice, while the verse prior appears to directly reference both Janis Joplin ("She's got the Mercedes Benz") and Brian Jones ("Pour me some wine / We haven't had that spirit here since 1969"). But it's the final line of the final verse that brings a sense of enlightenment when closely examined for potential meaning...

"YOU CAN CHECK OUT ANY TIME YOU LIKE, BUT YOU CAN NEVER LEAVE!"

A theory Roccult toyed with upon this apparent discovery, is that the 27 Club may have in fact come about as a result of artists in-the-know using hidden rules of the industry to an advantage that extended as far as forming an intelligent S.O.S signal intended for public deciphering. This belief is strengthened by the fact many of the club members named moved within each other's social circle during the late 60's and early 70's, in addition to several alarming facts surrounding their individual fatalities as follows;

NOT ADDING UP

Perhaps the most prolifically documented commonality running through each of these cases is that of supposed foul-play leading to falsified media coverage - a slant I'll refrain from covering in depth here and leave you instead to embark on independent research. All, at least with the possible exception of Morrison who, for reasons also easily discoverable elsewhere, may in fact 'still be with us' according to some sources.

HINTS OF FORE-KNOWLEDGE

*Jimi Hendrix stated in his final interview with the Danish Press that he "did not believe he would live beyond the age of 28".

*Janis Joplin allegedly altered her will just one week prior to her departure from this realm, to accommodate a generous tab being left behind the bar for her friends and family at her funeral wake.

*Kurt Cobain also appeared to suggest knowledge of the fate that awaited him through visual gestures (involving guns) in photographs both during professional settings with the band and casual scenarios with fans.

*Janis Joplin had scheduled a vocal session on the day proceeding her death for the song "Buried Alive in the Blues" - a rendition which never made it onto the eerie recording.

*Assuming former statements about Jim concerning a death hoax, untrue, it's interesting that his parting gift to the world was the Doors hit 'Riders of the Storm' within which a loose killer is described. The term 'Storm' is also of potential significance for reasons too close to the bone to discuss here.

*The only case short of this 'clue dropping' behaviour is that of Brain's, though a potential reason for this may become clear as you read on...

TALKS OF LEAVING

*Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones was becoming distant from the group prior to his end, opting for a less commercial sound as part of alternative collaborations and was gearing up to walk away from the band entirely.

*Jim Morrison had expressed desires to leave his music career behind in favour of poetry, thus terminating his contract to pursue less commercial endeavours.

*Kurt had also declared wishing to leave Nirvana, a detail that remained undisclosed from the public for many years, while the sound of his later uncovered recordings echoed 'underground energy' to say the least.

*Jimi Hendrix was making plans to escape his record contract in a bid to establish greater control over his recordings and live set-up, pursuing a more progressive, alternative direction.

*The only artist on the list void of documented proof she desired to leave her label (thereby having a 'date of termination' or "check-out") nor drastically altering her artistic direction, was Janis, though she was similarly, mission-bound to "demand more" of her work and performances.

DRUGS

Every single member of the 27 Club involved themselves with heroin, while most additionally developed severe problems with alcoholic abuse... It almost feels at this point like they could have been following a playbook, written in advance by the naughtiest of them all - a certain 'Jones' perhaps? As though with an exit strategy in mind of the deepest courage and nobility.

UNSAVOURY INFLUENCE

The thread of rebellion has been thus far over-looked but it's worth mentioning that all club members in question indulged in their fair share of anti-capitalist statement behaviour, with Jimi denying Lulu a performance on the bill beside him by playing through the slot she'd been allocated, inspiring Elvis Costello to later follow suit, Jim getting into trouble on numerous occasions with the Police mid-performance for crudeness and absurdity, Brian (and to a degree, Janis) becoming notorious for attending professional settings under considerable influence and Kurt.. just basically "being Kurt"!

Individually, many of these incidents can be dismissed as minor details of little concern - it's the larger picture and emergence of notable patterns when observed side-by-side that strikes a discord of intrigue. Needless to say all too, were at the height of their fame (cash-bells ringing!) and creating the kind of ground-breaking moments within musical history worth preserving.

Perhaps there were various ways to 'check out' given that Prince, becoming evermore outspoken over anti-establishment views and power-hungry for control over his artistic journey -also appeared to predict the circumstances of his own death with alarming accuracy in his song 'Let's Go Crazy' as follows;

"Before the Grim Reaper come knocking at your door... Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down? Oh no, let's go crazy!"

Prince died beside the elevator in his home. He also famously wrote the word 'Slave' across his cheek, adding weight to the Roccult theory I'll conclude this article with, surrounding the suspicious volume of aged celebrities under the rock umbrella (and beyond), seemingly choosing of their own accord to remain beneath the unforgiving limelight (opting for tiresome touring schedules over a relaxing life by the beach!) well beyond retirement and in some cases (ahem... Ozzy!) right up until the day they die! (Yes, I'm aware of his claiming desire to do so.)

The question plaguing Roccult is if or not what we're seeing is a genuine act of unanimous 'choice' ('ego-centrism' or 'financial desperation' as it's too often boiled down to)... or in fact a symptom of the all-powerful 'Hotel California' in action... "Welcome!"

'Elixir of Life' anybody?

Before wrapping up, it's worth entertaining that many of the strange events previously highlighted around the 27 Club and similar cases, could themselves be put down to the formerly mentioned practise of occultism potentially resulting in premonitions of one's own future down to the finest detail, given how deeply intertwined both arts appear, but this article is itself written for entertainment purposes, so I'll let you, the reader, decide.

Other works worth a second look include Zombie (Cranberries), Run (Foo Fighters), Writing on the Wall (Iron Maiden), Celebrity Skin (Hole) and I Believed In You (Skunk Anansie) most significantly their music videos in addition to (for the most part) lyrics. Studio 666 (a Film by the Foo's) is also worth a watch for various reasons... R.I.P Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders.

Egyptian symbology and aesthetic representing a culture closely associated with occult magic is another interesting theme running through various iconic works and stylistic choices, from Robert Plant's feather to Linkin Park's 'Crawling' video and a piece of the Roccult puzzle worth keeping an eye out for! That of close friends Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell's passing possibly being linked is another rabbit hole worthy of research along with Linkin Park's final piece 'One More Light'; a sceptical revisit.

In all essence, 'Roccultism' defines the belief in a string of clues yet to be officially mapped, scattered amongst victimised famous artists all leading to the bone-chilling conclusion of something sinister, savage and secretive lurking behind the curtain...

Could Robert Johnson himself, have been part of the code?