Pop Apocalypse Podcast By Matthew J. Dillon Center for the Study of World Religions cover art

Pop Apocalypse

Pop Apocalypse

By: Matthew J. Dillon Center for the Study of World Religions
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Pop Apocalypse explores the mythic and the mystical, the psychedelic and the paranormal in popular culture. The podcast features interviews with artists, musicians, writers, and directors about the experiential and esoteric dimensions of their work. Music by Secret Chiefs 3.2023 -- Art Music Spirituality
Episodes
  • Madness, Mysticism, and Philosophy – A Talk with Wouter Kusters
    Jul 2 2025

    For episode 14 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome the linguist and philosopher Wouter Kusters. Kusters is the author of Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014), both of which won the Dutch Socrates Award for best philosophy book of the year. We discuss (5:26) how the experience of psychotic thinking challenges and illuminates our notions of language, philosophy, and mysticism. Along the way, we touch on the similarities between mystical and mad experiences, apophatic and psychotic uses of language, the phenomenology of time, and the impact of Kusters’ books on mental health specialists.

    Wouter Kusters, PhD, is a linguist and philosopher based in the Netherlands. Two of his books received the Dutch Socrates Award for the best and most inspiring philosophy book of the year: Pure Madness (2004) and A Philosophy of Madness (2014). The English version of this latter work was released in 2020 by MIT Press. In 2022, an Arabic version was released, and a Chinese translation is expected this year. Kusters writes on a range of themes in various outlets that explore perennial questions of meaning, madness, mysticism, and language.

    LINKS
    Wouter Kusters' homepage
    A Philosophy of Madness

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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Photographing the Invisible: A Talk with Shannon Taggart
    Apr 25 2025

    For Episode 13 of Pop Apocalypse, we welcome Shannon Taggart, an American photographer, writer, researcher, and curator known for exploring how photography can navigate boundaries between the seen and unseen. Her book, Séance (Fulger Press, 2019), offers hundreds of photographs documenting contemporary Spiritualism across the U.S. and Britain. We discuss (3:26) what sparked Shannon’s interests in Spiritualism, the intersecting histories of photography and Spiritualism, ectoplasm, what inspires people to become mediums, and the techniques she developed for photographing the invisible.

    Shannon Taggart
    Website
    Seánce
    Lily Dale Symposium, 2025

    CSWR Events
    May 1, 6-8pm EDT: Peripheries Launch Event, Volume 7
    May 15-17: Thinking with Plants and Fungi Conference

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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Black Metal and Orthodox Christianity - A Talk with Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix of Liturgy
    Feb 27 2025

    For our 12th episode, we welcome the philosopher, artist, and musician Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix. Haela is best known as the songwriter and singer behind the black metal band, Liturgy, which has released 1 EP and 6 full-length albums. We discuss Haela’s early relationships to Christianity and metal music, the growth of her philosophical interests, and her recent conversion to Orthodox Christianity. In the second part of our chat (42:33), we explore her philosophical system of Transcendental Qabalah and how it informs records such as H.A.Q.Q., Origin of the Alimonies, and 93696.

    LINKS
    Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix
    Substack
    YouTube Channel
    "Transcendental Black Metal essay"

    Liturgy records
    H.A.Q.Q.
    Origin of the Alimonies
    93696

    References
    Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism
    Deleuze and Guattari, Anti-Oedipus
    Sergius Bulgakov, The Sophiology of Death

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    1 hr and 31 mins
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Fascinating and compelling conversations with scholars and artists about spiritual matters. I listened to every episode with great enthusiasm.

great conversations with fascinating people

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