15 Sep Tom Banger
Tom Banger
LECTURE
Gliomancy: Acknowledging and Resisting the Proximity of Thanatos
Although many of us surround ourselves with mementoes mori, what strategies are available for us to leverage when the hour of our dying becomes immanent, if not fixed? How does an occulturist retain agency to face Thanatos illness with dignity, courage and panache?
Banger will share the story of his 29-month magickal interaction with an “uninvited guest” beginning with premonitions and preparation through treatment to the aftermath reclaiming agency while being assailed by fear and uncertainty. He will outline the syncretic arsenal of hypnosis, pop psychology, Zen, shamanism, stoicism, art, cut-ups, sigils, animism, and what he calls aporrimancy, the magick of found objects, he has deployed to live with – if not evict – his uninvited guest.
This presentation will be more than talk – it is the culmination of Banger’s two-year operation to gather agency, dignity, courage, and health and channel this healing energy not only to himself, but also inspire other individuals to live in each moment and prepare for inevitable unwelcome news.
Warning: Some of the slides may not be for the faint of heart.
Bio
Tom Banger is an artist, writer, occultural technologist, iterative thinker and prankster. In his wild years, he promoted hundreds of punk and industrial shows as Tom Headbanger. He was a founding member of the influential North American Station of the Temple ov Psychick Youth. His punk and occultural artifacts are now part of the Denver Public Library Western History Collection.
He has spoken at Occulture, Trans-States, Re-Writing the Future and the Southwestern Popular American Culture Association. He co-hosts the Banger and Andrew podcast. He has presented on digital technology and cyberdefense to the National Association of Broadcasters, the Information Systems Security Association and the Caribbean Broadcast Union. He recently retired from a 15-year US Government cybersecurity career. In addition to being a father, he keeps busy with frottage, writing, drawing, and growing beautiful, dangerous things in his greenhouse.
