RR Pod E28 P1 Bob Cluness -An Esoteric Menagerie: The Weird & Eerie, Slenderman, CCRU, Accelerationism, Chaos Magic(k) and Digital Technology

This month’s guest is Bob Cluness. Bob is a PhD candidate and researcher in the cultural studies program at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik. Bob graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in film studies on accelerationist aesthetics and action cinema, while in 2020 he received a master’s degree in cultural studies with a thesis on the weird and eerie in contemporary and digital cultures. His current PhD project deals with the relationship between and esotericism and acceleration in UK subcultures in the late 20th century, through a discursive analysis of chaos magic(k) and the Cybernetic Cultures Research Unit, also known as CCRU. As part of his Academic research, Bob’s interests look at the myriad intersections between esotericism and contemporary subcultures, such as cyberpunk, cyberspace and technology, the counterculture and the New Age, comics, zine culture, and music. He has also given papers centered on Icelandic occulture and spiritual currents such as Ásatrú, spiritualism, and wellness.

As you can tell from the episode title, Bob and I are talking about a little bit of everything, and while, on the surface, these things may seem unrelated, as the discussion unfolds, I hope it will become clear that all of these strands are indeed very much connected. As this was a long interview, I’m providing it to you in 2 parts.

In Part 1, Bob begins by explaining the terms “the weird” and “the eerie” and how these literary concepts have helped to fuel the social imagination; as well as the tricky issue of how one discerns between ‘fiction’ and ‘reality’. With the help of philosophical concepts such as ‘the hyperreal’ and simulacra taken from Baudrillard, as well as other concepts from French philosophers such as Deleuze, Guattari, and Lyotard, Bob discusses the effects of signs, symbols, and other images on our understanding of what’s ‘real’, as well as the dissolving boundaries between ‘the real’ and ‘the artificial’. 

This all takes us into the area of hyperstition, the CCRU, and a case study that is a good example of a hyperstition found in the Slederman character, and later incident in 2014 involving Slenderman where two girls come to believe that he is a real entity, attempting to kill their friend because of it. Bob also talks about how such a character becomes implanted in our collective consciousness through digital interactions such as memes, and later becomes a part of our cultural history. Bob also touches on the concept of acceleration, which he later expands upon in part 2. 

PROGRAM NOTES

Bob Cluness:
(99+) Bob Cluness | University of Iceland - Academia.edu
(99+) "I am an other and I always was…" On the Weird and Eerie in Contemporary and Digital Cultures Ritgerð til MA-prófs í menningafraeði | Bob Cluness - Academia.edu

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Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, In Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism): Jean Baudrillard, Sheila Faria Glaser: 9780472065219: Amazon.com: Books
Selected articles about philosophers mentioned in E28:
Gilles Deleuze (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Félix Guattari - Wikipedia
Jean François Lyotard (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Hyperstition Primer (edith.reisen)
The Weird And The Eerie [PDF] [3ufdj9jsm190] (vdoc.pub)
Applied Ballardianism | Memoir from a Parallel Universe
#ACCELERATE: The Accelerationist Reader | libcom.org

Slender Man stabbing - Wikipedia

(99+) Speculative Fiction | Aren Roukema - Academia.edu
“Book Zero” through the Years in: Aries - Ahead of print (brill.com)
Chapter 12 “Cthulhu Gnosis” in: Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination (brill.com)

Intensive Care (album) - Wikipedia
Watch Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (HBO) | TV Shows | HBO Max

NOTE about audio: At this time, I am recording at a temporary location due to extensive home renovations. Unfortunately, the building in which I'm located is also undergoing renovations. I had attempted to work around the noise, but sadly, I wasn't aware that wood floors were being sanded at the same time I was recording. The audio is therefore not optimal; I did my best to edit out the noise, but apologize for the (at times) poor audio quality. 

Theme Music: Daniel P. Shea
Other Music: Stephanie Shea