Writer/Artist: Eddie Campbell
Publisher: Eddie Campbell Comics
It's Alan Moore month, it transpires. None of his books, magazines or CDs were scheduled to appear at the same time, but since becoming a magician Alan Moore appears to have become one big nexus of serendipity, as detailed here in the vast, faxed interview by Eddie Campbell. Having adapted two of Alan's stage performances as well as working with him on FROM HELL, Eddie is particularly interesting in discussing the former as they relate to Moore's personal journey into magic, and the account their construction - or should I say, evolution - is as fascinating as you'd expect. An eloquent communicator of even the most complex metaphysical concepts, Moore elucidates on his notion of a shared Ideaspace and its geography (or, perhaps more appropriately, topology) of hot-linked associated thoughts, as currently explored in PROMETHEA, and which he convincingly offers as a possible explanation not only for telepathy, but for ghosts and the otherwise inexplicably synchronous arrival of thoughts or inventions in ostensibly unconnected minds, like steam propulsion.
Staying with the PROMETHEA title, Moore also details how #12 came together, where the history of existence and humanity is mapped onto the major arcana of the Tarot, whilst simultaneously having Aleister Crowley tell a joke beginning in his infancy and ending in old age, and - improbably - finding twenty-two anagrams from the word 'Promethea', pertinent to each particular page. "I'd have to say that if someone were to put a gun to my head (Americans: note that this is a figure of speech and not an example of acceptable social behaviour) and demand to know what I thought was my single cleverest piece of work, I'd have to say PROMETHEA #12. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to share my exaggerated sense of self-satisfaction with everyone else."
And in case you'd been thinking that this whole discussion was way too dry for you, Alan is similarly mischievous and entertaining throughout, as demonstrated when discussing stage magician James Randi's desperate attempts to discredit Uri Geller: "Having failed to do this by his preferred strictly rational means, Randi switched to the scientifically unusual tactic of branding Geller a paedophile for which, I understand, he was subsequently successfully sued by the psychic. And probably got his cutlery drawer thoroughly twatted into the bargain." Moore also displays a cheeky glee in knocking those for whom he obviously has the greatest affection. On the subject of ANGEL PASSAGE:
"I think Tim wanted to do something more epic and musically structured for the Blake piece, probably because he'd been mortally stung by a review of THE HIGHBURY WORKING that referred to his contribution as 'fizzy '80s electropop.' And if I'm honest, I probably didn't help by constantly taunting him about it and saying that we should change our name to The Northampton Yazoo and become a tribute band, with me as the bulky yet somehow sultry Alison Moyet figure and Tim as the possibly-gay fizzy '80s electropop keyboard wizard Vince Clarke type. So, in embittered revenge, he goes into the studio and concocts this fucking five-storey Jacobean wedding cake of a thing that I'm expected to put words to. No wonder Alison Moyet went solo."
Recordings of three of these pieces are available - and Eddie continues his History of Humour in the back of the magazine.
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