In memoriam Adam Parfrey (1957-2018)

Adam Parfrey was committed to looking past the conventionally-offered, processed, herd-think dichotomies toward the oddities and fringe thinkers in search of a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be human. He embraced the outré, the bizarre—from theories that shattered accepted paradigms to sheer kookery—and published works by outsiders whose voices advanced atypical approaches. He gave them a platform and gave us additional evidence to ponder, so that we might have richer sources for making judgments about the exquisitely surreal world in which we live. 

I met him many years ago, through our shared association with Anton LaVey, and we developed a mutual respect for the work we each pursued. We were colleagues and co-conspirators in our common disdain for the “the common”: the placid sheep who simply swallowed whole whatever might be dished-up for them as packaged “alternatives.” 

He was a pioneering publisher and his Feral House books gave voice to, and in turn shaped, the emerging alternative cultural currents. His fine eye for searching out worthy materials and his ability to be supportive to truly iconoclastic weird folk inspired sincere imitators and shameless rip-offs. Parfrey was an original, and he lived a life that was full. A true “mover and shaker,” I’ll miss him. He left an indelible mark on many, and his impact will last long in the hearts and minds of those who both loved and hated him. 

A horned salute to Adam Parfrey!

Hail Adam! Hail Satan!

—Magus Peter H. Gilmore