Rational Shamanism and Mindless Link Propagation

Having recently reconvened my commune with the deities that govern domestic broadband internet access, I have belatedly discovered the delights of YouTube. Passing over thinly veiled attempts to start viral marketing campaigns, dire video blogs and sub-Jackassian fuckings around with Mentos and Diet Coke - I found items like this condemnation of Cron's pedagogical manner of speaking and this interview with the man I wish was still leader of the free world.

However, more interesting still was video of the ever so reclusive (and ever so God-like) Alan Moore. Admittedly, he's a good bit crazier than even I had imagined. He's also clearly familiar with the recreational use of hallucenogenics. But hey, when you're a hopelessly obscure literary genius, you have to get your kicks somehow.

These collected interviews provide a wealth of information on the man himself, and if you have the stomach for it, I particularly like this examination of the nature of reality and ideas. Which forms an introduction of sorts for his even weightier musings on just about everything, starting with his work on the Ripper murders and spiralling outwards. While it is advantageous to have read From Hell in advance for context (especially at the beginning) it's not strictly neccessary.

If your head isn't quite up to hacking your way through countless pages of philosophical discussion interspersed with gossip about comics, then you probably won't want to read his thoughts on the mechanics of creative writing...

Sod it. Just watch the YouTube videos. These include his appearance on the BBC's Culture Show (where, oddly, he comes across as much more humourless than he does in print) as well as some really dodgy videoes about magic and Northampton that look like they were made for late night channel 4.

Like I said, he does appear to have gone completely mad. But he does it with such style...