Sad news has filtered through the ether: Robert Anton Wilson — author, visionary, psychonaut, skeptic and cosmic prankster — has passed away.

Thanks to Max for the tip.

R.A.W. was one of my main dudes; hope his bardo-hopping goes smoothly.

Casey Rea was the Seven Days music editor from 2004 until 2007. He won the 2005 John D. Donoghue award for arts criticism from the Vermont Press Association.

14 replies on “RIP, R.A.W.”

  1. Sorry to hear about this, Casey. It’s never easy to lose a hero. I was in a fog for about a week when Dr. Hunter Thompson blew his drug-addled brains out.

  2. Not only was he a fantastic writer and grey matter programmer, he is also respnsible for the greatest list of fake band names ever compiled:Clark Kent and his SupermenThe Fillet of SoulThe Wrathful VisionsThe CockroachesThe Senate and the People of RomeThe Ultra-Violet HippopotamusThe Thing on the DoorstepScience and HealthKey to the ScripturesThe Glue SniffersKing Kong and his Skull Island DinosaursThe Howard Johnson HamburgerThe Riot in Cell Block TenThe House of FrankensteinThe Signifying MonkeyThe Damned ThingThe Orange MooseThe Indigo BananaThe Pink ElephantFrodo Baggins and his RingThe Mouse That RoarsThe Crew of the Flying SaucerThe Magnificent AmbersonsThe House I Live InThe Sound Of One HandThe Territorial ImperativeThe Druids of StonehengeThe Heads of Easter IslandThe Lost Continent of MuBugs Bunny and his Fourteen CarrotsThe Gospel According to MarxThe Card-Carrying MembersThe Sands Of MarsThe ErectionThe AssociationThe AmalgamationThe St. Valentine’s Day MassacreThe ClimaxThe Broad JumpersThe Pubic HeirsThe FreeksThe WindowsThe Trashers (headed by Mick Jagger)The RoofsMoses and MonotheismSteppenwolfCivilization and its DiscontentsPoor Richard and his Rosicrucian SecretsThe Wrist WatchThe Nova ExpressThe Father of WatersThe Human BeingsThe Washington MonumentThe Thalidomide BabiesThe Strangers in a Strange LandDr. John the Night TripperJoan BaezThe Dead Man’s HandJoker and the One-Eyed JacksPeyote WomanThe Heavenly BluesThe GolemsThe Supreme AwakeningThe Seven Types of AmbiguityThe Cold WarThe Street FightersThe Bank BurnersThe Slaves of SatanThe Domino TheoryMaxwell and his DemonsThe Acapulco Gold-DiggersThe Epic of GilgameshThe Second Law of ThermodynamicsDracula and his BridesThe Iron CurtainThe Noisy MinorityThe International DebtThree Contributions to the Theory of SexThe Cloud of UnknowingThe Birth of a NationThe ZombiesAttila and his HunsNihilismThe CatatonicsThe Thorndale Jag OffsThe Haymarket BombThe Head of a Dead CatThe Shadow Out Of TimeThe Sirens of TitanThe Player PianoThe Streets of LaredoThe Space OdysseyThe Blue MooniesThe CrabsThe DoseThe Grassy KnollThe Latent ImageThe Wheel of KarmaThe Communion of SaintsThe City of GodGeneral Indefinite WobbleThe Left-Handed Monkey WrenchThe Thorn in the FleshThe Rising PodgeSHAZAMThe Miniature SledThe 23rd AppendixThe Other CheekThe Occidental OxMs. and the ChairpersonCohen Cohen Cohen and KahnThe Joint PhenomenonThe Wonders of the Invisible WorldMaule’s CurseThe Jesus Head TripAhab and his AmputationThe Horseless HeadsmenThe Leaves of GrassThe Gettysburg AddressThe Rosy-Fingered DawnThe Wine-Dark SeaNirvanaThe Net of JewelsHere Comes EverybodyThe Pisan CantosThe Snows of YesteryearThe Pink DimensionThe Goose in the BottleThe Incredible HulkThe Third BardoAversion TherapyThe Irresistible ForceMC SquaredThe Enclosure ActsPerpetual EmotionThe 99-Year LeaseThe Immovable ObjectSpaceship EarthThe Radiocarbon MethodThe Rebel YellThe Clenched FistThe Doomsday MachineThe Rand ScenarioThe United States CommitmentThe EntwivesThe Players of Null-AThe Prelude to SpaceThunder and RosesArmageddonThe Time MachineThe Mason WordMonkey BusinessThe WorksThe Eight of SwordsGorilla WarfareThe Box LunchThe Primate KingdomThe New AeonThe Enola GayThe Octet TrussThe Stochastic ProcessThe FluxionsThe Burning HouseThe Phantom CaptainThe Decline of the WestThe DuelistsThe Call of the WildConsciousness IIIThe Reorganized Church of the Latter-Day SaintsStandard Oil Of OhioThe Zig-Zag MenThe Rubble RisersThe Children of RaTNTAcceptable RadiationThe Pollution LevelThe Great BeastThe Whores of BabylonThe Waste LandThe Ugly TruthThe Final DiagnosisSolution UnsatisfactoryThe Heat Death of the UniverseMere NoiseI OpeningThe Nine Unknown MenThe Horse of Another ColorThe Falling Rock ZoneThe Ascent of the SerpentReddy Willing and UnableThe Civic MonsterHercules and the TortoiseThe Middle PillarThe Deleted ExpletiveDeep QuoteLuCiFeRThe Dog StarNuthin’ SiriusPreparation HLate arrivals: The Fernando Poo IncidentHeadlining: The American Medical Association.

  3. HST was one of my other main guys, which probably goes without saying.Robert Pollard is no slouch in the fake band name dept. And he’s still alive.Here’s but a taste:The Plague Terror Of Living Ragged Enzymes Hey John, Bees Wim Dials Billy Ray Human Milko Waif Wig Stomper Child Of Joe 7 Feet Of Sunshine Bore Co. Throne Scott Joy Ax Devron Zones The Bug-Eyed Mums Seraphim Barf Karma Yeah Heavy River Herkimer Mohawk Apes In The Window Yummy Ropes Some Are Bullets In Dreams Bleep Bleep F*ck Timid Virus Mutts U.K. Brainbow The One Too Many The Pukes Dale Frescamo Stumpy In The Ocean Ben Zing Red Faced Rats U B Hitler Acid Ranch The Bad Babies Throne Shoot’em Modular Dance Units Usually To Death Wheels Pig Harvey The Plexigrall Bee-hive Wheels Pig Harvey Christopher Lightship The Fake Organisms We Too Bark Leon Lemans Silent Knife Howling Wolf Orchestra The Needmores Wavo Lectricalroo The Plague The Needmores The Accidental Texas Who Peter Built Bombs Burial Wind Sucko Wavo Academy Of Crowsfeet Alvin Haisles 7 Feet Of Sunshine The Fun Punk 5 Peter Built Bombs The Banana Show Leon Lemans Howling Wolf Orchestra Carl Goffin Alvin Haisles Stumpy In The Ocean Milko Waif 7 Dog 3 The One Too Many Gene Autrey’s Psychic Manimal God’s Little Lightning Bolt Hot Skin Apartment Otim Grimes

  4. I really like “Filet of Soul”.The best I have been able to come up with are “Limp Basquiat” and a death-metal band called “Fuck Jesus”.I remember the day that my friend Ed came into the room screaming with excitement over inventing the band name “COSMOSIS”, only to realize the pain of finding out via a Google search that it’s already taken by some Australian trance group.

  5. I enjoy picturing the imaginary Band photos for each of these…not to mention the genres….oh the genres….

  6. I love “We Too Bark,” for some reason. But it’s hard to argue with “U.B. Hitler” and “Acid Ranch.”Say, I couldn’t help notice the RAF list includes a band called “Steppenwolf.” Did nobody tell him that’s a real group?

  8. There was also some real connection with Mick Jagger. Nirvana hadn’t been “invented” yet, but I am sure that I am going to need to use Maxwell and His Demons for my band…that or Marshall and the Stacks.

  9. I was wondering the same thing about “Joan Baez”, “Dr. John” and “Nirvana”.Huh. For some reason I missed those.

  10. I’m just wondering how long it will take before someone names their band “Barak Obama & The Mammas”.

  11. Davezee will tell anyone who asks about his brilliant concept for a tribute band: Simon and Gwarfunkel. I need to start keeping a fake-band-name list, dammit. I want to be remembered upon my demise for coming up with The Raging Whore Moans. (riot grrrl…)

  12. Here’s mine:The Steve Urkle Abortion CircleIt came to me in a dream. Maybe it’s a support group for women who were impregnated by the “smooth” version of Urkle only to realize that it was really urkle.

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