These will be sent off to the printer tomorrow, and hopefully the front will be screenprinted on 18×24 paper before the event. Spread the word!

Wikipedia entry

Robert Anton Wilson was the man who introduced me to so many ideas and concepts that have driven my life, and made it so much richer and more interesting. He had the mind of a philosopher and the wit of a prankster. He came from the same school of philosophy and psychology as Timothy Leary and Ram Dass, but they were much less psychedelic and hippy-tastic. To me, they were useful ways of thinking and perceiving the world.

One of the most useful concepts, I’m not sure if Wilson came up with it, but he sure did stress it, was “the map is not the territory”. The external world we all see around us is but a map of reality that our brain pieces together. People get lost into thinking that this map is the world, and not just our perception of it. It creates such insanity as evangelical Christianity, racism, and other such nonsense.

Another concept of Wilson’s was a modification to the English language that he called “E-Prime”. This was to entirely get rid of words such as “IS”, and replace them with the more appropriate “SEEMS TO BE”, because the map is always changing, as we explore new territory. Nothing “is”. It’s all our perception, and our minds should be supple and open to new ideas always.

I shouldn’t even have to mention his magnum opus, “The Illuminatus Trilogy”. If you haven’t read this masterpiece, you should go out and purchase it today. Don’t surf the interweb until you’re finished and can write me a 100 page summary of the concepts in the book. After this, don’t stop. Go get “Cosmic Trigger” (1 and 2), Quantum Psychology, Wilhelm Reich in Hell, and Sex and Drugs: A Journey Beyond Limits.

Wilson was always open to the possibility that his ideas could be wrong, or be modified if the need arose. His books were filled with conspiracy theory, aliens, and supernatural phenomena, and were so much fun to read. His books introduced me to Sufism, Rumi, Gurdjieff, Antero Alli, Aleister Crowley, cognitive dissonance and a host of other ideas, writers, poets, and philosphers that changed my life for the better.

R.I.P. Bob Wilson, and thank you for blessing the world with your ideas.

Take a look inside the brains of mice on drugs.

Mouse Party

The simplified mechanisms of drug action presented here are just a small part of the story. When drugs enter the body they elicit very complex effects in many different regions of the brain. Often they interact with many different types of neurotransmitters and may bind with a variety of receptor types in a variety of different locations. For example, THC in marijuana can bind with cannabinoid receptors located on the presynaptic and/or postsynaptic cell in a synapse.

Where applicable, this presentation primarily depicts how drugs interact with dopamine neurotransmitters because this website focuses on the brain’s reward pathway. Mouse Party is designed to provide a small glimpse into the chemical interactions at the synaptic level that cause the drug user to feel ‘high’.

5 months of planning and execution really paid off this year.

Thanks to everyone involved and those who came out to rock the bells. If I had to name them all, I’d break my database, but these people really deserve all the kudos in the world:

My wife and partner - You keep me grounded. You help me keep the lights pointed in the right direction. You’re not afraid to call me out when I need called out. You love it all just as much as I do, and damn we have fun together.

JJ Haws - This weekend took me back to the parties we threw 6-8 years ago. Jesus, has it been that long? Your dedication to electronic culture is inspiring, and whether you know it or not, you are an icon and a role model for tons of people in the midwest. Derek Plaslaiko said it best, “JJ is the man, short and simple.”

Marea and DJ - OFF THE CHAIN!!! Best HELLHOUSE partners ever! I love you and wish your marriage and your careers all the success they deserve, which is a hell of a lot. Thank you for holding the torch and keeping our priorities in line. It just keeps getting better.

Lou Rawls and James Blair and the rest of the Project 7 crew - GOD DAMN!! That’s what I’m talking about. Perfect Perfect Perfect. It’s not a party without James and the Fuzzy Bunny.

Matthew Dear, Derek Plaslaiko, and Mowgli - We could not have gotten 3 more talented and dedicated DJ’s than we did this weekend. All of you displayed the utmost professionalism and talent that I have seen on one stage ever. There was no ego, no rock star attitude, and no problems backstage of at all this weekend. I have renewed faith in our DJ’s now.

The Chef and the Bar Staff - Whoda thunk we’d ever be able to get a liquor license? Great work!!! Now what are we gonna do with all that leftover liquor?

Everyone unnamed that should be named - Give me a break, it’s 7:30 in the morning. I’m still jetlagged from France. I love you all and I’m proud of what we all do when we get together. Langan Smith and I discussed the Gestalt effect yesterday as we were loading out the video and lights. It takes us all, and the effect is always greater than the sum of it’s parts. I’m blown away every time.

I have about 10 copies of the HELLHOUSE poster this year, screenprinted and signed by Matthew Dear and Derek Plaslaiko. Just sayin’s all.

~jason clark

By now it looks like everyone and their grandmother will be attending this event which we’ve had the good fortune and blessed circumstances to put together for everyone. Halloween is our favorite holiday, and HELLHOUSE has been our special way of expressing it.

With this being said, I would like to ask everyone there to do two things for me.

1) Be on your best behavior
The venue owners have been wonderful to work with. We intend on using this venue for years to come. In order for this to happen, we need to respect the venue as we have our Halloween fun. Please don’t do anything stupid! Don’t bring markers. Don’t try to drink if you aren’t of age. Call a cab if you’ve been drinking and it’s time to leave. Dance, drink, have fun. But please be responsible. This will be the baddest ass party in YEARS. If we want to keep doing it, then let’s all do it right. This is your party as much as it is ours, and what happens tomorrow says a lot about where we can take it.

2) Keep an eye out for irresponsible behavior.
If you see someone trying to tag the bathrooms, find us or a security person, or call them out then and there. If your friend has had too much to drink, let them know. Any funny business, either call them out or find one of us. I can’t stress this enough, and I’ve seen multiple music scenes destroyed because some jerkoff wanted to feel important and did something stupid.

Everyone that attends this wonderful event should know that your actions are directly involved in if we will get to do it again, and if something wonderful will sprout and grow from all of our hard work. We’ve invested at least 4 months of our lives and thousands of our own hard-earned dollars to make this happen in an inexpensive, legal, clean, and fucking fun way.

LET’S DO IT RIGHT. OFF THE CHAIN BITCHES!!!

ps - I’ll say this one last time… Bring CASH for the bar, a tshirt, or water. There will not be an ATM or Credit Card machine there. Thanks!

good interview

Are now up in the Gallery.

The krackheads had a great time at this event. Marea and her gang are professional and have more heart than anyone else in the city. let’s hope that this thing keeps happening.