TGIF!

TGIF!

Thank God it's Friday!

Alan Moore

Now that we've been introduced to Alan Moore, I'd like to share his rather refreshing view of religious belief and practice.  He believes that spiritual pursuit should be decided by the individual, or that one religion for everybody doesn't make sense.  Everyone is different, and since everyone id different, we each have our own spiritual needs that we should seek to satisfy on our own.  If you don't have much of a spiritual hunger, then just get a salad and a diet coke.  But if you crave exotic tastes, then look into the ancient deities of the Mayans, Inuit, or Roman snake deities.

Moore, as I've said before, is a bit of a weirdo.  As a comic writer he has been incredibly influential on the medium, and has even been called one of the most in important contemporary writers in Britain.  Many of his comics have been turned into films, though you'll notice his name isn't on it.  Why?  Because for him, the movie is something  completely different than the comic, and he wants no part of it and thus, he gives his portion of the royalties to the other contributors.  At least he practices what he preaches.

He supports an open view of reality, religion, and personal values.  He also has some interesting views on the idea of magic and mysticism.  Simply put, magic  is Art.  Magic is manipulation of symbols, words, and ideas in order to change the consciousness of yourself and others.  This is so cool to me.  To think that being a magician is to someone who creates with words, with colors, and with objects what was not before is empowering to me.  I think I will be a magician.

Moore is a fascinating personality because he is at the same time mystical and rational.  He has poetic air bout him that is almost intimidating, yet he has a gentle sense of humor and an open mind that would invite you to join him for tea.  There are many great interviews with him on Youtube and other places, including an 80 minute documentary about him.  Here is a few (10 minutes worth) words from Kevin Smith and friends on the amazing run on Swamp Thing that Moore worked on in the 80s.

 I'll leave you with a quote from the video I linked to in the last article.  As Alan stands on stage a callous version of himself accuses him of having a messiah complex.  He responds:

"Would I have a haircut like this if I didn't?"

See you on the other side