Cult Bands. (No, I mean REAAALLLLY Cult Bands.)

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As an adjunct to the Lisa Marie Presley thread: I got to thinking about musicians that are a part of a cult or fringe religion.
So, which musicians out there are in a Cult.
No, I don't mean "Bands/Musicians/Musical Acts that have a small but devoted fandom", I mean "Bands/Musicians/Musical Acts that actually exist as an extension to an actual Cult."
(Note: I already dealt with The Church of the Subgenius in an earlier thread.

(For those who have no credible answer, here's an alternate question: JR 'Bob' Dobbs...whats on yer walkman?)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Stryper

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Low.

― Famous Athlete, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:07 (twenty-two years ago)

yes, it was a bit. sorry

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

huh?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Boredoms

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:14 (twenty-two years ago)

danielleson famille follow both those definitions pretty closely if you consider nu-X-ianity a cult.

― ddd, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey Alex, was Jaz's flee to Iceland (the Killing Joke frontman feared an oncoming apocalypse) in the early '80s part of a cult or a solo voyage?

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

better known for things other than their music:

Charles Manson
David Koresh

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Boredoms
Where do I go to get converted to Boredomism?

Hey Alex, was Jaz's flee to Iceland (the Killing Joke frontman feared an oncoming apocalypse) in the early '80s part of a cult or a solo voyage?
Wasn't it some sorta Qabbalistic thing?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Black Flag
Capt. Beefheart (ca. Trout Mask Replica)

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Custos:

read up on the Boredoms... group living, ascetic divinity, supernaturalism, post-modern polytheism, hallucinogens, etc.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:24 (twenty-two years ago)

um...are they the fun fun fun fun fun version of Aum Shunrikyo? Except with much more feedback and urine?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

-|+|- Psychick TEE VEE -|+|-

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Custos/GWB:

cult doesn't exactly HAVE to have necessarily "evil" implications... a central figure that followers/bandmates dedicate life/time to unconditionally accompanied by no small demand of sacrifice tastes like cult to me.

:-D

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I know, i know. I'm just curious: are the Boredoms part of some sorta Buddhistic sect with a "eastern" flavor|framework like Aum Shunrikyo, but without the millenialist psychopathology?

(By the way: "millenialist psychopathology" would be a great album title for a really pretentious band...)

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i can (hope to) answer this question much better in one month's time.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Bobby Beausoleil

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The Fall? ????

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 02:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Beck - Scientology?

― Mil, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Lisa Lisa.

― Famous Athlete, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

yahowha 13 OWNS this thread.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:39 (twenty-two years ago)

also, the aum shinrikyo guy has a 7" out on faithways international that's pretty hype in a really lame, cheesy synth and moaning kind of way. they also did that elizabeth claire prophet church universal & triumphant "sounds of american doomsday cults" LP that was amazing if not really music... sort of insane, high-speed babel-chanting. they have a 'song' called "invocation for judgement against and destruction of rock music."

― your null fame (yournullfame), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Beck - Scientology?

I'd like to take a moment to go off-topic and add that EVERYONE should read more about Scientology. Enthralling and absolutely frightening at the same time.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:54 (twenty-two years ago)

xenu would be proud. steam me up a clam while yer there

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 03:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Magma - had their own language, etc. (Did they have a religion/mythology?)

― Dave Fischer, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Does Satanism count as a cult? Does Anton LaVey count as a musician?

― Nick Mirov (nick), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Crom-Tech also had their own language, and for some reason I want to think Ruins did too.. but maybe not.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago)

null - there was a Doomsday Cults 7" too - I was gonna mention it but I forgot the name.

If having your own language is the only qualification needed to be considered a "cult" then I'm joining Alln Bryant's. tht dd iz th phntc kng.

do Polyphonic Spree count? ha ha ha.

hey - how is Bobby Beausoleil's music anyway?

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Lucifer Rising (the only thing I've heard) is great.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Greatful Dead

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:58 (twenty-two years ago)

gg allin

― brains (cerybut), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 05:55 (twenty-two years ago)

lucifer rising is a long, epic space-y rock-ish thing, with a large band. it doesn't really rock out at any point, it's more of a 'kosmische' thang, but neither is it mushy synth noodling.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 06:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Read into Fishbone's Kendall Jones quitting the band and joining a cult and their bass player Norwood trying to rescue him from the cult only to be arrested & questioned by the FBI etc etc.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 06:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Jeremy Spencer. He left Fleetwood Mac in the middle of an American tour. They were supposed to play a gig in Los Angeles and he just didn't show up for it. Turns out he joined a cult called the "children of god", thus finally signalling the end of the early blues phase of the band.

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 06:44 (twenty-two years ago)

The Incredible String Band were Scientologists for quite a while.

― Mr Binturong (Mr Binturong), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 07:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Father Yod & Yahowa 13

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 09:09 (twenty-two years ago)

has no one mentioned Psychic TV? They formed their own religion, the Temple Ov Psychick Youth. I know someone who joined it, for the sex.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Sinead O'Connor

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 09:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Boards Of Canada!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 10:07 (twenty-two years ago)

ELVIS!!!!

― JP Almeida (JP Almeida), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

The Incredible String Band, post-1969, Scientology infests every inch of their oeuvre, L. Ron Hubbard is even on the cover of one of their albums. A perfect example of how the hippy mindset was but one step away from mind control and proto-fascism. By the way, Robin Williamson carried on thanking LRH on all his solo albums.

― Dadaismus, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 12:22 (twenty-two years ago)

GWAR

― Chris V. (Chris V), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Any grouping of people that involve John Travolta.

early Black Sabbath and Led Zep, surely?

― Jerry (Jerry), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

hm, not exactly a 'cult band' here (as far's i can see), but wouldn't J'Zorn's IAO: Music In Sacred LIght - "inspired by A. Crowley" - be considered a 'cult-coloured record' someday
...or is it already, p'haps?!?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 12:36 (twenty-two years ago)

MC5-white panthers
Lighthouse-had a Krishna Canadian Commune thing going on

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah forgot all the Krishnoids - Shelter, YOT, G Harrison

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

MC5-white panthers

Zenta was the religious arm of the MC5/ White Panther axis. They were a prank and a scam, at least at the outset, but sometimes this kind of joke can get out of hand. I would guess that Zenta had some true believers before the hoax had run its course.

― EC, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Has the 'Straight Edge' become enough of a Cult to unintentionally nominate Minor Threat as a Cultist Band?

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Funkadelic were kinda into the Process Church of Final Judgement weren't they?

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I think they subtly parodied circa 'Maggot Brain'...

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

How does the DJ-as-shaman concept fit into this thread?

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Only if he declares himself to be Cthulhu and demands human sacrifices from his listeners.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Captain Obvious burst into the room, his brightly-colored cape flapping loudly in the wind.

"Reggae was quite influenced by rastafarianism," he proclaimed in a booming tone.

― EC, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Do the Beach Boys count between their TM/Maharishi and Manson connections?

― mike a (mike a), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Cat Stevens

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

has no one mentioned Psychic TV?
i did

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey Alex, was Jaz's flee to Iceland (the Killing Joke frontman feared an oncoming apocalypse) in the early '80s part of a cult or a solo voyage?

He did it on his own, but it was based on his dabblings in the occult. Their third album, Revelations is drenched in allusions to Freemasonry, meanwhile Outside the Gate is steeped in numerology, and their are references to Aleister Crowley throughout the band's entire oeuvre. Jaz prefers the "smorgasboard" approach, I gather.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Aren't those clowns in Mudvayne into some cult?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

the cult of the 7 string detuning

― chaki (chaki), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Jazz is filled with people upon a religious quest, perhaps not quite a cult.

Sun Ra -- The Arkestra would probably be considered by some a cult with their own rituals.

John Coltrane -- There is a church that has named him a saint.

Mahavishnu -- John McGlothlin even changed his name to "Mahavishnu" for a while.

Chick Correa -- early new ager that crossed into the Scientology realm at some point.

Carlos Santana -- after all, a spirit told him to get back on the pop charts and you know what, it worked.

I'm pretty sure a good portion of the ECM catalog is filled with people upon some kind of quest.

Jazz went from being about sex to being about drugs to being about god; a natural progression I suppose.

― earlnash, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The Police - freemasonry (at least the Brit 2/3)

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

come on Dave. Everyone knows ALL British pop acts have to join the Masons before they're allowed in the charts.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 15:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Sinead O'Connor

How is Catholicism a "cult" or "fringe" religion?

(and yes, I know she belongs to that Latin Trini-somethingorother sect, but it is still under the realm of Catholicism, and I'm glad she's in there)

Along that vein, I guess you could add Marilyn Manson to the list. He's an ordained minister with the Church of Satan.

p.s.: Thanks to all of you above posters. It's refreshing to see Scientology actually being referred to as a "cult" (as it rightfully is) instead of a "faith" or a "church" (which it isn't).

― Dee the Lurker (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 15:51 (twenty-two years ago)

As for Satanism, well, it's not a cult, but it could be considered a "fringe" religion. Oddly enough, it's a religion that couldn't exist without Christianity or Judaism, because Buddhists and the like obviously don't believe in the existence of Satan.
Hmmm...any bands out there that are (non-Satanist) Left-Hand Path Pagan?
Along that vein, I guess you could add Marilyn Manson to the list. He's an ordained minister with the Church of Satan.
In other words: Manson == Peckerwood.
p.s.: Thanks to all of you above posters. It's refreshing to see Scientology actually being referred to as a "cult" (as it rightfully is) instead of a "faith" or a "church" (which it isn't).
How did Ambrose Bierce define it?
Cult == An rightfully unpopular religion.
Religion == An inexplicably popular cult.

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

The Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Culture
Culture Club

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

The 'Moonie' Suzuki

― dave q, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 18:55 (twenty-two years ago)

You forgot My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Geir.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Prince - either "the cult of Prince" or the Jehovah's Witnesses, I think both qualify (especially if we're counting Mormons)...

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

definitely Father Yod. http://www.yod.com/

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 9 April 2003 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

You forgot My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Geir.

It said Cult, not Kult, didn't it? :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 21:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I dig you. Do you dig me?

― Hunter (Hunter), Thursday, 10 April 2003 01:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Elizabeth Clare Prophet's Church of the Universal & Triumphant LP (aka Sounds of the American Doomsday Cults Vol. 14)

― Brian Turner (btwfmu), Thursday, 10 April 2003 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

There is (or was) a Church of John Coltrane in San Francisco, and several SF punk personalities of the late '70s were communicants.

― Methuselah (Methuselah), Thursday, 10 April 2003 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

There is also a Partridge Family cult. They're on the web, you should Google it. Boyd Rice is somehow involved.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Thursday, 10 April 2003 02:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Rush's obsession with Ayn Rand.

― David Beckhouse (David Beckhouse), Thursday, 10 April 2003 02:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Aren't those clowns in Mudvayne into some cult?

for some reason the drummer has the cross-pyramid-sunburst golden dawn thing tattooed on his chest. either he just got it because it 'looked cool' or the golden dawn have drastically lowered their standards.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Thursday, 10 April 2003 07:11 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

Polyphonic Spree

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Sunday, 18 May 2003 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

THE SCRODS LEAD SINGER "REV. PHIL" WAS AN ORDAINED REVEREND IN SOME SORT OF CULT.

― joe mamma besser, Monday, 22 March 2004 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

If I'm not mistaken, Acid Mothers Temple IS a cult.

― cws (cws), Monday, 22 March 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

does anyone know if anton lavey recorded a record with boyd rice? Thanks,
{}

― {b.rackets], Friday, 22 October 2004 14:50 (twenty years ago)

There is a band from Illinois (SOUTHERN Illionois) called Skarekrau Radio that also functions as an alternative religion called Kuu. I hear that they play really good shows.

― Sean Witzman (trip maker), Friday, 22 October 2004 15:04 (twenty years ago)

so, ya ho wha 13's "the operetta" is out on swordfish. last recording with yod, gets a little more heavy than the others.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Friday, 22 October 2004 15:14 (twenty years ago)

Who could forget Mel Lyman and his American Avatar cult?
http://www.trussel.com/f_mel.htm

also: The Byrds were apparantly in some kind of musical possesion cult called Subud back in the day.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Friday, 22 October 2004 15:40 (twenty years ago)

Frog Eyes contains at least one member - Brother Grayson Walker - of the Church of Harvey Christ, Redeemer.

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Friday, 22 October 2004 18:22 (twenty years ago)

Mel Lyman is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread title -- that Mindfuckers article is really great. The Fort Hill community still exists, doesn't it?

― briania (briania), Friday, 22 October 2004 18:54 (twenty years ago)

i think michael mayer once said in an interview that the kompakt office ethic is kinda cult-like...all of them eating at the same time and such

― manuel (manuel), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:03 (twenty years ago)

i always imagined working at ikea would be like that.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Friday, 22 October 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago)

The Residents and Negativland co-own this thread.

― cdwill, Friday, 22 October 2004 22:30 (twenty years ago)

there is something deeply suspect about his name is alive, which has nothing to do with christianity.

― kyle (akmonday), Friday, 22 October 2004 22:36 (twenty years ago)

Tool, if lachrymology was real.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 22 October 2004 23:22 (twenty years ago)

Psychic TV.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 22 October 2004 23:23 (twenty years ago)

Pleeeseasaur and Canned Hamm are the two cult bands you would be into if you ever got a chance to see them.

― everything, Saturday, 23 October 2004 17:18 (twenty years ago)

Magma

― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Sunday, 24 October 2004 01:40 (twenty years ago)

Deadsy - Urantia, Freemasonry, Etc.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Sunday, 24 October 2004 02:30 (twenty years ago)

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