What Comet Kohoutek Left Behind

London Homer-Wambeam
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HISTORY
What Comet Kohoutek Left Behind

When comet Kohoutek arrived in 1974, it left a trail of curiosities in its wake. In five episodes, What Comet Kohoutek Left Behind tells stories of the music, new age mythology and counterculture named after the comet. Featuring interviews with former cult members, musicians, collectors, hippies and occultists, the series explores tales of afrofuturism, doomsday prophecies, an anti-fascist robot band, and psychedelic warlocks.

Episodes

  1. Children of God: The End of the World as We Know It

    08/27/2020

    Children of God: The End of the World as We Know It

    The Children of God was an global, abusive cult. Their leader, David Berg, prophesied that the comet Kohoutek signaled the destruction of America. Ex-member Perry Bulwer helps tell the story of spreading the prophecy, fleeing America, and how he eventually escaped the cult. CORRECTIONS: Bulwer did not run the printing press in the Seattle commune, and David  Berg did not specify that Armageddon would last 20 years. Perry Bulwer's blog: https://perry-bulwer.blogspot.com/ Original soundtrack by Naramata available for download on iTunes or at https://naramata.bandcamp.com/

    25 min
  2. Kraftwerk: Cosmic Machine-Man Music

    08/27/2020

    Kraftwerk: Cosmic Machine-Man Music

    German band Kraftwerk pioneered electronic music in a time where synthesizers were as boundary pushing as punk rock, including an early single named after Kohoutek. What should we think of their music now that electronic music has become the norm? Did their glorification of technology fit with the anti-establishment leanings of the Krautrock music scene? Music collector, musician and vlogger Dereck Higgins lends his analysis of the band and their unlikely success. Dereck Higgin's vlog: https://www.youtube.com/user/dereckvon. Original soundtrack by Naramata available for download on iTunes or at https://naramata.bandcamp.com/

    20 min
  3. The Serpent and the Dove: Magik in the Age of Aquarius

    08/27/2020

    The Serpent and the Dove: Magik in the Age of Aquarius

    In the twilight of Haight-Ashbury counterculture, Llee Heflin, a freethinking follower of occultist Alistair Crowley, clashed with psychologist and psychedelic advocate Timothy Leary, both publishing books channeling the celestial voice of comet Kohoutek. We talk with Heflin about his experience publishing Crowley's tarot deck, taking mushrooms in the Puget Sound, and why Leary's book was symbolic of the end of the hippie scene. Original soundtrack by Naramata available on iTunes, Spotify and https://naramata.bandcamp.com/

    27 min
  4. Sun Ra: Jazz from Outer Space

    08/27/2020

    Sun Ra: Jazz from Outer Space

    Legendary jazz musician Sun Ra held a concert in honor of comet Kohoutek. He also told anyone who asked that he was from Saturn. In this episode we explore his legacy and philosophy, his vision of the future and why he believed the future of African American culture was in outer space. We talk to Christopher Eddy of the Sun Ra Arkive to understand the most eccentric figure in Jazz history. Christopher Eddy's website Sun Ra Arkive: http://sunraarkive.blogspot.com/ Original soundtrack by Naramata available on iTunes, Spotify and https://naramata.bandcamp.com/

    30 min
  5. The Source Family: Guru Garage Rock

    08/27/2020

    The Source Family: Guru Garage Rock

    A vegetarian restaurant, the Manson Family murders, psychedelic rock, and hang gliding all touch the story of The Source Family, a short-lived commune in California. In this special extra-long episode we speak with three former members and ask the question; was The Source Family a cult or a commune? At the crux of the story is Ya Ho Wah 13, the in-house band, whose first album was named after Kohoutek, with Source Family leader Father Yod reading spiritual importance into the comet. CORRECTIONS: Solomon was born to Sunflower and Heaven Aquarian, not  Robin Aquarian. After his accident, Father Yod was taken back to a  house, not a tent, in Hawaii. Original soundtrack by Naramata available on iTunes, Spotify and https://naramata.bandcamp.com/

    41 min
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

When comet Kohoutek arrived in 1974, it left a trail of curiosities in its wake. In five episodes, What Comet Kohoutek Left Behind tells stories of the music, new age mythology and counterculture named after the comet. Featuring interviews with former cult members, musicians, collectors, hippies and occultists, the series explores tales of afrofuturism, doomsday prophecies, an anti-fascist robot band, and psychedelic warlocks.

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