Zeena Schreck
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Zeena Galatea Schreck (née LaVey), known professionally by her
mononymous A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...
artist name ZEENA, is a
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
-based American visual and musical artist, author and the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM), which she founded in 2002. Zeena was raised within the
Church of Satan The Church of Satan is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in ''The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House (Church of Satan), Black House in San Francisco, Cali ...
, and came to international prominence early in life as the organization's spokesperson, defending the Church during the 1980s. She resigned her position in 1990, severed ties with her father, and renounced
LaVeyan Satanism LaVeyan Satanism is a nontheistic religion founded in 1966 by the American occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey. Scholars of religion have classified it as a new religious movement and a form of Western esotericism. LaVey established his m ...
. Her religious path eventually led to teaching Tibetan Tantric Buddhism.


Early years and family

Zeena was born in San Francisco, California to Anton LaVey and
Diane Hegarty Diane Hegarty ( 1942 – July , 2022), was an American religious leader who, along with longtime partner Anton LaVey, co-founded the Church of Satan. Biography Hegarty, also known as Diane LaVey and Diana Hall, was born July 10, 1942. As well ...
, co-founders of the
Church of Satan The Church of Satan is a religious organization dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in ''The Satanic Bible''. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House (Church of Satan), Black House in San Francisco, Cali ...
. On May 23, 1967, three-year-old Zeena had the first and most highly publicized Satanic baptism in history performed by her father. The ceremony garnered worldwide publicity with a reenactment of the ceremony recorded for ''
The Satanic Mass ''The Satanic Mass: Recorded Live at the Church of Satan'' is the first released audio recording of a Satanic ritual by high priest Anton Szandor LaVey, recorded September 13th, 1967 at Church of Satan headquarters, known as The Black House. Th ...
'' vinyl LP in 1968. Zeena was subjected to hundreds of journalistic reports and interviews especially in tabloid crime and men's magazines. Anton LaVey biographer, Burton H. Wolf described a thirteen-year-old Zeena in his introduction to her father's ''
The Satanic Bible ''The Satanic Bible'' is a collection of essays, observations, and rituals published by Anton LaVey in 1969. It is the central religious text of LaVeyan Satanism, and is considered the foundation of its philosophy and dogma. It has been describ ...
'' as "Zeena, remembered by people who saw the famous photo of the Satanic Church baptism as a tiny tot, but now a gorgeously developed teenager attracting a growing pack of wolves, human male variety." In an interview with ''The Guardsman'', she describes becoming a mother at the age of fourteen while living in "a stifling, dysfunctional family life." Zeena was married to her
Radio Werewolf Radio Werewolf was a musical collective active in Los Angeles, California, and Europe from 1984 to 1993. History Radio Werewolf was founded in Los Angeles in 1984, by Nikolas Schreck (vocals), Evil Wilhelm (percussion), James "Filth" Collord (bas ...
band partner and frequent collaborator
Nikolas Schreck Nikolas Schreck is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany. Now a solo artist, Schreck founded the musical magical recording and performance collective Radio ...
from 1988 to 2015. In 2019, both parties issued a jointly written public statement on their respective websites stating, " ..n 2015, after having been separated since 2007, we agreed to amicably divorce." Zeena chose to retain her married surname.


Early artistic influences and training

Zeena's work as a photographer, visual artist, musician/composer and writer are heavily influenced by mystical and magical traditions. Stylistically, she gravitated at an early age to artists and mentors whose art was imbued with a mystical or magical vision. As a teenager and young adult, she trained in and studied theater, drama and film. At sixteen years of age, Zeena passed the High School equivalency exam, which enabled her to leave High School early, begin working legally and enroll in
City College of San Francisco City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a State school#United States, public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a Junior college#United States, junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local ...
, majoring in drama. In addition to CCSF's Drama Department, she also received instruction from
Stella Adler Studio of Acting The Stella Adler Studio of Acting (formerly Stella Adler Conservatory) is a prestigious acting school that was founded by actress and teacher Stella Adler.
, Eric Morris acting coach,
Viola Spolin Viola Spolin (November 7, 1906 — November 22, 1994) was an American theatre academic, educator and acting coach. She is considered an important innovator in 20th century American theater for creating directorial techniques to help actors to be ...
's student Marcia Kimmell of The Next Stage Improvisation Theater San Francisco, and the San Francisco School of Dramatic Arts. Her study focus was Hellenic sacred drama,
improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
, and various branches of the
Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian th ...
'system' and
method acting Method acting, informally known as The Method, is a range of training and rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, u ...
. The importance of lineage as a vehicle for passing down metaphysical energy guides Zeena's ritual art. She traces the lineage of her magical art to the
mentorship Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
of her godfather, filmmaker
Kenneth Anger Kenneth Anger (born Kenneth Wilbur Anglemyer, February 3, 1927) is an American underground experimental filmmaker, actor, and author. Working exclusively in short films, he has produced almost 40 works since 1937, nine of which have been grouped ...
. During the 1960s and 1970s, Anger transmitted the influences of
Curtis Harrington Gene Curtis Harrington (September 17, 1926 – May 6, 2007) was an American film and television director whose work included experimental films, horror films and episodic television. He is considered one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema. ...
,
Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...
, and
Maya Deren Maya Deren (born Eleonora Derenkowska, uk, Елеоно́ра Деренко́вська, links=no;
on his own work to Zeena during her childhood and adolescence. Zeena also became a long-time friend of director Curtis Harrington, who cast her as a Dietrich-like character in his last film, ''Usher'' (2000).


Religious groups

In 1985, Zeena became the high priestess of the Church of Satan, and remained its spokesperson until 1990. In 1990, Zeena left the Church of Satan and renounced her father's teachings of LaVeyan Satanism. She later became a devotee of the ancient Egyptian deity
Set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...
, becoming high priestess of the Temple of Set in 2002, and forming the Sethian Liberation Movement later that same year. Interviews, articles and reviews from 2011 to 2013 referred to her conversion to Tibetan Tantric Buddhism in the
Drikung Drikung Kagyü or Drigung Kagyü ( Wylie: 'bri-gung bka'-brgyud) is one of the eight "minor" lineages of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. "Major" here refers to those Kagyü lineages founded by the immediate disciples of Gampopa (1079-1153) w ...
,
Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mon ...
and
Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...
lineages, as well as her status as the spiritual leader of the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM).


Church of Satan

In the 1980s in the United States, there was a
moral panic A moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usua ...
about
Satanic ritual abuse The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in the United States in th ...
, sometimes referred to as the "Satanic Panic". It started with the publication of the now-discredited memoir ''
Michelle Remembers ''Michelle Remembers'' is a discredited 1980 book co-written by Canadian psychiatrist Lawrence Pazder and his psychiatric patient (and eventual wife) Michelle Smith. A best-seller, ''Michelle Remembers'' relied on the discredited practice of rec ...
'' in 1980, and culminated in the
McMartin preschool trial The McMartin preschool trial was a day care sexual abuse case in the 1980s, prosecuted by the Los Angeles District Attorney Ira Reiner. Members of the McMartin family, who operated a preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, were charged with hu ...
, a heavily publicized trial which ran from 1984 to 1990, during which prosecutors, through aggressive and
leading question In common law systems that rely on testimony by witnesses, a leading question is a question that suggests a particular answer and contains information the examiner is looking to have confirmed. The use of leading questions in court to elicit test ...
s, managed to get over 300 of the preschool's children to testify that they had been sexually abused by their teachers as part of Satanic rituals. The charges were all eventually dropped. Media coverage during the trial tended to side with the prosecutors, and often singled out the Church of Satan as the culprit. This led Zeena to volunteer to serve as the Church of Satan's first spokesperson. In a September 2011 interview, Zeena recalled, As the Church of Satan's spokesperson, Zeena appeared in nationally syndicated programs such as ''
The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'', also known as ''Donahue'', is an American television talk show hosted by Phil Donahue that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast on WLWD in Dayton, Ohio, and i ...
'', ''
Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the progra ...
with
Ted Koppel Edward James Martin Koppel (born February 8, 1940) is a British-born American broadcast journalist, best known as the anchor for '' Nightline'', from the program's inception in 1980 until 2005. Before ''Nightline'', he spent 20 years as a broad ...
'', ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...
'', ''
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'' and '' Secrets & Mysteries''. She also appeared on the '' Sally Jessy Raphael Show'', alongside her husband, debating several Christians who were invited onto the program to expound their own religious views. Internationally, she appeared in such media presentations as Italy's RAI Mixer show and Toronto's Industrial Video presentation dedicated to a compilation of Zeena's TV appearances, ending with a lengthy radio interview for CUIT. She was also interviewed in a broadcast of "Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground" released by Geraldo Rivera in 1988. Zeena sat alongside the
Temple of Set The Temple of Set is an occult initiatory order founded in 1975. A new religious movement and form of Western esotericism, the Temple espouses a religion known as Setianism, whose practitioners are called Setians. This is sometimes identified ...
founder/High Priest Michael A. Aquino, and repeatedly denied the rumors circulating at the time that the Church of Satan was in any way involved with ritual abuse. She also called the testimony of claimants involved into question, asking them rhetorically why, if people were being forced to give birth to babies for sacrificial rituals, no remains had ever been found. In 1989, Anton LaVey's 1971 book ''The Compleat Witch, or What to Do When Virtue Fails'' was reprinted as '' The Satanic Witch'', with an introduction by Zeena. She toured the U.S. promoting her father's work in his absence, as he was no longer interested in making media appearances. Most of the appearances were made at the behest of the Church of Satan as its spokesperson. In 1989, while promoting the book, Zeena appeared with her then husband
Nikolas Schreck Nikolas Schreck is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany. Now a solo artist, Schreck founded the musical magical recording and performance collective Radio ...
(not a member of the COS) in an interview with
televangelist Televangelism (wikt:tele-, tele- "distance" and "evangelism," meaning "Christian ministry, ministry," sometimes called teleministry) is the use of media, specifically radio and television, to communicate Christianity. Televangelists are minister ...
Bob Larson Bob Larson (born May 28, 1944) is an American radio and television evangelist, and a pastor of Spiritual Freedom Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Larson has authored numerous books critical of rock music and Satanism. Life and career Larson was bo ...
, during which they both refuted any Satanic criminal ties, and pressed Larson on his own ideals, stating that it was hypocritical of him to endorse such claims by Christians, pointing out the Christian background of many criminals, and violent acts within Christian history, such as the crusades. Zeena's Interview on KJTV with Tony Valdez, 1990, was the last interview she granted as public representative and High Priestess of the Church of Satan before resigning. In a March 2013 interview televised by Network Awesome, Zeena spoke for the first time on camera about her experiences with media during the "Satanic Panic" years. Zeena was also in regular contact with law enforcement agencies and personnel, including Detective Patrick Metoyer of the LAPD and Robert D. Hicks, law-enforcement specialist with the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and author of several precedent-setting treatises including ''In Pursuit of Satan: The Police and The Occult''. ''In Pursuit of Satan'' began the wave of authoritative reports debunking the Satanic Panic. Much of what Hicks gleaned from Zeena's dialogs with him was included in this treatise. Prior to Zeena's dialogs and meetings with government agencies, police and law enforcement had only a very limited knowledge of Satanism. In 1992, the FBI issued an official report refuting the criminal conspiracy theories of this time.


Leaving the Church of Satan, 1990

In 1990, she resigned from the Church of Satan and renounced
LaVeyan Satanism LaVeyan Satanism is a nontheistic religion founded in 1966 by the American occultist and author Anton Szandor LaVey. Scholars of religion have classified it as a new religious movement and a form of Western esotericism. LaVey established his m ...
. According to Zeena's official web site, "In the process of defending the Church of Satan from these unfounded claims in the U.S. mass media, Zeena's media appearances attracted a new upsurge of membership to the formerly moribund organization even as she began to question and ultimately reject the self-centered philosophy she promoted. As she toured the United States on behalf of the Church of Satan, Zeena's crisis of faith reached its highpoint when she learned that most of her father's self-created legend was based on lies and that many of his works were plagiarized. When jealousy and spite motivated Anton LaVey and his administrator Densley-Barton to actually endanger Zeena's life, she could no longer continue to cover up her progenitor's true character in good conscience. This behind the scenes tension should be kept in mind when viewing or hearing Zeena's interviews from that time." After her renunciation of the Church of Satan, Zeena Schreck severed use of her born name "LaVey" and legally changed her last name, for all official matters, to "Schreck". In a December 30, 1990 open letter to Michael A. Aquino of the
Temple of Set The Temple of Set is an occult initiatory order founded in 1975. A new religious movement and form of Western esotericism, the Temple espouses a religion known as Setianism, whose practitioners are called Setians. This is sometimes identified ...
, she stated: "In light of all of the factors herein, I also officially severed my given surname aVeyand now prefer to be known only as Zeena. As I feel naturally aristocratic, I also have no need for the empty titles of Magistra or High Priestess that have been bandied about and fought over." Since then, she does not accept correspondence addressed to "Zeena LaVey," "Zeena LaVey-Schreck", or any variant using the name LaVey.


Temple of Set

Zeena began to pursue ancient religious practices relating to the Egyptian god Seth and Sethianism. She has stated, "While I was residing in Vienna, I visited a museum where a Sethian altar lives. It was there that I had a very profound experience that enabled me to clearly see the course for my future." At the time, she was also practicing traditional tantra and yoga. Her experiences within those two systems, as well as her central role and life's experience in other occult and esoteric milieux, would contribute considerably to the content of her book ''Demons of the Flesh'', co-authored with Nikolas Schreck. In 1997, Zeena and co-guest Nikolas Schreck once again debated Christian Minister Bob Larson. This time she did not represent Satanism but rather Sethianism, though the interview was titled "Showdown With Satanism". At the time she was III° Priestess of Set. In 2002 Zeena became High Priestess of the Temple of Set.


Sethian Liberation Movement

The Sethian Liberation Movement was founded on November 8, 2002, after Zeena Schreck resigned from the Temple of Set with four Masters of the Temple of Set (one Master, Magister Michael Kelly, was also a member of the corporate Board of Directors for the California non-profit organization The Temple of Set). Details of the departure were explained in a letter dated November 8, 2002 from the newly departed Temple of Set Council of Nine member to an Adept IIº member regarding the events leading to Zeena's resignation and the founding of the Storm, later renamed the Sethian Liberation Movement. Shortly after Zeena Schreck resigned from the Temple of Set, a
Disinfo The Disinformation Company (abbreviated as Disinfo) was a privately held company, privately held, private company limited by shares, limited American publishing company until 2012 when it was sold to Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari. It also owned ''Disinf ...
listing for the Temple of Set from December 17, 2002, under the heading: 2002 Schism: The Storm Awakens reported, "High Priest Don Webb stepped down, and, on 9 September 2002, was succeeded by High Priestess Zeena Schreck. Six weeks after the Helsinki Conclave (September 2002), Zeena, Magister Aaron Besson, Magister Nikolas Schreck and Magister Michael Kelly all resigned on 8 November 2002. Four Priests Alfred Rodriguez, Kevin Rockhill, Jared Davison and Richard Gavin also resigned. Temple of Set sources have claimed that eighteen Initiates have resigned while others have estimated the number at closer to sixty (including several Orders, Elements, and members of the Adept and Setian degrees)." In one of the Sethian Liberation Movement's earliest public Frequently Answered Questions documents released, Disinfo referenced it in their post covering the Temple of Set/Storm schism: "...  hedocument defines the new and as-yet unnamed group as ... a loose confederation of Setian Teachers and Students, an alliance of Orders." The group has eschewed the Temple's administrative and non-profit structure, as well as its degree system and titles. "We work together through mutual respect and interest, not through any organizational limitations or restrictions", the FAQ document states. Finally, its founders have sought to avoid the "magical society" structure of post-Theosophy groups: the confederation is "an ongoing Magical Working in which we may participate, a living, dynamic and evolving thing." Zeena's homepage states, "Drawing on her own triumph over these and other dysfunctional family experiences, Zeena, a professional bereavement counsellor, founded The Sethian Liberation Movement's public outreach program PHOENIX to help others in similar situations." It explains that "Since 2004 Phoenix provides spiritual healing for victims of exploitative pseudo-religious organizations, former gang members, whistle-blowing ex-employees of corrupt corporations and governmental agencies, relatives of the violently mentally ill, and survivors of all forms of institutional abuse, including secretly abused children and spouses of prominent personalities."


Other media appearances

Zeena's website states: "Preferring to allow her work to speak for itself and indifferent to public opinion, Zeena has granted only a very few interviews since 1993." In 2004 Zeena and Nikolas Schreck spoke about their book ''Demons of the Flesh'' on ''The Devil's Advocate'' radio show. In that interview, Zeena also spoke about the Storm (before it had been renamed Sethian Liberation Movement) and its incorporation of the tantric left way practices she writes of in her book. In December 2011 Zeena Schreck spoke about the Sethian Liberation Movement on ''Nightwatch Radio'' while also promoting two of her short fiction stories, ''A Short History of Buddhism in Berlin'' and ''Lost and Found: A Fairy Tale of Sethian Awakening'', in the literary journal ''Beatdom'' released December 2011. According to the ''Nightwatch'' interview Zeena Schreck states that the Sethian Liberation Movement (SLM) is not membership based nor a 'group' seeking to fill dues quotas, or something to join but rather a practice. In December 2012, Zeena Schreck was invited back to Nightwatch Radio. This time, promoting the 2012 Radio Werewolf release of ''The Vinyl Solution – Analog Artifacts: Ritual Instrumentals and Undercover Versions'' CD, the first authorized Radio Werewolf release in 20 years, and ''Beatdoms Crime issue #12 featuring a vintage portrait of Zeena on the cover and her theatre monologue, "Night Shift, Richmond Station". On December 10, 2012, Zeena curated a stream of videos for Network Awesome's Live Music Show, with audio and visual clips arranged in an autobiographical manner. On March 18, 2013, Network Awesome's daily program opened with an exclusive original production featuring Zeena Schreck's first one-on-one televised interview in 22 years, conducted by artist Jen Ray. Network Awesome spotlighted Zeena with a full day of programming, referencing various facets of her life. Other features in the day's program included archival interviews of Zeena and documentaries relating to her current spiritual pursuits and practices. In 2016, a mock
conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...
in a vein similar to that of the Ted Cruz–Zodiac meme arose online, conflating Zeena with popular singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
.


Music and performance art


The 8/8/88 rally

On August 8, 1988, a large gathering converged on the Strand Theater in San Francisco for the film debut of a 'mockumentary' about
Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
. The event, planned and carried out by
Nikolas Schreck Nikolas Schreck is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany. Now a solo artist, Schreck founded the musical magical recording and performance collective Radio ...
, was the largest single gathering of this kind in history. Zeena spoke at the beginning of the rally and a film of her baptism was played. In a 2011 interview with Zeena for French music magazine ''Obsküre'', she stated that 8-8-88 "would be the only performance that Nikolas, Evil Wilhelm he original Radio Werewolf percussionist and I ever performed live together. That marked the transition point spanning three phases of Radio Werewolf: 1) the Nikolas Schreck/Evil Wilhelm collaboration, 2) the solo Nikolas Schreck phase, and 3) the Nikolas Schreck/Zeena collaboration." Also featured were
NON Non, non or NON can refer to: * ''Non'', a negatory word in French, Italian and Latin People *Non (given name) *Non Boonjumnong (born 1982), Thai amateur boxer * Rena Nōnen (born 1993), Japanese actress who uses the stage name "Non" since July ...
,
Amok Press Adam Parfrey (April 12, 1957 – May 10, 2018) was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge. A 2010 ''Se ...
and Kris Force, a musician who at the time owned the Strand Theater. Geraldo Rivera's "Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground" film crew filmed the event, as well as interviews with all involved, to use for the network special.


Radio Werewolf

From 1988 to 1993, Zeena was co-director of the experimental musical project
Radio Werewolf Radio Werewolf was a musical collective active in Los Angeles, California, and Europe from 1984 to 1993. History Radio Werewolf was founded in Los Angeles in 1984, by Nikolas Schreck (vocals), Evil Wilhelm (percussion), James "Filth" Collord (bas ...
. She served as composer, vocalist, musician and graphic designer on the Radio Werewolf recordings "Songs for the End of the World", "The Lightning and the Sun", "Bring Me The Head of Geraldo Rivera", "These Boots Were Made for Walking", and "Love Conquers All." Her performances were exclusively European-based at that time. In 2012, Radio Werewolf released ''The Vinyl Solution – Analog Artifacts: Ritual Instrumentals and Undercover Versions'' Compact Disc, the first authorized Radio Werewolf release in 20 years. In 2016,
Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
magazine ranked Radio Werewolf No. 4 on their 'The 25 weirdest bands of all time' list, stating: "Formed during the height of 'Satanic Panic' hysteria in mid-80's America, Radio Werewolf was once considered 'the most dangerous band in the world', largely due to the notoriety of their vocalist, Zeena Schreck...". In 2016, The Top Tens Most Satanic Bands listed Radio Werewolf, "Yes!, Since when does Heavy Metal have to be the only satanic music. Why not dark organ Gothic/Deathrock." In 2019, Amy Haben's article "Subversive Grooves: Music From the Dark Side," for the February 25 edition of online zine ''Please Kill Me'', describes Radio Werewolf and Zeena, "Radio Werewolf is one of the coolest bands you probably never heard of. It's a dark trip on to the set of a vintage horror movie. ..Zeena's version of Nancy Sinatra's, " These Boots Are Made For Walkin’," features a World War II-esque sample sound of marching boots to kick it off the song followed by a deep bass line reminiscent of Nilsson's "Jump into The Fire." Zeena seduces with sultry vocals and smacks a bit of German into the middle of the tune.


Solo music career


Performa 13, New York

On November 8, 2013, the visual art performance biennial ''
Performa The Macintosh Performa is a family of personal computers designed, manufactured and sold by Apple Inc., Apple Computer, Inc. from 1992 to 1997. The Performa brand re-used models from Apple's Macintosh Quadra, Quadra, Macintosh Centris, Centri ...
'' presented Zeena accompanied by New York musician
Hisham Bharoocha Hisham Akira Bharoocha (born March 12, 1974 in Niigata Prefecture, Niigata, Japan) is an American musician and visual artist best known as an ex-member of the Providence, Rhode Island, Providence bands Lightning Bolt (band), Lightning Bolt and B ...
(first percussion) and Danish musician Anders Hermund (second percussion), for a vocal based work that tapped into the ritual use of sacred syllables from
Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
,
Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...
and Sethian-Typhonian left-way tantric practices, "originating from emptiness, gradually transforming into a sound and voice collage on a stage set design by Frank Haines." This was Zeena's first solo performance in her native country since her
expatriation An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
to Europe in 1990. David Sanderson described the event, "Jingling bells and padded footsteps echoed in the darkness. The curtains silently parted, dramatically revealing an electrified, vermilion environment. Dead center, with hands held in the Mudra position, stood the seemingly twenty-foot tall goddess Zeena. With a painted gong behind her, Bharoocha and Hermund adorned her sides. Bharoocha lit incense that swept through the audience as Zeena's commanding gaze pierced us all (everyone I talked to after the show swore she was staring directly at them)."


Wave-Gotik-Treffen music festival

On May 23, 2015, after a 24-year retreat from musical performances, Zeena made her official return to music in Europe, now as a solo artist, at the
Wave-Gotik-Treffen The Wave-Gotik-Treffen (WGT; ) is an annual world festival for "dark" music and "dark culture" in Leipzig, Germany. 150+ bands and artists from various backgrounds (gothic rock, gothic metal, EBM, industrial, noise, darkwave, neo-folk, neo-cl ...
festival in Leipzig, Germany. The concert, held amid "the sacred, magically charged ancient artifacts housed in Leipzig's Egyptian Museum (at the
Leipzig University Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December ...
)," was a unique ritual soundscape which Zeena composed especially for the theme of that environment. She was accompanied by Cory Vielma and John Murphy. This was John Murphy's
penultimate Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...
performance. Having suffered a long illness, John Murphy died less than five months after this concert. In accordance to Murphy's wishes, Zeena conducted the traditional Tibetan Buddhist ceremony for the passing of consciousness as he died. In 2016, a tribute to John Murphy as a 3CD compilation set entitled "All My Sins Remembered – The Sonic Worlds of John Murphy" was released by The Epicurean record label. On it, a live track from Zeena's WGT concert, featuring Murphy's electronic-percussion is included. The CD booklet also features cover portrait of Murphy by Zeena.


First solo recording

It was announced on Zeena's homepage that March 11, 2020 is the release date of her first solo recording, "Bring Me The Head of F.W. Murnau: A Ghost Story in Six Acts," inspired by news reports that the director's head had been stolen from his grave under mysterious circumstances. Many of the sounds incorporated in the tracks were captured in field recordings at Murnau's former residence in Berlin and at his grave-site in Stahnsdorf, Germany. The recording was issued as an EP in CD format, beginning with a pre-release limited, signed and numbered edition of 89 (number of years since the film director's death) followed by open edition and digital download through the Zeena Schreck Bandcamp site.


Discography


As solo artist

*''Bring Me The Head of F.W. Murnau: A Ghost Story in Six Acts'', Compact Disc EP 2020 KCH Records, no ASIN


Composer/performer for Radio Werewolf

*''The Lightning and the Sun'', Vinyl Mini LP 1989 Radio Werewolf, Unclean Productions ASIN: B000XV7U6I *''Bring Me the Head of Geraldo Rivera'', Vinyl Mini LP 1990 Unclean Production ASIN: B001EBFUXG *''Songs for the End of the World'', CD 1991 Radio Werewolf, Gymnastic Records, ASIN: B001EB9JFG *''Witchcraft/Boots'', Vinyl Double-cover 12" Maxi Single 1991 Radio Werewolf, Unclean Production ASIN: B001EBDQXM *''Love Conquers All'', CD 1992 Radio Werewolf, Gymnastic Records, ASIN: B000025TGE *''The Vinyl Solution- Analog Artifacts: Ritual Instrumentals and Undercover Versions'', CD


Producer

*''
Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimat ...
Sings Devils, Rogues & Other Villains (From Broadway To Bayreuth And Beyond)'', 1996 Wolfslair, Inc., Co-Produced with Nikolas and Zeena Schreck, ASIN: B004GL0VRQ *''5,000 Years of the God Set'', 1997 Wolfslair, Inc./2012 Kaliyuga Clearing House, Producer Zeena Schreck, no ASIN *Charles Manson Superstar (co-producer/narrator), 1989, film documentary, director/producer: Nikolas Schreck)


Other recordings

* Zeena provided all the female narration, as well as contributing some of the soundtrack music for the documentary film ''
Charles Manson Superstar ''Charles Manson Superstar'' is a documentary film about Charles Manson, directed by Nikolas Schreck in 1989. Most of the documentary (the entire interview) was filmed inside San Quentin Prison. Nikolas and Zeena Schreck narrated the segments whi ...
'', 1989 Video Werewolf. *'' Georges Montalba – Pipe Organ Favorites & Fantasy in Pipe Organ and Percussion'', 2001 Hit Thing, digipack booklet includes an article written by Zeena Schreck with her archival photos, graphics and the last photo together of her and her father, ASIN: B001K2GGTG *''Zeena aVeyRadio interviews: Three Volume Set'', 1989 The Black House, no ASIN *''Zeena Speaks on the Death of Anton LaVey'', 1998 Wolfslair, Inc./2012 Kaliyuga Clearing House, no ASIN *''X – Zero'' (Track: Hymn To The Great Grand Goat), Vinyl LP 1998 Musicus Phÿcus, no ASIN *''All My Sins Remembered – The Sonic Worlds of John Murphy'' (Live track from WGT 2015 performance; track title "Sethian Dream Oracle"), 3-CD compilation, 2016 The Epicurean


Recordings about or inspired by Zeena

*''I Was Evil'' (song title), released on 7" vinyl by King Dude/AWEN, released Jan 21, 2021. Zeena was the inspiration for this track;
Tesco Organisation Tesco Organisation is a German record label, mail order company and distributor, specialising in industrial, noise, neofolk and ambient music. Tesco has also organised music festivals in the past such as "Heavy Electronics", "Tesco Disco" and ...
description, " ing Duderelays a story told to him by Zeena Schreck (née LaVey) wherein she could have effected some malice but on a whim decided not to, adding ‘but, that was back when I was evil’. That sentence was a springboard for a song idea." *''The Silent Lineage'' album by Sacred Legion, released December 2020. Both album and band name given by Zeena. From Dark Italia website, "The band’s name was chosen for them by Zeena Schreck, counterculture icon, multimedia artist and musician (Radio Werewolf)." *Two tracks from the EP ''State and Design'', titles: ''Radio Werewolf'' and ''An Anonymous'', released April 30, 2018 by Cubus Larvik. Samples of Zeena's voice from interviews used copiously throughout, as well as a still from one of Zeena's interviews used for the cover. *''Zeena LaVey: Satanist'' (song title), released October 10, 2013 by DENNIS. *''Pentagram Sam'', released 2012 by Da Grimston & Mist-E. A Satanic
rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
parody on
T-Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
; references Zeena in lyrics and imagery as
status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a sociological term – as part of social and soci ...
within that milieu, e.g., "I'm Facebook friendz with Zeena LaVey; Pentagram Sam get outta the way." *''
The Satanic Mass ''The Satanic Mass: Recorded Live at the Church of Satan'' is the first released audio recording of a Satanic ritual by high priest Anton Szandor LaVey, recorded September 13th, 1967 at Church of Satan headquarters, known as The Black House. Th ...
'', 1968 Murgenstrumm Records / re-released on CD, 1994 Amarillo Records / 2001 Mephisto Media. Contains a reenactment of Zeena Schreck's historic satanic baptism. ASIN: B000172L86


Filmography

*''Satan Lives'' (interviewed as herself), documentary, 2015. Directors: Sam Dunn & Scott McFadyen, Banger Films. *''Usher'' (plays Sapphic Poetess), short film based on
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's "The Fall of the House of Usher," 2000. Director: Curtis Harrington *''
Charles Manson Superstar ''Charles Manson Superstar'' is a documentary film about Charles Manson, directed by Nikolas Schreck in 1989. Most of the documentary (the entire interview) was filmed inside San Quentin Prison. Nikolas and Zeena Schreck narrated the segments whi ...
'' (co-producer/narrator), documentary, 1989. Director/producer:
Nikolas Schreck Nikolas Schreck is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, film-maker and Tantric Buddhist religious teacher based in Berlin, Germany. Now a solo artist, Schreck founded the musical magical recording and performance collective Radio ...
. Zeena was co-producer, provided all the female narration, as well as contributing some of the soundtrack music for the film. *'' Speak of the Devil: The Canon of Anton LaVey'' (as herself – uncredited), documentary, 1998. Directors: Nick Bougas/A. Wyatt Mann,
Adam Parfrey Adam Parfrey (April 12, 1957 – May 10, 2018) was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of Feral House books, whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge. A 2010 ''Se ...
/Feral House) *''Showdown with Satanism'' (as herself), documentary, 1997. Produced by Bob Larson Ministries Video, USA ASIN: B001O0VW98 *''You May Be Sitting Next to a Satanist'' (as herself), documentary, 1997. Directors: Alanté & Antoine Simkine, French *''The Zurich Experiment'' (performer/producer/director), documentary of live music performance, 1992. Produced by Video Werewolf Inc., Vienna, Austria *''Germania: The Theory of Ruins'', (producer/director/photographer), Documentary-art video, 1992. Director: Zeena Schreck, Produced by Video Werewolf Inc., Vienna, Austria *''The First Family of Satanism'' (as herself), 1990. Produced by Bob Larson Ministries, USA *''Ragnarok'', (Producer/director), documentary, 1990. Produced by Video Werewolf Inc, USA *''The 80s: Satan's Seed Strikes Back lternate title: Zeena vs. Ignorance', 1989 documentary of compiled interviews of Zeena video, produced by The Black House, USA *''Satanis: The Devil's Mass'',(as herself) 1968 documentary, director: Ray Laurent USA, Something Weird Video, ASIN: B000093NSP *''The Wonderful World of Brother Buzz'' (as herself) 1965 Children's television program, San Francisco, USA


Publications (as author)

*''The Zaum of Zeena'', all art and writings in "The Zaum of Zeena" are her own. Edited by Frank Haines, published by Heinzfeller Nileisist for the New York Art Book Fair, 2015 *''Demons of the Flesh: A Complete Guide to Left-Hand Path Sex Magic''. Co-authored by Zeena and Nikolas Schreck, deals heavily with the subject of sex magic and the worship of the feminine in Eastern Tantra, pagan ritualism, Christianity, and western occultism. Creation Books, 2002 *''Straight to Hell: 20th Century Suicides'', Zeena Schreck wrote the Heaven's Gate Chapter, Creation Books, 2004 *''LeDossier Manson'', by Nikolas Schreck. Features as Appendix A, Zeena's 53 page full transcript, with introduction and annotations also by Zeena, of the raw video footage from Nikolas Schreck's interview to his documentary, ''Charles Manson Superstar''. Transcript title: "Easter Monday Audience with the Underworld Pope: Charles Manson Interviewed and Decoded". Jacket design artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena Schreck. Camion Noir, 2011 *''The Manson File: Myth And Reality Of An Outlaw Shaman'', by Nikolas Schreck. Features as Appendix A, Zeena's 53 page full transcript, with introduction and annotations also by Zeena, of the raw video footage from Nikolas Schreck's interview to his documentary, ''Charles Manson Superstar''. Transcript title: "Easter Monday Audience with the Underworld Pope: Charles Manson Interviewed and Decoded". Jacket design artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena Schreck. World Operations, 2011 *''Beatdom'' Religion issue #10, Zeena wrote two short stories in this issue: "A Short History of Buddhism in Berlin" & "Lost and Found: A Fairy Tale of Sethian Awakening" 2011 *''Beatdom'' Nature issue #11, Zeena's autobiographical essay, "Liberation Under the Snow Moon", 2012 *''Beatdom'' Crime issue #12, Cover photo and theater monologue "Night Shift, Richmond Station" 978-1481801836 * In 2013, Zeena wrote a column for
VICE A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
online magazine called "From the Eye of the Storm".


Published illustrations and graphic design by Zeena

*''All My Sins Remembered – The Sonic Worlds of John Murphy'', CD booklet cover portrait of John Murphy by Zeena; released by The Epicurean record label, 2016 *''The Zaum of Zeena'', all art and writings within "The Zaum of Zeena" are her own. Published by Heinzfeller Nileisist for the New York Art Book Fair, 2015 *''HORSEFLY'', cover art and title design by Zeena, Vinyl 7" EP of Charles Manson's music. ATWA/ATWAR Productions, 2011 *''The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman'', Cover design, artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena. World Operations, 2011 *''LeDossier Manson'', Cover design, artist/graphic designer and all chapter plates by Zeena. Camion Noir, 2011 *''Demons of the Flesh: The Complete Guide to Left-Hand Path Sex Magic'', selection and editing of photos and images, as well as contributed two original drawings created for this volume 2002 *''Kabbalah, Qliphoth and Goetic Magic'', contributed two original photos and two original drawings for this volume. Ajna, 2004 *''The Exit Collection'', two original drawings for this volume. Tacit, 1998 *''Songs for the End of the World'' design & original art for CD's cover, booklet & inlays; Radio Werewolf, Gymnastic Records, 1991 ASIN: B001EB9JFG *''Love Conquers All'', design layout for CD's cover, booklet & inlays; 1992 Radio Werewolf, Gymnastic Records, ASIN: B000025TGE *''Witchcraft/Boots'', concept, double cover design & photographic tableau of Nikolas Schreck for ''Witchcraft'' side (photo of Zeena for ''Boots'' side by Helmut Wolech); Radio Werewolf, Unclean Production, 1991 ASIN: B001EBDQXM *''Bring Me the Head of Geraldo Rivera'', concept, cover art & design; Radio Werewolf, Unclean Production, 1990 ASIN: B001EBFUXG *''The Lightning and the Sun'', cover design & layout; Radio Werewolf, Unclean Productions, 1989 ASIN: B000XV7U6I


Publication cover stories featuring Zeena

*''DERAILED'' Magazine; Issue 4, Vol. 1 – April 2021, ''Eager Student, Humble Teacher,'' interview with Zeena Schreck by Daphne Minks Daly. ISSN 2766-6379 *''Beatdom''; Crime issue #12, Dec. 20, 2012. Cover photo and theater monologue "Night Shift, Richmond Station," by Zeena Schreck. 978-1481801836 *''Cuir Underground''; Issue 4.2 – Summer 1998 ''Sado-Magic for Satan,'' interview with Zeena Schreck by Kiki Scar.


References


External links

*
Official Blog

Bandcamp

Zeena Schreck on Discogs
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schreck, Zeena 1963 births Living people Tibetan Buddhists from the United States Converts to Buddhism American Buddhists Setians Left-Hand Path Former Satanists American women artists American women writers American women in electronic music American performance artists American emigrants to Germany Spiritual teachers Singers from California Songwriters from California Writers from San Francisco Artists from San Francisco Musicians from San Francisco