Gary Joseph Lachman (born December 24, 1955), also known as Gary Valentine, is an American writer and musician. He came to prominence in the mid-1970s as the bass guitarist for rock band Blondie. Since the 1990s, Lachman has written full-time, often about

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...

and

occultism The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

Biography

Musical career

Lachman joined Blondie in spring 1975 after original bassist

Fred Smith Fred, Frederic, or Frederick Smith may refer to: In literature *Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead (1907–1975), British peer and biographer *Frederick Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead (1936–1985), British peer and author * Frederick E. Smith ...

left to join

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

amid founding bassist

Richard Hell Richard Lester Meyers (born October 2, 1949), better known by his stage name Richard Hell, is an American singer, songwriter, bass guitarist and writer. Hell was in several important early punk rock bands, including Neon Boys, Television and ...

's departure. He wrote the music to the band's first single, " X-Offender", and popularized the band's sixties-retro look. In 1977 he left the group to form his own band and was replaced by Nigel Harrison, just as Blondie were starting to gain recognition. His song "

(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" is a song by the American band Blondie, from their 1978 album ''Plastic Letters''. Written by recently departed Blondie bassist Gary Valentine, the song was based on the telepathic connections that Va ...

" was a UK top ten hit in 1978, and was subsequently recorded by Tracey Ullman and

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

. After Blondie, Lachman moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and in 1978 released a single, "The First One/Tomorrow Belongs to You" on Beat Records. Shortly after this he formed The Know, with Joel Turrisi and Richard d'Andrea who were the first band to play the infamous

Madame Wong's Esther Wong (August 13, 1917 – August 14, 2005) was a Chinese-American music promoter, called the "Godmother of Punk" in Los Angeles, California. Life She was born in Shanghai in 1917. Her father had been an automobile importer, and she ha ...

Chinese restaurant-turned-new wave venue. (Lachman's claim to this distinction has been verified by several eyewitnesses.) After a year and a half Joel left the band and was replaced by drummer John McGarvey. In 1980 The Know released a single "I Like Girls/Dreams" on Planet Records and were the only bi-coastal US "power pop" band, developing large followings in New York and Los Angeles. Failing to secure an album deal, he disbanded The Know and in 1981 played guitar with

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

. In 1996, after moving to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he was asked to participate in the Blondie re-union, and in November of that year he recorded one of his songs, "Amor Fati", with Blondie, for their 'comeback' album. In 1997 he performed with Blondie at several major festival concerts in the US. Back in London Lachman worked with former X-Ray Spex saxophonist Lora Logic. In 1998 he formed Fire Escape together with violinist Ruth Vaughn and performed songs he had written for the Blondie reunion album (they had not been used due to the band ultimately excluding him from the recording process and the reunion tour). They released an EP to little fanfare and went on a permanent hiatus after two years. A compilation of Lachman's work in music entitled ''Tomorrow Belongs to You'' featuring recordings by The Know and Fire Escape, was released in 2003 on the UK label Overground Records. In 2006, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

as a former member of Blondie, although vocalist

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

prohibited Lachman and other ex-members from performing with the current line-up at the ceremony.

Literary career

Lachman moved to London in 1996 and became a full-time writer, contributing to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', '' Mojo'', ''

Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...

'' and other journals. His first book, '' Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius'', appeared in 2001. It was followed in 2002 by ''New York Rocker: My Life in The Blank Generation,'' an account of his years on the New York ( CBGB) and Los Angeles music scene in the 1970s. In 2003 he produced ''A Secret History of Consciousness'', a study of non-reductive, non-materialist accounts of consciousness, with detailed discussions of Owen Barfield, Julian Jaynes, Jean Gebser, Jurij Moskvitin, hypnagogia, and related themes. ''The Dedalus Book of the Occult: A Dark Muse'' (2004) charted the influence of the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...

on western literature since the Enlightenment. The following years saw several more books, on the related themes of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

, the

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

, and the influence of the occult and esoteric thought on mainstream western culture, including biographies of the Russian philosopher P.D. Ouspensky (2004), the Austrian "spiritual scientist"

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...

(2007), the Swedish religious thinker

Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had ...

(2006), the Swiss psychologist

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, phil ...

(2010) and

Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his p ...

(2016). Recent works include a study of writers and suicide, ''The Dedalus Book of Literary Suicides: Dead Letters'' (2008), with essays on

Walter Benjamin Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin (; ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic and essayist. An eclectic thinker, combining elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, and Jewi ...

, Yukio Mishima,

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', '' Steppenwolf'', '' Siddhartha'', and '' The Glass Bead Game'', each of which explores an individual' ...

, and others, and a history of occultism and politics, ''Politics and the Occult: The Right, the Left, and the Radically Unseen'' (2008), which addresses the theme of

fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and th ...

and the occult through the work of

Julius Evola Giulio Cesare Andrea "Julius" Evola (; 19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974) was an Italian philosopher, poet, painter, esotericist, and radical-right ideologue. Evola regarded his values as aristocratic, masculine, traditionalist, heroic, and defiantly ...

Rene Schwaller de Lubicz René Adolphe Schwaller de Lubicz (December 30, 1887 – December 7, 1961), born René Adolphe Schwaller in Alsace-Lorraine, was a French Egyptologist and mystic who popularized the pseudoarchaeological idea of sacred geometry in ancie ...

Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...

, and others. He is a regular contributor to the '' Independent on Sunday'', '' Fortean Times'', and other journals in the US and UK, lectures frequently and occasionally broadcasts on the BBC. His work has been compared to

, and has been translated into German, Finnish, Czech, Russian, French, Dutch, Spanish, Norwegian, Italian and Portuguese. In 2014 Lachman took part in the annual Engelsberg Seminar held in Avesta, Sweden, lecturing on gnosis and the evolution of consciousness in the 21st century. In 2015 Lachman lectured on "Rejected Knowledge" to the Marion Institute as part of their "Living in the Real World" seminar. Recent years have seen Lachman lecturing on a variety of esoteric and cultural topics in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States.

Bibliography

Books

*''Two Essays on

: World Rejection and Criminal Romantics AND From Outsider to Post-Tragic Man (Colin Wilson Studies)'' (1994, paperback , hardcover ) *''

as Philosopher (Colin Wilson Studies)'' (with John Shand, 1996, ) *''New York Rocker: My Life in the Blank Generation, with Blondie,

and Others, 1974–1981'' (2002, ) *'' Turn Off Your Mind: The Mystic Sixties and the Dark Side of the Age of Aquarius'' (2001, , 2003, ) *''A Secret History of Consciousness'' (2003, ) *''The Dedalus Occult Reader: The Garden of Hermetic Dreams'' (editor of anthology, 2004, ) *''In Search of

P. D. Ouspensky Pyotr Demianovich Ouspenskii (known in English as Peter D. Ouspensky; rus, Пётр Демья́нович Успе́нский, Pyotr Demyánovich Uspénskiy; 5 March 1878 – 2 October 1947) was a Russian esotericist known for his expositions ...

: The Genius in the Shadow of Gurdjieff'' (hardcover, 2004, , paperback, 2006,
Chapter VI, ''Online''
*''A Dark Muse: A History of the Occult'' (2005, ) *''Into the Interior: Discovering Swedenborg'' (2006, ) *''

: An Introduction to His Life and Work'' (2007, ) *''The Dedalus Book of Literary Suicides: Dead Letters'' (2008, ) *''Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen'' (2008, ) *''The Dedalus Book of the 1960s: Turn Off Your Mind'' (updated, enlarged edition 2009, ) *''

Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, phil ...

The Mystic: The Esoteric Dimensions of

's Life and Teachings'' (2010, ) *''The Quest For

Hermes Trismegistus Hermes Trismegistus (from grc, Ἑρμῆς ὁ Τρισμέγιστος, "Hermes the Thrice-Greatest"; Classical Latin: la, label=none, Mercurius ter Maximus) is a legendary Hellenistic figure that originated as a syncretic combination of t ...

From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World'' (2011, ) *'' Madame Blavatsky: The Mother of Modern Spirituality'' (2012, ) *'' Swedenborg: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas'' (2012) *''The Caretakers of the Cosmos: Living Responsibly in an Unfinished World'' (2013, ) *''

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prop ...

: Magick, Rock and Roll, and the Wickedest Man in the World'' (2014, ) *''Revolutionaries of the Soul: Reflections on Magicians, Philosophers, and

Occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism ...

s'' (2014, ) * ''The Secret Teachers of the Western World'' (2015, ) * ''Beyond the Robot: The Life and Work of

'' (2016, ) * ''Lost Knowledge of the Imagination'' (2017, ) * ''Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump'' (2018, ) * ''The Return of Holy Russia: Apocalyptic History, Mystical Awakening, and the Struggle for the Soul of the World'' (2020 ) * ''Introducing Swedenborg: Correspondences'' (2021 ) * ''Dreaming Ahead of Time: Experiences with Precognitive Dreams, Synchronicity and Coincidence'' (2022)

Articles

* "The Last of the Magi" (1999) '' Fortean Times'' #120, about Eliphas Levi * "Sympathy for the Devil" (2000) '' Fortean Times'' #134, about the

Process Church The Process Church of the Final Judgment, also known as the Process Church, was a British religious group established in 1966 and disestablished in the 1970s. Its founders were the English couple Mary Ann MacLean and Robert de Grimston, who sprea ...

* "The Mystical Count" (2000) '' Fortean Times'' #140, about Count Jan Potocki * "The Damned" (2001) '' Fortean Times'' #150, about

James Webb James, Jim or Jimmy Webb may refer to: Arts *Jim Webb (born 1946), American author, also politician (see below) *James Webb (historian) (1946–1980), Scottish historian *James Webb (painter) (1825–1895), British painter * James Webb (South Afr ...

*
Turn Off Your Mind: Gary Lachman Traces the Influence of the Occult in the Arts
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

on Sunday'' (2001) * "Waking Sleep" (2002) '' Fortean Times'' #163, about hypnagogia *
The magical world of Fernando Pessoa
(2004) ''nth Position'', about

Fernando Pessoa Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century an ...

* "Absinthe & alchemy" (2004) '' Fortean Times'' #180, about

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty ...

*
Working it out
(2004) ''nth Position'', about Gurdjieff and Ouspensky *

(2004) '' Fortean Times'' #188. an interview with

* "Dweller on the Threshold" (2006) '' Fortean Times'' #205, about

*
Mystical Experience and the Evolution of Consciousness: 21st Century Gnosis
at Academia.edu *
If Consciousness Is Evolving, Why Aren't Things Getting Better?
(Spring 2017) ''Quest'' magazine #105.2 *
What is Jordan B. Peterson Really Saying?
(2018) ''New Dawn Magazine'' #168, about

Jordan B. Peterson Jordan Bernt Peterson (born 12 June 1962) is a Canadian media personality, clinical psychologist, author, and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. He began to receive widespread attention as a public intellectual in the late 2010s ...

References

External links

Official site
* Gary Valentineat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

*
The Philosopher of Punk
in the ''Hampstead and Highgate Express'', March 4, 2004

* *

Reviews

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071203121940/http://arts.independent.co.uk/books/reviews/article73236.ece ''The Dedalus Book of the Occult'' reviewed by Suzi Feay in

, January 11, 2004
''The Garden of Hermetic Dreams''
reviewed by Nicholas Lezard in

, January 1, 2005
''In Search of P D Ouspensky''
reviewed by Jah Wobble in

, November 7, 2004
''Into the Interior: Discovering Swedenborg''
reviewed by Tom Boncza-Tomaszewski in

, November 12, 2006 *http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/14/us/gary-lachman-from-blondie-to-swedenborg.html?_r=0 "Spiritual Seekers Quest: From Blondie to Swedenborg" Mark Oppenheimer in ''The New York Times'', April 13, 2012 * https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/ufos-alien-abductions-the-occult-to-one-man-the-building-blocks-of-scholarship/2016/08/31/a011dd52-6e13-11e6-9705-23e51a2f424d_story.html "Ufos, alien abductions, the occult: to one man, the building blocks of scholarship" Michael Dirda in ''The Washington Post'', August 31, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lachman, Gary 1955 births 20th-century American guitarists American fortean writers American rock guitarists American male guitarists Blondie (band) members Guitarists from New Jersey Helena Blavatsky biographers Living people Musicians from Bayonne, New Jersey Place of birth missing (living people) Writers from Bayonne, New Jersey