From Rock Star to Occult Historian - A Talk with Gary Lachman
From Pop Apocalypse by Matthew J. Dillon, Center for the Study of World Religions
January 22, 2026 · 1h 28m · Episode 19
About this episode
Gary Lachman discusses his journey from being a bassist in Blondie to becoming an occult historian.
In Pop Apocalypse, Ep. 19, we welcome author and musician, Gary Lachman, to the show. Lachman was the original bassist for the seminal new wave band, Blondie. He later became an intellectual historian; to date, Lachman has published twenty-six books, most recently a memoir, Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult (Inner Traditions, 2025). In this wide-ranging chat, we discuss how Lachman’s reading of comics and Lovecraft inspired a lifelong interest in the occult, his early days in Blondie, and how he came to Crowleyan magick. Then we turn to Lachman’s time practicing “The Work” of Gurdjieff, his relationship with the author Colin Wilson, and how keeping a dream journal can change our view of the nature of time.
People in this episode
Host: Matthew J. Dillon
Guest: Gary Lachman
Topics covered
- occult
- music history
- intellectual history
- dream journaling
- Gurdjieff
- Blondie
- magick
Keywords
- Gary Lachman
- Blondie
- occult
- Gurdjieff
- dream journal
- Lovecraft
- Crowley
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Blondie
Books & works: Touched by the Presence: From Blondie’s Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult
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