{"product_id":"season-of-the-witch-how-the-occult-saved-rock-and-roll-9780399174964","title":"Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis epic cultural and historical odyssey unearths the full influence of occult traditions on rock and roll -- from the Beatles to Black Sabbath -- and shows how the marriage between mysticism and music changed our world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the hoodoo-inspired sounds of Elvis Presley to the Eastern odysseys of George Harrison, from the dark dalliances of Led Zeppelin to the Masonic imagery of today's hip-hop scene, the occult has long breathed life into rock and hip-hop--and, indeed, esoteric and supernatural traditions are a key ingredient behind the emergence and development of rock and roll. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith vivid storytelling and laser-sharp analysis, writer and critic Peter Bebergal illuminates this web of influences to produce the definitive work on how the occult shaped -- and saved -- popular music. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs Bebergal explains, occult and mystical ideals gave rock and roll its heart and purpose, making rock into more than just backbeat music, but into a cultural revolution of political, spiritual, sexual, and social liberation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Bebergal\u003c\/b\u003e writes widely on the speculative and slightly fringe. His recent essays and reviews have appeared in \u003ci\u003eNewYorker.com, The Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBoing Boing\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Believer\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Quietus\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eToo Much to Dream: A Psychedelic American Boyhood\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Faith Between Us: A Jew and a Catholic Search for the Meaning of God\u003c\/i\u003e (with Scott Korb). Bebergal studied religion and culture at Harvard Divinity School, and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Tarcherperigee","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50647456612626,"sku":"9780399174964","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_61b27860-763d-47a2-8830-2e8a20b96159.jpg?v=1734800241","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/season-of-the-witch-how-the-occult-saved-rock-and-roll-9780399174964","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}