Adam Parfrey (April 12, 1957 – May 10, 2018) was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of
Feral House books,[1] whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" areas of knowledge. A 2010 Seattle Weekly profile stated that "what Parfrey does is publish books that explore the marginal aspects of culture. And in many cases—at least back when his interests were almost exclusively
transgressive—he sheds light on subjects that society prefers to leave unexplored, carving a niche catering to those of us with an unseemly obsession with life's darkest, most depraved sides."[2]
Early life
Parfrey was born in New York City, but during childhood moved to Los Angeles with his parents, actor
Woodrow Parfrey and Rosa Ellovich, a stage director of
Jewish descent. After graduating high school, he attended the
University of California, Santa Cruz,[3] and
UCLA, before dropping out[2] to move to San Francisco, where he began a short-lived experimental magazine, IDEA.[2] That publication folded after two issues. In 1983 he wrote and performed in a play, The Wickedest Man in the World, about
Gilles de Rais, a 15th-century French serial killer of children.[citation needed]
That year, Parfrey moved east to
Hoboken, New Jersey, and began working at New York City's
Strand Bookstore. In 1984, with Kim Seltzer and Strand co-worker
George Petros, Parfrey launched EXIT magazine; he collaborated on three of the six published issues before leaving the publication in 1987.[citation needed]
Career
Amok Press
In 1987, Parfrey and Kenneth Swezey co-founded Amok Press in New York. (Amok Books, an unrelated imprint, was founded by Swezey's brother Stuart later that year.) Amok Press's first title was an English translation by
Joachim Neugroschel of the
Nazi propagandistJoseph Goebbels's novel Michael (1929). This was followed by Parfrey's Apocalypse Culture, a collection of articles, interviews, and documents that explore various marginal aspects of culture. In total, Amok Press published eight books, including
You Can't Win, by
Jack Black, The
Grand Guignol: Theatre of Fear and Terror, by Mel Gordon,[4] and Boxcar Bertha: An Autobiography, As Told to Dr. Ben L. Reitman.[5]
In 2000, Apocalypse Culture II, a sequel to the 1987 book, was published.
In 2005, Parfrey co-founded the publishing company
Process Media with
Jodi Wille of
Dilettante Press.[8]
Vice Magazine called Feral House a forerunner to
4chan and
Reddit.[9]
Personal life
Parfrey left Portland and lived in Los Angeles for a time before decamping permanently to
Port Townsend, Washington, where he resided for the remainder of his life.[citation needed]
Death
He died in Seattle on May 10, 2018, following complications from a series of strokes.[10][11]
Awards
Winner: Independent Publisher Awards Best History Book of 2012 Silver Medal: Ritual America: Secret Brotherhoods and Their Influence on America Society, by Adam Parfrey and Craig Heimbichner.[12]
Works
Books
Apocalypse Culture edited by Adam Parfrey (Amok Press, 1988,
ISBN0-941693-02-3)
Muerte!: Death in Mexican Popular Culture by Harvey Stafford, edited by Adam Parfrey, illustrated by
J. G. Posada, photographs by the ¡Alarma! Staff (Feral House, 2000,
ISBN0-922915-59-8)
Apocalypse Culture II edited by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2000,
ISBN0-922915-57-1)
Extreme Islam: Anti-American Propaganda of Muslim Fundamentalism edited by Adam Parfrey, introduction by Tamim Ansary (Feral House, 2002,
ISBN0-922915-78-4)
Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs by Brendan Mullen, Adam Parfrey and Don Bolles (Feral House, 2002,
ISBN0-922915-70-9)
Two Thousand Formulas, Recipes, and Trade Secrets: The Classic Do-It-Yourself Book of Practical Everyday Chemistry by Harry Bennett and Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2003,
ISBN0-922915-95-4)
Sin-a-Rama: Sleaze Sex Paperbacks of the Sixties by B. Astrid Daley, Adam Parfrey and
Lydia Lunch (Feral House, 2004,
ISBN1-932595-05-8)
Secret Source: The Law of Attraction and Its Hermetic Influence Throughout the Ages by Maja D'Aoust, Adam Parfrey and Jodi Wille (Feral House, 2007,
ISBN978-1-934170-07-6)
Love, Sex, Fear, Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of Final Judgment by Timothy Wyllie, edited by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2009,
ISBN978-1-932595-37-6)
Feral Man in a Feral Land: Strange Tales from the Apocalypse Culture by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2010,
ISBN978-1-932595-45-1)
Ritual America: Secret Brotherhoods and Their Influence on American Society: A Visual Guide by Adam Parfrey and Craig Heinbichner (Feral House, 2012,
ISBN978-1-936239-14-6)
Citizen Keane: The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes by Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson (Feral House, 2014,
ISBN978-1-936239-95-5)
Propaganda and the Holy Writ of the Process Church of the Final Judgement: Sex Issue, Fear Issue, Death Issue, The Gods on War by Timothy Wyllie and Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2015,
ISBN978-1-936239-10-8)
He has also collaborated with
Boyd Rice on his album Hatesville.[15]
Plays the voice of Lord Jehova in the reading of The Gods on War with
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (The Lord Lucifer),
Lydia Lunch (The Lord Satan) and Timothy Wyllie (Transcendence).[16]
"Father of Apocalypse Culture: An Interview with Adam Parfrey", in Chad Hensley's (ed.) Esoterra: The Journal of Extreme Culture. Creation Books, 2011, pp. 15–17. The interview is followed by an article by Parfrey entitled "Weird Sex Cults" (pp 18–21).