One evening at the library, I found myself reading about Johann Konrad Dippel, a theologian who stirred controversy in the late 1600s. He argued that churches should be dissolved in favor of personal faith, that the Bible was metaphor rather than literal truth. Late in life, he went further still, claiming Christ was indifferent to human existence.

Dippel is most remembered today as the rumored inspiration for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, his name tied to alchemical experiments said to involve corpses.

The arc of his life — a faith ahead of its time collapsing into nihilism — shapes the theme of this episode.

Playlist

Megaton For Wm. Burroughs
Gordon Mumma, ONCE Chamber Ensemble
Gordon Mumma: Electronic Music Of Theater And Public Activity
New World Records

dlp 2.1
William Basinski
The Disintegration Loops (Remastered)
Temporary Residence Ltd.

gonk steady one
Autechre
NTS Session 1
Warp Records