Anyone in a lodge?

You know, Mason, Odd Fellow, Knights of the Pythius, Elk, Water Buffalo.....

I am an Odd fellow. I have been for years. Here are a couple of shots of us ( don't worry these photos where published in the local paper, I'm not breaking my oath):

I took this picture, that's why i'm not in it.

Can you find the ellusive "bearded Unkle John"? The guy in the red shirt(foreground, next to him (your left) is John Slate. he was the Kennedy assination "expert" in the movie "Slacker". John Slate...beef thief.

the old men are the coolest, and have the coolest stories. And what's cool all the young guys are into tiki, hot rods and tattoos. Oliver Peck is the guy with the long sleeves in the forground. He's pretty well known in the tatto industry for his vintage style tattoos. I'm thinking of getting a hula girl from him on my b-day.

So, anyone else want to share?

I was in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Cicero affiliation) for many years. For those who don't know, it was founded about 125 years ago by various Masonic and other practitioners. Later Aleister Crowley was allowed to join and had a big part in destroying it and then starting his own Order the O.T.O. which is G.D. redux.

The G.D. is a sort of Theosophical Sodality (men and women allowed) which is non-religious, but aims at spirituality as a sort of higher science. A lot of Qabalism involved, along with other Esoteric studies like Astrology, and it is the source for all the Enochian out there. Much of the Pagan groups work has it's roots in the G.D. system, though it has evolved far from it. The structure is there.

I have been a student of Qabala for a long time as well. That's another secret group, especially here in the Bible belt. I studied under a Master for a year continually. I became a "Priest" of that Order, which is secret enough I can't even tell you it's name! OPM.

I got to know a lot of people in a lot of Orders. Many in the GD also became members of Masonic Lodges to share with the Orders in Europe who came to possess the oldest remains of materials and documents of the GD's past. Much of that came back to the GD that way, through the SRIA (Society Rosicrucia In Anglia if I recall correctly).

We lumped it all in the general catagory of the funny hats clubs. The Odd Fellow looks liek a funny hats club for sure.

On 2005-04-07 23:16, Unkle John wrote: The guy in the red shirt(foreground, next to him (your left) is John Slate. he was the Kennedy assination "expert" in the movie "Slacker". John Slate...beef thief.
You know Control Rat X?? We go waaay back to when he was a teen, hanging out at Raul's, the glorious rathole cradle of Texas punk rock in Austin. Control Rat X (aka Johnny) had the best fanzine, Xiphoid Process, when he was all of 16 yrs old. Give him my love! (I totally can't recognize him in your photo!)

Alice Berry, aka Jim's little sister

I've been tempted for a long time, mostly by the types Swanky spoke of. Living in a small town, there's a suprising number of lodges to choose from. The Masonic lodge here is not very impressive,except for their occaisional $3 all you can eat breakfast. But the Moose Lodge has a really cool old bar. It's the most happening spot in town on the weekends, and in a town where there's not too many choices, the Moose Lodge is looking pretty good. I've heard there's an endless river of PBR flowing inside. Mmmmm.
Anyone know anything about the Moose order?

I'm not in a Lodge, but am in a Club. OK, (draws deep breath), it's the local Parrot Head Club. I know, I know, it's evil. I too thought the whole thing was kooky at first then went to an event and had a pretty good time. Then again I'm in a rural area near Laughlin, NV, and don't have the sort of tiki and Exotica music options you SF and LA area folks do. The closest we come to that here is when a band plays "Kokomo" in one of the casino lounges. You gotta make the most of what you've got in your area. This is a pretty unique phenomenon; there is a national organization and PHCs raise money (millions in total) for charities at their music and party events. BTW, they often have vendors at events and the thought has occured to me that some of you carvers and other artists could conceivably want to check out opportunities if there is an annual event in your area, even if the scene itself were not your cup of, um, tea. The CA (mostly LA I think) and AZ clubs are having an event in Laughlin NV this weekend (i.e. now). OK, it's not a Lodge so pardon me for going a bit off topic, but we do have a Grand Poo-Bah of sorts, and funny hats have been known to be worn.

[i]On 2005-04-08 07:10, Formikahini wroteYou know Control Rat X??

Yup that's Control Rat X! The beef thief himself (new inside joke). John is a great guy one of my good friends. He now works in the historical arcives for the city of Dallas
This may jog your memory:

if you go to my band's website ( http://www.outhousemoan.com ) and look at the flyers, her did the second one (sorry I don't have the larger versions loaded.

On 2005-04-08 06:26, Swanky wrote:
I was in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Cicero affiliation) for many years. For those who don't know, it was founded about 125 years ago by various Masonic and other practitioners. Later Aleister Crowley was allowed to join and had a big part in destroying it and then starting his own Order the O.T.O. which is G.D. redux.

The G.D. is a sort of Theosophical Sodality (men and women allowed) which is non-religious, but aims at spirituality as a sort of higher science. A lot of Qabalism involved, along with other Esoteric studies like Astrology, and it is the source for all the Enochian out there. Much of the Pagan groups work has it's roots in the G.D. system, though it has evolved far from it. The structure is there.

I have been a student of Qabala for a long time as well. That's another secret group, especially here in the Bible belt. I studied under a Master for a year continually. I became a "Priest" of that Order, which is secret enough I can't even tell you it's name! OPM.

I got to know a lot of people in a lot of Orders. Many in the GD also became members of Masonic Lodges to share with the Orders in Europe who came to possess the oldest remains of materials and documents of the GD's past. Much of that came back to the GD that way, through the SRIA (Society Rosicrucia In Anglia if I recall correctly).

We lumped it all in the general catagory of the funny hats clubs. The Odd Fellow looks liek a funny hats club for sure.

Swanky, I've heard about Golden Dawn and the Rosicrucisans. Which one was the off shoot? I don't recall.
So you are not alone in that knowlage.

Kinda off sugject, My band played with the legandary TX Psychedelic band: The Golden Dawn (which got their name from the order). Great bunch of guys.

Rosicrucians are a sort of mythic lot. Starts with the mystery of Christian Rosencreutz and his vault/burial chamber and manuscripts taken from his lifeless hands. The GD inner Order uses a Temple designed after CRC's burial chamber. So, Rosicrucians came first. But there is not that much of it in the GD. There is a lot more Masonic take offs with the rituals played out and then tons of Qabala and then a bit of a zillion other influences from Eastern to Chaldean to whatever mystical group there ever was. Lots of Egyptian as well.

There is a mystical Polynesian teaching called Huna. I have read a bit about it and knew a guy locally who was very into it. Somehow, not being a Polynesian, it seems wrong. But then, how many non-Asians are practicing Eastern religions? It's an interesting read on the powers of the main Hawaiian tiki forms.

Unkle John-

Oh yes, I TOtally remember John as in the old days. I just still can't recognize him as the guy in the red shirt in your recent foto. I knew about his new job - we on the Raul's/Club Foot board have all admired that he holds that position. PERfect for him. Please give him my love.

The beauty of "Slacker" is that so many people played themselves - just amped up a notch (like John's character). I'm sure Linklater had him write his own lines - no "outsider" could have done so!

Like "Steve with a Van" the guy who promised the girls that he was friends with the band and could get them on the guest list, but failed to? That was NOT a character - that was HIM. I'm sure "Rock and Roll Steve" (as he was then calling himself - I swear) thought he was playing "this real loser guy," but he did not have to act. It was not an act.

Now Teresa, the movie's poster - the girl selling Madonna's pubic hair (actually the drummer for the Butthole Surfers) - wasn't a scummy scammer like that, but I'm sure she would have done her best to make a buck off of that particular item had she really had it. Ahh, the days before eBay....

Yes, these were all my peeps. That was my town, and that is what it was like (again, with the volume turned up a notch or 2). The movie was made and I saw it a few years after I moved to Athens, GA (Slackertown, East). I feel so sorry for my friend Mark, a non-Austinite, who sat thru the movie with me. I was "Oh My God!"-ing the whole freakin' movie. It's hard not to when you know 2/3 of the cast well and they're playing themselves.

Lord knows what I'd have been cast as, had I still been living there.

OK, back to Lodge discussion.

I just still can't recognize him as the guy in the red shirt in your recent foto.

Actually I said the guy to your left (his arms in front of him with the dark mustache and gray goatee) of the guy in the red shirt(Andy). Not Andy's left.. that would be Horus. He (Horus)is a great guy, and his wife (Doris) makes the best bananna pudding I've had!

And I sure will pass on the word to Slate.

-one man aspiring to be everyone’s favorite unkle.
http://www.unklejohn.com

My Tiki Lounge http://unklejohn.suddenlaunch.com/index.cgi

[ Edited by: Unkle John on 2005-04-08 22:59 ]

Does the Fraternal Order of Moai count?

I mean, we don't have a lodge yet, but we're already talking about wearing the funny fez caps.

good enough for me. I was a honorary member of the Fraturnal order of the Jackalopes http://www.jackalope.tk/

I heard they kinda disbanded

I knew 2 people in Slackers; The T-shirt vendor guy, was from Philadelphia. He made the killer FUCK SEPTA t-shirts when they (the Philly Municipal Transit Authority) raised the fares to $1.50, in 1989. I don't remember the t-shirts he had in the movie. I also knew Sean the drummer, he was in Poi Dog Pondering at the time, and would later play in my friends band in SF, A Subtle Plaque. Extra weird coincidence: he married a German woman who worked in the Berlin office of the design firm I worked for in SF.

I played cards in the Elks Lodge in New Braunfels, Texas with my great aunt and uncle who were members. My great uncle drove a cadillac with a steer horns hood ornament, and drank cans of Shiner Bock in the car, on the way to the lodge, at 10 am! woohoo!

I'd like to be in the Royal Order of Water Buffalo someday!

On 2005-04-13 16:34, mrs. pineapple wrote:
I'd like to be in the Royal Order of Water Buffalo someday!

Do they allow women? :D

A bunch of dudes from my work are Elks and they keep trying to get me to join. We went to the lodge and had lunch there today as a matter of fact. I havent joined yet, mostly due to my fear of public speaking.