“I would be humiliated if I found out that anything I did actually became a commercial success. “- Lydia Lunch
06/04/2026 was the most beautiful day. After grocery shopping and getting an hour bike ride in at Graceland Cemetery I gathered my beach gear and strapped it to BIKE O NEGATIVE and made my way to Montrose Beach for the first time to lay out there in 2 years. I missed all of last summer due to a never ending job search and I didn’t make it to the Dock once. Sad indeed.
The serenity lasted about 30 minutes till a sign of the times alerted me with a loud horn honk behind me. It was a CPD cruiser parked no less than 20 feet from my head.
Cook County Sheriffs and CPD presence at Montrose Beach was abundant this afternoon. Cruisers on the actual beach in the sand near the water. dune buggy’s, ATV’s CPD cruisers at all the beach entrances. Yes it gave a feeling of safety but families and groups of people enjoying a perfect day were leaving in droves. Obviously troubled.
Congratulations YN assholes. Don’t ya know the mayor has a summer jobs program for y’all!
My new spot easy to locate when the beach is too crowded to deal with sand,
The King Nico on my throne.
Nestled at the bottom of Graceland Cemetery & Arboretum’s entrance gate sit turtles at each endpoint of the arch. These wrought-iron creatures pay homage to endangered red-eared slider eastern turtles that are seen in Graceland’s ponds.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
1995 was a year of change, reinvention and rebirth thanks to an incredible soundtrack
I was pleasantly surprised to see the listeners traffic on the podcast recent retro HISTORY OF MK ULTRA 1995 series. It shows there is still a good bit of interest and the timing is right for the book publication.
The entire reason that I made the executive decision to do this series is a way to capture Chapter 1 (1995) into the crucial formative year that I launched and grew MK ULTRA into something that people still talk about and reporters and journalists source for their own literary of video projects. Recently I’ve been quoted in UK Based music publications. Peter Steeles biography SOUL ON FIRE by author John O’Leary. Its boggles my mind when I watch YouTube videos on a subject who or what I am very familiar with and the narrator says “So and so told Alex Zander or so and so told MK ULTRA Magazine….” and quotes something from the pages. So I am seeing significance and am finally giving something in the way of a coffee table book to those keeping my dream alive. I am very confident that what we are working on will result i just that. I’m calling it “The Ultimate Scrapbook“.
Steele: “I was in Rikers Island [York City’s largest jail facility] because I had violated probation.”
MK ULTRA Magazine: So you went to jail and you’re a big guy, there’s always somebody that wants to fight the big guy.
Steele: “You know, when you are going to jail when you are like 43 years old, it’s not like a high school territorial thing anymore. Like, unless somebody is in my face or touches me, like really touches me, I’m like what-the-fuck-ever. I have nothing to prove because I knew that I was only in there for 30 days because there were guys in there that were in there for life, and, of course, I was like one of three white people, so, of course, I am like the great white dope, you know, and some guys in there would be like, “Hey, man, what’s the name of your band?” and, of course, I am like, “TYPE O NEGATIVE,” and they thought the I said “Tae Bo!” Tae Bo! Yo Tae Bo! Yo! Yo undertaker! Yo Tarzan! Tarzan!
“You know the worst thing was that, um, my mother was not doing very well and stuff… So I was in jail and you get like one eight-minute phone call a day and that’s like where most fights come in. Yeah over fuckin’ telephone usage. So every time I would speak to my mother I never knew if I was going to speak to her again. So you know, that was like a real jail sentence for me. Thinking about what I was going to come home to, but you know, I have to admit that I got myself that, I violated probation because, you know, due to drugs and alcohol and just having a case of… like all I had to do was like show up once a month and put my hand into a fuckin machine.”
MK ULTRA Magazine: And you just didn’t show up once?
Steele: “I didn’t show up for like six months and then I’m like so, let them come and get me, and you know what? Bang! Bang! Bang! Is Peter there? Housekeeping!”
MK ULTRA Magazine: And your mom was upstairs?
Steele: “Yeah! And so they took me out in chains.”
MK ULTRA Magazine: I don’t know if this rumor or what because you tend to hear everything in the press but, then I heard that there was an intervention.
Steele: “There were many.”
MK ULTRA Magazine: How hard is that?
Steele: “They were.”
MK ULTRA Magazine: I mean, did you just want to say “Fuck you?”
Steele: “I mean, there was one like, that show, like that whole friends and family come down. There was one of those. I have had people you know, friends, family, co-workers, you know, pull me off to the side and say, “You know, Peter, you are really fuckin’ up. You got to do something, blah, blah, blah.” Yeah, there have been many interventions but I am a very stubborn fuckin’ person, and as you see, I am drinking fuckin’ alcohol here, I’m not coked up because if I was, this interview would have lasted fuckin’ three seconds because I would have answered all of your questions like, “Blah, blah, blah.”
“But, um, so you know I have to get rid of one demon at a time. You know I have two demons: cocaine and alcohol… Things are actually much better now, you know I am no angel, but I mean, I fall off from time to time, but listen, it’s better to do — and I am not justifying my usage by any means — but I think it’s some what better to do, I mean, like maybe one gram like every two weeks than like three eight balls a day like for fuckin two years. I mean, I can stick my fuckin’ finger up my fuckin nose and hit the back of my fuckin’ head. I have, like, burnt out my entire cranial cavity. I mean, luckily I was not born with a brain to begin with so there was like nothing to lose. I mean, I heard an echo in my head. It’s like, “Hello, Merry Christmas!”
~Peter Steele~ MK ULTRA Magazine Interview 2007
[OP note: These later interviews are hard to read sometimes, but they are part of Pete’s journey and it would feel disingenuous to omit them. It’s no secret that Pete was tremendously unkind to himself, which makes his eventual recovery all the more admirable and relatable.]
For Part 1 it was just Max Bravo and JSN Harmon discussing why and how I formed and published MK ULTRA in 1995 which was conceived in 1994 and didn’t have a name till I watched a news magazine in September of that year known as Unsolved Mysteries on NBC hosted by Stack on the CIA’s top secret Project MKULTRA experiments. I had stumbled upon a suitable title for my own project.
In September 1994, the television show Unsolved Mysteries broadcast a segment investigating the 1953 death of CIA biochemist Dr. Frank Olson. Olson, who worked on secret mind-control and biological warfare programs, died after falling from a Manhattan hotel window. The broadcast highlighted his unwitting drugging with LSD as part of Project MKUltra and the long-held suspicions of homicide.
The September 1994 Broadcast Focus:
The Unsolved Mysteries episode brought widespread attention to the dark legacy of the CIA’s MKUltra mind-control experiments. The segment detailed the night of November 28, 1953, when Olson plunged to his death from the 13th floor of the Statler Hotel in New York City. While the CIA initially ruled his death a suicide caused by a sudden nervous breakdown, the broadcast explored the family’s fight for the truth.
The MKUltra Connection:
Dr. Olson was employed at the U.S. Army’s biological warfare laboratories at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where he did work on behalf of the CIA. Days before his death, he was secretly dosed with LSD by CIA operatives, an event that served as a catalyst for the public exposure of the CIA’s covert behavioral research programs. These illegal programs—collectively known as MKUltra—involved human experimentation with drugs, hypnosis, and psychological torture on unwitting U.S. citizens.
The 1994 Exhumation
Adding real-time urgency to the 1994 Unsolved Mysteries coverage, Olson’s family—led by his son Eric Olson—had the biochemist’s body exhumed in June 1994. A subsequent independent autopsy revealed trauma to the head consistent with a physical struggle before the fall, casting significant doubt on the original suicide ruling. This pivotal development was a major focus of the episode, pushing the mysterious case back into the public eye.
For episode 2 I had one of my very best friends Justin Devlin in Pittsburgh, who is the man responsible for turning me onto TYPE O NEGATIVE way back in early 1994. Also on the same episode was Vanessa Bellamy Junker who served as an indispensable asset as the ultimate production assistant and admin who worked tirelessly on MK ULTRA for 3 years while I was in Indianapolis. I was about to hang it up there but decided to do one more on the first year of MK so I hosted one more with photographer and publisher i his own right Mike Shoemaker and another vary observative writer named Tamara Mitchell who I also have a lengthy association with in order to cap off chapter 1. JSIN Harmon is transcribing the 3 podcasts and I will edit the material for the first chapter.
Speaking of podcasts:
It didn’t take long to be swept up by this Russian immigrant and her reeditions of some of the more emotional Type O Negative songs. I wasted no time in setting her up for the next episode of the MKULTRASOUND PodCast and I am even more excited that Melita Z will be joiningg me as co host for the upcoming show.
Nadia Kodes is a singer-songwriter and pianist based in New York City. Known for her piano-driven rock tracks, haunting melodies, and signature red hair, her style has often been compared to Tori Amos and Amy Lee. In 2024, Nadia released her original album Pitch Dark, Red Light, marking the beginning of a new era in her artist.
The Saint Petersburg–born singer-songwriter and pianist brings renewed global attention to her viral, critically embraced interpretations—earning recognition from the Type O Negative camp and a rapidly growing international audience
Kodes gained an international audience in 2017 after releasing an acoustic cover of the goth-metal band Type O Negative’s song “Anesthesia”. It was well-received by the band’s camp and led to her tribute album Acoustic Rust.
The project has not only resonated with fans but has also reached the inner circle of the Type O Negative legacy. Acoustic Rust has been acknowledged by the band’s official social platforms and has received private praise from members of the band’s extended family, as well as drummer Johnny Kelly.
“I’ve been aware of Nadia and became a fan of her work for some time now. I really enjoy how she put a unique twist on our songs and made them her own. She has a fantastic voice and I’m looking forward to hearing what she does next!” – Johnny Kelly
In a 1995 interview for MK Ultra (Issue No. 1), Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele expressed deep admiration for the Arizona darkwave band Lycia. He specifically praised their 1993 album, A Day in the Stark Corner, famously stating:”You should be familiar with Lycia. It’s dark, ambient Goth music. The last album is called A Day in the Stark Corner. I would like our next album to sound something like this. It is the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard in my life…”Steele went on to describe the music as “devastatingly beautiful,” noting its ability to evoke intense, somber emotions despite its simple, heavily reverbed sound.His admiration for the band was so strong that he brought Lycia on tour with Type O Negative. Their connection continued years later, with Lycia vocalist Tara Vanflower contributing backing vocals to the Type O Negative song “Halloween in Heaven”.
Peter: You should be familiar with Lycia. It’s dark, ambient Goth music. The last album is called A Day in the Stark Corner. I would like our next album to sound something like this. It is the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard in my life. If I put it on in the morning when I get up…I’m useless for the rest of the day. It makes me feel like killing myself. It’s like, why even bother getting dressed hen I can just slit my wrists. Such simple hypnotic beats. Everything in drowned in reverb, yet the emotion comes through so loud and clear. It’s just devastatingly beautiful, as beautiful as it is devastating. That’s how I want it to come through.
Hiya! Actually, I’d been wanting to make contact since I saw your auction for MK Ultra issue 1 last month.
I run a nonprofit library called the Aegis Archive (www.theaegisarchive.org), dedicated to preserving goth and industrial subcultures of the late 20th century. We recently filed our first NEH stewardship grant.
We’ve got about ten issues of MK Ultra, but if you have any still available, we’d love to discuss a potential purchase for us to fill in the collection’s gaps. Is this something you’d be open to?
All best,
S. Alexander Reed, Ph.D.
AEGIS: Artifacts & Ephemera of Gothic & Industrial Subculture
The Aegis Archive collects, preserves, and makes available materials from twentieth-century gothic and industrial subcultures. These include zines, audio and video recordings, oral histories, and related artifacts. Usually produced in small runs and informally distributed, such materials are rarely preserved and risk being lost.
The Archive currently holds more than 2,200 rare zines from the 1980s and 1990s. Our ongoing work includes digitization, cataloging, and developing ways to support research and public access.
The Archive’s mission is to avail this ephemera for scholarship, teaching, and public engagement. We support research in cultural history, media studies, music, and literary studies. We also, of course, serve the communities whose histories are represented in the collection.
We welcome inquiries and potential donations.
Board members include S. Alexander Reed, Ph.D. (Ithaca College), Meredith Collins, Ph.D. (Cornell University), and Christy Tomecek-Bailey, MLS (Yale University). The Archive is based in Ithaca, New York
On November 2, 2016, Thomas Thorn announced via his Facebook page that The Electric Hellfire Club will never create new music again.[ The band marked its 25th anniversary with one final show in Tampa, Florida, at The Orpheum, on December 2, 2016.. On December 3, 2016, they played a private show at HOWL Gallery/Tattoo, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Thomas Thorn and an all new lineup of The Electric Hellfire Club played a one off show at The Orpheum in Tampa, Florida, on October 30, 2025. This was a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of their Kiss The Goat album.
On October 31, 2025, the band released a 7″ vinyl limited to 200 copies. The A-side features a rerecording of Kiss The Goat, titled Kiss The Goat! (2025). The B-side features the song Beheaded by Burned At The Stake. It was released on The Electric Hellfire Club’s own new record label titled TechNoir.
Thomas Thorn says the band are currently planning a new album and that it will hopefully be released in 2026.
The band performed two live shows in 2026. They did a headline show at SancFest on 06/06/26 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at Da Bar and their own headline show in Chicago, Illinois, at LiveWire Lounge on June 7, 2026.
6.6.(2)6 – Milwaukee
Monkey’s Paw
Mr. 44
Book of Lies
Incubus
DWSOB
Hypochristian
Kiss the Goat
Unholy Roller
Black Bus
Invocation/Age of Fire
Square Hammer (Ghost cover)
6.7.26 — Chicago
Paradise Reclaimed
My Name is Legion
Hypochristian
Broken Goetia
Satan’s Little Helpers
Incubus
DWSOB
Kiss the Goat
Invocation/Age of Fire (Doc Luna from Antania reading Invocation)
Black Bus
Square Hammer
Sunday 6/7/2026 was highly anticipated as The Electric Hellfire Club returned to Chicago for the first time since 1999 which was at the Expo Of The Extreme at the Vic Theater. I had been to their reunion show in Ybor City FL in December of 2016 and again for the debut of the new line up for Halloween 2026 in Tampa FL.
As any follower of MK ULTRA or my own damned ass knows this this band has major significance in the lifespan of MK ULTRA Magazine most notably the year of our birth 1995. So attending this show was imperative.
The new lineup was in top form. Thomas Thorns voice was in peak condition and the excellent sound at the Live Wire Lounge and soundman made for a heavy electronic / metal / industrial / psychedelic hybrid sonic experience. I got to spend some quality time with Sabrina Satana who I haven’t seen in ages and met her sister Ashley. I also got to chat with other band members as I was there early enough to sit and listen to sound check. A big plus was getting to reunite with usual suspects who I almost always see at these type of underground music events.
A very special thanks to a very loyal friend Joe Bouska for the images from both shows
MAX, AZ and Joe B
At 1117 PM roughly a good hour past my regular bedtime I walked inside of Tac Quick to check out what their Sunday nigh live entertainment looks like finally. I stopped in last Sunday but there was no band so I had a martini then. Wasting no time chef-owner Itti Damprapa approached me and told me I should start booking live entertainment at the establishment. He showed me the back line and explained the payout and I contacted my DeeJay friend Jessica Edwards ad will start working on bands very very soon. So far I also reached out to Dave McAnally.
All in all a very good week of summer 2026 following last weekend and the MaiFest in Lincoln Square. Business and pleasure are two of my favorite things.