Alan Moore
You have to understand that I’m from an English, not to say a Northampton, working-class background, and that the way that we traditionally regarded Halloween over here before we had the America re-imagining of the phenomenon imported, was as a serious and ominous event that was part of the witches’ calendar. My grandmother, whom we lived with, was unwavering in her insistence that since this was a night in which malevolent and destructive supernatural forces were abroad and roaming freely, this was also a night when sensible people, particularly children, should stay indoors.
I feel, personally, that this was a properly respectful attitude to the ‘spirits of a place’ that accumulate, if only in that place’s legend and dream and imagination: these things are an important part of a place’s psychological reality, and I would actually prefer not to see them reduced to a fourteen year-old girl in a ‘sexy witch’ costume. Still, each to their own, and I’ve no doubt I shall spend this Halloween handing out money to, hopefully, some of the neighbourhood’s younger children accompanied by their parents, as these are always very respectful and point out to the children that they are actually talking to a real warlock. And of course, if they’re not with their parents I can ritually sacrifice a couple of them to my deformed 2nd century snake-god. Then everybody’s happy.
I feel, personally, that this was a properly respectful attitude to the ‘spirits of a place’ that accumulate, if only in that place’s legend and dream and imagination: these things are an important part of a place’s psychological reality, and I would actually prefer not to see them reduced to a fourteen year-old girl in a ‘sexy witch’ costume. Still, each to their own, and I’ve no doubt I shall spend this Halloween handing out money to, hopefully, some of the neighbourhood’s younger children accompanied by their parents, as these are always very respectful and point out to the children that they are actually talking to a real warlock. And of course, if they’re not with their parents I can ritually sacrifice a couple of them to my deformed 2nd century snake-god. Then everybody’s happy.
More Answered Questions
Philip Hemplow
asked
Alan Moore:
Hi Alan. You've said (correctly, so far as I can see) that the advent of mass communication has led to the death of any discernible counterculture. Is this because a counterculture needs an element of insularity in order to thrive - the 'cult' aspect of it, I suppose - that the internet does not afford? Or is it the result of a larger, more depressing shift in society, priorities, ways of thinking etc? Or: other!
Rudy Vile
asked
Alan Moore:
Do you, or any of your publishers, have any plans to publish more of your original comics scripts (plus earlier-stage documents such as notebook pages, thumbnails, outlines, and other jottings)? What has already been made available has been often fragmentary, and even the complete scripts published comprise a small fraction of your comics work. Your scripts always offer a fascinating, unmediated look at your thinking.
Alan Moore
21,572 followers
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