Editing Adam Parfrey

{{Short description|American writer and editor (1957–2018)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Adam Parfrey
| image         = Adam Parfrey by Scott Lindgren.jpg
| image_size    =
| caption       =
| birth_name    =
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1957|4|12}}
| birth_place   = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|2018|05|10|1957|4|12}}
| death_place   = [[Seattle, Washington]], U.S.
| occupation    = {{flatlist|
*Journalist
*editor
*publisher}}
| years_active  = 1982–2018
| resting_place =
| other_names   =
| spouse        = {{marriage|[[Jodi Wille]] |2006|2011|reason=div.}}
| partner       =
| children      =
| parents       = [[Woodrow Parfrey]] (father)
}}

'''Adam Parfrey''' (April 12, 1957 – May 10, 2018) was an American journalist, editor, and the publisher of [[Feral House]] books,<ref name=seattleweekly>{{cite web |url=http://archive.seattleweekly.com/2010-11-24/news/for-adam-parfrey-publishing-the-unabomber-s-book-is-all-in-a-day-s-work/ |title=For Adam Parfrey, Publishing the Unabomber's Book Is All In a Day's Work |work=[[Seattle Weekly]] |first=Ellis E. |last=Conklin |date=November 23, 2010 |access-date=October 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107003529/http://archive.seattleweekly.com/2010-11-24/news/for-adam-parfrey-publishing-the-unabomber-s-book-is-all-in-a-day-s-work/ |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> whose work in all three capacities frequently centered on unusual, extreme, or "forbidden" topics. 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 fiction|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."<ref name=seattleweekly/>

==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]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/obituaries/adam-parfrey-publisher-of-the-provocative-dies-at-61.html|first=Sam|last=Roberts|title=Adam Parfrey, Publisher of the Provocative, Dies at 61|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> and [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]], before dropping out<ref name="seattleweekly" /> to move to San Francisco, where he began a short-lived experimental magazine, ''IDEA''.<ref name="seattleweekly" /> 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.{{cn|date=October 2022}}

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.{{cn|date=October 2022}}

==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 [[Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda|Nazi propagandist]] [[Joseph Goebbels]]'s novel ''[[Michael (novel)|Michael]]'' (1929), which was reviewed in the ''New York Times'' and ''The New Republic''.<ref>Sunshine, Spencer. ''Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism''. Routledge. 2024. Page 212.</ref> This was followed by Parfrey's ''Apocalypse Culture'', a collection of articles, interviews, and documents that explore various marginal aspects of culture. ''Apocalypse Culture'' was Parfrey's most successful book, selling  100,000 copies by 2010.<ref name=seattleweekly /> In total, Amok Press published eight books, including [[You Can't Win (book)|''You Can't Win'']], by [[Jack Black (author)|Jack Black]], ''The [[Grand Guignol]]: Theatre of Fear and Terror'', by Mel Gordon,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gordon|first=Mel|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/924820720|title=The Grand Guignol: theatre of fear and terror|date=1988|publisher=Amok Press|isbn=978-0-941693-08-0|location=New York|language=English|oclc=924820720}}</ref> and ''[[Boxcar Bertha]]: An Autobiography, As Told to Dr. Ben L. Reitman''.<ref>[https://openlibrary.org/publishers/Amok_Press Amok Press] on [[Open Library]]</ref>

===Feral House===
Parfrey moved back to the west coast and while living in [[Portland, Oregon]], founded another imprint, [[Feral House]], in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Us|url=https://feralhouse.com/about-us/|access-date=May 23, 2021|website=Feral House|language=en-US}}</ref> The company's first book was ''[[The Satanic Witch]]'' by [[Anton LaVey]].<ref name='roberts' /> Over the years, Feral House published titles by [[Steven Blush]], [[John Zerzan]], [[John Sinclair (poet)|John Sinclair]], [[Michael Jenkins Moynihan|Michael Moynihan]], [[Didrik Søderlind]], [[Ted Kaczynski]] and others.<ref>[http://feralhouse.com/category/released/ Feral House catalog at Feralhouse.com]</ref> Parfrey co-wrote many Feral House titles.<ref name='deadline' />

In 1998 Parfrey was sued over a book alleging government involvement in the [[Oklahoma City bombing]].<ref name='seattleweekly' /> As a result of the lawsuit (brought by a former FBI official named in the book), Parfrey had to destroy all remaining copies of the book and issue a statement disavowing its allegations.<ref name='seattleweekly' /><ref name='roberts' /> 

In 2000, ''Apocalypse Culture II'', a sequel to the 1987 book, was published.{{efn|In 2006, shortly after [[Ultra.Kultura]] (Ультра.Культура) published a Russian edition combining ''Apocalypse Culture'' and ''Apocalypse Culture II'', titled ''Культура времен Апокалипсиса'', the volume was banned by [[Kremlin]] decree as drug propaganda, owing to its inclusion of [[David Woodard]]'s essay "The Ketamine Necromance". ''Культура времен Апокалипсиса'' was condemned, and unsold copies were ordered destroyed.}}

===Process Media===
In 2005, Parfrey co-founded the publishing company [[Process Media]] with [[Jodi Wille]] of [[Dilettante Press]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://processmediainc.com/about-us/|title=Process Media – Independent Book Publisher|work=processmediainc.com}}</ref>

==Political views==
Parfrey described himself as "a pot-smoking libertarian."<ref>Sunshine 221</ref> He published authors with a wide range of extremist political views, including fascists and neo-Nazis as well as anarchists, leftists, and liberals.<ref>Sunshine 220</ref> He publicly maintained that he didn't necessarily agree with the viewpoints he published, telling one interviewer in 1995, “Everything the establishment extols as comfortable and right and good makes me sick.”<ref name="n997">{{cite news | last=Haber | first=Matt | title=Years After Its Founder's Death, Cult Publisher Feral House Is Still Celebrating the Bizarre | work=Los Angeles Magazine| date=2021-06-07 | url=https://lamag.com/featured/feral-house-adam-parfrey | access-date=2024-10-24}}</ref> In the 1980s he also corresponded with [[James Mason (neo-Nazi)|James Mason]] and other neo-Nazis.<ref>Sunshine 207-208</ref> In his letters to Mason he expressed racist views, portraying the non-right-wing books that he published as ideological camouflage:<ref>Sunshine 215</ref>
<blockquote>
I’m trying to get together a book written by nigger and spic gang members on youth gangs...To me, letting these cocaine-addled nigger murderers prattle on about their miserable lives will be rope enough for them to hang themselves. But then I can always point to the book when the ADL gets on my case about racism, neo-Nazism, etc.
</blockquote>

Parfrey frequently pointed to his Jewish ancestry to refute accusations of fascist sympathies.<ref>Sunshine 222</ref>

==Personal life==
Parfrey lived in Los Angeles for a time before moving to [[Port Townsend, Washington]], where he lived for the remainder of his life.<ref name='roberts' /> Parfrey first heard of Port Townsend through the [[Loompanics]] publishing house, which was based there.<ref name=seattleweekly/>

He was married and divorced three times, the last time to his creative collaborator [[Jodi Wille]].<ref name='roberts' />

He died in Seattle on May 10, 2018, following complications from a series of strokes.<ref name='deadline'>{{cite web|last1=Haring|first1=Bruce|title=Adam Parfrey Dies: Feral House Publisher, Author And Editor Of Forbidden Knowledge Was 61|url=https://deadline.com/2018/05/adam-parfrey-dies-feral-house-publisher-author-and-editor-of-forbidden-knowledge-was-61-1202388142/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=May 11, 2018|date=May 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name='roberts'>{{Cite news|last=Roberts|first=Sam|date=May 14, 2018|title=Adam Parfrey, Publisher of the Provocative, Dies at 61|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/14/obituaries/adam-parfrey-publisher-of-the-provocative-dies-at-61.html|access-date=May 23, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Vice Magazine called Feral House a forerunner to [[4chan]] and [[Reddit]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/adam-parfrey-dies-feral-house/|title=Adam Parfrey's Feral House Was the Forerunner to Reddit and 4chan|date=May 11, 2018|access-date=March 25, 2020|website=Vice Magazine|last=Gault|first=Matthew|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200325135349/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywez7w/adam-parfrey-dies-feral-house|archive-date=March 25, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

Feral House books inspired the films [[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]], [[American Hardcore (film)|American Hardcore]], and [[Lords of Chaos (film)|Lords of Chaos]].<ref name='deadline' /> The conspiracy literature published by Feral House was also an influence on ''[[The X-Files]]''.<ref name='deadline' />

Along with his associates [[Boyd Rice]] and [[Michael J. Moynihan|Michael Moynihan]], Parfrey helped popularize [[James Mason (neo-Nazi)|James Mason]]'s writings, which found a new audience among neo-Nazis in the 2010s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sunshine |first=Spencer |authorlink=Spencer Sunshine| title=Neo-Nazi Terrorism and Countercultural Fascism: The Origins and Afterlife of James Mason's Siege |publisher=Routledge |year=2024 |edition=1st |location=New York, NY |page=206}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1534|title=Independent Publisher: THE Voice of the Independent Publishing Industry|work=Independent Publisher – feature}}</ref>

==Works==
===Books===
* ''Apocalypse Culture'' edited by Adam Parfrey (Amok Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0-941693-02-3}})
* ''Rants and Incendiary Tracts'' edited by [[The Abolition of Work|Bob Black]] and Adam Parfrey (Amok Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0-941693-03-1}})
* ''The Manson File'' compiled by Adam Parfrey, credited to Nikolas Schreck (Amok Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0-941693-04-X}})
* ''Apocalypse Culture: Revised and Expanded'' edited by Adam Parfrey (Amok Press, 1990, {{ISBN|0-922915-05-9}})
* ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' by [[Rudolph Grey]], edited by Parfrey (Feral House, 1994, {{ISBN|0-922915-24-5}})
* ''Cult Rapture: Revelations of the Apocalyptic Mind'' by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 1995, {{ISBN|0-922915-22-9}})
* ''End Is Near!: Visions of Apocalypse, Millennium and Utopia'' by [[Stephen Jay Gould]], Roger Manley, Adam Parfrey and [[Dalai Lama]], foreword by Rebecca Hoffberger (Dilettante Press, 1998, paperback {{ISBN|0-9664272-7-0}}, 1999, hardcover {{ISBN|0-9664272-6-2}})
* ''Muerte!: Death in Mexican Popular Culture'' by Harvey Stafford, edited by Adam Parfrey, illustrated by [[José Guadalupe Posada|J. G. Posada]], photographs by the ''[[¡Alarma! (magazine)|¡Alarma!]]'' Staff (Feral House, 2000, {{ISBN|0-922915-59-8}})
* ''Apocalypse Culture II'' edited by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2000, {{ISBN|0-922915-57-1}})
* ''Extreme Islam: Anti-American Propaganda of Muslim Fundamentalism'' edited by Adam Parfrey, introduction by Tamim Ansary (Feral House, 2002, {{ISBN|0-922915-78-4}})
* ''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, {{ISBN|0-922915-70-9}})
* ''It's a Man's World: [[Men's Adventure]] Magazines – the Postwar Pulps'' edited by Adam Parfrey, material by [[Josh Alan Friedman]], [[Mort Künstler]], David Saunders and Bill Devine (Feral House, 2003, {{ISBN|0-922915-81-4}})
* ''[[War Is a Racket]]: The Anti-War Classic by America's Most Decorated General'' by [[Smedley D. Butler]], with introduction by Adam Parfrey (reprinted in 2003 by Feral House, {{ISBN|0-922915-86-5}})
* ''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, {{ISBN|0-922915-95-4}})
* ''Sin-a-Rama: Sleaze Sex Paperbacks of the Sixties'' by B. Astrid Daley, Adam Parfrey and [[Lydia Lunch]] (Feral House, 2004, {{ISBN|1-932595-05-8}})
* ''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, {{ISBN|978-1-934170-07-6}})
* ''Love, Sex, Fear, Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of Final Judgment'' by Timothy Wyllie, edited by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-932595-37-6}})
* ''Feral Man in a Feral Land: Strange Tales from the Apocalypse Culture'' by Adam Parfrey (Feral House, 2010, {{ISBN|978-1-932595-45-1}})
* ''Ritual America: Secret Brotherhoods and Their Influence on American Society: A Visual Guide'' by Adam Parfrey and Craig Heinbichner (Feral House, 2012, {{ISBN|978-1-936239-14-6}})
* ''Citizen Keane: The Big Lies Behind the Big Eyes'' by Adam Parfrey and Cletus Nelson (Feral House, 2014, {{ISBN|978-1-936239-95-5}})
* ''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, {{ISBN|978-1-936239-10-8}})

===Articles===
* Parfrey wrote cover stories and feature articles for the ''[[Village Voice]]'', ''[[San Diego Reader]]'', ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]'', and ''[[Hustler (magazine)|Hustler]]'' magazines.
* Between 1990 and 1994 Parfrey wrote the weekly column "HelL.A." for the ''San Diego Reader''.

==Recordings==
* ''S.W.A.T. – Deep Inside a Cop's Mind: The Soundtrack for the Next Police State'' (Audio CD, 1994, Label: [[Amphetamine Reptile Records]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/deep-inside-a-cops-mind-mw0000120926|title=Deep Inside a Cop's Mind|author=Rev. Keith A. Gordon|work=AllMusic}}</ref>
* ''A Sordid Evening of Sonic Sorrows'' (Audio CD, 1997, [[Man's Ruin Records]] MR-066).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-sordid-evening-of-sonic-sorrows-mw0000665716|title=A Sordid Evening of Sonic Sorrows|author=Al Campbell|work=AllMusic}}</ref>
* He has also collaborated with [[Boyd Rice]] on his album ''Hatesville''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boydrice.com/discography/friendsdiscography.html|title=Boyd Rice|work=boydrice.com|access-date=May 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625165645/http://www.boydrice.com/discography/friendsdiscography.html|archive-date=June 25, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* He plays the voice of Lord Jehova in the reading of ''The Gods on War'' with [[Genesis P-Orridge|Genesis Breyer P-Orridge]] (The Lord Lucifer), [[Lydia Lunch]] (The Lord Satan) and Timothy Wyllie (Transcendence).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://feralhouse.com/the-gods-on-war/|title=The Gods on War|work=Feral House}}</ref>

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
"Father of Apocalypse Culture: An Interview with Adam Parfrey", in Chad Hensley's (ed.) ''Esoterra: The Journal of Extreme Culture.'' Creation Books, 2011, pp.&nbsp;15–17. The interview is followed by an article by Parfrey entitled "Weird Sex Cults" (pp 18–21).

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [http://www.salon.com/2000/09/20/parfrey/ Salon.com profile of Adam Parfrey]
* {{IMDb name|0661414}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parfrey, Adam}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:Journalists from New York City]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]
[[Category:Writers from Port Townsend, Washington]]
[[Category:University of California, Santa Cruz alumni]]
[[Category:American publishers (people)]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]