Ladies and Gentlemen, this has been a long time coming!
Someone special has come rolling (literally) around. I present to you a close friend, a fiercely intelligent confidant, and one helluva court jester! Reverend Robert Leuthold!
Reverend Leuthold and I have been hanging out extensively for years now. Our conversations have ranged from everything to comics, retro video games, wrestling, music, philosophy, horror books, Satanic magic, and just about everything two fevered minds can think of. After all these years, Robert approached me and asked, "Hey, how come you haven't interviewed me for your site yet?" A damn good question, so I decided to rectify that matter!
Robert Leuthold is a podcast host for a metal music show called The Metal Grotto. He is also the author of a book of poetry called The Obsidian Odes, which is erotic horror prose--certainly not your grandmother's book of poetry. (unless grandma was a freak!) The Metal Grotto can be found on Radio Free Satan, so give it a listen. And The Obsidian Odes is available for purchase at Amazon.
So, now that the obligatory shilling is out of the way, join us as we take a walk on the third on the third side with Reverend Robert Leuthold.
I know you get this a lot, but it is time for the ultimately bureaucratic question of How did you discover satanism?
I read a King Diamond interview back in college, and got my first copy of TSB in the summer of 1995. It wasn’t a straight line, but I joined the CoS in 2012 and am currently a Priest.
I have been keeping up with your pet project of The Metal Grotto, and while not the biggest metal-head, I do enjoy how you handle your show. What was the inspiration for such a podcast? Any juicy details for future projects for the headbangers in the crowd?
I kept being told, “You know so much, why not do a podcast?” and here we are. I actually inherited the show from the former host (Rev Ivins). I have plans for a new show that I just need to actually focus on and do.
I still remember your gift of Obsidian Odes, and I enjoyed your prose. It is still front and center on one of my shelves to this day. Any other literary endeavors in the foreseeable future?
An expansion is in progress, but I can’t pin down a date yet.
Knowing you, I’m probably going to regret this, and knowing your sense of humor, we’re probably going to be here all day. But what the hell, tell us a joke!
I’ll skip the ones I told you in person, but here's one. An older woman was tired of being cheated on and abused by partners, so she ran the following personal ad:
Man wanted, must not run around on me, must not hit me, and must be good in bed. The next morning, she answers her doorbell to find an armless and legless man there. “I’m here in response to the ad,” the man says. The woman is quite obviously taken aback by this, but figures she’ll play along, anyway. “But sir, you don’t have any arms!” says the woman, “And so I shall never hit you,” he replies. “You don’t have any legs either!” she protests. “And I’ll never run around on you,” he replies. Pushing her luck, the woman asks slyly, “But are you good in bed?” Grinning lecherously, the man replies, “Lady, how do you think I rang the doorbell?”
A lot of outsiders get hung up on Satanism and (as far as they are concerned) its so-called obsession with Darwinism and eugenics. As someone who has a disability, how do you answer detractors who just can’t seem to get how someone like you is a Satanist? As much as such accusations might make us roll our eyes, care to throw your hat into the arena?
This question is precisely why I wrote The Disabled Satanist years ago. Without getting too political, the terms fascist and Nazi, among others, have become pejoratives used to end conversations, so much so that when actual examples arise, they are dismissed as hand-wringing. Eugenics and Social Darwinism are topics that trigger an emotional reaction in many, and this is why I choose my words carefully. I am not now, nor have I ever been, an actual fascist or Nazi, nor will I ever support eugenics. What I do support is an individual’s nuanced application of legitimate Third Side concepts, even if their views oppose mine. In cases like that, if I cannot find common ground, I will not engage.
Now for the most important question: Cake or pie?
Why not cake or death? I kid. It all depends on my mood, though I admittedly lean more in the pie area, and I don’t mean poon tang
What advice would you have for new Satanists who are in your (no pun intended) wheelhouse? Jokes aside, for those who have physical struggles, what wisdom would you impart?
Read, listen, observe, and above all, keep your head down, find a trusted circle, a friend group, and a support system. Satanists may be misanthropic, but we are human, ultimately, and we selectively care about our own.
Do you have a favorite familiar? Any furry friends we should know about?
Rocky/TreeFiddy is my buddy, he’s the black cat I post pics of a lot, Sam(the Gray tabby), and Ollie (big old ragdoll ball of fluff, who is the most “cat” of the three. My parents are caring for them.
We’ve had many a discussion about films of all sorts (much to the chagrin of a certain someone we know), but what would you say are your top 5 favorite films?
Batman 1989, the Phantasm franchise. Dracula AD, 1972 The Abominable Dr Phibes and Young Fronkenstten (no, vait, Blucher!) Look, you limited me to five, I vasn’t going for a roll in ze hay, und I figured othervise, ve’d be here all day). Honorable mention goes to The Devil’s Advocate and Angel Heart, The Monster Squad, The Monster Club, The Blob (both original and remake, etc….)
We’ve also talked ad infinitum about comic books, but the biggest question is this: Marvel or DC?
Both. Aside from the obvious ones(Batman, Punisher, and Preacher, though Preacher’s a Vertigo imprint title), I’ve always had an affinity for the Hulk, both the older, savage version and the version with Banner’s intelligence. Lesser-known Marvel characters I absolutely love are Morbius the Living Vampire, Dracula, and the first two Ghost Riders (Blaze and Ketch).
Any final thoughts you want to share with the readers?
Know yourself, and realize, first and foremost, there’s not an endpoint to that. I don’t just mean know your limits, either. Embrace who and what you are, warts and all. Both authenticity and common sense are becoming rare commodities as time goes on.
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