Who Killed Mister Moonlight?: Bauhaus black magick and benediction Paperback – October 1, 2014

Who indeed? David J gives up all the answers to this within the contents and we, the readers, are left to as they say “draw our own conclusions” from the material presented. There’s much to digest, so much so that it has taken me almost an entire year to work it through; I feel I’ve managed to attain some measure of insight. Feel is the key word here, as so much of what J does is intuitive by nature. No manual was provided for navigating the choppy waters he’s been through and no safety net appears to have been employed in the writing of this book by any stretch of the imagination. As with everything he’s been involved with there is the aspect of the end user being the one observed; proceed with me into the maze won’t you?For the Bauhaus fan there is everything you could hope for in this tome, all the important events and logic of the band are exceedingly well presented. They meet a number of their own musical heroes, which certainly adds to the overall depth of expression which this band made a hallmark during their existence. The drabness of 70s England is summed up with the few words it deserves; depressingly, things now in the world with all it’s need to categorize and exploit creativity bear an alarming resemblance to the beige hell of that time… only now the powers that be have managed to predict revolution and nullify it through the usage of social media and television before any feathers are ruffled.Will it always be like this?Many other curious facets about our celebrated foursome are brought to light, for example, I had no idea Daniel Ash was such an unpredictable character. The spontaneity he can summon up is remarkable, if at times, ill-conceived or downright insane. Regardless, I’ll never look at Flamenco music the same way after reading about a night he and J spent out on the town. J himself pulls back quite a few of the multiple layers which comprise him to reveal a person ceaselessly questing for arcane knowledge and occult experience. His brother Kevin manages to generally remain monolithic throughout, coming across as one who just wants to play music and be left out of the limelight which naturally leads to Mr. Murphy. Fame appears to have warped him; it really was sad to read the lengths he went in order to maintain his role of "the main man".When you take in all the animosity it’s incredible their final record ‘Go Away White’ ever saw the light of day.Right. So that’s Bauhaus over and done with, now onto the meat of the meal. For the first time ever, J jots down particulars and wickedly incisive details about his own solo career. His has been one hardly touched on and generally ignored so if you’re a fan then you’ll soak this up like parched Earth during a monsoon. If you aren’t then put this down, I sincerely doubt there’s much of interest for you here. Go play “Bela” and squeeze into your vinyl pants.For well over two decades now, David J has shone a torch into some of the strangest recesses of existence and eloquent though he may be about it in his prose he’s somehow managed to stare into the void and not be the one to blink. Oh certainly there have been some rather intense “episodes” but he keeps at it. His music reflects this dubious fortune to devastating effect. He has yet to do a song called “Psilocybin Honey Trap” but I’m hopeful.He goes from spending time in the company of literary giants like Burroughs or Alan Moore to sharing an irreverant, take the piss reunion with John Lydon at a show in LA. Our man isn’t one given over to the morose nature so prevalent among career musicians that the world has some obligation to recognize their inherent talent. If anything, J’s solo work has been the antithesis of all that; there’s no ego at play here. Albums like ‘Etiquette of Violence’ are not the product of a would-be celebrity, never mind the murkier ones he only briefly addresses which were done in conjunction with Tim Perkins and Moore. He assumes his reader has heard these and doesn’t go any further into it, with good reason. It isn’t safe to do so.Having to dig through all the carnage of modern music to find his particular entries has been his calling card. This isn’t about to change but it’s nice to have this road map of where he’s been and more importantly why he’s gone there in the first place. All the connections which he makes through his work eventually reveal their purpose, even if it is years down the line and appear as a note from someone recently deceased. There is no such thing as chance, J makes mention of what he feels is at work and he may be onto something; I’m far too cynical to think as he does but he definitely makes a compelling case for himself. Oh, you wanted it black and white... the cover has plenty of that.One thing I had hoped for was to finally discover the identity of Mr. Licorice but alas it was not to be. What, you didn’t think he’d give up EVERYTHING now did you? Which brings me to the last point: Love and Rockets barely appear and thank god they don’t because if he’d tried to shoehorn them in, we would have an unreadable mess on our hands. J didn’t write this one about them, he put this out as a final statement for Bauhaus which hopefully will lay the beast to rest and also allow those of us who are fans of what he does on his own to get a better understanding of what makes him tick. Both of these lofty goals have been achieved and that ought to be enough for anyone reading but don’t worry, I’m sure the Kundalini Express will eventually appear. All aboard.

i simply adored who killed mr. moonlight by david j. rather than a lockstep linear accounting of his life, we get more of a chronology filled with interesting anecdotes and moments from david j's experiences. as a fan of both bauhaus and love & rockets, as well as mr. j's solo work, i found these stories fascinating. david j, in addition to being a gifted musician, is also a gifted writer, and his prose is sharp, funny, and ethereal.as a huge fan of bauhaus, i of course wanted to read of the immense respect and friendship that the four principals posses for one another, and, at times, this comradery comes out, when the synergy is flowing, when everyone is working towards common goals, when the band is functioning. but, of course, we all know bauhaus broke-up after four years in its' initial incarnation, and that three quarters of the band--the writer, his brother, kevin, and daniel ash--formed a much longer lasting band and got far away from peter murphy for a decent while. whether david j's accounting is objectively accurate or simply his side of tale, it's clear that with bauhaus' brilliance came a lot of personality issues, and it makes one appreciate even more how they managed to accomplish such unique and influential greatness. while peter receives the lion's share of responsibility for these issues, i never got the impression that david didn't like, respect, or appreciate him. having said that, i doubt peter would appreciate everything said about him. still, i felt like david was as evenhanded as he felt he could be.i really enjoyed the spiritual element of this book, as well, and it explains a lot of david j's music. honestly, i would have liked to know more about kevin and daniel's spiritual underpinnings; we get a decent and respectful glimmer of peter's spiritual life. i like the fact that david j's spiritual path is largely an amalgamation of many--if not all--other spiritualities, rituals, and philosophies. to me, this makes the most sense, because primates are spread all over the world and most seemd to have developed some sort of spiritual, ritualistic life. it makes sense that a survey of all of these could lead one to their own personal nirvana, as the religions are different, but the impetus seems, to me, to come from the same places. i read with fascination david's relationship specifically with magick, and was abe to appreciate his growth. an evening with alan moore sounds enlightening, terrifying, and gratifying; oh, to be a fly on the wall.there are snippets of his personal life (wanted to read more about him and annie) and plenty of awesome stories of rubbing shoulders with other musicians, like john lydon, ian curtis, david bowie, iggy pop, and many others, and also many avant guarde artists, magicians, poets, writers, and philosophers. some time spent with william borroughs sounds unbelievably awesome, as the two talk about life and hunt for snakes. so cool.really fascinating, illuminating read. thanks for all the awesome music you've put in my head, mr. j, as well as the awesome ideas.

I bought this book as long term Bauhaus fan, things were never quite the same after seeing up these uber cool, painted boys doing Ziggy on TOTP. The Bauhaus story is interesting, you get a good idea of each member, however the really interesting portion of the book is where David relays the tales of his journey into the occult/magick.If you are open to the occult you will enjoy this book, however, if you find that sort of thing mumbo jumbo nonsense, you will have difficulties. One of the claims made is that the author and Genesis P Orridge are 2 halves of the reincarnation of Alistair Crowley! The journey deeper into all things magick makes for a compelling read and thankfully ends with a redemption of sorts. I'm not fully sure how the book ends, but it is hinted at that David turns to Islam as a sanctuary from his demonic dabblings.I did enjoy this book and could relate to certain parts, it is well written and comes across as a genuine attempt at honesty. What you need to understand before buying, is that this is by no means your usual book about a band, this is very much the story of a mans flirtation with the darkside and how that affected his life.

David J. played bass in Bauhaus; the band that started the Goth movement. This autobiography tracks their rise from working class misfits of Northampton to the vampire poster boys of a generation. They rub shoulders with the likes of David Bowie, Trent Reznor, John Lydon, Mark Stewart, and a host of other names so heavy they crack the pavement when you drop them. It also tracks their descent, speaking honestly about troubles along the way. I loved this book, but not as much as I loved their records. I would like to have seen more photographs- Bauhaus were one of the most charismatic bands ever, and what about the merchandize? The record covers? The gig posters? It might surprise some people how much ‘magick’ is in this book. David J. also tells it straight in this department, describing various ‘supernatural’ experiences. Along the way we meet other creative magicians, many of whom are well known for their influences upon modern occultism. David is good friends with comic writer Alan Moore, who also happens to come from Northampton. (Strangely, there is no mention of The March of the Sinister Ducks..) There is an interesting story involving Genesis P. Orridge, singer of Psychic T.V. He also writes about William Burroughs, well known for his use of the ‘cut up’ literary technique, elements of which are apparent in the Exquisite Corpse recordings. David J. comes across as empathic and humble. His observations are often wry, but he does not have a cruel word to say about anyone. Having said that, Peter Murphy- the singer- comes across as wildly insecure and unable to handle success, and the demise of the band seems laid at his feet. There are various tales of his paranoia, and egoistic explosions. We all know how much speed he was doing; how else does anyone stay that fashionably gaunt? They learn their lessons quickly, and so avoid many of the pitfalls of the music industry. They are respectful towards the ladies in their lives, don’t end up a bunch of dribbling drug addicts, and get to keep their souls. Despite everything you cannot imagine any of the Bauhaus boys actually drinking anyone’s blood (unless it was consensual- bite me!). I hope that doesn’t count as a ‘spoiler’.

Reading it at the moment - I was a big Bauhaus fan (still am) and this brings back some interesting memories of their gigs which I attended! Many times and places I will never forget and which helped form the person I am today - so lets all swing the heartache and give this book its due - at the very lest it is one mans perspective and lets hope we see more from the rest of the bands members - going for a nap now in my coffin :)

Engaging read particularly as Peter Murphy descends into lead singer syndrome in the final chapter. Think Love and Rockets could have been give for more prominence in the book. No doubt Black Magick material would have better published as a separate limited edition pamphlet as it of limited interest to most

A very interesting read. I've liked Bauhaus since '79 and this is the first book about them I've read. The magick bits are bollocks but the rest is a fantastic insight about one of the best bands in the UK after the first wave of punk rock had died out. It didn't take much of an effort to read this - great stuff.