Those who've followed Boing Boing from its early zine roots know Robert Anton Wilson was a huge inspiration to the founders of this happy mutant enterprise. We even devoted a week to RAW back in 2012 (here's my contribution). Given the significant influence Wilson has had on the counterculture (and beyond), and the fact that he powered down the ol' mortal coil over 18 years ago, it's shocking that we've waited this long for a biography.
Gabriel Kennedy's Chapel Perilous: The Life and Thought Crimes of Robert Anton Wilson is more than a biography—it attempts a multidimensional mapping of Wilson's life, philosophy, ideas, and cultural impact, rendered in a suitably Wilsonian style. As the first definitive biography, it not only recounts the trajectory of Wilson's life but also successfully captures the polymathic nature of his restless mind and mischievous, ever-optimistic spirit.
From the outset, Kennedy—a longtime admirer of Wilson, a student at his Maybe Logic Academy, and a first time author/biographer—frames the book as a journey through Chapel Perilous itself–the psychological and philosophical initiation Wilson casually described as "when you're caught between believing everything is connected and meaningful—or that you're going insane." The book charts Wilson's rise from a polio-stricken child in a working-class Irish-American neighborhood in Brooklyn, to a struggling underground writer for outlets like Paul Krassner's The Realist, to co-author of the now-classic Illuminatus! trilogy (with Bob Shea), and finally, to enduring countercultural superhero. Along the way, Kennedy chronicles RAW's deep, synthesistic explorations across science, religion, occultism, conspiracy psychology, politics, and the birth of his pioneering ideas on consciousness, language, practical magic, and futurism.
Working over a nine-year period, Kennedy fully immersed himself in Wilson's world, conducting extensive interviews with Wilson's contemporaries, family, and friends. He also drew from unpublished papers and manuscripts, correspondence, archived collections, and Wilson's published oeuvre. Through this research, Kennedy brings to light Wilson's surprisingly early interest (starting in the 1950s) in Buddhism, meditation, the civil rights and anti-war movements, drug experimentation, and his keen and intuitive understanding of Western occultism, especially the work of Aleister Crowley. And, of course, his career leitmotif, conspiracy theories. We also learn more about his friendships with George Carlin, Timothy Leary, Alan Watts, Tuli Kupferberg, Mildred Loomis (back-to-the-land pioneer), and other countercultural luminaries.
The book opens with two forewords—one by Doug Rushkoff, one by Grant Morrison—both longtime friends and supporters of Kennedy. Clearly fond of Kennedy, they praise like proud parents and were there to cheer on his efforts throughout the long years of bringing this biography to life. Their affection for both Kennedy and RAW is clear, and it adds an extra layer of validation and Wilsonian warmth to the project.
Beyond biography, Chapel Perilous doubles as a practical guide to Wilson's ideas and methods. It highlights, among other things, Wilson's take on conspiracy psychology, reality tunnels ("We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are"), model agnosticism (being open to anything, skeptical of everything), and hilaritas (consciously choosing cheerfulness and courage in the face of chaos). Reading through Chapel Perilous, one can't help but be struck by how alarmingly relevant many of RAW's ideas remain, in light of today's choose-your-own digital reality tunnel, where algorithms and oligarchs program the Holodeck.
Kennedy's narrative style often mirrors Wilson's—blending storytelling, philosophy, absurdism, and good humor. The book avoids slipping into an all-out fawning hagiography, though Kennedy is squarely on Team RAW. The result is intellectually satisfying while also being deeply entertaining. Newcomers will find a rich introduction; longtime fans will appreciate fresh insights into Wilson's personal hardships, creative processes, and his lasting impact. The section detailing the murder of Wilson's 15-year-old daughter and the devastating effect on the family is particularly moving and memorable. As is Bob's inspiring 40+ year relationship with his beloved wife and intellectual companion, the poet Arlen Riley Wilson.
It's worth noting that Chapel Perilous is self-published. Given that this is the only biography of such an important and influential figure, it's a shame that no major publisher stepped up to give this book the broader platform it deserves.
There are organizational and structural issues that frustrate (and may have soured publishers). A few times, Wilson's books are mentioned before explanation, at least on correspondent is frequently quoted without context, and well-known historical events (like the civil rights movement) get more column inches than some of the more esoteric concepts that Wilson traded in. In the section on the family's move to Chicago for Bob's Playboy letter editing job in the early 70s, the jaw-dropping statement that his kids "including Graham and Luna, who were barely out of single digits – were all gobbling handfuls of acid that their parents had left lying around the apartment" is tossed out without comment or follow-up. Later, when Graham descends into schizophrenia after Luna's murder, he soon vanishes from the narrative—We never learn exactly what became of him, or what their surviving four children were doing when Bob and Arlen later relocated to Ireland following these family tragedies.
Wilson was known to be a loving and devoted father, so squaring that circle — between the image of the caring dad with kiddie LSD and the parents' leaving home — could have used more attention and commentary.
These criticisms aside, as someone who's spent much of his adult life studying Wilson's work and applying it, I found Chapel Perilous to be a deeply satisfying visit with an wise old friend and mentor. It was touching to be reminded of Bob's extraordinary life and career arc—the hardships he endured, his persistent curiosity and brilliance, and especially, his hilaritas. I was moved when Kennedy perfectly closed the book with Wilson's spirit of "amor et hilaritas," quoting him:
And when you think of Amor, think of Richard St. Victor's saying: "Where there is love, there is correct vision,'" and when you think of Hilaritas, think of Gemisto Plethon who said "Gods can be recognized by their cheerfulness."
Robert Anton Wilson, January 18, 1932 – January 11, 2007. Amor et Hilaritas.
For those who admire Wilson's work—or anyone curious to meet at the unlikely crossroads of science, philosophy, conspiracy psychology, enchantment, and transhumanism—Chapel Perilous is a must-read. Kennedy has written not just a biography, but a living document that carries on Wilson's mission of challenging perception, destabilizing certainty, and inviting readers to explore the edges of reality.
