David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting, 5 March 1960 in Batu Gajah, Malaysia) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member. He had earlier collaborated with Psychic TV and 23 Skidoo. He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he announced that he would revert to the name David Michael.
Career
Tibet left
Psychic TV in
1983 and founded
Current 93 the same year. He has worked with Steven Stapleton of
Nurse With Wound (of which band he is a member),
Michael Cashmore,
Douglas P. (of
Death In June, on whose albums he has appeared several times),
Steve Ignorant of
Crass (using the name "Stephen Intelligent"),
Boyd Rice,
Nick Cave,
Rose McDowall, and
Ian Read of Fire and Ice.
Influences
Tibet's lyrical subject matter reflects a consistent preoccupation with all aspects of apocalypse. He has long been a student of
Christian eschatology. At a precocious age, he developed a strong interest in
Aleister Crowley and the
Ordo Templi Orientis. He joined the
Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis and borrowed the term "93 Current", the current of
Thelema or
Agape, from Crowley. His initial recording as Current 93,
LAShTAL, was, according to Tibet, "the invocation of
Malkunofath on the Nightside of
Eden, the reverse of the
Tree of Life". He has long proclaimed a virtual anathema to Crowleyism (despite a strong appreciation for Crowley as an individual) and instead has embraced at various intervals,
Tibetan Buddhism and
esoteric Christianity. His projects continue to focus on the multifaceted aspects of
apocalypse, mainly
death, loss and destruction. Progressively, his works are tempered by
Christian mysticism and an increasingly strong faith in the end of the world.
Other influences include Noddy, Francis Parker Yockey's Imperium, Austin Osman Spare, Bobby Beausoleil, and a variety of occult topics.
In April 2006, the Caliphate OTO formed the International OTO Cabinet, an advisory, non-voting panel made up of both OTO Initiates and Non-Initiates. David Tibet was named among the initial non-member appointments.
Other activities
He is a
painter. Tibet is interested in the work of
Count Stenbock, whose writings he has worked to republish. He also runs the
Durtro publishing imprint and record label. He attended
Newcastle University.
References
Further reading
- Keenan, David (2003) England's Hidden Reverse: a secret history of the esoteric underground, London: SAF Publishing.
External links