WORLD WIDE MAGAZINE X VEILED PROPHET — A night of STL conspiracies and public access treasures
July 25 : 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Get ready for an STL mashup for the ages as the Veiled Prophet takes on World Wide Magazine in an epic night of conspiracies, comedy, and pure WTF-ery!
Devin Thomas O’Shea will deliver a talk on the hottest book of the summer, The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis, and archivist Jim Varagona will present clips from beloved cult public access series World Wide Magazine’s episodes on the VP Fair!
- 6 PM: Doors open for meet and greet and book signing
- 7 PM: Talk on the Veiled Prophet by Devin T. O’Shea
- 7:30 PM: Program of curated clips of World Wide Magazine at the VP Fair introduced by Jim Varagona
- 8:45 PM: Q&A with Devin T. O’Shea, Jim Varagona, and WWM cast members!
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis, by Devin Thomas O’Shea
A provocative look at the secret society that has controlled St. Louis for over a century, revealing how shadowy elites organize themselves against working-class power, Devin Thomas O’Shea’s The Veiled Prophet is the definitive history of the Veiled Prophet Society in all its violence and pageantry, offering a colorful alternate history of the United States through the lens of the Midwestern elite. O’Shea follows the Veiled Prophet Society from its origins in the wake of the 1877 general strike, through the 1904 World’s Fair, to the height of the Prophet’s—and St. Louis’s—influence during the Cold War. The Veiled Prophet examines the unexpected ways this secret society has shaped the course of history, from the CIA to the Vietnam War to the assassination of Martin Luther King.
The Veiled Prophet will be available for sale on site, or buy a copy now!
World Wide Magazine, presented by Jim Varagona
World Wide Magazine was a public access television program in St. Louis from 1986–2001. Its creator, Peter E. Parisi, chronicled the city in his own way, pushing the limits of freedom of speech. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he and his crew of misfits attended the annual V.P. Fair downtown. The National Park Service tried to keep them out, but a very public media battle in 1991 led to their filming rights being reinstated. This compilation captures plenty of revelry, hoosier patriotism, and bratwurst. Go along for the ride with Pete, Big Daddy, Marty, Marty’s Brother Mark, Dumptruck Dave Perry, Miss Cathy, Black Jesus, The Mad Russian, and more. This presentation is curated and will be introduced by Jim Varagona, archivist of The Pete Parisi Archives.
This event is not available for booking with the Club Arkadin pass.
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