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43-577: Rip Off Press is notable for being the first company to publish the fourth edition of the Principia Discordia , a Discordian religious text written by Gregory Hill and Kerry Thornley . It was also an early publisher of a booklet on drug manufacturing, Psychedelic Chemistry . In January 17, 1969, the company was founded in San Francisco by four Texans: Fred Todd, Dave Moriaty, and cartoonists Gilbert Shelton and Jack Jackson . The initial plan

86-463: A Discordian nature, and Zenarchy by Kerry Thornley , which proposes a non-combative approach to anarchy infused with Zen philosophy. Natural Law, or Don't Put a Rubber on Your Willy by Robert Anton Wilson delves into themes of personal freedom and self-awareness, expanding upon Wilson's essay originally published in 1985. In addition, there are compilations such as Apocrypha Discordia and Historia Discordia , which gather diverse materials from

129-532: A fire almost destroyed the opera house in late 1969, Rip Off moved to the decaying former headquarters of the Family Dog psychedelic rock music promotion collective (which Jaxon had been a member of starting in 1966). Rip Off Press was located at 1250 17th Street in San Francisco from 1970 until 1985. By 1972, the poster printing business had faded away and the company had become a publishing house . Other works

172-483: A hundred other businesses, burned to the ground on April 6, 1986, following an explosion in an illegal fireworks factory in the basement. Freed of a 17-year accumulation of comics and other paraphernalia, Fred Todd (at this point the only original partner still working in the business) decided to relocate Rip Off Press to Auburn, California (part of the Sacramento metropolitan area ), where he and Kathe continued to run

215-452: A profitable operation, was discontinued by 1979. (Griffith's Zippy , which had debuted in 1976 as a weekly strip with Rip Off's syndicate, was picked up for daily syndication in 1986 by King Features Syndicate .) Much of the material produced for the syndicate was eventually published in the company's long-running anthology Rip Off Comix , which had debuted in 1977. In 1979, Universal Studios paid Shelton and Rip Off Press $ 250,000 for

258-564: A single Western Union telegram page filled with the letter M was published as an appendix to the Loompanics and SJ Games re-printings of the 4th Edition. In 1978, a copy of a work from Kerry Thornley titled "THE PRINCIPIA Discordia or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST" was placed in the HSCA JFK collections as document 010857. Adam Gorightly, author of The Prankster and the Conspiracy about Kerry Thornley and

301-470: A window we view chaos, and relate it to the points on our grid, and thereby understand it. The order is in the grid. That is the Aneristic Principle. Western philosophy is traditionally concerned with contrasting one grid with another grid, and amending grids in hopes of finding a perfect one that will account for all reality and will, hence, (say unenlightened westerners) be true. This is illusory; it

344-616: Is a matter of definition and metaphysically arbitrary. The artificial concept of no-relation is the Eristic Principle. The belief that "order is true" and disorder is false or somehow wrong, is the Aneristic Illusion. To say the same of disorder, is the Eristic Illusion. The point is that (little-t) truth is a matter of definition relative to the grid one is using at the moment, and that (capital-T) Truth, metaphysical reality,

387-445: Is irrelevant to grids entirely. Pick a grid, and through it some chaos appears ordered and some appears disordered. Pick another grid, and the same chaos will appear differently ordered and disordered. Reality is the original Rorschach. Verily! So much for all that. The Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost was first published in a limited edition of five copies and released into the public domain in 1965. The full title of

430-537: Is presumably intended to mean Discordant Principles , or Principles of Discordance . The Principia describes the Discordian Society and its Goddess Eris , as well as the basics of the POEE denomination of Discordianism. It features typewritten and handwritten text intermixed with clip art , stamps, and seals appropriated from other sources. It is quoted extensively in and forms the basis for several themes within

473-447: Is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of PURE CHAOS, which is a level deeper than is the level of distinction making. Cusack points out that this is "distilled into a teaching about the ultimate fate of humans: 'so it shall be that non-existence shall take us back from existence and that nameless spirituality shall return to

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516-476: Is that of apparent order; the Eristic Principle is that of apparent disorder. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of pure chaos, which is a level deeper than is the level of distinction making. With our concept-making apparatus called "the brain" we look at reality through the ideas-about-reality which our cultures give us. The ideas-about-reality are mistakenly labeled "reality" and unenlightened people are forever perplexed by

559-439: Is what we Erisians call the Aneristic Illusion. Some grids can be more useful than others, some more beautiful than others, some more pleasant than others, etc., but none can be more True than any other. Disorder is simply unrelated information viewed through some particular grid. But, like "relation", no-relation is a concept. Male, like female, is an idea about sex. To say that male-ness is "absence of female-ness", or vice versa,

602-628: The Principia Discordia contains a complex and subtle religious system, although this is often obscured by its chaotic structure. The theology of the Principia is perhaps best summarized in the symbol [...] The Sacred Chao [...] Taken as a whole, however, the Sacred Chao symbolizes the Discordian idea that both order and chaos are man-made concepts, and that to believe that either is more 'true' than

645-620: The 1970s and '80s. Kinney was a member, along with Skip Williamson , Jay Lynch and R. Crumb , of the original Bijou Funnies crew. Bijou Funnies was heavily influenced by Mad magazine, and, along with Zap Comix , is considered one of the titles to launch the underground comix movement. Kinney contributed to the first four issues (1968–1970), as well as the eighth and final issue (1973). Next, Kinney and Bill Griffith co-edited Young Lust , an underground comix anthology published sporadically from 1970 to 1993. The title, which parodied 1950s romance comics such as Young Love ,

688-605: The 3rd Edition of 500 copies, whomped together in Tampa 1969; which revised the 2nd Edition of 100 copies from Los Angeles 1969; which was a revision of PRINCIPIA Discordia or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST published in New Orleans in 1965 in five copies, which were mostly lost. Additionally, the "contents of this edition" note in the Loompanics edition identifies the fourth edition as having originally been published by Rip Off Press of San Francisco, California . A "Fifth Edition" consisting of

731-532: The Bay Area in the late 1970s and early 1980s (thanks to the money he received from Universal), co-founder Shelton and his wife permanently relocated to France in 1984. In mid-1985, the company moved from 17th Street to a smaller space on San Jose Avenue near the city's southern border, with warehouse space across town at the Bayview Industrial Park. This three-story, block-square building, which housed over

774-450: The Demoness . The company published two music-related indy comics titles by Matt Howarth — Savage Henry and Those Annoying Post Bros. , from 1989 to 1994. Rip Off Press also took over the publication of the long-running all-female underground anthology Wimmen's Comix with issue #14 (1989) of that title, publishing it through 1993. After the collapse of the direct market in

817-566: The Discordian tradition, including writings by both original and contemporary Discordians. Several works also explore the lives of key figures within Discordianism, such as The Prankster and the Conspiracy by Adam Gorightly, which focuses on Kerry Thornley's interactions with countercultural figures like Lee Harvey Oswald . Chasing Eris by Brenton Clutterbuck provides an in-depth examination of Discordianism's impact on various aspects of culture and society, offering interviews and insights into

860-496: The Void, like a tired child home from a very wild circus'. ". The book's philosophical system of Eristic, Spiritual, and Aneristic principles borrows from Zen Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Existentialism. David G. Robertson discusses Discordian theology in the 2012 book Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production , writing that despite Discordian claims that its 'catmas' are soft, optional beliefs, Nevertheless,

903-458: The additional material included in their editions. In Discordian mythology, Aneris is described as the sister of Eris aka Discordia. Whereas Eris/Discordia is the Goddess of Disorder and Being, Aneris/ Harmonia is the Goddess of Order and Non-Being. "DOGMA III – HISTORY 32, 'COSMOGONY'" in Principia Discordia , states: In the beginning there was VOID, who had two daughters; one (the smaller)

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946-468: The company in 1975 for a college summer job, married co-founder Fred Todd in 1980; by the mid-1980s she had assumed co-management of the company. Cartoonist Jay Kinney joined the company as an editor in 1981, but left after a few months. Cartoonist Guy Colwell began freelancing for Rip Off Press in the production department beginning in 1980; he worked on-and-off for the company through c.  1990 . After bouncing back and forth between Europe and

989-501: The company published during this period included comics by Frank Stack , Sheridan (all co-published with Gary Arlington 's San Francisco Comic Book Company), The Rip Off Review of Western Culture omnibus, and Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers . As the underground comix market began to peter out in the early 1970s, Rip Off Press shifted its focus to other cartoonists and other comics. By this point, Rip Off Press co-founders Moriaty and Jackson had gone back to Texas, leaving

1032-431: The company website. The website was disabled for a time in 2011–2012, during which time it was completely redesigned and a large number of collectors' items (including historic ad pieces, rare press sheets, publisher's overlay proofs from the company's publishing history, and more) were added to its offerings. Principia Discordia The Principia Discordia is the first published Discordian religious text . It

1075-539: The company while raising their two small children. The move was made in June 1987. During this era, Rip Off Press continued to publish Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and the Rip Off Comix anthology; the popularity of erotic comics in the late 1980s/early 1990s led to the publication of such titles as Strips by Chuck Austen , The Girl by Kevin J. Taylor, Doll by Guy Colwell , and SS Crompton 's Demi

1118-651: The copy in the JFK collection was an earlier draft of the Principia Discordia predating the first edition. The Principia includes a notice which purports to disclaim any copyright in relation to the work: "Ⓚ All Rites Reversed – reprint what you like." Regardless of the legal effect of this notice, the Principia has been widely disseminated in the public domain via the Internet and more traditional print publishers. Some re-publishers have claimed copyright in relation to

1161-466: The early 1990s (fueled by Marvel Comics ' withdrawal of its 40% market share from the distribution system), Rip Off Press began cutting costs and gradually retreated from publishing. By 1997, it had shifted its business to selling backlist comics in its store and to mail-order customers, plus to the fans finding them online. The Todds moved the business to much smaller quarters adjoining their home in 1999, where they continue to sell comics, mostly through

1204-465: The early Discordians, said the copy in the JFK collection was not a copy of the first edition but a later and altered version containing some of the original material. Gorightly said he had been given Greg Hill's copy of the first edition. This appeared in its entirety in Historia Discordia , a book on Discordian history released in spring of 2014. In 2015 Gorightly stated that he now believed that

1247-400: The fact that other people, especially other cultures, see "reality" differently. It is only the ideas-about-reality which differ. Real (capital-T) True reality is a level deeper than is the level of concept. We look at the world through windows on which have been drawn grids (concepts). Different philosophies use different grids. A culture is a group of people with rather similar grids. Through

1290-406: The fourth and most well-known edition is Principia Discordia or How I Found Goddess And What I Did To Her When I Found Her: The Magnum Opiate Of Malaclypse The Younger, Wherein is Explained Absolutely Everything Worth Knowing About Absolutely Anything . Included on page 75 is the following note about the history of the Principia : This being the 4th Edition, March 1970, San Francisco; a revision of

1333-495: The mid-1970s, Kinney began working with fellow comics artist Paul Mavrides on "Cover-Up Lowdown", originally a weekly panel cartoon that was collected and published by Rip Off Press in November 1977. "Cover-Up Lowdown" satirized political cover-ups of the day, as well as those of recent history, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy . Kinney and Mavrides then collaborated on the political anthology Anarchy Comics , which

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1376-399: The movement's global reach and influence. It also includes an interpretation of the Principia Discordia chapter "The Parable of The Bitter Tea" by its original author. Jay Kinney Jay Kinney (born 1950) is an American author, editor, and former underground cartoonist . Kinney has been noted for "adding new dimensions to the political comic" in the underground comix press of

1419-569: The mysterious word " fnord ", later popularized in The Illuminatus! Trilogy ; the trilogy itself is mentioned in the afterword to the Loompanics edition, and in the various introductions to the fifth editions. The Principia Discordia holds three core principles: the Aneristic Principle (order), the Eristic Principle (disorder) and the notion that both are mere illusions. The following excerpt summarizes these principles: The Aneristic Principle

1462-403: The other is illusion. The Sacred Chao represents 'pure chaos', the metaphysical grounding of all that is, and a level beyond any distinction-making. The Discordian movement encompasses a diverse array of works, both real and fictitious, that explore themes of chaos, satire, and alternative spirituality. These include Zen Without Zen Masters by Camden Benares, which presents koans and stories of

1505-451: The rights to make a live-action Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers film. Rip Off used its share of the rights fees to buy a new typesetting machine and a computer system, which enabled it in turn to launch the mail order business that later became integral to the company's survival. (The Universal-produced Freak Brothers film never made it to production.) The future Kathe Todd, who first came to

1548-455: The running of the company to Shelton and Todd. The company started a syndication service , managed by Shelton, that sold weekly content to alternative newspapers and student publications . Each Friday, the company sent out a distribution sheet with the strips it was selling, by such cartoonists as Shelton, Joel Beck , Dave Sheridan , Ted Richards , Bill Griffith , and Harry Driggs (as R. Diggs). The Rip Off Press Syndicate , never really

1591-633: The satirical 1975 science fiction book The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson . Notable symbols in the book include the Apple of Discord , the pentagon , and the "Sacred Chao", which resembles the Taijitu of Taoism , but the two principles depicted are "Hodge" and "Podge" rather than yin and yang , and they are represented by the apple and the pentagon, and not by dots. Saints identified include Emperor Norton , Yossarian , Don Quixote , and Bokonon . The Principia also introduces

1634-470: The third-floor ballroom of the former Mowry's Opera House, at 633 Laguna Street in Hayes Valley . The first comics Rip Off Press published, in 1969, were R. Crumb 's Big Ass Comics (June '69), a reprint of Jaxon's God Nose (originally published in 1964), Jaxon's Happy Endings Comics (August '69), and the first issue of Fred Schrier and Dave Sheridan 's Mother's Oats Comix (October '69). After

1677-491: Was noted for its explicit depictions of sex. Unlike many other sex-fueled underground comix, Young Lust was generally not perceived as misogynistic. Griffith and Kinney gradually morphed the title into a satire of societal mores. According to Kinney, Young Lust "became one of the top three best-selling underground comix, along with Zap Comix and Gilbert Shelton's The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers ". Kinney contributed comics stories to all eight issues of Young Lust. In

1720-492: Was published sporadically by Last Gasp between 1978 and 1987. Kinney founded, edited, and contributed to all four issues of Anarchy Comics . Though a member of the first wave of the American underground comix movement, Kinney largely moved away from cartooning after the 1980s, first as editor of CoEvolution Quarterly from 1983 to 1984, and then as publisher and editor in chief of the magazine Gnosis from 1985 to 1999. Since

1763-528: Was that of BEING, named ERIS , and one (the larger) was of NON-BEING, named ANERIS . The sterile Aneris becomes jealous of Eris (who was born pregnant), and starts making existent things non-existent. This explains why life begins, and later ends in death: And to this day, things appear and disappear in this very manner. The names of Eris and Aneris (who are later given an in-between brother, Spirituality ), are used to show some fundamental Discordian principles in "Psycho-Metaphysics": The Aneristic Principle

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1806-425: Was to print rock band promotional posters on an old press and do comics on the side — in some ways the company was formed as a sort of cartoonists' cooperative , as an alternative publishing venue to other Bay Area publishers like Apex Novelties , Print Mint , and Company & Sons . The four men purchased a used Davidson 233 offset printing press and set up shop in the same space as Apex Novelties, located on

1849-499: Was written by Greg Hill ( Malaclypse the Younger ) with Kerry Wendell Thornley (Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst) and others. The first edition was printed using Jim Garrison 's Xerox printer in 1963. The second edition was published under the title Principia Discordia or How The West Was Lost in a limited edition of five copies in 1965. The phrase Principia Discordia , reminiscent of Isaac Newton 's 1687 Principia Mathematica ,

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