The Olympics of Whack: Strieber Versus Pinchbeck, Round 1

Author and dope fiend altered-consciousness guru Daniel Pinchbeck has run afoul of alien-abduction enthusiast Whitley Strieber, just as the latter’s new novel, 2012: The War for Souls, has landed in bookstores. Both Strieber and Pinchbeck are working some of the same deeply weird territory. Strieber argues that alien visitors walk among us and will be revealed in 2012. Pinchbeck insist several centuries of rational progress will be undone—in 2012!—when Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl stages a comeback (psychedelic drugs will help us all get down with this) . Both have posted equally deranged blog accounts of their snit (Pinchbeck here; Strieber here), which occurred this month on the radio show that Strieber hosts. Pinchbeck’s is less humane but more entertaining. Here’s a tidbit: “I told Strieber that I thought he had been manipulated by alien entities that do not have the best interests of the human species at heart.”

Honestly, Dan, have they ever? We all know that Strieber’s “visitors” are responsible for the subprime mortgage meltdown and Barry Bonds.

FOLLOW UP: Pinchbeck has hit Hollywood, and hit it hard. Michael Mann will reportedly be producing a movie, based on Pinchbeck’s 2006 book, Return of Quetzalcoatl. Our sources at the LA Times, where there’s a profile of Pinchbeck in the works, say it’s scheduled for release in 2009.