Gabriel Mckee

@secret-terror

Print culture, libraries, religion, science fiction, comics, PKD, Coptic language. "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker" available now from the MIT Press.

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Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· 24d

"You crossed the wrong people, motherfucker."

The cast of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, dressed in mostly hospital garb and wielding a variety of firearms

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jun 19

Looks like Alan Moore is still mad about "eggy in a basket"

"Finishing what she'd said was an Egyptian fish-eye sandwich -- basically, breaking an egg into a hole torn in a slice of bread already frying in the pan -- Grace swigged her tea and shrugged."

A portion of a page from I hear a New World by Alan Moore (Bloomsbury, 2026))

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jun 18

From Michael D. Gordin's "The Pseudoscience Wars" (U. Chicago Press, 2012), Einstein's brilliantly bitchy response to Immanuel Velikovsky's "Worlds in Collision":

"Einstein answered that Velikovsky had 'the stuff to thoroughly disprove even the table of multiplication with your historical-philological methods. Of the applause of laymen, who have a secret grudge against arithmetic, you can be assured.'"

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· May 21

Sadie Killer and the Suspects, from Steven Universe.
Sadie, the vocalist, has green hair, red eyeliner, and a black shirt. The three other members of the band wear suits.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· May 8

After all the digging I care to do today into the distraction-from-Iran-and-the-Epstein-Files-and-the-rapid-erosion-of-our-civil-rights "UAP" release, here are my thoughts on the only parts I really care about: --A bunch of this was already released, albeit in lower quality and with more redactions.

Redacted section of an FBI file, released several years ago. The text, with various stamps, numbers, and pencilled annotations, reads:
"This letter stated in part as follows: Dear Mr [redacted]. You have often wondered where the 3 men came from that silenced [redacted]. I can give you the answer because 3 men tried to silence [redacted]. tells me that the 3 men were from the FBI, Air Force Intelligence, and the Central Intelligence Agency. It was the man from the CIA who made the threats that were designed to shut [redacted] up." One of the pencilled annotations reads "No action." Anyone with a cursory knowledge of the flying saucer field would be able to fill in the names "Barker," "Bender," and "Adamski" in the redacted portions.

Unredacted section of an FBI file, released on May 8, 2026. The text, with various stamps, numbers, and pencilled annotations, reads:
"This letter stated in part as follows: Dear Mr Barker. You have often wondered where the 3 men came from that silenced Bender. I can give you the answer because 3 men tried to silence George Adamski. Adamski tells me that the 3 men were from the FBI, Air Force Intelligence, and the Central Intelligence Agency. It was the man from the CIA who made the threats that were designed to shut Adamski up." One of the pencilled annotations reads "No action."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· May 8

*This* is the Great American Road Trip

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Apr 25

It's been exactly one year since the official release of THE SAUCERIAN!

The cover of the book "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker," by Gabriel Mckee. The cover shows a UFO hovering over a valley emitting a beam of light, beneath the title in green and yellow. The book is standing on a table next to a lit candle in the shape of the number one.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Apr 9

David Lynch, an older man with disheveled gray hair, pictured from shoulders up against a red background. At bottom is the text: "Elaborate on that." "No."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Apr 7

... called "What if... Frodo Were from Jersey City?", on the downstream cultural influence of the Lord of the Rings. The impetus for the panel is the Tolkienesque plot of "Marvel Zombies," but I'll be mainly relating that to LOTR's influence on tabletop RPGs, & Dimension 20 in particular. #pca2026

A promotional image for "Dimension 20: Escape from the Bloodkeep," showing artists' interpretations of the 6 player characters. "Ify Nwadiwe as Markus": a masked, armored pirate with a glowing blue sword. "Rkeha Shankar as Maggie": a purple-skinned, red-eyed tiefling barbarian wielding an enormous hammer. "Mike Trapp as Sokhbarr": A green and yellow lizard-human hybrid holding a large yellow mace. "Matthew Mercer as Kraz-Thun": A ghostly figure in black metal armor holding a large blue sword. "Amy Vorpahl as Efink": A wet elf standing in a puddle, a ball of red fire in an upraised hand and a staff with a glowing red stone pointed down toward the ground in the other. "Erika Ishii as Lilith": The torso of a pale-skinned woman with the body of an enormous spider.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Apr 7

While the world crumbles, I'll be in Atlanta for the Pop Culture Association conference, where on Thursday I'll be presenting a paper entitled "The Secret Origin of Doctor Strange: T. Lobsang Rampa, Tibetomania, and Marvel's Silver Age." Then on Friday I'll be on a Tolkien studies roundtable...

The opening slide of a presentation entitled "The Secret Origin of Doctor Strange: T. Lobsang Rampa, Tibetomania, and Marvel's Silver Age." Below the title are two images: At left is an early drawing of Dr. Strange, who glowers with his arms crossed across his chest, wearing a blue cloak with an enormous collar, a square golden amulet at his neck, and orange gloves. At right is a black-and-white photograph of T. Lobsang Rampa, a bald, bearded Englishman wearing a Buddhist's monk's robe and prayer beads around his wrist. The presenter details at bottom left read "Gabriel Mckee (they/he), New York University. PCA Conference, Atlanta, GA, April 9, 2026."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Mar 25

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY Release party for "Behold the Behemouth: The Collected Poems of Gray Barker" at @apportusedbooks.bsky.social in Emmaus (Allentown) PA! Sunday March 29, 7PM

Flyer image with text: "Release party for BEHOLD THE BEHEMOUTH: The Collected Poems of Gray Barker. Sunday March 29th @ 7pm. With editor Gabriel Mckee, publisher Ben Roylance, and cover designer Sarah Bachman. Discussion, readings from the book, more." At center is the book cover: a green-tinted image of a young Gray Barker. In the photograph, Barker has a sweep of hair on his forehead and a fur blanket or vest clutched near his neck. He appears to be entering through a doorway and he stares directly into the camera with a piercing gaze. The image is overlayed with a simple line drawing of a UFO, an abstract horned circle, and the title and subtitle of the book.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Mar 10

Now available from @apportusedbooks.bsky.social - BEHOLD THE BEHEMOUTH: THE COLLECTED POEMS OF GRAY BARKER. The complete surviving poetry of this bizarre literary outsider, most of it never before published. Join me and the book team for the official book launch on March 29 at Apport in Emmaus PA!

The book cover of "Behold the Behemouth: The Collected Poems of Gray Barker." The main image is a full-cover, green-tinted photograph showing a young Gray Barker, peering out of a doorway. He gazes intensely directly into the camera, with a flop of hair falling over his forehead. His hand is bent upward to hold a fur vest or collar around his neck.
Over the photograph are two line illustrations: one a circle with antennae-like protrusions coming out of it, the other a stack of concentric circles resembling a flying saucer.
Over the image is the text: "Behold the Behemouth: The Collected Poems of Gray Barker."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Feb 11

Coming soon from @apportusedbooks.bsky.social -- BEHOLD THE BEHEMOUTH: THE COLLECTED POEMS OF GRAY BARKER. I've been dreaming for years bringing this material, the vast majority of which has never been published, to the public.

Cover art for a book. The background is a full-cover, green-tinted photograph showing a young Gray Barker, peering out of a doorway. He gazes intensely directly into the camera, with a flop of hair falling over his forehead. His hand is bent upward to hold a fur vest or collar around his neck.
Over the photograph are two line illustrations: one a circle with antennae-like protrusions coming out of it, the other a stack of concentric circles resembling a flying saucer.
Over the image is the text: "Behold the Behemouth: The Collected Poems of Gray Barker."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jan 23

The answer to the question "Who still supports Trump?" is, apparently: "Only the most deeply pathetic people."

Screenshot of New York Times article on the results of a Trump approval poll. The highlighted section of text quotes a Trump supporter, saying: "Donald Trump could look at me in the face and tell me to go screw myself. And I’d say, 'Thank you.'"
The full text pictured reads:
"I think he must be doing something right when there are so many people opposed to him," said Paul Minihane, 77, a real estate broker who lives in Dedham, Mass. "I mean, Donald Trump could look at me in the face and tell me to go screw myself. And I'd say, 'Thank you.' I think that's good. I don’t think he’s looking to kiss everybody’s ass. I think he's going to do what he thinks is the right thing. And I think that's a positive thing." His enduring popularity with the base presents a bind for Republican congressional candidates, who must win over his supporters without repelling swing voters.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jan 20

@mtametronorth.bsky.social A tale of two approaches to salt application: A metric ton per square foot on the platform; absolutely nothing in the parking lot. (Beacon NY)

The ground on a train platform, showing a thick residue of rock salt everywhere, and sizable piles of undissolved salt clustered around the base of a trash can at left. This stuff is terrible for shoe leather, incidentally.

The parking lot at a train station, showing a large area of smooth, slick ice covering most of the visible ground.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Dec 28

Thrilled to finally read my fellow contributors' chapters, and to see my own piece on heimarmene in the Exegesis in print. The Theology, Religion, and Popular Culture series continues to be great-- tell your librarian! #pkd #philipkdick #esoteric #theology #academicbooks

First page of a book chapter showing the title "Groove Override: the Defeat of Heimarmene in Dick's Exegesis," by Gabriel Mckee.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Dec 28

A major moment in PKD + Religion scholarship: "The Esoteric Theology of Philip K. Dick," edited by George Sieg and Michael Barros, comes out Jan. 8 from @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social and @popandtheology.bsky.social !

Front cover of the book "The Esoteric Theology of Philip K. Dick", edited by
George J. Sieg and Michael C. Barros. The book is bright pink with white text, with an inset image of a Christian fish symbol formed by two intersecting arcs. It is pictured in front of a Christmas tree with various science-fiction themed ornaments.

Title page of the book "The Esoteric Theology of Philip K. Dick", edited by
George J. Sieg and Michael C. Barros.

Table of contents for the book, reading:
Introduction
Section I: Foundations of Esoteric Theology.
Chapter One: This is the Gospel of Philip K. Dick: A Self-Referential Science Fiction Theology, Riccardo Gramantieri.
Chapter Two: The Conquest of Death and the Divine Afterlife: Philip K. Dick's Life and Fiction of the 1960s, M. Blake Wilson.
Chapter Three: Consuming Communion: Transcendence, Moral Clarity, and Community in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Justin Cosner.
Chapter Four: When the Dickian Time Drives on, Laying Bare the Ubik Landscape: Ubik as Philip K. Dick's Early Exploration of God before his 2-3-74 Mystical Experience, Laurie Jui-hua Tseng.
Section II: Theological Themes.
Chapter Five: Groove Override: The Defeat of Heimarmene in Dick's “Exegesis”, Gabriel Mckee.
Chapter Six: What is Human: Humanism in Philip K. Dick's Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?, Maxwell E. Stevenson.
Chapter Seven: A Structure of Belief: The Function of Conspiracy in A Scanner Darkly, Richard Johnston Jones.
Section III: Who Do You Say That I Am?
Chapter Eight: Do Elohim Dream of Spirit Sheep?, Joshua Snell.
Chapter Nine: The VALIS Confession: Esoteric Compassion and the Struggle for Recognition, Scott Maybell.
Section IV: The Freedom of the Logos.
Chapter Ten: Do Dictators Dream of Listless Grasshoppers?: Counter-Totalitarianism, Exceptionality, and a Materialized Political Radicalism, John C. McDowell.
Chapter Eleven: “I Gotta Figure This Out”: Philip K. Dick, Calvinism, and the Hermeneutics of Spielberg's Minority Report, Stephen Daly.
Chapter Twelve: Fabulations of Theory, Aaron French.
Conclusion: Disclosure of the Worlds to Come.
About the Contributors.

Final section of the Table of contents for the book, reading:
Introduction
Section I: Foundations of Esoteric Theology.
Chapter One: This is the Gospel of Philip K. Dick: A Self-Referential Science Fiction Theology, Riccardo Gramantieri.
Chapter Two: The Conquest of Death and the Divine Afterlife: Philip K. Dick's Life and Fiction of the 1960s, M. Blake Wilson.
Chapter Three: Consuming Communion: Transcendence, Moral Clarity, and Community in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Justin Cosner.
Chapter Four: When the Dickian Time Drives on, Laying Bare the Ubik Landscape: Ubik as Philip K. Dick's Early Exploration of God before his 2-3-74 Mystical Experience, Laurie Jui-hua Tseng.
Section II: Theological Themes.
Chapter Five: Groove Override: The Defeat of Heimarmene in Dick's “Exegesis”, Gabriel Mckee.
Chapter Six: What is Human: Humanism in Philip K. Dick's Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?, Maxwell E. Stevenson.
Chapter Seven: A Structure of Belief: The Function of Conspiracy in A Scanner Darkly, Richard Johnston Jones.
Section III: Who Do You Say That I Am?
Chapter Eight: Do Elohim Dream of Spirit Sheep?, Joshua Snell.
Chapter Nine: The VALIS Confession: Esoteric Compassion and the Struggle for Recognition, Scott Maybell.
Section IV: The Freedom of the Logos.
Chapter Ten: Do Dictators Dream of Listless Grasshoppers?: Counter-Totalitarianism, Exceptionality, and a Materialized Political Radicalism, John C. McDowell.
Chapter Eleven: “I Gotta Figure This Out”: Philip K. Dick, Calvinism, and the Hermeneutics of Spielberg's Minority Report, Stephen Daly.
Chapter Twelve: Fabulations of Theory, Aaron French.
Conclusion: Disclosure of the Worlds to Come.
About the Contributors

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Dec 12

Not sure what to get for your favorite weird-culture enthusiast / ufologist / tall-tale spinner / cryptid this holiday season? You can't go wrong with a copy of THE SAUCERIAN: UFOS, MEN IN BLACK, AND THE UNBELIEVABLE LIFE OF GRAY BARKER!

A hand holding a copy of the book "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker". In the background is a dark doorway covered with vines and graffiti leading to a munitions storage bunker in the "TNT Area" near Point Pleasant, WV.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Oct 9

Getting ready to present on "Some Narrative Aspects of Cryptozoology" at #NEPCA , which looks at major works of cryptozoology by Sanderson and Heuvelmans alongside creature films of the 1950s (especially "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms"). Here are a couple of my favorite slides from the talk!

A slide from a presentation with the heading “Witness the Plesiosaurus”. At right is an image of a plesiosaur-like creature with a long neck and four flippers, alongside human figure for scale, taken from the book "Loch Ness Monster" by Tim Dinsdale. At left are two quotes: "Imagine an animal of the lizard tribe, three or four times as large as the largest crocodile… witness the Plesiosaurus, which only required wings to be a flying dragon.” (Gideon Mantell, 1827, quoted in Jylkka 2018) “To ’witness the Plesiosaurus,’ as Mantell directs, is an act of imaginative speculation framed, through the legitimizing word ‘witness,’ as part of a normative scientific process."--Jylkka 2018

A slide from a presentation depicting two stills from the movie "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms." The heading reads "The moment of epistemological break." The image at left shows a group of dockworkers excitedly pointing at something in the water. The image at right shows the enormous stop-motion head of a dinosaur emerging from the ocean.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Sep 4

The current @forteantimes.bsky.social carries a five-star review of THE SAUCERIAN by the brilliant Andrew May, whose own book "Pseudoscience and Science Fiction" is an excellent resource. Just snippets of the review here, but check out the whole thing in the October 2025 issue!

Headline from book review, reading "Portrait of a ufologist. The biography of the man who first wrote of Men in Black reveals that he mixed fact, fiction and downright hoaxes to stir up the ufological pot." The details of the book being reviewed are: "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker. Gabriel Mckee. MIT Press, 2025. HB, 368 pp., £30, ISBN 9780262049542."

Photograph of the cover of the book "The Saucerian," showing the book's title in lime green and yellow over an image of a hovering flying saucer emitting a beam of light over a valley filled with houses and satellite dishes. The text below the image reads: "The subject of this book, Gray Barker, is a case in point. Although he's far from a household name today-- even among serious ufologists-- his work, in the words of author Gabriel Mckee, 'played a key part in the development of the UFO macronarrative.' Mckee is a bibliographic historian by profession, which makes for a different but remarkably insightful perspective on the early development of ufology."

The final paragraph of a book review of "The Saucerian" by Gabriel Mckee. The text reads: "In a bizarre twist in 1957, Barker even proposed that one of his hoaxes had been perpetrated by the authorities in order to discredit ufology. Some people may find this hilarious, others may find it reprehensible-- but whichever camp you're in, Barker's lifelong stirring-up of ufology makes a fascinating story. It's one that Mckee tells with admirable clarity and attention to detail. Andrew May. ***** [five stars]."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Aug 11

Looking forward to presenting this Saturday at The 2nd Annual Online Symposium on Goth Music and Subculture. My presentation is on the Cure's "Wailing Wall," and is a sort-of sequel to last year's paper on "The Holy Hour"...

Flier for an online symposium. The text reads: "16 August 2025 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Pacific) - 'A Day'" 2nd Annual Online Symposium on Goth Music and Subculture." Alongside the text are two black-and-white images of black-clad musicians performing on fog-shrouded stages. [The flier also indicates it contains hyperlinks to the conference schedule and the Zoom link for the event itself, but this is just an image, not the original PDF. Both are available at the link in the post itself.]

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 24

One of these things is... a lot like the other

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 12

Next Saturday (July 19 at 5pm), come to @comicazi (Davis Sq. in Somverville) for a fireside chat about THE SAUCERIAN: UFOs, MEN IN BLACK, AND THE UNBELIEVABLE LIFE OF GRAY BARKER.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 10

Bringing thaumaturgy to the final day of #SHARP2025

This account's holder (a white, cis-male-presenting person with sunglasses and a receding hairline) pointing to a street sign reading "No parking - Do not block drive - Magic deliveries only."

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 10

Delighted to see Tyroc on prominent display in the superhero exhibit at The Strong

An enlarged comic panel showing Tyroc, a superhero associated with DC Comics' Legion of Super Heroes. Tyroc is a Black man wearing a white leotard with a large white collar and several chains across the chest. He is depicted flying downward towards the bottom left of the panel, with his bare legs and white boots bent slightly backwards behind him. He is drawn and colored in a 1970s style, probably by the artist Mike Grell.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 8

My paper for #SHARP2025 is "Ufology as a Fandom: Science Fiction Fanzines, Flying Saucer Newsletters, and the Birth of the UFO Subculture"-- check it out at 3:30 Wednesday in the Gamble Room!

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jul 7

"THE SAUCERIAN: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker" is available now from the MIT Press (and your favorite indie bookstores). mitpress.mit.edu/978026204954...

Several copies of the book "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker" by Gabriel Mckee. The cover image shows a disc-shaped craft emitting a ray of light over a valley filled with homes, trees, and satellite dishes.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· Jun 9

Putting the finishing touches on the slide deck for tonight's online talk-- Register free at www.morbidanatomy.org/events ! #graybarker #saucerian #ufos #flyingsaucers #booktalk #onlinelectures

A screenshot showing several slides from a presentation. The title slide shows a flying saucer orbiting the earth and the text "The Saucerian: UFOs, Men in Black, and the Unbelievable Life of Gray Barker - Gabriel Mckee, June 9, 2025". Thumbnails at left show images of Gray Barker and several of his publications, including images of the Flatwoods Monster, a large red and green creature with glowing eyes and clawed hands.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· May 23

In honor of World Goth Day, have a blep

A black cat seated on the back of a chair with its tongue slightly protruding.

Gabriel Mckee@secret-terror· May 13

Returning to an old project this week, feeling very much like: