abbelawhite

Cult DVD Sales – The Great Bazaar of the Mind and Live Performance

“Abbelawhite, the God Butcher!” You’ll hear a familiar refrain from The Great Bazaar of the Mind (or as it is sometimes called: The Book of Guys). In this hilarious live action webseries, an Australian television show that you might have seen on ABC, David Strathairn plays a deranged cult leader named Abbelawhite, whose spookiness is matched only by his tenacity of purpose. When he sees the movie version of The Great Bazaar of the Mind, many thought it would be the level and caliber of the acting to match the darkness of this dark comedy.

Unfortunately, Abbelawhite isn’t quite as convincing in live action as he is in the TV show. Perhaps it is because he wasn’t really a member of the cult in the TV series, or perhaps the character simply wasn’t as interesting to live as he was in the books. Regardless, Abbelawhite’s presence in the live stage version leaves you spellbound as he makes his creepy, commanding entrance and announces a contest. If you like your cult leader scary, this is definitely one for the books.

The Great Bazaar of the Mind follows the lives of a team of cult members as they are drawn into an underground conspiracy involving drugs, ritualism, and power. Abbelawhite is played by David Strathairn, who you may remember from such TV shows as Psych and Chuck. In the book, Strathairn plays a different character altogether, a man who sells Abbelawhite DVDs to unsuspecting customers.

The live version of Abbelawhite involves a lot more movement in the theater than the written text, which is probably why many of you who have seen the video feel a little underwhelmed. This is also true for the fans of the cult. It is very hard to keep track of all the crazy rituals and meetings that Abbelawhite leads his followers through.

The live performance itself is intense. It takes a while for the crowd to catch up with Abbelawhite and when he finally enters the stage everything simply comes together. The visual aspect of the video is much more intense than the text. The cult followers on the stage to do what the cult leader tells them to do, which is to buy the DVDs or purchase the book and listen to the guidance provided.

It’s a lot of work trying to keep track of all of the changes and new information that Abbelawhite includes in his two books, The Great Bazaar of the Mind and Live Performance. That said, the results of the live performance are undeniable. I’ve seen it many times and found it very enlightening and entertaining.