You can skip to the 1 hour 23 minutes mark to listen an audio clip I sent to the hosts and listen to Constantinos & Pavlos reaction.
H φίλη και host του “Breaking the 20%” έρχεται στο στούντιο για να μας μιλήσει για την πρώτη θεωρία συνομωσίας του ιντερνετ! Παράλληλοι κόσμοι, μυστικοί κωδικοί και ένα twist στο τέλος που ΘΑ ΣΑΣ ΑΝΑΤΙΝΑΞΕΙ ΤΑ ΜΥΑΛΑ!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bowWlyJlkwtZb1eEFMd6L
The strange saga of Ong’s Hat is one of the earliest and most enduring legends of the internet — an elaborate blend of fact, fiction, and possibility. Born in the early days of online bulletin boards, the “Ong’s Hat” story told of a secret interdimensional travel project hidden deep in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, accessible only to those who could find the right clues.
Was it an Alternate Reality Game before the term even existed? An experimental art piece? Or something more? We explore its origins, the ideas behind the mysterious Incunabula Papers, and the strange way it spread like a meme through the early digital underground.
In this video, we’ll uncover how the story took root, why it captured so many imaginations, the ethics behind its creation, and — just for a moment — we’ll ask: What if it was real?
p. 27 I Read It On The Internet So It Must Be True w. Joseph Matheny. Joseph joins us to discuss Ong’s Hat, and how the Internet caused his social experiment to have a life of it’s own. A fun little interview I did with EarMobPodcast 08/11/25, just having some fun and reliving some memories. The host is a nice guy and was pleasant to talk to. Audio version on all major podcast platforms.
New addition: Hat Complete soundtrack! The dl now includes a PDF of the text version of the book, kindly provided by Joseph Matheny. It’s full of links to take you down that rabbithole. If you’ve already got it, just dl it again to get the PDF.
Back in the early 1990s, a conspiracy theory/urban legend was doing the rounds on internet messageboards, about a group of scientists and mystics who opened a portal to an alternative dimension in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. In Ong’s Hat:Compleat, the creator of this fascinating piece of living, infinite art, Joseph Matheny, talks to podcaster and AI wizard Sequoya Kennedy about its intentions and origins, and all manner of highly weird shit that happened in the process.
It’s a tale that intertwines early AI, paranormal encounters, emergent phenomena, and the nascent Internet culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The story is a rich tapestry woven from diverse cultural threads:
Psychedelic and avant-garde art movements
Punk rock and industrial music scenes
Experimental theater and method acting
Hermetic magick and beat literature
The Esalen Institute’s influence
Philip K. Dick’s literary works
This narrative is a modern spiritual quest that blends these eclectic elements into a compelling journey.
I’m super-thrilled to be involved with this, as a big fan of both Matheny and Kennedy’s previous work. Those who are watching carefully might remember that Matheny’s Ong’s Hat project was a big inspiration behind my album “There Are Other Worlds”, so it really means a lot to be onboard.
The soundtrack was created using a modular synthesizer I put together for the occasion, relying on a number of techniques including (but not limited to) chaos, random generation, feedback loops, tarot, the I Ching, cybernetic systems, trance, self-generation, mind-altering chemicals, The Gateway Tapes, and automatic writing.
I hope some of you will check this out, it’s a fascinating story, weirder than most fiction, and somehow still self-perpetuating…
Callie: Fun Fact — no one knew it was a Blair Witch remake until we were already attached. To be honest, I did not understand how we were supposed to recreate one of the most conspiratorial films of all time, especially since such a huge part of why the original was so terrifying was due to the fact that there was all this folklore around it. Ong’s Hat was a reference for INVENTION when we first started to explore the conspiratorial themes in the film. I weirdly feel like there are a lot of similarities between Ong’s Hat and the origin stories of how the original Blair Witch came to be…
Joseph Matheny’s website: https://josephmatheny.com/ Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT: http://bit.ly/45GMtWx Ong’s Hat: The Beginning https://bit.ly/4jLOXGM Today’s story is about Ong’s Hat, a story involving dimensional travel. The rabbit hole we’re plunging into today takes place in the early days of the internet and escalated from a short story to something more than it probably should have. Today’s case provides an exciting insight that couldn’t be better, because not only do I have an interesting report for you, but Joseph Matheny, who is at the center of the topic, was willing to do an interview with me, giving us some more firsthand insight. Intro (0:00) What is Ong’s Hat? (1:30) The Story (4:51) Background and Development (9:21) Theories and Paranormal Speculations (21:18) Q&A – Interview with Joseph Matheny (24:08) What does Ong’s Hat show us? (30:35) Outro (31:49) ———————————————————————– Images and Videos: “MuffinTerm screenshots” by blakespot is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Author-historian Henry Charlton Beck.jpeg by William F. Augustine published by Rutgers University Press https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Au… Peter Lamborn Wilson, circa 1970s.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pe…https://brooklynrail.org/2022/10/in-m… [4K] Bats Flyby Transition – Green Screen Visual king • [4K] Bats Flyby Transition – Green Screen Map images from Google Earth pixabay.com Pexel.com and commons.wikimedia.org ——————————————————————————- Music and sounds: There was a simple answer CO.AG Music • There was a Simple Answer – Documentary M… The Disappearance Documentary Music CO.AG Music • The Disappearance Documentary Music Duplicator. Edit mix Futuristic Sci-fi Electronic Background Music CO.AG Music • Duplicator. Edit mix Futuristic Sci-fi Ele… ——————————————————————————- Sources: Ong’s Hat: The Beginning: Authorized Version – Joseph Matheny Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT – Joseph Matheny Incunabula.org https://incunabula.org/wp-content/upl… Legend Tripping Online – Michael Kinsellas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ong%27s…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ong%27s…
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I have decided to dig through the old archives and periodically present some media from the past here on Substack.
Today’s radio interview is from 2003 in LA. Yeah, I was thinking about AI even then. If you read COMPLEAT, you know my interest dates back to the late 1980s. Have a great weekend.
An interview with Joseph Matheny, recorded 08-07-03 from Radio Alchymy- KPFK – Los Angeles. Radio Alchymy
This is one-half of the complete work. The second half is an audio conversation available for a discount for people who purchase a print copy of this work. A URL and/or QR code with a discount code is available in the book.
Although the function of following the copious amount of links in the text half of this work is impeded by the print format, I understand that some people demand having a print version. I have included the discount download of the other half of the work so that you may still experience this work as intended.
FAQ The guide to experiencing this interdisciplinary work.
The guide to experiencing this multidisciplinary work.
Introduction to Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT
Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT is a multi-layered work designed to be experienced in various ways, depending on the experiencer’s preferences and level of engagement.
Structure and Components
The work consists of three main elements:
Original Notes: A PDF or EPUB document containing the author’s initial draft, providing background information and links for further research.
Audio Conversations: Chapter-by-chapter discussions between Joseph Matheny and Sequoyah Kennedy, exploring the material in depth.
Transcripts: Written versions of the audio conversations allow readers to listen to or read the discussions. (Coming in print version later this year)
Suggested Approach
While readers are encouraged to engage with the content in any order they prefer, the author recommends the following sequence:
Read the original notes (PDF or EPUB)
Listen to the audio conversation or read the transcript for each chapter
This approach allows readers to first gain a foundational understanding through the notes and then delve deeper into the material through the conversations.
Author’s Note
The current format of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT evolved from an initial draft created a year prior. After careful consideration, we decided to present the work in its current, multi-format structure rather than as a traditional book.
Readers are invited to explore and enjoy the work in whatever order suits them best.
I think the interview is a new art form. – Jim Morrison
Initially conceived as a traditional book, this project has evolved into a multifaceted, interdisciplinary work that better reflects the complex ideas it contains. The transformation from a standard book format to a more dynamic, digital-age presentation was necessary to fully capture the essence of the concepts explored.
Project Overview
Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT is a comprehensive exploration of key periods in the author’s life. It focuses on developing the Ong’s Hat hyper sigil and interactions with various disembodied intelligences. The project is a collaboration between the author and Sequoyah Kennedy, co-host and producer of the Nonsense Bazaar podcast.
Format and Content
The project consists of several components:
Audiobook: A multi-chapter series of conversations between the author and Sequoyah Kennedy, totaling over 14 hours of content.
Digital Documents: Fully linked and notated documents containing the original notes used in the conversations, comprising over 28,000 words.
Print Version: Transcriptions of the conversations, including notes, endnotes, and URLs for reference. (Coming later in 2025)
Visual Elements: Relevant photos, diagrams, and copies of pertinent documents.
Audio Production
The audiobook features music, sounds, and atmosphere created by Polypores (Stephen James Buckley), a multi-talented artist. Polypores’ work can be found on various platforms:
This interdisciplinary work can be viewed as a comprehensive scrapbook covering a specific project, its development period, and the people, places, and things connected to it. The extensive audio content and detailed notes provide the audience a rich, immersive experience.
Summation
This narrative unveils the previously undisclosed origins of Ong’s Hat, the Infinite Game, and the Proto-Alternate Reality Game (ARG). It’s a tale that intertwines early AI, paranormal encounters, emergent phenomena, and the nascent Internet culture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The story is a rich tapestry woven from diverse cultural threads:
Psychedelic and avant-garde art movements
Punk rock and industrial music scenes
Experimental theater and method acting
Hermetic magick and beat literature
The Esalen Institute’s influence
Philip K. Dick’s literary works
This narrative is a modern spiritual quest, blending these eclectic elements into a compelling journey.
