Touched By The Presence - The Film

You haven't read the book - but now you can see the movie!

My new book, Touched By The Presence: From Blondie's Bowery and Rock and Roll to Magic and the Occult, a memoir of how I went from being a musician to being a writer, will be released this month in the US on 11/18; it's out in the UK and elsewhere on 1/1/26. My brilliant No. 2 son, Max Jones-Lachman, is not only a classical violinist, but he's also on his way to becoming a cineast - if the short film he's made to help promote the book is any sign. Max has made other short videos of his performances and also some travelouges (check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/@youngstrad8325.) A parent will naturally be biased, and when he's also the subject of the film doubly so. But he's not half bad, don't you think? Welcome to the world premier of Touched By The Presence: The Film.

The X-Offender at large

And if the film isn't enough to convince you how indispensable a copy of the book would be to your own life, listen to what some advanced readers have to say:

“With the perspective of time and the confirmation of evidence, Gary Lachman has proven himself to be a formidable writer with a serious, thoughtful, investigative mind. It seems obvious why we wanted Gary for Blondie the very first time Clem Burke introduced him to us. Amor Fati.”

Debbie Harry, lead vocalist of Blondie

“I’ve known Gary since he was nineteen. I'm not sure what I thought he might become later in life, but his being an expert on spirituality and the occult makes perfect sense.”

Chris Stein, cofounder and guitarist of Blondie

“As a fan of Gary Lachman’s work, I was interested to find out how a musician goes from Blondie to the absolute expert on all things esoteric. Not just a memoir but an education.”

            Johnny Marr, guitarist and songwriter of The Smiths

Who's that behind the Ganzfeld specs?

“In these pages, we learn what has secretly driven Gary Lachman all these years—from rock music, through Nietzsche, a near electrocution, Faculty X, and Silver Age comics, to endless insights into magic, the occult, the evolution of consciousness, and superhuman powers. We learn what it means to be ‘touched by the presence.’ This is a profound read by a real reader and a real writer.”

            Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of How to Think Impossibly

“Gary Lachman is one of the world’s foremost historians of esoteric culture, having written seminal books about Blavatsky, Steiner, Swedenborg, Jung, Ouspensky, Colin Wilson, Aleister Crowley, and many others. His newest book, Touched by the Presence, is a deep dive into his mind¾and his incredible journey. This book describes an amazing transformation from an abusive childhood, to becoming a near-homeless vagabond, and then a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, to his present career as an intellectual of high standing. While the book is a tribute to Lachman’s creativity and his humanity, what stands out to me is his unwavering curiosity about the deepest philosophical problems facing contemporary humans.”

            Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D., host of the New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel

“In this compelling autobiography, Gary Lachman, former iconic pop musician turned author, vividly describes his inner and outer odyssey and the key people, movements, and books that have influenced him. He tells a riveting personal story that is full of fascinating observations on life, literature, culture, books, places, and more.”

Christopher McIntosh, author of Occult Germany, Occult Russia, and The Call of the Old Gods

“In Touched by the Presence, former Blondie rocker Gary Lachman has written a zestful and inspirational memoir. A late baby boomer who grew up in a dysfunctional New Jersey family, he discovered music as a path of escape during the vibrant 1970s counterculture that spurred his life pivot to writing lucid books on spirituality and consciousness. Highly recommended!”

            Edward Hoffman, Ph.D., author of Paths to Happiness

“Fluid and articulate, Touched by the Presence is at heart a bibliophile’s memoir, delivering wide-ranging assessments of 20th-century philosophers and literary thinkers as an avid young reader devoured them while undergoing a major life transition from member of a world-famous band to prolific writer on distinctly off-the-grid metaphysical subjects. Spanning twenty years from the 1970s through the 1990s, it’s as much about the books Lachman encounters on this journey as the people, and the satisfying Act I–style ending leaves him and us poised on the brink of this new life, wondering what comes next.”

            Victoria Nelson, author of On Writer’s Block

The book's title comes, of course, from my song "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear" which was a hit for my alma mater more years ago than I care to admit. But here's a link to the version I did with my band The Know.

In the Know

The book also sports an eight page photo insert, in glorious b&w, with some shots not seen before, all by Lisa Jane Persky, without whose presence neither the song nor the book could have been written. Incidentally, Lisa is offering limited edition prints of some of the shots in the book, as well as others - Blondie fans take note.

I've done a few interviews lately promoting the book. Here's a link to one with Jefferey Mishlove, with whom I've had many conversations, and another with Whitley Strieber, whom I was delighted to meet, having read his books.

I'll be giving an online talk about the book for the Philosophical Research Society on 7 December and on 29 January 2026, I'll be speaking at a launch for the UK release at the Century Club. Details to follow.

An excerpt from the book will appear in an upcoming issue of Fortean Times as well as another in Watkins Mind Body Spirit. And on 19 February, I'll be signing copies of the book at Watkins Bookshop in the West End.

And let me add that I'll be playing a few old tunes with Bootleg Blondie, the ace Blondie tribute band, at the famous Half Moon Pub in Putney on 24 November, on what would have been my old friend and band mate Clem Burke's seventy-first birthday.

(Touched by the Presence is available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and anywhere else you buy books.)