Douglas P.

Douglas Pearce (born 27 April 1956), known professionally as Douglas P., is a British musician, best known for his neofolk project Death in June. He was born in Sheerwater in Woking, Surrey and lives in Adelaide, Australia, which has been his home since the mid-1990s.

Early life Pearce was born on 27 April 1956 and grew up in Sheerwater, a suburb of Woking in Surrey which he said was a "white, working-class ghetto"; his father worked as a courier for the military and had served in World War II in the Royal Air Force where he was wounded in action. Both of Pearce's parents were English, though his mother claimed Scots-Irish ancestry. Pearce described his family life as a "very unhappy, dysfunctional family". For a time Pearce worked as a mail carrier in order to fund his music career and photography hobby. Pearce stated in a 2000 interview that he was first introduced to reading Aleister Crowley, specifically Crowley's 1904 book The Book of the Law by David Tibet in 1983. Crisis played its final show on 10 May 1980 in Guildford, following this the band split up. After Crisis disbanded in 1980, Pearce formed Death in June with Crisis bandmate Tony Wakeford (currently of the English folk noir band, Sol Invictus) and Patrick O'Kill né Leagas (now a member of the English band Mother Destruction).

Death in June

According to an interview with Compulsion, a music journal, in 1985 Douglas P. became the sole constant member of Death in June, with rotating guest musicians serving as collaborators and live band members. Pearce continues to work under the Death in June moniker.

Use of Nazi symbolism

Since a young age Pearce had an affinity for Nazi memorabilia as his father and uncles all fought in World War II.

Personal life Douglas P. is openly gay, and says that "being gay is fundamental to Death in June"; he expresses discontent with that side of Death in June not being explored in interviews. His literary influences include Yukio Mishima and Jean Genet, whose work he admires not only for its brilliance but also for their shared identity as gay men. According to the 1995 book Death in June: Misery and Purity by Robert Forbes, Pearce stated in several interviews that Funeral Rites by Genet and The Decay of the Angel by Mishima are two of his favorite books.

Religious views Although Pearce does not subscribe to a specific religion, Pearce has stated on several occasions that he believes in the paranormal, deities, the occult, and some aspects of spirituality. In a 1998 interview with the publication Scapegoat, Pearce stated that "I feel it is part of my duty to be part of the process of resurrection for want of a better word [sic] of my indigenous religion. The Christ-time is nearly over and it’s important to awaken the old Gods". In the same interview Pearce states that he was never baptized as a child, "so Jesus Christ has never meant anything to me". Charles Powne, the label's owner, denied that Soleilmoon was racist, and said that Pearce and Rice are not racist either. In a 2000 interview Pearce stated that he and Tony Wakeford were determined to keep Death in June out of politics. While Pearce and Wakeford were both vehemently anti-fascist and worked with the Anti-Nazi League while in Crisis, Pearce stated that "the preoccupations of the masses left a very bad taste in our mouths. Death in June has never done that".

Discography