Sandy Pearlman, in an interview with Kerrang magazine (September 1988) says, "Basically, it's an interpretation of history - an explanation for the onset of World War 1, or a revelation of the occult origins of it. Imaginos is the main character, and is what I call 'an actor in history'. He plays different roles in history and was born as a modified child, modified by an alien influence, and his mission is to present the human race with the challenge of evil. The aliens are playing with our history as if it's a game, and he motivates the game and presents the choices to the human race. They react as they will." Sandy Pearlman also says that the story explains what the "Blue Oyster Cult" is. "They are aliens. When Imaginos is dying on a beach (in the song 'Blue Oyster Cult'), they announce their presence to him and give him a choice - side with them or die as a human. He chooses the former and realizes he was one of them after all. In 'Astronomy' he realizes he is descended from the stars."

Of course, the above statements leave much left untold, and subject to interpretation. Such discussion went on between various individuals on BOC-L, and this discussion was captured, distilled, and condensed into a sort of mini-thesis by BOC-L member Bryce "The Subhuman" Baker. His complete work may be available (either now or soon) in the BOC-L archives. An edited version of his work is presented here (note: quotes that go unreferenced are either from the liner notes or song lyrics):

The Saga of Imaginos begins with the discovery of the New World by the Spanish. "Out beyond the Europe's rim the Spaniards met the Indians." The Indians: the natives of the New World, the Aztecs, Haitians, and others. "To the Spanish, agents of a Catholic Sovereign, the New World was no place of grace ... anti-genesis, anti-Eden, seat of evil, pit of darkness ... the priests in the expeditions could imagine no place worse than this place ... visibly in the thrall of invisible spirits." These spirits: Les Invisibles - The Invisible Ones.

It is assumed that the Indians of the New World (in particular, the Aztecs and the Haitians) worshipped Les Invisibles (which we also assume to number seven). Les Invisibles' seat of power is Haiti, "... still a dream world, seat of Les Invisibles ...", suggesting a connection between their world and our world. This is not taken to be a physical connection (as a portal, for example), but a religious connection, as The Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.

Haitian Voodoo references are indeed present in Imaginos, Baron Samedi (see the lyrics to 'Les Invisibles') is reportedly the Voodoo lord of graveyards, and Les Mesteres (also in "Les Invisibles") is reportedly another name for the Loa, the seven African spirits worshipped in Voodoo. Regarding the dance of Don Pedro, ghost-dancing (a group dance for communication with the dead) plays a large part in Haitian religious beliefs, and apparently played a similarly large role in Aztec religious customs; drums seem to have been the instrument of choice (see lyrics in 'Les Invisibles' and 'Del Rio's Song'). As to the identity of Don Pedro, the emperor Montezuma supposedly had a Spanish-sympathizing son named Don Pedro who helped rebuild the Mexican capital after its destruction by the Spanish. How this could tie in is unclear, and may simply be a coincidence.

If rich in its evil, the New World was also rich in its gold. At first, to the Spaniards, the gold was "no luminous mirror of delight, but rather, a mirror of blackness." But as fear turned to greed, in this gold, this mirror of blackness, "the Spaniards discovered for themselves an image of self without limit ... the invention of all new things, the invention of genocide." Greed overcame fear. Civilizations were wiped out (under the guise of religious purification), and Spanish power in Europe rose, fueled by the gold from the New World. "For hundreds of years, all the gold ... came from the New World ... the seduction of the Old World by the New World - innocence corrupts experience."

Ultimately, the Spain/Portugal monopoly on the New World was broken by England, under the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603). "Her occult advisor was a Dr. John Dee. He spoke, he said, with invisible spirits and in his possession was a magic mirror of black volcanic glass ... it was fashioned in Mexico." Dee's associate, Edward Kelly, looked into the stone, and Dee recorded his visions (this mirror and some of Dee's other paraphernalia are on display in London in the British Museum). The interpretation relative to the Imaginos story is that Les Invisibles somehow made this mirror available to Dee, and information gained from using it was used in the destruction of Spanish power. It has been suggested that this was a form of 'retaliatory strike' at Spain by Les Invisibles for invading Mexico and eradicating much of the religion devoted to them. However, it is seems more likely that this wasn't a 'retaliatory strike' at all, but part of a larger, centuries- spanning scheme by Les Invisibles to cause strife and bloodshed in Europe, continuing all the way to World War I, and perhaps beyond. It should be noted that in contrast to the relative black mirror of New World gold mentioned in the first paragraph, here we have the first appearance of an actual, physical black mirror.

In the early 1800's, (perhaps in the month of August) Les Invisibles cause the birth of a 'modified' child - Imaginos - in New Hampshire. His powers include the ability to see the future to some degree ("singing songs nobody knew and stories left undone") and to change his shape ("actually this Buzzardo was Imaginos in disguise"). Ignorant of his future role and billing himself as somewhat of an adventurer, he travels North America (at least Vermont and Texas) before winding up in New Orleans in 1829. Still acting as an "adventurer", he heads up an "expedition", sailing the Mississippi south towards Mexico. Realizing that there may be more of a reason behind his powers than he previously believed, and perhaps having visions or some other drive, he has goals for the expedition he isn't telling his crew. He is heading south to the Yucatan, to a place "just between the verse and me" where he will find something "lost, last and luminous, scored to sky yet never found". Somewhere along the trip, the boat is shipwrecked near land. As Imaginos lies on the shore, seriously injured and dying, his friends, the survivors of the shipwreck, leave him alone to die "on a shore where oyster beds seem plush as down". The morning tide washes in and he drowns. As can be seen here, Imaginos' ability to see into the future is limited to some degree, or he would have been able to foretell of his upcoming shipwreck.

This shipwreck, however, was no accident. As he drowns, Les Invisibles come to Imaginos and show him everything: "the Invisible [Ones] visible at last and manifest; no mere hints or traces". Knowing who and what he is and the role carved for him in future events, he agrees to become the Invisible Ones' agent on earth; he becomes one of the "Blue Oyster Cult", the servants of Les Invisibles. Les Invisibles, acting through the "oyster boys" (some kind of fish-like creature) resurrect Imaginos from the dead. He is now their agent, "unleashed to forge a new destiny; he is Imaginos called Desdinova."

After the shipwreck, it is clearly stated in the liner notes that Imaginos dies. The song "Blue Oyster Cult" contains a bit about "The Dream of Luxor", which is an Egyptian reference to rebirth: "Luxor, site of the southern Temple of Amun, built essentially by Amenophis III and Ramesses II. The image of Amun from the temple at Karnak spent the flood season here ... at Luxor, Amun took the form of Min, a mummiform, ithyphallic fertility god ... fertility gods in Egyptian religion were associated with rebirth and immortality." (Jean Lansford)

"We understand, and so do I" and "One deal is what we made" from "Blue Oyster Cult", taken along with the liner notes for "Astronomy" point to the "all is made clear" inference (and also to the 'I didn't know what the hell's going on with me' inference mentioned above). It isn't really very clear just who or what the Oyster Boys are, just that they somehow are connected with The Invisible Ones.

The next songs in the cycle are mainly descriptive, rather than playing out the story. "I Am the One You Warned Me Of" - Imaginos, reborn, fully aware of who and what he is. "Fresh from zones of moisture": on that "shore where oyster beds seemed plush as down" to a drowning young Imaginos. We almost get a sense of 'excitement' from this song. Albert Bouchard had an interesting comment on the song and the lyric "and afterwards the meat": "This song was influenced by "Memo from Turner" and was supposed to be about Imaginos getting down and lascivious."

"In the Presence of Another World" - Imaginos, the earthly agent of Les Invisibles, still aware of his former self, but now so much more, and forebodings of the evil to come. "The Siege and Investiture of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle at Weisseria" - the continuation of Les Invisibles' influence on earth - earlier, through corruption by gold, now through corruption by technology.

The liner notes have a lot to say on the reborn Imaginos:

"This then is Imaginos of whom it will be said, between what he can realize and what he can imagine, there is to be nothing and no distance. His will be the perfect sight. 'Behind closed eyes realize your sight.' Through the powers of perfect vision and Imaginos, vested in him by Les Invisibles, he will bring the world to a rendezvous with its own destiny, to change the world's course, to -write- history, to tilt the axis of destiny - Imaginos becomes the world's greatest actor, a transcendent role player, an actor in history."

1892, Imaginos, now in the role of an old sea captain:

"Out beyond the Europe's rim and further by far, beyond the sphere of light, into a place where darkness is omnipotent and never from hungry. In Mayaland in the Yucatan he will discover an unheard-of temple or pyramid. At the core of the pyramid, with only one way in and no way out, is a chamber of jade, curiously sculpted with impossible angles, itself surrounding something hardly there, a new germ, made from 'pieces of the perfect black.'

"In the chamber of jade is a mirror carved of blackest obsidian, black volcanic glass, tempered with blood: 'the sugar of sacrifice.' Obviously a magic mirror, it is nothing less than the Magna of Illusion: the last song in the cycle. In it Imaginos, now playing the of an old English sea captain in the 1890s, takes the mirror from Mexico (which is nowhere) to Europe. He takes it by crime and blood from the jungle to give to his granddaughter on her birthday. It sits in her family's attic in misty Cornwall for ten years or more. Poisoning Europe ..."

"When thrust in vivo into Europe's all too fertile soil, this new germ will - having grown ever more powerful and mature, having in fact become an organism - beam ridding voices direct to the brains of the (European) multitudes. The voices call in hunger for absolute darkness and absolute light. They are ready. We are ready. It is ready"

"And then World War I breaks out. A disease with a long incubation."

Some random general reflections:

1. If you follow the story, it is obvious that the songs on the album are in the wrong order. There is, however, this 'random access history' disclaimer. It has been speculated that the record company screwed up the order of the songs and the random access bit was added afterwards. That is completely unsubstantiated, and probably not true, but who knows? In the liner notes, an order is listed, but my interpretation of the real order (substantiated by Albert Bouchard) is:

Les Invisibles
Imaginos
Del Rio's Song
Blue Oyster Cult
Astronomy
I Am The One You Warned Me Of      } these two could flip flop
In The Presence Of Another World   }
The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At 
Weisseria
Magna Of Illusion

2. An issue that has not been explored is the origin or the location of Les Invisibles. From the liner notes and overall feel of the album, you get the impression of another, mystical world, beyond our time and space, and that is how the story has been interpreted above. But to throw in a wrench, I quote Albert Bouchard in Morning Final #10:

"Basically, what it is that this guy comes down from a spaceship, and he lands in New Hampshire. I don't know if he has a son or not, but there's a young Immaginos (note: "Immaginos" was Albert's intended spelling) that is hatched from the spaceship in New Hampshire. He drifts down towards Texas. When he's in Texas he discovers that he has all sorts of powers that regular people don't have. I guess that he's probably not completely aware that he's an extra-terrestrial."

"the rhyme of the star clock"                   [Les Invisibles]
"this starry wisdom"                            [I Am The One ...]
"how even space can modulate"                   [In The Presence ...]
"the milky way abyss inclines"
"the buried city in the stars"
"from the glare of stars, the starry wisdom"    [The Siege And ...]

"and don't forget my dog, fixed and consequent" [Astronomy]
"Astronomy...a star!"                           [Astronomy]
"approached the sun, in August"                 [Imaginos]

And according to Dr. Paul Mather:

"Okay, here's another Sirius connection. I remember R.A. Wilson making much about the connection between the "Dog Days" and Sirius. There is a "primitive" African tribe - the Dogon tribe - who, it seems, accurately detected the companion to Sirius and mapped its relationship to Sirius. This companion is invisible to the naked eye, and can only be detected by x-rays (I seem to recall). The tribe detected its presence long before modern radio astronomy."

"The Dogon tribe worship a half-man, half-fish god, who is said to come from the companion star, and who is said to have come down to Earth."

In any event, as mentioned above, "outer space" and "beyond time and space" are certainly not mutually exclusive.

3. A few other BOC songs (not from Imaginos) have, either by title or lyric, a similar sort of feel to them: Harvester of Eyes, Flaming Telepaths, Stairway to the Stars, Workshop of the Telescopes ("by those who see with their eyes closed, they'll know me by my black telescope", "the power that was undine"), ME-262 ("watch me in mirrors", and "Captain Von Ondine" - see discussion below on the term, "undine").

There are some speculations as to how the song, "Workshop Of The Telescopes" fits into the Imaginos story. "Salamander Drake" (as mentioned in the song, "Workshop Of The Telescopes") may refer to a fire-breathing dragon: salamander - a mythical animal having the power to endure fire without harm, an elemental being in theory of Paracelsus inhabiting fire; drake - dragon. Note: There may be more to this, as the BOC lyric book capitalizes the words "Salamander" and "Drake", implying perhaps a proper name rather than a thing. Perhaps "Drake" actually refers to Sir Francis Drake, who, under approval of England's Elizabeth I, raided Spanish ships bringing gold from Mexico (this ties in with some of the concepts of Imaginos -- European conflict originating from the New World). "Undine" (also mentioned in the song) is, according to the Swiss-born alchemist and physician Paracelsus, a water-spirit that can obtain a human soul by bearing a child to a human husband. This may also refer to "Captain Von Ondine" in the song, "ME- 262" (perhaps Captain Von Ondine is the child born of a water spirit - this also appears to tie in with some of the concepts of Imaginos).

Not directly, however, some of the concepts in BOC's lyrics, particularly Imaginos seem to be inspired by some of Lovecraft's work. For those not familiar, Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an early 20th-century writer of horror and science fiction stories. Although some of Lovecraft's contemporaries often did not appreciate his work (labeling it "bad taste" and "sick"), Stephen King has acknowledged Lovecraft as the 20th-century's "greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale". He is best known for several short stories often referred to collectively as the "Cthulhu Mythos" -- these stories refer to "The Great Old Ones", creatures from other worlds and dimensions which once ruled the earth, and have since been defeated, expelled, or imprisoned by various cosmic forces. These creatures may rise again ("when the stars are right"), often aided by human cults performing ceremonies with various blasphemous incantations.

Looking at the lyrics and liner notes of Imaginos, it's obvious that there are many similarities. The story told by Imaginos explores alot of the same concepts as the "Cthulhu Mythos", close enough for some to claim that the two are one and the same (For example, Desdinova or Imaginos is "an actor playing roles in history, challenging man against evil". He could be considered as an agent of evil -- Lovecraft's Nyarlathotep.). However, general opinion (on the BOC discussion group) is that Imaginos, while no doubt inspired by some of Lovecraft's work (Al Bouchard also indicates that Sandy Pearlman and he had read some of Lovecraft's work), is not meant to be a re-telling of Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos". Having said that, the following are some literary references between Imaginos and Lovecraft's work:

• The song "Les Invisibles" contains the line "beneath the polar mountain". Lovecraft's tale, "At the Mountains of Madness" discusses Antarctica as being a location where some of the Great Old Ones either arrived, ruled, or lay waiting.
• The songs "I Am The One You Warned Me Of" and "The Siege And Investiture Of Baron Von Frankenstein's Castle At Weisseria" both contain references to "Starry Wisdom". Lovecraft's story, "The Haunter of the Dark" refers to "the Church of the Starry Wisdom", a cult organization in which "the Shining Trapazohedron shows them heaven & other worlds, & that the Haunter of the Dark tells them secrets in some way." Also, the Shining Trapazohedron appears to be similar in function to the Magna of Illusion of Imaginos.
• The song, "Les Invisibles" talks about "the empress lay sleeping to the rhyme of the star clock", which may refer to the Great Old One's return "when the stars are right". The song "In The Presence Of Another World" contains the spoken words, "when the stars are right". This same line is used in Lovecraft's, "The Call of Cthulhu". In addition, the "Oyster Boys", as water beings can be likened to agents of Cthulhu.