Radio Misterioso

What do ghosts and UFOs have in common? That’s not a setup to a joke, as we found out at the third annual East Coast Paraconference, which took place in the lovely town of Liverpool, Nova Scotia over the weekend of August 11-13. Organizer Linda Rafuse gathered an eclectic group of researchers from a variety of paranormal disciplines to present their newest findings to a crowd of open-minded attendees. Micah Hanks, Ryan Sprague, and myself represented the U.S. and Paul Kimball and Chris Styles appeared for the Canadian home team. Both nights of the conference featured a ghost hunt event at the local Queen’s County Museum (which also co-sponsored the event.) The first night was quite an active one, with a few different events that even shook my own paranormal neutrality. Some of the events are described here, including a possible contact with the spirit of Mac Tonnies, of all people. On returning to Halifax and Paul’s production office, Paul, Micah, Ryan and I discussed the events of the weekend, the ghost events, and the similarities and differences between UFO research and other forms of paranormal study. DIRECT LINK

This year during the Roswell festival, I was privileged to have dinner with James Clarkson and his wife Joanne. I found them charming and intelligent, and with a lot to say about the state of UFO research. Clarkson recently quit his post as Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) State Director for Washington. In this interview, we discussed what caused this break, and what might be done to reform the organization, if that is even possible at this point. Clarkson believes that the board of directors is no longer dedicated to the “scientific study of UFOs of the benefit of mankind,” and has changed into primarily a moneymaking operation. He also recounted years of neglect of members who gave much time, effort and money to the cause, only to be ignored and unrecognized. Here is their 2015 tax filing referred to during the program. Clarkson also took the time to describe a completely crazy case that he was assigned to follow up due to bad filtering from headquarters, and a surreal visit to the JZ Knight/ Ramtha compound. Knight is part of the MUFON “Inner Circle” and may be its most generous supporter. Clarkson also talked about his look to the future with a newer, smaller organization which he says will be based on the idea of “UFO investigation with integrity, discretion, and sensitivity.” We also took time to speak on his research into the amazing story of June Crain, who worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base during the Roswell incident. Photo: Sitting next to Clarkson at the 2009 UFO Crash Retrieval Conference (lower center.) DIRECT LINK

Two weeks ago, I gathered together a group of friends in our hotel room at Roswell, where the 70th anniversary festivities had just concluded. I was joined by Peter Robbins, Jack Brewer, Nick Redfern, Miles Lewis, and Adam Sayne to discuss the events of the weekend, and other UFO-type issues. To start off with a bang, Nick described his run-in with a neo-nazi, for which I was present. There was a small debate about the Travis Walton incident, with some insight from Peter on the background of the episode. There was a discussion of the timeline of the Roswell events. Nick pointed out that the view of UFOs in 1947 was much different than we conceive of it now. Adam read contemporary man-on-the-street comments from the local paper that were gathered less than a week after the event. Peter described attending a United Nations presentation on the UFO subject in 1978, which featured speeches by Stanton Friedman, J.Allen Hynek, and Jacques Vallée. We went around the room and those who had given presentations at the conventions offered a summary of their lectures, which led to a segment on government involvement, which is a specialty of Jack Brewer’s. Nick told about his interaction with Tom DeLonge and we ended with a critique of the concept of UFO disclosure. Photo: Someone improved the elevator at the hotel. DIRECT LINK

Last Sunday, I wasn’t planning to to record a live show, mainly because I was all the way out in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada attending researcher/ writer/ filmmaker and friend Paul Kimball’s wedding. Since he wasn’t leaving on a honeymoon right away, Paul actually suggested that we do the show live from his office. He’s dropping back into the UFO biz a little bit, so we got him up to speed, although it appears that he is already well on the way. Recently off a provincial election, where he came in a respectable second in a field of five candidates, and about to continue location shooting for his new ghost hunting show Haunted, Paul took the time to comment on the recent release of (so-called) “MJ-12” documents, the recent scandal at MUFON, as well as some of the more exciting, mysterious and even creepy occurrences on the set of the show. At the end, we also had time to discuss the subject of skepticism, the value of open sources, and not jumping to conclusions. Photo – Paul and Mr. Blueberry, Oxford, Nova Scotia. DIRECT LINK

During the upset in the ranks of MUFON a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that researcher Lon Strickler had taken the lead in exposing the strange and vicious racist comments of one of the organization’s inner circle. We started the show with a discussion of the issues surrounding this defining period. Strickler is better known as an investigator and chronicler of all manner of strange crypto and paranormal phenomena though, and we launched into a discussion of the recent spate of “mothman”-like encounters in the Chicago area as Lon listed the particulars of many sightings. I didn’t know that there was a history of interest by the Federal authorities in Bigfoot sightings, but my guest recalled his own experience in 1981 when he saw the legendary “Sykesville Monster” and described an apparent rapid response team that took over the site after telling him to leave. I also asked Lon about his interest in the Pennsylvania Powwow, which is a folk healing tradition that traces its origins to colonial America. We moved on to the bizarre 2002 disappearance of Todd Sees in rural Pennsylvania and Strickler’s theory that it is a UFO abduction which ended in death, and which may have been covered up by the local authorities. We ended with an account of a ghost sighting in which Strickler was left with a cloying and persistent odor of honeysuckle on his body after a close encounter with an apparent spirit entity. The smell stayed with him for a week and drove his wife and co-workers away. DIRECT LINK

Susan Demeter-St.Clair, Miles Lewis, and Miguel “Red Pill Junkie” Romero joined me for the first in a series of discussions with the authors of this recently published book. For the first hour or so, we kicked around ideas and themes that are mentioned in the text. We agreed that none of us needed to be exactly in accord in order to move the subject forward, in fact the fact that many of the essays represent opposing views is exactly what should be happening. Miguel asked an important question that showed how our point of view has changed throughout the history of the subject, and how we should be aware of shifting reference points when looking back at classic cases. Each of the guests discussed their essays in detail. Susan is studying the parapsychological aspects of UFO sightings and Miles advocates for a deep multidisciplinary approach, while Miguel essentially asks anyone involved in this subject to look at their own motivations as an opportunity for personal growth. DIRECT LINK

On Saturday, May 27th, a new book entitled UFOs: Reframing the Debate was released. Fourteen writers (including myself) are featured therein, with essays on everything from UFO study as a religion, to the changing definitions and methods of scientific inquiry, to capitalism and flying saucers, to UFOs as a path to personal enlightenment, and of course the all-important witnesses and their testimonies. Many of the authors featured in it have been (or will be) guests on this show. Robbie and I recorded this interview partially as our personal statement on the project. He rarely speaks publicly about the subject, but opened up on the reasons for his interest, and a little about his first book Silver Screen Saucers. Robbie also describes his initial enchantment with the standard “alien” explanation and how he began to move away from this restrictive view. We delve in to each essay in the book and why it is important for readers to digest all of the offerings, and not just the ones they agree with, since the entries were chosen specifically to reflect as wide a variety of viewpoints as possible. Robbie’s tagline for the book is perfect: “It is a slap in the face of Ufology, delivered with love.” DIRECT LINK

The film Arrival, based on the novella “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang has already achieved legendary status. Both the film and story explore ideas of time, language, communication, and alien life. Since these are themes dear to this show, we convened a panel of fans/ authors to discuss the film in depth. By a strange coincidence, all of my guests are featured in the upcoming essay collection entitled UFOs: Reframing the Debate, and this is the first time that they have all appeared together. MJ Banias, Joshua Cutchin, Red Pill Junkie, and first time RM guest Ryan Sprague joined me to kick around themes and ideas presented by Denis Villeneuve’s film, and how they inform and comment on pop culture, its predecessors in film and TV, and even the UFO issue, or at least how we study it. The conversation veered from the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (which posits that your language determines your reality,) to the tricksterish aspects of the aliens in the film, and even to the varieties of how we experience inspiration. We also responded to listener comments during the program. DIRECT LINK

In 2005, Nick Redfern released Bodysnatchers in the Desert to a storm of shock, controversy, and whining. It took the Roswell story and turned it on its head be suggesting that the events of 1947 were caused by the failure of diabolical experiment in aerospace medicine using balloons, advanced aircraft, and unfortunate human test subjects. Last week, the sequel to that book The Roswell UFO Conspiracy: Exposing A Shocking And Sinister Secret was released. The volume takes the information presented in the first title and provides more evidence to suggest that human experimentation and use of sinister Japanese and Nazi experiments on “endurance” was utilized and covered up by the U.S. in the years just after WWII. Nick talked about his original sources for the story, how it would have been highly unlikely for them to have collaborated, and more supporting evidence that has come to light in the last 12 years.  We also discussed how the facts of what was reported, or at least has become part of the story (the indestructible metal, the hieroglyphs, and the debris field) may have become confused or conflated by witnesses and investigators over the years. The final word may never be forthcoming on this “creation myth” of modern UFO lore, but as we discussed on the program: 1) We have to look at the possibilities of what was likely and at least consider that there may be a mundane (albeit distasteful) story behind the Roswell incident, and 2) The UFO research community has hung too much of their modern credibility on this case, and this may make it impossible to look at it objectively. Photo: Nick in Roswell, 2007. DIRECT LINK

Susan Demeter-St.Clair came to my attention by way of the forthcoming book wherein we are both featured authors. Demeter-St.Clair argues that the high-strange aspects of UFO (and other) encounters, in addition to perceived psychic phenomena are the path to a more rich understanding of this part of human experience. Susan can trace her own weird experiences back to childhood, and we spoke about her sightings of little figures that resembled elves, and her later perceptions of a wolf entity that seemed to comfort her. The encounters ended when she became a teenager and then came flooding back in the form of an unequivocal UFO sighting when she was 23 years old. She feels that this background helps her when interviewing witnesses, since she can empathize with their plight and put people at ease so more of their story can be told. We both agreed that researchers need to engage with the phenomenon in some way for any progress to be made. She lamented the ghost research community’s fixation on the “DPH” (Dead People Hypothesis) which she thinks is just as limiting as the ETH (ExtraTerrestrial Hypothesis) in the search for understanding and possible breakthroughs. We also talked about the late Jim Moseley and loss of his sense of humor in the UFO field. We also agreed that peer review in UFO study seems to consist mostly of online troll attacks. Photo: Susan in Los Angeles at an exhibit on Alchemy. DIRECT LINK

Based on an interview I conducted with my longtime friend Mike Marinacci in early 2105, I was contacted by a representative from Ronin Press about him possibly writing a book consisting of the entries from his Caifia’s Children blog. Fast forward to 2017, and the wonderful California Jesus has just been released. We spoke about this genesis and the weird characters who have arrived in California over the past couple of centuries to peddle their brands of Christianity, which have ranged from the simply strange to the downright frightening and even illegal. William Monéy, the man who published the first English language book in Los Angeles (with a Spanish translation alongside the text) also performed such stunts as having himself buried alive to prove his faith and religious authority. (He screamed immediately to be let out as the dirt fell on top of the box he was in.) We also examined the birth of the modern Pentecostal movement in a small house near present-day downtown L.A., Bebe and Thomas Patten, upon whom later televangelists modeled their acts (Thomas berated parishoners for large donations and then said that the Almighty wanted him and his wife to have a big house and shiny new cars) and even the scandal-ridden life of Thomas Jeffers, who was involved with white supremacist groups, weird (for the time) sex scandals, and who spent his life in and out of jail cells. DIRECT LINK

Due to negative comments about a recent show, I felt obligated to examine a few issues with this program. The gist of the comments were that Radio Misterioso was “unprofessional” and should beware of interviewing friends, so of course I had to get a couple of friends (Josh Cutchin and RPJ) on the program to discuss any merit to the criticism. The main point was that podcasting is not broadcasting, and that the audience for a podcast is interested in hearing a conversation rather than a formal interview. Josh pointed out that Radio Misterioso is a bit of an echo chamber, which is fair and which I shall remedy. We moved on to a discussion of how to democratize UFO and anomalies study, and how the internet has become perhaps the most insidious echo chamber. We also discussed how a talk on Roswell could bring anything new to the table with some interesting suggestions from both guests. Echo chambers within echo chambers! Photo: Cutchin and RPJ appear in public together.

From April 6th to the 9th, a small group meet called “Paramania” was held in Los Angeles. Fans of Radio Misterioso and Tim Binnall’s Binnall of America podcasts gathered to listen to short presentations and tour the L.A. area. The motto of Paramania is “We promise nothing,” because there are no guarantees except that people will be able to meet and talk to each other and a few authors and researchers who may attend. I hosted this years meeting and 15 people showed up from all areas of the country and even one (Red Pill Junkie) from Mexico. On the final evening, we gathered in listener Steve Ray’s hotel room to broadcast a live program. The participants discussed tulpas, the secret space program (with author Walter Bosley, who was with us) as well as online questions from the audience. One of the group (Zach Copley) had left for home already, but in a first for Radio Misterioso (and perhaps in podcasting) he listened to and then called in to the program from 30,000 feet using the wifi signal on the airplane. There was drinking and revelry, but also some interesting and intelligent conversation, which is what happens when you get a group like this together. Please inquire at the RM Facebook page if you are interested in being added to the group list. Much filtering and editing was required to get this recording into a format that was acceptable, so please excuse any technical issues.

I’ve been aware of MJ for a couple of years now, but on the occasion of the upcoming May release of UFOs – Reframing the Debate, a book in which we are both featured, we started to talk and decided an interview was inevitable. F0r the first 20 minutes of the conversation, we actually discussed issues with my Co-creation hypothesis idea, and MJ pointed out some issues with my nascent theorizing. He correctly remarks that it attempts to bridge the gap between the ET hypothesis and the so-called Psycho-Social hypothesis of UFOs. MJ is actually an investigator for MUFON in Canada and he discussed the value in talking to witnesses and the frustration he has with the organization, particularly the paperwork, which he sees as restrictive. We also delved into the idea that UFO study is philosophically different than other paranormal pursuits such as cryptozoology and ghost hunting in that the entities behind it (if there indeed are any) are in a different category. As he put it, “Aliens can take over the world, Bigfoot and ghosts cannot.”

Ever since my conversation (with Jeremy Vaeni and Tyler Kokjohn) about the singular Project CORE, I knew that Jeff Ritzmann was someone that didn’t just complain about the state of research, but was actually taking active steps to delve into some of the more unhrealded and esoteric areas of UFO study. I was recently reminded about his new endeavour (Project Oculus) which attempts to document strange lights and other goings-on in his home. We spoke about the aims of CORE (such as asking supposed abductees different questions than usual, for example “what was your life situation before and after your experience”) and the difficulty of describing your position on these subjects to most people once you get beyond a certain point in your studies. Jeff also discussed his concept of paranormal experiences occurring in “liminal” spaces and periods – Places and times that are transitions from one state to another. He believes the best way to stop unwanted encounters with strangeness is to make your life as routine and predictable as possible: The normal is anathema to the paranormal. We also delved into Oculus and what he hopes to accomplish with the project. At the end of the program, Jeff described how to possibly create your own UFO sighting (or perhaps something similar) but warned that people should probably not try it.