MonsterTalk
About
Available on
Community
391 episodes
[This episode contains some adult language.] This is the story of the search for Bigfoot as conducted by the NORTH AMERICAN WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER. (Which sounds a lot like the real Bigfoot research group North American Wildlife Research Team that famously setup the only permanent Bigfoot trap maintained by the national park service.) But while a lot of the stuff in this film sounds real - the whole thing is made up. The IMDB page gives you the details on the cast. A very good widescreen version of the movie is available streaming on Amazon. (Affiliate Link) The film follows a team of investigators who travel for months into British Columbia on horseback to find the secret valley of the Bigfoot where they will radio-tag a creature for study. Along the way they will tell Bigfoot stories and watch stock nature footage play out to a Jaws-derivative soundtrack. If that sound sketchy, keep in mind their whole trip was planned by computer. The computer even gave them a sketch of what they should be looking for! The party of adventurers heads off into the wilderness. They will encounter many shadowy creatures along the way. They will try to out-science Bigfoot. Good luck with that. This is a historically significant film in some ways - and has led to some interesting research which will be discussed in a near-future episode of the regular show. I'm still digging. I included a brief snippet from the Eddie Murphy Biopic Dolemite Is My Name, which tells the story of Rudy Ray Moore. I loved this movie and recommend the biopic which is streaming on Netflix. (That's *not* an affiliate link - but you will need a Netflix account to watch it.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're excited to have Professor Chris French back to introduce his brand new book, The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure The Paranormal (Affiliate Link). Links: Wilson & Barber and the "fantasy prone personality" Richard Wiseman appearances on MonsterTalk Susan Blackmore (wikipedia) Anomalistic Psychology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We catch up with Richard Estep and Bil Bungay, co-authors of The Black Monk of Pontefract: The World's Most Violent and Relentless Poltergeist to talk about the history and strange happenings alleged to take place in the village of Pontefract in Yorkshire. Website of the house (for bookings and photos) You can rent Bil's movie When The Lights Went Out on Vimeo for a small fee. And here is Bil's Parapod movie on Apple's platform. Colin Wilson's book on the topic (Poltergeist) which has the chapter that made Pontefrat famous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week Blake, Karen and Matt Baxter discuss celebrity UFO encounters. Why are they so popular? Why do we care? Some examples: John Lennon Olivia Newton John Elvis Russell Crowe Mick Jagger David Bowie Kesha Demi Lovato Jimmy Carter (see The UFO Movie They Don't Want You To See) Heck - YouTube is just full of these stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Blake and Karen discuss The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O'Connor. The Secret History of Bigfoot (affiliate link) NYT Book Review Trey the Explainer on Bigfoot and Indigenous Culture (YouTube) Michael Barkun's Culture of Conspiracy (affiliate link) Spokane Washington Public Library reading by O'Connor (YouTube) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There are lots of things to read about this on the Internet and you will not find a definitive answer, I'm afraid. My conclusions are based on parsimony not on explicit proof. Besides, we all know how hard it is to prove a negative. It's a complex topic with many black-box elements and those tend to lend themselves to conspiratorial thinking. If you have things to say on the topic, come comment on the episode on our Patreon. Some articles of interest: Test showing negative results (Wandera) Tests showing the phones are capable of much monitoring (Medium) BBC Coverage of the question ABC deep dive (10 mins) (Australian) Gizmodo - is your phone listening? Conspiratorial Thinking and Mobile Phones (Research Gate) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A lighthearted discussion of the cryptids of Connecticut with the author and illustrator of Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird & Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State, Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen. Patrick's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link) Valerie's facebook page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We conclude our two-part look at Boleskine House, on the shores of Loch Ness. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to wrap up this investigation. Links for Part 2: Article about sale of Boleskine Report of death of Major Grant (1960) A Dark Song (movie loosely based on Crowley/Abramelin working) (affiliate link) The Cadco Affair - or the great sausage scandal Pre-fire article (2015) about Boleskine after Page sale Current owners hope link to Outlander series will generate restoration funds The Boleskine House Foundation - seeking to restore the site Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part 1 of a 2-part look at Boleskine House, the little house on the shores of Loch Ness that allegedly once hosted an infamous ceremony attempt by Mr. Aleister Crowley. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to discuss. Thanks to previous guests Peter Bebergal, Jerry Drake and Al Ridenour for their assistance on preparing this episode. Related Links - Part 1 News article chock full of the legends we discuss What happened to the kids from that Led Zeppelin album cover? Who was Kenneth Anger? Documentary on Crowley (sometimes explicit content - YouTube) The OTHER Loch Ness Monster - doc that Blake thinks influenced expansion of legend Documentarian seeking to capture the restoration and demystify site The Boleskine House Foundation - seeking to restore the site BBC article on restoration efforts Samuel MacGregor Mathers - Crowley's mentor and translator of Abramelin The Golden Dawn - English magical society (1887 - 1903) The English translation of the Abramelin Working by Mathers The Confessions of Aleister Crowley - Internet Archive Images for Part 1: The graveyard downhill from Boleskine YouTube compilation of photos from inside and outside the house Atlas Obscura info on the site Related Episodes: The Great Beast 666 - a look at Crowley Theosophy & Western Esotericism - pt1 Theosophy & Western Esotericism - pt2 Grimoires Part 1 Grimoires Part 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Blake wraps up his seven year deep dive into the Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins case by taking a look at the many myths and misconceptions still enshrined in the Wikepedia article at the time of this recording. Yep - it's Blake rant time again... The two-part article is published in the UK's Skeptic. Part one is live now: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/01/guns-and-goblins-what-really-happened-during-the-kentucky-alien-invasion/ Part two should be live Monday, Jan 29th, 2024. If this link is wrong, I'll correct it. https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/01/the-kentucky-alien-invasion-putting-to-bed-the-myths-and-mysteries/ If you're serious about this topic and want more, we've got plenty of places to go: #136 – AMERICAN GOBLINS—PART 1 #137 – AMERICAN GOBLINS—PART 2 #138 – AMERICAN GOBLINS – PART 3 Astonishing Legends podcast coverage: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 The troublesome Wikipedia article on this topic. The journal article by Schmaltz and Lilienfeld. The correction to that article - that still didn't correct the problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A look at Blake's ongoing research into the missing history of the Patterson-Gimlin film. This is pre-publication and the raw data is not ready to share yet, but we discuss some of the findings. Episode 12 - Greg Long Cryptid Cinema - Steve Bissette (affiliate link) Cryptid Cinema vol 2 (affiliate link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In 1979 a man named Ernest encountered a mysterious creature in a tunnel in the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Toronto. Now, four decades on, we're joined by author Jeff Dupuis to look back on this peculiar incident and ask talk about why some monsters go viral and others remain "deep cuts" of cryptozoology. LINKS: Jeff Dupuis and the TORONTO Cabbage Town Monster: Jeff Dupuis - cryptid-themed novels Additional: The UFO "Commander-X" - possibly Timothy Green Beckley (at least in part) Obit for Timothy Green Beckley Commander-X (the hacktivist) extradition from Mexico Colorful character Salako Kalfou mentioned in the interview Goldenstein's article from 1979 Freak Encounters (2010) - affiliate link Captain Midnight TV hack Vrillon 1977 "Alien" TV intrusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We talk with the multi-talented Miles Greb about AI Art in the first part of what will likely be several episodes this year touching on "artificial intelligence." Miles' work can be found on his website and his podcast (Plastic Plesiosaur) can be found on your favorite podcasting platform.* Show Notes Orwell on Politics and the English Language Understanding Machine Learning with Carrie Anne Philbin Recent story about artists not-consenting to be training material for AI Specific AI Art Tools: Dall-E Stable Diffusion Midjourney *the title card for this episode was produced with DALL-E. It took a lot of prompting to get close to what I was looking for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A 2023 end-of-year weird story roundup and some lighthearted chatting with Blake, Karen and Matt. Links to coverage follow: UAP Hearings Colorado Bigfoot Nigerian Humanoid Champ Sonar Rat Boy Gaffe Tasmanian Tiger Videos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Once again we have Ghost Stories for Christmas in the tradition of the BBC's MR James inspired intermittent television series. John Charrington's Wedding is a creepy tale by E. Nesbit. Edith Nesbit may be more well known to you for her series The Railway Children. Patrons get a bonus ghost story The Secret of Macarger's Gulch by Ambrose Bierce. I picked this because of Bierce's brilliant mix of genuine horrors with comedy of manners and wordplay. Happy Holidays from Blake and Karen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Joe Nickell recalls his experiences working on the Season 4 episode of In Search Of… dealing with The Shroud of Turin. note: if you also subscribe to IN RESEARCH OF, the interview audio in this episode is identical to the IRO cut, but the wrapping intro/outro are customized to the respective feeds. -B In Research Of… (Patreon) In Research Of (free feed) In Search Of… The Shroud of Turin (YouTube) Joe Nickell covered by The Daily Mail That's Incredible! segment on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. (YouTube) Joe Nickell's website Joe's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Join us for a continuing discussion of Joe Laycock and Eric Harrelson's new book, The Exorcist Effect. In this part we will discuss the legacy of Ed and Lorraine Warren, and father Malachi Martin and how their imaginative contributions to the field of Demonology riffed on movies and ended up changing how people perceive, practice, and perform modern Exorcisms. Remember that Eric and Joe will be signing their book in December of 2023 in the Austin area. Dec 15th - Signing at Glass Coffin Boutique 3009 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78722 Dec 17th - Curio Arcanum 5924 S Congress Ave Unit 23, Austin, TX 78745 And I should also say that while in Austin you should check out the Minnesota IceMan over at the MUSEUM OF THE WEIRD over on 6th street. Tell 'em MonsterTalk sent you. We don't have any promotional relationship - but it would be pretty cool of a bunch of folks dropped in and said that. Maybe you'd weird them out at the museum of the weird. Worth a shot. If you somehow haven't seen THE EXORCIST you can watch it here. (Affiliate Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're joined by Joseph Laycock and Eric Harrelson to discuss their new book THE EXORCIST EFFECT. This book is a great deep-dive into how fiction and fact intermingle in culture to generate new ways of interacting with the supernatural and paranormal. It's a feedback loop. It's a mobius strip. It's ouroboros. And it's really informative to be aware of this process. The Exorcist Effect book (Affiliate Link) Remember that Eric and Joe will be signing their book in December of 2023 in the Austin area. Dec 15th - Signing at Glass Coffin Boutique 3009 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78722 Dec 17th - Curio Arcanum 5924 S Congress Ave Unit 23, Austin, TX 78745 And I should also say that while in Austin you should check out the Minnesota IceMan over at the MUSEUM OF THE WEIRD over on 6th street. Tell 'em MonsterTalk sent you. We don't have any promotional relationship - but it would be pretty cool of a bunch of folks dropped in and said that. Maybe you'd weird them out at the museum of the weird. Worth a shot. If you somehow haven't seen THE EXORCIST you can watch it here. (Affiliate Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There's a park in Denver that is home to some macabre legends - and some of those legends are based in fact! Matt Baxter joins us to talk of the strange and macabre history of Cheesman Park. [Warning this episode does contain numerous references to the disposition, disarticulation, and desecration of the dead.] Victorian thoughts on burial The Changeling (discussed via MTLive) Poltergeist (DOATS) The history of Cheesman Park Denver area park vandalism in news What is Bentonite? Stories about "haunted Cheesman park" (note how many are dated to October) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Blake and Karen discuss their trip to JSU, and begin a conversation about the enigmatic Wampus Cat. Show Notes: Wampus Cat in Potterverse Wampus Cat (wiki) Underwater Panthers (wiki) Example of early 20th century newspaper report (there are many) More on the Wampus (and a list of schools who use it for mascot/team name) Pop Culture: Hunt the WUMPUS ← note spelling M.U.L.E. video game featuring "hunt the mountain wampus" mini-game Some bio on Dani Bunten (whose games were tremendously influential to Blake) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We continue our discussion of feral hogs as monsters with Dr. John Mayer. He was a forensic investigator on three alleged giant hog cases. Join us as we root around for the facts perhaps left unexcavated by the media at the time. (Sausage?) Links for Part 2 Brucellosis Pseudo-Rabies Rhonda Shearer's site on media & giant pig stories. MonsterQuest tackles giant pigs (full episode) MonsterPig A list of notable pigs - Wikipedia In the media: Razorback (1984) - Amz affiliate link Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn about the biology of feral hogs and how their morphology changes when farm pigs go hog wild. Our guest is Dr. John J. Mayer who has spent more than five decades studying pig morphology, and who investigated several famous allegedly monstrous feral pig kills in the mid 2000s. In part one of this interview, we will look into pig biology and discuss the facts and myths around these animals. Next week we will look into the specific news stories around the "giant feral hog" craze of the first decade of the 21st century. Dr. Mayer's webpage USDA Guide to Feral Hogs Pigs have been domesticated since 8,000 BCE Religions that eschew the chewing of pigs The Feral Pig time-bomb Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
[Content Warning] Hey we're back again with Dr. Brian Sharpless to talk about more of his new book - which is now available everywhere books are sold: MONSTERS ON THE COUCH - the real psychological disorders behind your favorite movies! This one gets a content warning because many of the things that people with these psychological disorders have gotten up to has been quite disturbing and might not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Show Notes: Brian's Book MONSTERS ON THE COUCH (Amz affiliate link) Brian's Website Movies mentioned (affiliate links): The Thing (John Carpenter) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) It Follows Additional: The Irish Changeling Murder Capgras Syndrome (NIH) Fregoli Syndrome (Wikipedia) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Buckle up as Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss haunted automobiles and creepy highway adjacent stuff like cursed vehicles. Spooky stories abound and check the show notes for lots of links. WARNING: This episode does contain brief discussion of suicide and murder. As we always like to mention, if you're having troubling thoughts related to self harm please seek help. You don't have to struggle alone - in the USA you can call 988 any time and get real help immediately from people who care. The Wraith Christine Maximum Overdrive The Manitou Link back to Telly Savalas episode The Hitchhiker (TZ) James Dean's Little Bastard | Jason Colavito on this topic The Golden Eagle (allegedly very cursed murder car) A famous British "ghost car" crash The ghost in the back seat (Blake's research) The Hairy Hands Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We're joined by psychologist, writer, journalist, television personality, and co-founder and executive director of the Italian Committee for the Investigation of Claims of the Pseudosciences (CICAP), Massimo Polidoro to discuss the 1954 Florence "Soccer" mass sighting of UFOs. BBC article: “The day UFOs stopped play” The unlikely story that this case inspired David Bowie Pwdre Ser (Star Jelly) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chris French joins us to talk about his career, his upcoming book, and why he says that Parapsychology is not pseudoscience. Robert Morris (Parapsychology) Uncanny Tour Uncanny BBC Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Laura Krantz is back to talk about her new young-adult non-fiction book, IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? This gorgeous book is built from her research on season 2 of her podcast WILD THING. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christopher Klimovitz returns to talk to us more about the legends and folklore around Whitby, the town where Dracula comes to England in Bram Stoker's famous novel. Christopher previously talked with us back in #179 about folklore of the Balkans Dracula (full novel) Lych-Wake Dirge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyke-Wake_Dirge Monty Python - Four Yorkshire Men Whitby's Connection to Dracula The Night Frankenstein was Born The Wreck of the Dmitry (inspiration for The Demeter in Dracula) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A continuation of our look at Georgia Cryptids, excerpted from a DragonCon 2023 presentation. In this episode we take a deeper look at Altie, plus discuss Bigfoot, Aliens, and Hogzilla. 2011 Creative Loafing story featuring Blake Smith & Rick Spears Hogzilla and other giant pigs Georgia Martian Moon Monkey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Did a European-trained Werewolf haunt late 1800's Georgia? Blake and Karen discuss the case of the Georgia Werewolf. Sheep Ranching in Georgia Red Wolf range today (and historically) Grave of the GA Werewolf (Don't legend trip here - it's private land) Ghostly re-telling of the Emily Burt story Same story - from Week in Weird Georgia Ghosts by Nancy Roberts(affiliate Link) Nancy Roberts Amazon author page(affiliate Link) The Kennesaw House (allegedly haunted location in Marietta, GA) 2017 film loosely based on this story - LYCAN (affiliate Link) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
