Final Events: ET vs. Demons

There's news on the latest developments concerning the "aliens are demons" theme that is the subject of my 2010 book, Final Events.

This link will take you to a new article from me (at Mysterious Universe), on some of the new leads and data that have surfaced since the book was published...

Official UFO File of the Very Weird Kind

There's another new Mysterious Universe article from me today; this one on what is without doubt one of the strangest UFO-themed documents (and attendant story) to have surfaced via Freedom of Information legislation...

Investigating the Oklahoma Octopus

"Just a few days ago, while doing a late night radio show, I was asked a question that seldom comes my way. It went something like this: 'Is there anything you haven’t investigated and written a book on, but that you would like to?' Well, there are lots of things which fall into that category, not surprisingly! One of the things that really stands out for me, however, is the weird saga of what has become known as 'The Oklahoma Octopus.'

"It’s a deeply strange story that is very much dominated by myth, folklore, and urban legend, but which just might have at its heart a genuine mystery of cryptozoological proportions. It’s also a saga on which I have a lot of data, leads, sources, and information, all of which need filtering and investigating in-depth – and all of which, incidentally, I am doing right now for a book project."

Those are the opening two paragraphs to one of my latest Mysterious Universe articles...

Hypnosis and the White House

My latest Mysterious Universe article is a deeply weird one. I could try and describe it, but it's probably easier for you to take a look!

It starts like this...

"Mention the name of John Keel to anyone with an interest in UFOs, cryptozoology, and the paranormal, and doing so will likely provoke imagery of Keel’s research into two areas he was particularly known for investigating: (a) Mothman and (b) the Men in Black.

"There is, however, one case that Keel only briefly touched upon in his all-time classic, The Mothman Prophecies, but which is of such genuine high-strangeness that it is definitely worthy of further study and commentary. It was a story that surfaced in late October 1971, and reached the eyes and ears of the United States’ media. This was hardly surprising since  - in a curious fashion – it involved none other than President Richard Nixon."

Mysterious Universe: UFOs and Official Files

There's a new Mysterious Universe article from me:

UFOs: Great Cases in Plain Sight

It begins...

"Time and again, I hear UFO researchers say that all of the 'good' UFO reports filed by military personnel are being withheld from public scrutiny and consumption. By who? By 'the government,' of course! It goes without saying that cases such as Roswell continue to intrigue the research community because it’s pretty clear we haven’t been told the full story. But, to claim that we do not get to see any good, solid, reports from government, military and intelligence agencies is just plain wrong.

"I need to stress that it’s certainly not all – or even anywhere near the majority of - UFO researchers who make such claims. But, I can’t tell you how many times I have been told – by some of the more paranoid elements of Ufology – that nothing of any significance ever surfaces through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)."

Zero Hour!

My latest Mysterious Universe article tells of how I got my break in the field of writing...

When Men In Black Attack

Just published by New Saucerian Press is When Men in Black Attack: The Strange Case of Albert K. Bender, by Gray Barker.

Here's the link, and here - below - is the publisher's write-up on the book:

In the year 1984, many Americans began to fear that the "surveillance state" predicted by George Orwell might be coming to pass. As a result, legendary writer and ufologist Gray Barker decided to revisit - and hopefully encapsulate - the strange case of Albert K. Bender, who was famously "hushed up" by three Men in Black in 1953 - despite heading up the largest and most successful civilian UFO organization in the world.

Barker had discovered that the three MIB were under the employ of a race of "bisexual" space people from the planet "Kazik," who were harvesting Earth's seawater from an underground base near the South Pole. These alien humanoids had gained control of Bender and spirited him off to Kazik, where he was forced to submit to three sexy, shapeshifting space "women."

Drawing from articles in Saucer News and his three previous books on Bender and the Men in Black ("They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers," "Bender Mystery Confirmed," and "Men in Black: The Secret Terror Among Us"), Barker weaves a fantastic, unique, and memorable tale - one that came to influence several generations of saucer buffs and sci-fi enthusiasts, and inspired themes in popular television shows such as The Jetsons, X-Files, and Futurama.

This special 2015 edition of "When Men in Black Attack: The Strange Case of Albert K. Bender" features an introduction from Jim Moseley, correspondence from Saucerian readers, previously unpublished transcripts of rare audiotapes (such as Bender's one and only public lecture), and fascinating contributions from a variety of Barker cohorts, including author William S. Burroughs. 

Roswell Slides and Radio Misterioso

A month or so ago, Greg Bishop interviewed me on his Radio Misterioso show on the controversial subject of the so-called "Roswell Slides" (if you aren't aware of what the "Roswell Slides" are, just Google the term and you'll soon find out...).

The show is now in the archives at the Radio Misterioso website, and you can find it right here.

Most of the interview relates to my own involvement - such as it is - in this odd affair, and focuses on such matters as curious phone calls and computer hacks...

The Interplanetary License Plate!

And here's another new Mysterious Universe article from me, this one as weird as the previous one! The subject: the curious, UFO-themed caper of what I call "The Interplanetary License Plate..."

Out of Place Animals

My new Mysterious Universe article: exotic animals seen where they shouldn't be seen...

It's a strange saga of an even stranger agenda...

UFO/Aircraft Near-Collision: 20 Years On

My latest Mysterious Universe article (which you can find here) deals with a near-disastrous close encounter between a British aircraft and a UFO that occurred twenty years ago this month...

The Bigfoot "Teepee" Controversy

Bigfoot Teepees and tree formations: territorial markers, Sasquatch sign-posts, makeshift dens, or nothing stranger than the work of Mother Nature?

Those are the issues that my new Mysterious Universe article brings up, and which begins like this:

"On numerous occasions, Bigfoot seekers have reported finding curious creations in areas where Bigfoot has been seen. Essentially, they are teepee-like structures that appear to have been created by something with intelligence – and a great deal of strength, too.

"The latter is made abundantly evident by the fact that in many cases the branches of the trees used to create these sometimes huge structures appear to have been wrenched off. In other cases, the branches appear to have been carefully bent over and intertwined."

Note: The photo above was taken by me a few years ago, in the woods of Ray Roberts Lake, Texas, which has been the site of a number of Bigfoot reports over the years. 

In Search of Lake Monsters Resurfaces!

Excellent news for fans of cryptozoology in general and lake-monsters in particular. Anomalist Books have just released a new edition of Peter Costello's classic study, In Search of Lake Monsters.

And here's what Anomalist Books has to say about In Search of Lake Monsters and Peter Costello:

"This pioneering classic in the field of cryptozoology covers not only the Loch Ness monster, but lake monsters from all over the world-from the Ogopogo of Canada and the 'Patagonian Plesiosaur' of Argentina, to Idaho's 'Slimey Slim' and Sweden's 'Storsjo,' along with the 'Bunyip' of Australia and the strange monsters of South Africa. Peter Costello provides a detailed and fascinating overview of lake monster lore-and gives a convincing explanation of the identity of these elusive denizens.
This new edition contains a new Afterword by the author, an Introduction by Loren Coleman, and a Preface by Bernard Heuvelmans, the 'of cryptozoology,' who wrote: 'Peter Costello authoritatively surveys the whole subject, supporting his arguments with a substantial bibliography, and displaying both the elegance of the born writer and the sense of humor essential to every occasion.'

"Peter Costello is an author, critic, and editor. He was born and educated in Dublin, but is a graduate of the University of Michigan in the USA. He is the author of many books in the connected fields of history and biography. His recent account of the creator of Sherlock Holmes as real-life sleuth, Conan Doyle Detective, has achieved international success. He is currently based in Ireland, where he is the Literary Editor of a weekly national newspaper." 

Mothman, The Flatwoods Monster and More...

A fascinating article from Thomas Brisson Jørgensen on Mothman, the Flatwoods Monster, a series of weird synchronicities, me, and much more...

You can find it right here...

Taking Time Off

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I'll be offline for about a week or so.

Mothman's Curse

One for the kids, coming next year...

Championing William Seabrook

I was asked the other day, on a radio show, if I had to spend the rest of my life on a desert island, what books would I take with me?

I think there was a bit of a surprise when there were no UFO/Bigfoot etc books in my reply.

I said I would have to take my Charles de Lint, Robert Holdstock, Charles Bukoswki, Jack Kerouac, Arturo Perez-Reverte, and Carlos Ruiz Zafon books.

And then there is my collection of William Seabrook books.

Born in 1884, he was kind of a real life Indiana Jones, who travelled the world having all sorts of crazy adventures in jungles, and investigating things like voodoo, zombies, cannibals, etc.

His Jungle Ways book (see my 1930s edition photo above) is one of my all-time favorites, demonstrating his great writing skills and ability to tell an excellent story. And one I would definitely have to take to the island.

Sadly, Seabrook spent most of his life battling mental illness and alcoholism, and eventually killed himself. But he left a great legacy.

Dream Invaders

Are our dreams simply random, internal things unique to each and every one of us? Or is something else going on? Is it possible that our dreams are being "invaded" by predatory, paranormal things? That's the subject of my new Mysterious Universe feature...

It's a feature that starts like this:

"Just a few days ago, here at Mysterious Universe, I wrote a review of Heidi Hollis’ excellent book, The Hat Man: The True Story of Evil Encounters. It’s a book I recommend to anyone interested in matters of a paranormal-, UFO- and supernatural-themed nature. In my article on Heidi’s book, I noted the following:

"'Many of the encounters occur while the victim is in a distinct altered state – that of sleeping. Nightmarish accounts of terrifying visitations, in the early hours of the morning, from the Hat Man abound in the pages of Heidi’s book. None of them are positive. All of them are negative. The Hat Man appears to be attracted to or provokes (maybe, even, both) bad luck, misfortune, ill-health, and even death. Soul-stealing may be one of the calling cards of the horror in the hat.'"

Albert Bender and the MIB - Again

As per my post of yesterday on Albert Bender and the Men in Black, here's my lengthier piece on the latest development, at Mysterious Universe.

It begins as follows and you can find it right here...

"Back in the early 1950s, a new aspect was added to the growing UFO phenomenon: the Men in Black. Yes, there were one or two pre-1950s MIB encounters (such as the saga of the sinister character that terrorized a certain Harold Dahl, one of the key figures in the notorious UFO event at Maury Island in June 1947). But, overall, it was the 1950s that saw the rise of the MIB.

"We pretty much have one person to thank for that rise. His name was Albert Bender. From his home in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bender created the International Flying Saucer Bureau, and went on to publish a newsletter/journal called Space Review. It was filled with information on then-recent UFO encounters, letters from fellow researchers, and much more of a flying saucer nature."

MIB, Albert Bender, and Space Review

For those who may be interested, there's a new, bound collection of Albert Bender's early 1950s newsletter, Space Review, now available. Bender being the guy who played a major role in the development of the Men in Black mystery.

Here's the link...

I have written a more extensive piece on all this for the Mysterious Universe website and which will be published in the next day or two.

In the meantime, I can go one better than Bender's journals: here's one example of a number of Bender's letters I own.

This one (framed on my office wall) was sent from Bender to New Zealand researcher Harold Fulton in November 1953, and makes references to Bender's phone being "tapped," and things that will "disturb the learned ones."