Vice Squad: Punk Rock Radio

As all my mates know - and as some of you reading this will know - one of my all-time favourite bands is Vice Squad. And, yes, I do know not everyone shares my taste for punk music. But, that's partly why I do what I do here: to convert you all!

So, with that in mind, here's one you should get hold of: Vice Squad's 2012 stormer: Punk Rock Radio.

Blistering, bouncing, soaring and speeding, it's a massively catchy collection of perfect UK punk. And the track Advance Britannia is a total masterpiece that is as British and as anthem-like as the Sex Pistols' classic God Save the Queen and the Clash's 1985 track, This is England.

Okay, I know a lot of people don't consider the last Clash line-up to be the real Clash, but I defy anyone to listen to This is England and not get stirred up. And that's the same with Advance Britannia.

If AB is not booming out of the windows of Buckingham Palace by this time next week, then there's no bloody justice in the world!

Buy, buy, buy, BUY!!

The Cornfield Critter

Check out this for an interesting, and slightly creepy, story of something roaming around a certain cornfield...

And there's a cemetery nearby too...

The End For Socorro?

Is the legendary saga of the Socorro, New Mexico "UFO landing" case of 1964 finally at an end? Is it time to relegate the affair to a file titled "Hoax"?

Read on for Tony Bragalia's latest findings on the affair...

Me and Marilyn Monroe...

No, the title of this post is not a reference to some sensational bit of gossip! But, read on, anyway...

As you may recall, I wrote a post a few days ago about a series of strange events that occurred to me last Sunday when I was in LA - such as (A) meeting a Charles Fort; and (B) being checked into a hotel-room numbered 1163.

As I noted in the original post, right before flying out to LA I had been doing research for an on-going and extensive project into the connections between UFOs and the JFK assassination of 1963. JFK was assassinated in November of that year. Or, 11/63. My room number: 1163.

Well, something else popped into my mind this morning: there's a highly controversial story - and equally controversial, alleged CIA document - in UFO research circles suggesting that JFK secretly confided in Hollywood hotty Marilyn Monroe his knowledge of crashed UFOs and bodies.

The reason: so he could impress her into bed, of course! Alien conspiracies aren't without their benefits! You can find an article, from me, on this very strange saga right here.

But, here's the new bit of info I want to relate: the very day when everything went weird for me in LA, last Sunday, was August 5. That just happens to have been the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's controversial death.

So, I had been researching the UFO/JFK angle (including the Marilyn Monroe saga, on which I have tons of data); I got checked into a hotel room that corresponded with the date-death of JFK; and the day in question marked the half-a-century passing of Marilyn Monroe!

Coincidence? Me simply making connections that anyone can make if they dig deep enough? Or something else? Any thoughts....????

Kathy Kasten RIP

There's some very sad news to report on today. UFO researcher Kathy Kasten has died at 72. If you frequented the online site, UFO Updates, you'll know that Kathy was a frequent contributor and one not afraid to speak her mind on all manner of UFO issues - and particularly so Roswell.

I had a lot of interesting conversations (email, phone and letter) with Kathy, as she had been pursuing angles and data very similar to those detailed in my Body Snatchers in the Desert book suggesting that Roswell was born out of a secret military experiment with a Japanese component to it.

Perhaps, one day, Kathy's manuscript on the subject (which, in its first incarnation, she completed a couple of years ago, but which she had been constantly adding to, too) will surface in book form and you'll get to see those revelations.

But, UFOs are way, way down the line of importance when it comes to the tragedy that Kathy's passing is for her family and friends - who we should all keep in our minds, prayers and thoughts right now.

RIP KK.

12 Top Tips To Becoming A Cryptozoologist

Whether it amuses you, offends you, or does absolutely nothing for you, here's my tongue-firmly-in-cheek 12 Top Tips to becoming a Cryptozoologist.

As I note in the post (for EHow.co.uk): "When you were a kid, maybe you had dreams of making it as a rock-star. Perhaps your goal was a job on the telly. Or you thought about going into politics. Nah, scrap that last one. We all have ideas about what would make the perfect, dream-job. And some of them are stranger than others. Take cryptozoology, the domain of the adventure-fueled men and women who travel the UK in search of Nessie, big cats, Sasquatch and other bizarre and legendary beasts. How's about monster-hunting for a career? If you're up for it, here's how to do it!"

Beer! Beer! Beer!

One of my most recent Top 10s for EHow.co.uk: this one is on the Top 10 beer adverts on British TV...

A Ghost Book Collection

Peter Beckman is not only the author of Dead Hollywood and someone who I sometimes chat with about the Men in Black. He also starred in the video for what is, in my opinion, the greatest Ramones song ever: Psycho Therapy, from the band's 1983 album, Subterranean Jungle. This, of course, raises his coolness levels to unparalleled proportions!

Well, Peter told me a couple of days ago that he has decided to go ahead and sell his entire collection of ghost books. As you'll see from the list, there are some very old and extremely rare first editions listed here that, for fans of ghosts, you won't want to miss.

Here's Peter to give you all the info (you can contact him at peteralfredbeckman@yahoo.com):

GHOST STORY Collection

All volumes with dust jackets are protected by Brodart clear plastic covers.

Every effort has been made to find accurate prices for these volumes. Many of these volumes cannot be located online.

All volumes are hardcover, except when listed as paperbacks, and are in good-excellent condition.

The seller will pay postage and basic insurance fees in the continental U.S. only.

Purchaser will have three days after reciept of merchandise to contact seller for a refund, if not satisfied.

The price for the collection is $5,500 US.

1) “Victorian Nightmares” edited: Hugh Lamb. Taplinger, N.Y. 1977. 1^st , with DJ

2) “Strange and Fantastic Stories” edited: Jos. A. Margolies. Whittlesey House, N.Y. 1946. 1^st
3) “The Other Passenger” by John Keir Cross. J.B.Lippincott, N.Y. 1946. 1^st American, with DJ
4) “The Purcell Papers” by J. Sheridan LeFanu. Arkham House 1975. 1^st with DJ
5) “The Collected Ghost Stories of M.R. James” E. Arnold & Co., London, 1949. With DJ
6) “In A Glass Darkly” by J. Sheridan LeFanu. J.Lehmann Ltd., London, 1947. 1^st, with DJ
7) “The Ghost Story Omnibus” edited: Jos. L. French. Tudor, N.Y., 1926
8) “Uncanny Stories” by May Sinclair. Macmillan, N.Y., 1923. 1^st.
9) “Ghosts, Ghouls and Gallows” by G.F.Marson. Rider & Co., London. 1^st.
10) “The Eerie Book” Castle Books, N.J., 1981. 1^st, with DJ
11) “Cavalcade of Ghosts” edited: R. Thurston Hopkins. Worlds Work, Ltd., Eng., 1956. 1^st with DJ
12) “And the Darkness Falls” edited: Boris Karloff. World, N.Y., 1946. 1^st.
13) “25 Modern Stories of Mystery and Imagination” edited: Phil Strong. Garden City Pub., N.Y.,
1941. 1^st
14) “The Best Ghost Stories” edited: Bohun Lynch. Small, Maynard & Co., Boston, 1924. 1^st.
15) “The Second Ghost Book” edited: Lady Cynthia Asquith. James Barrie, London, 1952. 1^st.
16) “This Mortal Coil” by Lady Cynthia Asquith. Arkham House, 1947. 1^st with DJ.
17) “Great Tales of Fantasy and Imagination” edited; P.V.D. Stern. Garden City, N.Y., 1945. 1^st.
18) “Flower Phantoms” by Ronald Fraser. Boni & Liveright, N.Y., 1926. 1^st.
19) “Twice Told Tales” by N. Hawthorne. Scott, Foresman & Co., N.Y., 1903.
20) “Devil Stories” edited: Max J. Rudwin. Knopf, N.Y., 1921. 1^st.
21) “Best Ghost Stories” edited: Anne Ridler. Faber and Faber, London, 1925. 1^st.
22) “All Hallow’s Eve” by Chas. Williams. Faber & Faber, London, 1925. 1^st.
23) “Creeps by Night” edited: Dashiell Hammett. Tudor, N.Y., 1932
24) “A Treasury of Great Ghost Stories” edited: Ira Peck. Popular Library, N.Y., 1965
25) “Great Ghost Stories” edited: P.V.D. Stern. Washington Sq. Press, 1962
26) “Famous Ghosts Stories” edited: Bennett Cerf. Modern Library, N.Y., 1944. 1^st
27) “Famous Ghost Stories by English Authors” edited: Adam Gowans. Gowans & Gray, Ltd., London, 1920.
28) “Monsters” Philip Allan, London, 1934. 1^st.
29) “Unholy Relics” by M.P. Dare. Edward Arnold & Co., London, 1947. 1^st w.DJ
30) “Modern Ghosts” edited: G.W.Curtis. Harper Bros., N.Y., 1890. 1^st

31) “The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton” Scribners, N.Y., 1973. 1^st.

32) “Shocking Tales” edited: Robert K. Brunner. Current Books, N.Y., 1946. 1^st with DJ
33) “25 Ghost Stories” edited: W. Bob Holland. Halcyon House, N.Y.
34) “33 Sardonics” edited: Tiffany Thayer. Philo. Library, N.Y., 1946. 1^st, with DJ
35) “Hauntings” edited: Henry Mazzeo. Doubleday, N.Y., 1968. Illus: Edward Gorey. 1^st, with DJ
36) “Tales of the Undead” edited; Elinore Blaisdell. Thos. Crowell, N.Y., 1947. 1^st. With DJ
37) “Come Not Lucifer” John Westhouse, London, 1945. 1^st.
38) “Ghosts, Ghosts, Ghosts” edited: Phyllis Fenner. Franklin Watts, N.Y., 1962, with DJ
39) “The Haunted Omnibus” edited: Alexander Laing. Farrar & Rinehart, N.Y., 1937. 1^st.
40) “Monsters Galore” edited; B. J. Hurwood. Fawcett, 1965
41) “Weird Tales of Terror and Detection” by H.F.Heard. Sundial, N.Y., 1946
42) “The Bat” by M.R.Rheinhardt. Triangle Books, N.Y., 1942
43) “Panics” Philip Alan, London, 1934. 1^st.
44) “The Barge of Haunted Lives” by J. Aubrey Tyson. Macmillan, N.Y., 1923. 1^st with DJ
45) “House of the 7 Gables” by N. Hawthorne. Books, Inc., N.Y.
46) “Speak of the Devil” edited: S. North & C.Boutell. Doubleday & Doran, N.Y., 1945. Illus: Salvador Dali. 1^st with DJ.
47) “Extraordinary Tales” by J.L. Borges. Herder & Herder, N.Y., 1971. 1^st with DJ
48) “Tales of the Mysterious & Macabre” by Algernon Blackwood. Peter Nevill, London, 1952
49) “The Shilling Shcokers” 1979 HC. With DJ
50) “Ghosts for Christmas” edited: Richard Dalby. Carroll & Graf, N.Y., 1989. With DJ
51) “The Encyclopedia of Ghosts” by Daniel Cohen. Dorset, 1984. With DJ
52) “A Ghost Named Fred” by Nathaniel Benchley. Weekly Redaer, HC, 1968
53) “Haunted House” by Shirley Hughes. Prentice hall, N.Y., 1977. With DJ
54) “Dangerous Ghosts” by Elliot O’Donnell. Rider, London, 1955
55) “Ghost Tales and Legends” by H. Drummond Gauld. F.A.Stokes Co., N.Y., 1930. With DJ
56) “Ghosts of London” by Elliot O”Donnell. Dutton, 1933. 1^st
57) “Haunted Houses” by Andrew Green (paperback.) Shire Album #7, 1975
58) “Ghosts in Irish Houses” by James Reynolds. Bonanza Books, N.Y., with DJ
59) “Shane Leslie’s Ghost Book” Sheed & Ward, 1956. 1^st US ed. With DJ
60) “A Ghost Hunter’s Game Book” by James W. Day. Frederick Muller, Ltd., London, 1958
61) “Some Haunted Houses” by Elliot O’Donnell. Everleigh Nash, 1908
62) “Haunted Britain” by Elliot O’Donnell. Rider, London, 1953. With DJ
63) “Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories” FSG, N.Y., 1983. 1^st with DJ
64) “Ghosts” edited: Marvin Kaye. Doubleday, N.Y., 1981. With DJ
65) “Lord Halifax’s Complete Ghost Book” Castle, N.Y., 1986. With DJ
66) “Strange to Tell” edited: Fischer & Humphries. Messner, 1946
67) “The Mysteries of Udolpho” by Ann Radcliffe. Everyman’s library (Dent/Dutton) 1965. In two Volumes. With DJ
69) “A Century of Creepy Stories” edited: Sir Hugh Walpole. Hutchinson, London
70) “The Second Century of Creepy Stories” edited: Sir Hugh Walpole. Hutchinson , London
71) “Ghosts and Goblins” edited: W. Harper. Dutton, N.Y., 1965
72) “The Collected Ghost Stories of Mrs. J.H. Riddell” Dover (paperback,) 1977
73) “Five Victorian Ghost Novels” edited: E.F.Bleiler. Dover (paperback,) 1971
74) “Hollywood Haunted” by Jacobson & Wanamaker. Angel City Press (paperback,) 1994. Signed by Wanamaker.
75) “Dwellers in Darkness” by August Derleth. Arkham House, 1976. With DJ
76) “The Best Ghost Stories of H. Russell Wakefield” Academy, Chicago (paperback,) 1978
77) “The Ghost Book” edited: Lady Cynthia Asquith. Scribners, 1927
78) “50 Years of Ghost Stories” Hutchinson, London. With DJ
79) “The Supernatural Tales of Fitz-James O’Brien” Doubleday, 1988. In two volumes. With DJ
81) “Shapes That Haunt the Dusk” edited: Howells & Alden. Harper, 1907
82) “Sleep no More!” by L.T.C.Rolt. Constanble, Eng., 1948. With DJ
83) “High Spirits” by Robertson Davies. Penguin (paperback) 1982
84) “Not Exactly Ghosts” by Sir Andrew Caldicott. E. Arnold, London, 1947
85) “3 Eighteenth Century Romances” Scribners, N.Y., 1931
86) “A Dreamer’s Tale & Other Stories” by Lord Dunsany. Boni & Liveright, London
87) “Best Ghost Stories” edited: Arthur B. Reeve. ModernLibrary, N.Y., With DJ
88) “The Haunted Looking Glass” edited: Edward Gorey. Looking Glass Library (Random House, 1959. Illus: Edward Gorey. With DJ
89) “Perturbed Spirits” edited: R.C.Bull. Arthur Barker, 1954
90) “Ghosts and Witches” by J. W. Day. Batsford, London, 1954
91) “The Book of Ghost Stories - M.R. James” edited: Peter Haining. Stein & Day 1982. With DJ
END

The Phantom Black Dog: Q&A

Over at The Examiner, you can find a brand new Q&A with me on one of Britain's most enduring mysteries: Phantom Black Dogs.

To give you an idea of the Q&A, here's one of the exchanges:

Question: "What exactly do you think these demon dogs are paranormally speaking per say?"

Nick Redfern: "I can only speculate, but there can be no denying that many researchers and witnesses to the Phantom Black Dogs note how they seem to appear around the time of death and misfortune. And, of course, they are often seen in the vicinity of cemeteries. That's to say they have a Grim Reaper quality to them. Even today, it's perceived as being quite ominous and unsettling to see one of these things. It doesn't take long for the old legends, myths and fears to take hold again, even in the 21st Century."

A Steiger Q&A on Conspiracies

Over at Horror News, you can find a good, insightful new interview with Brad and Sherry Steiger on their latest book, Conspiracies and Secret Societies.

If you're into official secrecy, cover-ups and more, then this is most definitely the book for you!

A Strange Sunday

Well, I have had some strange days and nights in my time, but this past Sunday (the 5th) was spectacularly odd, even by my standards! I had flown out to California for a day of business, when distinct weirdness reared its odd head.

As I was being checked-in at the hotel I was staying in, I quite literally did a double-take when I noticed that the name-badge of the chap on the desk was - wait for it - Charles Fort! I was like: "WTF??!!"

It didn't end there. My room number was 1163. Only a day before my flight, I was working on an article on the JFK assassination and its alleged UFO links. When was JFK shot? November 1963. Or: 11/63. My room: 1163.

After crashing out for a while and pondering on the high-strangeness that was afoot, good mate Greg Bishop came over to the hotel and we drove back to his place, chatted, caught up, and then went and got an early dinner, as we were going to do Greg's radio show - Radio Misterioso - that night.

Before the show, Greg shared with me a veritable treasure-trove of UFO-themed material he had acquired some years ago, contained in which was a copy of the FBI's file on infamous Contactee, George Hunt Williamson.

I wish I had had this file when I wrote my On the Trail of the Saucer Spies book (since it told a great deal of how the US Government spied on the UFO community), but I will do a lengthier post on the entire file at a later date, as it contains some classic gems and hilarious nuggets of data from the early years of Saucerdom.

At this point, I should explain that although the file was titled "George Hunt Williamson" a significant portion of its pages were devoted to yet another Contactee - an equally controversial one - Truman Bethurum.

I wrote extensively about Bethurum in my Contactees book. He was the lucky geezer who claimed flirty encounters in the Nevada desert in 1952/53 with a hot alien space-babe known as Captain Aura Rhanes from the planet Clarion (yes, the usual wacky and absurd Space-Brother stuff that no-one should take literally - although I do believe something of a hypnagogic nature occurred to Bethurum).

Old Truman was quite taken by Aura, who he described as being "tops in shapeliness and beauty" and whose space-outfit "did fit so snuggly." There's really not much I can add to that, except...

It seems that the FBI was quite taken by Her Royal Hotness from the stars, too. In the papers on Bethurum, an FBI agent (whose name is blacked out on the available files) relates the story of how Bethurum met hotty Aura, who is described as - and I quote the Bureau - "...a ravishing woman commandant."

I have to wonder what was going through the mind of the agent writing that! (See the top of this post for an extract from the FBI files on Bethurum.)

Then, after digging into the file, it was time for Greg's show, in which we covered everything from the aforementioned oddness at the hotel, the Aura Rhanes saga, the state of paranormal-themed TV (a clue: it's all rubbish), and much more of a controversial and Fortean nature.

Finally, there was the trip back to the hotel, before an early Monday morning flight back to Dallas.

So, that was my weird weekend, one which involved an encounter with Charles Fort, the JFK assassination, a space-captain from a far-away world, and the FBI.

Do you even get the feeling that our "reality" is just a big joke on the part of some deranged computer-programmer in a strange and unearthly dimension of Matrix-style proportions? Perhaps I took too many red pills...

Hell-Hounds on the Loose

There's a new article from me at Mysterious Universe on dogs in England. Nope, not normal, ordinary, friendly little dogs. These are those sinister, blazing-eyed ones that hang out late at night at old bridges, crossroads, lanes and cemeteries. Yep: Phantom Black Dogs!

Throw a stick and shout "Fetch!" at these guys and they will tear your head off!

Wanna Be A Cryptozoologist?

My latest EHow.co.uk article: How to become a monster-hunter (in slightly tongue in cheek fashion...)

Phantom Hounds, Demon Dogs and Sherlock Holmes

If you're into some of the more Fortean aspects of Cryptozoology, you won't want to miss this!

Tim Beckley has just published a new book titled Hounds of the Baskervilles.

It's basically a combination of (A) the original Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles; (B) witness reports of real-life encounters with blazing, red-eyed hounds of the pararnormal kind; and (C) various articles from researchers of the Phantom Black Dog variety.

Not only that, the book is massively and richly illustrated with excellent old and atmospheric artwork.

I have a lengthy article in the book, which is an extensive look from me at the history of the Black Dog in the UK, with numerous, little-known case files examined, many of which extend right up to well into the 20th Century.

Here's where you can purchase Hounds of the Baskervilles and here's what Tim has to say about the book:

PICKS UP WHERE SHERLOCK HOLMES’ LEFT OFF. . . DEVIL HOUNDS. DEMON DOGS. PHANTOM CANINES FROM HELL. THEY DO EXIST! One nearly scared to death eyewitness proclaimed after the beast loomed in front of him: “It was the biggest bloody ‘dog’ I have ever seen in my life!” Legends of black dogs and phantom hounds are widespread throughout the United Kingdom as well as in the United States. Though presented in novelized form, Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his most popular detective thriller on true accounts of a mysterious black beast with blazing red eyes who is said to have attacked those crossing the moors. Some were lucky to have gotten away with their lives. Perhaps there are others who disappeared and their bodies were not accounted for. Who can say for certain? In addition to presenting the number one classic detective thriller of all time in its unabridged, fully illustrated, form, this work goes way beyond the boundaries of fiction into the realm of the supernatural. Today’s top paranormal researcher’s delve into stories of the bloody beast who comes in various sizes and apparently even has the ability to shape shift into a more hideous creature when cornered. As England’s leading cryptozoologist, Nick Redfern, points out, “There is one important factor to remember: Conan Doyle did not invent Britain’s phantom, fiery-eyed hounds. He merely brought them to the attention of the public in spectacularly entertaining style. In reality, the creature had been prowling around the British countryside for centuries; and particularly so Dartmoor – the fictional home of the world’s most famous hound of horror in all its awful glory.” According to Redfern the same area the imaginary Sherlock Holmes conducted his investigation around, is also, in reality, rife with ancient tales and legends of a group of diabolical and unholy creatures known as the Wisht Hounds – fearsome devil-dogs with glowing eyes and large fangs. “They are said to have a taste for both human flesh and human souls, and ride with the Devil himself, as he crosses the windswept wilds of Dartmoor late at night - and atop a headless, black horse, no less.” According to legend, the Wisht Hounds inhabit the nearby Wistman’s Woods – a sacred grove where, in centuries past, ancient druids held pagan rituals in honor of a veritable multitude of old Earth gods and goddesses. Here are dozens of accounts of devilish, gruesome, repugnant “monsters” – some of whom stand eight feet tall – who are said to be Satan’s watch dogs protecting the portals to another dimension or realm where no mortal should be made to tread!

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A Boggy Beast, Blackburn and Binnall

From good mate Tim Binnall of Binnall of America:

BoA:Audio resumes its search for cryptids with our guest Lyle Blackburn, author of The Beast of Boggy Creek. In this lengthy conversation, we'll be discussing Texarkana's Fouke Monster, made famous in the film Legend of Boggy Creek. Lyle will detail the evolution of the Fouke Monster phenomenon, the famous sighting which started a media frenzy, the filming and fallout of Beast of Boggy Creek, why the geography of the area makes it an ideal place for a large cryptid to lurk, the controversial claims of a Bigfoot skeleton found in the area, and much, much more. Altogether, it is a richly detailed conversation on one of cryptozoology's most popular, yet under-discussed, creatures as we separate Fouke Monster fact from fiction with Lyle Blackburn.

Full Preview: We kick things off with the standard bio / background and find out how Lyle Blackburn first got interested in cryptozoology and, specifically, the Fouke Monster. We then discuss how Lyle's book features numerous first-hand or second-hand accounts of Fouke Monster sightings rather than relying on newspaper reports from the time, which can be prone to sensationalism. For newcomers to the Fouke Monster mythos, we have Lyle provide a thumbnail look at the creature, detailing what witnesses claim to have seen as well as how it seems to be different from your 'standard' Bigfoot reports.

Lyle then traces the evolution of public awareness of the creature and how it led to the film The Legend of Boggy Creek. Wrapping up one last aspect of background material, we have Lyle describe the truly treacherous terrain where the Fouke Monster is said to inhabit in the Texarkana region. Turning our attention towards the lineage of the Fouke Monster, we first discuss how there are a myriad of 1960's sightings of the creature that actually pre-date the 1970's media hype that surrounded it. This leads to Lyle talking about how small a town Fouke is and really just the home to houses and farms and not much else.

Getting into some of the stories from this wave of creature sightings, we begin with Lynne Crabtree's encounter with the monster in 1965. Lyle reflects on how sightings from this period are important because the locals were both unfamiliar with the Bigfoot legend and not looking for attention or publicity surrounding their sightings of the creature. Lyle also discusses another critical note from these sightings of the 1960's in that there were witnesses who saw the creature that were merely passing through the area and, thus, not influenced by the locals who had been discussing it.

Next we follow the narrative to May of 1971, when a truly remarkable sighting led to a newspaper report which caused the Fouke Monster to both get its name and explode into the public consciousness. Lyle recounts the story which saw a veritable attack by the Fouke Monster at a family farm. We then talk about how the subsequent media frenzy led to radio stations having bounties on the Fouke Monster and people descending on the area hoping to capture the creature for the prize money.

In light of this, we muse about how this influx of hunters suggests the classic 'man in a suit' skeptic's theory is pretty weak. Following that, we discuss the best physical evidence gleaned from the Fouke Monster wave of the 1970's: a three-toed footprint discovered followed one alleged sighting of the creature. This segues into some discussion on the controversy, in the Bigfoot community, surrounding three-toed prints. The conversation then turns to the film The Legend of Boggy Creek, which was a faux documentary that fictionalized the Fouke Monster sightings and became a surprisingly massive hit.

Lyle details how the film was very unique for its time, since it was filmed using people from the area and filmed as if it were a documentary. Staying on the topic of The Legend of Boggy Creek, we reflect on how the film actually dramatized numerous real Fouke Monster sightings, but many viewers incorrectly still believe that the stories were made up by the filmmaker. We then look at the fallout from the hit movie, in that many locals felt slighted by the director, Charles Pierce, who reaped a large windfall from the film's success.

This segues into some talk about how the citizens of Fouke feel about their status as a paranormal destination and whether there is resentment, acceptance, or apathy about the Fouke Monster in modern times. Getting back to the Fouke Monster, itself, we reflect on how the locals who saw the creature described it as a Bigfoot, but never actually called it that. This segues into some talk about how there appear to be numerous type or geographically located Bigfoot creatures throughout America and the world.

We then discuss the controversial rumour / story that there was a massive skeleton discovered that may have been the creature and Lyle shares his insights into the story as well as his experience actually seeing the skeleton. This leads to some talk about why the skeleton has been essentially hidden for 20 years and perpetuating the rumours instead of released to researchers so we can determine its true nature. Lyle reveals how he took great risks to provide, in the book, the full details of the skeleton story.

Wrapping up the Fouke Monster discussion, we talk about how the sightings of the creature have continued to this day, despite most people thinking it was an isolated series of events confined to the 60's and 70's. Lyle talks about how the film galvanized interest in the creature while also allowing for the media and skeptics to dismiss it. Given that the creature has apparently been migrating over the years, we have Lyle speculate on where the Fouke monster may be lurking today.

Lyle also talks about the connection between rainfall and monster sightings and speculates on why this connection seems to appear. Looking at another recurring theme from the Fouke monster sightings, which is tales of shooting at the creature, and we ponder if that was simply bravado on the part of the witnesses or if it tells us additional information about the beast's abilities.

This leads to a discussion on the infamous 'kill v. no kill' debate in cryptozoology with regards to Bigfoot and we find out where Lyle stands on that longstanding argument. We also talk about how the Fouke monster is a prime candidate for being hit by a car, since it appears to cross roads with tremendous frequency. In light of the location of the Fouke monster and its 'swampy' description, we also ponder if there may be a connection to Florida's Swamp Ape phenomenon. Heading towards the close, we talk about some of the theories as to what the Fouke monster is and how Lyle has managed to dismiss most of the theories as simply extreme possibilities put forward by skeptics.

We also talk about how the advent of the Internet has allowed for a great deal more information about the Fouke monster being available for researchers looking to investigate the creature. We also ask Lyle our classic cryptozoologist question, where he tells us his ideal plan of action, should money be limitless, to nab the Fouke monster. Wrapping up the interview, we reflect on how difficult it is to spot the creature, since the area is also teeming with insects during the Summer which prevents extensive exploration. Lyle also teases a potential sequel to the book as well as documentary films about the Fouke Monster.

The Monster of Glamis

Over at my regular Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com, I take a look at the controversial saga of the Monster of Glamis...

When The Zombies Attack

Ever wondered how you might survive in a real zombie outbreak? Well, in my latest post for EHow.co.uk I have a few ideas...

UFOs and Strange Creatures

What is the connection between Bigfoot, lake-monsters and UFOs? Is there a connection? And if so, what might it be? Well, these are a few of the things I take a look at in my latest Mysterious Universe post. It's one that will hardly please fans of mainstream Cryptozoology or Ufology.

That's ok though. Who the hell wants to go through life saying the right thing to appease the right person at the right time? If I wanted to do that, I'd enter politics. Fortunately, I have no interest in such tedious aspirations!

Red Pill Junkie Insights

Over at the blog of Intrepid magazine, Red Pill Junkie has a new post that I urge one and all to read. It starts with the words below and takes us down some very winding and strange pathways - as it should!

"When you spend enough time in the Fortean realm, you start to amass a great deal of information allegedly transmitted by a varied cornucopia of other-worldly sources: channeled material, psychic dreams, close encounters of the 3rd or 4rd kind, medium séances, Ouija board sessions, and a long etcetera. Determining the validity of this information can be as taxing as finding reliable data on the Internet —in fact even more so.

"I don’t ascribe nor endorse the easy routes when it comes to these mysteries. Both the skeptical dismissal of ‘transmitted’ material as either hoaxes or mental delusions, as well as the uncritical acceptance of the cult-like groups that tend to gather around the ‘transmitters’ equally upset me."

Rich Reynolds: MIB Thoughts

In a new post at The UFO Iconoclast(s), Rich Reynolds delves deep into the puzzle of the Men in Black, and suggests that, perhaps, evidence of their sinister actions dates way before many have even begun to suspect. But, they may not have always dressed in black...

Rich kicks off as follows:

"The Men in Black, whom Nick Redfern has documented rather fully in his book, The Real Men in Black, have been with mankind for a lot longer than surmised.

"They ensued right after the dawn of civilization, if The Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) and various myths have any reportorial accuracy.

"The modern-day MIB phenomenon began with Gray Barker’s introduction of them in his 1956 book, They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers.

"However, those versed in early religious and mythological tales know that Men in Black types have ponced on humanity well before 1956."

And here's where you can find the rest of Rich's thought-provoking post.