Today’s interview is with parapsychology mainstay, Loyd Auerbach. He really has been keeping the fires burning for the scientific study of the unexplained for four decades and his book ESP, Hauntings, and Poltergeists: A Parapsychologist’s Handbookwas extremely influential on a young Mike (which is one of the reasons that he’s so excited about the interview.) Not only has Loyd been highly involved in keeping parapsychology in academia, he has been on thousands of paranormal investigations, and consulted for television (especially on a forgotten classic from the 80s, Shadow Chasers.)
The conversation begins with how Loyd got into the paranormal, his study at Northwestern University under the great UFO researcher, J. Allen Hynek, and then his job at the American Society for Psychical Research. It’s basically a lesson in how to get your dream job so that’s worth listening to the podcast for that information alone.
Loyd moves out to the West Coast to continue his studies at JFK University who was the only place in the United States a post-graduate degree in parapsychology at the time. It was a different time, and he discusses the difference between scientific attitudes towards the unexplained was more welcoming in the days before today’s science vs. faith culture wars.
Loyd talks about some of his Hollywood script consultation and also how he’s not that interested in appearing on paranormal television shows anymore because they don’t portray parapsychology and paranormal investigations in a realistic light. He goes into the difference between reality and what they show you on TV and the movies.
Mike and Loyd then delve into not only tips for novices interested in going on paranormal investigations, but also tips for people who are interested in letting a paranormal group investigate their house. It’s a must-listen for anyone who’s interested in finding a paranormal group to investigate their home because it’ll help you weed out the inexperienced groups from parapsychologists who might actually be able to help.
The conversation also goes into Loyd’s latest endeavors to help educate newbies to parapsychology and his latest online courses, which are all about learning to investigate paranormal phenomena like hauntings or ESP in a scientific way so that your investigations can help further the field of parapsychological research.
We are but tiny,
inside a world of infinity,
all we have is our reason,
to make us better than the beast.
Pascal was a gambler,
who wanted to believe.
Pascal made a wager,
for the souls of you and me.
And if you win, you win, you win it all.
And If you lose, you lose,
and it don’t matter anyway,
And there’s so many things I’ll never know,
But even the brightest stars,
must lay down their cards,
when the ferryman calls.
I was born a cynic,
but I’m willing to take my chance,
that the universe is big enough,
to be more than coincidence.
We’re playing a game,
that we don’t want to admit,
All the things we feel,
that you just can’t dismiss.
So if you win, you win, you win it all.
And If you lose, you lose,
and it don’t matter anyway,
And there’s so many things I’ll never know,
But even the brightest stars,
must lay down their cards,
and figure out just who they are,
when the ferryman calls.
You’re not a fool to believe.
You’re not a fool to believe.
Today we interview Peter Bebergal, author of the book. Season of the Witch: How The Occult Saved Rock n’ Roll, which is a fascinating look into how the occult slipped into the mainstream through the music of the Baby Boom generation. Rock n’ roll created the perfect storm of the Beatniks interest in Eastern mysticism, the Animism roots of slave spirituals and Gospel music, and the Hippie embrace of the Age of Aquarius.
Mike and Peter first discuss their mutual love of Dungeons & Dragons and then move on to an interview that Wendy describes as “like a vortex of weird geeky intelligence”. They get into how Robert Johnson actually was not the blues artist who had sold his soul to the Devil and how mystical and magic themes spread through the music of the 60s’ counterculture. Then The Great Beast Aleister Crowley rears his ugly head, David Bowie’s cocaine-fueled fascination the weird enters the conversation, they discuss Peter’s favorite modern acts that use occult symbolism (it’s not just Mötley Crüe anymore!), and a whole lot more as they get into the nuts and bolts (or should we say, eyes of newts and toes of frogs instead!) of Peter Bebergal’s incredibly well-researched and thought-provoking book.
I’ve got a taste for the dirty,
I’ve got a taste for the weird,
And I’m looking for something I can’t find around here.
And all these little church mice,
they just bore me, just bore me.
I play my records backwards,
My crosses upside down,
I’ll read the Tarot for any girl in town,
and anything that I catch has gotta floor me, dance for me.
Guys like me,
Want Devil Music,
From underneath,
We love Devil Music.
Heaven don’t want me in their state of grace,
and Hell’s afraid I’d take over the place,
so let’s raise up the horns to Devil Music!
I dream of thousands just like you,
Turning their backs on you know who,
and living life for today,
instead of waiting to die, just waiting to die.
Cuz paradise is a place we can find right here,
with electric guitars, condoms, drugs, and beer,
Existing in the now,
instead of watching life go by, life go by.
Guys like me,
Want Devil Music,
From underneath,
We love Devil Music.
Heaven don’t want me in their state of grace,
and Hell’s afraid I’d take over the place,
so let’s raise up the horns to Devil Music!
From Bruce Willis in Unbreakableto John Ritter in Hero at Largeto everyone’s favorite madman Nicolas Cage in Kick-Ass, we’ve been watchingregular everyday human beings assuming the mantle of comic book superhero personas for a long time. But for some people, even those fictions aren’t enough. There’s a group of people who are living the dream of real life superheroes in our world and they’re part of what has been dubbed the Real Life Superhero Movement. Milwaukee author, Tea Krulos, spent years with these heroes and wrote a book called Heroes In The Night: Inside The Real Life Superhero Movement.
Tea was in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend at the Wizard World Wisconsin Comic Con to lead a panel discussion on the Real Life Superhero Movement and we caught up with the author right before he went to the big convention.
The Watchman – Milwaukee’s Real Life Superhero
Tea’s first meeting with a real life superhero was with the defender of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Riverwest neighborhood, The Watchman. From there, a Milwaukee team started to develop called The Challengers, which would serve as a neighborhood watch, help with the homeless, and go to charity events.
He describes how most of the real life superheroes are content to let the police know when they see crime going on, but some like Seattle’s Phoenix Jones, like to mix it up. Tea also accompanied Minneapolis superhero Razorhawk who organized a group into a Twin Cities search for a missing college kid who might have been a victim of the Smiley Face Murder Club.
Krulos got to travel all over the country meeting up with superheroes and one of his favorites is Vancouver street legend Thanatos, who pounds the pavement helping out the city’s homeless population, using his own money to get them tarps, blankets, and water. Krulos describes him as a “friendly, yet spooky-looking figure.”
All in all, Tea believes that these real life superheroes want to make the world a better place and want to make themselves better people, “they’re tired of being apathetic and they want to have a hobby that helps people out.”
After discussing his fantasy celebrity casting of a real life superhero movie, Krulos gives a quick summary of his monster hunters book, as well as giving a preview of the Milwaukee Paranormal Conference taking place this June.
This week we have a quick request: Since February is a month for LOVE, and we’d LOVE it if some more people would join our listener community, we’ve set a goal of getting 4 new reviews this month. So… If you enjoy the show, would you please leave a review for us on iTunes? If you follow this link and click “view in iTunes”, then click on the Ratings and Reviews tab. There you’ll find the “Write a Review” button- easy as pie!
This week is one of our first ventures into the world of Cryptozoology. Creatures like the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot exist in folklore, but have no solid scientific proof they are real. Chupacabra is an interesting example of how a single person’s story of an encounter with such a creature can grow and spread into mass hysteria; fear of a threatening beast of unknown origin. The Johnny Depp Chupacabra Incident was just the start of what we hope to be a continuing tradition of exploring the world of cryptids and undiscovered beasts!
Here’s the second part of our interview with screenwriter and UFO investigator, Mark O’Connell. He and Mike talk about how Mark got into checking out reports of UFOs as an official MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Field Investigator. He talks about the process of becoming a UFO Investigator as well as the cases that he’s investigated that struck him personally as the most unexplainable.
Mark also bursts the bubble on the recent hype surrounding the “declassification” of 100,000 Project: Blue Book (the Air Force’s investigation into UFOs through the 1950s to the 1970s) documents that were published on the Internet in the past two weeks as part of a massive amateur journalism project by John Greenewald and heralded all over mainstream news sources like the BBC and CNN. He says that while it’s great that it’s being covered in the news, there’s nothing new in the files that hasn’t already been analyzed and seen already.
Mike and Mark then talk more about Project: Blue Book and its director, J. Allen Hynek. Mark is currently working on a biography of the astronomer who was the face of official UFO investigation the Twentieth Century. Hyena developed the Encounters scale used by Steven Spielberg in Close Encounters of the Third Kind and served as a consultant on the film. They talk about the famous Michigan “swamp gas” case that helped discredit Hynek in the eyes of UFO enthusiasts as well as getting the attention of Michigan congressman and future President of the United States, Gerald Ford. Mark goes into why Hynek’s critics are wrong and clears up some myths surrounding the event.
Overall, this episode is for anyone who’s interested in how serious investigation into unexplained events is done and for people who are fascinated with how UFO phenomena became an American pastime. Mark is a wonderful storyteller and a fount of knowledge, and we can’t wait to have him back on the show!
For every little sorrow,
and every little sigh,
every time I scream,
every time you cry.
For all the moments wasted,
on some tiny crime.
We’ll never be new again,
we’ll never be new again.
When you crashed into my desert,
I was wasted and afraid,
and everything you did was my favorite,
every moment a holiday,
When my jokes were still hilarious,
Your mood was still gregarious,
We’ll never be new again,
we’ll never be new again.
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love,
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love.
Take the moments you remember,
and the places that you treasure,
and cross the rivers under all the bridges that we burned.
There’s no drug to recreate,
things past their expiration date.
And I hope there’s more to live than just waiting for our turn.
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love,
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love.
Just like the German scientists after the war,
rebuilt all the spaceships that came crashing through our door,
These chemical machines and their adolescent dreams,
are much more than slaves to their biologic needs.
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love,
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love.
And all the singers that will say,
that love just fades away,
They don’t have to live inside,
our lives every day.
We’ll never be new again,
we’ll never be new again.
But that’s no way to quit,
and no reason it should end.
We’ll never be new again,
we’ll never be new again.
But that’s no way to quit,
and no reason it should end.
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love,
It’s not rocket science reverse engineering love.
This episode features an interview with screenwriter for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, Mark O’Connell. In the interview they cover growing up in the same small town, and how Mark developed his interest in science fiction, how Ray Bradbury gave him his first writing encouragement, and how he broke into writing for Star Trek. We go into the process and a little behind the scenes on one of the greatest science fiction franchises in history. Mark is also a UFO investigator and we cover that in the second part of the interview, forthcoming.
It’s 7 and it’s time to check in,
but now it’s 8 and now it’s 10.
It’s time for Tang and vitamins,
let’s conduct experiments.
We’ve been out here since I don’t when,
We’re up in space just like John Glenn,
Say hi on earth to all our friends,
Sure would like to see some aliens.
Don’t beam me down,
or splashdown,
You know I like it above the atmosphere,
Sea of Tranquility,
low gravity,
I’m gonna grab a star as a souvenir.
on the Final Frontier.
The view is positively heavenly,
we’re studying cosmology,
Just like the pioneering chimpanzees,
My bones just lost some density.
Don’t beam me down,
or splashdown,
You know I like it above the atmosphere,
Sea of Tranquility,
low gravity,
My God, it’s full of stars.
Don’t beam me down,
or splashdown,
You know I like it above the atmosphere,
Sea of Tranquility,
low gravity,
I’m gonna grab a star as a souvenir.
on the Final Frontier.
Stonehenge. In reality, it’s a bunch of really big rocks arranged over the Salisbury plain in England. While the lintels (the huge stones laid horizontally across the tops of the upright ones) make it unlike any other manmade stone formation, Stonehenge is still like the constellations, all its meaning has to come from your own mind. And no other neolithic arrangement of boulders has fired more imaginations and conjecture than this one. It’s druids and ancient rituals and it represents a life and a culture that we can scarcely imagine from the 21st Century.
The Stonehenge mystery permeates English culture, a symbol of a heritage that goes back much further than William the Conqueror, much further than the Roman Conquest. Recent research suggests that the site was occupied as far back as 7000 B.C. Those humans might have been similar to us physically (except for size, we’re a way taller species than we used to be), but their lives would have been completely unrecognizable to us, as well as to what significance they would have given their mysterious sacred sites. Stonehenge has been linked to everything from Arthurian legends to Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Ubervilles to Doctor Who.
And it’s not just the English. Americans have appropriated it for themselves in movies like This Is Spinal Tap and National Lampoon’s European Vacation and Kurt Vonnegut’s book about ancient astronauts, The Sirens of Titan.
Stonehenge has been portrayed over the centuries as an altar for human sacrifice, an astronomical computer, and even a massive musical instrument. Over eight hundred thousand people visit the site each year. So why do we care so much about a bunch of rocks assembled by a group of prehistoric savages? What’s it about Stonehenge that fascinates people all over the world?
In This Episode..
The great Stonehenge Mystery Who made it, why, and what does it mean?
Wendy shares a bit of her experience visiting the monument as a child. Mike’s grand tour of the UK included almost everything BUT Stonehenge, so he has at least one very good reason to return.
From the Neolithic (~10,000 B.C. to ~5-2,000 B.C.) or “New Stone” Age, Stonehenge was created before modern tools (forged from metal) existed. This contributes to the mystique, begging the question, how on earth was it built?
The pillars of this megalithic structure originated from the Wales region. So how did they end up in Southern England, over a hundred miles away?
And why was this curious place built? A recent theory, by archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson, suggests that it began as a burial ground for important families around 3,000 B.C. Many cremated human remains as well as relics of a concentric wooden megalith were found within Stonehenge as it currently stands, suggesting a graveyard existed at the location before the stones were erected. Perhaps the stones were added at a later time in order to create a permanent memorial for the dead?
Pearson also proposes that the monument may have been a building project symbolizing union of the people from eastern and western Britain following years of war between them. As isolated tribes from around the country began to intermingle, the project would have been a central meeting ground to celebrate the new found peace and unity of Britain.
One of the first known Stonehenge researchers, John Aubrey, believed it had an astronomical/calendrical role. This theory was based on his careful measurements and surveying of the landmark.
The location may also have been used to celebrate the solstices… Alignment of some of the pathways with the rising and setting sun during the summer and winter solstices suggest this possibility. Many others believe it served as a sacred religious meeting place for the Druids.
Literature featuring Stonehenge:
The Arthurian legend incorporates it frequently, such as in the Marion Zimmer Bradley novel The Mists of Avalon.
In some versions of the folk tale, the wizard Merlin creates Stonehenge with the help of a giant or giants who carry the large stones from Ireland.
Thomas Hardy uses Stonehenge as a setting in Tess of the D’Ubervilles, portraying the monument as a giant instrument or “temple of the winds”.
Author Patrick Rothfuss incorporates Stonehenge imagery in The Name of the Wind, wherein monuments referred to as waystones play key roles in the stories.
Films featuring Stonehenge:
A movie adaptation of Tess of the D’Ubervilles from the 1970s included a full scale replica of the megalith as its set.
One of our favorites, This is Spinal Tap, includes a Stonehenge storyline inspired by Black Sabbath. The stage at real life venue Shank Hall in Milwaukee has a miniature Stonehenge backdrop as an homage to this part of the movie. Here is a video of our band Sunspot performing at Shank Hall over a decade ago. Notice the wee rock formation behind us on the backdrop?
King Lear – Lawrence Olivier version – set has replica of Stonehenge
Shanghai Nights
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
Night of the Demon (1957) – A sacrifice at Stonehenge is prevented
Stonehenge Apocolypse
Television featuring Stonehenge:
Dr. Who – An episode called “The Stones of Blood” includes some rocks of Stonehenge coming to life and killing people. Another episode, “The Pandorica Opens” included a prison located beneath Stonehenge.
Like the pyramids, some people believe aliens built Stonehenge. They think it is an astronomical observatory through which the ancient Britains could keep track of the extraterrestrials who had visited and created Stonehenge for them.
Conspiracy theorists believe the Anunnaki (check out Episode 3 for more about them!) built Stonehenge as a gathering place for the Illuminati.
Do you have any of your own theories about Stonehenge? Have you visited it in person? Know of a book, film, or television show featuring this wondrous landmark that we didn’t cover? Please let us know!
Links on the Stonehenge Mystery
Voices from the Dawn article on Stonehenge – An excellent summation of the folklore and myths surrounding the landmark. It goes from quoting Geoffrey of Monmouth on the Arthurian aspect to Erich von Däniken from Chariots of the Gods. If you only read one article on it, make this one it.
Clonehenge – A list of Stonehenge replicas around the world. You might not be able to get up close and personal to the real thing but you can probably climb a replica. It’s also a great source for finding movies and books about the megalithic circle.
Stonehenge Conspiracy Theory – It’s just about as crazy as you think it’s going to be. A highly entertaining read!
Doctor Who Speech at Stonehenge from “The Pandorica Opens” – This is one of the greatest scenes of all time from the series as the Doctor climbs one of the megaliths to deliver one of his most rousing and speeches to an amassed force of his nastiest enemies.
Watch out for the Killer Rocks! – Another Doctor Who scene, this one from 1978’s “The Stones of Blood” where you can see one of the stones attacking the Doctor.
Sacrifice yourself upon the stone,
Something so old you know it in your bones.
But you’ll never find the way alone.
And the mother of time,
is calling us home,
Leave our lives behind,
and come to the stones.
Part of the land,
and part of the sky,
We are alive.
It’s a neolithic rave,
humans fresh out the cave.
And we sacrifice ourselves upon the stone.
A genetic memory of,
something so old, know it in our bones.
Back to the source, back t the source.
And the mother of time,
is calling us home,
Leave our lives behind,
and come to the stones.
Part of the land,
and part of the sky,
We are alive.
I know there’s a way back,
somewhere on Salisbury plain,
It’s just a kind of magic,
And we’ll get there some day.
In Episode 10, when we discussed the ghosts of Rock stars, one of the biggest sources of our stories was Matthew Swayne’s book, Haunted Rock n’ Roll: Ghostly Tales of Musical Legends. There were plenty of stories that we left untold that day, so we thought a great way to kick off 2015 would be to have the author himself, Matthew Swayne, for an interview so we could go further in depth on a topic that we truly love, musicians that could never bring themselves to get off the stage… even in death.
We start with the discussion on the ways he originally researched his book, how he found out some of the real obscure tales, and the difference between “ghost lore” and “ghost stories”. He connects the lore of the “phantom hitchhiker” story that a lot of towns in America have (the most famous being Chicago’s Resurrection Mary) and how people have made that into an Elvis ghost story as well, something that he thinks fans have created to fantasize about how they could meet their untouchable idols (that was back in the day before celebrities started responding to people’s tweets!) One of the things that makes Elvis different than other rock ghosts is that all across the country, it will be haunted by the Elvis of that age. Memphis gets the young southern gentleman Elvis, while Las Vegas gets the fat Elvis of the 70s.
They talk a little about hauntings of The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee (the rock venue that Mike used to go to the most when he was younger) and how the ghost of Buddy Holly (who played one of his final shows at the club) appears almost exclusively to musicians there.
The conversation turns to the hauntings at the Cincinnati Music Hall and how to him it seemed to be one of the most legitimately haunted music venues that he studied, Then they discussed some classic Penn State ghostly folklore before starting to discuss Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin is known for the occult symbolism they used in their songs and imagery and Jimmy Page famously purchased our good friend Uncle Aleister Crowley’s home on Loch Ness, the Boleskine House where there’s a remarkable number of hauntings, something that he admits to being creeped out by.
Mike and Matt reprise Dan Aykroyd’s great story of Mama Cass’ house and Matt adds some new details to the story that make it more interesting, because they add up with similar stories from Beverly D’Angelo (Chevy Chase’s wife from the National Lampoon’s Vacation series), who also spent time in the house.
They finish up the discussion with a little more thoughts on the “27 Club” and how the number 27 itself might have more than significance. They talk a little about numerology, what the numbers could mean, and how the journey of a rock art is deeply connected with the occult from its very beginnings.
We’re down to our last day of 2014, so what better time to discuss New Year’s traditions and superstitions?
Mike and Wendy begin by sharing their own traditions for celebrating the turn of the year, and then delve into some historical and international New Year’s traditions and superstitions.
Is there something you do each year when midnight of January 1st arrives? We’d love to hear about it, either in the comments below or via our Contact page!
2014 is special to us as it was the “birth year” of this podcast. We appreciate your taking the time to listen to its initial episodes, and we look forward to creating more in 2015.
Did you earn your freedom?
Did you earn your place?
Did you earn the right to spit in my face?
When the shell pushed my head,
into the black,
there was no tunnel,
no one to guide me.
This is the day that I died,
The best day of my life.
As the flesh buckled under,
as the muscle burned.
As I watched the flame,
take the fire from me.
There was no flashing,
there was no white light.
All I had was that moment,
electrify me.
This is the day that I died,
The best day of my life.
No one can understand,
the fortune that it implied.
That was the day that I died,
Don’t even think to cry,
and now I have a chance to be a better man.
This is the day that I died,
The best day of my life.
No one can understand,
No one can understand.
I’m half the skin, but twice the human.
Part machine but more alive.
Less the parts, but greater the sum.
I’m more than the spirit that survived.
This is the day that I died,
The best day of my life.
This is the day that I died,
The best day of my life.
Mike interviews author and paranormal researcher, Chad Lewis. Chad has been featured on such shows as Coast to Coast AM and Discovery Channel’s Legend Trippers. Since they’re both from Wisconsin originally, Chad talks a little about how the state’s fascination with the paranormal and particularly it’s 3 UFO festivals (in Belleville, Elmwood, and Dundee!) is partly responsible for his interest in the world of the weird.
They start the conversation with his book, Hidden Headlines of Wisconsin, which is a compilation of strange and unusual news stories from all around the state in the 19th and early 20th centuries. With thousands of investigations behind the researcher, very quickly the discussion turns to the modern presentation of paranormal headlines and how the media and supernatural shows are often not like real ghost investigations at all. Amazing ghost and psychic experiences seem to happen all the time on cable when the reality of investigation and research is a very different thing. And how “reality” shows might not be so real after all.
The conversation veers into “legend tripping”, a fancy way of describing folklore investigations or going to the places that have inspired ghost stories and myths.
Chad also gives his advice on what kind of paranormal apps people should get for their smart phones, the most important items you should take with you when you go on a paranormal investigation or a legend trip, and they also delve into the mysterious “orbs” that show up in people’s “ghost photos” (spoiler alert: Mike doesn’t believe in them and Chad has an opinion too!)
It’s a fun and lively discussion that goes deep into how the media has changed in its treatment of supernatural and paranormal topics over the years and how the role of the newspaper in daily life in the 19th century has shifted into social media in the 21st.
This is the drama that surrounds us,
This is the path we’ve chosen, for better or for worse,
This is the way of righteous anger,
This is the path of vengeance,
Blessed and coerced.
I don’t want some big production,
To accompany this self-destruction.
I refuse to be the boy who cried wolf.
These are the moments that flow through us,
separate but happening all at once.
This is the timeline that we’re bound to,
ephemeral, ephemeral, not plentiful enough.
I don’t want some downward spiral,
Or an echo chamber of denial.
This is the drama that surrounds us,
These are the moments that flow through us.
This is the drama that surrounds us,
These are the moments that flow through us.
This is the drama that surrounds us.
This is the drama that surrounds us.
I don’t want some big production,
To accompany this self-destruction.
This is the drama that surrounds us,
Ephemeral, ephemeral.
These are the moments that flow through us,
Ephemeral, ephemeral.
This is the drama that surrounds us,
Ephemeral, ephemeral.
These are the moments that flow through us,
Ephemeral, ephemeral.
A rock band's journey into the afterlife, UFOs, entertainment, and weird science.
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