Culture of Contact Episode 29: Nick Redfern Hunts Cookie Monster
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Professional monster hunter, alcoholic, and author of the new Memoirs of a Monster Hunter, Nick Redfern, takes us deep inside a maze of ghoulies, bigfeet, chupacabras, aliens, and all things that go bump in the night.
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MP3 VERSION OF PODCAST
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http://wurl.us/23e4
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Culture of Contact Episode 29 - Nick Redfern.mp3
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I enjoyed this interview with Nick Redfern. Quite a pleasant, reasonable chap, isn't he?
Now, what was that about a group inside the Pentagon that believed that the UFOs/aliens were actually demons out to steal our souls?
Whaaa, what?
Sheesh, those black budget ops will fund just about anything! But seriously, I've never heard of this demon task force inside the pentagon before. Have you Jeremy? What are your thoughts on that?
I liked the idea of the aliens/sasquatches as tulpas. Not a new theory, I realize, but certainly one that deserves merit (imho). I remember seeing a 50's sci-fi movie whose entire premise was based on fighting monsters from the id. Damn good sci-fi for its time.
Nick also touched upon the elusive, trickster-like aspects of these various creatures. Which of course makes being a monster hunter a rather frustrating task when these "intelligences" go into hiding when the hunters show up. It would be interesting to see how Nick's mindset might change if he were to actually encounter any of these creatures face-to-face on his expeditions.
Thank you again for bringing us yet another great interview.
Long may you hunt, Nick!
PS: Looking forward to hearing to next week's interview with Dr. Leo Sprinkle. Are you going to get into your experiences with him to get his take on it?
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"I remember seeing a 50's sci-fi movie whose entire premise was based on fighting monsters from the id. Damn good sci-fi for its time."
You're thinking of "Forbidden Planet," which was a hell of a movie, especially for the time.
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Yes, that was it! Brilliant, it was.
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One of the classics Daniel!
I wonder if there's YouTube clips of it?
I'd be a great feature for my Saturday Matinee!
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I'd = It'd
(repeat to myself, grammar, grammar, grammar!)
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dad Yes, there are lots of youtube clips of it. Just use Forbidden Planet as your search term and you'll get a few clips.
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Robby the Robot was the star of the movie, in terms of acting ability. I heard he was really working undercover for the Borg at the time.
While I enjoyed the movie, I think it jumped the shark by having a cook on the US scaucer who was a boozer and as unmilitary as you can get. I guess he was the comedy relief. And the mad scientist's daughter had a classic Elizabeth Taylor beauty mark and wore the outfit you'd expect on Superman's mom on Krypton. Didn't the scaucer guys also have these greyish uniforms with a little fin on each shoulder, like many of the cars at the time?
They just don't make visions of the future the way they used to.
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Daniel Brenton is a brilliant guy who shares his insights on his personal blog (available via google). I highly recommend it as a premiere site on the internet. Daniel has also been interviewed by Jeremy and on the Paracast.
I truly hope he participates in the Culture of Contact comments board with increasing frequency. I look forward to his wit and objectivity in speculating on the paranormal world.
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I agree. I just wish you were not "Will C" aka "Arizona Will" in disguise because then I'd be able to tell if you meant it or were trying to bait Alfred. I sure hope you're not trying to bait him because I don't think Brenton would appreciate it and you are friends with him, right? (Or at least friendly enough that you wouldn't want to hurt him, maybe?)
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Obviously, my real name is not Telulabell Larew. However, I am quite serious about Daniel Brenton's writing talent and his articles.
The only person who ever baits Alfred is Alfred.
I do not give Alfred the power to hurt anyone but himself with his blog rantings. I never meant to hurt Daniel. Fear not, Telulabell is history.
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LAST POST: Jeremy, as Daniel's friend, I would think you would have some leverage to reign in Alfred from these totally insane and unjustified ongoing attacks on Daniel in his blog. They are childish and irrational. For one thing, Will C. and Daniel are totally different people. Daniel had nothing to do with any "behind the scenes whispering or conspiring to have him removed from this precious board", as Alfred claims. I therefore ask you, Jeremy, to follow your own words and do something to stop this madness in the guy you reportedly "love". I guess people love pitbulls too, until they kill an innocent person. That's what is going on here in literary form. Of course, Alfred has no power to inflict any real pain. Daniel is a man of honor and strength. There is just no contest here.
And now, having broken the ban, I apologize and will not return again. I have also asked Daniel that we sever any communications so that he can pursue his goals without me unintentionally creating embarrassment or problems.
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REDACTED FIRST PARAGRAPH - I apologize. I don't want to contribute to anymore undue negativity here
As Daniel's friend I have spoken to Alfred about it. Really that's all I can do. I don't have any power to reign anybody in. I'm not anyone's keeper. Contrary to your opinion, Alfred is not my dog. I don't agree with his tearing apart Daniel and I've told him as much. I understand why he's doing it--that is, I get his point of view--but I don't agree with it. What more can I do except voice disagreement and urge him to let it go, which I've done numerous times? (Done numerous times unreported until now because it's really none of anyone's business. However, if you're going to bring it up as a naive charge against me, it's worth saying now.)
Right. I can stop being Alfred's friend. Cut him off. Because that's what you would do, I should too, right? I have a different view on friendship. Sorry. My view is this: Two friends have a beef with each other, I'm there for them both, I'll step in where I can, but it's not my place to stamp a scarlet letter on one unless it's so egregious that such action is demanded.
Has Daniel done a whisper campaign to get Alfred booted from various places? I think that depends on how one defines it. I don't define it that way but I can see why Alfred does. So no, I don't find either friend a great Satan. Anything more I have to say will be in private to Daniel & Alfred because this ain't Jerry Springer.
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I second lotusland on the interview Jer, I would've liked to party with Redfern back in the day.
The idea that the Pentagon investigated the possibility that 'extraterrestrial biological entities' are in fact 'extraterrestrial materialized entities' goes back to the late 1980s, early 1990s with a discovery of a MJ-12 document stating that these entities could go through walls and other solid objects. The military found this out when they tried to incarcerate some of these beings.
Undoubtedly you already know about the MJ-12 documents and the question about their validity.
Just my take.
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Let's see if I can't get this all in one post....
Lotus, thanks a billion for the MP3 yet again. I spoke to Nick for a while after the interview about that Pentagon group. The book should be fascinating. It doesn't surprise me that such a group exists because the Pentagon has funded all sorts of "crazy" stuff. For more on that, check out The Men Who Stare At Goats, by Jon Ronson.
I didn't specifically get into my personal experiences with Leo, just in a general way. It's clear what his answer to such things is though.
Daniel, welcome back! Yes, Forbidden Planet kicked much hiney. The sets & art design are still awesome to this day. Very creepy flick. Very Freudian. Daddy likey. Speaking of whom...
Dad, are you saying you believe that about the incarcerating of aliens? If so, why that over any other story?
Glad you guys-n-gal liked the show. I'll ask Nick if he wants to come here and talk a bit about the group.
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I'm not sure Jeremy. I did see the video of an 'alien' being incarcerated by the military and 'questioned' by a military telepath. Of course this is on the Internet and half of what one sees in cyberspace is suspect.
I've been studying alternative history since I cut my wisdom teeth on Von Daniken in 1972 when I was thirteen years old, so I'm more familiar with the 'nuts and bolts' theories about UFOlogy than the Vallee version (or the variations) being expressed here and on other sites.
I believe the government has had contact with 'something' and has very little control over it, thus the denials and useful cover for black-projects. As for the 'alien' video and Dan Burisch stories, I think it's disinformation.
But the baby shouldn't be thrown out in the bath water so to speak, the old nuts and bolts theories shouldn't be discounted totally.
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As for Bigfoot and other crypto-creatures possibly part of Vallee's hypothesis, it's interesting, but I'm not convinced.
Despite claims of 'no evidence' by mainstream zoologists, there's way too much physical circumstantial evidence left by Bigfoot for it to be a physical creature.
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Did you see the episode of Monster Quest where Dr. Jeff Meldrum went up to an isolated cabin in northern Ontario? A sasquatch had previously trashed the cabin, including ripping the bathroom sink right out of the wall, tearing all the cupboards off their hinges, etc - the damage was extensive. Local teenage mischief was ruled out as the cabin is 200 miles from any city and is only accessible by air. Damage by bear was also ruled out.
Anyway, Jeff and the monster hunters descended on this cabin. On their last night there, something started throwing rocks at them from within the trees. They threw rocks back. And the thing in the woods would toss more at them. You could tell Meldrum was visibly shaken by this experience. Meldrum mentioned that rock throwing is a very typical primate thing to do, especially for a territorial male.
Aside from the rock throwing contest, they were able to collect hair and tissue sample from a previous visit by the sasquatch. The results, as I recall, were "primate", but not of any known one on record.
So yes, the sasquatch has a very physical component. It might just be smart enough to avoid us for the most part, thus finding safety in mythos. I live in Sasquatch country (British Columbia) where sightings are a regular occurrence. I grew up hearing about them being reported on the news all the time. When I was a child we had a farm on a mountain side, and there were hairy creatures that would stand up on the ridge and wave at us. We, being kids, would wave back. Seemed to be the neighbourly thing to do. Creature waves at you, you wave back. As children, we didn't unusual at all. The farm is now a snazzy subdevelopment and I'm sure the happy-go-lucky hairy creatures we saw as children are long gone.
The large hairy biped also has this paranormal aspect to it as Nick points out. They are known to vanish from sight, and trails of footprints suddenly will cease as though the creature had been airlifted out. Where do they go and where do they come from? The most chilling story I heard about this was via Colm Kelleher in the Hunt for the Skinwalker book. He and another researcher were out at night with night vision googles. They watched an iris open up and dilate in mid-air. A long lighted tunnel was revealed, through which a creature was crawling upwards. When it reached the opening, it stepped out. It was hairy and bipedal. The iris then closed up and the creature strode off quickly into the trees. Needless to say the researchers were completely freaked by this experience. How can the mind process an event like that?
I would love it if Nick could investigate this ranch at some point. Maybe the weirdness would return and parade for his cameras.
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Yes I did. I believe the one creature stepped on a plank with wood-screws set through it, *ook-greett, arck-ick, errgg!* (translation from the Sasquatch: f*ckin' ouch!)
Inconclusive primate, yeah, I remember.
But I don't know about the mystic part though, many forest creatures are stealthy as hell. Regular white-tail deer for example, those darn things can make themselves curl into a ball so tight that they can hide behind a six-inch tree and you'd never see it!
But I'll keep an open mind about it. Another item for me to study.
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Hey Jeremy,
I'm aware of the program the military had running that tried to use the power of the mind to stop the hearts of goats and dogs. I understand that they were successful in some cases. Even Uri Geller was recruited to do this. He was asked to kill a pig by stopping its heart. Uri is a vegetarian, so this wasn't something he was too keen on doing, so he exited from this mind-testing program at that point.
Those who succeeded in killing these animals with their minds didn't realize something that all occultists are well aware of: whatever energy you send out, be it benign/harmful, will be returned to you several-fold. There was one fellow who was particularly good at killing goats this way, and his own heart eventually stopped beating. After that, the military abandoned this idea (or so we are told). The occultists who practise the dark arts know that they must also create a counter-force to shield themselves from the harmful effects that they intend for another. These military guys had no such protection.
There was also a high ranking officer who believed people could walk through walls if they set their minds to it. He spent a lot of time on this, which resulted in a lot of bruised foreheads from what I understand. I think he was eventually quietly retired. I saw all of this in a documentary a while ago and my memory of the details is a bit fuzzy.
What I wasn't aware of was the Pentagon demon task force. This takes this to a whole other level. It's one thing to think the mind has power to influence objects/living beings, but quite another to believe that there are demonic entities out there stalking us, stealing our souls. It's the latter that I find difficult to believe that the Pentagon would be investing resources in. But weirder things have been done in the name of competitive military intelligence gathering.
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That was part of a MJ-12 document I was noting, instead of 'demons', 'angels', etc., the term 'extraterrestrial-materialized-entities' (EMEs) was used. And yes, the Pentagon was studying this, if one is to believe MJ-12 at all.
The author of the document did go on to discuss everyone should study their Bibles and stuff.
If you have the stomach for Linda Howe, check out her site and there's 'copies' of some MJ-12 papers in her archives.
I'm not a huge fan of Howe, but info is info. Even a lie has a hint of truth.
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I don't understand the Linda Howe hate. To me she's someone like any one else: She gets stuff wrong sometimes. But basically she's helpful, no? She ain't exactly Paola Harris.
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I don't exactly 'hate' her stuff, it's just she goes too viral at times with only half of the information. The rest she archives so you have to pay to read or study the rest of it.
And I find her stuff hard to discern at times. Maybe I'm not smart enough to gleen through the chaff. Just like those MJ-12 documents, helpful to a degree, but with that taint of 'plausable deniability'.
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The Chad Drone sighting was a viral case in point. No way to confirm the credibilty of "chad", and of course, the photoshop/3D geeks spent weeks disassembling those photos. It probably shouldn't have got the attention it did.
To balance that, the disappearing honey bee problem was something she made viral, and rightly so. Everyone should be concerned about that.
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I see your point. I find it odd that she has a pay archive but I guess...Linda gotta eat!
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As the pedigree of the MJ-12 documents is quite suspect, I haven't spent much time reading them. As you mentioned, they may contain some truthful elements, but I lack the discernment to tell what is truth and what is not at that level.
As for LMH, I don't have any issues with her. I like quite a bit of what she's done and I certainly wouldn't mind grabbing a coffee with her.
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In the "for what it's worth" category:
I recall Al Bielek made the claim, I think in the late 1980s, that some bright boy discovered greys could be prevented from walking through walls by putting them in Faraday cages. For those unfamiliar with the concept, Wikipedia has an explanation at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
Mr. Bielek, in my mind, is one of those folks who would say some really interesting things, but two sentences later would plunge off the edge of the world into some kind of bizarre fantasy land. Caveat emptor.
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Interesting. Did he say who the bright boy was or if the grey found a different route?
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I don't recall him specifying who figured this out, though he implied that this method worked. You have to keep in mind that his story is that he was one of the sailors on board the USS Eldridge when the Philadelphia Experiment was performed. Flying saucers enter the picture, then Montauk shows up down the road, etc. A quick Google search will turn up a lot of information that puts his credibility in serious doubt. Fun stuff to think about, though -- and I suspect this is the bottom line: the guy had a talent for latching onto ideas that were fascinating enough that people would get caught up in them for a while.
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In regard to Bielek's claims, Vallee suggests that the real experiment had to do with making the USS Eldridge invisible to radar. I don't know if that's true, but it makes more sense to me than the nonsense Bielek has trotted out. A good number of hucksters have made a meager living off the fantastic story though. Just my take.
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Leo Sprinkle Primer
As Jeremy is having Dr. Sprinkle on next week as his guest, I thought some of you might like to get a feel for his position on abductees. Here's an interview that covers some of his ideas on this topic and other paranormal encounters.
http://wurl.us/23eb
Enjoy!
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Had I the money I would hire you for something.
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Just remember me when you're rich and famous! A small estate in the south of France would be adequate compensation, I should think.
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The first question didn't make choke on my tea. I think I have read too many of Nick's books, already knew he was a drunk and very hot for his wife.
Nice try though.
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I'll try harder next time, eh?
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I knew you would understand!
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Sounds like my kinda guy. Actually, I want to have Jeremy's baby or get a pet hamster.
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Thanks for having me back,Jeremy, and freely admit your love for me is likely _greatly_ exagereated... ...or is it, you _savage_ sausage of seriously _saucy_ salaciousness? Mmmm-mm! Kitchy-koo ya' big pookums!
That said: Mr. "C" is vouchsafed the grateful indulgence of our friend and loved one, one David Biedny, who is hot to purchase a "Paracrat hat" for same, so life is not _entirely_ over for the interested, right? ...suspect he'll live to 'contribute' again...
Heartwarming. Indeed, heart warming almost to a burn.
_That_ said: Mr. Redfern, efficacious alcoholic and death-metal punk rocker, is likely the sort of person we either wish we were or would grow up to be, eh?
Too, his is an aspect continuing to bear appreciation even when you don't agree with his conclusions, am I right?
Great interview... very deft... round, firm, and fully packed, verily! You continue to exceed yourself, if I may.
Sail on! And thanks for the consideration of having me back. Seriously, apart from baiting myself (on which I tried to determine some small mechanics and have not)I will make every effort to behave.
Mostly... I'll only come out at night, mostly.
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You may want to hold your tongue on the butt-licking good times. I didn't actually allow you back. There must be a ghost in the machine or something. Or maybe godaddy only bans an IP address for a certain amount of time? I dunno. But I didn't allow you back. Nevertheless, The Fates have spoken and so as long as you leave Daniel alone. and he you, you are welcome here.
Will, I've had enough of, with his coming and going and pouting and hypocrisy and "just joking" insults. REDACTED - Can't we all just get along? Was Rodney King so out of touch?
Nevertheless he's free to come and go as he pleases so long as he abides by same where you are concerned.
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Hey Guys
Jeremy asked if I could comment more on the Pentagon-Satanic UFOs story.
Basically, this is a story I've been researching for a couple of years and have a book coming out on it all - probably in about a year from now.
As I mentioned in the interview with Jeremy, this was NOT an official project, like Sign, Grudge, or Blue Book.
But more of an Iran-Contra type affair, with people who had this belief (that aliens were demons) getting together in what began as informal, after-work-hours discussions.
That then developed into a quasi-official think-tank group that had a degree of official funding (particularly in the Reagan years).
In summary, the group believed (these are just some of the bigger points) that Roswell was a sort of Trojan Horse designed to make the official world believe that vulnerable aliens crashed, when it was an ingenious ploy to seed the idea of aliens to mask their real identity.
They believe that the events at Roswell were a direct response to certain events undertaken in 46/47 by Jack Parsons.
They believe that the Earth is a farm, that the "techno-demons" do not want to destroy us or help us. Rather, they want to preserve the herd so that it stays at a healthy level for them to feed upon.
The scenario the group believes is that these beings feed on energy (that's a simplistic term, of course) derived from the human soul.
And so, in the view of the group, on Earth we are the equivalent of the cows, munching grass in the field; and then upon death our souls are harvested for a techno-demon soul-feeding.
There's much more to it, but that's the essence.
I would stress several things: (a) the beliefs of the group (which was made up of mainly DIA personnel, but several other agencies too) were based upon in large part their own views of religion, life after death etc; (b) the reason why the group flourished in the 80s was because there were certain people in the official world that shared similar views and were in a position to offer funding to this group in a fashion that avoided any official oversight; and (c) I would stress that these beliefs are the beliefs of the group - they are NOT my beliefs. I'm certainly not a mouth-piece for this group: it's more a case of me telling the story of how the group came to exist, why it existed and how it came to believe what it believed.
Interestingly, during the course of researching this semi-official think-tank, I found evidence that other people and groups within the defense-intel world had expressed similar concerns and satanic-UFO theories in the late 60s and early 70s and that there was very probably a similar group in existence then.
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Thanks, Nick. That's fascinating--especially the link to Parsons. This book oughtta be a doozy.
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Wow -- Troglodyte Reagan cold war Politicoids convinced the occupants of UFOs were the demon seed?
Does anyone else look a little more favorably on the occupants of UFOs?
alienview@roadrunner.com
> www.AlienView.net
>> AVG Blog -- http://alienviewgroup.blogspot.com/
>>> U F O M a g a z i n e -- www.ufomag.com
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