MonsterTalk

February 14, 2018

#149 – WINCHESTER’S CATHEDRAL

The Winchester Mystery House is a sprawling Victorian mansion in San Jose, California. It is a famous piece of American architectural history, yet nearly every story commonly told about its mysterious history is likely untrue. In this episode of MonsterTalk, we are joined by Colin Dickey, author of the fantastic book Ghostland to discuss the case of the Winchester house and some of […]

Regular Episode 25 sec read

January 31, 2018

#148 – MAGIC: SPIRITUALISM AND THEOSOPHY, PART I

The 19th century saw the rise of a variety of secret and secretive movements. Freemasons, Spiritualists, Theosophy and Esoteric Orders give rise to a variety of mystic-themed groups whose influence lurks under the mainstream themes of the 19th century. In this episode of MonsterTalk, we talk with religious studies scholar John L. Crow about the birth of these movements and how they influenced […]

Regular Episode 48 sec read

January 17, 2018

#147 – ALIEN INTRUSION AND THE ULTRATERRESTRIAL HYPOTHESIS

In this episode of MonsterTalk, we return to discussion of the Ultraterrestrial Hypothesis (UTH) and what seems to be its growing influence in paranormal circles. It’s been used to explain UFOs, mothman, bigfoot, fairies, dogman, ghosts and many other phenomena which defy scientific demonstrability. Now it crops up again in a new film event titled Alien Intrusion which turned out to be a […]

Regular Episode 34 sec read

January 3, 2018

#146 – THE TAIL OF THE LIZARD MAN

In this episode of MonsterTalk, we creep narratively into the swamps of South Carolina as we talk of the strange lizard man who is alleged to live in the swamps outside Bishopville. Lyle Blackburn leads our expedition as he recounts the story as told in his book Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster. Lyle previously joined us for episode […]

Regular Episode 57 sec read

December 24, 2017

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #005: THE OPEN WINDOW

For the Annual MonsterTalk Christmas Special, Blake Smith reads The Open Window by H. H. Munro (Saki). Music

A Christmas Ghost Story 8 sec read

December 20, 2017

#145 – FERMI TO KNOW AND UFO TO FIND OUT

MonsterTalk interviews Seth Shostak, chief astronomer for the SETI Institute, and host of their podcast and radio show, Big Picture Science. Our interview questions come from Facebook listeners, and we also comment on recent news regarding secret US government UFO research. Music Monstertalk Theme: Monster by Peach Stealing Monkeys

Regular Episode 13 sec read

December 6, 2017

#144 – UFOS, CHEMTRAILS, AND ALIENS

In this episode of MonsterTalk, we welcome back alum Don Prothero (Episode 22, Episode 43, Episode 68) and first time guest Timothy Callahan to discuss their new book: UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens: What Science Says. From an introduction to the scientific method, to the often overlooked explanations behind many undying legends of the UFO field, the two authors dive deep into the conspiracies, misconceptions, […]

Regular Episode 23 sec read

November 29, 2017

#143 – GRIMOIRES—PART II

MonsterTalk continues its series on Magic with Part II of its coverage of Grimoires. We continue our interview with researcher Jerry Drake, and focus on the view of magic books in various magical traditions of Western Europe. Of Interest The Magus, by Francis Barrett Enochian Language The Book of Enoch Mishnah Incunable Grand Albert (Translated from French) Petit Albert The Grand Grimoire […]

Regular Episode 18 sec read

November 22, 2017

#142 – GRIMOIRES—PART I

In this episode MonsterTalk continues its special series on Magic as it examines the history of Grimoires in Western culture. State Department Archivist Jerry Drake, PhD, discusses the history of magic books, magic writing and how it fits into the history of science. This is the first of a two-part interview. Mentioned in this Episode The Magus, by Francis Barrett Enochian Language […]

Regular Episode 25 sec read

November 15, 2017

#141 – THE CRYPTO-KID

In this episode of MonsterTalk, we interview cryptozoology enthusiast Colin Schneider, a young and enthusiastic researcher of Fortean and paranormal topics about his research into animal exsanguination. It’s a fun discussion of the field of cryptozoology, the disturbing topic of animal mutilation and the work done by the British organization, the Center for Fortean Zoology. Warning: The content of this episode includes graphic […]

Regular Episode 29 sec read