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Thank you! We're hard at work on the next one :)

I've just listened to a few episodes, very good, I enjoy your enthusiastic but grounded take on the supernatural. I listened to the episode where other podcasters tell of their encounters, I did find the lady who visited the graveyard to be very OTT in terms of what she said and how she said it. I'm mindful of some her comments and those of the other American lady who visited the Edinburgh vaults in light of what some other posters have said upthread about the differences between US and UK approaches - American's are a lot more "spirits/portals/protection/demons", whereas the UK approach is more down to earth. Not surprising really, given our differing national temperaments. That said, I'm sure they are plenty of sensible American enthusiasts and OTT British ones.
 
Thank you, I must admit that Tessa is normally enthusiastic but her story did come across a bit more as a performance than her usual self! In my experience, you are right that US TV and podcasts do tend to seem a little more dramatic than UK based shows though, as you say, we've encountered opposites of the trend in both cases. I think, like in cinema, there seems to be a push to keep getting more exciting and to break new ground to compete with 'the competition' or perhaps more likely in TV at least to ensure further series.

Having spoken to a few US based podcasters and people 'in the field', there is also a bit more of the on air/camera personality from the US folks. We tend to have a bit of a chat before and after interviews and it is more common for the US folks to 'switch on' when actually recording that doesn't happen as much with the UK folks. If anything, the UK guys tend to be more enthusiatic and chatty 'off air'. I will say though that the team from Haunt ME are pretty much as they come across! They were great fun.
 
I wish they'd stick to the paranormal. Episode 17 about a prolific child-killer from Ecuador was too grim to listen all the way through.

There are a few podcasts like that. Expanded Perspectives spring to mind and they'll delve into a serial killer or something. I just delete it.
 
We managed to sneak out inbetween lockdowns! Not sure when we can get out again next :(
 
Thank you, I must admit that Tessa is normally enthusiastic but her story did come across a bit more as a performance than her usual self! In my experience, you are right that US TV and podcasts do tend to seem a little more dramatic than UK based shows though, as you say, we've encountered opposites of the trend in both cases. I think, like in cinema, there seems to be a push to keep getting more exciting and to break new ground to compete with 'the competition' or perhaps more likely in TV at least to ensure further series.

Having spoken to a few US based podcasters and people 'in the field', there is also a bit more of the on air/camera personality from the US folks. We tend to have a bit of a chat before and after interviews and it is more common for the US folks to 'switch on' when actually recording that doesn't happen as much with the UK folks. If anything, the UK guys tend to be more enthusiatic and chatty 'off air'. I will say though that the team from Haunt ME are pretty much as they come across! They were great fun.

Listened to your interview with Ruth Roper Wylde, have seen her speak once and spoke to her briefly afterwards. She has a logical, sensible but open minded approach to research. I was struck by her comment about anniversary hauntings, why would the person/people/event replay every 365 days? And 20/50/100th anniversary hauntings are even more ludicrous. However, she did say that while there's no anniversary haunting on the date that she's found, there seemed to be a ramp of hauntings "around the time" say that month, the lady who presents the podcasts (sorry my brain is a sieve with names) did ask if it's because people knew it was near the anniversary and so were thinking about it. I think it could work that way with suggestible witnesses and some people researches will be out and about more on or near anniversaries. I'd like to know how much activity ramps up around anniversaries and how much busier it is really than the rest of the year, my own feeling with hauntings is that the activity is largely random.
 
Good to see the Podcast section back in the magazine recently! I've told my mum not to renew the gift subscription she's been getting me for years but had the past two issues and noticed it there.
 
Just a one off - Joe Rogan has interviewed Travis Walton (he of the famous/infamous UFO abduction). Broadcast date: January 19. Running time: 127 minutes.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mCfpeY0Ga4meTanFzOkkL?si=Z9M1GBEAQZWD0CYAZQobJA
Did Travis tell the exact same stuff he talked about at every single conference he was invited to? (which is many x2)
It's sort of a joke in paranormal convention circles. He's the perpetual guest.
Got to give Walton credit, though, he has milked his thing for an extremely long time.
 
Did Travis tell the exact same stuff he talked about at every single conference he was invited to? (which is many x2)
It's sort of a joke in paranormal convention circles. He's the perpetual guest.
Got to give Walton credit, though, he has milked his thing for an extremely long time.
Wasn't there a long period when he didn't want to talk about his experience?
 
Wasn't there a long period when he didn't want to talk about his experience?
I certainly missed that. I don't go to many paracons and I've encountered him 3 times. Same story at each one.
 
I was just watching this
- I rather enjoy this chap's (sometimes dryly amusing) take on various criminals (look, don't judge my true crime habit please) but this time he's talking about Travis Walton.

I must say, I don't know what to make of the story entirely. As you say, Sharon Hill, he's certainly made some money out of it over the years. That might be quite motivating. And Dr Grande also has a monetary theory. But (without invoking any actual aliens or abduction), Walton is one of these people who had Weird Experiences as a child (eg some large-headed little figure coming to see him in the night... the sort of thing we'd have put down to fairies in a previous time). So maybe he did experience something real (to him at least) and so when he's recalling it he's not "making it up" deliberately. ?? (there's a recentish film isn't there? which I must get round to watching).
 
I was just watching this
- I rather enjoy this chap's (sometimes dryly amusing) take on various criminals (look, don't judge my true crime habit please) but this time he's talking about Travis Walton.

I must say, I don't know what to make of the story entirely. As you say, Sharon Hill, he's certainly made some money out of it over the years. That might be quite motivating. And Dr Grande also has a monetary theory. But (without invoking any actual aliens or abduction), Walton is one of these people who had Weird Experiences as a child (eg some large-headed little figure coming to see him in the night... the sort of thing we'd have put down to fairies in a previous time). So maybe he did experience something real (to him at least) and so when he's recalling it he's not "making it up" deliberately. ?? (there's a recentish film isn't there? which I must get round to watching).

There's a 1990s film called Fire in the Sky (which I saw at the pictures, and there was hardly anyone else there), but don't go expecting an accurate version of Travis's story, they pretty much invented a bunch of stuff to replace his story. Whether you think Travis invented a bunch of stuff too is up to you.
 
There's a 1990s film called Fire in the Sky (which I saw at the pictures, and there was hardly anyone else there), but don't go expecting an accurate version of Travis's story, they pretty much invented a bunch of stuff to replace his story. Whether you think Travis invented a bunch of stuff too is up to you.
I have that on DVD.
 
There's a 1990s film called Fire in the Sky
Ah thank you GNC. I will have to find that today for fun. Also, I thought maybe I was going mad and that, being an old codger, I had assumed the 90s were recent... it's sad getting old haha... but there is another which is a documentary from 2015 now I actually try to look, called 'Travis - The true story of Travis Walton', so perhaps that's what I was thinking of. Though 6 years isn't that recent either!

With regard to his story always being the same - To a certain extent, if anyone was recounting anything that happened that long ago, they would definitely be retelling their story of it, rather than any original memory, if you see what I mean. So that would keep your story straight perhaps? Or perhaps the opposite, that you'd start embellishing over time without noticing? (No, actually that thought's not really helping, is it).
 
I have that on DVD.

If you have access to Amazon Prime, both 'Fire in the Sky' and a documentary on the subject called 'Travis - The True Story of Travis Walton' are available to watch. His story is an iconic one in Ufology, up there with Betty & Barny Hill, the Zamora sighting, the Kecksburg incident, the Pascagoula abduction amongst others, whether it be true or not (even if only partially true).
You can't blame the guy for making a dollar or two from his tale either. If I was able do the same for 45 years, I would too.
 
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Did Travis tell the exact same stuff he talked about at every single conference he was invited to? (which is many x2)
It's sort of a joke in paranormal convention circles. He's the perpetual guest.
Got to give Walton credit, though, he has milked his thing for an extremely long time.

*Irony alert*

Yeah like many he's made a living out of this crap...
 
My point about the same story is why do they keep inviting him? He's not a researcher who comes up with new ideas to share. It's boring. As I said, I didn't go to many events but he was at them all, it was a given. I recall him sitting in the vendors room giving autographs but no one was at his table. It was sad.
 
What's that phrase... when you're tired of hearing people talk about the same old alien abduction from 50 years ago, you're tired of life? Poor bloke, most people don't want to hear him tell his story again because they think he's a nut, and as for the others, they've heard it all before eh.

Time to get reabducted I'd say.
 
What's that phrase... when you're tired of hearing people talk about the same old alien abduction from 50 years ago, you're tired of life? Poor bloke, most people don't want to hear him tell his story again because they think he's a nut, and as for the others, they've heard it all before eh.

Time to get reabducted I'd say.

Don't give him ideas, it may just happen.
 
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When you go to a Rolling Stones concert, you want to hear the hits. Mr Walton must have the same attitude.

But I do wonder if he's told this so often, in fact he'd told it hundreds of times back in the 1970s, that it becomes self-perpetuating, and the story supplants any facts of the case, whatever they may or may not be.
 
Whatever you think of the podcast the latest episode's final reader-submitted story should be listened to. One of the best I've heard, just Brilliant
That was amazing, NF. Excellent recommendation, thank you so much. The story is great. But his accent - I could listen to Lee talk about anything, all day. I could listen to him reading the phone book. (I know it says he's from Delaware but what sort of accent is that? Is that a Delaware accent?) I feel ludicrously chilled out now.
 
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