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Wow. Another week flew right by us. As a testament to the awfulness of nature, I actually had to rake again on Thursday afternoon after the lawn was full of leaves again. Where are they coming from ?! Argh. Looking out over the yard now, after another strong storm last night, looks like I'll be raking again this weekend.
I'm warning you ahead of time, this is a mammoth edition of the binnall report. For starters, we've got the section that I've procrastinated on for two weeks, where the binnall report celebrates two years of existence, we move on to the usual bidness, including a look back at dinosaurs, robot heads on the moon, and zombies on the past week's episodes of Coast to Coast AM. We look ahead to poltergeists, the Watchers, and a compassionate coroner on next week's Coast. We preview Dennis Spaulding on BoA : Audio, dip into the mailbag for an announcement about binnall in Las Vegas, we dig into the vault for info on Art Bell's Egypt vacation from 9 years ago. Plus, we've got a first look @ C2C Trading Cards, only in Hot Newz.
Grab a seat, we're gonna be a while.
the binnall report @ 2
As I've mentioned the last two weeks, this month, the binnall report celebrates two years of existence. I'll now pause to reflect and thank some folks. Feel free to skip ahead to the binnall report, proper, if you loathe this stuff.
When I started this dinky little column a couple of years ago, it was just as a fun observation on C2C. I never thought it would spawn the insanity that has become the BoA machine. It has been a wild ride along the way and I've had a blast throughout. It is truly a blessing to live a life where you can take time to think and talk about interesting things and have fun along the way. I hope to never take it for granted.
And now the thanks ... for starters, I should thank the C2C Streamlink forum which was where the binnall report was born and continues to exist. It's strange to know we have a whole new "generation" of Streamlink members who probably have no idea how this whole thing started. Thanks to everyone who has been reading, whether it was from the very beginning, starting just last week, or at some point along the way. Also, thanks to theusofe.com forum, which has become my primary stomping grounds and an awesome clique of insider esoteric discussion.
One key person who was instrumental in the very beginnings of the binnall report and has continued to be a BoA force to this day is Michael "Khyron" Brun. He deserves special thanks and kudos for his tireless support and friendship. Much of what you hear and read @ BoA wouldn't be possible without his help. I'm sure he is as dumbfounded as I am that this has gone on so long. Whodathunk it, K-Man ?
Also deserving tremendous thanks and kudos is Lesley, of Debris Field fame, who joined BoA on a lark a little over a year and a half ago and has gone on to become one of my most trusted allies and closest friends. Lesley is a constant source of inspiration, input, and feedback not just with BoA, but life in general.
When she isn't providing advice or support, she's offering a sympathetic ear so that I can vent or putting up with my oddball quirks. Without her on the team, I would be lost.
Additionally, big thanks to R.Lee who has been around for about a year and is beginning to really come into her own. I see bright things in her future. We're fortunate to still be drawing on the well that is Joe Vee, who was @ BoA before we even started covering esoterica and still shows up from time to time. Also, Ralph Molesworth, who had an enjoyable cup of coffee with us over the Summer into Fall and is sorely missed already.
Of course, we can't forget to thank George "The Noor" Noory, Art Bell, Ian "IP" Punnett, Lex Lonehood, Lisa Lyon and all the great folks who, you know, actually make Coast to Coast. Without them, I'd have nothing to talk about week in and week out. C2C is a cultural institution, those of us who "get it" appreciate it tremendously, trust me. Thanks for all you do.
And, most importantly, I want to thank you, the readers. You are why I do this. Your feedback convinces me to keep going. Your kudos and, yes, complaints, are what makes us grow and evolve. None of this would be possible without the collective BoA supporters, readers, and listeners. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Sigh. Now dry your eyes. The show ain't over, it's just begun ...
The Week That Was
It was Friday the 13th when we finished up last week, so we should have expected a wild Coast that night. Noory and company did not disappoint. They had Sean Casteel on as the pop-in to talk about aliens and angels. Following that, we had full-on insane Friday into Saturday Open Lines that included Dr. Morgus, JC, UFO Phil, and Noory playing "Oh Suzanna" on harmonica. Yikes. All it was missing was Hoagland with a lampshade on his head and it would have been the annual C2C Christmas Party.
Ian had a double shot of goodness on Saturday's early show when first Dr. Kim Paffenroth was the 1st hour guest to talk about the zombie subculture. BoA's senior writer Khyron is a zombie aficionado and did a excellent job of covering this episode in The K-Files, "I enjoyed the hell out of the unfortunately brief interview." Amongst the K-Man's observations were "Ian and Paffenroth discussed the various possibilities behind the recent surge in zombie popularity. Mr. Punnett brought up an interesting point that perhaps it has something to do with post-9/11 anxiety." It sounds like Paffenroth was one of those rare pop-ins that manage to outshine the full show guest and leave an episode feeling deflated.
Lesley of C2C Rewind fame also dug the zombie lady, saying "Paffenroth was a fabulous guest !" The full show guest was Clint Van Zandt, who was talking about hostage negotiations. Lesley said that Van Zandt was "an enjoyable interview, but it seemed to mostly be about FBI mistakes at Waco and Ruby Ridge."
Saturday night on C2C proper, technical difficulties kept Air Bell grounded in the Philippines, so Coast ran the Hoagland / Mike Heiser episode from 10.5.2003. There must be something about that episode, as the last time they had technical difficulties, on 6.18.2006, they ran the exact same episode. Something tells me that there's a tape of this show kept under glass @ C2C HQ with a sign that says, "In the event of an emergency. Break glass, play episode." Kind of scary that Hoagland is the emergency go-to rebroadcast, but also frighteningly fitting.
Sunday on Coast, Art managed to get back on the air and the guest was Peter Ward talking about oxygen and evolution. Much like last week's Korea nuke story that seemed to take over the Sunday show, this week we had an earthquake in Hawaii that became the focus of the show. First, Stan Deyo appeared to talk about the quake and then Art and Ward spent a good portion of the beginning covering it again. It didn't hear much in the way of the ostensible topic for the show, but I zoned out after an hour or so of Ward. That said, what I heard with Deyo and Ward was decent stuff and I'm beginning to like how the current event shaped the show.
Monday, The Noor had a simply majic first hour with Richard C. Hoagland that totally have changed my mind about all that stuff from this Summer. Yes, kids, the Hoagie that we know and love was back, with his discovery of a "robot head on the moon". I crap you not. This, my friends, is exactly why Hoagland became one of my all time favorite esoteric names out there. Hoags ... all is forgiven. It's good to have you back.
Meanwhile, the "robot head" pic wasn't that impressive, but the way Hoagland spun it was outstanding. For what it's worth, it looked more like a panda bear head to me, more than a robot, but I suppose that's why I'm not the C2C science advisor. Kudos go out to Noory for goading him on like a guy watching another guy trip out on acid. Classic Hoagland appearance that obliterated the bulk of his previous awful pop-ins and may win Hoagie of the Year in this year's Coasties.
The full show guest was Pete Siegel, hypnotherapist, to talk about "peak performance". Last week, I was really skeptical about Siegel, but, I figured, I turned out to be dead wrong. Siegel mostly talked about negativity and trying to bring a better outlook to life. It was ephemeral at times, but also pretty understandable, which helped a lot. Siegel also had charisma in buckets and Noory seemed to have a strong repoire with him, which brought the episode up another level. Much better than expected and a nice change of pace from the usual Coast offerings.
Tuesday night, long time dinosaur fan George Noory finally found a guest who could speak his language : Dennis Swift, archaeologist / esoteric researcher. Good to great stuff here, as Swift detailed lots of interesting information about potential evidence for humans and dinosaurs living together. Also, there was some nice side discussion on the impact on traditional science if any of this is proven.
For those keeping score at home, like me, it took Noory 19 minutes until he asked if dinosaurs were still alive somewhere today. Swift seemed to give a tacit endorsement to this idea, so look for him to move a few notches up Noory's favorite guest list. The only downside to the episode seemed to be that there didn't seem to be too much "meat" to it all, as they breezed through dinosaurs rather quickly, then covered Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot and opened up phone lines earlier than usual. I expect, in repeat appearances, that Swift will really shine. He had strong charisma, a great sense of humour, and some interesting esoteric tid bits. Great episode.
Wednesday, it was all about ghosts with David Pitkin. Lots of good ghost stories and interesting observations. I only really half listened to this one and can't really recall much in the way of went down, except that Pitkin had a pretty good sense of humour as well, making me laugh a few times. I know a lot of folks were hoping for more ghost episodes from Coast, so I'm sure this episode was enjoyed by them.
Noory wrapped up the week with Barry Conrad to talk about paranormal documentaries on Thursday. This was a pretty good episode, especially when Conrad was talking about the evolution of making such films and how he dealt with the changing technologies involved. He also had some great first hand perspective on investigating a number of well known cases, including the Flatwoods Monster and Mothman, amongst others. Pretty good episode.
All things considered, I'd call it a pretty strong week. Nothing dipped below the "good" barometer and, more often than not, the episode exceeded expectations and turned out to be quite good.
The Week That Is
We kick it off tonight with an ultra rare Art Bell hosted Friday into Saturday Open Lines. I was reminiscing this past week about an episode in 2003 when Art guest hosted and had a "Time Traveler" line and it was an amazing episode. Bell pure OL nights are proof of the axiom "less is more", as they are few and far between and, more often than not, quite good. I expect it to be a fun night and perhaps a precursor to Ghost to Ghost.
The "Ian" early show on Saturday features John Lash as the guest, talking about the Gnostics as well as the goddess Sophia. I'll put even money on Ian making a Sophia Loren joke. Lash is a mixed bag. When he appeared in 2005 with Art Bell, I thought the interview was "craptacular" and "fugly". But ... a little less than a year later, he was on with The Noor and put in a strong showing. So, he's going for the tiebreaker here with Ian.
Saturday night on C2C proper, Art Bell will be covering the hereafter with Janis Amatuzio. Janis has the nickname of the "compassionate coroner". Harumph ! There's only one "compassionate coroner" in my book and it's a man by the name of Quincy M.E. Aside from that, I'm sure she will bring some great, true stories of passing over that will be chilling as all hell. Could be very strong.
Sunday night on Coast, Art has the re-scheduled Stephen Schwartz as the guest and the topic will be consciousness and water. I already bemoaned the consciousness overkill, so I'll save you that drama. Depending on what he brings to the table and if Stephen can use the schwartz, it may turn out to be a pretty good.
Monday night, The Noor returns from another weekend of book touring to welcome Howard West who claims to have deciphered some ancient manuscripts that reveal the identities of "The Watchers". Sounds interesting. If it gets wild, this could be sweet. There's always danger that it will be a tad dry, though.
Tuesday, Kevin Todeschi is the guest. The topic will be Edgar Cayce. Some may recall that Todeschi was originally scheduled for 9.26.2006, but ended up dropping from the schedule within a day or two and replaced with Stanton Friedman. Anyway, Noory is a big time Cayce fan and Todeschi is the spokesman for some foundation called A.R.E., which Cayce founded, so it should be a solid episode. It may follow along "company lines" as Todeschi seems to be in the employ of Cayce folks, but that will just give us something interesting to look for when we read between the lines of his stuff.
David Darling returns to C2C on Wednesday to talk about evolution, immortality, the afterlife and other esoteric buzz words. Darling has put in a bunch of episodes, but I can't recall much about him. I think he may fill that Robert Zimmerman area of C2C guest, being as close to mainstream as possible. This isn't Darling's first time at the rodeo, so he should have some strong material for his Coast appearance and may turn this into the dark horse surprise episode of the week.
Halloween fever is in full effect on Thursday as Brad Steiger will be tackling poltergeists. Steiger is a proverbial legend in esoterica and almost always brings strong stuff. I expect with such a focused topic, this will be a good to great episode.
Pretty good, on paper, week ahead on Coast. Any number of these episodes could turn out to be quite good.
BoA : Audio
This Week : Dennis Spaulding, co-author of "My Search for the Afterlife". Dennis Spaulding comes to BoA : Audio to tell us the story of how he lost his son, how it awakened an interest in searching for afterlife answers, and how his son helped guide him from beyond. Amongst the topics discussed are numeric codes from beyond the grave, animal messages, dreams and visions, mediums, and tons more.
His website is www.mysearchfortheafterlife.com
You can hear an MP3 preview of Dennis Spaulding on BoA : Audio HERE ** Just right click and then "save target as".
Next Week : Scott Corrales, author of "Chupacabras and Other Mysteries", joins BoA : Audio to go in-depth on the Chupacabra mystery. We cover the strange beast from a plethora of different angles, including it's physical appearance and traits, paranormal elements to the Chupa, the sociological aspect of the mid-90's Chupacabra wave, the potential Chupa migration, why they seem to come in waves, the startling count of dead animals that may be Chupa related, and tons more.
Plus we talk about Latin American Ufology. Scott's early influences, the differences between US and Latin UFO research, the strange allure of NASA to Latin countries, why Mexico seems to be a UFO hotbed, and much more.
His website is www.inexplicata.blogspot.com
binnall report mailbag
Letter #1
(Re : Jeffrey Epstein on the 9.10.2006 edition of C2C, that binnall missed ...)
I caught this one. George took a fairly aggressive stance on this one.
and Jeffrey Epstein handled himself fairly well i thought. I thought it made for pretty good radio.
Worth a revisit IMHO
Streamlink member Steve-Nighthawk Thanks for the head's up, Steve. I'll be the first to admit that there are often episodes that slip through the cracks here @ the binnall report. It's good folks like you who alert me to what I missed and we then include it here for the proverbial record. Sounds like the Epstein episode was better than I expected. I'll try and go back and check it out.
Letter #2 :
binnall,
Will you be attending the UFO Crash Retrieval Conference in November ?
Clint in El Paso, TX After last year's choke, where I hoped and planned on attending the UFO CRC and ended up failing to do so, I am happy to report that, yes, I will be attending this year's festivities. It looks to be quite a line up and I'm looking forward to attending my first conference in about 18 months. Things have changed quite a bit in that time, so it will be interesting to see what the experience is like this time around.
I'll have more to say about the UFO CRC in the near future, as it is less than a month away.
Questions ? Comments ? Send them to tbinnall@hotmail.com
This Week in C2C History
10.20.2005 : The greatest storyteller in C2C history, Lionel Fanthorpe, was the guest to unload some ghoulish tales on the C2C audience, including this gem, "The Croglin Grange Vampire case from Cumberland, England dates back to around 1870 (though events may have taken place earlier), in which a scarecrow-like creature was traced back to a tomb, where a mummified corpse was found with fresh blood on its lips." (c2c.com)
10.20.1999 : Sounds like a real classic on C2C 7 years ago, "Tonight's program is open lines all night with a special line reserved for anyone that is a member of a secret society or a disenfranchised member." Some of the highlights included, "Another master Mason calls in and refutes the first mason caller and Art agrees that some of his answers didn't ring right. A caller from the 1st United Ocerian Chapter of the Followers of Horace discusses his organization with Art. ... A member of The Mystical Order of the Declawed Gerbils tries to talk with Art, but he doesn't buy it." (artbell.com cd rom)
10.20.1997 : Apparently, Art Bell went to Egypt 9 years ago. Here's his report from the trip, "Art says his trip was nothing short of incredible. Art received carte blanch while in Egypt from the Director of Antiquities, barred from absolutely nothing. Art tells some amazing stories about Giza ... Art was given a demonstration of how the blocks were made for the pyramids. There was one fellow with a sledge hammer and a large rock of limestone, and Art was very skeptical, didn't think he could ever break that rock. Of course he did break it, exactly in half. The director said, "See Art, this is how the pyramids were built." Art said it was a mind blowing moment." (artbell.com cd rom) There's tons more from this episode and I wish we could hear it again soon.
End Notes
Sigh. And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust. Heeeey ! Thank you, I'll be back next week.
Plugs : Tomorrow @ binnallofamerica.com, it's BoA : Audio with our guest Dennis Spaulding, talking about his book "My Search for the Afterlife". Sunday, it's Lesley's C2C Rewind & smoker dave is updated. Monday, the annual BoA tradition begins. We look back @ 2005's 12 Guests C2C Needs. Who made the cut ? Who was left out in the cold ? Tuesday, Lesley's Classic Grey Matters looks at Part 2 of her take on the Paul Bennewitz story. Wednesday, Khyron's The K-Files. Thursday, Hot Newz, featuring pics from the '05 C2C Halloween party. And, of course, we go orange and black for next week's Halloween themed binnall report.
binnallofamerica.com ... trick or treat, bitch.
With time left to spare, we conclude this week's binnall report. Thanks for joining in on the fun. Until next week, this is binnall ... signing off.