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BOA : Audio

2.12.14

Eric Altman

(2 Hours, 3 Minutes)


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BoA:Audio journeys back to the realm of the Bigfoot as Eric Altman of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society joins us for a long-overdue cryptid edition of the program where we delve into all the latest happenings in the world of Bigfoot research and examine the 'big picture' issues which continue to pose a conundrum for cryptozoology. A comprehensive two hours of Bigfoot talk that covers tons of stuff and really leaves almost no stone unturned.

Amongst the many, many topics covered in this packed conversation are the explosion in mainstream popularity for Bigfoot, the Rick Dyer 'Bigfoot body' story, the saga of Justin Smeja and the Bigfoot Bounty program, the current state of Bigfoot research, the challenges of proving the creature's existence, Bigfoot migratory patterns, dermal ridges, DNA testing, Bigfoot stink, reactions of witnesses to seeing Bigfoot, the 'kill or no kill' debate, what a post Bigfoot disclosure world might look like, a textbook Bigfoot investigation from Eric's Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, skeptics, Project Falcon, Mothman, and more.

Highlights: We begin with our standard bio / background on Eric Altman and find out what led him to becoming interested in Bigfoot. We then reflect on the surreal popularity that the creature is currently enjoying in the mainstream and in the zeitgeist. This leads to some discussion of the Rick Dyer 'dead Bigfoot' saga and subsequent tour that has been unfolding over the last few weeks, months, and, actually, years. In turn, we learn about the Bigfoot Bounty show on Spike TV as well as the saga of Justin Smeja, who claims to have shot two Bigfoot!

Leaving the hijinks of Bigfootery behind, we then find out about the good stuff going on in Bigfoot research, including advancements of technology and the benefits of Bigfoot's current popularity. We also confront the troubling question of what we actually know about the Bigfoot after all these years. We then ask about the potential for trying to decipher migratory patterns of Bigfoot based on sighting reports. That segues into talk about 'paranormal Bigfoot' and we get Eric's take on the possibility of some kind of 'high strangeness' related to the creature.

Binnall then turns to Eric to provide answers to what happened to the frenzy surrounding dermal ridges on Bigfoot casts and why that never seemed to provide a proverbial 'break in the case.' That leads us to talking about the latest craze in Bigfoot research: DNA testing. We get Eric's take on the Melba Ketchum tale as well as the work of Dr. Bryan Sykes and his overall thoughts on the use of DNA in Bigfoot research. Next we reflect on the frustrating but fascinating trend of Bigfoot-like creatures seemingly living around the world without being 'proven' yet.

Following that, we discuss the infamous smell that many witnesses report to sense emanating from Bigfoot and we also find out from Eric how witnesses seem to respond to their Bigfoot sightings. Getting meta for a bit, we find out, since he's never seen a Bigfoot, if Eric is happy or disappointed to have never had the experience. We then talk about the longstanding 'kill or no kill' debate in Bigfoot research. We then circle back to DNA research and whether or not it could truly be a 'game changer' in proving the reality of Bigfoot.

Is there an effort to conceal the existence of Bigfoot, we ask Eric next. Then we speculate on a post Bigfoot disclosure world and how the government and general population might react. We also get into claims of psychic Bigfoot connections or that the creatures live on a person's property. Cover another story from the world of Bigfootery, we talk about the Falcon Project, which is a drone / blimp designed to search for Bigfoot. Getting hypothetical, we ask Eric what he would do with limitless money and tasked with proving the reality of Bigfoot.

Heading toward the close, Eric takes us through a textbook investigation of a Bigfoot sighting as undertaken by his group the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. We briefly turn to overzealous skeptics and ponder why they have to hate on Bigfoot, if he is 'just' a mythical creature. Eric then talks about his interest in Mothman, which turns into us finding out what he'd do if, tomorrow, Bigfoot was proven real. Wrapping things up, we find out about the film, Mountain Devil, which Eric recently starred in as well as his podcast Beyond The Edge radio.




Eric Altman Bio

Eric Altman is a Paranormal enthusiast, Bigfoot Investigator, and Director of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. He is the principal host and Executive producer of Beyond the Edge Radio. As a ten year old boy growing up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania - he began to educate himself on the paranormal- anything strange, or unusual he could get his hands on. Currently he resides in Jeannette, Pennsylvania with his wife of 15 years Kathy and their 18 year old son Josh.

In 1980 Eric began to study the Bigfoot phenomenon, leading him to begin active fieldwork and become a member of the BFRO. In 1998, Eric joined the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, later in 2000 became the groups director. Eric has lectured on Bigfoot at numerous Bigfoot, Cryptid, and Paranormal Conferences across the Eastern United States. His speaking engagments have included talks for local clubs, organizations, schools and a lecture presented for the Forestry Department at Penn State University in 2007 - leading to him becoming a nationally recognized and respected figure in Cryptozoology. Eric has chased Bigfoot sightings from the woods of Pennsylvania to the forests of Ohio, Maryland, Texas, California and Oregon; with over 250 investigations under his belt to guide him.

Due to his experiences and interests in the paranormal; Eric along with his good friend and colleague Sean Forker, created and launched the internet talk radio program "Beyond The Edge Radio"- which first aired October 2007. Eric is the Co-Owner and President of Beyond the Edge Entertainment.


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