We kick things off with the bio / background on R. Gary Patterson and he tells us how his interest in rock music led him down the path of examining the genre's myths and legends. He talks about his evolution as a researcher and how it has led to him being the leading researcher on such oddities of pop culture. We ask RGP about one subject he rarely covers: Bob Dylan and talks about Dylan's influence and some of the connections with Highway 61 Revisited.

We next cover one figure who appears frequently in rock music and occult history: filmmaker Kenneth Anger. Gary talks about the relationship Anger had with both the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. This discussion includes information about Jimmy Page owning Aleister Crowley's house in Scotland, the old Southern legend about a howling dog being a premonition of death.

Looking at contemporary music and esoteric theories, we get Gary's take on the "mind controlled rock star" meme which has become especially popular in the last few years. Gary relates it to the backward messages phenomenon which exploded in the early 1980's. He shares a bunch of instances of backward messages, both real and imagined, as well as the truly strange phonetic message which some hear in "Stairway to Heaven." This leads to some philosophical discussion on how these myths and legends spread in the culture.

Following that, we look at the infamous Dark Side of the Rainbow and Gary shares a bunch of connections found in that bizarre film/music combination, other films that seem to have connections, and what Pink Floyd has said about the meme and how possible it was for it to really be intentional. Looking back at the occult elements of rock music, we also discuss how often the themes are co-opted by the musicians to add allure to their act.

Turning to the "Paul is Dead" theory, Gary talks about how the phenomenon was primarily an American theory that never quite spread over to the UK. RGP then lays out the different types of "Paul is Dead" clues that range from ridiculous to truly bizarre. Gary details the most intriguing and strange clue that defies explanation: a trick that can be done with the bass drum on the Sgt. Pepper's cover art. Gary talks about some of the statements from Paul McCartney, over the years, regarding the "Paul is Dead" hysteria as well as the clues hidden in various Beatles works.

We then look at mysterious rock and roll deaths and how they are often tied to murder conspiracies. Gary makes the case for why he is certain that Brian Jones, of the Rolling Stones, was murdered. He also provides some amazing detail on the Jimi Hendrix murder conspiracy. Looking at a contemporary story along these lines, we examine the Kurt Cobain murder conspiracy. Jumping back to one of the earliest rock and roll murder conspiracy, Gary talks about the mysterious death of Bobby Fuller.

Another famous dead musician who has created a huge mythos following his demise, Jim Morrison, is the next figure we examine. Gary details a number of strange elements surrounding Morrison's death and addresses the "faked death" rumours and other elements of the story. Gary talks about Morrison's French friend who looked eerily similar to Morrison, the problems at the French cemetery where Jim's body resides, and other oddities surrounding Morrison's death.

Heading toward the close, we tackle some questions sent in by "theorist," theusofe.com's resident musician, which asks about the famous musicians that Gary has met over the years, interesting tidbits about the band Rush, the location of the Big Bopper crashed plane today, strange trivia about Woodstock, and drummer Buddy Rich. Wrapping things up, we find out what's next for R. Gary Patterson, including a new book due out later this year.

R. Gary Patterson is a native Tennessean with a passion for rock and roll. As a published author, Patterson's works portray many fascinating events that helped shape musical history from Robert Johnson through current groups making a place for themselves among rock and roll's standing legends. In 1996, Patterson released his first book entitled "The Walrus Was Paul." Due to the instant success of the book, Patterson found himself as a highly sought after radio personality. He appeared on all the syndicated Beatle radio shows including Westwood One’s “The Beatle Years,” ABC Radio’s “Beatle Archives,” the “Breakfast With the Beatles” programs from New York to Los Angeles, and Joe Johnson’s “Beatle Brunch.” International shows were broadcast throughout Canada, Great Britain on the BBC, Australia, and Radio Caroline in New Zealand. Shortly thereafter, Patterson released his second work, "Hellhounds on Their Trail."Patterson’s third book was released by Simon and Schuster's Fireside Books on July 13, 2004. It is called "Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths,Legends and Curses." In 2000, Gary Patterson served as a consultant for VH1 Confidential. The series highlighted a number of rock music’s most enduring mysteries. Gary also continues to be a consultant for many of rock radio’s premier stations nationwide, and spends some of his time lecturing on college campuses. Many lectures concern myths and little-known legends of popular music, and for his research in this field, R. Gary Patterson has been called “the self-styled Fox Mulder of Rock and Roll.” This year Patterson has formed a production company with two extremely talented producers in Los Angeles to develop programming for cable and network television. His website is rgarypatterson.com.

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2 Hr 6 Min
4.21.10
518
R Gary Patterson

and Micah Hanks