Nick Redfern's Blog, page 139

The Weirdest Museum...

This past weekend I was lecturing down at the Austin, Texas-based Museum of the Weird , along with good friends and authors Ken Gerhard ( Big Bird! and Monsters of Texas ) and Lyle Blackburn ( The Beast of Boggy Creek ).

I drove down with good mate Craig Woolheater of Cryptomundo, and also met up with (for the first time) David Coleman, author of The Bigfoot Filmography book - definitely essential reading for anyone wanting a comprehensive study of Bigfoot in films and TV.

David discussed his book, as did Lyle, while I spoke about Britain's legendary "Man--Monkey" and Ken focused on weird flying man-beasts. And it was followed by dinner, then a showing of the 1976 film, The Creature of Black Lake , and, finally, drinks at a local bar.

Anyway, a good time was had by all, and here's a few photos from the event...

Boar to be Wild

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com, on a certain breed of dangerous thugs: Britain's wild boar...

Magonia Reviews Monster Diary

Over at the Magonia blog, Peter Rogerson reviews my Monster Diary book and definitely captures the flavor of the story!

You can find the review right here.

There is one issue I have with the review, however, and it's spelled out in the statement below, which I have also posted in the Comments section of the review at the Magonia blog.

My comment reads as follows:

"Hey Peter,

"Cheers for the fine review!

"Just one quibble: Re the interviewees and the matter of '...I leave it to the reader’s imagination as to whether these characters are fictions created by Redfern for dramatic effect...', it's worth noting the following:

"Every interview/interviewee was digitally recorded. Plus, all the interviewees have to sign waivers to avoid 'trouble' with the publisher, and to confirm they are fine with the way they are presented. So, each and every one is indeed a real person with waivers kept on file etc.

"And where you say of the interviewees, '...they have an uncanny knack of sharing Nick’s interests and beliefs...', it's worth noting that I interview plenty of people every year who don't agree with me on Fortean topics. But, as they are wrong, I don't use their data.

"So, it's more correct to say I don't just get endless accounts of what I want to hear, but I also get numerous accounts that I massively disagree with, but that don't see the light of day."

Coast to Coast AM - Tonight

For 1-hour, tonight on Coast to Coast AM (8PM Pacific), I'll be doing a live, online Q&A. As for the subjects, whatever crops up!

UFOs: Silencing the Insiders

We've all heard about the mysterious Men in Black and their attempts to intimidate and silence members of the public who have had UFO encounters.

But, what about those who work within government? Do they suffer similar intimidation and threats?

Yes, they do.

And here's one little-known example from my files...

Loch Ness and Giant Salamanders

It's fair to say I find it very difficult these days to get enthused about anything connected to the saga of the Loch Ness Monster, chiefly as a result of hoaxes and dwindling numbers of good sightings.

But, there is one exception...

That exception is Steve Plambeck's blog, The Loch Ness Giant Salamander .


As its title suggests, the blog (and Steve's research) offers the possibility that the Nessies are not the plesiosaurs or giant eels that many conclude them to be.

And, while some may scoff at the idea that the Nessies are over-sized salamanders, I would urge one and all to check out Steve's blog, as he does hit upon some interesting data that adds weight to his theories.

As a perfect example, check out the new post on this very matter , which Steve has just posted.

Tales of the Chupacabras

There's a new Lair of the Beasts post from me at Mania.com on my trips to Puerto Rico in search of the legendary Chupacabras.

You can find it (the article, not the Chupa!!) right here...

Adam Davies on BoA

Tim Binnall emailed me yesterday with the details of the latest episode of his Binnall of America show. And, if you're into Cryptozoology, you won't want to miss it.

Here's the info from Tim:

Adam Davies
The 2012 Sumatra & USA Expeditions
2 Hours, 7 Minutes

Wrapping up our annual traditions, we welcome renowned cryptozoologist Adam Davies back to BoA:Audio for a debriefing on his 2012 expeditions to Sumatra and America. Regarding the Sumatra trip, we'll discuss how the TV program Finding Bigfoot fueled the latest expedition, the latest info on the ongoing quest to prove the existence of the Orang Pendek, the potential for significant DNA findings to be revealed in 2013 and much more. Then, during our lengthy discussion on Adam's American journey, he will recount the amazing happenings from the visit, which included numerous vocalizations from an unknown creature as well as the controversial trail cam photo of a mysterious entity which caused a massive stir in cryptozoology. Along the way, we'll discuss a myriad of crypto topics like Melba Ketchum and the British Bigfoot. Akin to a reunion with an old friend at a local pub, Adam Davies returns to BoA:Audio for a rollicking conversation recounting his adventures of 2012 and covering a wealth of cryptozoological topics.

Ancient Humans and a Doomed Bridge

There are a couple of new posts from me at Mysterious Universe .

The first - titled Primitive Humans in the UK? - starts like this:

"When it comes to sightings of strange creatures in the UK, they don’t begin and end with the likes of out-of-place big cats and the Loch Ness Monster. Nope. Bizarrely, there are many reports on record – but that seldom get the coverage they deserve – of what sound like wild, primitive humans roaming the old land. Sounds bizarre? It is! But, read on…

"Theo Brown – a noted Devonshire, England folklorist and acclaimed writer – was the author of such books as Devon Ghosts and Family Holidays Around Dartmoor, and someone who collected countless dark tales of terror. One such chilling tale came from a friend of Brown’s who had been walking alone at dusk near the Neolithic earthworks at the top of Lustleigh Cleave, which sits on the extreme east side of Dartmoor, England in the Wrey Valley."

And here's the complete article.

As for the second feature, you can find it right here .

It deals with a strange and deadly creature and a doomed bridge. But, no, it has nothing to do with Mothman or the tragic collapse of Point Pleasant's Silver Bridge in 1967.

Food for the Road

A few essentials for my trip to California: a good book and what I like to call "road food."