Nick Redfern's Blog, page 60

Looking Back At "Dark Skies"

Over at Mysterious Universe I take a look back at the 1990s UFO/conspiracy-themed show, Dark Skies . Here's how it starts:

It was 20 years ago that NBC unleashed a much talked about and still widely remembered UFO-themed show: Dark Skies . It was the brainchild of Brent V. Friedman and Bryce Zabel. The show was not destined to last, however. It ran for just 20 episodes, from September 1996 to May 1997. The show focused on the world of two people caught up in a Cold War-era conspiracy of extraterrestrial proportions: John Loengard and his girlfriend, Kim Sayers (played by Eric Close and Megan Ward). When I first heard news of the series, of the nature of the show, and of the man-woman team, I thought: “ X-Files rip-off.” It turns out that it wasn’t. And I was pleasantly surprised, too.

In The X-Files the extraterrestrial angle was always shrouded in ambiguity: were we really being visited by aliens? Was the UFO phenomenon just a cover for highly-classified experiments of a genetic- and mind-control-nature undertaken by top secret, “black budget” programs? Or, was it a strange and secret mixture of both? While ambiguity in a show like The X-Files worked, for me the ambiguity went on way too long – which is why I stopped watching the show around 1998. It’s for the very same reason that I stopped watching Lost – I felt like the story was being written with no real idea of where it was heading. A runaway train with no driver in sight.

"It Defies Language!" Reviewed

At Mysterious Universe I review Greg Bishop's new book, It Defies Language!

Here's how the review starts:

Back in 2006, Greg Bishop and I were invited to take part in a new venture of the ufological kind. It went by the name of UFOMystic. Basically, it was a website where me and Greg were given free rein to write about whatever crossed our minds, providing it was on the subject of UFOs. And, for several years, we did exactly that – and pretty much on a daily basis, too. Our content ranged from reviews to articles, and news items to lengthy features, the latter sometimes split over a couple of days. But, as is the case with all things, UFOMystic ultimately came to an end and the site was closed down. Now, however, it’s back, in book format. The title: It Defies Language! Essays on UFOs and Other Weirdness.

When, some months ago, Greg called to let me know he had secured the rights to all of his old UFOMystic material, I told him that was great news. It’s still great news! Over the several years that Greg wrote for the site, we got to see some of his best, most thought-provoking, work. Collectively, it challenged the reader to confront new and radical concepts when it came to the UFO enigma. It offered alternative scenarios for classic cases. But, most important of all, it made people think outside of what passes for the ufological box. And to think carefully, too.




That's me and Greg, 2014, in California.

Aurora, Texas "UFO Crash" Gig - April 16

For those who may be interested in attending, I'll be speaking at the first Aurora Alien Encounter conference in Aurora, Texas on Saturday April 16. And here's the flyer, which shows all the info on the event.

Today's Texas Paranormal Unity Fest

A few photos from today's Texas Paranormal Unity Fest in Glen Rose, Texas - was a great day! Lecture subjects included the Chupacabra, the weirder side of Bigfoot, the Aurora 1897 UFO crash, demons, and much more - including a hot belly dancer!

Angel Hair Mentioned In A Government UFO Document?

That's the subject of a new article from me...

George Adamski's Doctored Document

A new article from me on a certain official document and contactee George Adamski. It starts like this:

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, a significant body of material on the famous/infamous George Adamski has surfaced – the bulk of it from the FBI. It has to be said that the Bureau’s file on the controversial Contactee makes for highly entertaining reading. But, perhaps, for reasons you might not have considered. There’s not a single scrap of paper in the “Adamski File” which suggests the FBI was concerned in the slightest about the man’s alleged alien encounters. Rather, it was his public and vocal stance on communism that had J. Edgar Hoover’s finest hot under the collar.

Adamski was heard to state that communism was the way of the future, and that the Soviet Union would ultimately dominate the planet. That Adamski had thousands of fans, devotees and impressionable people hanging on his every pro-Russia word bothered the FBI to a significant degree. And so, and almost inevitably, a file was opened on George. But, there’s far more to the file than Cold War era commies. There’s the matter of a certain document outrageously doctored by Adamski; yet another affair that got the FBI in a collective state of frustration and anger.

Dogman Symposium Website

If you're interested in attending the Dogman Symposium in Defiance, Ohio on August 6, here's the newly created website for the gig .

The speakers are: Ken Gerhard, Linda Godfrey, me, Stan Gordon, David Weatherly, John Tenney and (as master of ceremonies) Lyle Blackburn.

Should be a good one!

Reviews X 2

Over at Mysterious Universe I review a great 2014 movie, Wild Tales , and the re-release by Anomalist Books of Brad Steiger's Mysteries of Time and Space .

Bloodline of the Gods - Audio CD

For those who may be interested, there's a new audio (CD) version of my Bloodline of the Gods book out next week. Here's the link.

Arrived: It Defies Language!

Just received in the mail the new book from good mate, Greg Bishop .

This is going to be a good one.

Its title: It Defies Language: Essays on UFOs and Other Weirdness . Cheers Greg!