Nick Redfern, Author Interview
The World’s Weirdest Places / The Real Men in Black by Nick Redfern
Michelle M. Pillow, www.MichellePillow.com
Author, journalist, and paranormal expert Nick Redfern’s work focuses on a variety of subjects, such as UFOs, Bigfoot, Roswell, Area 51, Cryptozoology, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, Werewolves, Sea Serpents and Penthouse magazine features…well, that last one is true but maybe not so paranormal.
In your book, The World’s Weirdest Places, you list your top 25 paranormal-themed locales from all over the world. What inspired you to write about this?
Nick: Over the years, I’ve come to learn that there are certain places on the planet that seem to attract far more paranormal activity than others. Such as where you might have a small, old English village where people have seen UFOs, werewolves, ghostly manifestations and much more, all in the same place. Sometimes it’s not just the phenomena that are weird; it’s the location too. So, that’s the theme of the book: it looks at 25 places around the world that seem to be saturated in paranormal phenomena. The book addresses the theories as to why this might be the case. Such as worm-holes, portals and what have become termed window-areas. These are places on the planet that might act as gateways to other dimensions, which may explain why certain places seem to be hotspots.
Do you believe in the supernatural? Or are you a skeptic?
Nick: I do accept that the world of the supernatural is real, yes. However, I try not to get tied up with belief systems. For example, I fully conclude that something very strange happened at Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. I am firmly of the opinion that people see Bigfoot and lake monsters. And I do accept that alien abductions are real. But, as you’ll note from my words, I haven’t used that term “believe.” There is a reason for that: For example, I know Bigfoot exists. But I don’t know what it is, because we don’t have the hard, physical evidence. Therefore, to say “I believe Bigfoot is a giant ape,” would be reckless of me, until we have proof that is a giant ape, or is something supernatural-based instead. So, I know the supernatural is real, but I don’t get caught up in belief systems of wanting it to be this or that, without hard evidence.
Which location is your number one must see?
Nick: I would say Loch Ness, Scotland. Everyone has heard of the Loch Ness Monster. But, there’s so much other weirdness there too. The famous and legendary occultist, Aleister Crowley, had a home on the shores of the Loch – called Boleskine House – and tried to conjure up demons from within the loch. There have been UFO encounters sightings at Loch Ness and even a Man in Black case from the early 1970s. There have been reports of encounters with large black cats – “panther”-like animals – in the woods around the loch, and a tale of a ghostly airman from the Second World War having been seen near the water’s edge. So, Loch Ness is definitely my number one!
Have you been at all of the locations listed in the book?
Nick: No. Of the 25 places, I’ve been to about 15 or 16. However, of the remaining 9 or 10, I ensured that I only used places where friends and colleagues had visited and investigated. I always feel it’s important to do firsthand research, as simply rewriting something off the Internet is lazy and pointless. So, I always use my own data and photos, or those of colleagues who have carefully studied the relevant people and places firsthand too.
Why do you think readers, and society in general, are fascinated by the paranormal?
Nick: I think the idea that there might be much more to the world than what we see around us captures imaginations. The idea that there could be hairy, giant creatures roaming the woods, long-necked monsters in our lakes, and UFOs soaring overhead, excites and intrigues people, for one very good reason: everyone likes a mystery of one sort of another! But, I don’t think people imagine things because they want to believe. The paranormal is absolutely genuine, and I think people who have had paranormal experiences want to know what happened to them, so they become fascinated by the phenomena and the search for answers.
Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
Nick: I have had a lot of what are termed synchronicities. These are basically what you could call “meaningful coincidences.” That’s to say, meeting someone at the right place at the right time. Or a book falling on the floor and the pages opening at the very ones you’re looking for. Or, finding information on a subject in the most obscure way, but when it’s information you’re actually searching for at that very moment. I never ignore synchronicities, as I believe there is some guiding force behind them. We should follow where they take us.
What is your book The Real Men in Black about?
Nick: The Real Men in Black is a full-length study of the phenomena of the MIB who threaten into silence those people who have seen UFOs, had alien encounters, and even people who research and investigate the phenomenon. The book begins with the late 1940s – when the modern era of the MIB began, although there are some earlier reports – and goes right up to the present day. The MIB are still out there!
What prompted you to write the book?
Nick: Many people assume that the MIB are simply Hollywood creations, the characters “J” and “K” played by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the movies. The films are good fun, but many people don’t realize they got their inspiration from real-life reports of people being silenced by dark-suited MIB, after undergoing a significant UFO encounter. So, I decided to write the book to demonstrate that the MIB phenomenon is very real, not just a Hollywood creation.
The Men in Black first appeared in the early 1950s, to a UFO investigator named Albert Bender. Can you tell us about his encounters with the MIB?
Nick: Albert Bender was the man whose experiences really brought the MIB to the attention of people in the 1950s. He lived in Connecticut and established a research group called the International Flying Saucer Bureau. Not long after it was created, Bender began to get threats from three shadowy MIB. It disturbed Bender to an extreme amount and he quickly shut the group down and left the UFO subject. He briefly resurfaced in the early 1960s to write a book on his experiences – Flying Saucers and the Three Men – then vanished again. The MIB clearly scared Bender right out of the subject.
Some people have suggested the MIB are government agents. Does evidence exist to support this theory?
Nick: Well, I do believe that a few MIB encounters can be traced back to government agencies, particularly so from the 1950s, when the typical governmental “uniform” was a dark suit and tie, and a Fedora-style hat. But, many of the MIB reports seem to fall into paranormal categories, rather than something to do with the Pentagon or the CIA.
Another scenario suggests the Men in Black are aliens themselves. What do you think about that?
Nick: Whether we term them aliens, paranormal entities, or supernatural creatures, my own opinion – based on years of research – is that the MIB are not, for the most part, government agents. That is the imagery portrayed in the movies. The real MIB are very creepy, ghoulish even. They are very pale-faced, skinny, emotionless, not very tall, and seem to give off this atmosphere of dread and a sense of deep hatred of us. Some researchers suggest they might be responsible for some of our vampire legends, as they often surface at night, and have a corpse-like appearance.
Have you ever been abducted by aliens?
Nick: LOL, no!! But, seriously, I would like to have an alien encounter, in the hope that it might provide some answers as to what “they” are and what they want.
What is your personal opinion on who the Men in Black are?
Nick: My own theory is that they are something supernatural. I think they may be the inhabitants of a co-existing realm – a dimension beyond ours, in other words. I also think that they seem to be like a sophisticated “computer program” which is used to silence witnesses to UFO activity. The MIB may not actually be living beings, as we understand the term. In that sense, they may not be unlike the MIB in the Matrix movies.
What does the future hold for your work?
Nick: I’ll just keep on doing what I do! I’m not qualified to do anything else! As long as I feel I can offer something new and refreshing – in terms of data, news and theories – to people interested in the supernatural, I’ll keep doing it. Plus, you have to have a passion and enthusiasm for it, which I do. So, as long as I want to do it, I’ll keep writing, whether it’s alien conspiracies or monsters in the woods.
You can learn more about Nick and his newest book Monster Files (May 2013) by visiting http://nickredfernfortean.blogspot.com
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