MonsterTalk

We're joined by Erik Davis to discuss his book High Weirdness - a history of psychedelics and counterculture as a triptych embodied with three prominent figures: Terrence McKenna, Philip K. Dick, and Robert Anton Wilson. From Blade Runner to the Illuminati to Magic Mushrooms these three laid down foundational blocks decades ago that underpin (or perhaps undermine?) our present. Terrence McKenna Philip K. Dick Robert Anton Wilson Pyrrho - ancient Greek skeptic Our coverage of Operation Mindf*ck (part 1 and part 2) Erik Davis links: Burning Shore (Substack) Techgnosis (huge web archive) Techgnosis (Book - Affiliate Link) High Weirdness (Affiliate Link) - the Audiobook read by the author is very good. -B. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We’re joined by Matt Baxter to discuss what we thought was a horror film but turned out to be something quite different.Warning: This film and episode deal with suicide, murder, abortion, politics, religion, and pretty much most of the hot potato topics we generally try to eschew. Hopefully we do a decent job of discussing it. Nefarious (streaming) – Affiliate Link More on Blaze Media Some reviews: 7th Day Adventist review A Christian review with interesting comments Reddit tackles Nefarious Horror Obsessive – really didn’t care for the “bait & switch” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Matt Baxter returns to join Karen and Blake in a discussion of allegedly haunted “bothies” in the remote hiking regions of the UK. This episode contains some discussion of guns, suicide, and cannibalism. Links to further reading/listening: What is a “bothy?” Mountain Bothy Association BBC’s Uncanny episodes we mention: Don’t Sleep in this House – December 2021 Return to Luibeilt Christmas Special 2024 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Jerry Drake returns to discuss his new book: Hazel was a Good Girl: The Murder that Inspired Twin Peaks Jerry has been with quite a few times to discuss Grimoires, Jack Parsons, The Hollow Earth, Internet Mysteries and Ghost Lights and we're excited to see what he makes of this real life unsolved murder with ties to one of the most influential shows to ever air on TV. This episode does discuss murder, sexual assault, and other sensitive topics. It's not really explicit but it might not be suitable for children, hence the tag. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're back with part two of our 2-part coverage of the 1976 episode of The Six Million Dollar Man that introduced a generation of kids to Bigfoot, and the idea that the creature might be interconnected with space aliens living inside a California mountain.Related Links: The Bionic Book by Herbie Pilato (affiliate link) Operation Plowshare The Six Million Dollar Man series (DVD) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Karen joins Blake to discuss the influential 2-part episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man that introduced a generation of kids to Bigfoot, and the idea that the creature might be interconnected with space aliens living inside a California mountain. This is part one of a two-part special edition. The patron edition has extended footage and no modern commercials. Extensive show notes available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/128686370?forSale=true Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Blake and Karen take a minute to catch their breath and talk about where things are in their lives and what's up next in MonsterTalk news. Links: Bitch: The Journey of a Word Adhesive Capsulitis Idiopathic Illnesses Mechanical Turk Speaking Machine Replica of Speaking Machine (YouTube) Wolfgang von Kempelen Deep Mind Deep Blue Marvin Minsky John McCarthy Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

This is part two of our two part look at Dragons and how these mythical beasts are being used to promote Creationism. Our guest is Dr. Philip Senter and he's the author of a new book about this topic. We use the word bullsh!t a lot in this episode so I slapped an explicit tag on - but I don't think it's too explicit otherwise. Get Dr. Senter's book here: The Real Story of Dinosaurs and Dragons News story about Mokele Mbembe being compromised by Creationists Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

This is part one of our two part look at Dragons and how these mythical beasts are being used to promote Creationism. Our guest is Dr. Philip Senter and he's the author of a new book about this topic. Get Dr. Senter's book here: The Real Story of Dinosaurs and Dragons Read more about "The Dragon of Bologna" Another Book about fake historical zoological specimens The National Center for Science Education has long been a source for how to take action to combat the injection of Creationist material into public education. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Matt & Karen went out for a little getaway weekend to Victor, Colorado and ended up investigating the allegedly haunted Victor Hotel. Did Eddie die in the hotel elevator? Was Matt caught in embarrassing circumstances? Find out inside! The show notes here won't show the images so you'll need to hop over to our episode webpage to see them. https://www.monstertalk.org/s04e28-the-victor-hotel-ghost/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're excited to welcome back Peter Bebergal. This time we're talking about mysticism and dybbuks. Be sure and check out the links below including the upcoming talk Peter is giving April 14th for The Last Tuesday Society. Peter on Jewish Boston podcast All the Haunts Be Ours (affiliate link) 15-Disk Horror Collection The Ibbur from Jewish mysticism Peter will be talking monster culture for The Last Tuesday Society on April 14th at 3 pm ET - check it out Grab all of Peter's Books at Amazon and support this show! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're delighted to get to talk with Adrian Shine, who has worked for decades to raise awareness about Loch Ness and investigated the legendary creature said to inhabit the dark waters of that deep Scottish lake. He's written a new book about Sea Monsters and their connection to the Loch Ness Mystery which releases April 1st, 2025. A Natural History of Sea Monsters (affiliate link) The Loch Ness Centre In the intro you hear a clip of IN SEARCH OF from S01E20 - which features a young Adrian. Check out In Research Of's coverage with guest Daniel Loxton here. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're back with part 2 of our interview with Dr. Eleanor Janega to discuss Demons in Medieval Europe - and a lot of that has to do with sexy sex. So… another EXPLICIT tag! Eleanor's Blog Going-Medieval Eleanor's book The Once and Future Sex The Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers (The Guardian) The Apocalypse Tapestry (Wikipedia) YouTube videos with Eleanor Monty Summers translation of the Malleus Maleficarum (AMZ affiliate link) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're joined by the engaging historian Dr. Eleanor Janega to talk about how the people of Europe considered demonic sex during the medieval period of history. This episode is in two parts, and both are explicit. Presenter on the History Hit channel - https://www.historyhit.com/ Blog - https://going-medieval.com/ Medievalist, author, blogs about medieval history, pop culture, and swearing Author of: The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society Article: “On sex with demons” - https://going-medieval.com/2020/07/30/on-sex-with-demons/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

A brief remembrance of our friend, Joe Nickell. (December 1, 1944 – March 4, 2025) Joe Nickell's extraordinary life came to an end on Tuesday, March 4th and we're posting this brief remembrance this week instead of our regular episode. Check out Joe's many "personas." The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures Archive episodes with Joe The sourtoe cocktail Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're joined by Allison Jornlin (paranormalwomen.com) to talk about the footprint of women in the field of parapsychology and paranormal investigation. We most recently talked with Allison during "the dark times" on our COVID-era MonsterTalk Live series. She also covered the Chicago Mothman flap with us back in 2018! Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Is the cave of the winds near Manitou Springs, CO HAUNTED!? Matt Baxter has investigated and he joins us to talk about what he found. Related Links: Spooky Science Sisters - Roanoke episode with Karen In Research Of… The Lost Colony - Blake & Jeb Card discuss the In Search Of… episode about Roanoke. Eclectic Shopping options in Manitou Springs The history of Manitou Springs The Cave of the Winds (Official Site) The Manitou (1978 film) Manitou - the spirit Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

We're joined by Dr. Justin Mullis to get a better understanding of the incredibly lore-dense anime series Dan Da Dan. Justin's academia profile Legend of Momotaro Some links recommended by Justin: This is a really good video about the history of the Flatwoods Monster in Japanese video games. Highly recommended. This is the Religious Dispatches article about koro. Here's the Japan Today interview with the current editor of MU magazine.And here's the MU magazine article I mentioned about Turbo Granny (in Japanese). The book on Japanese mountain witches I mentioned. And here's an article by Japanese folklorist and manga translator Zack Davisson on Dandadan. Additional: Dan Da Dan (Netflix) Karen's book Missed Conceptions is mentioned in the episode - get it here. And her latest book too: Bitch: The Journey of a Word Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

As Valentine's day bears down upon us, we turn to the monsters whose origins lie in passion, betrayal, and tragedy. If love is the strongest human emotion, surely rage at betrayal is its nightmarish mirror - and such emotions are embodied in a variety of creatures around the world and throughout history. Content Warning - this episode contains stories of child death, suicide, murder, and other unplesantness. And also some discussion of candy. So there's that. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.

Cemeteries Cleaning and Grave Rubbing - Karen and Blake are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss the ethics and best practices around maintaining and preserving graveyards. Links for Grave Rubbers from CyberSpace: The article that inspired this conversation (via The Conversation) Ken Feder (friend of the show and emeritus professor of archaeology) sent along this helpful article about grave preservation. The woman with the pink foam (Kaeli Mae McEwen - aka "Clean Girl") has a site where she sells the stuff. In Atlanta - at historic Oakland Cemetery - they have community cleaning projects. They list this under an article titled "Pro Team Field Notes on Scrubbing the Surface" Thoughts on Grave Rubbing from a blogger. Additional Links: Since we mentioned The Conversation, by coincidence Jeb Card got interviewed about his paranormal course at University of Ohio - check it! Karen's book Bitch: The Journey of a Word is out now - grab a copy! (affiliate link) Don't forget to grab a copy of Joe Nickell's The Science of Monsters: Tracking the Real-Life Creatures - every sale helps MonsterTalk! (affiliate link) And if you want to meet me at sea in the Bermuda Triangle, sign up for the Skeptoid Adventure - there's still a few cabins left! (as of 2/1/2025) Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/monstertalk--6267523/support.