The Paracast

Gene and and guest cohost Curt Collins present clinical psychologist Dr. Tim Brigham, a long-time explorer of UFO lore. He is a contributing member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies (SCU) and has presented to the Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE). He grew up in Gulf Breeze, FL during a major wave of UFO sightings, which began his lifelong interest in the phenomenon. He now works as an educator in the biomedical industry. Brigham became close friends with legendary flying saucer writer and gonzo journalist James W. (Jim) Moseley. Jim was a fixture in the saucer scene nearly since it began, as editor of Saucer News magazine; in later years it morphed into Saucer Smear and was the longest running saucer zine in the known universe, known for its ironic and gonzo approach. Dr. Brigham was appointed Contributing Editor in Smear’s final years. In his lecture titled “UFOs as Agents of Psychic Transformation,” he discusses the fact that witnesses often report long term, life altering effects of UFO encounters, yet relatively little attention from social scientists has been paid to the experiential and transformative nature of such experiences and their direct impact on human consciousness.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a discussion of the graphic novel version of the book, “UFO: The Closest Encounter — The True Story of Calvin Parker.” Featured guests: Martin Powell, the author of hundreds of science fiction, mystery, and horror stories. He has worked in the comic book industry since 1986, writing for Marvel, DC, Malibu, Caliber, Moonstone, and Disney, among others, and has been nominated for the coveted Eisner Award. Jason Gleaves, a UFO researcher, author and illustrator. Brent Raynes, who has been researching and investigating the unexplained since January 1967, at age 14, and is the author of “Visitors from Hidden Realms,” “On the Edge of Reality,” and “John A. Keel: The Man, The Myths, and the Ongoing Mysteries.” Brent edits and publishes Alternate Perceptons magazine, which was established in 1985 and is now available as an online publication.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Aleksandar Petakov, a documentary filmmaker, adventurer and avid outdoorsman constantly searching for the unknown. Traveling across North America and the world, Aleksandar has looked into various cryptozoological creatures like Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster, the Lake Champlain Monster, Mystery Big Cats as well as other Fortean phenomena and mysterious places like the Bridgewater Triangle and has filmed many documentaries on these topics and more. Aleksandar has chronicled over 50 Bigfoot sightings in his home state of New Hampshire. He is a Small Town Monsters crew member and has searched far and wide for Sasquatch in the “Bigfoot: Beyond the Trail” documentary series on YouTube which has amassed over 11 million collective views on the platform. His films on YouTube include: The Alaska Bigfoot Highway: Bigfoot Beyond the Trail.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present experiencer and UFO researcher Mindy Tautfest. She is author of “Dying To Meet Them,” chronicling her incredible journey from NDE to UAP. In 2016, Tautfest suffered a brain aneurysm resulting in a Near Death Experience where she found herself in a place known as the Void. Her personal encounter, combined with years of investigations into UFO encounters, places her in a unique position to understand the underlying connections and aftereffects of these enigmatic events. She serves as the the Dean of MUFON University, Director of Oklahoma MUFON, and a member of the Experiencer Resource Team (ERT). She joined MUFON in 2019 and joined the ERT in 2022 as a way to further help experiencers process their sometimes-difficult encounters. Tautfest has worked as an ICU nurse across the nation and volunteered her time to disaster relief efforts including the Colorado Black Forest Fires, Hurricane Katrina, and the Moore Tornado.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Neil R. Storey, an award winning historian, lecturer and adventurer with a canon of over 50 published books. He has led paranormal investigations at some of the most haunted and historic sites across Britain since 1988. After uncovering some fascinating new material, his new book (due for publication 2024) will chart the UFO phenomena in Britain from the early 20th Century to the present day. During the interview, he will reveal his own UFO encounter. He will also talk about his book “Bram Stoker, Author of Dracula: An Illustrated Biography” and, also, the Jack the Ripper legend. A popular speaker at paranormal and dark history conferences, Neil appears as guest expert on TV and radio shows and is a regular historian on the multi-award winning “Help My House is Haunted!” In his precious little leisure time, he enjoys good food and wine and is a keen swordsman.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz introduce Fortean researcher Dennis Stamey, someone Gene first met 50 years ago. Dennis became interested in UFOs in 1966 during the worldwide flap of the late 1960s, immersing himself in magazine articles written by John A. Keel. As well he studied the works of Charles Fort, and Gray Barker. Eventually he started churning out a cheap mimeographed newsletter entitled Spacecraft Review and also contributed articles to Gene Steinberg’s Caveat Emptor. He also took up a correspondence with Richard Shaver, who often called him an “idiot.” By the 1970s, life called and Dennis set his interests in UFOs and the paranormal aside. However, starting in the early 1980s, he began looking up Fortean articles in the N.Y. Times from 1870-1890, growing intrigued with phantom snipers and slashers.  His first fact book, “Mysterious Snipers, Slashers, and Animal Rippers: A History of Paranormal Assailants,” was co-authored with his children, Jillian and Jesse Stamey.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz introduce a new voice to our audience, Ben Tejada-Ingram. He is known as “Anomaly Hunter” on Instagram and YouTube. His YouTube channel features his group’s investigations of Bigfoot and the occult, the south’s “Skinwalker Ranch” and paranormal activity at a haunted axe throwing range located in Sandy, Oregon. His recent book: “The Last Dinosaur of the Lost World: My Search for ‘Little Nessie,’” deals with the possibility that prehistoric creatures could still be alive on the Auyán-tepui mountain, located in remote Venezuela. In this interview, Ben will also offer his views on the Pentagon’s reported UFO whistleblower, David Grusch, and he will talk about his introduction to paranormal investigations. He is also a musician and he has long held a fascination with the unknown such as UFOs, ghosts, hauntings and cryptid creatures.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present yet another very special episode featuring veteran UFO researcher and author Kevin D. Randle. On the agenda, a discussion about the July 26, 2023 hearings on UFOs in the halls of the U.S. Congress, which included an appearance by a whistleblower, retired Air Force Major David Grusch, who led the analysis of unexplained anomalous phenomena within a U.S. Department of Defense. Will the renewed interest in the phenomenon lead to disclosure or just the same old attempt to debunk their possible existence? Kevin’s latest book is a re-release of “The Washington Nationals: Flying Saucers Over the Capital,” a comprehensive study of what is regarded as one of the most compelling UFO events in modern history. Within the UFO community, he is often regarded as one of the preeminent experts on the reported crash of a UFO near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. Randle’s writing is not limited to the UFO field. He is the author of more than 100 books that cover no just UFOs, but action-adventure, mysteries, and science fiction.