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July 12, 2009 - John Keel Retrospective - w/ all-star round table

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Gareth

Gareth

Nothin' to see here
Such a great way to send off an important figure in the field of esoterica. And because I couldn't fit them all in the thread title, the round table includes:

Tim “Mr. UFO” Beckley,
Jerome Clark,
Loren Coleman,
Jim Moseley,
Brad Steiger,
Curt Sutherly.

What I found so cool listening to this episode was just the sheer amount of history present (virtually) in the one room. Listening to those guys speak I was always anticipating what was coming next, because it felt like you were going to hear you just know you wouldn't hear anywhere else.

All those guys were an important part of history. And John Keel too of course. I must track down a couple of his books. (the ones mentioned on the show I think).

R.I.P. John Keel
 
Fascinating show and a timely reminder (for me, anyway) that even fringe topics have a fringe to 'em. It was also refreshing to hear an honest discussion of Keel and not some tiresome hagiography. The choice of guests was inspired - their amiable banter making it feel like I was eavesdropping into the conversations of a group of old friends at the bar of The Fortean Arms.
Excellent!

(Three hour show you say? Then I think I've just had one helluva a time-slip)
 
Interesting show enjoyed it. I think vallee and keel have helped the ufo community get a broader preceptive not to say the theory aliens from another world is wrong. We more and likely will never recieve answers to the questions we all seek, but maybe hopefully when we die if there is a afterlife some of the answers await us.
 
This was one of the better episodes I have heard lately. I first thought that so many guests would make things cumbersome, but that wasn't the case. We found out about Keel and when the guests started to stray off topic I felt the show really got better. Good work Gene & Dave in just the right amount of guidance and basically letting all the guys just open up and talk.
 
I can't imagine a better tribute to Mr. Keel than this. Part retrospect, part (loving) roast. Great job, Gene and David, on coaxing information about his books and life's work from the guests.

I've at times wondered if John Keel was acquainted with Mr. Hunter Thompson. I'm make that comparison often, while reading the work of either man.

Gareth said:
Listening to those guys speak I was always anticipating what was coming next, because it felt like you were going to hear you just know you wouldn't hear anywhere else.
Click to expand...

This.

The Ivan Sanderson/android story was incredible.
 
Found myself smiling throughout the show and thinking Keel had gotten at least as good as he'd given, one way or the other. Kind of a sad life he led, but one interesting enough that it covered a great three hours. Tribute enough.

Jim Mosely seems to have been around far longer than the other researchers on the show and I think he's got a better handle on the phenomenon than anyone. Just my opinion.

Very, very interesting show, Gene and David. Lotta history, warmth and truth bandied amongst friends. Tim Beckley is a sweetheart too.
 
I really enjoyed this one too- I didn't actually know that much about John Keel and this was an interesting overview.

It also rememded my of what a cool guest Brad Steiger is... I have GOT to start checking out his books! Any suggestions on where to best start?
 
Though I'm a novice Paracast listener and as of the writing of this post I'm only halfway through the episode, I thought this was one of the best episodes I've downloaded and listened to. What I really have enjoyed about this show is the fact that everybody is getting along, it's pretty light hearted at times as friends sitting around remembering good times with friends, and there's a lot of history and background being passed about. I do feel like I'm eaves dropping as an outsider at times but for the most part I also feel like I'm being brought into "the circle" at others. I think the show is a fitting tribute to Mr. Keel as a remembrance of who he was and what he was like. Just add a bottle of whiskey and this could very well have been an Irish Wake for a dear friend.
 
Hmmm....great episode that had me scratching my head all the way through. After I read the Mothman prophecy I guess I wanted it to be true. Perhaps partly it is. If it is the "In Cold Blood" of paranormal literature, it is kind of a mixture of the reports of all those strange experiences put together brilliantly (from a literary stand point) into a coherent story, with a dash of Jung (though Keel may not have realised it - the book brought me to Carl Jung indirectly) and Vallee (though he probably didn't realise that either). I didn't think it was anti-intellectual as such. But it is true that we must weigh up the evidence. What do we have evidence for? We have evidence for traces of strange vehicles. We see "alien" spacecraft doing really obvious things, in the sense that if they wanted to hide themselves, then why don't they?

At the moment, at this very moment (cause there are many moments and no definite answers when it comes to this) I think that perhaps we are experiencing an advanced culture, which is studying us in some way (I would say psychologically), with the interest of some day making contact with us. But they are cautious - not for their own sake, but for ours. So they come off as hokey in the mainstream, but seem to come with a warning of some sort. They may even be made of pure energy or something like that.

Jungian archetypes may be their vehicles.

Keel made me think.
 
I listened to the last hour or so in the car today, and I gotta say I was a little taken aback by Jerry Clarke's assessment of Keel and what he contributed to the topic.

I find myself wondering why I (or anyone really) would ever bother reading any of Keel's books. And the group seemed to reinforce those feelings.

Interesting.
 
I very much enjoyed the deconstruction of John Keel.
Might I request that you book Rich Little for your next roast.
 
Excellent show. Classic. It was like the Great Generation of Ufologists reminiscing around a camp fire. This clearly shows the difference of the Paracast, a show run by grown-ups. Thanks.
 
I'll admit this, if I had to pick a single favorite episode of this show, this one gets my vote. I'll go on a limb and declare that it's the single best audio tribute that will ever exist for Keel, period. I cannot thank the participants enough, they really had some great stories, right? It's the little details about the man that tell you who he was, and these were all fellows who personally knew him. I'm very proud of this one, thanks to all, and especially Gene, who really went out of his way to make this one stand out. Well played, Gene.

dB
 
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