The Paracast Newsletter
June 1, 2025
www.theparacast.com
Paranormal Investigators Paul Dale Roberts, Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro Reveal Secrets About Serial Killers and Paranormal Encounters on the Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2022 and later now feature better audio and fewer ads. We are also re-releasing some of our most popular classic episodes.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus a special version of The Paracast with all the ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Episodes for subscribers to The Paracast+ are now released 24 hours earlier. Flash! Now includes over 100 classic episodes, so take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode (June 1, 2025): Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a super special paranormal roundtable discussion featuring Paul Dale Roberts, Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro. Paul is also known as The Demon Warrior and is a Fortean Investigator who investigates all things paranormal from ghosts to demons to cryptids to UFOs. He has investigated loads paranormal hot spots that include Area 51; Skinwalker Ranch, Stonehenge and even the victim locations of well-known serial killers. Paul writes for Costa Rican Times, Un-X Magazine, Phenomena Magazine, Outer Limits Magazine and Paranormal Underground Magazine. Paranormal Soul Brother is known for his acting career on WKRP Cincinnati. In addition to his YouTube channel, he is a professional dancer and performer. He also works as a podcaster and Fortean investigator that investigates ghosts, demons, UFOs/UAPs and cryptids. Phil D’Asaro is a USMC veteran, computer engineer, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His books include: “Sacramento City of Blood” (2019) and “My Dog Julio” (2022). Phil’s podcasts include “Cities of Blood Podcast” and “The Waiting room 2024-2025.” The discussion will focus on a range of topics, including the most notorious location for serial killers and various paranormal encounters.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on May 31: Part II of a paranormal roundtable features Paul Dale Roberts (the Demon Warrior), Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro. The free-wheeling discussion with Gene and cohost Tim Swartz covers Official UFO, a magazine that started out as a very serious publication before it jumped the shark as the result of the questionable marketing decision of its controversial publisher. Also on the agenda is possible UFO disinformation and the possible discovery of the image of a ghost when doing a Google Maps search. Paul investigates all things paranormal from ghosts to demons to cryptids to UFOs. He has investigated loads paranormal hot spots that include Area 51; Skinwalker Ranch, Stonehenge and even the victim locations of well-known serial killers. Paranormal Soul Brother is known for his acting career on WKRP Cincinnati. In addition to his YouTube channel, he is a professional dancer and performer and works as a podcaster and Fortean investigator that investigates ghosts, demons, UFOs/UAPs and cryptids. Phil D’Asaro is a USMC veteran, computer engineer, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His books include: “Sacramento City of Blood” (2019) and “My Dog Julio” (2022). Phil’s podcasts include “Cities of Blood Podcast” and “The Waiting room 2024-2025.”
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. And look for @theparacast on Bluesky Social, Facebook, Threads and X.
Remembering the 1975 UFO Brain Trust
By Bernie O’Connor
In May of 1975, the first issue of Official UFO hit the newsstands nationwide. This pulp magazine was published by Countrywide Publications. At the time Countrywide was the largest and most successful publisher of exploitative schlock magazines in the country.Always eager to jump on what might be a profitable trend, Myron Fass, one of the owners of Countrywide, thought UFOs were the next big thing, so the printing presses started churning. Well almost.
No one at Countrywide knew anything about UFOs, so they needed someone to help them climb down the flying saucer rabbit hole. This task to find an editor for the magazine was left to Roy Mosney, the Editorial Director. Luckily for me, the first place he called was The Flying Saucer News Bookstore on West 45th street. Yes! New York at one time had a bookstore dedicated to UFOs. It was owned by James Rigberg. I literally haunted the place so Jim was kind enough to recommend me for the job. So off I went, one interview lead to another and here I am, now 50 years later, traveling down the Ufologicial memory lane in a falling leaf pattern.
So what is this UFO Brain Trust I’m referring to, and how did it come about? Well immediately upon being hired, I contacted every UFO organization and investigator I could find. First, I had to convince them I was on the up-and-up for wanting to do a serious magazine on UFOs. Then I had to insure them that we paid our contributors, the going rate, on time and with good checks. Pulp publishing did not have too good a reputation at the time, especially Countrywide Publications. Hands up anyone who subscribed to True Sex Crimes. Well, you get the idea.
Many phone calls and many more letters later, I was able to gain the UFO community’s confidence. This allowed me to build the best stable of reputable UFO investigators and writers in publishing at the time. Also, paying on acceptance as opposed to publication helped a great deal. And I was always three issues ahead. Roy Mosney taught me that. Thanks again Roy wherever you are! This so called “UFO Brain Trust” consisted of, at the time, the Who’s Who of Ufology, both here in the U.S. and abroad. “Ufologists Assemble!”
At first I was very apprehensive of working with Myron, the publisher, and reputed “King of Hyperbole.” Besides the soft porn cheesy men’s magazines he printed, he oddly pioneered the celebrity gossip magazine genera. Countrywide was once known as the “Jackie Factory” because of the many one-shot magazines he published of the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, in the early sixties.
These were very complementary of the First Lady, so it was obvious that Myron could produce decent material when he wanted to. In fact, these titles lead to Fass and his wife getting invited to the White House. He proudly framed the formal invitation and hung it in the conference room for all to see. Not bad for a kid from Brownsville, Brooklyn.
We did have our tense moments mind you, but we got along very well. Of course it’s always wise to defer to the guy who wears a loaded gun to the office. Through our many animated discussions he finally acquiesced and accepted the fact that a big market existed for a serious flying saucer magazine. Our newsstand and subscription sales proved it, reader feedback proved it, and most importantly, to Myron, the bottom line proved it.
In my first Editorial for Official UFO, I made the bold, and looking back at it now, a some what embarrassing proclamation, that the magazine “will attempt to solve the UFO mystery” and the “time for answers was now!” Here we are 50, years later and well…?
But some things I did promise, and they were:
“Official UFO will cover the whole gamut of the UFO experience. We will never discount a story because it sounds too far-fetched. Our policy is to bring you the truth about unidentified flying objects. By doing this we will be a step closer to solving the enigma.
“The name of the game is hard, factual evidence, and it will be our job to publish it. We will, whenever possible, bring you first-hand accounts of new sightings. We will seek out and find new and authentic photographs. The evidence is out there and we will find it.
“Official UFO will also serve as a reporting center for sightings. Maybe your UFO incident will yield important clues to the real nature of the UFOs. If you have had an experience with UFOs, please forward it to us; we will treat it with respect and give it close scrutiny.
“Does the answer to UFOs lie in the long-forgotten past? Are UFOs from a more advanced civilization far out in space? Who are the occupants that have been reported? Are they hostile, friendly? Do they care? Come along with us; we are going to find out.”
I think I delivered on those promises.
Official UFO succeeded as a magazine because of the exceptional “UFO Brain Trust” behind it. This formidable resource, made several important contributions to early Ufology. These dedicated investigators and writers must not be overlooked and their legacy must be remembered. Groundbreaking ideas, even if they are 50 years old, are still groundbreaking ideas. They need to be reconsidered and reintroduced into the UFO discourse.
So with this goal, I feel it’s time to for me to write the book on the Official History of Official UFO Magazine. Wish me luck!
Editor’s Note: During its heyday, I wrote material for Official UFO, the most interesting of which was my interview with Dr. J. Allen Hynek. You’ll see it in Bernie’s forthcoming book. Yes, Official UFO eventually jumped the shark, but Bernie performed a yeoman effort to keep it on the straight and narrow when he worked there.
Bernie O’Connor grew up in a haunted apartment building in New York and was introduced to paranormal hi-jinks at a very early age. The Twilight Zone, Wally Wood EC comics and the book, Frank Edward’s paperback Flying Saucers — Serious Business, set me on a lifelong skywatch for the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater. I can be reached at: [email protected]
Copyright 1999-2025 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
June 1, 2025
www.theparacast.com
Paranormal Investigators Paul Dale Roberts, Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro Reveal Secrets About Serial Killers and Paranormal Encounters on the Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2022 and later now feature better audio and fewer ads. We are also re-releasing some of our most popular classic episodes.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus a special version of The Paracast with all the ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Episodes for subscribers to The Paracast+ are now released 24 hours earlier. Flash! Now includes over 100 classic episodes, so take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode (June 1, 2025): Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a super special paranormal roundtable discussion featuring Paul Dale Roberts, Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro. Paul is also known as The Demon Warrior and is a Fortean Investigator who investigates all things paranormal from ghosts to demons to cryptids to UFOs. He has investigated loads paranormal hot spots that include Area 51; Skinwalker Ranch, Stonehenge and even the victim locations of well-known serial killers. Paul writes for Costa Rican Times, Un-X Magazine, Phenomena Magazine, Outer Limits Magazine and Paranormal Underground Magazine. Paranormal Soul Brother is known for his acting career on WKRP Cincinnati. In addition to his YouTube channel, he is a professional dancer and performer. He also works as a podcaster and Fortean investigator that investigates ghosts, demons, UFOs/UAPs and cryptids. Phil D’Asaro is a USMC veteran, computer engineer, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His books include: “Sacramento City of Blood” (2019) and “My Dog Julio” (2022). Phil’s podcasts include “Cities of Blood Podcast” and “The Waiting room 2024-2025.” The discussion will focus on a range of topics, including the most notorious location for serial killers and various paranormal encounters.
After The Paracast — Available exclusively to Paracast+ subscribers on May 31: Part II of a paranormal roundtable features Paul Dale Roberts (the Demon Warrior), Paranormal Soul Brother (Xandean X) and Phil D’Asaro. The free-wheeling discussion with Gene and cohost Tim Swartz covers Official UFO, a magazine that started out as a very serious publication before it jumped the shark as the result of the questionable marketing decision of its controversial publisher. Also on the agenda is possible UFO disinformation and the possible discovery of the image of a ghost when doing a Google Maps search. Paul investigates all things paranormal from ghosts to demons to cryptids to UFOs. He has investigated loads paranormal hot spots that include Area 51; Skinwalker Ranch, Stonehenge and even the victim locations of well-known serial killers. Paranormal Soul Brother is known for his acting career on WKRP Cincinnati. In addition to his YouTube channel, he is a professional dancer and performer and works as a podcaster and Fortean investigator that investigates ghosts, demons, UFOs/UAPs and cryptids. Phil D’Asaro is a USMC veteran, computer engineer, and an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His books include: “Sacramento City of Blood” (2019) and “My Dog Julio” (2022). Phil’s podcasts include “Cities of Blood Podcast” and “The Waiting room 2024-2025.”
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums. And look for @theparacast on Bluesky Social, Facebook, Threads and X.
Remembering the 1975 UFO Brain Trust
By Bernie O’Connor
In May of 1975, the first issue of Official UFO hit the newsstands nationwide. This pulp magazine was published by Countrywide Publications. At the time Countrywide was the largest and most successful publisher of exploitative schlock magazines in the country.Always eager to jump on what might be a profitable trend, Myron Fass, one of the owners of Countrywide, thought UFOs were the next big thing, so the printing presses started churning. Well almost.
No one at Countrywide knew anything about UFOs, so they needed someone to help them climb down the flying saucer rabbit hole. This task to find an editor for the magazine was left to Roy Mosney, the Editorial Director. Luckily for me, the first place he called was The Flying Saucer News Bookstore on West 45th street. Yes! New York at one time had a bookstore dedicated to UFOs. It was owned by James Rigberg. I literally haunted the place so Jim was kind enough to recommend me for the job. So off I went, one interview lead to another and here I am, now 50 years later, traveling down the Ufologicial memory lane in a falling leaf pattern.
So what is this UFO Brain Trust I’m referring to, and how did it come about? Well immediately upon being hired, I contacted every UFO organization and investigator I could find. First, I had to convince them I was on the up-and-up for wanting to do a serious magazine on UFOs. Then I had to insure them that we paid our contributors, the going rate, on time and with good checks. Pulp publishing did not have too good a reputation at the time, especially Countrywide Publications. Hands up anyone who subscribed to True Sex Crimes. Well, you get the idea.
Many phone calls and many more letters later, I was able to gain the UFO community’s confidence. This allowed me to build the best stable of reputable UFO investigators and writers in publishing at the time. Also, paying on acceptance as opposed to publication helped a great deal. And I was always three issues ahead. Roy Mosney taught me that. Thanks again Roy wherever you are! This so called “UFO Brain Trust” consisted of, at the time, the Who’s Who of Ufology, both here in the U.S. and abroad. “Ufologists Assemble!”
At first I was very apprehensive of working with Myron, the publisher, and reputed “King of Hyperbole.” Besides the soft porn cheesy men’s magazines he printed, he oddly pioneered the celebrity gossip magazine genera. Countrywide was once known as the “Jackie Factory” because of the many one-shot magazines he published of the First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, in the early sixties.
These were very complementary of the First Lady, so it was obvious that Myron could produce decent material when he wanted to. In fact, these titles lead to Fass and his wife getting invited to the White House. He proudly framed the formal invitation and hung it in the conference room for all to see. Not bad for a kid from Brownsville, Brooklyn.
We did have our tense moments mind you, but we got along very well. Of course it’s always wise to defer to the guy who wears a loaded gun to the office. Through our many animated discussions he finally acquiesced and accepted the fact that a big market existed for a serious flying saucer magazine. Our newsstand and subscription sales proved it, reader feedback proved it, and most importantly, to Myron, the bottom line proved it.
In my first Editorial for Official UFO, I made the bold, and looking back at it now, a some what embarrassing proclamation, that the magazine “will attempt to solve the UFO mystery” and the “time for answers was now!” Here we are 50, years later and well…?
But some things I did promise, and they were:
“Official UFO will cover the whole gamut of the UFO experience. We will never discount a story because it sounds too far-fetched. Our policy is to bring you the truth about unidentified flying objects. By doing this we will be a step closer to solving the enigma.
“The name of the game is hard, factual evidence, and it will be our job to publish it. We will, whenever possible, bring you first-hand accounts of new sightings. We will seek out and find new and authentic photographs. The evidence is out there and we will find it.
“Official UFO will also serve as a reporting center for sightings. Maybe your UFO incident will yield important clues to the real nature of the UFOs. If you have had an experience with UFOs, please forward it to us; we will treat it with respect and give it close scrutiny.
“Does the answer to UFOs lie in the long-forgotten past? Are UFOs from a more advanced civilization far out in space? Who are the occupants that have been reported? Are they hostile, friendly? Do they care? Come along with us; we are going to find out.”
I think I delivered on those promises.
Official UFO succeeded as a magazine because of the exceptional “UFO Brain Trust” behind it. This formidable resource, made several important contributions to early Ufology. These dedicated investigators and writers must not be overlooked and their legacy must be remembered. Groundbreaking ideas, even if they are 50 years old, are still groundbreaking ideas. They need to be reconsidered and reintroduced into the UFO discourse.
So with this goal, I feel it’s time to for me to write the book on the Official History of Official UFO Magazine. Wish me luck!
• • •
Editor’s Note: During its heyday, I wrote material for Official UFO, the most interesting of which was my interview with Dr. J. Allen Hynek. You’ll see it in Bernie’s forthcoming book. Yes, Official UFO eventually jumped the shark, but Bernie performed a yeoman effort to keep it on the straight and narrow when he worked there.
Bernie O’Connor grew up in a haunted apartment building in New York and was introduced to paranormal hi-jinks at a very early age. The Twilight Zone, Wally Wood EC comics and the book, Frank Edward’s paperback Flying Saucers — Serious Business, set me on a lifelong skywatch for the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater. I can be reached at: [email protected]
Copyright 1999-2025 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!