What is your favorite lesser-known Art Bell episode?

[Papa Lazarou]

Ed Pankau, 1999-02-02. Art & Ed talk about detective work and hiding your money from the IRS. At the end Ed gives practical tips to callers about moving their assets & asses to Belize.

[analog kid]

His surprise call-in interview with retired military intelligence guy Richard Doty in '05. Which, if you know anything about his history in disinformation, and how it intersected with Linda Moulton Howe in the 80s (with George Knapp and Bob Lazar as well), it was fascinating. Everything he said was a gold mine and a puzzle to solve. Things people had been speculating about for 15-20 years. But you have to know the context and who he is. Otherwise it probably wouldn't register on your radar.

[Barkas]

For my money, Art's all-time most entertaining show is "Into the Hollow Earth" with Dallas Thompson, 10-04-02.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2002/10/04

I'm not sure how well-known it is but I finally signed up here for the sole purpose of nominating this show, in case there's anyone here that hasn't heard it yet. It's been a while so I may not remember all the details perfectly but this is the gist.

Thompson claimed he'd managed to get funding (from a patron he couldn't talk about, natch) for an "expedition" to the interior of the (hollow) Earth. This "expedition" consisted of him personally flying his single-passenger Mad Max gyrocopter thing into a hole that supposedly existed at one or both of the Earth's poles, with no backup or supplies save for a head-mounted video camera. Apparently he planned to livestream the whole thing with 2002 technology? Oh, and that's not even the craziest part. Thompson off-handedly mentions that he's legally blind. Apparently an 80 MPH-backward single-car crash in Hawaii gave him some sort of psychic powers that allowed him to get in touch with the Mole Men/Nazis?/higher-vibrational-beings that live inside the Hollow Earth and come out in their saucers once in a while to abduct/probe/mutilate, etc. He was confident he'd be welcomed with open arms. Or tentacles or something, I don't know.

What sets Dallas Thompson apart from all the other Hollow Earth goofballs, and in fact from just about any other Coast guest I've ever heard is the fact that he spoke with the warmth, confidence, and machine-gun rapidity of an old-fashioned psych-ward Jesus. He is so utterly sure of what he will find, and so relentlessly upbeat and energetic that despite not buying a word of this, I am spellbound, squatted under the proverbial fruit-drink cooler: spigot broken, mouth open.

He was so clearly off his meds (multiple callers diagnose him as having a 'full-blown manic episode'), so obviously making things up on the spot, and so unable to stick to the topic or answer simple questions without veering off wildly into quantum bullshit theories-of-everything from his Cosmic Manifesto that Art at one point gives up on trying to rein him in and asks which producer it was that vetted him for the show. Thompson reluctantly names the poor girl and asks, "She's not in trouble, is she?" Art, seeing that his show has gone completely off the rails but clearly enjoying it as much as I am, responds "I haven't decided yet."

[Ciardelo]

For my money, Art's all-time most entertaining show is "Into the Hollow Earth" with Dallas Thompson, 10-04-02.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2002/10/04

Thanks for giving a precise date. Welcome to BellGab and post often! I checking out a copy in the archive right now.

ETA: You didn't mention the JC call!! Yay! "masturbation is the greatest and STINGIEST of ALL sins!" LAWLS!

[Barkas]

Thanks Char. 

I didn't have time to go back and listen to the whole show again and completely forgot there was a JC call in there! Icing on the cake I guess. I also forgot the whole Nibiru/Earth Changes angle Dallas was pushing. Say what you will about his mental state, the guy sure as hell did his research -- or at least, he knew what Art and his listeners probably wanted to hear.

Somebody named Rob Schwarz did a much more in-depth (and factually accurate) recap that I stumbled across while looking for the show, and it's definitely worth a read. Apparently the "Mad Max gyrocopter" I was picturing was actually more like something out of Inspector Gadget, or Minority Report! Picture Sean Connery's jetpack in From Russia With Love, but with airboat fans instead of jet thrusters. There's a video included with Schwarz's recap here:

http://www.strangerdimensions.com/2013/02/05/whatever-happened-to-dallas-thompson/

It looks wildly impractical.

[albrecht]

For my money, Art's all-time most entertaining show is "Into the Hollow Earth" with Dallas Thompson, 10-04-02.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2002/10/04

I'm not sure how well-known it is but I finally signed up here for the sole purpose of nominating this show, in case there's anyone here that hasn't heard it yet. It's been a while so I may not remember all the details perfectly but this is the gist.

Thompson claimed he'd managed to get funding (from a patron he couldn't talk about, natch) for an "expedition" to the interior of the (hollow) Earth. This "expedition" consisted of him personally flying his single-passenger Mad Max gyrocopter thing into a hole that supposedly existed at one or both of the Earth's poles, with no backup or supplies save for a head-mounted video camera. Apparently he planned to livestream the whole thing with 2002 technology? Oh, and that's not even the craziest part. Thompson off-handedly mentions that he's legally blind. Apparently an 80 MPH-backward single-car crash in Hawaii gave him some sort of psychic powers that allowed him to get in touch with the Mole Men/Nazis?/higher-vibrational-beings that live inside the Hollow Earth and come out in their saucers once in a while to abduct/probe/mutilate, etc. He was confident he'd be welcomed with open arms. Or tentacles or something, I don't know.

What sets Dallas Thompson apart from all the other Hollow Earth goofballs, and in fact from just about any other Coast guest I've ever heard is the fact that he spoke with the warmth, confidence, and machine-gun rapidity of an old-fashioned psych-ward Jesus. He is so utterly sure of what he will find, and so relentlessly upbeat and energetic that despite not buying a word of this, I am spellbound, squatted under the proverbial fruit-drink cooler: spigot broken, mouth open.

He was so clearly off his meds (multiple callers diagnose him as having a 'full-blown manic episode'), so obviously making things up on the spot, and so unable to stick to the topic or answer simple questions without veering off wildly into quantum bullshit theories-of-everything from his Cosmic Manifesto that Art at one point gives up on trying to rein him in and asks which producer it was that vetted him for the show. Thompson reluctantly names the poor girl and asks, "She's not in trouble, is she?" Art, seeing that his show has gone completely off the rails but clearly enjoying it as much as I am, responds "I haven't decided yet."

This show is always on my top ten list and popular one with all Art fans. Didn't also he say he was blind (or at least legally blind?)

[Art]

John Lear was always a fun ride.

[nathan]

For my money, Art's all-time most entertaining show is "Into the Hollow Earth" with Dallas Thompson, 10-04-02.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2002/10/04

Definitely one of my favorites! Great callers, not an ounce of belief on Art's part by the end of that.

Unrelated: does anyone know which episode Art talks about his personal UFO sighting in detail?

[chefist]

26FEB02: Trumball County UFO with Kenny Young! Live police dispatch recording of officers chasing a UFO! It's really good!

[creepygreenlight]

It's hard to beat Art's shows with Michio Kaku over the years (beginning in '97, as I recall).  Michio's brain is just an endless source of mind blowing information.  I think Art really shined in those interviews because he genuinely loved the topics and did a good job exploring Michio's brain piece by piece the way only Art can do... they are definitely some of my favorites.

[Philosopher]

The one he hasn't done yet.

[stenjay]

Don Zaidle when he was plugging his book "American Man-Killers: True Stories of a Dangerous Wilderness".  I laughed so hard at this, because he basically was pushing the theory that literally EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL, your cat included, is out to murder you.  It honestly seemed like he maybe wanted to befriend some animal at some point, but it didn't like him, so he got completely bitter about it and declared them all dangerous.  I seriously need to track this one down somehow and give it another listen.  Oh, also, here's a link to his book:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Man-Killers-Stories-Dangerous-Wilderness/dp/157157056X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452627487&sr=8-2&keywords=don+zaidle

[Philosopher]

It's hard to beat Art's shows with Michio Kaku over the years (beginning in '97, as I recall).  Michio's brain is just an endless source of mind blowing information.  I think Art really shined in those interviews because he genuinely loved the topics and did a good job exploring Michio's brain piece by piece the way only Art can do... they are definitely some of my favorites.

But not all of it is his expertise.  It is amusing to see him interviewed on television every other day on topics ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes, to his ethereal thoughts on eternal life.  Dr. Kaku is a theoretical physicist.  He's been a great popularizer of science in general, but when he strays from String Theory, and the like, he then ventures outside of his expertise and assumes the role of a reporter.

[albrecht]

Don Zaidle when he was plugging his book "American Man-Killers: True Stories of a Dangerous Wilderness".  I laughed so hard at this, because he basically was pushing the theory that literally EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL, your cat included, is out to murder you.  It honestly seemed like he maybe wanted to befriend some animal at some point, but it didn't like him, so he got completely bitter about it and declared them all dangerous.  I seriously need to track this one down somehow and give it another listen.  Oh, also, here's a link to his book:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Man-Killers-Stories-Dangerous-Wilderness/dp/157157056X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452627487&sr=8-2&keywords=don+zaidle

It is in the 'ultimate torrent' I recall. My favorite part was when he mentioned, rightfully, that deer are the most dangerous NA animal BUT not in the way one might suspect (car accidents) but told a tale of a buck refusing to back away from a body even against a cop in Texas (or something bizarre like that.) It has been a few years but I remember something like that. And Art also told of his sighting of a giant mountain lion whose body crossed both lanes in the highway (to show how big.)

[creepygreenlight]

But not all of it is his expertise.  It is amusing to see him interviewed on television every other day on topics ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes, to his ethereal thoughts on eternal life.  Dr. Kaku is a theoretical physicist.  He's been a great popularizer of science in general, but when he strays from String Theory, and the like, he then ventures outside of his expertise and assumes the role of a reporter.

I agree with you, but even if he wants to discuss his favorite recipe for baking a cake I'm down to listen because at that point he's a theoretical physicist baking a fucking cake.

[Radio Activity]

This is a great thread! Bringing back a lot of memories. The George Carlin interview is one of my favorites. 11/10/99

[creepygreenlight]

I forgot about the Carlin show, definately one of the best.

For anyone who cares... here's a "Very Best of Art Bell" stream from U7radio.  Great source of old shows streaming 24/7.

http://tunein.com/radio/The-Very-Best-Of-Art-Bell-(U7Radioorg)-s198244/

[The King of Kings]

I always like Paul Moller as a guest.  He is the Skycar guy.

Art interviewed him in 2003 and then the last hour Art interviewed a vampire.

Art is on top of his game in this interview with Paul Moller.

[The King of Kings]

I also liked when Art interviewed Mark Fuhrman.

http://sitarchive.com/?p=31

[Radio Activity]

Rocket Guy Brian Walker. 3/27/2002

Interesting article about him from June 2015:
http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/3232327-151/rocketguy-looking-to-stay-grounded#

[henge0stone]

Ed Pankau, 1999-02-02. Art & Ed talk about detective work and hiding your money from the IRS. At the end Ed gives practical tips to callers about moving their assets & asses to Belize.

Oh I remember that one, I had it on my playlist at work and almost forgot about it. What a fun show.

I can't find this show in the archives again but there was one about a guy building a starship and he got the idea from aliens or something. He said the spacecraft was made of stone on the inside and the book he was writing was called stoneships or something. I used it for the name of my podcast cause it sounded cool but now I can't find the show in the archive

I think art was interviewing a guy who was following the story and not the guy himself.

[albrecht]

Rocket Guy Brian Walker. 3/27/2002

Interesting article about him from June 2015:
http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/3232327-151/rocketguy-looking-to-stay-grounded#

Thanks for the update. Glad he is doing better. I heard about the marriage and etc stuff but haven't heard an update on him in quite sometime.
"He’s built exercise machines, a dryer for dogs and a six-shot home defense handgun with built-in electronics to record a video of the interaction and allow the user to call and talk to police through the gun."
Very curious about the "dryer for dogs!!!")

[albrecht]

The show with charlatan, likely, "Dr." Horowitz about viruses and now just about every disease is caused by the Rockefellers, contaminated blood, and "inoculations and vaccinations." Old news in the conspiracy circles, now, but Art treated him/it so seriously. And then all the callers who had so many various diseases and had no idea how they got them- except Horowitz diagnosis is "likely vaccinations." And then show ends with a segment with "Rodney" from Fort Smith who discovered, while watching Razorbacks basketball at his home with a friend, that he could capture 'spirits and ghosts' with his electronic bug-zapper. At first he used stock units but then his friend, who was a EE, modified the housing and units to capture over a larger area.

[Adamson]

2001 Rennes Le Chateau Holy Grail - Boyd Rice & Tracy Twyman

[Ciardelo]

2001 Rennes Le Chateau Holy Grail - Boyd Rice & Tracy Twyman

Wasn't that with Ian Punnett?

[nathan]

Just listened to an awesome one from May 28, 1998- Don Zaidle talks about dangerous animals and man-killings. He genuinely sounds like he hates animals and constantly refers to them as "biological machines". Art eats it up. Really interesting guy, wish he was on more than just the one time (that I know of?). He died a couple years ago otherwise I'd recommend him as a guest on MITD because this guy could carry a show himself!

Anyone have any other recommendations? I love most of the episodes I heard about through this thread! Keep em coming!

[albrecht]

Just listened to an awesome one from May 28, 1998- Don Zaidle talks about dangerous animals and man-killings. He genuinely sounds like he hates animals and constantly refers to them as "biological machines". Art eats it up. Really interesting guy, wish he was on more than just the one time (that I know of?). He died a couple years ago otherwise I'd recommend him as a guest on MITD because this guy could carry a show himself!

Anyone have any other recommendations? I love most of the episodes I heard about through this thread! Keep em coming!

That was a good one. As I recall Art mentioned that he saw a mountain lion that took up both lanes of traffic- in other words big! And Zadle's stories about deer stalking people and his general vitriol towards animals (and animal activists) was hilarious.

[dismayed]

These are all great shows - thanks for taking me down memory lane.

My favorite show which isn't mentioned here was the interview Art did with Leonard Nimoy (aka "Mr. Spock") many years ago.  It was just really fun and kind of weird hearing them talk!  The best part was part-way through the interview when Nimoy talked about being contacted by some folks during the original run of Star Trek who told him he was part of a master plan to help prep the world for (or at least get us comfortable with) contact with aliens in the future.  Both Art Bell and Leonard Nimoy are/were such great storytellers... it was great to hear them chew the fat for an evening.

[nathan]

The Dreamland episode with Stan Johnson about Bigfoot (2/11/96) was really awesome. The guy was a real nut and seemed sincere, old, and very infatuated with Bigfoot. I looked up his address on Google Maps (he gave it out at the end of the interview so people could contact him about buying his book... which is impossible to find on the internet), and it did not disappoint.

[nathan]

Don Zaidle when he was plugging his book "American Man-Killers: True Stories of a Dangerous Wilderness".  I laughed so hard at this, because he basically was pushing the theory that literally EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL, your cat included, is out to murder you.  It honestly seemed like he maybe wanted to befriend some animal at some point, but it didn't like him, so he got completely bitter about it and declared them all dangerous.  I seriously need to track this one down somehow and give it another listen.  Oh, also, here's a link to his book:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Man-Killers-Stories-Dangerous-Wilderness/dp/157157056X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452627487&sr=8-2&keywords=don+zaidle

Wow, I did not even see this post and said almost the same thing. Cheers to Don Zaidle!!