MITD Truther

[Element 115]

Being naive and gullible, I actually believe the story.  The fact that a radio host/show has inspired someone to do crazy things in a dark desert is curious.  I'm more interested in the stalker's motive/rationalization/expected outcome than the fact that Art took hiatus.  That said, it will be a happy day if/when he returns.

"MITD Truther" seemed like a good hook for a thread discussing the meta aspect of this situation.  Frankly, the nit-picking and petty insults aren't that interesting. Maybe I should have gone with "BellGate"?

I believe Art as well. I just think it was hastily communicated. His statement about not being on "tonight or any night" was out of fear and pressure.

[bellNwhistle]

Open Lines 11/27 spanning the second dark matter news break, listen for "hot diggity!"  (I'd conflated callers, this was a remote viewer, not the ham addict.) Art called it "kinda creepy" and segued into radio tower geek-out.

Thank you! 

[whytide]

Open Lines 11/27 spanning the second dark matter news break, listen for "hot diggity!"

Thanks Q-Pi! I located it. It starts at 1:12:00 on the archived version. Since this seems relevant to the Art Bell Stalker Mystery, I've transcribed it in full as best I can. I didn't understand one word he said at about 1:16:40. It sounds like "lawnstroms". The caller says he had driven by Art Bell's house, described it, asked certain questions, and also claimed to be able to remote view inside Bell's house.


____________________________________________
[Art Bell's Midnight in the Desert, November 27, 2015] [1:12:00]
Art Bell: Let's go to our special line. Hello there!
Caller (A male voice, sounds late middle aged): Hello there!
Art Bell: Hi.
Caller: Oh, wonderful!
Art Bell: You're obviously calling for one of four reasons...
Caller: What are my reasons?
Art Bell: Well...
Caller: I mighta had an ulterior motive here.
Art Bell: Really?
Caller: Yes, I did.
Art Bell: You mean, like sneaking in on a line that you weren't supposed to call?
Caller: No, I couldn't remember what number I was supposed to call, so I pushed the redial from night before last. And it rang, so I says, 'Hot Diggity!' I hope I got the right line.
Art Bell: This is bad.
Caller: Oh, come on.
Art Bell: Well, I mean, I can test you, if you would like.
Caller: Okay.
Art Bell: You may qualify under one of these possibilities...
Caller: Okay!
Art Bell: So we have the 'Weird Addiction Line.' Do you have a weird addiction?
Caller: Oh, yeah! Yeah. I've got that for sure! It's about you.
Art Bell: Uhh....
Caller: I'm addicted to your -- [Music starts playing faintly] To your soothing voice every night. And also, hearin' the temperature of the rest of the country out there, as they call in and talk to yeh.
[The rest is cut in the archived version] [News Break]
Art Bell: Hi, you're on the air. [1:16:30]
Caller: Oh, good.
Art Bell: 'Back' on the air, I should say.
Caller: That's wonderful. Art, I wanted to take you back about four launstroms(?), back in the day when we did a lot of faxing back and forth to you?
Art Bell: I remember that.
Caller: Oh, lord. We had you bouncin' around a radio shack one night, a handful of us out here in radio land. And it was when we were first talking about remote viewing, and stuff like that, and you were adamant about the fact that you were just not too sure about it. And then one caller called in and said that he had remote viewed you, there, in your little radio --
Art Bell: Oh, God, I remember this! And I found something that I had lost, and --
Caller: Nope, nope, nope.
Art Bell: Yes, yes! Well, that was 'one'.
Caller: Oh, it maya been. I -- But the one that I was involved with is -- uhh -- I sent you a fax right quick, because I could 'never' get on with my telephone line. I could 'never' call you.
Art Bell: Right.
Caller: And so I sent a fax, I says, "Okay, you pick an object, set it on the desk or on the shelf in fronta ya, and let us fax in pitchers, we'll draw 'em up by hand, of what that is."
Art Bell: Mmm.
Caller: And you looked around, and then you found what was a pitcher of you inside a special -- I forget the -- frilly-type frame, like a metal frame that's all --
Art Bell: That's right.
Caller: You remember that one?
Art Bell: I do.
Caller: And so I drew it up real quick and I sent it to ya, and only thing I messed up is I was sure Ramona was in front of you, at a lower level,
Art Bell: Yes.
Caller: And I included her, and then four other people sent in the same thing!
Art Bell: I remember.
Caller: You were bouncin' all over the room! It was so good. I was just thrilled! The wife, she was bouncin' in the bedroom with me!
Art Bell: And there was one just as big as that, sir. I had lost something. I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't a tool. Somebody said, open your closet, look in your toolbox, and I'll be damned if it wasn't there. I forget what the item was now, but it may have been my keys or something that I had lost, and it was there, so --
Caller: No kidding.
Art Bell: That still doesn't mean, you know, that I'm gulping the Kool Aid, but it does look like there's something to it.
Caller: Well, you know, I've done this since I was a kid. And one of my favorite things is you take a few bounces down the road and alla sudden you're elevated and you're flyin'. And 'that' is just wonderful dreamin'. Fly anywhere you wanna go! And so when I start listenin' to 'you', I'd just be so into what's goin' on, I would find myself standing outside the window of that radio shack, lookin' at your house!
Art Bell: Oh?
Caller: And one time, I got in over in the corner -- I think you got a monitor mounted up there now, or something --
Art Bell: [Quietly] How creepy....
Caller: I was lookin' down at ya.
Art Bell: Mmm.
Caller: And it was just so cool!! And so, one time I went over to a two-day thing in Las Vegas where Ed Dames was teachin' this stuff --
Art Bell: Yes?
Caller: I thought, "I'ma get 'really' good at this!" I didn't like the way he taught it, so I left after the first day, but I thought -- You know what? I'm gonna come home, because I live over by Sacramento, I'll come back through Death Valley, and I'll detour through Pahrump, and see if I can't drive straight to where you live. By golly, I did!
Art Bell: [Exasperated sigh]
Caller: I got to see your big antennas and all that stuff.
Art Bell: Yes...
Caller: And, oh! Oh, oh!
Art Bell: [Laughter]
Caller: Those antennas! You said you had about 440, or som'n like that? Volts on 'em?
Art Bell: Almost four hundred volts, yes.
Caller: Is there any appreciable amperage there?
Art Bell: Not a 'lot'. But there's enough. It could be -- I've gotta go, sir -- regarding my antenna, it could be 'used,' let's put it that way, at the moment I ground it, and I do that to protect my radios, because that kind of voltages destroys radios, that's kinda how I found it, it destroyed a couple of my radios [Laughs]. So, there is enough current that it could be used to charge things, it could conceivably be stored and used. It's something that should be looked into, and for years, I have invited people, somebody of 'substance,' science, to come and do some measurements, on the voltage, on the antenna. It is really substantial and 'I' wanna know more about it, other than going out there and getting myself shocked all the time. So, I would like to know more. I can tell you this, and this 'is' intriguing, for anybody who knows a little bit about electricity and electronics. I have a big sort-of "Frankenstein Switch" so that I can actually disconnect the antenna, put it on the ground, during any storms. And I can sit there going, "Click, click, click, click." That fast. And I will get a giant blue spark every single time, so it's not like it has to build up, whatever it is. It's always there. There's no recharge time. Or at least none that I can see... And look at 'this'. This message says, "The dudes at BellGab want to know how you like your coffee, Art." [Laughs]. What 'is' it about BellGab? Those vaguely lovable people have a disturbing interest in what I eat and what I drink. Disturbing. They bugged me one day until I finally told them what I had for dinner. It strangely, unnervingly, seemed to satisfy them. My coffee, black, always black, and why do you want to know these things? Alright, to Skype we go. Hello! [1:22:30]

[bellNwhistle]

Nice work!    Dude was creepy!

[whytide]

Nice work!    Dude was creepy!

Caller: And one time, I got in over in the corner -- I think you got a monitor mounted up there now, or something --
Art Bell: [Quietly] How creepy....
Caller: I was lookin' down at ya.
Art Bell: Mmm.

[bellNwhistle]

[Element 115]

I remember that live, and indeed the guy was creepy.

[Bradsmith313]

Very creepy he was . . . .

[Element 115]

Very creepy he was . . . .

I just read that in my mind in Yoda's voice.

[whytide]

the guy was creepy.

Art Bell: So we have the 'Weird Addiction Line.' Do you have a weird addiction?
Caller: Oh, yeah! Yeah. I've got that for sure! It's about you.
Art Bell: Uhh....
Caller: I'm addicted to your -- [Music starts playing faintly] -- To your soothing voice every night.

[Royal_Tenenbaum]

Open Lines 11/27 spanning the second dark matter news break, listen for "hot diggity!"  (I'd conflated callers, this was a remote viewer, not the ham addict.) Art called it "kinda creepy" and segued into radio tower geek-out.

It's just as creepy that do Hollywood Homes tours, in that it isn't creepy. It's just sad at worst. You can youtube a video of Art's house if you want to see it though.

[Q-Pi]

I didn't understand one word he said at about 1:16:40. It sounds like "lawnstroms".

He said "four lustrums."  i.e. 20 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustrum

[Q-Pi]

It's just as creepy that do Hollywood Homes tours, in that it isn't creepy. It's just sad at worst.

I found him far less creepy than the next caller (whispering maltreated shape-shifting dog guy).  And probably less creepy than those freak bellgabbers inquiring as to Art's dining habits and caffeination preferences.

(Full disclosure, I made pilgrimage to the house where Marilyn Monroe died.  She'd been dead for 50 years and I didn't stop to look around.  But yes, there is a sad non-creepy creepiness about the whole unspoken relationship between fans and "persons of interest." )

[bellNwhistle]

I found him far less creepy than the next caller (whispering maltreated shape-shifting dog guy).  And probably less creepy than those freak bellgabbers inquiring as to Art's dining habits and caffeination preferences.

(Full disclosure, I made pilgrimage to the house where Marilyn Monroe died.  She'd been dead for 50 years and I didn't stop to look around.  But yes, there is a sad non-creepy creepiness about the whole unspoken relationship between fans and "persons of interest." )

Hell, if I knew where it was, I'd go too. But would you call her up (if she were still alive) and tell her all about how you went to her place to check it out? Peeped in the window? Tell her where she kept her skin cream on the dresser? LOL    Thats the diff between you and me, and then this dude.

[whytide]

Here is the audio of the "Hot Diggity" caller. (Transcript above)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVG6gy_ylXQ

Thanks to Stardust Ancestor

[whytide]

He said "four lustrums."  i.e. 20 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustrum

Thanks! I don't think I was familiar with that term. 

In the Youtube clip above, it is at 1:20-1:25. Is he pronouncing it correctly? It sounds more like "lawn strums" to me. Then again, he played loose with pronunciation of a lot of words.

[Wintermute]

Fact / Truth: A lot of much bigger celebrities do media and some how deal with harassment.



Bottom line though is that the show is over so it doesn't matter "why". I think most of us have a pretty good idea why already.

[Element 115]

He said "four lustrums."  i.e. 20 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lustrum

I've never heard the term, either.  He pronounced it like "lunstrums".

[Element 115]

Here is the audio of the "Hot Diggity" caller. (Transcript above)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVG6gy_ylXQ

Thanks to Stardust Ancestor

No problem, thanks for transcribing it.

[ChandlersDad]

don't discount an Islamic Jihad against Art Bell.

Never underestimate the Spanish Inquisition!

[Kylearan]

I'm a fan of Art Bell's shows and am sad to see him go. I first heard about it less than an hour ago because I haven't herd his show in weeks because of the holidays. I had tons of work to do so I recorded the show to listen later. Then I come here and find out Art has left for good because of some threats.

I think Art Bell should go and stay gone. He is not right for radio. Here's why. For years I listened to a Talk show host named Ray Taliaferro. Art Bell knows Ray and talked about him one show. He said Ray Taliaferro is the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. Then Art said that Ray would make him want to throw something at the radio when Ray would say things on his show. Ray is the kind of guy who says what he feels, loudly. One show Ray told about how he booked William McGonagle, Commander of the US Liberty while it was attacked by Israeli warplanes back in. There was a book out on the attack and Ray wanted to talk to him. Commander McGonagle maintained that Israel knew they were attacking an American ship and they wanted to sink it. Some felt Israel believed that America was giving intelligence to Arab enemies of Israel.

There was much anger over the incident and a guy called into the show and threatened to hurt Ray because of the interview. When the man got to the studio, the security and/or police were waiting on him. They took him into custody without incident but the man did have a weapon on him.

Most talk show hosts who have a large following know one thing. There are people out there who want to hurt them. Doesn't matter the kind of show, doesn't matter how nice the host is. There are people who want to kill them for some reason, sometimes crazy, sometimes not so crazy. Once Ray did not show up to work on time and the police were called immediately to do a welfare check on him. Ray had just overslept for some reason, he was fine and the cops asked him for his autograph.

This is why I think Art is just not right for the radio business. It's not because he lacks in talent, it's because he can't handle being a target of crazy people. Most hosts who are that popular go to a studio with security and keep their private homes a relative secret. But Art wants to have his studio in his home. Bad idea. Art now realizes that. It's a wonder this kind of thing hasn't happened before given Art's long broadcasting career. I don't think that this person will stop now that Art is off the air. If someone is crazy enough to do those things, complying with the person may not deter them. Art should move or build a more secure home. Probably better to move since this idiot knows where Art lives.

I wish Art and his beautify family all the safety and happiness in the world. I hope Art enjoys his well-deserved retirement.

Kylearan

[Beelzebubbelah]

I'm a fan of Art Bell's shows and am sad to see him go. I first heard about it less than an hour ago because I haven't heard his show in weeks because of the holidays. I had tons of work to do so I recorded the show to listen later. Then I come here and find out Art has left for good because of some threats.

I think Art Bell should go and stay gone. He is not right for radio. Here's why. For years I listened to a Talk show host named Ray Taliaferro[-BROWN.]. Art Bell knows Ray and talked about him one show. He said Ray Taliaferro[-BROWN] is the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. Then Art said that Ray would make him want to throw something at the radio when Ray would say things on his show. Ray is the kind of guy who says what he feels, loudly. One show Ray told about how he booked William McGonagle, Commander of the US Liberty while it was attacked by Israeli warplanes back in. There was a book out on the attack and Ray wanted to talk to him. Commander McGonagle maintained that Israel knew they were attacking an American ship and they wanted to sink it. Some felt Israel believed that America was giving intelligence to Arab enemies of Israel.

There was much anger over the incident and a guy called into the show and threatened to hurt Ray because of the interview. When the man got to the studio{ie,KGO-AM offices}, the security and/or police were waiting on him. They took him into custody without incident but the man did have a weapon on him.

Most talk show hosts who have a large following know one thing. There are people out there who want to hurt them. Doesn't matter the kind of show, doesn't matter how nice the host is. There are people who want to kill them for some reason, sometimes crazy, sometimes not so crazy. Once Ray did not show up to work on time and the police were called immediately to do a welfare check on him. Ray had just overslept for some reason, he was fine and the cops asked him for his autograph.

This is why I think Art is just not right for the radio business. It's not because he lacks in talent, it's because he can't handle being a target of crazy people. Most hosts who are that popular go to a studio with security and keep their private homes a relative secret. But Art wants to have his studio in his home. Bad idea. Art now realizes that. It's a wonder this kind of thing hasn't happened before given Art's long broadcasting career. I don't think that this person will stop now that Art is off the air. If someone is crazy enough to do those things, complying with the person may not deter them. Art should move or build a more secure home. Probably better to move since this idiot knows where Art lives.

I wish Art and his beautify family all the safety and happiness in the world. I hope Art enjoys his well-deserved retirement.

Kylearan

'Allo!
with you all i am yet.
Missing the dear dead days of 'Ray Tagliaferro-Brown".
His clear show on kgo-am,12am-five?am.
replaced a couple hosts after one shot in parking lot at Hungry I or ?Purple Onion,Enrico?Banducci's resteraunt with booth.
Jim Dunbar?
shot?
then Ira Blue died old age?
Russ Barberi?
I remember,r.t.Brown was janitor,worked up to overnight show,then ran for S.F.supervisor.
One host was definiteley shot through booth wall at Hungry I.
Mebbe this history could be used in an argument favouring haveing multiple stand-in cyber-Art's from Disney-Imagineers,like in "Young Mr.Lincoln"in Disney-land.
Mebbe an on-line campaign to set up an duplicate studio with an duplicate of Mr.Bell as an fake-out to draw stalkers,like an duck decoy.
Plan B:Move Bell & family in-to sub-lease at Davenport's Fuher-bunker near Sac/Minutman silos in Wash.state...
"B_B"
PS:Doubtful Logo:
[7VF]

[Robert]

I'm a fan of Art Bell's shows and am sad to see him go. I first heard about it less than an hour ago because I haven't herd his show in weeks because of the holidays. I had tons of work to do so I recorded the show to listen later. Then I come here and find out Art has left for good because of some threats.

I think Art Bell should go and stay gone. He is not right for radio. Here's why. For years I listened to a Talk show host named Ray Taliaferro. Art Bell knows Ray and talked about him one show. He said Ray Taliaferro is the nicest person you'd ever want to meet. Then Art said that Ray would make him want to throw something at the radio when Ray would say things on his show. Ray is the kind of guy who says what he feels, loudly. One show Ray told about how he booked William McGonagle, Commander of the US Liberty while it was attacked by Israeli warplanes back in. There was a book out on the attack and Ray wanted to talk to him. Commander McGonagle maintained that Israel knew they were attacking an American ship and they wanted to sink it. Some felt Israel believed that America was giving intelligence to Arab enemies of Israel.

There was much anger over the incident and a guy called into the show and threatened to hurt Ray because of the interview. When the man got to the studio, the security and/or police were waiting on him. They took him into custody without incident but the man did have a weapon on him.

Most talk show hosts who have a large following know one thing. There are people out there who want to hurt them. Doesn't matter the kind of show, doesn't matter how nice the host is. There are people who want to kill them for some reason, sometimes crazy, sometimes not so crazy. Once Ray did not show up to work on time and the police were called immediately to do a welfare check on him. Ray had just overslept for some reason, he was fine and the cops asked him for his autograph.

This is why I think Art is just not right for the radio business. It's not because he lacks in talent, it's because he can't handle being a target of crazy people. Most hosts who are that popular go to a studio with security and keep their private homes a relative secret. But Art wants to have his studio in his home. Bad idea. Art now realizes that. It's a wonder this kind of thing hasn't happened before given Art's long broadcasting career. I don't think that this person will stop now that Art is off the air. If someone is crazy enough to do those things, complying with the person may not deter them. Art should move or build a more secure home. Probably better to move since this idiot knows where Art lives.

I wish Art and his beautify family all the safety and happiness in the world. I hope Art enjoys his well-deserved retirement.

I hope he reads that post.  It's bad for me, because I like hearing him, but it looks like the truth.  He says he's had experience with having hired security around him, & didn't like the atmosphere, which is why he's not hiring any now.

When he was under explicit threat, I mentioned this news on some programs' comment threads on WFMU, because I considered it an attack on radio personalities generally.  Like if it could happen to Art, it could to anyone.  I felt like something that gives me a lot of enjoyment, not just Art Bell but radio generally, was threatened, which made me very sad.  Your story about Mr. Taliaferro makes it even worse, saying not only that it could happen to any of them, but that it actually does.  Maybe the only reason most of the ones I listen to are relatively safe is that they're relatively unpopular.

Most of the b'casting I listen to these days doesn't concern matters of great public debate.  I used to listen to that stuff a lot, but these days I get that mostly via Internet text, not audio.  It pains me to think that, as in the Taliaferro example, which wasn't even about the m.c.'s opinion but that of a guest he had on once, any little thing might be enough to set someone off to choose the m.c. as target of rage.

[Uncle Duke]

Here is the audio of the "Hot Diggity" caller. (Transcript above)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVG6gy_ylXQ

Thanks to Stardust Ancestor

What's creepy about that call?

[Kylearan]

'Allo!
with you all i am yet.
Missing the dear dead days of 'Ray Tagliaferro-Brown".
His clear show on kgo-am,12am-five?am.
replaced a couple hosts after one shot in parking lot at Hungry I or ?Purple Onion,Enrico?Banducci's resteraunt with booth.
Jim Dunbar?
[7VF]

     Yea the day they fired the KGO hosts was a major even in radio. KGO was one of the few major live and local talk stations. They went to a news format on weekdays and talk on weekends. They went from #1 for decades to #26. They're doing poorly now even though they moved back to talk. Only a few good hosts remain.

Kylearan

[Kylearan]

I hope he reads that post.  It's bad for me, because I like hearing him, but it looks like the truth.  He says he's had experience with having hired security around him, & didn't like the atmosphere, which is why he's not hiring any now.

When he was under explicit threat, I mentioned this news on some programs' comment threads on WFMU, because I considered it an attack on radio personalities generally.  Like if it could happen to Art, it could to anyone.  I felt like something that gives me a lot of enjoyment, not just Art Bell but radio generally, was threatened, which made me very sad.  Your story about Mr. Taliaferro makes it even worse, saying not only that it could happen to any of them, but that it actually does.  Maybe the only reason most of the ones I listen to are relatively safe is that they're relatively unpopular.

Most of the b'casting I listen to these days doesn't concern matters of great public debate.  I used to listen to that stuff a lot, but these days I get that mostly via Internet text, not audio.  It pains me to think that, as in the Taliaferro example, which wasn't even about the m.c.'s opinion but that of a guest he had on once, any little thing might be enough to set someone off to choose the m.c. as target of rage.

    I only talked about two incidents. Ray and others say they get death threats from calls, e-mail and snail mail all the time. This happens to just about every commentator especially those in the political arena. Art is lucky because his main area is paranormal and it doesn't inspire as much hate as politics.

    Art was better off doing the show in the Philippines. It's kinda sad Art caved so easily but he has a family to think about and pride goes right out the window when talking about your spouse and kids.

Kylearan