Art Bell

[Donald Noory]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

But what Saucy Rossy is saying is true and I feel a responsibility to clarify my "insider knowledge" at the risk of being labeled as a white knight. (As if I care)

My wish to not participate here is not about me wanting to take my ball and go home because  some trolls made me mad. It is more a matter of my own sense of self respect, where and how I choose to spend my time- the difference between fun and not, interesting discourse versus unhealthy character assassination  When the public smearing descends into inferences of some kind of nefariously amorous relationship between Art and Heather, every shred of decency that I have in me says stay away from this place. I understand that throwing poop is an act that primates engage in and that online anonymity emboldens those lacking any sense of honor to hurl their fact-free feces with no responding consequences, but this is the sport of cowards. And so it is to these empty sacks of witless humanoids that I address this post. Knowing that Heather and Art have too much class to respond to such specious allegations themselves, I will do that myself since I played a part in, and have been a witness to much of what has transpired backstage in the past 6 months, and it seems like the only helpful and honest thing that I can offer my friend Heather, the genuine and decent people of the Bell family, and the readers of this forum.

Because I have had a long and fruitful history of associating with the most interesting people I can find,  I can honestly claim that I am a well seasoned and well calibrated judge of character. I have lived with cops and also have been locked up with murderers. Swept up around the ashram for years and also rolled with rock stars, psychedelic gurus, and all manner of hooligan. I've associated with the most free living and free loving feral humans I could find and also have had very deep relationships with celibates who I hold in the category of saints. I know a few things about the variety of human nature and did not just get on this pony ride. In this carnival midway of humanity it is possible with time, to gain an understanding of the personal qualities that you gravitate toward or are repelled from.

Heather and I chose to become friends through a process of getting to know each other initially through BellGab, via online correspondence. Based on my sense of what quality of person I appreciate and wish to associate with, over an extended period of time I invited Heather to participate in the reality of my personal and home life. My situation was and is not perfect, nor was or is hers, but we have managed to show up for each other's actual, non-virtual lives with mutual respect and little or no room for bs. As  a recently divorced guy you might say I was missing female companionship and yet (I know you're wondering) we've kept our relationship platonic. I say this to state a standard of our behavior together, friends not lovers. Consider it a character reference if you will, mostly for myself, since my folks were decent people who did not raise me to associate with degenerates or fools or to lie, even to strangers.

I am no eagle scout either but you see, Heather is an individual with real couth, not someone who presents herself as even vaguely sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious. Honestly, I enjoy getting hit on by the ladies but our friendship IS our destination and we've had an easy time arriving here in spite of all our natural hormonally instinctive attractions being present and accounted for thank you very much. I believe that we've each developed a trusting sense of our respective boundaries over time, which I am grateful for, as it allows us to have the kind of friendship in which we can travel and spend time together without the added complicated dimension of intimacy, however potentially awesome it might/could be. FYI I'm only relating this "approaching embarrassing" info so that I can move on to the next paragraph with some context. There has been both genuine interest and disingenuous speculation from posters that I have held back from commenting on so here goes.

It was completely my inspiration, my urging, to suggest that Heather contact Art to request an interview. Not to detract from Heather in any way but she was not initially even able to entertain the idea as likely. I bugged her to make contact with Art several times because it was clear to me that she was highly respectful of the man's desire for privacy and would not assume to bother Art for an interview without my urging. Heather in fact objected to my suggestion several times but in my natural born state of hippie optimism ( yeah I know, all you pop-psychology Einsteins must be checking the boxes for magical thinking, wish fulfilling whatever) I assured her that since Art had heard her on the gabcast, he would remember her ability to articulately converse and would be likely to respond. Admittedly the interview was a long shot, but I also had a gut sense about the perfect matchup of her knowledge of his body of work and the timing of his upcoming release from the non-disclosure choke collar.  Also, Pahrump happens to lie in my annual summer adventure/migratory route so I invited her to join me in my travels as I was going anyway.

She was genuinely surprised that Art agreed to our proposal while I not so genuinely acted like I was not. But we went and Art and Airyn treated us as well as anybody ever could. Opening their home to us as new friends was an honest act of honest people, and I was immediately aware that we were in a home with lots of love and genuine affection. These are people that my mom and dad would have been comfortable being with. If you can sense wholesome, well it was like a sweet incense wafting with the fragrance of loving parents raising their child with the best of every impulse they've got. I know what that feels like and apparently some posters do not but you can trust me, it's not something you can fake. The rapport between husband and wife was one of mutual respect and equanimity with no whiff of false compliancy or facade or guile. Art and Airyn clearly are in love with each other and Asia is a very lucky young person to have them guiding her into this world.

This is exactly why it pisses me off that it can be considered fair sport, genuinely speculative discourse, or anything other than rancid and disgusting to state or imply or cheer on the idea that something amorous or sexual was or has been involved in Heather and Art's working or personal relationship. I was there. I have been there with Heather since. I continue to be an active part of her life. (Happy to have had her as a guest for the holidays)  We tell each other our stuff and keep the communications straight up. The point being that I would not continue to associate with Heather were she anything other than what I personally know her to be, which is fair and eager to do the right thing. And I would not support her inserting herself into or influencing Art and Airyn's life in any other than an appropriate and constructive way. And if such was not the the case, I would be the first to inform you all publicly and wash my hands of the whole thing. To put it another way, your rancid grease splattering is pissing me off not just because it slanders and hurts my friends who are genuinely good people, but because it implicates me in some sort of obfuscated, ongoing love plot which I am not enough of a lowlife to even try to comprehend, much less entertain. Those of you who lack the decency or intellect or ethics to keep your minds out of the gutters should at least keep the gutters in your mind and not on the internet. Certainly not on a forum which I formerly enjoyed. Grow up. And I say this not because Heather needs defending but because some people are just idiots and I'm here stating the obvious.

Now that all that's out of the way let me summarize and add a few points:

Heather was introduced to Art by my instigation and she was never attempting to inject herself into Art's or his show's orbit.

Heather's and Art's interactions were nothing but mutually respectful and professional. My sense of their personal chemistry was and is one of mentorship on Art's part, and correspondingly that of potential student/apprentice on Heather's part. And I mean this in the most positive of ways. Apprenticeship is a thing you know, and the natural instinct to learn/teach/pass on a craft is in our cultural genes. There is no gain from folding, mutilating, or stapling this type of relationship into a banal ambition unless you are an unimaginative social imbecile lacking sufficient talent to have your own life.

Art impressed me as straightforward in the sense that he IS who you hear on the radio. He's had the cajones enough to share his private life through his public platform which is obviously something we've valued to the extent that we're all here moaning, bitching, and otherwise gnashing our teeth about it. Maybe he's rethinking this transparent aspect of his career but you can't then blame him for sharing while simultaneously piling on undeserved accusations. It's a ride. You may not appreciate how it's gone but figure it out- what pisses any of you all off is that you believe he hasn't been straight in the walking his talk or has been a quitter. But guess what? Met the guy, shook his hand, and Art is the rare kind of person who I'd trust with my kids. What more can I say? Impugning the character of a man who has entertained you as a reaction to being pissed at your daddy only reflects a lack of integrity of the troll's own personal bridge. Maligning and fictionalizing the guy's love life is beyond contempt and while or where that's happening I will not engage, other than to remind you that you're pissing in your own wind.

Regarding the freedom of speech excuse for defamation of character and garden variety cyber bullying- well sure, MV owns this board so you are free to pass gas as long as he finds it tolerable for whatever ostensible reasons of entertainment or monetization. But let's not confuse hurtful cyber slander with "freedom of speech" which more accurately pertains to the inalienable right to speak our minds free from governmental censorship, not some mistaken justification to wipe a dirty mind with a Jeffersonian hanky. It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

Tilt.

[Donald Noory]

I read a lot of it. He's saying they're not smashing uglies, it's his fault they were introduced and that Heather is a glorious misunderstood person.

I wonder if the Bell's took a break from the non-stop domestic bliss to bake gingerbread cookies for Aldous and Reducted, before leading them skipping through the desert to search for the bluebird of happiness. It sounds quite magical and enchanting.

[Kolchak]

just give it a few days..something will come up and stir the hornets nest

It didn't take a few days.

[Night Train]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

Impugning the character of a man who has entertained you as a reaction to being pissed at your daddy only reflects a lack of integrity of the troll's own personal bridge.

Oh, for the love of God, give the idiot "anyone who criticizes Art has Daddy issues" line a fuckin' rest, will ya, pal?

Good lord...

[GuerrillaUnReal]

I wonder if the Bell's took a break from the non-stop domestic bliss to bake gingerbread cookies for Aldous and Reducted, before leading them skipping through the desert to search for the bluebird of happiness. It sounds quite magical and enchanting.

   

I laughed.

I respect Aldous' feelings but I think any sort of positive anything directed at anyone in authority at the moment will be attacked viciously and trolled to hell. We're in the abyss now. It won't end until Art sacks up and deals with it publicly or the whole thing dies and there's no living entity for the trolls to feed off of.

[Value Of Pi]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

But what Saucy Rossy is saying is true and I feel a responsibility to clarify my "insider knowledge" at the risk of being labeled as a white knight. (As if I care)

My wish to not participate here is not about me wanting to take my ball and go home because  some trolls made me mad. It is more a matter of my own sense of self respect, where and how I choose to spend my time- the difference between fun and not, interesting discourse versus unhealthy character assassination  When the public smearing descends into inferences of some kind of nefariously amorous relationship between Art and Heather, every shred of decency that I have in me says stay away from this place. I understand that throwing poop is an act that primates engage in and that online anonymity emboldens those lacking any sense of honor to hurl their fact-free feces with no responding consequences, but this is the sport of cowards. And so it is to these empty sacks of witless humanoids that I address this post. Knowing that Heather and Art have too much class to respond to such specious allegations themselves, I will do that myself since I played a part in, and have been a witness to much of what has transpired backstage in the past 6 months, and it seems like the only helpful and honest thing that I can offer my friend Heather, the genuine and decent people of the Bell family, and the readers of this forum.

Because I have had a long and fruitful history of associating with the most interesting people I can find,  I can honestly claim that I am a well seasoned and well calibrated judge of character. I have lived with cops and also have been locked up with murderers. Swept up around the ashram for years and also rolled with rock stars, psychedelic gurus, and all manner of hooligan. I've associated with the most free living and free loving feral humans I could find and also have had very deep relationships with celibates who I hold in the category of saints. I know a few things about the variety of human nature and did not just get on this pony ride. In this carnival midway of humanity it is possible with time, to gain an understanding of the personal qualities that you gravitate toward or are repelled from.

Heather and I chose to become friends through a process of getting to know each other initially through BellGab, via online correspondence. Based on my sense of what quality of person I appreciate and wish to associate with, over an extended period of time I invited Heather to participate in the reality of my personal and home life. My situation was and is not perfect, nor was or is hers, but we have managed to show up for each other's actual, non-virtual lives with mutual respect and little or no room for bs. As  a recently divorced guy you might say I was missing female companionship and yet (I know you're wondering) we've kept our relationship platonic. I say this to state a standard of our behavior together, friends not lovers. Consider it a character reference if you will, mostly for myself, since my folks were decent people who did not raise me to associate with degenerates or fools or to lie, even to strangers.

I am no eagle scout either but you see, Heather is an individual with real couth, not someone who presents herself as even vaguely sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious. Honestly, I enjoy getting hit on by the ladies but our friendship IS our destination and we've had an easy time arriving here in spite of all our natural hormonally instinctive attractions being present and accounted for thank you very much. I believe that we've each developed a trusting sense of our respective boundaries over time, which I am grateful for, as it allows us to have the kind of friendship in which we can travel and spend time together without the added complicated dimension of intimacy, however potentially awesome it might/could be. FYI I'm only relating this "approaching embarrassing" info so that I can move on to the next paragraph with some context. There has been both genuine interest and disingenuous speculation from posters that I have held back from commenting on so here goes.

It was completely my inspiration, my urging, to suggest that Heather contact Art to request an interview. Not to detract from Heather in any way but she was not initially even able to entertain the idea as likely. I bugged her to make contact with Art several times because it was clear to me that she was highly respectful of the man's desire for privacy and would not assume to bother Art for an interview without my urging. Heather in fact objected to my suggestion several times but in my natural born state of hippie optimism ( yeah I know, all you pop-psychology Einsteins must be checking the boxes for magical thinking, wish fulfilling whatever) I assured her that since Art had heard her on the gabcast, he would remember her ability to articulately converse and would be likely to respond. Admittedly the interview was a long shot, but I also had a gut sense about the perfect matchup of her knowledge of his body of work and the timing of his upcoming release from the non-disclosure choke collar.  Also, Pahrump happens to lie in my annual summer adventure/migratory route so I invited her to join me in my travels as I was going anyway.

She was genuinely surprised that Art agreed to our proposal while I not so genuinely acted like I was not. But we went and Art and Airyn treated us as well as anybody ever could. Opening their home to us as new friends was an honest act of honest people, and I was immediately aware that we were in a home with lots of love and genuine affection. These are people that my mom and dad would have been comfortable being with. If you can sense wholesome, well it was like a sweet incense wafting with the fragrance of loving parents raising their child with the best of every impulse they've got. I know what that feels like and apparently some posters do not but you can trust me, it's not something you can fake. The rapport between husband and wife was one of mutual respect and equanimity with no whiff of false compliancy or facade or guile. Art and Airyn clearly are in love with each other and Asia is a very lucky young person to have them guiding her into this world.

This is exactly why it pisses me off that it can be considered fair sport, genuinely speculative discourse, or anything other than rancid and disgusting to state or imply or cheer on the idea that something amorous or sexual was or has been involved in Heather and Art's working or personal relationship. I was there. I have been there with Heather since. I continue to be an active part of her life. (Happy to have had her as a guest for the holidays)  We tell each other our stuff and keep the communications straight up. The point being that I would not continue to associate with Heather were she anything other than what I personally know her to be, which is fair and eager to do the right thing. And I would not support her inserting herself into or influencing Art and Airyn's life in any other than an appropriate and constructive way. And if such was not the the case, I would be the first to inform you all publicly and wash my hands of the whole thing. To put it another way, your rancid grease splattering is pissing me off not just because it slanders and hurts my friends who are genuinely good people, but because it implicates me in some sort of obfuscated, ongoing love plot which I am not enough of a lowlife to even try to comprehend, much less entertain. Those of you who lack the decency or intellect or ethics to keep your minds out of the gutters should at least keep the gutters in your mind and not on the internet. Certainly not on a forum which I formerly enjoyed. Grow up. And I say this not because Heather needs defending but because some people are just idiots and I'm here stating the obvious.

Now that all that's out of the way let me summarize and add a few points:

Heather was introduced to Art by my instigation and she was never attempting to inject herself into Art's or his show's orbit.

Heather's and Art's interactions were nothing but mutually respectful and professional. My sense of their personal chemistry was and is one of mentorship on Art's part, and correspondingly that of potential student/apprentice on Heather's part. And I mean this in the most positive of ways. Apprenticeship is a thing you know, and the natural instinct to learn/teach/pass on a craft is in our cultural genes. There is no gain from folding, mutilating, or stapling this type of relationship into a banal ambition unless you are an unimaginative social imbecile lacking sufficient talent to have your own life.

Art impressed me as straightforward in the sense that he IS who you hear on the radio. He's had the cajones enough to share his private life through his public platform which is obviously something we've valued to the extent that we're all here moaning, bitching, and otherwise gnashing our teeth about it. Maybe he's rethinking this transparent aspect of his career but you can't then blame him for sharing while simultaneously piling on undeserved accusations. It's a ride. You may not appreciate how it's gone but figure it out- what pisses any of you all off is that you believe he hasn't been straight in the walking his talk or has been a quitter. But guess what? Met the guy, shook his hand, and Art is the rare kind of person who I'd trust with my kids. What more can I say? Impugning the character of a man who has entertained you as a reaction to being pissed at your daddy only reflects a lack of integrity of the troll's own personal bridge. Maligning and fictionalizing the guy's love life is beyond contempt and while or where that's happening I will not engage, other than to remind you that you're pissing in your own wind.

Regarding the freedom of speech excuse for defamation of character and garden variety cyber bullying- well sure, MV owns this board so you are free to pass gas as long as he finds it tolerable for whatever ostensible reasons of entertainment or monetization. But let's not confuse hurtful cyber slander with "freedom of speech" which more accurately pertains to the inalienable right to speak our minds free from governmental censorship, not some mistaken justification to wipe a dirty mind with a Jeffersonian hanky. It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

Many of those "empty sacks of witless humanoids" don't seem to be around here any more. But still remaining are many people who legitimately wonder how and why Art chose Heather to host the show instead of someone better qualified and more talented. Don't expect anyone to feel guilty about asking this question, or to apologize for asking, because it is a very legitimate (and moral) thing to want to know.

MITD deserves a better qualified, more talented host for however long Art is away. I look forward to your thoughts and insight on this issue, because it's not going away -- even if we all get bored with talking about it, which is about where we are now.

[Mr. Fidget]

As Bellgab turns. You just can't make this shit up.

Whachusay! Last post backsies on bellgab!
No way, you'll be back... bwahaha.
Seriously though, take care.
mf
ps. If Art is so reasonable and pleasant, why won't he just do the right thing anything regarding fidgets? It's been still a big problem for me, really.

[Richard Groyper]

Many of those "empty sacks of witless humanoids" don't seem to be around here any more. But still remaining are many people who legitimately wonder how and why Art chose Heather to host the show instead of someone better qualified and more talented. Don't expect anyone to feel guilty about asking this question, or to apologize for asking, because it is a very legitimate (and moral) thing to want to know.

MITD deserves a better qualified, more talented host for however long Art is away. I look forward to your thoughts and insight on this issue, because it's not going away -- even if we all get bored talking about it, which is about where we are now.

I feel like the kids in Jurassic park, when the lawyer, (played by Art) ran off and hid in the restroom. The T-Rex (played by Heather) does, well, "now you know the rest of the story." -Paul Harvey

[Night Train]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

But what Saucy Rossy is saying is true and I feel a responsibility to clarify my "insider knowledge" at the risk of being labeled as a white knight. (As if I care)

My wish to not participate here is not about me wanting to take my ball and go home because  some trolls made me mad. It is more a matter of my own sense of self respect, where and how I choose to spend my time- the difference between fun and not, interesting discourse versus unhealthy character assassination  When the public smearing descends into inferences of some kind of nefariously amorous relationship between Art and Heather, every shred of decency that I have in me says stay away from this place. I understand that throwing poop is an act that primates engage in and that online anonymity emboldens those lacking any sense of honor to hurl their fact-free feces with no responding consequences, but this is the sport of cowards. And so it is to these empty sacks of witless humanoids that I address this post. Knowing that Heather and Art have too much class to respond to such specious allegations themselves, I will do that myself since I played a part in, and have been a witness to much of what has transpired backstage in the past 6 months, and it seems like the only helpful and honest thing that I can offer my friend Heather, the genuine and decent people of the Bell family, and the readers of this forum.

Because I have had a long and fruitful history of associating with the most interesting people I can find,  I can honestly claim that I am a well seasoned and well calibrated judge of character. I have lived with cops and also have been locked up with murderers. Swept up around the ashram for years and also rolled with rock stars, psychedelic gurus, and all manner of hooligan. I've associated with the most free living and free loving feral humans I could find and also have had very deep relationships with celibates who I hold in the category of saints. I know a few things about the variety of human nature and did not just get on this pony ride. In this carnival midway of humanity it is possible with time, to gain an understanding of the personal qualities that you gravitate toward or are repelled from.

Heather and I chose to become friends through a process of getting to know each other initially through BellGab, via online correspondence. Based on my sense of what quality of person I appreciate and wish to associate with, over an extended period of time I invited Heather to participate in the reality of my personal and home life. My situation was and is not perfect, nor was or is hers, but we have managed to show up for each other's actual, non-virtual lives with mutual respect and little or no room for bs. As  a recently divorced guy you might say I was missing female companionship and yet (I know you're wondering) we've kept our relationship platonic. I say this to state a standard of our behavior together, friends not lovers. Consider it a character reference if you will, mostly for myself, since my folks were decent people who did not raise me to associate with degenerates or fools or to lie, even to strangers.

I am no eagle scout either but you see, Heather is an individual with real couth, not someone who presents herself as even vaguely sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious. Honestly, I enjoy getting hit on by the ladies but our friendship IS our destination and we've had an easy time arriving here in spite of all our natural hormonally instinctive attractions being present and accounted for thank you very much. I believe that we've each developed a trusting sense of our respective boundaries over time, which I am grateful for, as it allows us to have the kind of friendship in which we can travel and spend time together without the added complicated dimension of intimacy, however potentially awesome it might/could be. FYI I'm only relating this "approaching embarrassing" info so that I can move on to the next paragraph with some context. There has been both genuine interest and disingenuous speculation from posters that I have held back from commenting on so here goes.

It was completely my inspiration, my urging, to suggest that Heather contact Art to request an interview. Not to detract from Heather in any way but she was not initially even able to entertain the idea as likely. I bugged her to make contact with Art several times because it was clear to me that she was highly respectful of the man's desire for privacy and would not assume to bother Art for an interview without my urging. Heather in fact objected to my suggestion several times but in my natural born state of hippie optimism ( yeah I know, all you pop-psychology Einsteins must be checking the boxes for magical thinking, wish fulfilling whatever) I assured her that since Art had heard her on the gabcast, he would remember her ability to articulately converse and would be likely to respond. Admittedly the interview was a long shot, but I also had a gut sense about the perfect matchup of her knowledge of his body of work and the timing of his upcoming release from the non-disclosure choke collar.  Also, Pahrump happens to lie in my annual summer adventure/migratory route so I invited her to join me in my travels as I was going anyway.

She was genuinely surprised that Art agreed to our proposal while I not so genuinely acted like I was not. But we went and Art and Airyn treated us as well as anybody ever could. Opening their home to us as new friends was an honest act of honest people, and I was immediately aware that we were in a home with lots of love and genuine affection. These are people that my mom and dad would have been comfortable being with. If you can sense wholesome, well it was like a sweet incense wafting with the fragrance of loving parents raising their child with the best of every impulse they've got. I know what that feels like and apparently some posters do not but you can trust me, it's not something you can fake. The rapport between husband and wife was one of mutual respect and equanimity with no whiff of false compliancy or facade or guile. Art and Airyn clearly are in love with each other and Asia is a very lucky young person to have them guiding her into this world.

This is exactly why it pisses me off that it can be considered fair sport, genuinely speculative discourse, or anything other than rancid and disgusting to state or imply or cheer on the idea that something amorous or sexual was or has been involved in Heather and Art's working or personal relationship. I was there. I have been there with Heather since. I continue to be an active part of her life. (Happy to have had her as a guest for the holidays)  We tell each other our stuff and keep the communications straight up. The point being that I would not continue to associate with Heather were she anything other than what I personally know her to be, which is fair and eager to do the right thing. And I would not support her inserting herself into or influencing Art and Airyn's life in any other than an appropriate and constructive way. And if such was not the the case, I would be the first to inform you all publicly and wash my hands of the whole thing. To put it another way, your rancid grease splattering is pissing me off not just because it slanders and hurts my friends who are genuinely good people, but because it implicates me in some sort of obfuscated, ongoing love plot which I am not enough of a lowlife to even try to comprehend, much less entertain. Those of you who lack the decency or intellect or ethics to keep your minds out of the gutters should at least keep the gutters in your mind and not on the internet. Certainly not on a forum which I formerly enjoyed. Grow up. And I say this not because Heather needs defending but because some people are just idiots and I'm here stating the obvious.

Now that all that's out of the way let me summarize and add a few points:

Heather was introduced to Art by my instigation and she was never attempting to inject herself into Art's or his show's orbit.

Heather's and Art's interactions were nothing but mutually respectful and professional. My sense of their personal chemistry was and is one of mentorship on Art's part, and correspondingly that of potential student/apprentice on Heather's part. And I mean this in the most positive of ways. Apprenticeship is a thing you know, and the natural instinct to learn/teach/pass on a craft is in our cultural genes. There is no gain from folding, mutilating, or stapling this type of relationship into a banal ambition unless you are an unimaginative social imbecile lacking sufficient talent to have your own life.

Art impressed me as straightforward in the sense that he IS who you hear on the radio. He's had the cajones enough to share his private life through his public platform which is obviously something we've valued to the extent that we're all here moaning, bitching, and otherwise gnashing our teeth about it. Maybe he's rethinking this transparent aspect of his career but you can't then blame him for sharing while simultaneously piling on undeserved accusations. It's a ride. You may not appreciate how it's gone but figure it out- what pisses any of you all off is that you believe he hasn't been straight in the walking his talk or has been a quitter. But guess what? Met the guy, shook his hand, and Art is the rare kind of person who I'd trust with my kids. What more can I say? Impugning the character of a man who has entertained you as a reaction to being pissed at your daddy only reflects a lack of integrity of the troll's own personal bridge. Maligning and fictionalizing the guy's love life is beyond contempt and while or where that's happening I will not engage, other than to remind you that you're pissing in your own wind.

Regarding the freedom of speech excuse for defamation of character and garden variety cyber bullying- well sure, MV owns this board so you are free to pass gas as long as he finds it tolerable for whatever ostensible reasons of entertainment or monetization. But let's not confuse hurtful cyber slander with "freedom of speech" which more accurately pertains to the inalienable right to speak our minds free from governmental censorship, not some mistaken justification to wipe a dirty mind with a Jeffersonian hanky. It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

Yew sure do talk purty!

Since you and Art are so tight, he should've had you script a much more believable story than that stalker nonsense.

All of this could've been avoided...

[Jackstar]

Sincerely,
ab

[PB the Deplorable]

... Sincerely,
ab

Aldous I agree with much of this, and believe you on the rest. 

One thing though.  A stalker, really?  Shooting at him, hiding in the bushes and looking in the window, cutting his wire.  That's a lot to ask a person to believe, especially given his history of quitting with stated reasons that make him out to be some sort of victim. 

After all the build up, asking everyone to help spread the word and all that, getting his fans emotionally invested

Let me ask you this - do you truly believe the stalker story?  If someone doesn't, if it sounds like an absurd lie, what course of action should they take on the forum - just keep quiet about it?

[Disheartened]

Ok, so saying it was my last post was premature...

But what Saucy Rossy is saying is true and I feel a responsibility to clarify my "insider knowledge" at the risk of being labeled as a white knight. (As if I care)

My wish to not participate here is not about me wanting to take my ball and go home because  some trolls made me mad. It is more a matter of my own sense of self respect, where and how I choose to spend my time- the difference between fun and not, interesting discourse versus unhealthy character assassination  When the public smearing descends into inferences of some kind of nefariously amorous relationship between Art and Heather, every shred of decency that I have in me says stay away from this place. I understand that throwing poop is an act that primates engage in and that online anonymity emboldens those lacking any sense of honor to hurl their fact-free feces with no responding consequences, but this is the sport of cowards. And so it is to these empty sacks of witless humanoids that I address this post. Knowing that Heather and Art have too much class to respond to such specious allegations themselves, I will do that myself since I played a part in, and have been a witness to much of what has transpired backstage in the past 6 months, and it seems like the only helpful and honest thing that I can offer my friend Heather, the genuine and decent people of the Bell family, and the readers of this forum.

Because I have had a long and fruitful history of associating with the most interesting people I can find,  I can honestly claim that I am a well seasoned and well calibrated judge of character. I have lived with cops and also have been locked up with murderers. Swept up around the ashram for years and also rolled with rock stars, psychedelic gurus, and all manner of hooligan. I've associated with the most free living and free loving feral humans I could find and also have had very deep relationships with celibates who I hold in the category of saints. I know a few things about the variety of human nature and did not just get on this pony ride. In this carnival midway of humanity it is possible with time, to gain an understanding of the personal qualities that you gravitate toward or are repelled from.

Heather and I chose to become friends through a process of getting to know each other initially through BellGab, via online correspondence. Based on my sense of what quality of person I appreciate and wish to associate with, over an extended period of time I invited Heather to participate in the reality of my personal and home life. My situation was and is not perfect, nor was or is hers, but we have managed to show up for each other's actual, non-virtual lives with mutual respect and little or no room for bs. As  a recently divorced guy you might say I was missing female companionship and yet (I know you're wondering) we've kept our relationship platonic. I say this to state a standard of our behavior together, friends not lovers. Consider it a character reference if you will, mostly for myself, since my folks were decent people who did not raise me to associate with degenerates or fools or to lie, even to strangers.

I am no eagle scout either but you see, Heather is an individual with real couth, not someone who presents herself as even vaguely sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or flirtatious. Honestly, I enjoy getting hit on by the ladies but our friendship IS our destination and we've had an easy time arriving here in spite of all our natural hormonally instinctive attractions being present and accounted for thank you very much. I believe that we've each developed a trusting sense of our respective boundaries over time, which I am grateful for, as it allows us to have the kind of friendship in which we can travel and spend time together without the added complicated dimension of intimacy, however potentially awesome it might/could be. FYI I'm only relating this "approaching embarrassing" info so that I can move on to the next paragraph with some context. There has been both genuine interest and disingenuous speculation from posters that I have held back from commenting on so here goes.

It was completely my inspiration, my urging, to suggest that Heather contact Art to request an interview. Not to detract from Heather in any way but she was not initially even able to entertain the idea as likely. I bugged her to make contact with Art several times because it was clear to me that she was highly respectful of the man's desire for privacy and would not assume to bother Art for an interview without my urging. Heather in fact objected to my suggestion several times but in my natural born state of hippie optimism ( yeah I know, all you pop-psychology Einsteins must be checking the boxes for magical thinking, wish fulfilling whatever) I assured her that since Art had heard her on the gabcast, he would remember her ability to articulately converse and would be likely to respond. Admittedly the interview was a long shot, but I also had a gut sense about the perfect matchup of her knowledge of his body of work and the timing of his upcoming release from the non-disclosure choke collar.  Also, Pahrump happens to lie in my annual summer adventure/migratory route so I invited her to join me in my travels as I was going anyway.

She was genuinely surprised that Art agreed to our proposal while I not so genuinely acted like I was not. But we went and Art and Airyn treated us as well as anybody ever could. Opening their home to us as new friends was an honest act of honest people, and I was immediately aware that we were in a home with lots of love and genuine affection. These are people that my mom and dad would have been comfortable being with. If you can sense wholesome, well it was like a sweet incense wafting with the fragrance of loving parents raising their child with the best of every impulse they've got. I know what that feels like and apparently some posters do not but you can trust me, it's not something you can fake. The rapport between husband and wife was one of mutual respect and equanimity with no whiff of false compliancy or facade or guile. Art and Airyn clearly are in love with each other and Asia is a very lucky young person to have them guiding her into this world.

This is exactly why it pisses me off that it can be considered fair sport, genuinely speculative discourse, or anything other than rancid and disgusting to state or imply or cheer on the idea that something amorous or sexual was or has been involved in Heather and Art's working or personal relationship. I was there. I have been there with Heather since. I continue to be an active part of her life. (Happy to have had her as a guest for the holidays)  We tell each other our stuff and keep the communications straight up. The point being that I would not continue to associate with Heather were she anything other than what I personally know her to be, which is fair and eager to do the right thing. And I would not support her inserting herself into or influencing Art and Airyn's life in any other than an appropriate and constructive way. And if such was not the the case, I would be the first to inform you all publicly and wash my hands of the whole thing. To put it another way, your rancid grease splattering is pissing me off not just because it slanders and hurts my friends who are genuinely good people, but because it implicates me in some sort of obfuscated, ongoing love plot which I am not enough of a lowlife to even try to comprehend, much less entertain. Those of you who lack the decency or intellect or ethics to keep your minds out of the gutters should at least keep the gutters in your mind and not on the internet. Certainly not on a forum which I formerly enjoyed. Grow up. And I say this not because Heather needs defending but because some people are just idiots and I'm here stating the obvious.

Now that all that's out of the way let me summarize and add a few points:

Heather was introduced to Art by my instigation and she was never attempting to inject herself into Art's or his show's orbit.

Heather's and Art's interactions were nothing but mutually respectful and professional. My sense of their personal chemistry was and is one of mentorship on Art's part, and correspondingly that of potential student/apprentice on Heather's part. And I mean this in the most positive of ways. Apprenticeship is a thing you know, and the natural instinct to learn/teach/pass on a craft is in our cultural genes. There is no gain from folding, mutilating, or stapling this type of relationship into a banal ambition unless you are an unimaginative social imbecile lacking sufficient talent to have your own life.

Art impressed me as straightforward in the sense that he IS who you hear on the radio. He's had the cajones enough to share his private life through his public platform which is obviously something we've valued to the extent that we're all here moaning, bitching, and otherwise gnashing our teeth about it. Maybe he's rethinking this transparent aspect of his career but you can't then blame him for sharing while simultaneously piling on undeserved accusations. It's a ride. You may not appreciate how it's gone but figure it out- what pisses any of you all off is that you believe he hasn't been straight in the walking his talk or has been a quitter. But guess what? Met the guy, shook his hand, and Art is the rare kind of person who I'd trust with my kids. What more can I say? Impugning the character of a man who has entertained you as a reaction to being pissed at your daddy only reflects a lack of integrity of the troll's own personal bridge. Maligning and fictionalizing the guy's love life is beyond contempt and while or where that's happening I will not engage, other than to remind you that you're pissing in your own wind.

Regarding the freedom of speech excuse for defamation of character and garden variety cyber bullying- well sure, MV owns this board so you are free to pass gas as long as he finds it tolerable for whatever ostensible reasons of entertainment or monetization. But let's not confuse hurtful cyber slander with "freedom of speech" which more accurately pertains to the inalienable right to speak our minds free from governmental censorship, not some mistaken justification to wipe a dirty mind with a Jeffersonian hanky. It's like cloaking the need for a bath with a fine perfume. It only insults your intelligence but it won't mine as I'm not sufficiently ignorant enough to confuse the two. 

Sincerely,
ab

Well said. This used to be a fun place. Not anymore.

[pate]

   

I laughed.

I respect Aldous' feelings but I think any sort of positive anything directed at anyone in authority at the moment will be attacked viciously and trolled to hell. We're in the abyss now. It won't end until Art sacks up and deals with it publicly or the whole thing dies and there's no living entity for the trolls to feed off of.

I luv that Voltaire quote!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWYCS6k1IOA

[Jackstar]

Let me ask you this - do you truly believe the stalker story?

[onan]

Too long. Didn't read it.

Let's be honest, the words were too big.

[Jackstar]

the words were too big.

[SaucyRossy]

Aldous I agree with much of this, and believe you on the rest. 

Let me ask you this - do you truly believe the stalker story?  If someone doesn't, if it sounds like an absurd lie, what course of action should they take on the forum - just keep quiet about it?

I can answer this from my experience. I've spoke to Art after many if not all of the events that happened. For example when he got the phone calls threatening his life. He was upset, angry, shaken, and torn up about what to do. And I felt helpless.

I know there were many sleepless nights for people behind the scenes as they also felt helpless. Do I know for a fact that these things happened? No. But I highly doubt that they haven't happened.

[SaucyRossy]

Let's be honest, the words were too big.

You've known heather for a long time also, any thoughts?

[pate]

mmmm, this sounds tasty:  http://www.worthybrewing.com/blogtopia/category/fuggle, Not Sure.

I am sure that I will ask the local biergarten that specializes in such beverages if they can stock it.

Agree x(2), Jack!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOW-m-AMIrs

[Jackstar]

Agree x(2), Jack!

[onan]

You've known heather for a long time also, any thoughts?

I don't know Heather in the way I know people I talk with every day. But, I have always thought her to be good hearted, honest, and sincere in her conversations. I think I know Aldous better. I know of no one, that for good or bad, is more engaged in one's life than Aldous.

[albrecht]

I just want good radio. Could careless about drama. Actually don't like this phenomena that everyone's life should be public and, oddly, the more weird or tragic, celebrated. Aldous, a good statement but considering RUSH and CIA and your association?    Mr.Fidget, yours is a cause that I would've hoped would be settled when Art 'came back' twice, hopefully thrice- it will be? Keep on fidgeting.

[pate]

Thank yew for not misconstruing my "Beam me, yup" statement!

Doan yew fye'und troo jaynuss tew bee mishunderpstood somethymes?

[onan]

I just want good radio. Could careless about drama. Actually don't like this phenomena that everyone's life should be public and, oddly, the more weird or tragic, celebrated. Aldous, a good statement but considering RUSH and CIA and your association?    Mr.Fidget, yours is a cause that I would've hoped would be settled when Art 'came back' twice, hopefully thrice- it will be? Keep on fidgeting.

I want to be thirty again.

[pate]

I want to be thirty again.

Seconded!  onan, my good sir!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d8FTPv955I

[Jackstar]

Don't you find true genius to be misunderstood sometimes?

[Jackstar]

considering RUSH and CIA

http://www.illuminati-news.com/articles2/00330.html

[littlechris]

One thing though.  A stalker, really?  Shooting at him, hiding in the bushes and looking in the window, cutting his wire.  That's a lot to ask a person to believe, especially given his history of quitting with stated reasons that make him out to be some sort of victim. 

After all the build up, asking everyone to help spread the word and all that, getting his fans emotionally invested

Let me ask you this - do you truly believe the stalker story?  If someone doesn't, if it sounds like an absurd lie, what course of action should they take on the forum - just keep quiet about it?

[Mr. Fidget]

Seeing as how,
I believeth not in a sacred cow,
I must say...
The quitting Bell way,
is a contagion to be held at bay.
It (re)got to aldous, just today.

[GravitySucks]

I have an idea