Steve Warner's Dark City

bateman · September 27, 2014, 03:07:38 PM

Quote from: Threaten the Hoover on September 27, 2014, 02:45:28 PM
whoa so much to catch up with, great stuff B-man!:D

Alexander's a really shady character imho - disinfo all the way. Maybe you could ask him about the practice of covering up real world secret programs by spreading even wilder stories - like covering up top secret aircraft with UFO stories, or his stance of denying the brainwashing of political and terrorist prisoners (As he did with Jon Ronson, see vid below) while also backing much wilder stories.

http://youtu.be/QUf8KBjKBpM?t=48m15s

skip to 48 minutes.

I'm also gonna have to ask about this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Program

Threaten the Hoover · September 27, 2014, 03:28:02 PM

This is going to be a VERY dark weekend...

bateman · September 27, 2014, 07:19:54 PM

Just wrapped up. I hammered him a bit, he was almost cagier than Hoagland, playing word games.

bateman · September 28, 2014, 06:14:25 PM

I'm uploading this now because I have no idea when Keith's gonna play it tonight - it's a longer one...

b_dubb · September 28, 2014, 06:20:43 PM

Tonight on Dark Perineum we'll discuss bleaching creams with (Redacted)

bateman · September 28, 2014, 06:21:10 PM

Quote from: b_dubb on September 28, 2014, 06:20:43 PM
Tonight on Dark Perineum we'll discuss bleaching creams with (Redacted)

That's gotta burn.

b_dubb · September 28, 2014, 06:26:58 PM

It's a good pain

wr250 · September 28, 2014, 06:30:37 PM

Quote from: b_dubb on September 28, 2014, 06:26:58 PM
Quote from: bateman on September 28, 2014, 06:21:10 PM
Quote from: b_dubb on September 28, 2014, 06:20:43 PM
Tonight on Dark Perineum we'll discuss bleaching creams with (Redacted)
That's gotta burn.

It's a good pain

theres probably a taintco product to fix that.

bateman · September 28, 2014, 06:32:39 PM

Where's jazmunda been?

wr250 · September 28, 2014, 06:34:53 PM

Quote from: bateman on September 28, 2014, 06:32:39 PM
Where's jazmunda been?

tending to the wife and new child

b_dubb · September 28, 2014, 06:48:08 PM

That was last week. This week he's shaving his balls.

bateman · September 28, 2014, 06:50:23 PM

Quote from: wr250 on September 28, 2014, 06:34:53 PM
tending to the wife and new child

Pfft, of all the ridiculous reasons not to post on BellGab...

bateman · September 28, 2014, 07:02:50 PM

These are the FOIA request responses I mentioned in the interview, along with the Goldwater video: http://bragalia.homestead.com/blueroom.html

And here's the interview. Curious to hear if people think I was too aggressive with him on a couple things.

I asked about non-lethal weapons first to get an idea of the responses I'd get to establish a baseline. Generally speaking, I did not find him to be straightforward on the UFO topic, and in some cases I think was attempting to confuse issues & misdirect. When I got what I thought were responses that registered "high" on the BS-O-Meter, I had to call him on it.

wr250 · September 28, 2014, 08:39:53 PM

Kieth is running it now, at the normal time

Chine · September 28, 2014, 08:49:04 PM

Ha. Oh boy. I refrained by tweeting this further ... It's interesting what's happening here on the show tonight. This guy is really being shifty and you're not being too aggressive but that frustrated laugh under your breath gives away your doing best to refrain yourself. It's amusing as I'm imagining you about to give him heavy duty smack down.

Threaten the Hoover · September 28, 2014, 08:54:18 PM

Great show, Steve - not many straight answers as you expected, but you managed to cut a fine line between countering that and ensuring a smooth, interesting - riveting infact - interview.

bateman · September 28, 2014, 09:12:26 PM

Quote from: Threaten the Hoover on September 28, 2014, 08:54:18 PM
Great show, Steve - not many straight answers as you expected, but you managed to cut a fine line between countering that and ensuring a smooth, interesting - riveting infact - interview.

Thank yeeww! It was a choice I had to make as an interviewer - go too hard and you come off like Nancy Grace. The guest gets super defensive, clams up, and you get nothing after that.

Option #2 is softballing it, letting everything slide, which pisses off the listener and serves as nothing more than an infomercial for the guest.

Again, the reason I started with non-lethal weapons was to establish a baseline. Shifty responses there told me what I was getting into with the UFO topic.

Quote from: Chine on September 28, 2014, 08:49:04 PM
Ha. Oh boy. I refrained by tweeting this further ... It's interesting what's happening here on the show tonight. This guy is really being shifty and you're not being too aggressive but that frustrated laugh under your breath gives away your doing best to refrain yourself. It's amusing as I'm imagining you about to give him heavy duty smack down.

I wasn't THAT frustrated, but I definitely wasn't getting the straightforward answers I wanted. One Amazon review of his book described him as "deploying the art of talking without talking" and I found that to be pretty accurate.

Notice his weird response when I asked him about FAA reports too - I knew they went to Bigelow, but I was curious to see what he'd say. His involvement with NIDS, Bigelow buying into MUFON & siphoning off reports (which Bigelow admits they have no plans to release) all deepen the mystery. The guy is definitely not "what you see is what you get".

This was Bryce Zabel's article on him: http://www.afterdisclosure.com/2011/02/theory-alexander.html

popple · September 28, 2014, 09:59:13 PM

Master Bateman cracking the whip

Chine · September 28, 2014, 10:00:02 PM

I was exaggerating a bit there. It was a great show and you handled it beautifully. Interesting as you mention the 'art of talking without talking' as I picked up on that. For one like myself, not being at all familiar with him, I very enjoyed the show and found it fascinating.

BobGrau · September 29, 2014, 05:12:02 AM

Quote from: Threaten the Hoover on September 27, 2014, 02:45:28 PM
whoa so much to catch up with, great stuff B-man!:D

Alexander's a really shady character imho - disinfo all the way. Maybe you could ask him about the practice of covering up real world secret programs by spreading even wilder stories - like covering up top secret aircraft with UFO stories, or his stance of denying the brainwashing of political and terrorist prisoners (As he did with Jon Ronson, see vid below) while also backing much wilder stories.

http://youtu.be/QUf8KBjKBpM?t=48m15s

skip to 48 minutes.

Jon Ronson would make an excellent guest.

Yorkshire pud · September 29, 2014, 06:15:26 AM

No reflection on you Steve; I got about half way through and turned off. He didn't feel the need to follow up with the 'real' answer after telling you not to put words in his mouth. He didn't really impart anything of any worth in my opinion. A bit like Hoagland with a gruffer voice.

b_dubb · September 29, 2014, 07:09:12 AM

Option 3 - Mustache it - Surf listings on match.com while your guest drones on and on about all manner of bullshit and only occasionally say "good point", "indeed". Or a feeble "uhh hmmmmm".

wr250 · September 29, 2014, 07:25:23 AM

Quote from: b_dubb on September 29, 2014, 07:09:12 AM
Option 3 - Mustache it - Surf listings on match.com while your guest drones on and on about all manner of bullshit and only occasionally say "good point", "indeed". Or a feeble "uhh hmmmmm".

good point
[attachimg=1]

cweb · September 29, 2014, 12:28:04 PM

I'm glad you skipped the softball approach, but we all knew you would.

Calling him out on the Goldwater video was well done. He may have been expecting you to just glaze over it.

I feel like he's not showing his whole hand, possibly to stretch out what he knows into more books. But I also get the feeling that he's coloring in some parts that he's not sure about- and presenting those as fact. Combined with him giving answers that aren't the complete answer, I can see how it gets frustrating for the interviewer. The argument by some that Col. Alexander is a disinformation agent is very plausible to me.

You had to fight for every foothold once the UFO discussion started. I agree that the UFO field is pretty mixed up. Like trying to find bits of paper in a blizzard. You'll find some things that might point you somewhere, but there's a ton of snow and the wind is blowing all over.

In all, I enjoyed listening to you asking the tough questions. It's not a great way to get a guest to return, but I think integrity is more important than blindly nodding and letting them sell their wares.

Tarbaby · September 29, 2014, 01:15:32 PM

Quote from: cweb on September 29, 2014, 12:28:04 PM
I'm glad you skipped the softball approach, but we all knew you would. Calling him out on the Goldwater video was well done. He may have been expecting you to just glaze over it.

I feel like he's not showing his whole hand, possibly to stretch out what he knows into more books. But I also get the feeling that he's coloring in some parts that he's not sure about- and presenting those as fact. Combined with him giving answers that aren't the complete answer, I can see how it gets frustrating for the interviewer. The argument by some that Col. Alexander is a disinformation agent is very plausible to me.

You had to fight for every foothold once the UFO discussion started. I agree that the UFO field is pretty mixed up. Like trying to find bits of paper in a blizzard. You'll find some things that might point you somewhere, but there's a ton of snow and the wind is blowing all over.

In all, I enjoyed listening to you asking the tough questions. It's not a great way to get a guest to return, but I think integrity is more important than blindly nodding and letting them sell their wares.

well said. Nice imagery.

PseudoSentience · September 29, 2014, 08:41:12 PM

Love your podcast Steve. It is one of the few that I get excited when I see a new episode is available. I think Dark Weekend (City) and The Unexplained are my favorites. I like that both yourself and Howard Hughes will press guests a bit, though I think you do it with a bit more of an edge, which I really enjoy. I was really glad you handled Col Alexander the way that you did. I found him to be another one of those guys that says a lot while saying absolutely nothing...even worse than Hoagie. At least Hoagie does it with an entertaining flair, and if I choose to just get lost in it I can, Col Alexander is just a combative droning bore...IMO no loss if he never comes back.

b_dubb · September 29, 2014, 08:48:22 PM

Was Steve able to say or ask anything with Alexander stopping him and putting a really fine point on whatever Steve was saying?

Spinner · September 29, 2014, 08:58:08 PM

I've never trusted John Alexander about anything he says. As others have said, he uses a lot of words to say nothing of importance, and other hosts just let him pontificate. I'm glad that Steve called him out on several points - it made for an interesting and illuminating interview.
Go bateman!

Tarbaby · September 30, 2014, 03:42:44 AM

Just finished listening to the Alexander interview moments ago. Maybe it's just the mood I was in but I found Alexander to be frank and succinct. He had an irritating habit of answering the question before it was completed as if he was impatient or in a hurry to get through the interview. Somebody should inform him that even though he may be impatient with questions that he has heard before we the Lissner haven't heard the question before. So he needs to let the interviewer finish the questions before he rudely or inartfully cuts the interviewer off. Steve, I thought you did a great job, as usual. I can imagine where in interview with Alexander's wife may well prove very interesting.

Mhayhurst · September 30, 2014, 08:37:24 AM

Loved the show! (As usual). I thought you did a great job with Alexander. I think you applied the perfect amount of pressure on him & I didn't find it aggressive at all. You pressed him on the questions when you needed too and that's what made the show for me. Love the longer episode too. Can't wait for the next one!