The Other Side of Truth

Part two of my interview with Karl Pflock from September, 2001, wherein we discuss ufology, Steven Greer's "disclosure project", and then Karl's views on the Roswell incident, in particular the GOA and USAF explanations for what happened. At the end, Karl offers his view of why he was convinced that extraterrtestrials had visited Earth, despite the fact that he was equally convinced there was a terrestrial explanation for Roswell.

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The trailer, as we would call it in the film business, for The Other Side of Truth podcast.

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Karl Pflock was a good friend of mine, who left us far too soon in 2006, after a courageous battle with ALS. I first met Karl in 2001 when I interviewed him in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the documentary Stanton T. Friedman is Real. I flew Karl up from his home in New Mexico, because I was going to be in Cedar Rapids interviewing Kevin Randle, and I was trying to stay on budget, something documentary filmmakers are always required to keep in mind. Karl and I hit it off immediately (as I did with Kevin, who remains a friend), and stayed in touch in the years after, corresponding frequently, and meeting again on a couple of occasions, including in 2003 when I interviewed him at his home in Placitas for Aztec: 1948. He told me once that he had considered going to law school when he was younger, and perhaps he saw a little bit of the road he might have taken in me; I admired him for his service to his country, and his open-minded and even-handed scepticism when it came to the UFO phenomenon. In the years since, I have come to appreciate the position his intellectual honesty put him in, because I take the same approach, and have generally gotten the same reaction - caught between the true believer deep blue sea on the one hand, and the disbeliever devil on the other.

In this first part of that interview I conducted ten years ago, Karl talks about his background, the sociology of ufology, and the Roswell case and the will to believe (and not believe). Given that the interview was for a film about Stan Friedman, Karl makes particular reference to Stan, but he goes far beyond just talking about Stan, because I always try and get as much into an interview as possible (usually much to the chagrin of my production manager, who tries to keep me on schedule), partly because I like to get as much information as possible (one never knows when one might want to use it), but mostly because when I have the chance to talk to someone like Karl, or Kevin, or Stan, I just want to keep the conversation going.

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James Carrion is the former International Director of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), who left that position in 2010 amidst a swirl of controversy revolving around the organization's relationship with Robert Bigelow, a deal that Carrion was instrumental in setting up. In this episode, Carrion joins me to discuss his background, his work with MUFON, the Bigelow brouhaha, what he discovered about the famous Skinwalker Ranch case, and what he believes is the key relationship between UFO groups and the various intelligence agencies.

James' blog, Follow the Magic Thread, can be found at: http://followthemagicthread.blogspot.com/

MUFON's website can be found at: http://www.mufon.com/

For more information about Robert Bigelow, see: http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/

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In this episode recorded on 12 February, 2011, I discuss a wide range of subjects with my good friend Dave Sadler, of the Unknown Phenomena Investigation Association in the United Kingdom, including the state of British UFO research (and Dave's views on some of its leading researchers), the decline of interest by the public in UFOs vis-a-vis ghosts and other topics within the paranormal, the question of UFO hoaxes, and why at least some of them may not be such a bad thing, and the Berwyn Mountain UFO case from 1974 in Wales. Oh, yes... and why Dave hates psychics... but sees them as useful from time to time.

You can find out more about Dave, his work with the UPIA, and Phenomena Magazine at www.upia.co.uk.

The photo above was taken in May, 2009, at the Bridestones, in England, while we were filming an episode of Ghost Cases. From left to right, that's Holly Stevens, yours truly, and Dave.

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UFOs (or Flying Saucers, as they were originally known), have had a significant impact on modern popular culture, perhaps most notably in film and television, but also in music. In this episode of The Other Side of Truth, I have constructed a playlist of some of my favourite Flying Saucer related music, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and all points in between. Enjoy!

P.S. Hat tip to my good friend Greg Bishop for the inspiration!

Underscore music (with my opening narration)

Kevin MacLeod - Psychedelic Crater

Playlist

1.  Leonard Nimoy – Alien

2. Eddie Cletro – Flying Saucer Boogie

3. The Kirby Stone Four – You Came From Outer Space

4. The Mellotones – Flying Saucer

5. Langley School Music Project – Calling All Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

6. Mike Adkins – The Invaders Are Here

7. Billy Bragg & Wilco – My Flying Saucer

8. Sam Space & The Cadettes – Take Me To Your Leader (Cha Cha Cha)

9. Marty Quinn – Genuine (UFO) Contactee

10. Alan Lee Quintet & Friends – Flying Saucer

11. Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash – Marfa Lights

12. Walter Brennan – Space Mice

13. Mollie Thompson – From Worlds Afar

14. Robert Anton Wilson & The Golden Horde – Little UFO

15. Rodd Keith – Martian Jubilee

16. Geoff Goddard – Sky Men

17. Jon Mullane – Missing Time

18. Buchanan & Goldman – The Flying Saucer

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In this excerpt from the November, 2000 interview I conducted with Stan Friedman, he talks a bit about his speaking career, and how he deals with audiences, and then he gets into his views on science, and why it needs to be more accessible to non-scientists. He also reveals what he, Benito Mussolini, and Peter Jennings, all have in common.

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In this episode I'm joined by Greg Bishop for a discussion that starts out about psychics, and then veers off into a host of other areas, from spirituality and consciousness, to what kind of message we should be sending to extraterrestrials, to the David Jacobs / Emma Woods brouhaha (it won't be quite what you think), to how music and art are fundamental to understanding ourselves, to Henry Thoreau and John Lennon and Sigur Ros, to... well, a whole bunch of stuff. Interspersed throughout our ramblings are some songs that fit the tenor of what we're discussing, which is a first for any of my podcasts. All in all, its not an interview, but rather a conversation between two best friends about life, and how to live it... and maybe, just maybe, even UFOs.

Here are a few links to some of the eclectic things we discuss in the show:

Paul Davids' wonderful art - http://www.starrynightmovie.com/paul_gallery.html

Sigur Ros - http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/

Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" - http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html

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In this excerpt from a lengthy pre-interview I conducted with Stan back in November, 2000 (in what was a very noisy office), he talks about the Bible and religion as it relates to his belief that the Earth has been visited by extraterrestrial beings.

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In May, 2009, I was in England filming four episodes of the television series Ghost Cases. After we were done, my co-host Holly Stevens and I stayed in Europe for three weeks on vacation (England, Scotland and the Czech Republic). While in London, I attended a lecture by Dr. Michio Kaku at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) on the 28th of May, and took the opportunity to ask him a question about his view that we might be in the midst of an intergalactic conversation, and not even know it. Here is that exchange.

For the full lecture and Q & A, go to: http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2009/physics-of-the-impossible

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