The Paracast -- The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio

We observe ten years of The Paracast with a special roundtable featuring two of our guest co-hosts over the years, Greg Bishop, of “Radio Misterioso,” film producer Paul Kimball, and long-time forum participant and moderator Goggs Mackay. We talk about the state of paranormal research, how our views have changed over the years when it comes to individual cases, such as Roswell, and the possible causes of the UFO phenomenon. The panel also discusses things that might be done to make research more productive; what about the evidence contained in those UFO databases, what about free and transparent evaluation of all the evidence? The discussion also includes the plight of the experiencer, how their lives have been impacted by their experience, and where UFO abductions may fit in. And what about “panic in the woods” and the “Oz Factor”? Sadly Goggs is no longer with us.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz introduce Tillie Treadwell, a modern day author and paranormal scholar. In her own words, she is a conscious experiencer of phenomena, having had what she fully believes to be personal, true encounters with The Mandela Effect, odd glitches in time, both main topics for this episode, plus wild night crawlers, the Glimmer Man, UFOs, nonhuman people such as the fae and others. In past years, Tillie co-headed a paranormal investigation and exorcism team in blessing with leadership from the Catholic church, worked as an independent energetic healer, Tarot interpreter, and intuitive medicinal/ nutritional advisor in cooperation with local naturopathic and allopathic medical staff for her clientele. Today and since retiring from her previous full-time spiritual-social ventures, Tillie often quietly advises behind the scenes on books and YouTube channels. She is an avid reader and writer, a lover of communication and storytelling. Tillie joins Gene as one of the contributors to a new book, "Weird Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Time and Space."

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present the return of Kevin D. Randle, who is seen as one of the preeminent experts not only on the UFO phenomena in general, but also with the reported UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947. In this episode, he will discuss such topics as the ongoing research into the Roswell event and other early cases, along with his observations about reported UFO abductions and their cause or causes. Randle is a retired lieutenant colonel who served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and in Iraq as a battalion intelligence officer. He began writing for UFO magazines and eventually moved onto books. His writing is not limited to the UFO field. He is the author of more than 100 books that cover not just UFOs, but action-adventure, mysteries, science fiction and even a vampire novel called, cleverly, “VAMPYR.” Randle’s notable UFO-related books include: "Roswell in the 21st Century," "Levelland," and "UFOs and the Deep State." He has been a frequent guest on The Paracast over the years. You can find his blog, A Different Perspective, at: https://kevinrandle.blogspot.com/

In this vintage episode, Gene and original cohost David Biedny put together a memorial for noted UFO researcher Richard H. Hall, who died in 2009. His major works included "The UFO Evidence," originally published when he was Assistant Director of Major Donald Keyhoe's NICAP in the 1960s. Featured guests included some of the esteemed investigators in the UFO field who knew him well, including Jerome Clark, Don Ecker, Paul Kimball, Dr. Bruce Maccabee and Kevin D. Randle. Sadly, both David and Bruce are no longer with us.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz explore the legends and myths one of the most infamous serial killers of them all, Jack the Ripper. Along for the ride is Paul Begg, who has also written highly acclaimed books about mysterious disappearances, the Mary Celeste, a history of the C.I.D. at Scotland Yard, and several books examining different aspects of the Jack the Ripper case, including "Jack the Ripper: The Definitive History," "Jack the Ripper: The Forgotten Victims," "Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel," and "Mary Celeste-The Greatest Mystery of the Sea." Also joining us is Brian Young, our resident skeptic, a friend and colleague of Begg, who will share in the conversation about Jack the Ripper. Brian is a writer, researcher, historian, cigar connoisseur, and co-hosts the Transatlantic History Ramblings podcast along with Lauren Davies, heard on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His book is "The Wrestlers’ Wrestlers: The Masters of the Craft of Professional Wrestling." Begg has a career background in newspapers and publishing as well as being a freelance writer, as he says, "For far more years than I care to think about."

Shortly after his death, we presented a special three-hour tribute to the late Fortean author, John Keel, author of "The Mothman Prophecies" and other books. Over the years, he offered an original, sometimes offbeat, view of the strange and the unknown. Gene and cohost David Biedny presented an all-star guest list of UFO and paranormal researchers that included Tim “Mr. UFO” Beckley, Jerome Clark, Loren Coleman, Jim Moseley, Brad Steiger and Curt Sutherly. Sadly, David, Tim, Jim and Brad are no longer with us.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Take an exciting trip through modern folklore, strange experiences and the legends and myths of advanced ancient civilizations with special guest Gareth Rees. Speaking with Gene and cohost Tim Swartz you’ll discover how modern myths and folklore of place have always driven Gareth’s writing and he has contributed weird fiction and horror stories to numerous anthologies. His new book is “Sunken Lands: a Journey Through Lost Kingdoms and Flooded Worlds,” published by Elliott & Thompson. It’s an exploration of lost worlds, starting in the UK, then going out to the Bay of Naples and the Louisiana wetlands. It is about how folklore and mythology cling to places and carry messages from the deep past in a time of climate change. Gareth’s first book was “Marshland,” about a deep map of a semi-rural former industrial edgeland in the middle of London, blending factual writing with weird fiction. His second book, “The Stone Tide,” is an autobiographical work about Hastings on the East Sussex coast, where he wrote about the mavericks who have gravitated there: Aleister Crowley, John Logie Baird, Alex Sanders, Teilhard De Chardin. “Car Park Life,” his third book, is about parking lots, where he explores the boring spaces around chain stores, superstores, retail parks. Even though there’s nothing really paranormal in it, the process of extracting meaning from the mundane could be described as magical.

This is the original, premiere episode of The Paracast, with Gene Steinberg and David Biedny, where we explored the personality side of the world of UFOs with Jim Moseley, editor/publisher of Saucer Smear and prolific UFO and paranormal author Brad Steiger. Sadly David, Jim and Brad are no longer with us. This episode is reposted in respect to their memories.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Kurt Konecny, one of the co-hosts of the podcast “The Strange Sessions.” In the podcast, Kurt and his friend and fellow ghosthunter Krista look into stories of the strange, whether it’s poltergeists, alien abduction, time travel, Bigfoot, or the nature of reality itself. Expecting only a few friends and family to listen to their podcast, Kurt and Krista were amazed when people they didn’t know started listening and joining their Facebook group. A lifelong Wisconsin native, Kurt has been into the paranormal ever since he was a child, experiencing several unexplained things in the house he grew up in. This blossomed into a lifelong fascination with ghosts, aliens, and anything spooky, eventually joining the Wisconsin-based paranormal research group Heartland Paranormal Investigations and doing investigations all over the Midwest. Kurt believes that the world is far stranger than anyone realizes. And that’s a good thing, because without that sense of mystery and wonder, life would just be dull. He also has a chapter about the synchronicity of numbers and time in the upcoming book: “Weird Time — Exploring the Mysteries of Time and Space.” Gene has also contributed a chapter to this book. You can listen to “The Strange Sessions” podcast at: The Strange Sessions | Kurt and Krista

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a return visit from Philip Kinsella, author of several UFO and spiritual books who has written countless articles surrounding UFOs, consciousness and the afterlife. He began his investigations after an alien abduction he’d experienced back in the winter of 1989 and has spent the rest of his years exploring alternate theories surrounding both UFOs and alien contact, as well as psychic phenomena. In 1996, he published an article in Alien Encounters magazine, which had been considered within its theoretical application, entitled "Spirits in a Material World," which created some controversy with regards to his theoretical assumptions surrounding what a certain faction of the Greys may represent. Philip has lectured on the subject and has appeared on national television. He also co-hosts a radio program ran by the Paranormal UK Radio Network called "Twin Souls." In this episode, Philip discusses one of his books, "Terrestrial Trespassers." It covers such topics as: What are the Greys? Why are they here, and furthermore, what are their intentions? Why is it that after decades of alien abduction and UFO research we are no nearer in truly establishing what we may be up against regarding this omnipresent force which seemingly operates beyond our level of reality and hides within the shadows like phantoms in the night? Philip takes a candid look at the phenomenon, along with other areas of high strangeness in his search for the clues which may answer some truly extraordinary claims.

Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a return visit from Philip Kinsella, author of several UFO and spiritual books who has written countless articles surrounding UFOs, consciousness and the afterlife. He began his investigations after an alien abduction he’d experienced back in the winter of 1989 and has spent the rest of his years exploring alternate theories surrounding both UFOs and alien contact, as well as psychic phenomena. In 1996, he published an article in Alien Encounters magazine, which had been considered within its theoretical application, entitled "Spirits in a Material World," which created some controversy with regards to his theoretical assumptions surrounding what a certain faction of the Greys may represent. Philip has lectured on the subject and has appeared on national television. He also co-hosts a radio program ran by the Paranormal UK Radio Network called "Twin Souls." In this episode, Philip discusses one of his books, "Terrestrial Trespassers." It covers such topics as: What are the Greys? Why are they here, and furthermore, what are their intentions? Why is it that after decades of alien abduction and UFO research we are no nearer in truly establishing what we may be up against regarding this omnipresent force which seemingly operates beyond our level of reality and hides within the shadows like phantoms in the night? Philip takes a candid look at the phenomenon, along with other areas of high strangeness in his search for the clues which may answer some truly extraordinary claims.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz introduce Paul Schatzkin, a biographer of obscure 20th century scientists. He has been described variously as a visionary, gadfly, serial entrepreneur, Internet pioneer, staunch McLuhanist, author, occasional bomb-thrower, guitarist and songwriter. His two books are: “The Boy Who Invented Television” about Philo T. Farnsworth and “The Man Who Mastered Gravity” about T. Townsend Brown. As to Farnsworth, he invented a thing called “the television” — which over the course of his lifetime (1906-1971) became the most ubiquitous appliance in the history of human civilization. Every video screen on the planet — including the one you are looking at now – can trace its origins to a sketch that 14-year-old Philo drew for his high school science teacher in 1922. Schatzkin’s second book — exploring the mysterious life of T. Townsend Brown (1895-1985) — is “the biography of a man whose story cannot be told.” “The Man Who Mastered Gravity” is a tale that lives in the Venn diagram between science, science fiction and pseudo science, with elements of world history, international espionage, and cross-generational romance. He was also involved in the early creation of a UFO research organization, the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), which was later placed under the direction of UFO field pioneer and disclosure advocate Major Donald E. Keyhoe.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present the all-encompassing views of Dr. Thomas F. Lawson, a psychologist and original thinker who has done extensive research into the ontology and history of super ancient Egypt and how all of its structures/temples/pyramids are part of a “Messianic/Mashiach Plan,” now culminating and which, he says, will create a “new heaven and a new Earth.” After personal research in Egypt, Dr Lawson developed and presented a number of PowerPoint lectures on antediluvian civilizations whose members fled after a world-wide cataclysm circa 11,000 B.C. to Egypt. This ancient, technological knowledge was used to build the pyramids and recorded this history on the Egyptian temple at Edfu. In 2009-11, Dr Lawson was privately invited to explore the Sphinx enclosure by the then Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass as part of a five man “quiet” team with Raytheon Inc to use a new LIDAR tunnel detection system to surreptitiously search for the Atlantean Hall of Records. He has over 25 years experience in design, development and implementation of strategic, tactical and operational planning and systems analysis within numerous federal government, intelligence and defense environments. He is a highly experienced multi-discipline FAA Project and Air Traffic Control Facility Manager and Operations.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Dr. Simon Young, a British folklore historian based in Italy. He has written extensively on the nineteenth-century supernatural. His book Magical Folk: British & Irish Fairies, came out in 2017.The Boggart (from Exeter University Press) and The Nail in the Skull and Other Victorian Urban Legends (from Mississippi University Press) came out in 2022. Dr. Young has undertaken the biggest folklore survey of its kind, on behalf of the Fairy Investigation Society and released in 2024 The Fairy Census 2: 2017-2023. His earlier collection, The Fairy Census 1, came out in 2017. The census, revived more than 60 years from the last one, gathered details of as many fairy sightings from the 20th and 21st century as possible, and to measure contemporary attitudes to fairies. He is also the editor of Exeter New Approaches to Legends, Folklore and Popular Legends, which provides a venue for growing scholarly interest in folklore narratives, supernatural belief systems and the communities that sustain them. As well, Dr. Young teaches history at University of Virginia's Siena Campus (CET). Over the years he has run courses on the History of Christianity, Italian Food History, Italian Media History, Contemporary Italian History, WW2 in Italy and Italian Renaissance History. For more information about the Fairy Census, visit its website at: www.fairyist.com. His blog can be found at: www.strangehistory.net

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz remember one of the key figures of the early UFO field, as we interview Linda C. Powell, news editor for The Anomalist. She is the author of “Against the Odds: Major Donald E. Keyhoe and His Battle to End UFO Secrecy: A Biography.” In UFO lore, one man is largely responsible for the twin pillars of current belief: that UFOs represent extraterrestrial technology and that the government is hiding this truth from us. His name is Donald E. Keyhoe. He was a 51-year-old retired Marine Major when his own investigation of a famous 1948 flying saucer case led him to believe that the US Air Force and the CIA knew the Earth was under surveillance by beings from other worlds and were keeping it secret from the public. For the next 21 years, he devoted himself, at great personal cost, to exposing the official cover-up of what he believed was an alien visitation. Thanks to his highly-placed contacts in the military and secret informants in the Pentagon, Keyhoe became the first major figure to truly challenge the official view that UFO reports belonged in the domain of “kooks and fuzzy thinkers.” He eventually led what became the world’s most powerful civilian UFO organization for its time, the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP). You’ll also learn all about Gene’s early encounters with Keyhoe between 1965 and 1975, and some of the controversies that arose over Keyhoe’s attempts to run NICAP as a lobbying arm for UFO disclosure.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: A main focus of this episode is Bigfoot as Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Greg Ogles, who got into investigating Bigfoot in 2013 and is the founder of the Alabama Bigfoot Society. Initially he just wanted a diversion in his life as his profession can be quite stressful. Greg has hunted and fished all of his life so being in the woods in remote places was not new to him. In his regular life, he is the traffic analyst for the largest city in Alabama. As an analyst, he's trained in investigative techniques which he has translated over to investigating the unknown. So throughout the history of mankind, we have always been curious about the unknown, making new discoveries and trekking our way into the wilderness. Greg's first thoughts were to fully document all of his encounters. As a skeptic he thought there would be little film that he would have to edit. Then one cold day in Alabama, everything changed! His company is Relic films, a production company that seeks out the truth about America's greatest Legends and Myths. With the use of modern technology and the study of ancient Indian cultures he attempts to uncover the hidden truth about what is real and what is just a story.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present best-selling author W.T. Watson, a coffee addict and writer of both fiction and non-fiction. He infuses his work with his expertise in cryptozoology, monster lore, magic, Forteana and the paranormal. W.T. brings a unique shamanic and magical perspective to all of his work after over 30 years of exploration in these topics. During this episode there's a special focus on Bigfoot, and other strange creatures and legends of strange creatures through the ages. Watson's books include: "Canadian Monsters & Mysteries," "Sasquatch Canada: Beyond British Columbia," "Mysteries in the Mist: Mist, Fog, and Clouds in the Paranormal,", and his most recent, which will be discussed during this episode: "The Forest Poltergeist: Class B Encounters and the Paranormal." When he is not writing or reading about monsters, he can be found outdoors allowing his dogs to take him for a walk around his neighborhood in Kitchener, Ontario. He lives with his spouse, Stacey, in a townhome that would be jammed with books if it weren't for e-readers.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present "Captain" Ron Janix, a fellow who has been immersed in the UFO/paranormal community for many years. During this episode, he'll talk in detail about the state of UFO research, especially the most recent issues regarding the Pentagon's various investigative projects. Through reading and listening to experts, working with various conferences, and doing hundreds of interviews, Ron has built up an extensive knowledge of the subject. He began podcasting with the Elevate The Conversation show back in 2014, and then moved on to the Truth Be Told show along with Tony Sweet. In April 2021, Ron founded The Observation Deck, an online source for information on speakers and events in and around the UFO community. Additionally, he also launched a podcast entitled The Observation Desk, that focused on where his passion lies new theories and discoveries in the areas of Science, Technology, History, and the Paranormal. He is also the Co-Owner, Producer, and Host of "Contact in the Desert," which he presents as the world's largest UFO-themed Conference, each year featuring dozens of well-known figures in the field. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the newly launched Hollywood Disclosure Alliance, headquartered in Los Angeles.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: As The Paracast begins its 19th year, Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present Peter Robbins, an investigative writer, author and lecturer best known for his books, columns, articles, radio commentaries, interviews and conference talks about UFOs. He has appeared as a guest on and been consultant to numerous television programs and documentaries. Robbins’ longtime interest in and research into the life and scientific discoveries of Dr. Wilhelm Reich have led to series of published papers and conference talks in the US and the UK, and presentations at for the International Conference on the Scientific Discoveries of Wilhelm Reich, Nice France; the American College of Orgonomy’s conferences in New York City and Princeton New Jersey, and For the Orgone Biophysical Research Laboratory conferences held near Ashland Oregon. His professional credits include, Editorial Assistant on United Nations’ Secretary General’s (requested) report “for the establishment of a UN-UFO Department,” and Editorial Assistant for Member of Parliament, the Honorable Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Earl of Clancarty’s (requested) paper for The House of Lords 1980 Debate on UFOs. Robbins was also a founding member of Budd Hopkins’ Intruders Foundation, member of its Advisory Board, and Executive Assistant to Mr. Hopkins. He was Event Coordinator for the SCI FI Channel’s "Alien Abduction Phenomenon: A Symposium," organized to promote the release of the Steven Spielberg miniseries "Taken," and writer, planner and commentator for the “Ultimate UFO” and “Ultimate Crop Circle” DVD sets. You can check out his weekly show, "Meanwhile, Here On Earth LIVE" on Mondays at 7:00 PM EST by going to www.unxnetwork.com and clicking on "X-Stream / Listen or Watch" at the top of the page.

This episode features better audio and fewer ads: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present a return visit from the one and only Joshua Cutchin, a long-time favorite of listeners to The Paracast. He is an author, musician, husband, father, who has appeared on a wide variety of paranormal programs discussing his work, including the hit History Channel television show “Ancient Aliens.” He is the author of seven critically-acclaimed books: 2015’s “A Trojan Feast: The Food and Drink Offerings of Aliens, Faeries, and Sasquatch” (translated into Spanish as “Banquete Troyano”); 2016’s “The Brimstone Deceit: An In-Depth Examination of Supernatural Scents, Otherworldly Odors, & Monstrous Miasmas”; 2018’s “Thieves in the Night: A Brief History of Supernatural Child Abductions”; and 2020’s “Where the Footprints End: High Strangeness and the Bigfoot Phenomenon,” Volumes I & II, with Timothy Renner. In 2022, he released his two-part masterwork: “Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death & the Paranormal.” 2023 marked the release of his first fictional novel, “Them Old Ways Never Died,” as well as his curated collection of essays, “Fairy Films: Wee Folk on the Big Screen.”