Art Bell

[Chronaut]

As for being off-topic.. btw, what is the topic in here anymore?  After what's happened my only topic of interest really is in Art's old shows.  I hope he's safe, and wish him well, and thank him for all the years of entertainment - but have lost interest in anything he may or may not do going forward.  Lots of other nice diversions out there I'd rather focus on these days.

We've been bantering a bit about the old shows - I'm digging The Ultimate Art Bell Collection these days, from the beginning.  I didn't catch on to the show until 96 or 97 so the earliest stuff is like hearing new shows.

I'm struck by the power of 20 years of subsequent context - some of these guests sound downright prescient with what we know now.  But many, if not most, and especially the "psychics," tend to look like absolute fools caught up in the trends of the time.  And of course a few of the hoaxers like "Dr." Jonathan "Reed" have been exposed as pathological liars / sociopaths.  But it's always interesting to see how everything looks now with all of the new facts and events that have come to light.  Some of the most troubling stuff in retrospect is about the rise of the national surveillance state - Art was interviewing people about all that waaay before anyone realized what was happening, and only recently has the public become aware of the huge government operations running surveillance on their own populace, and even infiltrating and manipulating information online and in the media.

[TigerLily]

Btw, zeebo. Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm in a pretty safe place.

Heather is doing better but I also have been expanding out. Currently listening to Serial podcast about true murder cases. I'm halfway through Season 1. And yes, still hoping Art returns soon. Diehard optimist  :

[creepygreenlight]

Hey Bell Gabbies...

Lots of music posted here.  Have any of you heard of these guys?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StV9lElcvAY

[zeebo]

Thanks for the kind words TL.  Good ol' Art, keeping the drama simmering, ha.  I already went through the Rise and Fall of the Bellan Empire once w/ the SIrius debacle, so keeping my distance from the fallout this time.   

I hope the best for Heather and believe she's got a bright future ahead, however it all shakes out.  Imho she's been handling it all remarkably well given the circumstances.  I do however stand by my quibble that MITD should have either been killed outright, or put on official hiatus - and she should have gotten her own show, with it's own name, own music, own segments, etc.  This 'keeping the seat warm' business is just, well whatever.  (Btw that's not really about Heather, but more about the situation Art nudged her into.) But in any case, hope it all works out for the best for everyone. 

Personally yeah I've let it go, not mad or anything, just feel kind of bored by it all.  But I can't fault anyone for hoping for yet another return and keeping their fingers/paws crossed.   

Catch ya on some other threads. 

[deadmeow]

All of the John Leer shows are fun to listen to, if you take it with a grain of salt.  Mel's hole was fun to listen to it originally aired.  GIS are classic, but my favorite are Ghost to Ghost and open lines.

[creepygreenlight]

Art will be back in some form, he's too far into it to let his legacy go this way...

[chinaclipper]

It feels like you're living the same day over and over again, like in Groundhog Day.  Tsenough to drive a guy batty.  Give me hot days and cold days and bright days peppered with days of torrential downpours.  Changing weather is good for the brain, imo - keeps life nice and dynamic.

local weather report for bellgab says mostly clear with chance of storms, so am hoping  the worst is over for now.  if you are right Chronaut, then my brain should be in excellent condition!  our real weather here changes so often it can make you dizzy.  but oh how I do love our storms!

[RoseGirl]

Btw, zeebo. Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm in a pretty safe place.

Heather is doing better but I also have been expanding out. Currently listening to Serial podcast about true murder cases. I'm halfway through Season 1. And yes, still hoping Art returns soon. Diehard optimist  :

Can you recommend a site that lists some good podcasts? Or recommend a few good podcasts? Nowadays it's far too easy to run across podcasts that are hosted by money driven hucksters, over-educated bimbos or psychopaths. Not pretty.

The true murder one sounds interesting.

[EarthAlien007]

Nowadays it's far too easy to run across podcasts that are hosted by money driven hucksters, over-educated bimbos or psychopaths. Not pretty.

That's exactly what crossed my mind when I listened to your train wreck, poor excuse for a podcast.
The psychopath part you mentioned describes you well.

[Bounder]

I lived there for five years, so I realize that there's a slightly cooler and occasionally windy season in the winter, and an occasional mild rain.  But it's still freakishly monotonous most of the time.  I suppose I could've traveled more to get my weather fix, but the rat race mentality out there has a way of sucking you in like the LaBrea tarpits; trying to take a vacation is like trying to escape from a black hole.

Yeah, odd spot for a storm-lover to kill five years.  Sorry it took that long to leave.

[TigerLily]

local weather report for bellgab says mostly clear with chance of storms, so am hoping  the worst is over for now.  if you are right Chronaut, then my brain should be in excellent condition!  our real weather here changes so often it can make you dizzy.  but oh how I do love our storms!

+1

[TigerLily]

Can you recommend a site that lists some good podcasts? Or recommend a few good podcasts? Nowadays it's far too easy to run across podcasts that are hosted by money driven hucksters, over-educated bimbos or psychopaths. Not pretty.

The true murder one sounds interesting.

Hi Rose. Lt. Uhuru started a thread with some suggestions. The one I'm listening to is Serial Podcast.org, I think, or pretty close to that. It's by the same group that does This American Life.org
Which also has some great episodes. Listened to all of dark city which I like. RadioLab.org has alot of good episodes. If you know some good ones, you should post them on the Lt's thread

[TigerLily]

Yeah, odd spot for a storm-lover to kill five years.  Sorry it took that long to leave.

So many transplants would tell me how they missed the seasons. I would always say, "we have seasons. The days are a little longer in summer and shorter in winter. It gets kind of green in Spring and dry in summer. You sometimes need a jacket in winter. We have seasons, just subtle" 

[RoseGirl]

Hi Rose. Lt. Uhuru started a thread with some suggestions. The one I'm listening to is Serial Podcast.org, I think, or pretty close to that. It's by the same group that does This American Life.org
Which also has some great episodes. Listened to all of dark city which I like. RadioLab.org has alot of good episodes. If you know some good ones, you should post them on the Lt's thread

Thanks TL. I will look those up. They sound great. And I will keep you posted (on Lt Uhuru's thread) of good ones I find too.

Cheers,

[Gumby, Dammit]

Can you recommend a site that lists some good podcasts? Or recommend a few good podcasts? Nowadays it's far too easy to run across podcasts that are hosted by money driven hucksters, over-educated bimbos or psychopaths. Not pretty.

The true murder one sounds interesting.

That, and one annoying crack-ho to boot.

[albrecht]

the reason we don't have basements to hide from the non-existent tornadoes

Worse here in Central Texas where we don't have basements but still can get tornadoes!! (And floods and fires etc but a basement wouldn't help with those.) I recall a  a couple decades ago a small town near me basically was "erased" by a tornado. It was scary and tragic. I don't think even basements would've helped. Even some of the cement foundations of houses and asphalt from the streets were pulled up. I was driving on the highway fly-over coming home from work and my old Buick was pushed literally a lane by a gust of wind, luckily no crash, in driving rain and some hail (luckily not the big stuff, some was 4 1/2 inches in diameter in one county.) I had worked in a facility that had no radio reception etc and just thought a bad storm, which happen. Man, up high I could see the anvil clouds trying to touch down etc. Got home and watched news and saw how crazy it was one of the many that touched down was an F5 (highest on scale.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Central_Texas_tornado_outbreak#F-5_Jarrell_tornado

[Uncle Duke]

She was Ramona's friend.

She may have become Ramona's friend, but she started out as a caller.  She responded to Art's on-air request that a real witch call in one night.  She was as annoying as a caller as she was a guest.

[Totally Not The Stalker]

Art will be back in some form, he's too far into it to let his legacy go this way...

Too late for that, he's already shit all over his legacy.

[munbeam666]

Some claim JFK survived.

I lived close by, in La Selva Beach, at the time.  No different, weather-wise, than any other October day.

I was living in Berkeley at the time. It was disturbingly quiet and the air was still; it was also a bit humid there

[TigerLily]

Worse here in Central Texas where we don't have basements but still can get tornadoes!! (And floods and fires etc but a basement wouldn't help with those.) I recall a  a couple decades ago a small town near me basically was "erased" by a tornado. It was scary and tragic. I don't think even basements would've helped. Even some of the cement foundations of houses and asphalt from the streets were pulled up. I was driving on the highway fly-over coming home from work and my old Buick was pushed literally a lane by a gust of wind, luckily no crash, in driving rain and some hail (luckily not the big stuff, some was 4 1/2 inches in diameter in one county.) I had worked in a facility that had no radio reception etc and just thought a bad storm, which happen. Man, up high I could see the anvil clouds trying to touch down etc. Got home and watched news and saw how crazy it was one of the many that touched down was an F5 (highest on scale.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Central_Texas_tornado_outbreak#F-5_Jarrell_tornado

Very, very scary. I will probably have tornado nightmares tonight. I live close to the ocean so maybe even Sharknado dreams

[GravitySucks]

Very, very scary. I will probably have tornado nightmares tonight. I live close to the ocean so maybe even Sharknado dreams

Hope your safe Precious. If you hear a freight train, grab carpet.

[boxman]

Took a nap a few hours ago and had a dream where Heather said her goodbyes and stated that after today DMDN is no more and most likely not the show either. Let's hope it is not a premonition...

[venix]

Speaking of callers, has anybody here ever called in to the show and spoken to Art? I called in either 96 or 97. I can't remember exactly when. It was an open lines night. I got through on my first try and was so nervous because I always thought it was impossible to get through because callers would always say they had been trying forever and never had any luck. Lucky I've never tracked down that call as I would be so embarrassed to hear it again.

[Chronaut]

Very, very scary. I will probably have tornado nightmares tonight. I live close to the ocean so maybe even Sharknado dreams

Can you stay at a friend's place?  A low spot nestled between a couple of steep mountains would be nice and safe.

[GravitySucks]

Speaking of callers, has anybody here ever called in to the show and spoken to Art? I called in either 96 or 97. I can't remember exactly when. It was an open lines night. I got through on my first try and was so nervous because I always thought it was impossible to get through because callers would always say they had been trying forever and never had any luck. Lucky I've never tracked down that call as I would be so embarrassed to hear it again.

I never tried calling, but Keith did post some of my pictures on the website.

I took some pix in Roatan of a monkey that was kept on a chain.  The monkey had become a caretaker for several cats. I think he posted 3 of the pictures. The second time was a fortune I got out of a fortune cookie. It said something like "You will meet an alien very soon".

[The King of Kings]

Speaking of callers, has anybody here ever called in to the show and spoken to Art? I called in either 96 or 97. I can't remember exactly when. It was an open lines night. I got through on my first try and was so nervous because I always thought it was impossible to get through because callers would always say they had been trying forever and never had any luck. Lucky I've never tracked down that call as I would be so embarrassed to hear it again.

I have been on air with Art numerous times.  The trick is to call early since you know Art will take calls at a certain point.  Art has a set-up where your call is immediately picked up and placed in a queue if there is an open spot and it just plays the show over the phone while you wait.  Art will actually "pop" in and talk to all the people on hold during breaks letting them know how the long the break is and when he will start taking calls.

[boxman]

Took a nap a few hours ago and had a dream where Heather said her goodbyes and stated that after today DMDN is no more and most likely not the show either. Let's hope it is not a premonition...

And of course now she teases a "special announcement" at end of the show...
Hopefully it is something  more positive than my dream.

[PING]

There were multiple appearances by the likes of Dames, Kaku, Malachi etc. On the flip side who is everyone's favorite one off or infrequent guest?

Ed Pankau- Art did 2 interviews with him in 99, I think February and again in August. They were awesome. Art seemed fascinated by the ideas he talked about.

Dr. David Anderson- Time travel researcher. I don't know if he was legit but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

Kenny Young- Trumbull County UFO. One of my top 3 Art Bell shows of all time. He had the police scanner tapes of a police department chasing UFOs. I don't remember date off the top of my head. I want to say 99. Google is your friend; Art Bell Trumbull County should do the trick.

These are all in the megatorrent.

[ge30542]

I've seen mention of "torrents" on BellGab. So moments ago, I  googled  "torrents", it sounds as though it's way over my tech abilities. Also, isn't it risky for one to expose their computer to torrents, i.e. viruses and such?
Is their an easier way for me, (aside from TuneIn which I already use), to obtain, or download lots of shows safely?

[Element 115]

I've seen mention of "torrents" on BellGab. So moments ago, I  googled  "torrents", it sounds as though it's way over my tech abilities. Also, isn't it risky for one to expose their computer to torrents, i.e. viruses and such?
Is their an easier way for me, (aside from TuneIn which I already use), to obtain, or download lots of shows safely?

Torrents are perfectly safe, depending on source of course.