MonsterTalk

This week we're welcoming back historian Dr Joseph Gagne to tell us about a ghost story that straddles North America and Scotland.  He was last with us to tell us about the legend of La Corriveau in episode 181. 

Appearances of the Dead: A Cultural History of Ghosts by Ronald C. Finucane - mentioned by Joseph as his introduction to this story. This is an affiliate link and the book is out of print, so be advised it's PRICEY.

But wait!  You can read it for free at Archive.org.
Joseph asked me to be sure and share links to:

Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales Du Québec

Also to his blog: Curieuse Nouvelle France

And of course the official site of Fort Ticonderoga 

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Today we're discussing the strange story of The Houdini Seance and Arthur Ford the Spiritualist.  

  The last Houdini Seance (1936) - Audio + Story
  Bess Houdini 
  Arthur Ford - Spiritualist
  Arthur Ford - Obituary
  The Houdini Code
  The Bishop James Pike
  Was Pike Seance Hoax?
The Skeptics Dictionary: Arthur Ford

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In the mountains of North Georgia on a spooky civil war battlefield there is a legend of a green eyed monster. This is not that story. This is the story of the new festival set up to commemorate the monster, but also bring people and revenue to this rural southern town. We'll be talking with Nate Tucker and Dillan Whisenant about their experience kicking off the first Green Eyes Festival of Chicamauga, Georgia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga

https://www.greeneyesfestival.com/

Phil's Primetime Pizza

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This is the audio from our 2024 livestream (http://youtube.com/monstertalk).  If you saw that live, this is the same audio without the moving picture bits. If you didn't see it but want to see our mugs waggin' synchronously to our voices, you can find this particular episode here.

Otherwise - happy new year! We'll be back next week talking about how to make a successful monster festival with some guys who just did it for the Green Eyes Festival.

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We're joined by fellow podcaster and friend of the show, Andy Driscoll, to introduce a peculiar region in Massachusetts said to be home to concentrated high strangeness. We'll definitely be coming back to deep dive in these swamps for more details on particular claims but Andy gives us a great "hometown" introduction to this fascinating area.

Video Segment with Jeff Bellanger introducing the topic (CBS News)
The popular podcast Lore's coverage during their first season (2015)
Pukwudgie
Maushop
Dighton Rock
Larry Kusche Obituary and his Wiki Page
More with Andy Driscoll:
The Old Colony Cast (YouTube) or Apple Podcasts

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One of the most "Christmas Ghost Story" ghost stories for Christmas that I've ever come across. Smee tells of a night of holiday revelry turned chilling and mysterious by the appearance of an unexpected attendee at the festivities.

You can read along with the ebook by purchasing it here. (affiliate Link)
Read more about A. M. Burrage if you like. (Wikipedia)
Art for this episode is by one of my progeny. -B

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We're excited to have Laura Krantz back to talk about her latest book - a youth-focused look at how to distinguish between magical and scientific thinking: Do You Believe in Magic?

Laura's very entertaining and informative podcasts:  LINK

Laura's other writings (affiliate LINK)

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An interview with writer, researcher and podcaster Aaron Gulyas - host of the UFO themed history podcast The Saucer Life.

Gulyas is also the author of many books (affiliate link) including some likely to be of particular interest to MT listeners:
Extraterrestrials and the American Zeitgeist: Alien Contact Tales Since the 1950s
Conspiracy Theories: The Roots, Themes and Propagation of Paranoid Political and Cultural Narratives
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If you like the 1970s In Search Of... why not check out our sister show In reSearch Of...

Blake (and his wife Kathleen) will be participating in the 2025 "Skeptoid Bermuda Triangle Adventure" - details here if you want to come along and explore Robert the Doll, the Bimini Wall, or to look for the missing planes of Flight 19...

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We welcome back Chris Woodyard to discuss the very odd story of the Wollaton Gnomes - a 1979 reported sighting of little men in little cars by a group of children in a British park. 

Chris & Simon's podcast Boggarts & Banshees (Apple Podcasts)
Transcript of the gnome witness children's Interview (courtesy Simon Young)
Wollaton Hall (wiki)
Blog by Frank Earp, who claims to have investigated the gnomes  contemporary to the events. 
Laughing Gnome (1967) David Bowie song
The Original Fairy Investigation Society (wiki)
The reborn Fairy Investigation Society (facebook)
Fairy Census One
Fairy Census Two
George Harrison's Friar Park (and gnomes)
Gnomes (wiki)
Garden Gnomes (wiki)
Kabouter (wiki)
Klabautermann (wiki)
Paracelsus book about various spirits (wiki)
Tom Clark Gnomes (retail site)
Books (Affiliate Links):
Gnomes by Wil Huygen
The Wollaton Gnomes: A Nottingham Fairy Mystery by Dr. Simon Young (and others)
A is for Arsenic - by Chris Woodyard
Other books by Chris Woodyard
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We're delighted to celebrate Thanksgiving with the return of Dr. Brian Regal. He's here to talk about a favorite monster film, and announce the release of his autobiography, The Monster from Newark.

Links:   

• Brian's autobiography - The Monster From Newark (affiliate link)
• Karen's anthology of skeptics having weird experiences:Would You Believe It? (affiliate link)
• Lucky Dragon No 5 (wiki)
• Castle Bravo test & "maru" ship (wiki)
• List of Giant Ant Movies List of Giant Monster Movies
• The Pet (1921)
• The Lost World (1925)
• Reptilicus MST3K

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