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BOA : Audio

1.10.12

Greg Bishop

(2 Hour, 30 Minutes)


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Closing the book on 2011 and peering into the abyss of 2012, it's the annual BoA:Audio Year in Review with our old pal Greg Bishop. In this lengthy look back at the past year, we'll discuss the Jerusalem UFO sighting, the White House disclosure petitions, the Phil Imbrogno imbroglio, the passing of Budd Hopkins and Gabe Valdez, Annie Jacobson's Area 51 bestseller, the NASA orbs revelation, Yeti-mania, and other weird happenings from 2011. In keeping with our usual conversations with Greg, we'll also journey down a wealth of sideroads as we ponder the very nature of UFOs, disclosure, and UFO research. Plus we'll look at the ebb and flow of various paranormal genres as we enter a whole new year of esoterica.

It's a level-headed assessment of where we stand at the beginning of 2012 with regards to unlocking the UFO enigma and the current state of the paranormal community as a whole with the brutally honest, thoughtful, and always thought provoking Greg Bishop.

If you enjoy this conversation and would like more, check out Binnall's appearance on Greg's Radio Misterioso podcast from 1/1/12 ... MP3 ... More info.

Full Preview: We kick things off by reflecting on last year's Year in Review episode, which was wrought with cynicism about 2010's UFO events, and spend some time looking at the issue of the enigma v. the pursuit underway trying to answer it. We then dive into 2011's events, using the same 'tentpole' system as last year, and begin with the 'Sighting of the Year,' which was deemed the Jerusalem event of January. After bemoaning the sheer lack of 'good' UFO sightings in 2011, we get Greg's take on this specific case and how the fallout unfolded.

This leads to some discussion on the problems with the Jerusalem case and how/why it was not a 'game changer' for Ufology. The conversation then turns to what would be needed, from a UFO sighting, to open the door for mainstream discussion on the subject. Staying within the realm of the Jerusalem sighting, we talk about the difficulties in getting a clear investigation out of Jerusalem and how it has faded from memory. This segues into our collective yearning for a good UFO flap like the good old days.

Moving on to our next big story, from the 'Disclosure / Exopolitics' category, we talk about the disclosure petition spat from late in the year. This turns into a discussion on the different gradients of what disclosure might be and how exopolitics seems to be focused on one specific flavor. Somehow this ends up with us discussing the idea that the UFOs need to be seen and studied by humans. We finally get around to actually talking about the petition spat after that long aside and talk about how a project Blue Book for the new millennium would, all things considered, be a good development.

Looking at the mindset of people in today's world, we talk about how a UFO cover-up seems to be a begrudgingly accepted story in the mainstream and how disclosure really wouldn't change a person's daily life. We also examine the paradox that the government could reveal UFOs are real, but they have them remain as elusive and mysterious as they were before the revelation. We also look at what would become of Ufology if disclosure happened. Tackling the 'geopolical' story of the year, we briefly discuss the Nick Pope revelations that he used 'dirty tricks and spin' as the head of MoD UFO desk.

Next we move on to the 'In Memoriam' portion of the program and remember Budd Hopkins, who passed away in August. This develops into Greg's thoughts on the nature of abduction research and inherent problems facing it, which leads us to talking about how Budd's death constitutes the nadir of the abduction field. The narrative of abductions and sheer lack of physical proof are two of the next issues surrounding the phenomenon which we examine.

Staying within the realm of remembrance, Greg talks about his good friend and accomplished UFO researcher Gabe Valdez, who passed away this past year. Greg shares some great stories about his friendship with Gabe, including his research, his role in UFO history, and how generous he was in sharing his research with Greg. This leads to some talk about the Dulce case and the insights Gabe shared with Greg about the infamous alleged base. He also shares news of what became of Gabe's research following his death.

We then turn our attention to the 'Inside Baseball' segment of the Year in Review and look at the imbroglio which erupted over the investigation into Ufologist Phil Imbrogno's education credentials. We discuss the nature of the scandal, the fallout from it in Ufology, and how it effects Phil's overall body of work as well as whether his general ideas still have any validity. Wrapping up the charted stories, we look at the 'media' story of the year, which was deemed to be the popularity of Annie Jacobson's Area 51 book. Greg shares the story of going to see Jacobson at a live book reading.

The conversation then turns into an even more freeform jam session as we talk about how 2011 saw military drones become more of an open secret and where that leaves the 'UFOs: ours or theirs' debate as we enter 2012. We also revisit the top stories of our 2010 Ufology YIR episode and see if any of the events made an impact on 2011. We also discuss the under appreciated UFO story of 2011, NASA acknowledging the existence of orbs and admitting that they had no idea what they are. We also talk about the Kepler project and how it greatly exceeded the expectations of astrobiologists.

Heading into our wrap-up of the Year in Review, we do our annual meta look at the world of the paranormal and observe which genres seem 'hot' and which fields seem to be trending down in popularity as we begin a new year. We start by speculating that, perhaps, interest in ghost hunting is finally waning while cryptozoology is seeing a big surge in popularity. This leads to some discussion on the nature of Bigfoot and whether it is an animal or some kind of interdimensional being. We then turn our attention towards the 2012 genre and talk about how the field of 2012 speculation will finally come to an end by this time next year.

Nearing the end of our conversation, we have Greg reflect on the similarities and differences between the Y2K and 2012 hysteria. We also reflect on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and how that, along with the death of Bin Laden, constitutes the death knell of the 9/11 Truth Movement. We also talk about how the Occupy Wall Street reflected what the young and disgruntled were passionate about and how that did not include 9/11 or UFOs. Based on his years of research, Greg reflects on how economic shifts effects interest in the paranormal. We also remember the 'Aflockaplypse' which kicked off 2011.

Wrapping up the festivities, Greg talks about the NSA 'alien signal' story which created interest in Ufology, but was actually just a puzzle for readers. We also look at the outlook for UFO research in 2012 and what will drive change for the field. And, on a personal level, we find out what's on tap for Greg Bishop in 2012, including a potential new book as well as other writing projects.




Greg Bishop Bio

Greg Bishop became interested in UFOs at a very early age. He has no idea why. In 1991, he cofounded a magazine entitled The Excluded Middle, for the purpose of educating himself first, and secondly, passing on the info to interested readers. How selfish. TEM was a journal of UFOs, conspiracy research, psychedelia and new science (now online at www.excludedmiddle.com ). "Wake Up Down There!" a collection of articles from the magazine, was published in 2000.

Greg’s writing has appeared the L.A. Weekly, Fortean Times, UFO Magazine and Magical Blend, among others, and in the book-length anthologies "Conspiracy And Cyberculture," "Zen And The Art of Close Encounters," "Kooks," and "You Are Being Lied To." In 2005, his book "Project Beta" was an attempt to set the record straight on the Paul Bennewitz disinfo saga. His third and newest title, "Weird California," was published in March of 2006. His internet show, "Radio Misterioso," can be heard on Sundays from 8-10 PM PST at www.killradio.org. Interviews with fringe-topic researchers and weird music are the usual fare.

When not writing, he can be found in the southwestern deserts of the US or flying his paraglider above vertiginous cliffs and mountains, sometimes with a propeller strapped to his back. Successful bribes include New Mexican cuisine, recordings of “outsider” music, rare contactee books, tickets to baseball games and selected original artwork.

His websites are radiomisterioso.com & ufomystic.com


Next Week :

Extreme Expeditions of 2011 w. Adam Davies

Closing out our triumverate of annual shows, acclaimed cryptozoologist Adam Davies
will join us for an update on his adventures of the past year.


BoA : Audio, Season Six archive