Blake and Karen discuss The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O'Connor. 
The Secret History of Bigfoot (affiliate link)
NYT Book Review
Trey the Explainer on Bigfoot and Indigenous Culture (YouTube)
Michael Barkun's Culture of Conspiracy (affiliate link)
Spokane Washington Public Library reading by O'Connor (YouTube)
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S03E23 - REVIEW: The Secret History of Bigfoot:

There are lots of things to read about this on the Internet and you will not find a definitive answer, I'm afraid. My conclusions are based on parsimony not on explicit proof. Besides, we all know how hard it is to prove a negative. It's a complex topic with many black-box elements and those tend to lend themselves to conspiratorial thinking.

If you have things to say on the topic, come comment on the episode on our Patreon.

Some articles of interest:

Test showing negative results (Wandera)

Tests showing the phones are capable of much monitoring (Medium)

BBC Coverage of the question

ABC deep dive (10 mins) (Australian)

Gizmodo - is your phone listening?

Conspiratorial Thinking and Mobile Phones (Research Gate)
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S03E22 - Are Our Phones Listening To Us?

A lighthearted discussion of the cryptids of Connecticut with the author and illustrator of 
Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird & Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State, Patrick Scalisi and Valerie Ruby-Omen.

Patrick's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link)
Valerie's facebook page
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S03E21 - Connecticut Cryptids

We conclude our two-part look at Boleskine House, on the shores of Loch Ness. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to wrap up this investigation.
Links for Part 2:
Article about sale of Boleskine
Report of death of Major Grant (1960)
A Dark Song (movie loosely based on Crowley/Abramelin working) (affiliate link)
The Cadco Affair - or the great sausage scandal
Pre-fire article (2015) about Boleskine after Page sale
Current owners hope link to Outlander series will generate restoration funds
The Boleskine House Foundation - seeking to restore the site
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S03E20 - House of the Unholy (pt 2)

Part 1 of a 2-part look at Boleskine House, the little house on the shores of Loch Ness that allegedly once hosted an infamous ceremony attempt by Mr. Aleister Crowley. Matt Baxter joins Karen and Blake to discuss. 

Thanks to previous guests Peter Bebergal, Jerry Drake and Al Ridenour for their assistance on preparing this episode.

Related Links - Part 1
News article chock full of the legends we discuss
What happened to the kids from that Led Zeppelin album cover?
Who was Kenneth Anger?
Documentary on Crowley (sometimes explicit content - YouTube)
The OTHER Loch Ness Monster - doc that Blake thinks influenced expansion of legend
Documentarian seeking to capture the restoration and demystify site
The Boleskine House Foundation - seeking to restore the site
BBC article on restoration efforts
Samuel MacGregor Mathers - Crowley's mentor and translator of Abramelin
The Golden Dawn - English magical society (1887 - 1903)
The English translation of the Abramelin Working by Mathers
The Confessions of Aleister Crowley - Internet Archive
Images for Part 1:
The graveyard downhill from Boleskine
YouTube compilation of photos from inside and outside the house
Atlas Obscura info on the site
Related Episodes:
The Great Beast 666 - a look at Crowley
Theosophy & Western Esotericism - pt1
Theosophy & Western Esotericism - pt2
Grimoires Part 1
Grimoires Part 2
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S03E19 - House of the Unholy (pt 1)

Blake wraps up his seven year deep dive into the Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins case by taking a look at the many myths and misconceptions still enshrined in the Wikepedia article at the time of this recording. Yep - it's Blake rant time again... 
The two-part article is published in the UK's Skeptic.

Part one is live now:
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/01/guns-and-goblins-what-really-happened-during-the-kentucky-alien-invasion/
Part two should be live Monday, Jan 29th, 2024.
If this link is wrong, I'll correct it.
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/01/the-kentucky-alien-invasion-putting-to-bed-the-myths-and-mysteries/

If you're serious about this topic and want more, we've got plenty of places to go:

#136 – AMERICAN GOBLINS—PART 1
#137 – AMERICAN GOBLINS—PART 2
#138 – AMERICAN GOBLINS – PART 3
Astonishing Legends podcast coverage: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

The troublesome Wikipedia article on this topic.
The journal article by Schmaltz and Lilienfeld. 
The correction to that article - that still didn't correct the problem.
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S03E18 - The Goblins of Wikipedia

A look at Blake's ongoing research into the missing history of the Patterson-Gimlin film. 
This is pre-publication and the raw data is not ready to share yet, but we discuss some of the findings. 
Episode 12 - Greg Long
Cryptid Cinema - Steve Bissette (affiliate link)
Cryptid Cinema vol 2 (affiliate link)
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S03E17 - Maximum PG Effort

In 1979 a man named Ernest encountered a mysterious creature in a tunnel in the Cabbagetown neighborhood of Toronto. Now, four decades on, we're joined by author Jeff Dupuis to look back on this peculiar incident and ask talk about why some monsters go viral and others remain "deep cuts" of cryptozoology.
LINKS:
Jeff Dupuis and the TORONTO Cabbage Town Monster:
Jeff Dupuis - cryptid-themed novels
Additional:
The UFO "Commander-X" - possibly Timothy Green Beckley (at least in part)
Obit for Timothy Green Beckley
Commander-X (the hacktivist) extradition from Mexico
Colorful character Salako Kalfou mentioned in the interview
Goldenstein's article from 1979
Freak Encounters (2010) - affiliate link 
Captain Midnight TV hack
Vrillon 1977 "Alien" TV intrusion
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S03E16 - The Toronto Tunnel Monster

We talk with the multi-talented Miles Greb about AI Art in the first part of what will likely be several episodes this year touching on "artificial intelligence."  Miles' work can be found on his website and his podcast (Plastic Plesiosaur) can be found on your favorite podcasting platform.*

Show Notes

Orwell on Politics and the English Language
Understanding Machine Learning with Carrie Anne Philbin
Recent story about artists not-consenting to be training material for AI
Specific AI Art Tools:
Dall-E
Stable Diffusion
Midjourney

*the title card for this episode was produced with DALL-E. It took a lot of prompting to get close to what I was looking for.
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S03E15 - The Dall-E Lament

A 2023 end-of-year weird story roundup and some lighthearted chatting with Blake, Karen and Matt.  Links to coverage follow:

UAP Hearings
Colorado Bigfoot
Nigerian Humanoid
Champ Sonar
Rat Boy Gaffe
Tasmanian Tiger Videos

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S03E14 - 2023 Weird in Review

Once again we have Ghost Stories for Christmas in the tradition of the BBC's MR James inspired intermittent television series.
John Charrington's Wedding is a creepy tale by E. Nesbit.
Edith Nesbit may be more well known to you for her series The Railway Children. 

Patrons get a bonus ghost story The Secret of Macarger's Gulch by Ambrose Bierce. I picked this because of Bierce's brilliant mix of genuine horrors with comedy of manners and wordplay. 
Happy Holidays from Blake and Karen!
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S03E13 - A Ghost Story For Christmas

Dr. Joe Nickell recalls his experiences working on the Season 4 episode of In Search Of… dealing with The Shroud of Turin.

note: if you also subscribe to IN RESEARCH OF, the interview audio in this episode is identical to the IRO cut, but the wrapping intro/outro are customized to the respective feeds. -B
In Research Of… (Patreon)
In Research Of (free feed)
In Search Of… The Shroud of Turin (YouTube)
Joe Nickell covered by The Daily Mail
That's Incredible! segment on THE AMITYVILLE HORROR. (YouTube)
Joe Nickell's website
Joe's Amazon Author's Page (affiliate link)
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S03E12 - Remembering IN SEARCH OF with Joe Nickell

Join us for a continuing discussion of Joe Laycock and Eric Harrelson's new book, The Exorcist Effect.  In this part we will discuss the legacy of Ed and Lorraine Warren, and father Malachi Martin and how their imaginative contributions to the field of Demonology riffed on movies and ended up changing how people perceive, practice, and perform modern Exorcisms. Remember that Eric and Joe will be signing their book in December of 2023 in the Austin area.
Dec 15th - Signing at Glass Coffin Boutique
3009 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78722
Dec 17th - Curio Arcanum
 5924 S Congress Ave Unit 23, Austin, TX 78745
And I should also say that while in Austin you should check out the Minnesota IceMan over at the MUSEUM OF THE WEIRD over on 6th street. Tell 'em MonsterTalk sent you.  We don't have any promotional relationship - but it would be pretty cool of a bunch of folks dropped in and said that.  Maybe you'd weird them out at the museum of the weird.  Worth a shot.
If you somehow haven't seen THE EXORCIST you can watch it here. (Affiliate Link)
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S03E11 - The Exorcist Effect part 2

We're joined by Joseph Laycock and Eric Harrelson to discuss their new book THE EXORCIST EFFECT.  This book is a great deep-dive into how fiction and fact intermingle in culture to generate new ways of interacting with the supernatural and paranormal. It's a feedback loop.  It's a mobius strip.  It's ouroboros.  And it's really informative to be aware of this process.
The Exorcist Effect book  (Affiliate Link)
Remember that Eric and Joe will be signing their book in December of 2023 in the Austin area.  
Dec 15th - Signing at Glass Coffin Boutique
3009 N Interstate Hwy 35, Austin, TX 78722
Dec 17th - Curio Arcanum
 5924 S Congress Ave Unit 23, Austin, TX 78745
And I should also say that while in Austin you should check out the Minnesota IceMan over at the MUSEUM OF THE WEIRD over on 6th street. Tell 'em MonsterTalk sent you.  We don't have any promotional relationship - but it would be pretty cool of a bunch of folks dropped in and said that.  Maybe you'd weird them out at the museum of the weird.  Worth a shot.
If you somehow haven't seen THE EXORCIST you can watch it here. (Affiliate Link)
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S03E10 - The Exorcist Effect part 1

There's a park in Denver that is home to some macabre legends - and some of those legends are based in fact! Matt Baxter joins us to talk of the strange and macabre history of Cheesman Park.
[Warning this episode does contain numerous references to the disposition, disarticulation, and desecration of the dead.]
Victorian thoughts on burial
The Changeling (discussed via MTLive)
Poltergeist (DOATS)
The history of Cheesman Park
Denver area park vandalism in news
What is Bentonite?
Stories about "haunted Cheesman park" (note how many are dated to October)
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S03E09 - Cheesman Park

Blake and Karen discuss their trip to JSU, and begin a conversation about the enigmatic Wampus Cat.
Show Notes:
Wampus Cat in Potterverse
Wampus Cat (wiki)
Underwater Panthers (wiki)
Example of early 20th century newspaper report (there are many)
More on the Wampus (and a list of schools who use it for mascot/team name)
Pop Culture:

Hunt the WUMPUS ← note spelling
M.U.L.E. video game featuring "hunt the mountain wampus" mini-game
Some bio on Dani Bunten (whose games were tremendously influential to Blake)
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S03E08 - Hunt the Wampus

We continue our discussion of feral hogs as monsters with Dr. John Mayer.  He was a forensic investigator on three alleged giant hog cases. Join us as we root around for the facts perhaps left unexcavated by the media at the time.
(Sausage?) Links for Part 2
Brucellosis
Pseudo-Rabies
Rhonda Shearer's site on media & giant pig stories.
MonsterQuest tackles giant pigs (full episode)
MonsterPig
A list of notable pigs - Wikipedia
In the media:
Razorback (1984) - Amz affiliate link
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S03E07 - Hogzilla part 2

Learn about the biology of feral hogs and how their morphology changes when farm pigs go hog wild. Our guest is Dr. John J. Mayer who has spent more than five decades studying pig morphology, and who investigated several famous allegedly monstrous feral pig kills in the mid 2000s.

In part one of this interview, we will look into pig biology and discuss the facts and myths around these animals. Next week we will look into the specific news stories around the "giant feral hog" craze of the first decade of the 21st century.
Dr. Mayer's webpage 
USDA Guide to Feral Hogs 
Pigs have been domesticated since 8,000 BCE 
Religions that eschew the chewing of pigs 
The Feral Pig time-bomb 
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S03E06 - Hogzilla part 1

[Content Warning]
Hey we're back again with Dr. Brian Sharpless to talk about more of his new book - which is now available everywhere books are sold: MONSTERS ON THE COUCH - the real psychological disorders behind your favorite movies!

This one gets a content warning because many of the things that people with these psychological disorders have gotten up to has been quite disturbing and might not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Show Notes:

Brian's Book MONSTERS ON THE COUCH (Amz affiliate link)
Brian's Website 
Movies mentioned (affiliate links):
The Thing (John Carpenter) 
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
It Follows
Additional:
The Irish Changeling Murder
Capgras Syndrome (NIH)
Fregoli Syndrome (Wikipedia)
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S03E05 - The Imitation Gang

Buckle up as Blake and Karen are joined by Matt Baxter to discuss haunted automobiles and creepy highway adjacent stuff like cursed vehicles.  Spooky stories abound and check the show notes for lots of links.

WARNING: This episode does contain brief discussion of suicide and murder.  As we always like to mention, if you're having troubling thoughts related to self harm please seek help.  You don't have to struggle alone - in the USA you can call 988 any time and get real help immediately from people who care.
The Wraith
Christine
Maximum Overdrive
The Manitou 
Link back to Telly Savalas episode
The Hitchhiker (TZ)
James Dean's Little Bastard | Jason Colavito on this topic
The Golden Eagle (allegedly very cursed murder car)
A famous British "ghost car" crash
The ghost in the back seat (Blake's research)
The Hairy Hands
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