thepocketgod interviews Crop Circle Expert, Esoteric Thinker and Musician Dr Simeon Hein

Dr Simeon Hein – thank you for taking part in this interview.

Could you please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hey y’all, it’s Dr. Hein: musician, mystic, thinker, and teacher.
(Ph.D. stands for post-hole digger, BTW, but I used to teach
undergrad statistics.) I’m the author of several guitar CDs
and the books Opening Minds and Planetary Intelligence
and I run the Mount Baldy Institute for Resonant Viewing
based in Boulder, Colorado.

Crop Circles – of particular interest to myself are the occurrence of strange crop circles which appear as if from knowhere in the fields of rural England and other places around the world. I know a couple of guys came out a few years ago saying that they were all a hoax but I’m not so sure they seem to be too complex to be just a couple of guys and a few sticks. What’s your take on crop circles?

Alot of them in the past were non-human made, by flying saucers and things
like that, but now people make them too, especially the big ones. I’ve spoken
with witnesses who’ve seen them formed in a few seconds by UFOs, for whatever
reason. I’ve also gotten to know the modern human circlemakers, most of
whom relish the experience with the unknown and fun of being out there
at night doing something mysterious and different (and somewhat illegal). 
And “yes,” they can make big ones.

What’s you personal experience of them? Has anything strange happened to you whilst in one? Are you planning any more crop circle tours this year in the UK?

In my times in the crop circles, I’ve seen a lot of camera and battery failure
in and around the wheat fields. It’s really odd because one moment your device
is working, and the next minute it’s not. It’s very strange and not yet explainable
by science. There’s an energy field there that our electronics don’t work well in.
The manmade circles have this effect as well. Pretty weird if you ask me,

It’s even happened to professional film crews. I was filming with the National Geographic channel in 2009 in the so-called “Aztec formation”near Silbury Hill in Wiltshire when they told me, after the entering same formation a couple of weeks before, how their pro-camera lost its battery and then wouldn’t start even after a fresh
one was put it. They had to call headquarters in London for help to get it working
again. Ive heard that the same thing has happened to BBC film crews.

And I’ve seen it first-hand myself almost every summer in at least one of the circles. 
Sometimes a fresh circle can affect devices and batteries for a few days as happened
with the Fyfield Down or “Devil’s Den” formation in 1999.

We do tours to the crop circles every summer so people can enjoy this part
of world and experience a little crop circle magic for themselves.

What do you think causes them? Is there a link to UFOs?

UFOs have been associated with crop circles for a long time in the U.S.,
Australia, and the U.K. but as I mentioned above, people now make them
too. Doug and Dave, the “two guys for the pub” who made them in the 1980’s
in Hampshire and other locations were inspired by the “Tully Saucer Nests” 
from the ‘60s and ‘70s in Australia, so they say.

Nowadays, it seems that most of the formations are manmade.

I also see on your excellent website newcrystalmind.com that you’re also interested in UFOs and of the possible use by the US military of reverse engineered alien technology. What sort of links are you making? 

I’ve spoken with and heard many witnesses from the military that our governments
and some corporations have access to back-engineered UFO technology. Apparently
is has helped our technological acceleration since World War II especially in aeronautics.

UFOs – tell us about your own UFO experience in Nevada in 2005?

I was with another crop circle research, Denni Clark, at a UFO conference
in Laughlin, Nevada, no less, when we were driving back from a skywatch
at 1 AM in the morning. All of sudden, as we approaching the town, we saw
a flying black triangle cruising over the river behind the main street. It was
silent. low, and slow and almost invisible against the dark sky. Probably a secret
military vehicle but we don’t know for sure. We saw it for about 30 seconds
before it went out of view.

Why do you think that the governments of the world are keeping hush about the possible interaction of our planet with extra-terrestrials?

Probably because they don’t know how to talk about it. Too many unknowns.
But a number of them like Brazil and France have started being more open
about the subject.

Do you see contact with extra terrestrials as a positive thing for this planet?

In the long run, it’s going to happen, so we’ll have to make the best
of it. It could be positive or negative depending how we react. But
at this point, I believe it’s only a matter of time.

What other areas of paranormal research are you interested in?

People’s ability to know more than is possible with their
physical senses. This is known as “remote viewing” or “resonant sensing”
and I think believe people do it all the time, even without knowing
it. It can also be taught.

Do you believe in life after death? If so what do you think exists for us after this life?

Yes, based on my experiences with deceased loved ones, and anecdotal stories, I’m 
convinced that we keep going, so to speak. We’re here for good, one way or another.

Music

Going off in a random tangent I notice from your website that you’re also a musician. What do you do and what music do you play? 

I’ve been playing finger-picking guitar since I was fourteen. I’m attracted
to the simplicity of acoustic guitar and the way it sounds and makes you feel.
It can completely change your mood, and your audience, in seconds.

What’s your opinion on the theory that apparently Stonehenge was some kind of musical/ritual cauldron where the acoustics of the stones triggered a trance like state in the people taking part?

Could have been. I’m not sure exactly what the purpose of it is, but it is a neat
place, with a mathematical vibe.

What’s our favourite album of all time?

That’s really tough.
It’s a three-way tie between Beatles’ “Sgt. Peppers”, “Led Zeppelin I”, and John Renbourn’s “Nine Maidens”.

What books are you reading at the moment?

John Medina’s Brain Rules, Scott Patterson’s The Quants, and Kevin Duffy’s Who Were the Celts? and Carmine Gallo’s The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs.

Darwin, Dawkins, Creationism or Ancient Aliens?

I’m pretty sure it’s Darwin and Ancient Aliens. We’re very
different in some ways from other creatures on the planet.
I think genetic manipulation may have had something to do
with it.


Thanks check out the newcrystalmind website!


http://newcrystalmind.com/

Mark C Lee interviews Nick Pope - one of the world’s leading experts and researchers on UFOs.

Mark C Lee interviews Nick Pope -  one of the world’s leading experts and researchers on UFOs.

Introduction

 I first came across the name Nick Pope when doing research for my next book – UFOs and Rock. He seemed to be the number one guy to speak to with regards to UK UFOs especially as he had worked for a number of years at the Ministry Of Defence where he was in charge of the so called British X Files, investigating hundreds of UFO sightings that date back to the 1950s. In fact Nick gave me hope that there may be more to the UFO movement than dodgy acid trips and trailer trash flashbacks. In essence he has given credibility and gravitas to a much maligned field, and well if Nick Pope, ex MOD and intelligent observer, thinks that there’s more to it than hoaxes, disinformation and the planet Venus then maybe “they” are actually out there….somewhere!

Questions;  

Good afternoon Nick and thank you for agreeing to this interview.

Can you give our readers a little background to who you are and what you do?

I worked for the MoD for 21 years and while I had several different jobs at various levels in the course of my career, I’m best-known for having run MoD’s UFO project – something I did from 1991 to 1994. I left MoD in 2006 and I now work as a broadcaster and journalist, specializing in stories on the unexplained, conspiracy theories, sci-fi and fringe science.

What’s the most convincing case for a UFO being a non man made physical aircraft of some sort?

Probably a wave of sightings we had over the UK for a period of around six hours on March 30 and 31, 1993. It’s difficult to be sure of the total number of witnesses, because while dozens of people made reports to MoD, some contacted the police, UFO groups and the media, while other witnesses stayed silent. Of the reports I received and investigated at MoD, one of the most interesting came from a patrol of military police at RAF Cosford, who saw the UFO fly directly over the Air Force Base. But the most compelling came from the meteorological officer at a second military base, RAF Shawbury. He saw a large delta-shaped UFO moving slowly towards the base, about 200 feet above the ground, at a speed of no more than 30 or 40 mph.  He saw the UFO fire a narrow beam of light (like a laser) at the ground and saw the light sweeping backwards and forwards across the field beyond the perimeter fence, as if it were looking for something.  He heard an unpleasant low frequency humming sound coming from the craft and said he could feel as well as hear this.  He estimated the size of the craft to be midway between a C-130 transport aircraft and a Boeing 747.  Then he told me that the light beam had retracted in an unnatural way and that the craft had suddenly accelerated away to the horizon many times faster than a military aircraft.  Here was an experienced Air Force officer with eight years of service, who regularly saw military aircraft and helicopters, yet said this was unlike anything he’d seen in his life. We launched a full investigation, of course, but the sightings remain unexplained to this day.

The Rendlesham Forest incident – This case seems to be still unsolved. What is your take on what exactly happened here? Did a landing take place as Jim Penniston suggested, or was it all just the Orford Ness lighthouse disorientating US soldiers in the forest? (To be honest I just don’t think the lighthouse theory works to well especially as Colonel Halt has stated that the craft shone beams of light down).

It was certainly reported to MoD as a landing and the investigation was handled on this basis – e.g. my predecessors made a scientific assessment of the radiation levels recorded at the site where the UFO had been seen on the ground. As with the 1993 sightings I mentioned, the Rendlesham Forest incident remains unexplained to this day. It certainly wasn’t the lighthouse. Even the local forester who first suggested this doesn’t think the lighthouse could fool people for so long, over two separate nights. In any case, you can’t see the lighthouse from most of the locations where the UFO was seen and in the couple of places where you can, the angles are all wrong. None of the other skeptical theories (practical jokes, a psyop to test the reaction of the guards, drug-induced hallucinations, etc.) pan out either, so we’re left with a genuine mystery.

US Press Club meeting? How significant was this and what was the outcome?

Are the US or other governments covering up the truth? I know you’ve gone on record stating that you believe that it’s more of a question of governments being embarrassed about admitting that there’s things in our airspace that we don’t know what they are, but do you think there is a covert agenda?

I can only speak for the position in the UK and so far as that’s concerned, I’ve seen no evidence of a covert agenda, aside from the policy (publicly exposed many years ago in some documents acquired after a Freedom of Information Act request) of downplaying MoD’s interest in UFOs and downplaying the true extent of the research and investigation that the Department used to do on the subject. There have been several UFO-related events at The National Press Club: Steven Greer’s Disclosure Project press conference was the first. Steve Bassett has hosted two or three; Leslie Kean and James Fox organized one; Robert Hastings put one on. All were important events and generated mainstream media coverage to varying extents.

If the extra-terrestrial theory is correct why are we being visited and for what purpose?

Well, I don’t know that the extra-terrestrial theory is correct. While I can’t rule it out and while there’s some intriguing evidence, there’s nothing that I’d characterize as definitive ‘you can take that to the bank’ proof. If we are dealing with extraterrestrials, I think most – if not all – assessments of the ‘alien agenda’ are hopelessly anthropocentric: we’re simply copying and pasting human thinking, so we end up with clichéd human ideas about what might happen after first contact with extraterrestrials. We have alien invasion at one extreme and an invitation to join some sort of ‘Galactic Federation’ at the other. About the only prediction I’ll make is that it won’t turn out how we think it will.

What do you think of the theory that maybe the UFOs and occupants that have been seen are really just us from the future and that we have time travelled back in time for some purpose?

It’s a fascinating theory and it deals nicely with one of the classic ufological pieces of anthropocentrism, namely the question of why most UFO occupants look essentially humanoid. The argument, I suppose, would be that the grays (and maybe the Nordics) are what human beings evolve into. That said, I’m pretty cautious about ideas like this and I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think there’s any meaningful evidence to support them. It’s an intriguing theory, but nothing more. And ideas of technologically advanced humans coming back in time to save their dying race by harvesting genetic material from us (and maybe trying to salvage their lost humanity) are sci-fi clichés.

I see that you’re getting into the important new field of Exo- Politics could you just explain to our reader what this is and why it may be of importance in the future.

I’m not sure I’m “getting into” exopolitics. I’ve spoken at various exopolitical conferences, but I disagree with many of their beliefs (they present as certainties things which simply aren’t proven) and I’ve managed to upset some of the UK exopolitics folk by writing a newspaper article where I referred to exopolitics as being the “militant wing” of ufology! If anything, I meant this as a compliment, in terms of them being more bullish and crusading than most ufologists, but some people took my comment the wrong way. If they could lose their tendency to state speculation as if it were fact (along with their habit of trying to tie in ufology with 9/11 conspiracy theories and other ideas about the New World Order) I think they’d have an interesting and relevant approach: i.e. let’s forget debating what UFOs are, and whether we’re being visited, on the basis that you’re really not going to change anyone’s mind. Rather, let’s assume we are being visited and ask what our response should be. Now that’s interesting.

What do you think about the possibility that the UFOs people are seeing are man made from reverse engineered technology taken from recovered extra terrestrial craft?

Again, I can’t rule it out, but despite some unsubstantiated stories from alleged whistleblowers, there’s no real evidence to back up the theory. And I’m going to go out on a limb here: I think there’s something a little depressing about these sorts of theories. They’re disparaging to human ingenuity and spirit. Why can’t we accept that we might be clever enough to have designed the stealth fighter ourselves? Why do we think we were too stupid to have built the pyramids and that aliens must have done it for us, or helped us? 

What is the most out there UFO theory that you have come across?

Hmm, where to begin? There are plenty of ‘out there’ cases (and ufologists!), but theories … I think the whole Nazi flying saucer genre would be my pick; the idea that Hitler secretly developed disc-shaped craft and fled with this and other technology to a base in Antarctica, or wherever. All this, of course, is going to get another boost when the movie Iron Sky comes out.

Nick, what music do you listen to?

David Bowie, Elton John, Siouxie and the Banshees, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Eminem, Nicki Minaj – and a whole lot of other bands and singers.

What are your favourite books?

Classics, with an emphasis on classic sci-fi: Nineteen Eighty-Four, Steppenwolf, The War of the Worlds, Brave New World, The Day of the Triffids, The Time Machine. Also, Tom Clancy’s thrillers, Stephen King’s horror books and Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles.

What sports are you into?

At international level, anything England are playing in: football, rugby, cricket, etc. But first and foremost is football (or soccer, as I have to call it in America), whether it’s an international match or a club game. I support Arsenal, but I like to watch any good game, irrespective of who’s playing. Sadly, I haven’t played sport myself for years. Here’s an interesting piece of personal sporting trivia: I went to the same school as Jonny Wilkinson, so we’d have played rugby on the same pitch, albeit not at the same time, in view of the age difference.

What about your favourite film?

If I can pick only one, I’ll go for Contact.

Guinness, Lager, Bitter or Absinthe?

Lager.

Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

The Rolling Stones.

What are your plans for 2012?

I recently relocated to California and I’m going to be doing a lot more TV work, which will probably see me in a wide range of roles, varying from co-creator of some drama, through to presenting and contributing to various documentaries. I’ll also be carrying on with freelance journalism for various newspapers and magazines, along with promotional work for film companies in relation to the release of new sci-fi movies. It’s already shaping up to be a very busy year.

Will the world still be here come 31st December?

Yes. Despite the tension over Iran’s nuclear program, predictions about a false flag alien invasion at the Olympics and theories about the Mayan calendar, we’ll still be here at the end of the year.

What do think about the Ancient Alien hypothesis that this planet has been visited for 1000s of years and may have even been genetically engineered/modified by extra terrestrials?

My wife is a physical anthropologist and from what I understand, there’s nothing in human development that can’t be explained by the processes of evolution. We don’t need Ancient Aliens (though I’m fond of the eponymous TV series) to explain any of this. Charles Darwin did it well enough all those years ago and his model still holds true.

Where can people find out more about you?

My www.nickpope.net website has extensive material about my government work and my more recent media work.

When are you next speaking in the US?

I’m drastically reducing my conference appearances, due to the pressure of other business. About the only two invitations I’ve accepted for 2012 are the Dreamland Festival in Nashville (May 18-20) and the 2012 MUFON International Symposium in Cincinnati (August 3-5). I may do one or two others, but that’s it for now.

Thanks again for your time.

Mark Christopher Lee

Mark C Lee interviews world famous UFO author Nick Redfern

Mark C Lee interviews UFO researcher and best selling author Nick Redfern

Hi Nick thanks for agreeing to the interview. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Nick: Well, I’m originally from England, but I live on the fringes of Dallas, Texas. I work as an author – I’ve written about twenty-five books - lecturer, and journalist, and mainly focus on paranormal mysteries: UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Roswell; things like that. But, I also do a lot of other stuff: I do quite a bit of writing for Penthouse, some ghost-writing for other authors, and website work for various companies in fields ranging from law to sex and horror films to exotic pets. Sometimes the exotic pets and the sex might be part of the same story LOL. I also wrote a book called Celebrity Secrets, which was about how the FBI spent years watching celebrities like John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Abbott and Costello and loads more.

You have a book out called “Contactees”, could you tell us a bit about it?

Nick: Contactees is a controversial book that looks at claims of people who say they have met aliens, and specifically aliens who look just like us. The story is a wild one, and has as much to do with possible real encounters with ETs as it does drug-induced states, wishful-thinking, certifiable madness, conmen, jokers, and even top secret government manipulation. Everything about the world of the paranormal is weird, but some things are much weirder than others, and these –like the Contactees - are the ones I like to write about. I don’t want to bother at all with the bland side of the paranormal. Nor all that “love and light” supernatural crap – which I totally loathe. I hate, hate, hate it.

Is there really evidence out there to substantiate alien abductions or is it just people with sleep paralysis spinning a good yarn?

Nick: Well, I think people do have these experiences, and most people – I believe – are honest in their claims. The big question is whether they are experiencing something external to them, or something internal to their subconscious etc. It may be – at the end of the day – a combination of both. But, I do believe, fully, that there is an absolutely genuine UFO phenomenon among us that does interact with us – abductions, contacts etc – but I don’t think we have come even close to fully understanding its true nature or intent.

Are there people today still being abducted? – What do you think the purpose is?

How does the abduction scenario fit in with Cattle mutilations, are they connected?

Nick: People do still report abductions, yes. But, the subject isn’t such a big thing in popular-culture as it was, say, ten or fifteen years ago. I think the purpose is that there is some phenomenon – definitively alien, in some sense – that interacts with us for the purpose of achieving some change of mindset in the individual. Cattle mutes? Nothing to do with aliens, in my view. This, I believe, is all about the government stealthily checking the food-chain for emerging, very dangerous viruses, like next-generation equivalents of “Mad-Cow Disease” etc. The UFO subject acts as a good cover-story for anyone who might stumble on such mutilated and dissected animals. There’s a real mystery to the mutes, but I think it’s a dark and disturbing one of government, not of ETs.

Monster Hunting – I guess there must be still species out there that are yet to be discovered but what about those species such as the Chupacabra, which may have a paranormal as well as physical element to them, what experience, have you had of them?

Nick: I’ve been to Puerto Rico on a number of expeditions looking for the Chupacabra, which is where most of the reports surface from. I’ve spoken to a lot of people who claim to have seen the creature – described as a kind of monkey-like animal with vicious-looking spikes down its head and neck – like a punk-rock Mohawk. But, like so many of these things, I haven’t yet captured one, stumbled on one, etc. Maybe one day!

Which leads me on to one of my all time favourite books of any genre the magnificent tome that is “Three Men Seeking Monsters”. Did you have a good time researching that one? How many pubs did you frequent on your fortean road trip? I particularly liked the way you started each chapter with a quote by my fave band The Ramones. I guess you’re a fan then?

Nick: I always have a good time doing research when I’m on the road. How many pubs do I hit or have I hit? I have no idea – as many as are needed to fuel me! If they sell ice-cold Tennents Super or Carlsberg Special Brew, well, then that’s even better. Growing up in England, going down the pub is what everyone does to socialize on weekends. Much better than going out to eat. Just fill yourself with lager, piss it away, and start all over again. The Ramones are my all-time favourite band. I first heard them when I was about twelve, and was hooked. I liked the image – the hair, the leather jackets, the guitars held below the waist, the speed of the songs, everything. Plus, if you liked them at the beginning, then you liked them at the end because they never changed. I hate bands that change their style or change their music. Some people call it progressing, but I don’t. I’m very glad they stayed the same from start to finish. Plus, I like the image of a band being four people – like a gang. That was one of the reasons why me and my mates liked the Ramones – we were like a gang that hung out on the streets and did stupid things, listened to music etc as teenagers. They might have been from New York, but you could still identify with them and the song subjects. I think their three best albums are Too Tough to Die, Subterranean Jungle, and Pleasant Dreams, although a lot of people knock Dreams for being too poppy, but I like it, and the Ramones had a definitive love and flair for classic pop – but they distorted it in a brilliant way with speed and punk guitar. Of the three, Too Tough is the winner. That album is masterful and bleak. I used to go and see them whenever they would come to the city of Birmingham, England and the gigs were crazy and great.

What’s your favourite Ramones track?

Nick: That’s easy: Psycho Therapy. I love that song! It sounds just like its subject-matter: crazy, deranged and out of control. Plus, the video is excellent and I like the siren at the beginning. But, there are plenty of other good ones too: Pet Sematary, Tomorrow She Goes Away, Pinhead (particularly in the 80s and 90s when they played it really fast), Sitting in my Room, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Warthog, Endless Vacation, Go Home Ann, and I think their version of Tom Waits’ I Don’t Want To Grow Up is excellent. I like their cover of Motorhead’s R.A.M.O.N.E.S too. I don’t have a least favourite song that springs to mind, but I do have a least liked album: 1989’s Brain Drain. For me, that was the sound of a band that had lost its direction, going through the motions, and ready to implode. But, fortunately, they didn’t, and from when C.J. joined in late ’89 after Dee Dee quit, I thought they really rediscovered their excitement, and their last seven years were very good. They definitely stopped at the right time, although it’s good to see that Marky is still flying the flag and playing. His post-Ramones stuff is very good.  I have met more than a few people who can’t take that constant high-speed, high-volume barrage, but I love it.

What other bands do you like? What are you listening to at the moment?

Nick: I mainly listen to punk – new and old - but I also like a lot of other stuff: Motorhead, Oasis, late 70s new-wave, the Stone Roses, the Macc Lads, and all those ‘60s girl bands like the Crystals, the Ronettes, and the Shangri-Las. Plus, a couple of my all-time favorites are one-hit wonders, like the Photos. They were a great UK new-wave band of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s whose first album is a masterpiece. I probably play that at least once a week. I wish they had gotten huge, but they didn’t. Right now, I’m listening to Bad Sports’ Kings of the Weekend, and last night had a good blast of Life After Sundown by Ghoultown, whose singer, Lyle Blackburn, is a mate of mine.

Have you ever played in a band? Maybe you could make a guest appearance one day with my band – the pocket gods!

Nick: Not really. Just fucked around. But I do play electric guitar, so yeah I don’t mind getting up and playing with your band. But it would have to be fast, loud, no solos, and an absolute maximum of three chords – or preferably just two bar-chords, which is all you really need, anyway, to play good music. And no-one can hold their guitars above their waist. And no shirts and collars, only t-shirts. And no shoes, only Converse All-Stars. And no chatting between songs. But everything else – maybe – is good.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you?

Nick: God, loads of stuff, most of it pretty surreal. Getting grilled by unsmiling airport security staff about some Bigfoot plaster-casts of footprints I had in my suitcase once, and which for some stupid and unfathomable reason they were worried about. Smoking something weird – the exact content of which was never really made clear to me - on a Native American reservation while trying to conjure up a shape-shifting Skinwalker. Driving around Puerto Rico’s El Yunque rain-forest in a jeep, chasing vampires, while Sham 69 boomed out the car’s speakers. Getting mistaken for a Man in Black. Taking part in a séance at Roswell, New Mexico to try and contact the dead crew from the Roswell “UFO” crash. I also hung out for a few days in the desert a few years ago with VH1’s Real and Chance, which was a good laugh.

Do you believe in an afterlife of some form?

Nick: Well, that’s a difficult one. I don’t deny the possibility that there could be an afterlife – although I certainly don’t dwell on it, or even think about it, unless it’s brought up. But, what pisses me off is the arrogance of organized religion, where one religion will say there definitely is a Heaven and a Hell. Another will say that reincarnation is the answer. Another says something else. They, clearly, can’t all be correct. But it’s this issue of each of them being sure they are absolutely right and everyone else is absolutely wrong that angers me. Mainstream, regulated religion has become a tool of controlling people via fear and guilt. It’s actually become less about exploring the potential mysteries of life after death. Could there be life after death? Yes, I think there could. But, that whole, specific issue has been hijacked by power-nuts who want to use it as a tool of fear and control. I have no time for people like this – they are pure, absolute evil. And they are total loons too. Like most people, I have had occasional experiences – after someone close has died – that are weird and make me wonder if some essence briefly came back from...well, somewhere. But, maybe it’s just our subconscious trying to help us come to terms with death. Or, even a bit of both maybe. I just don’t know. I wish I did. We all think about these things from time to time, but it’s without doubt life’s biggest mystery of all.

Stella, Bud, Absinthe or Single Malt?

Nick: Carlsberg Special Brew, Tennents Super, Margaritas, hot tea, chocolate milkshakes, and vodka. Don’t try them altogether, though.

What’s your favourite ever film and why?

Nick: Without doubt the 1957 film, Night of the Demon, starring Dana Andrews and Peggy Cummins. Although Niall MacGinnis totally steals the show with his portrayal of the bad guy, Julian Carswell. This is an excellent, very atmospheric, black and white film about demonology in England. It’s a classic old-time, spooky horror, which are the types of film I like. I watch horror stuff more than anything else. I love zombie films, providing they are done good. There’s a lot of crap zombie stuff out there too, though, unfortunately. Some of my other favourite films are The Ninth Gate, with Johnny Depp; Pan’s Labyrinth; Dead of Night; and Plague of the Zombies.

Could you tell us a bit about your recent book “Science Fiction Secrets”?  What struck a chord (D minor a sad one) was the bit on that Lone Gunmen episode which had a plot involving a government-backed terrorist flying a plane into the twin towers in New York. I’ve recently watched it again and it is uncanny. Do you think it be can be put down to pure coincidence – a random event – or something else?

Nick: Yeah, that was very weird. The Lone Gunmen was a short-lived spin-off series from The X-Files. And the very first episode was about an aircraft flying into the World Trade Center, but where the event was actually being carried out by a computer-hacker who takes control of the aircraft on behalf of shadowy forces who were going to blame the attack on Middle Eastern forces and use the Trade Center attack as a reason for attacking the Middle East. What’s interesting is that this episode was filmed and aired before 9/11. I kind of think it’s one of those odd coincidences. But, maybe it’s more. Unfortunately, nothing is ever clear-cut in this field!

Do you think that there has been a conspiracy to cover up the knowledge of extra terrestrial life or has it all been disinformation put out to divert attention from secret military projects?

Nick: I think it’s both. I think there are some UFO incidents which are clearly evidence of “something else” interacting with us. But, equally, there are some cases where I think we can suggest these things are secret military aircraft of an advanced nature. Look at all the weird drones flying around now, or landing in Iran even. They look very weird. In a few years, it’s going to be difficult to know which are our UFOs and which are...theirs.

What’s the most far out UFO theory that you’ve heard? Have you seen a UFO? I know that in your book “A Covert Agenda” you state that your father had seen one. How did that inspire you?

Nick: As for the most far-out theory, that’s easy. I wrote a book in 2010 called Final Events, which was a study of a think-tank group in government that believed rather than being extraterrestrial, the UFO phenomenon has demonic origins. And they meant that literally: The Devil, Hell, Armageddon, the whole thing. It was a fascinating thing to research, and demonstrates how the subject can nurture belief systems of a very controversial kind. Nope, I’ve never seen a UFO! My dad worked on radar for the British Royal Air Force when he was called up for National Service in 1950, and was involved in a couple of UFO incidents, where very fast-moving, high-flying objects were tracked on the radar. He told me this when I was a kid. It definitely got me interested in the subject, and did inspire me to look deeper. Not just because it was my dad, but because he was trained in the military on radar. He knew his stuff, in other words. He still talks about it to this day, if asked. But, he doesn’t dwell on it, and neither do I. Just one of those weird things.

Remote viewing. This one has always Fox Muldered me. Do you know anything about it and if so what is it and how does it work?

Nick: Yeah, it’s basically the idea of using the mind or the “soul” to, in essence, astrally leave the body and travel to another location where you can “see” what’s going on. The CIA researched this for years. It’s known as Remote-Viewing, but a more accurate term would be “Psychic Spying.” The CIA tried to train its agents for years to do this. And, intriguingly, it did seem to work at times. The big problem, though, was that it was unpredictable. I do believe it’s a real phenomenon, but harnessing and controlling right when you want it, that is the big problem.

Dawkins, Darwin or Ancient Aliens?

Nick: It’s hard to know, and sometimes, after a hard day of writing, it’s hard to care, too!

Have you seen the film Spinal Tap? If so have you ever had any tap moments?

Nick: Yes, of course I have seen it! Nope, not had any specific Tap moments that I can think of. Although, I did get lost behind a stage at a UFO gig once, I have been to Stonehenge many times, and all my amps do, of course, go up to 11!

What are your plans for the rest of this year?

Nick: I have a few new books out: The World’s Weirdest Places; The Pyramids and the Pentagon; Monster Diary; and Wild Man. I wouldn’t mind actually doing some more ghost-writing too. Maybe ghost-write the autobiography of some legendary punk star. I would love to do something like that. So, if there’s one reading this and is interested, get in touch! No wishy-washy musicians though. By wishy-washy, I mean everything that is not punk.

Will the world end come 31 December 2012 or will we all awake the following morning with heads like a fight?

Nick: Prophecies never, ever come true. Look at Nostradamus: It all comes down to how people interpret prophecies. Anyone can make a case that people have prophesized things correctly, but it’s always after the fact. And if the prophecy doesn’t come true, they just say the date was wrong, and push it forward ten years or whatever. No-one needs to worry about all that 2012 stuff. I’m totally certain that in 2013 the world will be just like it is now – screwed up, over-populated, fat and diabetic, medicated to the eyeballs, engaging in endless wars in the Middle East that no-one really understands, and addicted to watching vacuous birds on the telly with far too much time on their hands, but with an admittedly good amount of junk in their trunk. But it won’t be the end of the world. Unless, of course, there is some nut who wants to try and make the prophecy come true, which is probably the only danger to worry about: Some fool who thinks he’s doing right by making something happen. But that’s not some supernatural fulfilment of a prophecy. That’s just a nut on the loose who needs a good kicking and taking out of circulation.

Do you have a karaoke song or what would you sing if I forced you to with a big stick.

Nick: You wouldn’t have to force me. I don’t mind making a fool of myself! I would have to sing the Undertones’ classic Teenage Kicks. Aside from being one of the best songs ever written in the history of music, it would make a good one for Karaoke.

I see you’re now resident of the US in Dallas, Texas how’s that going? What do you miss about ol’ Blighty apart from the rain, the road works, the politicians, Simon Cowell (or did we send him your way) and milky tea?

Nick: Well, I don’t miss the tea, as I can get it right here: Good old British PG Tips! I like my tea hot, full of milk, and three heaped teaspoons of sugar. I can drink tea all day – and do! I like living in the Dallas area. I’ve been here about 12 years, and been coming over since ‘98. But, the heat does sometimes get to me, and yes, I do miss the rain! Cowell? Nah, I couldn’t care less. I don’t miss the pubs because I actually get back to England quite often, so I always meet up with my old mates and we go down the boozer. It’s instantly just like old times, no need for fancy introductions, or group hugs or any such nonsense. Just say “Alright, lads!” hit the town and have a good laugh. Of course, if I didn’t get back often I would miss it. But, getting back a lot means I don’t develop that missing things attitude. I do miss English chocolate though, and also Fish and Chips which is the greatest food on the planet.

To find out more about Nick check out his excellent website and buy his brilliant books!

 http://www.nickredfern.com/

Heading Home, Losing My Religion And The Mad Mongolian Seaside Experience

HEADING HOME, LOSING MY RELIGION AND THE MAD MONGOLIAN SEASIDE EXPERIENCE

“Now we hang ourselves on Darwin’s rope”

“Survival Of The Shittest” by The Pocket Gods

It was gig time and off to old Londinium we went. Nige, Bert and Kathy Ann went in the van full of our equipment and I got a lift off mad Bart who fancied a rock n roll trip to England. I just wished he had learnt to drive before we set off. My God that was one scary journey.

We went via Brussels where we stayed overnight at his girlfriend’s flat. We were stupid and lazy and couldn’t be bothered to unload his car with all my stuff in the boot and anyway as this was one of the poshest parts of Brussels we’d thought it would be safe. Bart woke me up in the early hours of the morning looking really worried and saying he had some really bad news. He took me to the window and said his car had been broken into. He had heard it and ran outside but it was too late a gang of youths had taken almost everything in the car. I couldn’t believe it I was gutted and just laughed in a final act of desperation – that was all my worldly goods all my frickin clothes, books, CDs, personal stuff all gone. I didn’t have much in terms of worldly possessions as my parents had seen to that by chucking out any old stuff from my childhood including school photos – they were nice like that. I remember coming home from university in the holidays and found that they had let my room to students and had chucked all my stuff out.

What was the point in going on? If there was a God why was he such a cunt to me? If I was supposed to be special why keep me down in the gutter. I was suicidal for a bit but then clung to the slight hope that the gig in London might just be the big one that gets us on the track to the bigtime. Pipe dreams that’s all they were as I realise now. I was just like those sad drunks in that Eugene O’Brien play – “The Iceman Cometh”. I was a sad skinny drunk clinging on to the desperate hope of salvation – like all those minions who do the National Lottery every week.

We picked ourselves up and headed to Oostende where the ferry was sailing from and we had time to see his friend Inga whom we met in the woods. He told me she fancied me so I thought that’s scary but nice. Anyway we ended up going to a Social Club where Inga was trying to raise the dead spirits of the Mongolian Shamen in a seaside town in Northern Belgium. We all stood round in a circle chanting some Mongolian bollox and disappointingly we didn’t raise any Shamen but I did let rip a few brown clouds in nervous anticipation of meeting dead Mongolian dudes. Seriously this sort of thing would only happen in Belgium.

There was no romance in the air and we headed back to blighty via a rusty old ferry. We got back to St Albans, my old stomping ground, and stayed with Bill. Kathy and crew had already arrived and were staying at Mac’s house in a bit more luxury than me and Bart at Bill’s flat. Kathy Ann thought that Mac must be gay when seeing how tidy and clean his house was, but I think like all the other blokes around he had the hots for her. Anyway, I knew he wasn’t gay as I’d seen his prized porn collection! We played a warm up gig that night at the Horn in St Albans which went really well and people commented on how tight we sounded so I guess those months of rehearsing like mad had paid off.

RED ALERT SNACKS ARE LOW RED ALERT SNACKS ARE LOW

OVER THE BORDERLINE, THE END AND REBUILD

“I want to live in the land of giants.”

“The Land Of The Giants” by The Pocket Gods

We arrived at the world famous Borderline venue the next morning to load up our gear and find a frickin’ parking space which is easier said than done in the West End of London. It was quite awe inspiring walking in there and reading all the posters of the famous dudes who had played there; Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, Sisters of Mercy and also Oasis who filmed their video here for Cigarettes & Alcohol.

The gig went really well and we played out of our skins and looked the part of hungry wannabe rock stars. The man from Telstar records was there at the back and I could see dodgy manager Kev chatting to him whilst we were playing our set. What were they talking about? It must be good or he wouldn’t say anything. He seems to be enjoying it I think. Wow maybe this is it. I was having a massive adrenalin rush the kind you only get when playing rock n roll and is better than any artificial drug I’ve ever taken and I guess it’s enhanced  a bit by my manic depression which gives me massive waves of energy sometimes…but the downside is the lows are lower than the low countries.

We came off stage and congratulated each other and then we all felt a mixture of excited anticipation and a bit sad as common sense was kicking in a bit and was telling us that this was probably the last time we would all play together unless we got signed up here and now.

Manager Kev came rushing backstage, well a little corridor were Oasis hung out in their vid snorting coke off a bunch of tarts, and shouted at us; “WE’VE DONE IT WE’VE FUCKING DONE IT. WE’RE SIGNED. HE WANTS US”. Wow we thought that’s cool and then we started asking for a bit more detail. Kevin just said the same thing over and over again;

“WE’VE DONE IT WE’VE FUCKING DONE IT. WE’RE SIGNED. HE WANTS US.”

 The only thing he did say was that he had to call him tomorrow to discuss the details. Tomorrow came and both me and Nige tried to call him at wok but he wasn’t returning our calls. We smelt a rat a big fat KEV RAT and we both felt utterly stupid in that we had asked him back to be our manager as we knew he was dodgy.

Anyway, I decided to wait no more and I called the guy from Telstar Records myself. He told me that although he liked the band he just wanted to sign up the drummer for a new all girl band he was putting together – I later found out they were called The Bush The Tree And Me. I felt gutted and betrayed and bad that I’d wasted 4 months of everyone’s time on this stupid idea of making it. We hadn’t made it, and it was my entire fault. We told Kathy Ann about what the Telstar man had said, but she declined their offer as she was happy in Belgium with her girl and her dog called Muff. Nigel and Bert went back to Antwerp to pursue their own new musical projects – The Low Countries and Zaam, respectively.

I was homeless, had no money, no clothes, no job, and no things at all as they’d all been stolen by teenage Belgium crack whores. I couldn’t go home to my parents as all that waited for me there was a horny old man of a father and a fucking bitch of a mom. I did think about killing myself – maybe a tube train as I was still in London – or under a bus – but I just couldn’t be arsed and had no motivation even to end it all.

In the end my good friend Al from Tower Records said I could stay with him and his parents in Willesden until I got myself sorted. These kind people saved my life and showed me humanity and what it was like to be part of a normal caring loving family. They fed me and lent me some money to get some clothes and I used the time to get my head together and work out what to do next. I would have jams with Al’s dad Benny who would get his harmonica out and start playing old Irish folk songs. We’d also share a few tins of Harp lager together. Therese, Al’s mum, fattened me up with her lovely Irish hospitality and home cooking.

Those roast dinners on a Sunday were the stuff of legend. I did get my shit together and got my old job back at Tower Records and Al’s folks lent me some money for a deposit on a place to rent which Wil, another friend from Tower had kindly let to me.  Since then they have been my surrogate parents and I’d try and pop down and see them on a Sunday from time to time to soak up their pure goodness that they radiated. Unlike all my family apart from Jade my niece, they came to my wedding and were very proud to see me married and happy that I’d got my life sorted.

It was a sad day when Benny died last year. I had to go to the funeral in Willesden though it was the snowiest day of the year… there were no buses and the trains were disrupted but I just had to be there and pay my last respects and also be there for Therese and Al.. I had to set off really early and paid for taxis but I just made it on time. Therese came up to me crying saying; “You’ve lost your Daddy. You’ve lost your Daddy.” I paid my last respects to the great man whom I dearly miss. I drank a few pints of the black stuff in his honour (even though he was more of a Harp man) at the wake in his nephew’s pub The Sir Robert Peel in Queens Park. I was just so glad that Claire and Shimmies and I had made it to Al and Gil’s wedding earlier in the year where we got chance to see him for the last time.

the land of the giants