July 17, 2016 — Shop Talk 2016 with Gene and Chris

[Han]

 

[Wade]

o.k. first of all you know i really do think the world of both of you guys, and i had to think about it a minute or two before i hit "submit" and as i've said many times i am here because of chris, and i know this show was born at the last minute from an inability to find guests for a roundtable and improv was an important element and you guys did an admirable job at that. ( end of caveats) BUT this show (the first half) was really painful to listen to, i felt as if i was in the studio when the Beatles were filming Let It Be. Not every show is going to be a gem but this one should have been left in the can...at least the first half

i mentioned a few weeks ago that maybe it would be a good idea...if it could be implemented...for you guys to have an occastional repeat "best of" episode and give both of you (especially Chris) a much needed break and maybe make it easier to scrounge up some guests. i know this is easier said than done and maybe because of gene's contract with GNC can't be done at all but this episode provides the perfect example of what i was talking about. Chris did rally in the latter part and indeed the second half was much more listenable but this is not an episode you would want to promote. The Aaron Kaplan episode was a keeper by comparison.

as a former SWLer i would love for you guys to have a segment on thee old numbers stations (from russia, angola and cuba i think) and have Frank Black from the pixies on.

 

[Wade]

And for a change in pace and mood @Gene Steinberg can you name that cold war movie in which a mysterious voice spoke to people through the TV and it was thought to be God ?

I saw this movie eons ago at late night when I was a kid and it really made an impression on me. I think of it from time to time but unfortunately not when I'm near a video store (yes a few still do exist.)

 

[Gene Steinberg]

o.k. first of all you know i really do think the world of both of you guys, and i had to think about it a minute or two before i hit "submit" and as i've said many times i am here because of chris, and i know this show was born at the last minute from an inability to find guests for a roundtable and improv was an important element and you guys did an admirable job at that. ( end of caveats) BUT this show (the first half) was really painful to listen to, i felt as if i was in the studio when the Beatles were filming Let It Be. Not every show is going to be a gem but this one should have been left in the can...at least the first half

i mentioned a few weeks ago that maybe it would be a good idea...if it could be implemented...for you guys to have an occastional repeat "best of" episode and give both of you (especially Chris) a much needed break and maybe make it easier to scrounge up some guests. i know this is easier said than done and maybe because of gene's contract with GNC can't be done at all but this episode provides the perfect example of what i was talking about. Chris did rally in the latter part and indeed the second half was much more listenable but this is not an episode you would want to promote. The Aaron Kaplan episode was a keeper by comparison.

as a former SWLer i would love for you guys to have a segment on thee old numbers stations (from russia, angola and cuba i think) and have Frank Black from the pixies on.

Depending on the listener expectations, some shows are great, some so-so, some bad, etc.

Chris takes an occasional week off because of all his commitments. But we do a show every week. Now imagine if it were every day. And do you ever wonder how TV producers manage 22 or 23 episodes a season? It's all subjective as to what's good or bad anyway.

 

[DaveM]

And for a change in pace and mood @Gene Steinberg can you name that cold war movie in which a mysterious voice spoke to people through the TV and it was thought to be God ?

I saw this movie eons ago at late night when I was a kid and it really made an impression on me. I think of it from time to time but unfortunately not when I'm near a video store (yes a few still do exist.)

If you mean the movie, 'The Next Voice You Hear', the voice of God was speaking through the radio.

 

[Wade]

And thank you for that!

 

[technomage]

The EVP and numbers station stuff was very interesting as opposed to the first half where I needed to do some fast forwarding. My recommendation is rather than to talk politics or music, to take the latest articles from the Anomalist and discuss them. They always have articles worth discussing so the show should be true its name and not the "Politicast".

 

[Wade]

. My recommendation is rather than to talk politics or music, to take the latest articles from the Anomalist and discuss them. They always have articles worth discussing so the show should be true its name and not the "Politicast".

That's actually a very, very good idea, the anomalist is always good for some thought provoking conversations and maybe it will take off the pressure at finding a guest every week from time to time or maybe you could save some of the guests appearance for paracast plus and use the latter half of the broadcast paracast for what @technomage suggested.

 

[Fcseven]

And you forget rock and roll and flying saucers then.

Listen to the description of the sounds.

One more thing: Our After The Paracast this week consisted of an exclusive interview with Nick Pope on conspiracy theories. He expects hate mail as a result of his viewpoints. It's worth a listen, but you have to subscribe.

Ugh. Nick Pope. No offence to Pope fans but to me he is nothing more then a disinfo agent and shill. Glad I didn't listen to atp. Great talking shop episode though as usual.

 

[DaveM]

When I see Nick Pope's name mentioned I cringe. Pope was never the head of the UFO desk at the UK Ministry of Defence. His supervisor stated that Pope was a 'junior desk clerk' for the Ministry.

He also told people to look for ufos in the sky during the London Olympics. What Pope didn't mention was that he was doing PR work for a related Sony Playstation game.

I will give Pope this much. He gives Steven Greer a run for his money in the BS department.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Well, at least people aren't neutral about him.

 

[DaveM]

Well, at least people aren't neutral about him.

Indeed Gene!

 

[technomage]

I'm afraid I'm skipping this week's "After the Paracast" unless someone tells me Nick Pope actually has done the research on the "conspiracy theories" he will be dismissing. Most people simply come out with some vague arguments such as "it couldn't be concealed" or "there is no evidence" and don't actually properly address individual points. Sometimes they do and their analysis is very shallow and this week's episode sounds like a broad brush attempt to dismiss "conspiracy theories" and set everyone to be on track with so-called mainstream thinking. If someone tells me he has provided reasoned arguments with details, I'll reconsider.

Plus, what DaveM said doesn't help.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

According to his site, Nick has researched this material. It doesn't hurt to listen to alternative viewpoints. That's what the show is all about.

 

[GhostSensor3000]

I didn't mind the episode. I know everyone is gripping, but isn't a 'talk shop' episode open to all sorts of subjects? It's nice to hear something different every once and a while.

This is for Chris. I agree with you about the pop music scene, but there are many bands out there that are still producing good music with a retro-seventies rock sound. Europe, Britain, Northern Europe, and Australia have an incredible new retro-rock wave happening. It's incredible. There are many U.S. bands doing the same thing, but it seems more popular across the pond. I hope this is a growing trend in music. It would be nice to see more inspirational rock make a comeback.

Another interesting genre that has formed is Symphonic Metal. Don't let the name fool you, it's not what you think. A rising star out of Holland is 'Within Temptation.' An incredible female fronted band. I highly recommend you check them out as well.

One U.S. band that is really good is 'Grizzly Bear' just to name one. Another is Mac Demarco. Go to Spotify and check out some of this music. You may be surprised what you find Chris.

 

[technomage]

According to his site, Nick has researched this material. It doesn't hurt to listen to alternative viewpoints. That's what the show is all about.

I doubt he would say that he hasn't researched the material and I think this episode may be painful to listen to . However, your point is well taken and I could be wrong since I'm basing this on what he has said in the past. I'm also attempting to listen to some older episodes (I'm listening to the Steven Bassett one from 9/10/2007) and I'd like to get caught up on them this decade.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

It's worth a listen if you recover from the Bassett episode.

 

[technomage]

It's worth a listen if you recover from the Bassett episode.

Bassett comes across as a pretty arrogant "know it all", but David has been pretty polite so far (he tends to wait until after the guest is gone to really get tough anyway, which is fine as you do want to be polite with your guests); I wonder if this is the last time he appears on the Paracast...

 

[Sub-light]

People, people, relax it's just a little talk show... we're so critical here we're just having fun. Don't forget, the whole point of this is entertainment. I injoy shows like this that sort of take a direction, we're not sure where it's going. They tend to be more relaxing then some guy grinding his ax about some book or theory. Also I like getting to know Gene and Chris a little bit more. I invite them into my home once a week and it's nice to know who they are. It also frustrates me to hear people threaten not to listen or joining Patacast Plus just because of their politics or they don't talk about what "you" want to hear all the time. It is because of the fact that they don't take things too seriously is why I listen.
One of the interesting things that was brought up is this idea of subjective reasoning versus object of reasoning. You both made very good points about how people tend to get very emotional with their opinions at the expense of really learning facts. This way of thinking is at the cornerstone of so many belief systems. Whether they be religious, political, or the paranormal. Could you all imagine how horrible and dangerous and place it would be if we all had the same opinion about a political candidate for example? Imagine how dangerous that would be. Have we not learned lessons from decades ago? Diversity and diversity of opinion is what makes us America. And I'm tired of the total meanness and diss respect I hear it from people about other peoples opinions regarding the election. We cannot adopt the attitude that if you're not "for us"" you're against us". This is extremely dangerous. The same thing holds true in the UFO Field and other areas of interest along these lines. My opinion isn't wrong, it's just my opinion. Your opinion is wrong, it's your opinion.

One last thing. Sometimes you guys tend to touch on science or astronomy type stuff and I love hearing about that and wouldn't mind hearing more. Maybe a guest from JPL or something because if were interested in the possibility of life from outer space were also interested in outer space. Positive is good. Not everything has to have a sinister, conspiratorial edge to it. Not at my opinion.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

@sublight: Thank you for pointing out what should be obvious to our listeners: we all have our own personal opinions about life, politics, religion, etc and the many subjects we address on the Paracast. I sincerely feel that we provide our listeners w/ as objective, well-rounded perspectives that are flavored by own own subjective analysis, but as in 'life,' you can't please all the people all of the time about all things. I find it frustrating that some listeners evidently sit there and listen for subjects, opinions and comments that piss them off to the extent where they feel empowered to write us/forum post their indignation. If it's not our POVs, our guests, or our opinions, then it's the timbre of my voice, my perceived attitude or Gene's dislike of Trump, Fox News, etc. I know for the most part we make it look easy, but I truly appreciate those of you who understand that this isn't easy. Providing quality guests, having the ability to ask intelligent, well-informed probing questions is not as simple and effortless as you might think. Perhaps we should consider doing a listener roundtable w/ the handful of folks that have negative opinions of our approach to the subjects we cover. I challenge any of you to step up and present your complaints to us directly. We'll be happy to address your criticisms and listen to your suggestions! Thanks again Sub-light (and all of you) for your insightful comments.