The Paracast Newsletter
September 29, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Author James Reich Reveals the Secrets of the Surprising Connection Between the Controversial Inventor of Orgone Energy, Wilhelm Reich (No Relation), and the Flying Saucers, on The Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2022, 2023 and 2024 now feature better audio and fewer ads. We are also re-releasing some of our most popular classic episodes.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus a special version of The Paracast with all the ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Episodes are now released 12-24 hours earlier. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present James Reich, a novelist, essayist, and journalist, and ecopsychologist. He is the author of The Moth for the Star (7.13 Books, September 2023), The Song My Enemies Sing, Soft Invasions, Mistah Kurtz! A Prelude to Heart of Darkness(Anti-Oedipus Press), I, Judas, and Bombshell (Counterpoint/Soft Skull). On the agenda is his psychoanalytic monograph, Wilhelm Reich Versus The Flying Saucers. And, no, they are not related. Also on the agenda: How James first discovered the flying saucer mystery and the controversial work of Wilhelm Reich. There is also a discussion of how the classic 1951 sci-fi film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and its allusions to a Christ-like figure in the person of its protagonist, Klaatu, which greatly influenced Reich. James and his work have been published and commissioned by Literary Hub, SPIN Magazine, Brooklyn Rail, CrimeReads, Salon, Huffington Post, National Book Review, Vol.1 Brooklyn, The Rumpus, International Times, Sensitive Skin Magazine, Entropy, Fiction Advocate, The Weeklings, The Nervous Breakdown, Heavy Feather Review, Poet Republik, Largehearted Boy, Sleeping Fish / Calamari Press, Shelf Awareness, Full Stop, and others. Most recently, James has co-written a screenplay for a film in pre-production, and is working on freelance writing, editing, and book design projects. His second science fiction novel, Skinship, was due to be published in 2024 by Anti-Oedipus Press. His website: www.jamesreichbooks.com
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on September 29: Novelist, essayist, journalist and ecopsychologist James Reich returns to talk to Gene and cohost Tim Swartzabout his monograph, Wilhelm Reich Versus The Flying Saucers. (They are not related.) The focus of this episode includes Reich’s focus on the flying saucer mystery, along with the possibility that they are, at least in some cases, hostile towards Earth. Reich’s back story is covered, including his relationship to members of his family, and his incarceration for violating an FDA injunction against his Orgone energy accumulator. James was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire in the West of England, and has been a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, since 2009. He was greatly influenced by early exposure to the poetry of Dylan Thomas, and by a small book on dadaism, and later by Andy Warhol, the Beats, science fiction, psychoanalysis, punk rock, and the films of Ken Russell and Nic Roeg. Norman Mailer, Sylvia Plath, J.G. Ballard, Anne Sexton, Paul Bowles, D.H. Lawrence, and Lars von Trier are also vital constellations in his work. Most recently, James has co-written a screenplay for a film in pre-production, and is working on freelance writing, editing, and book design projects. His second science fiction novel, Skinship, was due to be published in 2024 by Anti-Oedipus Press. His website: www.jamesreichbooks.com
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
Of Klaatu
By Gene Steinberg
A short story about a spaceship landing in Washington, D.C., “Farewell to the Master,” from Harry Bates, was the source of “The Day the Earth Stood Still," one of the best and most influential sci-fi films of the 1950s. But typical of Hollywood’s handling of screenplays, the finished production was very different from the original.
So the robot, named Gnut in the story rather than Gort, is not an extraterrestrial policeman. It is, instead, “the master” of the civilization from which Klaatu came. And Klaatu is shot and killed too, not by the military but by a criminal, a lunatic.
Klaatu is not brought back to life, however. Instead Gnut uses a copy of Klaatu’s voice to create an imperfect copy. A clone.
The story was published in a sci-fi pulp magazine in 1940, before the United States entered World War II and the atomic bomb was invented.
Produced in the early days of the Cold War, “The Day the Earth Still” delivered a potent anti-war message, in the person of Klaatu, to convey a warning to the people of Earth. If we do not abandon our warlike acts, they will take us out.
The title of the film, represents a demonstration of alien technology. They shut down all power sources around the globe, with the exception of airplanes, hospitals and other places where lives will be in danger without power.
Klaatu’s presence demonstrates our paranoia towards aliens. In the early scenes, he is shot and wounded by a nervous soldier when he attempts to take an item from inside his silvery uniform, erroneously believed to be an alien weapon. In turn, the robot disintegrates the military hardware on which the soldier and his compatriots were riding. Fortunately they escape in time.
Nobody is killed in this movie except for Klaatu, who is brought back to life by Gort using alien technology.
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” had a huge and probably unexpected cultural impact. Klaatu was presented as a Christ-like visitor. The point was driven home when, after recovering from his wound, he escapes wearing a suit bearing the name Carpenter. In explaining his resurrection, he says that the “holy spirit” will determine how long he lives.
In the years that followed, the film greatly influenced the first generation of flying saucer contactees. One of the most famous, George Adamski, clearly understood the influence. He met a tall, handsome alien wearing a silvery uniform in the California desert. The main difference in appearance was that the alien, named Orthon, had long hair.
Yes, there was an antiwar message, one repeated in many forms over the years to experiencers. However there was also a major difference from the film. The wish for peace and love didn’t carry a stick, a key element of the film, where Klaatu warned a group of scientists that his people would destroy our planet if we didn’t get or acts together. I suppose ignoring that crucial element of the message was done to be politically correct.
After all, how can friendly aliens fulfill their mission with the threat of violence?
Contactee Howard Menger claimed to have contacted similar aliens with the same anti-war message. But he also promoted a painting purporting to depict the flying saucer he saw. Only it was a direct copy of the final scene of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” where Klaatu’s spaceship departed the Earth illuminated in the night sky.
The film was influential in other ways. The controversial promoter of “orgone” energy, Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst, was said to have been greatly influenced by Klaatu. He even, for a time, regarded himself as bearing some resemblance to the character, portrayed by UK actor Michael Rennie.
And let’s not forget the famous commands spoken to Gort, “Klaatu barada nikto,” which directed Gort to activate the resurrection process.
The saucers have also influenced music over the years. Rock stars have used the saucer theme for some of their songs. And let’s not forget John Lennon’s lyrics. So one of his hit recordings, “Nobody Told Me,” contains: “There's UFO's over New York and I ain't too surprised.”
He wasn’t for a key reason: In 1974, he and his then girlfriend May Pang saw a UFO from the rooftop of a New York City apartment. Later reports indicate that Lennon had other paranormal encounters.
And it doesn’t stop there. Former Beatle Ringo Starr’s 1974 album, “Goodnight Vienna,” sported a cover adapted from one of the opening scenes of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” where Klaatu, fronted by Gort, waves his greeting. But his face is replaced with Ringo’s.
The influence was also exploited with a 1970s Canadian progressive rock band that called itself “Klaatu.” They came to be known as the “Canadian Beatles,” and there were even some rumors that the fab four were, in fact, recording under that assumed name.
While Klaatu only achieved minor success, one of its 1976 recordings, “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” became a worldwide Top 40 hit when it was covered by — and it may be hard to believe — the Carpenters.
Unfortunately, “The Day the Earth Stood,” while featuring such A-list performers as Patricia Neal, was filmed in black and white. That may explain why it is seen less and less on cable TV these days, though it is still available from some of the streaming services. For a while YouTube featured it free with ads.
And since entertainment licensing is such an arcane and contradictory process, I won’t even begin to guess whether it’s available in other countries. The availability of any individual film may change with very little notice, so I won’t list the sources here. Just look for it with your favorite search engine, such as Google.
And there is one more flying saucer influence.
The film’s Oscar-winning director, Robert Wise, also directed such films as “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” and even “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” Some years back he was interviewed about his belief in UFOs by none other than “Mr. UFO” himself, Tim Beckley.
And, by the way, nothing I’ve written here should apply to the unfortunate 2008 remake that starred Keanu Reeves. In large part it’s a reimagining with numerous key changes to the plot. Its $233.1 million gross still far exceeded its $80 million budget, which made it a decent success.
But the convoluted plotting made it a complete mess so far as I’m concerned.
Copyright 1999-2024 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!
September 29, 2024
www.theparacast.com
Author James Reich Reveals the Secrets of the Surprising Connection Between the Controversial Inventor of Orgone Energy, Wilhelm Reich (No Relation), and the Flying Saucers, on The Paracast!
The Paracast is released every Sunday and available from our site, https://www.theparacast.com, your favorite podcast app, and the IRN Internet Radio Network. All episodes from 2022, 2023 and 2024 now feature better audio and fewer ads. We are also re-releasing some of our most popular classic episodes.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T SIGNED UP FOR THE PARACAST+ YET? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARACAST+ SO YOU CAN SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE ULTIMATE PARACAST EXPERIENCE AT A SPECIAL LOW PRICE! We have another radio show and we’d love for you listen to it. So for a low subscription fee, you will receive access to an exclusive bonus podcast, After The Paracast, plus a special version of The Paracast with all the ads removed, when you join The Paracast+. We also offer a special RSS feed for easy updates of the latest episodes on your device. Episodes are now released 12-24 hours earlier. Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! For the easiest signup ever, please visit: https://www.theparacast.plus
This Week's Episode: Gene and cohost Tim Swartz present James Reich, a novelist, essayist, and journalist, and ecopsychologist. He is the author of The Moth for the Star (7.13 Books, September 2023), The Song My Enemies Sing, Soft Invasions, Mistah Kurtz! A Prelude to Heart of Darkness(Anti-Oedipus Press), I, Judas, and Bombshell (Counterpoint/Soft Skull). On the agenda is his psychoanalytic monograph, Wilhelm Reich Versus The Flying Saucers. And, no, they are not related. Also on the agenda: How James first discovered the flying saucer mystery and the controversial work of Wilhelm Reich. There is also a discussion of how the classic 1951 sci-fi film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and its allusions to a Christ-like figure in the person of its protagonist, Klaatu, which greatly influenced Reich. James and his work have been published and commissioned by Literary Hub, SPIN Magazine, Brooklyn Rail, CrimeReads, Salon, Huffington Post, National Book Review, Vol.1 Brooklyn, The Rumpus, International Times, Sensitive Skin Magazine, Entropy, Fiction Advocate, The Weeklings, The Nervous Breakdown, Heavy Feather Review, Poet Republik, Largehearted Boy, Sleeping Fish / Calamari Press, Shelf Awareness, Full Stop, and others. Most recently, James has co-written a screenplay for a film in pre-production, and is working on freelance writing, editing, and book design projects. His second science fiction novel, Skinship, was due to be published in 2024 by Anti-Oedipus Press. His website: www.jamesreichbooks.com
After The Paracast — Available exclusively for Paracast+ subscribers on September 29: Novelist, essayist, journalist and ecopsychologist James Reich returns to talk to Gene and cohost Tim Swartzabout his monograph, Wilhelm Reich Versus The Flying Saucers. (They are not related.) The focus of this episode includes Reich’s focus on the flying saucer mystery, along with the possibility that they are, at least in some cases, hostile towards Earth. Reich’s back story is covered, including his relationship to members of his family, and his incarceration for violating an FDA injunction against his Orgone energy accumulator. James was born in Stroud, Gloucestershire in the West of England, and has been a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, since 2009. He was greatly influenced by early exposure to the poetry of Dylan Thomas, and by a small book on dadaism, and later by Andy Warhol, the Beats, science fiction, psychoanalysis, punk rock, and the films of Ken Russell and Nic Roeg. Norman Mailer, Sylvia Plath, J.G. Ballard, Anne Sexton, Paul Bowles, D.H. Lawrence, and Lars von Trier are also vital constellations in his work. Most recently, James has co-written a screenplay for a film in pre-production, and is working on freelance writing, editing, and book design projects. His second science fiction novel, Skinship, was due to be published in 2024 by Anti-Oedipus Press. His website: www.jamesreichbooks.com
Reminder: Please don't forget to visit our famous Paracast Community Forums for the latest news/views/debates on all things paranormal: The Paracast Community Forums.
Of Klaatu
By Gene Steinberg
A short story about a spaceship landing in Washington, D.C., “Farewell to the Master,” from Harry Bates, was the source of “The Day the Earth Stood Still," one of the best and most influential sci-fi films of the 1950s. But typical of Hollywood’s handling of screenplays, the finished production was very different from the original.
So the robot, named Gnut in the story rather than Gort, is not an extraterrestrial policeman. It is, instead, “the master” of the civilization from which Klaatu came. And Klaatu is shot and killed too, not by the military but by a criminal, a lunatic.
Klaatu is not brought back to life, however. Instead Gnut uses a copy of Klaatu’s voice to create an imperfect copy. A clone.
The story was published in a sci-fi pulp magazine in 1940, before the United States entered World War II and the atomic bomb was invented.
Produced in the early days of the Cold War, “The Day the Earth Still” delivered a potent anti-war message, in the person of Klaatu, to convey a warning to the people of Earth. If we do not abandon our warlike acts, they will take us out.
The title of the film, represents a demonstration of alien technology. They shut down all power sources around the globe, with the exception of airplanes, hospitals and other places where lives will be in danger without power.
Klaatu’s presence demonstrates our paranoia towards aliens. In the early scenes, he is shot and wounded by a nervous soldier when he attempts to take an item from inside his silvery uniform, erroneously believed to be an alien weapon. In turn, the robot disintegrates the military hardware on which the soldier and his compatriots were riding. Fortunately they escape in time.
Nobody is killed in this movie except for Klaatu, who is brought back to life by Gort using alien technology.
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” had a huge and probably unexpected cultural impact. Klaatu was presented as a Christ-like visitor. The point was driven home when, after recovering from his wound, he escapes wearing a suit bearing the name Carpenter. In explaining his resurrection, he says that the “holy spirit” will determine how long he lives.
In the years that followed, the film greatly influenced the first generation of flying saucer contactees. One of the most famous, George Adamski, clearly understood the influence. He met a tall, handsome alien wearing a silvery uniform in the California desert. The main difference in appearance was that the alien, named Orthon, had long hair.
Yes, there was an antiwar message, one repeated in many forms over the years to experiencers. However there was also a major difference from the film. The wish for peace and love didn’t carry a stick, a key element of the film, where Klaatu warned a group of scientists that his people would destroy our planet if we didn’t get or acts together. I suppose ignoring that crucial element of the message was done to be politically correct.
After all, how can friendly aliens fulfill their mission with the threat of violence?
Contactee Howard Menger claimed to have contacted similar aliens with the same anti-war message. But he also promoted a painting purporting to depict the flying saucer he saw. Only it was a direct copy of the final scene of “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” where Klaatu’s spaceship departed the Earth illuminated in the night sky.
The film was influential in other ways. The controversial promoter of “orgone” energy, Wilhelm Reich, a psychoanalyst, was said to have been greatly influenced by Klaatu. He even, for a time, regarded himself as bearing some resemblance to the character, portrayed by UK actor Michael Rennie.
And let’s not forget the famous commands spoken to Gort, “Klaatu barada nikto,” which directed Gort to activate the resurrection process.
The saucers have also influenced music over the years. Rock stars have used the saucer theme for some of their songs. And let’s not forget John Lennon’s lyrics. So one of his hit recordings, “Nobody Told Me,” contains: “There's UFO's over New York and I ain't too surprised.”
He wasn’t for a key reason: In 1974, he and his then girlfriend May Pang saw a UFO from the rooftop of a New York City apartment. Later reports indicate that Lennon had other paranormal encounters.
And it doesn’t stop there. Former Beatle Ringo Starr’s 1974 album, “Goodnight Vienna,” sported a cover adapted from one of the opening scenes of “The Day the Earth Stood Still” where Klaatu, fronted by Gort, waves his greeting. But his face is replaced with Ringo’s.
The influence was also exploited with a 1970s Canadian progressive rock band that called itself “Klaatu.” They came to be known as the “Canadian Beatles,” and there were even some rumors that the fab four were, in fact, recording under that assumed name.
While Klaatu only achieved minor success, one of its 1976 recordings, “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” became a worldwide Top 40 hit when it was covered by — and it may be hard to believe — the Carpenters.
Unfortunately, “The Day the Earth Stood,” while featuring such A-list performers as Patricia Neal, was filmed in black and white. That may explain why it is seen less and less on cable TV these days, though it is still available from some of the streaming services. For a while YouTube featured it free with ads.
And since entertainment licensing is such an arcane and contradictory process, I won’t even begin to guess whether it’s available in other countries. The availability of any individual film may change with very little notice, so I won’t list the sources here. Just look for it with your favorite search engine, such as Google.
And there is one more flying saucer influence.
The film’s Oscar-winning director, Robert Wise, also directed such films as “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” and even “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.” Some years back he was interviewed about his belief in UFOs by none other than “Mr. UFO” himself, Tim Beckley.
And, by the way, nothing I’ve written here should apply to the unfortunate 2008 remake that starred Keanu Reeves. In large part it’s a reimagining with numerous key changes to the plot. Its $233.1 million gross still far exceeded its $80 million budget, which made it a decent success.
But the convoluted plotting made it a complete mess so far as I’m concerned.
Copyright 1999-2024 The Paracast Company. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy: Your personal information is safe with us. We will positively never give out your name and/or e-mail address to anybody else, and that's a promise!