By Tim Binnall
The Shroud of Turin, pioneering UFO researcher Gray Barker, and classic TV shows The Twilight Zone and Land of the Lost were among the fascinating topics explored this past week on Coast to Coast AM. Meanwhile, at the C2C website, we told you about a possible Bigfoot picture from New Hampshire, a driver who took a wrong turn down the Spanish Steps in Rome, and a mysterious string of lights that appeared atop an Argentine lake. Check out our round-up of highlights from the past week ... In Coast You Missed It.
A pair of classic television shows were spotlighted this past week on Coast to Coast AM, beginning with Saturday night's program wherein Wesley Eure recalled his experience playing Will on the beloved 70's series Land of the Lost. He reflected on how the unique weekly survival stories influenced kids of that era and the enduring cultural impact of its alien antagonists, the Sleestaks. Then, on Thursday night's program, writer/director Mark Zicree talked about the legendary series The Twilight Zone on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Rod Serling's passing. He observed that the program being science fiction allowed Serling the leeway to explore controversial issues that other television dramas of the era could not.
Two rather unusual UFO cases popped up on our radar this past week. The first strange sighting emanated from Argentina where a bewildered witness captured footage of an odd string of lights that suddenly appeared on the water of the sizeable Lake Nahuel Huapi. Theories for what the still-unidentified lights might have been included aliens, of course, a fiber optic cable, a reflection, or a supernatural event connected to the lake's resident 'monster,' the legendary Nahuelito. Later in the week, a Massachusetts woman was understandably taken aback when she spotted a UFO sporting blinking lights and plummeting from the sky outside her home. Weirdly, when the object should have crashed or landed, there was only silence and no sign of the puzzling anomaly.
The mysterious Shroud of Turin took center stage on Wednesday night's program as supernaturalist L. A. Marzulli discussed his new film that explores the enigmatic relic. Arguing that the curious image is forensic evidence rather than a painting, he noted that no one has been able to replicate the picture found on the ancient cloth, despite numerous attempts to achieve the seemingly impossible feat. He also disputed the results of carbon dating tests done on the shroud, suggesting that the determination that it was a medieval hoax was in error due to a 15th-century reweaving of the material. During his appearance, Marzulli connected the piece to a phenomenon known as the Holy Fire and the Sudarium of Oviedo, a similar cloth some suspected came from the crucifixion.
A trio of fantastic 'figures' that may have been otherworldly caught our eye this past week, beginning with a case wherein a pair of hikers in New Hampshire snapped a photo of what they believed to be a juvenile Bigfoot. The intriguing picture, which showed a diminutive bipedal being standing in a creek, sparked debate in Sasquatch research circles with some suggesting it was genuine and others arguing it could be AI. Meanwhile, in California, a doorbell camera captured footage of a figure bearing an eerie resemblance to a grey alien creeping along the side of a house. And, finally, churchgoers in the Philippines were understandably stunned by the appearance of a cloud formation that, many marveled, looked like Jesus.
The remarkable life and legacy of Gray Barker, a seminal figure in UFO lore, was detailed on Sunday night's program by biographer Gabriel Mckee. Marveling that the writer was a masterful storyteller and colorful character, he noted that his work stirred controversy in the flying saucer subculture due to some of the controversial concepts he espoused, but did not necessarily believe. He specifically pointed to his role in popularizing the now-iconic Men in Black, which he picked up from researcher Albert Bender, who claimed he was fleeing UFO studies due to an encounter with the mysterious beings. McKee also mused about how Barker's homosexuality may have had a hand in his immersion into the alternative world of flying saucers.
This past week featured a pair of weird stories involving misbehaving motorists who made headlines for some rather regrettable moments. First, in Italy, a confused driver took a wrong turn and somehow wound up descending Rome's famed Spanish Steps in his car then proceeded to get stuck in the middle of the monument. The man's Mercedes eventually had to be removed from the landmark with a sizeable crane. Later in the week, a Minnesota motorist was arrested for crashing his car while allegedly high on hallucinogenic mushrooms. Making the incident noteworthy and providing the driver with his proverbial fifteen minutes of fame was his rather unusual name: Patches Magickbeans.
Coast Insiders can check out all this week's shows as well as the last seven years of C2C programs in our enormous archive. Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.