Somewhere in the Skies

On episode 13 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan confesses his closeted passion for punk music, and is then joined by journalist, Mike Damante, to talk about his book, Punk Rock and UFOs: Cryptozoology Meets Anarchy. What exactly does punk music have in common with the UFO topic? And how has Damante infused this into his own research into the topic? His theories on UFOs are complex and extremely intriguing, and we dive deep into them on this week's show. We also talk about his latest endeavor with his new website, PunkRockandUFOs.com Guest Bio: Damante is the author of the book, Punk Rock and UFOs: Cryptozoology Meets Anarchy. He is also an established journalist, having worked for the Houston Chronicle as a copy editor, writer, reporter and web producer. He currently produces their "MIKED" music blog and has interviewed bands and musicians like Bad Religion, blink-182, Taking Back Sunday, Tom DeLonge, Tegan and Sara, Aerosmith, B.o.B and countless others. He currently teaches Journalism and English in Houston, TX. All his work can be found at his website: PunkRockandUFOs.com   Guest & Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: Click Here Order "Somewhere in the Skies" book HereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Episode 12 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES: In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1947 Roswell crash, Ryan speaks with documentary filmmaker, Simon Sharman. They discuss his new film, Cosmic Whistleblowers. What began as one final attempt to interview the last living witnesses of the Roswell UFO incident of 1947 unexpectedly turns into a two-year investigation of the UFO investigators themselves, in what some have said is the most revealing documentary ever made about the UFO issue. With incredible interviews given by retired military personnel with Top Secret clearance, ex-NASA officials and others who became embroiled in this extraordinary event, Cosmic Whistleblowers is the final and perhaps last chance at discovering the truth on the biggest UFO mystery of the last century. Guest Bio: Simon Sharman grew up in the 1970s on a tv and film diet of Space 1999, Star Wars, and Alien, but it was 1960s tv series, The Invaders, that sticks in his mind over all the rest. During his early twenties whilst studying a business degree, he realized he wanted to make films more than making money. Since then, he's made countless films in the form of tv broadcasts across major UK channels. His work covered producing live format studio shows, music documentaries, entertainment series and even directing shoots on real life crime shows. And whilst all this was happening he was still finding the time to build what eventually became a substantial personal library on the UFO subject. He started researching UFO material in 1989 and never stopped.  Being the one topic he doesn't get bored of, he decided it was probably a good idea to make his films about this. Cosmic Whistleblowers was his debut feature film on the subject. To view the film and learn more about Simon, visit: www.cosmicwhistleblowers.com Guest and Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: Here Order Ryan's Book by Clicking HereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 11 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan speaks with Erica Lukes, a UFO researcher out of Utah. They discuss the many mysterious happenings at Dugway Proving Ground, a U.S. Army facility known for testing biological and chemical weapons. But recently, many exotic aircraft and UFO activity have been reported in and around the base. Erica also speaks to us about the strange plethora of activity surrounding the Skinwalker Ranch. The conversation then moves to strictly UFOs with Erica's research into a 2014 mass UFO sighting over Salt Lake City, the orange orb phenomenon, and the stunning UFO incident of American Airlines Flight 434. Guest Bio: Erica Lukes is the head of Unexplained Utah, an organization which is focused upon scientifically researching Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. She is currently developing research protocols that can be utilized by other organizations and to streamline the research process. She now serves as the Communications Director for the International Association of UAP Researchers. She has collected decades’ worth of case reports from Skinwalker Ranch regarding mass sightings of UFOs, mysterious mutilations of animals, and alien abductions. Erica was the team-leader on a research program called “Project Orange.” This project is specifically dedicated to studying sightings and clusters of orange/red orbs. Erica was also the lead investigator on the American Airlines 434 case over Nephi, Utah. Her weekly radio show, UFO Classified, and all her work can be found at: www.ufoclassified.com ​Guest & Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: Click Here Order Ryan's Book by Clicking Here  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 10 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan speaks with Mark O'Connell, author of the recently released book, The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs. The book chronicles the life and career of J. Allen Hynek, who was hired by the Air Force to debunk Unidentified Flying Object sightings reported across the country. But after years of denials, Hynek made a shocking pronouncement: UFOs are real.  With unprecedented access to Hynek’s personal and professional files, Mark O’Connell smashes conventional wisdom to reveal the intriguing man and scientist beneath the legend. Tracing Hynek’s career, O'Connell examines Hynek’s often-ignored work as a professional astronomer to create a complete portrait of a groundbreaking enthusiast who became an American cult icon and transformed the way we see our world and our universe. Guest Bio: Mark O’Connell is a screenwriter, teacher, and blogger. He wrote episodes for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and has developed feature film projects with major studios, including Walt Disney and DreamWorks Animation. He is a former MUFON investigator and also the founder of the UFO blog High Strangeness. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Monica, and teaches screenwriting at DePaul University in Chicago.His work can be found at: www.highstrangenessufo.com Guest or Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: Click Here Order Ryan's Book: HereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 09 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan conducts the first in-studio interview with Andrew Sanford, host of the current events comedy podcast, Half White Son of a Black Man. Being a skeptic, Andrew comes on the show to hear some of the more convincing aspects of the UFO question. They also discuss the 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast that shook the nation, the Travis Walton incident, and the heavy power of belief. They round out the conversation with a light-hearted segment from Andrew's podcast called "Explain". It was a refreshing mash-up of podcasts, and certainly won't be the last we hear from the half-white son of a black man! Andrew Sanford is a writer/performer located in New York City. As a writer, he has written a full-length graphic novel called Gwendolyn that was published in 2014 and he has twice been a featured writer in the 2014 and 2016 ABC New Talent Showcases. As a performer, he has produced and starred in a host of online content and is currently hosting a weekly podcast called Half White Son of a Black Man. His work can be found at: www.halfwhitesonofablackman.com Guest and topic suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: Click here Order Ryan's book by Clicking here UFOs: Reframing the Debate is available by Clicking hereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 08 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan begins with a recent '60 Minutes' interview with aerospace millionaire, Robert Bigelow, where he made dramatic claims that not only are UFOs real, but that the occupants of these craft have already visited the planet and continue to do so. Ryan then speaks with Jane Kyle, a UFO researcher out of Texas. They discuss some of the more famous cases to come out of the area, such as the Cash/Landrum incident and the Stephenville Lights. Jane then brings us through some of her personal investigations and research into local cases, including a strange ring of light in Houston and mysterious humming noises throughout Texas. The conversation is rounded out by Jane's personal thoughts on getting younger people involved in UFO studies, and she also comments on the whole Tom DeLonge controversy in respect to his UFO work. In a state whose unofficial motto is "Go Big or Go Home!", we certainly lived up to said motto in this episode. Jane Kyle is a UFO researcher and writer living in Texas, and has documented over 1,000 local and worldwide UFO sightings since beginning the site in 2012. With a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a ten-year career in writing and marketing, and an addiction to exploring the unknown, she offers up a unique perspective on the subject matter. Jane lives with her husband, son, three dogs, and cat in her home state of Texas. She is definitely not an alien hybrid. Visit Jane at: www.TexasUFOs.com Guest and Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Ryan's book is available in Paperback & Ebook by Clicking HereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 07 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan speaks with author and researcher, Nick Redfern.  In 2005, a book hit the shelves that completely shattered the Roswell UFO incident into pieces, and caused quite a stir in the UFO community and beyond. Rather than a crashed UFO piloted by alien beings, a new theory was brought to the table: a highly confidential, U.S. government-sanctioned program to conduct medical experiments on handicapped, disfigured, and diseased Japanese POWs, exploited as "expendable" victims by their captors and flown at high altitudes in advanced balloons and possible aircraft over the New Mexico desert. That book was Bodysnatchers in the Desert: The Horrible Truth at the Heart of the Roswell Story. Now, author, Nick Redfern, has stirred the pot once more expanding on the information in a follow-up book, The Roswell UFO Conspiracy: Exposing a Shocking and Sinister Secret. Ryan speaks with Redfern about the new information he's uncovered concerning his original theories on what crashed in 1947, and who may have been responsible. As we head toward the 70th anniversary, is it possible that the most famous UFO incident of all time may, in fact, have had nothing to do with UFOs and aliens at all? Guest Bio: Nick Redfern is the author of more than forty books. They include Men in Black; Women in Black; and 365 Days of UFOs. Nick has appeared on many TV shows, including the BBC’s Out of This World; the SyFy Channel’s Proof Positive; the History Channel’s Monster Quest, America’s Book of Secrets, Ancient Aliens UFO Hunters, the National Geographic Channel’s Paranatural, and MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He can be contacted Here. Guest and Topic Suggestions: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Ryan's Book in paperback and Ebook: HereSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode six of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan reads a very compelling listener email from a UFO witness, who in 1980 at the age of fourteen, watched in awe as a large triangular craft hovered over her vehicle near Man Lake in Alberta, Canada. As she stared upward, she felt as though whatever controlled the craft was also controlling her thoughts, and somehow knew what she was feeling and thinking.  The notion of a psychic aspect to UFO sightings bleeds over into this week's discussion with guest, Susan Demeter-St. Clair. Ryan and Susan discuss several cases that she's researched where not only psychic and telepathic communications may have been involved, but that elements of high strangeness and the paranormal may, in fact, have more to do with the UFO question than we truly give it credit for. And how do these aspects affect the witness or experiencer during and after the event? It was a fascinating discussion of these often overlooked aspects of UFO reports that certainly raise new questions. Guest Bio: Susan Demeter-St. Clair is a professional research assistant, author, editor, and PSI experimenter. Her research interests include individual and institutional responses to anomalies and exceptional human experiences, and how they interact and enact change within groups and large institutions, such as the military. Her life took on the framework of UFO experience after an encounter in 1990, and she considers anomaly studies to be her true life’s work. She has established both ParaResearchers of Ontario, and Paranormal Studies and Inquiry Canada as online educational resources for those wishing to explore the subject of anomalous events. Susan has conducted field research on unusual light phenomena and lectured on this subject at the Ontario Institute for Studies & Education, University of Toronto. She is currently collaborating with Eric Ouellet, Ph.D. of the Canadian Forces College on new approaches to UFO studies through the lenses of scientific Parapsychology. At the time of this publication, Susan is conducting a series of independent experiments based in part on the work of the late mathematician, Dr. A.R.G Owen and psychotherapist Dr. Joel Whitton that will be the focus of a book on UFOs, social PSI, and Magick. More info can be found on her website: www.susanstclair.com - - -  New Intro & Outro Voiceover by Jaime Lamchick. Check out her work at: www.jaimelamchick.com Personal stories or guest and topics discussions can be sent to Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Ryan's book is available in paperback & ebook HERESupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode five of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan introduces us to a UFO sighting that occurred in 2004 in which the Mexican Air Force reported eleven UFOs during a routine patrol flight. Infrared cameras mounted on the plane were able to capture the UFOs. Radio transmissions and an official report given to the Mexican Secretary of Defense made this a very intriguing case that received very little attention in the United States.  The UFO topic is often seen through very western eyes within the United States. But many extraordinary cases have occurred both on the southwestern border and through the skies and grounds of Mexico. And one individual who has looked extensively into these cases is Ruben Uriarte. In this episode, he and Ryan discuss the strange case known as the Cisco Grove incident, in which a UFO witness spent an entire night fighting off an entire fleet of alien humanoids and a robot-looking being. Ruben also speaks of the 1975 Carlos de los Santos case in which a pilot encountered three saucer-shaped UFOs surrounding his plane. They end the conversation talking about a lesser known UFO crash over the town of Coyame in which a mid-air collision supposedly took place between a conventional plane and an unknown aircraft. Guest Bio: Ruben Jose Uriarte graduated from Cal State University at Hayward/East Bay with a B.A. degree in Psychology and Latin American Studies. Ruben is a member of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) as a Field Investigator, State MUFON Director for Northern California and Deputy Director of Investigations/International Affairs. Ruben has been involved with a large network of research organizations and served as a California State Coordinator for Crop Circle Phenomena Research International. He was a former research director for Beyond Boundaries, a company specializing in taking tour groups to various UFO "hotspots" around the world. Ruben currently serves as a board member for OPUS (Organization for Paranormal and Support Understanding). He as authored a number of books, co-written with Texas UFO researcher Noe Torres, about major UFO crashes and other historical cases that have occurred along the borders of the United States and Mexico. To learn more, visit: www.roswellbooks.com - - -  If you have a story to share or would like to suggest guests and topics, please email: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Official Website: www.somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Ryan's book, 'Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon,' is available by CLICKING HERE Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On episode 04 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan speaks with Annie Jacobsen, author of Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis. Annie goes into great detail on how the U.S. obtained extremely bizarre nazi documents after WWII that had to do with studying psychic phenomena. These studies would then be manipulated and reformed to be researched by the U.S. Government under the direction of the C.I.A. This culminated into several decades of working with psychics and remote viewers who would spy on the Soviets during the Cold War. Annie brings us up to date on many of these covert projects and how they have evolved into a whole new cyber and mind war in today's military industrial complex. And yes... we touch on ufology. So don't fret! Guest Bio: Annie Jacobsen is a journalist, bestselling author, and 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Her books, Area 51, Operation Paperclip, and The Pentagon's Brain were New York Times bestsellers and have been collectively published in many languages. OPERATION PAPERCLIP was chosen as one of the best non-fiction books of 2014 by The Boston Globe, Apple iBooks, and Publishers Weekly. THE PENTAGON’S BRAIN was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in history and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Amazon. Each of her books is in television development (Valhalla/AMC, Plan B/RatPac, Warner Brothers/J.J. Abrams/Bad Robot, Spielberg’s Amblin/Blumhouse). For more information, visit: www.anniejacobsen.com If you have a story to share, or guest and topic suggestions, please email: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Follow on Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Join our active Facebook Page: HERE Order Ryan's Book: HERE Intro Voiceover by Jamie Lamchick. Visit her at: www.jaimelamchick.comSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.