Some Other Sphere

Joining me for this episode of the podcast is previous guest and good friend of the show Matt Hopewell, AKA AP Strange. AP is a paranormal researcher, writer and self-described Discordian Flying Saucer Enthusiast, Certified Kook, Donut Wizard and Master of Mystical Flapdoodle. He has a distinctly fun and light-hearted method of exploring Forteana on his blog 'AP Strange's Weird Writings', with articles on an impressively varied array of unusual subjects. In the interview I talk with him about his approach to researching the paranormal and how helpful a sense of humour can be when doing that. Our conversation is a wide-ranging one, covering cryptids, poltergeists, UFOs, Star Trek, ancient Greece, the ideas of Robert Anton Wilson and much more.   AP Strange's Weird Writings can be found at https://www.apstrange.com/.   If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!     The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

My guest for this episode is legendary paranormal investigator and author Lionel Fanthorpe. Lionel has had a prolific writing career dating back to 1952 which has seen him pen hundreds of books. Not only has he written science fiction stories, but together with his wife Patricia, also non-fiction books on an array of subjects, most notably the paranormal, unexplained mysteries of the world, poetry and religion. He has travelled the world in search of the unexplained, endeavouring to unravel such mysteries as the ‘Oak Island Money Pit’ and ‘The Creeping Coffins of Barbados’. He has presented a number of television series, perhaps the best known being the cult Channel Four show, ‘Fortean TV’. During this time in his career he was also a practicing Anglican priest, which added a novel element to his televisual exploration of the unknown. Currently he is also the president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena. As well as being a major contributor to paranormal research, he is a former journalist, teacher, head teacher, army rock climbing instructor and also a World Judo Association Black Belt Fifth Dan. I begin the interview by talking with Lionel about his early experiences of the paranormal and how his interest in that field developed. From there we discuss his writing career, his time as a journalist, what prompted him to become an Anglican priest and how all of these things have in some way influenced the way he investigated and contemplated the unusual phenomena he has encountered. Further information about Lionel can be found at his official website https://www.lionelfanthorpe.co.uk/. He also has a YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@lionelfanthorpeofficial5752. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

Art historian Emily Leon discusses the esoteric interests of modern artists and their links to art, science, and religion. She explores the occult ideas that influenced artist Hilma af Klint and her unique methods, such as spirit channeling. The podcast also delves into the deeper meaning of Af Klint's artwork and the effort to promote understanding through the lecture series 'In the Eggshell'.

My guest for this episode is photojournalist Shannon Taggart, who joined me to talk about her 2019 photobook - 'Séance'. This project was the culmination of two decades of research into the history, rituals, practices and exponents of Spiritualism, a religious movement which emerged in the mid 19th Century in update New York in the USA and is now established across the globe. Shannon's interest in the subject stems from an experience as a child attending a service at a spiritualist church in Lily Dale - which is perhaps the town most emblematic of the movement in the United States.  For the book, she expected to spend one summer figuring out the tricks of the Spiritualist trade but instead the mysterious processes, earnest practitioners, and neglected photographic history became an inspiration which would see her travel to the United Kingdom and Europe in order to see the project to its conclusion. 'Séance' features 150 of her original images, complimented by historical photographs, a commentary on her experiences, and a foreword by Dan Aykroyd, who himself is a fourth-generation Spiritualist. It concludes with a debate over ectoplasm and how Spiritualism can move forward in the twenty-first century.      In the interview, we begin by discussing Shannon's initial experience at a spiritualist service and from there talk more about Lily Dale, and how the idea for the 'Séance' project came about.  From there our conversation explores the relationship between photography and spiritualism, the practices and methodology that are used, and the mysterious, controversial substance that is ectoplasm. Further information about Shannon and her work can be be found at https://www.shannontaggart.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

My guest for this episode is witch and author Emma Kathryn. Emma has had an interest in witchcraft from an early age and her practise has developed to include a combination of british magical traditions with the afro-caribbean ones of Myal and Obeah. She has written books such as Reclaiming Ourselves, Reclaiming Food, Wild Witchcraft and Witch Life and champions the positive relationships that can exist between people and nature through an interest in the supernatural. I begin the interview by asking how her interest in witchcraft started and developed over time with the mixing of different magical systems. From there we talk about the path that she followed to becoming an Obeah woman, some of the deities she works with as part of that and the relationship and differences between Obeah and Myal. We also discuss our shared interest in animism, and how immersing yourself in the natural landscape can bring about a deeper connection with the other. For more information on Emma and her writing please visit the Wild Witchcraft website at https://emmakathrynwildwitchcraft.com/. If you would like to support the upkeep of the podcast you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

Joining me as my guest for this episode is Emma Heard, creator of the Weird Wiltshire blog. Emma has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal and experienced many unusual occurrences that are hard to explain. During the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020 she had a chance to write a blog for fun and so Weird Wiltshire was born, offering a place to explore the history, folklore and spooky tales which overflow the county. I begin the interview by talking with Emma about how her interest in these subjects began and developed when she moved to Wiltshire. We also discuss some of her own experiences of the paranormal and then move on to the weird history of Wiltshire itself, which is so often connected to the ancient monuments and landscape that exemplify the area. To visit the Weird Wiltshire blog go to https://weird-wiltshire.co.uk/. You can follow Emma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WeirdWiltsBlog. If you would like to support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

Anthropologist Gregory Forth discusses his book Between Ape and Human, focusing on the mystery hominoids called Lai Ho’a in Indonesia. He explores the connection between the Lio people's descriptions and the discovery of Homo Foresiensis skeletons. The podcast covers myths involving creatures hiding in caves, factors determining the credibility of eyewitness accounts, and more.

Joining me as my guest for this episode is author Patrick Harpur.  Patrick has written extensively on a range of fortean subjects but is perhaps best known for his 1994 book Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld. This applied the ideas of people such as William Blake, W.B Yeats and Carl Jung to examine the connections across a wide range of paranormal phenomena and explore the history of the realm many believe exists between the states of body and spirit. The book is regarded as classic of it’s kind and a must have for the bookshelves of people interested in the sort of subjects It covers. In the interview I begin by talking with Patrick about the concept of daimonic reality and what that term describes. From there we discuss the book and how it came about and then move on to the daimons themselves, what they are, their interactions with humanity and how and why they manifest in our world the way they do. More information about Patrick and his writing can be found at http://www.harpur.org/patrick.htm. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

My guest for this episode is folklorist and author Jeremy Harte, who joined me to talk about his new book Cloven Country: The Devil in the English Landscape. Jeremy has written extensively on local history, folklore and the supernatural and is the curator of the Bourne Hall Museum at Epson and Ewell as well as secretary of the Romany and Traveller Family History Society. In Cloven Country, he explores the background of those stories where the Devil played a part both in creating the English landscape, as well as his relationships with the people who populated it – which could range from being hoodwinked by cunning cobblers, to punishing wealthy merchants and landowners for their greed and avarice. In the interview I begin by talking with Jeremy about what inspired the idea for the book and then look at the history of the Devil's appearances in English folklore, and some of the themes and motifs that are most common there. We also talk about the relationship between this kind of folklore and peoples personal experience of the supernatural, and how the latter has become much more prevalent in modern times, to the extent that presence of the 'landscape devil' in recent storytelling is hard to discern. Cloven Country: The Devil in the English Landscape is published by Reaktion Books - more details can be found at https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/cloven-country and the book can be purchased from your local bookshop. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.  

Joining me for this episode is filmmaker George Popov. George is half of the creative partnership behind Rubicon Films, who since 2022 have released a series of paranormal themed documentaries under the title of ‘Sideworld’. To quote George, a sideworld exists “where the line between fact and fiction is enshrouded in mist and shadow, and beyond that threshold is a place that can change our perspective on everything we think we know.” The three Sideworld documentaries made so far have explored the haunted forests of England, terrors of the sea, and English villages with ghostly reputations. Prior to that, Rubicon made two feature films  - Hex in 2017 and The Droving in 2020, which both include folk horror themes and fortean subjects. In the interview I begin by talking with George about his interests in the paranormal and filmmaking, and the relationship they have had as part of his career. From there we  go on to discuss the Sideworld documentaries and some of the subjects they cover, as and explore how these sorts of things represent the sideworld concept itself. More information about George's films can be found at https://www.rubiconfilms.co.uk/. You can support the upkeep of Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.