Thursday, April 9, 2026

Gary D. Rhodes on COAST TO COAST AM... TONIGHT!!!

NEWS FLASH!!!: My friend and colleague, Gary D. Rhodes (with whom I wrote the nonfiction book BELA LUGOSI AND THE MONOGRAM NINE), is scheduled to appear on COAST TO COAST AM later tonight (April 9th) from 10:00 P.M. to midnight. The main topic of discussion is Gary's wonderful new book, WEIRDUMENTARY (published by Feral House Press).

Tune in, Cryptoscatology mavens!

For further info regarding the show, click HERE.

By the way, you can hear Gary and I chatting about WEIRDUMENTARY (and related matters) on the 7-26-25 episode of Seriah Azkath's WHERE DID THE ROAD GO? Here's Seriah's description of the episode...

This is a fun conversation with Gary Rhodes, and I invited one of his best friends, Robert Guffey, to join us!

Weirdumentary: Ancient Aliens, Fallacious Prophecies, and Mysterious Monsters from 1970s Documentaries is a 2025 book by Gary D. Rhodes that explores the genre of pseudo-documentaries from the 1970s, such as Chariots of the Gods and The Man Who Saw Tomorrow, which popularized topics like ancient aliens, prophecies, and cryptids. The book provides a history of these films, individual entries on over 45 movies, and features images from the era, making it a resource for fans of pop culture, cinema, and the paranormal.

You can listen to the entire WHERE DID THE ROAD GO? interview on YouTube...

Ancient Aliens, Fallacious Prophecies, and Mysterious Monsters:

Sunday, April 5, 2026

HAPPY EGG DAY!

Manly P. Hall: Easter Lecture 1984: The Resurrection Mystery

Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason and author of such important books as THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES (1928) and THE SECRET DESTINY OF AMERICA (1944), discusses "The Resurrection Mystery" in the lecture below...

The Unofficial History of BLACK CAT MYSTERY MAGAZINE

A few weeks ago, acclaimed mystery writer Michael Bracken devoted a blog post to the unofficial history of BLACK CAT MYSTERY MAGAZINE, which, until very recently, was published by Wildside Press. The final issue was released in September of 2025. Since BLACK CAT MYSTERY MAGAZINE was hands down one of the best crime noir magazines of the past ten years, I was extremely proud to have sold my 13,000-word novelette “The Loser" to Michael Bracken, who took over the editing reins with issue #5. I was even prouder when he took it upon himself to nominate "The Loser" for a Derringer Award in the "Best Novelette" category. The Derringers, of course, are the annual honors given out by the Short Mystery Fiction Society to recognize excellence in mystery and crime fiction.

"The Loser" is a crime noir story based loosely on an actual murder committed by someone I knew back at Kurt T. Shery High, a continuation school in Torrance, California. The novelette appeared in issue #6 and was later reprinted in my debut short story collection, CRYPTOPOLIS & OTHER STORIES (which is currently on sale for only ten dollars if you purchase the book directly from the publisher, Lethe Press). Electronic copies of BLACK CAT MYSTERY MAGAZINE #6 are still available from Wildside Press right HERE. I recommend checking out Michael Bracken's February 24th post entitled "Sixteen Lives," which briefly charts out the rise and fall of one of the last great print mystery magazines.

Saturday, April 4, 2026

DAILY BEAST on Iran Speech Flop

From Annabella Rosciglione's 4-4-26 DAILY BEAST article entitled "Trump Schemes to Make His Goons Pay for Iran Speech Flop":

President Donald Trump is reportedly plotting drastic moves within his Cabinet to distract from his own sinking approval rating and perceived loss of control in Iran.

“A shake-up to show action is not a bad thing, is it?” one unnamed White House official told Reuters of potential firings to come.

The breaking point for Trump, according to sources who spoke to Reuters, was his prime-time address to the nation earlier this week turning out to be a complete flop.

“The speech did not accomplish what it was supposed to,” another official was quoted saying, noting the president’s dwindling support as economic issues persist amid the war.

Making big personnel changes within his inner circle would at least force a change in news headlines, said another official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Who Blew Up The Guidestones?

I recommend listening to THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION'S new podcast, WHO BLEW UP THE GUIDESTONES? which delves into the mystery behind the explosive destruction of The Georgia Guidestones in the summer of 2022. This six-part documentary is hosted by journalist Tyler McBrien, who wisely shines a spotlight on the often neglected research of J. Michael Bennett (AKA Dr. Future), author of TWO MASTERS AND TWO GOSPELS (2020). Bennett definitively solved the mystery of who built The Georgia Guidestones in Christian J. Pinto's 2015 documentary, DARK CLOUDS OVER ELBERTON (2015).

To listen to WHO BLEW UP THE GUIDESTONES?, simply click HERE.

You can listen to my previous appearances on the CONSPIRINORMAL podcast alongside J. Michael Bennett by clicking HERE and HERE.

Thursday, April 2, 2026

The Cryptoscatology Top 33 Films Noir List

As I write these words, the Noir City Film Festival is about to kick off at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. To commemorate this annual event, I've decided to post my own "Cryptoscatology Top 33 Films Noir List" for those of you interested in exploring the seedy back alleys of cinema's dark past. If you want to freebase film noir, these movies represent the cream of the crop in terms of delivering a premium dose of crime, corruption, and conspiracy...

Edgar Ulmer's DETOUR (1945)