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Andy Macintyre. Blues.Sweat.Beers but my dad informed me it was a righty instrument. He flipped it… and Voila! Fretting chords was much easier! He showed me the ‘F’ Chord, which is a moveable ‘E’ chord shape. After that, I picked up on Rock & Pop songs. A lot of what I’ve learned is by trial and error, I did take a few formal lessons when I was 13. I was in New Jersey visiting my grand-parents and had just discovered Hendrix, and I couldn’t figure out ‘Purple Haze’. They knew of an instructor down the street, he could play it, so he agreed to come over and show me. When he did show me the main riff, it was a simplified version of it. The melody was the same, but the way it was played sounded different. A few months later he came back for a follow-up and by that time I had figured out the correct way to play it, and I told him so. He must have thought I was the ultimate little turd! Everyday, I would play for hours upon hours. Yes, my grades suffered. It didn’t matter, I’ve always loved music.
Paranoid Magazine: Who did you grow up listening to in Chicago and Austin? Tell us who inspires Andy Macintyre?
Hard Working Blues man’s Love For the Music. By J.Black Paranoid Magazine: Welcome to Paranoid Andy! Andy Macintyre: Hi! It’s a pleasure to be here.
Paranoid Magazine: Well introduce yourself and tell folks about you and where are you from? Andy Macintyre: Originally, I hail from Chicago (I don’t miss the snow, but the seasons). As a young punk, I moved to Austin in ‘99 and loved the awesome music scene here. That’s not to say that Chicago isn’t great, but Austin is more accessible for a young musician wanting to get their feet wet. It seemed as if everyone I met here was clued into the idea of music as an axiom. That was mind-blowing! It was much harder to realize that with
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players of my age up in Chicago. They either wanted to play one style only, or didn’t want to hear about improving upon the previous show.
Paranoid Magazine: Awesome! Chicago to Austin. I hear people do that journey often or vice-verse. How long have you been performing the Blues? Andy Macintyre: That’s a tough one to pinpoint. When I first picked up the guitar and sang anything, it was all related to the Blues. Either it came directly from the Blues, or it was heavily augmented with a strong respect for the Blues. I didn’t really think of it as, “This IS the Blues”, “This is NOT the Blues”. Subconsciously, I knew that it didn’t really matter that much; I latched on to all kinds of music. How different does B.B. King sound from Robert Johnson?? Very different, and they’re both modern Blues standards. People will always musically incorporate those two styles whether they know it or not. Imagine a gospel choir performing Nirvana’s “All Apologies”. I can! They may change a lyric or two first…
Paranoid Magazine: So you came to Austin as a young man and have been performing in the Austin area for 13 years now? Who all have you shared the stage with in that time? Andy Macintyre: Yes, I’m coming up on 14 years; I started gigging when I was still in HS. I’ve shared the stage with more people than I ever thought I would at 16. Ha! To name a few: Van Wilks, Alan Haynes, JJ Johnson, Gary Clark Jr, Pinetop Perkins, JT Coldfire, Erin James, Fabian Hernandez (my 1st Austin band was with Fabian), Ulrich Ellison, Brad Gillis of Night Ranger (That was unexpected!..he’s a very cool guy.) There’s more, I get uncomfortable when name dropping.
Paranoid Magazine: Tell us about your style. You are like my son, a natural lefty, but plays right-handed and completely self-taught. Andy Macintyre: Well I wish I could say that I’m completely self-taught. At age 11, I tried playing it lefty,
Andy Macintyre: I grew up listening to everything. It’s cliche to say that, but its true. LOL! I’ve been inspired by almost anyone or anything I’ve ever heard: Mozart, Cream, Prince, whatever. Of course there’s some things out there I don’t listen to, or can’t support, but I don’t need to name names. Ok…Bieber sucks. I’ll admit that.
Paranoid Magazine: How long have you been cutting your teeth,so to speak, performing your own style of music in Austin? Andy Macintyre: While still in High School during 1999, I was approached by some young players out of south Austin. They wanted to know if I would join their band. Sight unseen, I happily said, “Yes”. We played together most weekends, Thursday-Sunday, and then head back to school…barely. Our first show together was at Cypress Creek Cafe in Wimberely. I was scared out of my mind! For the next two years we floated between: Cypress, to Poodie’s, on to Hay’s County Racetrack, Giddy Up’s, and Railroad Bar-B-Que. The group ran out of gas around late 2000; some wanted to move on, others were more serious. Around 2001, I started writing my own songs. I think the loss of a childhood friend and what happened in September
that year really sparked it for me. I put out a little solo E.P. in 2002 with most of my own stuff on it, but it was hard to get a gig in Austin without a band. Somehow, I found myself, with part of the original band, cutting a full demo at Fire Station Studios in San Marcos. We were still the same kids in this big open live room trying to make something happen. Nothing really came of this demo, and the project was dropped. After playing with numerous groups between ‘02 & ‘05 and one local-famed band: “Dorkstar”, I went out on my own again as a solo artist in late 2005. From 2006-2010, I was really known around town and the Southwest region as a “Blues/ Rock” player. I had always mixed up the set list while playing places like: Antone’s, Saxon Pub, Tall City Blues Fest (Midland, Tx), or Little Bear Saloon (Colorado). While touring the southwest, my writing started to change. I knew I could add more to the overall sound. In January 2011, I went into Arlyn Studios with engineer, Ben Blank, Doug Day (Drums/Percussion), and Chris Alexander (Bassist), and we cut that album in a classic Austin studio that has seen many great records. It was a little intimidating. Out came a very solid effort, and I’m very pleased with “Ruby”. All of its still based in the Blues-Rock sensibility, but it stretches out further to other areas. Some of my other influences really shine on this album. And it works great live! People are really responding to the new songs.
Paranoid Magazine: How has this musical journey been? Because to me you are one of Austin’s best kept secrets. And I think you are going to break out soon.
Andy Macintyre. Blues.Sweat.Beers “Polly”. By the 2nd verse, this girl was Pole Dancing! Pole Dancing?? It was unreal, who pole dances to a song about abduction? We made a live recording of the show that night, so this may surface sometime in the not-too-distant future. Its pretty off hand, but both bands had a great showing that night.
Paranoid Magazine: : Lets talk about the songs. “Deranged” is one of my favorites, “Anomalia” is another including, “The Other Side.”What inspires you as a song writer?
Hard Working Blues man Love For the Music. continued . . . . Andy Macintyre: I don’t know what to say to that, that’s really humbling. Hopefully, with the albums and the work I’ve done, Andy Macintyre will move onto bigger and greater things! They weren’t kidding when they use the adage: “There is no business like show business”. that’s no lie.
Paranoid Magazine: A lot of performers know there is frustration at times and yet passion to keep the music going, too. Is this fair to say? Andy Macintyre: Yes, that’s very fair. I was just involved with a documentary that talks about that exact thing. The film is called: “For The Love Of It.” It follows some 30-odd performers/musicians all around the US, chronicling the musical ups
and downs of what it means to be a working musician in the 21st century. During my interview, I tell the camera, “As a musician, you have to be willing to keep going no matter what. Even if you say out loud: ‘Its hopeless!’, Its not really hopeless. You still have you, and you can move on.” There’s a catch phrase that all of the musicians say at one point in the film: “Why do I do this? For the Love of it!”
Paranoid Magazine: Most Memorable gig in recent months? Andy Macintyre: I played a gig at Hanover’s in Pflugerville a few months back, and shared the bill with “Negative Creep” (an excellent grunge-era cover band). They nail every group you can think of from that period. It’s disgusting! When we went on afterwards, you could tell the crowd was still fired up and rowdy. Right before our 5th song, this straight shooter of a girl walked up on the stage, asked for “Anything Nirvana!!”. This was funny seeing how the band before us just covered that…but she threw some money at us, and I broke into
Andy Macintyre: Thanks! I’m glad you dig those. “Deranged” is an older one from me. That song dates back to the E.P. I made in 2002. I wasn’t going to put that on the album, but people said otherwise. I’m glad I did; I need to listen better. “Anomalia” is even older. I was messing around with that since I was 16, up in Chicago. Who inspired that one? I’m not sure. It sounds like a theatrical piece and it was definitely mixed with that in mind (Mix: Boo MacLeod Engineer: Ben Blank) I wanted to project the feeling of falling over in space, while watching a galaxy unfold…that sounds corny. “The Other Side” is an ode to sleep deprivation in one aspect. In another, it could be a song about mysticism. That song’s lyrics are concretely vague. I get inspired all the time by writers, musicians, or even the sound of a single note. It could be sung, bashed, or played on any instrument. Artists I grew up with musically, I’ll re-listen to and hear something new that makes me stop what I’m doing and start writing. I started listening to Peter Gabriel again on my old vinyls. I’m also a big Prince fan, he’s such a creative force, and a very imaginative song writer! Eddie Van Halen: one of the greatest to ever pick up the instrument, and an even better writer! Just a few days ago, I discovered a Prog-Punk band called, “This Heat”. They happened right after the punk movement, but right before New Wave happened. Those guys were so intense! Their sound was dissonant punk vocals over proto-Tool sounding Prog Rock. It’s not for the casual listener at all, but I love it. Then again, I can turn around and groove on Nelly Furtado’s, “Say it Right”, then onto Albert Collins. I have strange tastes, I know.
Paranoid Magazine: Where can the local music scene improve, where does it have it’s faults? Andy Macintyre: This is a heavy question, and it does not have an easy answer. Let’s just say this: Musicians should never be forced against other musicians, that’s never conducive to working relationships. There are some powers that be that are allowing this to happen, and its very dangerous and unfortu-
nate for the community.
“Let’s just say this: Musicians should never be forced against other musicians, that’s never conducive to working relationships. There are some powers that be that are allowing this to happen, and its very dangerous and unfortunate for the community.” Paranoid Magazine: I remember Gary Clark Jr performing as a teen at the old Joe’s Generic Bar on 6th Street some 10 years ago. How have things changed in the last 10 years as far as Venues? Do we still have enough Blues Venues in a town that claims itself such a vibrant Blues city? Andy Macintyre: Yes, things have changed. Venues are being re-gentrified. I would say in 2008 is when the shit really hit the fan. Teeny tiny little perks that musicians enjoyed were inexplicably gobbled up, while pay plummeted. Remember gas almost tripled! Thank you’s disappeared, it went cold. I do feel we have enough blues venues still, but they’re pushed “out of the way”. It really doesn’t make a lot of sense seeing how much revenue ‘Austin Music’ brings into the city annually. Who cares about the high-rises? If you can’t pay the indigenous something honest, how the hell can you help the city? The flip side to this coin is we’ll be able to hold the audience even longer now. Maybe its more precious now than its ever been.
Paranoid Magazine: What is next for Andy Macintyre?
Check out www.andymacintyre.com for further details. Paranoid Magazine: Be patient Andy, your time is coming. Any final thoughts to our readers? Andy Macintyre: One of the best ways to support a musician or live band, independent or otherwise, is to go to the shows. If they have CD’s or Mp3’s, don’t be afraid to buy or download. Aa lot of blood, swearing and tears went into this..” to make it happen. Please, try not rip it off, we don’t drive Porsches and our names are not Lars Ullrich. Your support does not go unnoticed. Having said all of that, check out iTunes for my new album: “Ruby”. It’s a Rock/Rock-Blues album that will satisfy even your inner-alt rocker. Thank you to everyone at Paranoid Magazine! Y’all are too cool!! Thank you, Thank you. Photo Credit: Andrew Stearns
Andy Macintyre: Smoke and a pancake.
Paranoid Magazine: What are some upcoming gigs in June? Andy Macintyre: June 22nd at Hanover’s in Pflugerville. Its a 3 band bill put on by one of the bands, American Gypsy. That’s going to be a blast! There’s some Friends on 6th shows to be announced, and possibly a Maggie Mae’s gig, we’re waiting to hear back.
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PULLED OVER ON TRAFFIC by Jamie Balagia and Adam Crawshaw at the Law Offices of Jamie Balagia
Pulled over on Traffic. What to Do & NOT to do. by Jamie “the Dude” Balagia and Adam Crawshaw
Everyday hundreds of thousands of us drive up and down the roads in and between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. Due to the lack of effective public transportation in Texas - we drive! The vast majority of the time when we drive we don’t have any problems. We make it to work, we make it to the store, we make it to school, we take care of business and then we make it back home. Nothing during our daily trips makes us suspicious, shady, or turns us into criminals. However, at some point in every driver’s life will come a police encounter on the side of the road. And you better be ready for when that happens! Now let’s say you are going down the road, in traffic, on the way home and you see a police car behind you and then the lights come on. What do you do? And maybe more importantly what do you not do? When we first see the police lights most of us probably think the lights are for someone else. Supposing the lights are not meant for us, we usually slow down and pull over to the right lane as the emergency vehicle goes by. However, what do you do when the vehicle in the review mirror turns on the lights for you? If a video tape player is working in the patrol car then as soon as the taping begins you are the main event. Your performance will be shown to a jury if you are arrested and have the guts to take your case to trial. Once you realize a police officer is behind you - take steps to assure that you pay attention to the way you are driving. Do not stare at the rear view mirror trying to see what the officer is doing. He (or she) is either going to stop you or he isn’t but if you haven’t given them a reason then continue to drive properly. One old cop saying is “if you want to stop someone for traffic just follow them for a few miles and they will screw up sooner or later.” As a former police officer I can tell you that is about as true as it gets for traffic stops. And remember that there a few officers that will make up a traffic violation just to “justify” their traffic stop. And some officers have the traffic laws so
mixed up that they pull people over and write tickets for violations that don’t exist. One point I want to make is that there is a great difference between a video with poor driving opposed to one with great driving. Many officers testify about the horrible driving they witnessed and how many objects you “almost” hit with your car (another way to say you didn’t hit anything). Then the jury sees a video with great driving facts and you making a safe vehicle stop with turn signals and sober appearing parking and things can start to turn your way. You have very little control over when the officer turns on the video recorder but you control everything you do while on the screen once it starts recording. So we start with good driving and a great traffic stop with all turn signals being used and a safe stop. That puts you in the drivers seat in court, so to speak. Before the officer gets out of his patrol car he will radio in your license plate and the location of the stop. Everything you are doing in your car is being video taped. If you are reaching under your seat or pulling something in your console the officer will probably see you (he is trained to observe you) and the video will certainly record it. Just as it will record all the “correct” things that you are doing. Sitting still in your seat, hands on the steering wheel might be a good idea and roll your window down before the officer gets there. For some of you it would be a good idea to keep the windows rolled down the whole time you’re driving to let out certain odors. Especially if you just left some place or activity that involved the cremation of certain plant substances. Once the officer gets next to your door all of his senses will be concentrating on you, your vehicle and the environment that you are in. He will have his eyes, ears, nose and sense of touch at full attention. If you make any quick movements the officer will perceive danger. If you make too slow of movements the officer will think you are impaired/ drunk/stoned. He will look at your eyes for redness, smell your vehicle and your clothes for pot or alcohol and listening to everything coming from you or your vehicle. This doesn’t sound too cool at this point so stay tuned as it can quickly get worse - usually depending on the cop that pulled you over. I have seen both sides of the criminal justice system and I have seen the best and worst in police officer behavior both as a cop and as a criminal defense attorney. The officers are taught to ask you to perform some task (produce your automobile insurance card) and then start asking you questions while you are attempting to complete the task. If you stop looking for the insurance card and
pay attention to the officer then he will say you couldn’t concentrate on a simple request while being distracted. I say that when you are trying to be polite and show the officer respect you stop doing the task and give him your full attention. You may want to ask the officer whether he wants you to do the task or show respect and look at him when he is talking. Or you may just finish what you’re doing and then ask him to repeat his other request. Just remember that a jury could be judging you on how you handle this “divided attention testing” so prepare a plan ahead of time. You might not remember having to learn any of this stuff when you took the driver’s education class. I personally think that it should be included so that we can all learn how to handle ourselves during a traffic stop (especially our teenagers). Remember that proper planning prevents piss poor performance! Always have a game plan on what to do if you get pulled over and definitely what to do if you get arrested. It is very difficult to slowly and carefully think through what to do in this stressful situation so be smart and always plan ahead. Read dwidude. com and 420dude.com for great tips. There are certain questions the officers asks that you may feel the need to answer or feel that you have no choice but to answer. According to Texas case law if you are stopped for traffic you can be arrested and taken to jail for all traffic offenses except Speeding and Open Container. Since this can invoke you being given an “attitude test” you always want to avoid purposefully disrespecting the officer. But most law enforcement officers will always write a traffic ticket and allow you to sign the ticket and release you. When you sign that ticket you are promising to appear at the court announcement by the date listed on the ticket. You are not entering a guilty plea when you sign the ticket but are only promising to take care of the accusation listed on the ticket. I know you have heard of the right to remain silent but that Miranda Right doesn’t begin until you get arrested. I need you to remember to stay quiet unless you absolutely have to say something. You really don’t have to answer any questions but many of you feel uncomfortable muting yourselves in the presence of an officer. I can tell you that more arrests occur because of what people say than because of what they didn’t say. What is even more disturbing is what my clients say while in the back of a patrol car, under arrest, handcuffed and being video tape recorded. It is hard to win a case when you are in the back of a patrol car confessing to the very criminal accusation you are under arrest for. So don’t do that! Keep quiet and let me be your mouthpiece, your advocate and your legal counselor. The officer will ask you many questions that are not related to the reason you were stopped for. If I get stopped, I usually don’t answer any questions that don’t pertain to the ticket. I politely tell the officer that I have to be somewhere else and need to finish up and leave. If I am polite then he needs to be polite since he is also being video taped. I also know to say “I don’t mean to be rude but that information is none of your business”. I say that to the Border Checkpoints every time I go through them and of course I make it a point to never possess any illegal substances. You should also make sure your passengers aren’t holding something illegal if you are going through a checkpoint since the driver is considered to be in the care, custody, control of the vehicle
and everything in it.
not pissing off any police officers.
I also like to keep a copy of my insurance where I can find it quickly after asking the officer permission to open the console to get it for him. Or get it out before he approaches your door. Know where your drivers license is at or make a photocopy and attach it to your insurance papers in your unlocked console or glove box. I may sound paranoid but I always assume that I am going to get pulled over by the cops. Guess what - every time I do get stopped I have all my stuff right where I put it and the cops don’t get all upset waiting for me to find it. If I want to lock anything in my car I make sure that my insurance papers are in an unlocked location. That way there is no reason to ever unlock my other areas and expose them to a quick search by a prying officer or his backup.
THE “BE POLITE” RULES TO BE FOLLOWED WHILE YOU POLITELY DECLINE THE OFFICERS REQUESTS:
Always remember that once you have signed your ticket or warning ticket you are free to leave, period! I can’t tell you how many times I have watched a video where the officer wrote a ticket and after it was signed and given to my client the officer starts up a new conversation and an arrest results. Once the ticket is handed to you it is okay to leave and answer any further questioning by telling the officer goodbye. They are trained to start asking if you have drugs or weapons on you and if you start answering him then you have opened up the proverbial “can of worms”. Even if you are clean he is going to call a drug dog unit or start searching your car. If you aren’t clean then never agree to a search or to wait for the drug dog. I always blows me away when I watch a video and the client should be driving away but instead is saying, “Yes sir, you can search me and my car” (and they’re holding). Take your ticket, say adios and then roll on down the highway because it’s time for “Hasta La Vista, Baby!” Minor things are important to keep in mind before driving after drinking or if you have warrants. Warrants are better handled without the police being involved and you should never drive drunk since that is screaming out for an arrest. Make sure all the lights on your vehicle are working, make sure your vehicle is operating properly so you don’t break down on the highway, have proof of your valid insurance and a good drivers license. You should know where you are going and how to get there and back to where you are going so you don’t get lost. Have some “burn” cash on you in case you need to get a hotel room if you’re not up to finishing the trip. Clean out your car/truck before going out to party since nothing draws attention like a couple of hundred empty beer cans in the floorboard or truck bed. Do I really need to add that ashtrays shouldn’t be full of blunts, roaches, sticks, stems and seeds? And do not beg the officer to let you go home, it never works and is embarrassing on video. This year I published the Texas DWI Survival Guide and have copies available to those of you that call my offices and request one. I love seeing my fellow citizens educating themselves on the law and how to react to police encounters. I am more than happy to give this book to the callers for free to show my appreciation. There is some great information in the book and you need to learn it and share it with your family and friends. Please keep talking to your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors about ending the War on Drugs and the danger of our increasing Police State. Lastly, Adam Crawshaw from my San Antonio office says I’m a little rough with my suggestions and came up with some good advise that you can memorize and follow while
1) When pulled over always be polite, courteous, and helpful. Yes sir, no sir, and “my insurance is in the glove box, sir” go a long way. 2) Do not talk incessantly simply because you are nervous. 3) Stick to the information on your documents. This means politely refuse to provide information that is not on your driver’s license, registration sticker, or insurance card. If there is other information that the officer wants to know simply ask him, POLITELY, if you are free to leave. 4) If the officer asks you out of the car you must comply. Being jerked out of the car is never a good option. 5) If the officer wants to search your vehicle politely decline. Again, ask him if you are free to leave.If an Officer has probable cause to search your vehicle he does not need your permission. 6) If the officer asks you to perform field sobriety tests, politely decline then ask if you are free to leave. Many officers will tell you they are going to have you do the field sobriety test. Remember, this is optional. YOU DO HAVE AN OPTION. YOU CAN REFUSE. 7) Once the officer starts questioning you or asking you to perform field sobriety tests nothing good will usually result. 8) If you are arrested, do not speak. Each and everything you say or do that is unnecessary will be construed against you. 9) Remember, you are not being disrespectful to law enforcement. You are asserting your rights. 10) DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE YOUR VEHICLE SEARCHED. DO NOT CONSENT TO A BREATH TEST OR BLOOD DRAW. POLITELY DECLINE.
So what’s the moral of the story? Sadly, doing as an officer says does not mean he will let you go despite what he may say. To protect yourself and your good name make sure you politely decline to provide information not included on your driver’s license, registration sticker, or insurance card. And make sure you and your friends have my contact information saved to your cell phones for our quick response in an emergency. ATX 512-784-3224 SATX 210-394-3833 “dwidude. com” “420dude.com” “IPhone Ap - dwidude”
Jamie Balagia is the DWI DUDE and handles criminal cases from Austin to San Antonio and all surrounding areas. WWW.DWIDUDE.COM
US High Times Cannabis Cup
by Karli Duran
marijuana-based products and award the most outstanding in each category. High Times began the celebration by presenting Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg) a “lifetime achievement” award on 4/19 where he performed at the Fillmore. On 4/20, after the first day of the cup featuring performances by Cypress Hill and Slightly Stoopid at Red Rocks made for a great ending to a Saturday night.
1st US High Times Cannabis Cup The Cannabis Cup is the world’s most prominent Cannabis event that began over 20 years ago in Amsterdam every November, but because of Colorado’s new law to allow adults over the age of 21 to legally consume
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cannabis, this year the event was held at the EXDO Event Center on 4/20 – 4/21 in Denver, CO. The event allows judges from around the world to sample and vote for their favorite marijuana varieties. These judges vote for the best in marijuana strains (Indica, Sativa, Hybrid, Hash), as well as glass, booths, and
Because Colorado has not exactly defined their recreational laws clearly yet, all strain entries into this years Cup were Colorado medical strains. At the EXDO there was an area for Colorado residents with a medical marijuana card aka red card where tourist without medical cards could not enter, and there was a huge recreational smoking area for everyone else. There were booths that were handing out cannabis, booths that made you sign
waivers for dab hits and you had about a dozen varieties of strains of cannabis to chose from to smoke, all free. You were not allowed to purchase cannabis at the Cup, but it was not hard to find. An ounze of some of the best strains of cannabis could be bought for as little as $100. It was obvious that Colorado made money from the tourism of this 3 day event beginning with Snoop Lion on Friday and the Cup ending on Sunday. Money is to be made in the cannabis industry, and because of the hard working activist paving the road to legalization it will be a thriving legal job creating industry in our near future. I want to thank all the activist and non-profit organizations like NORML that have worked so hard to put an end to marijuana prohibition.
Karli Duran is the Co-Founder& Executive Director of SA NORML. http://www.sanorml.org
That strange Denver Airport by Russell Dowden
Dystopia Art of the Denver Airport While visiting family in Colorado a month or so ago, I got the opportunity to walk around the infamous Denver Airport where I took my time waiting on other family members flights to arrive and look around at the art and architecture inside the building. As your flight arrives and you make your way into the DIA Airport, you first ride a fast moving underground train that carries passengers from the tarmac/terminal area to the main part of the airport. This eerie ride on an underground train reminded me of the first Total Recall Film. You know the scene on Mars where the guy tells Arnold “Quaid” about the alien artifacts? The train actually talks to you and tells you to be prepared to stop at Gate B. There are also screens in one of the trains, but they don’t play ads for Recall to live out your fantasy adventure with memory implants. No it’s more like ads for Hotels and Car rentals.
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So inside DIA I asked one of the local Airport Police which was actually (DPD) Denver Police Department to show me in the direction of the dystopian artwork that the Airport is known for. I explained that I owned a newspaper called Paranoid Magazine and that it would be convenient to take pictures and that I might could do a story about my visit here. He went on to explain how he himself was interested in paranormal conspiracy-esq topics, and a regular listener to the Alex Jones show and Coast to Coast AM. He led me around the Airport and we found the paintings by Leo Tanguma and his art of the children all gathered around a sword holding flags. I asked the older officers in his early 50’s, if he knew of an underground facility or was familiar with the conspiracy theories and the rumors of the Airport for the Elite. He stated that “If there were something underneath the grounds of the Airport, nobody has told me.” This was interesting to me since he was a fan of Infowars
and Coast to Coast. However he was even more adamant when I asked him further, “Where do these stairs go ? Into the basement” “How far down does the facility go into the ground?”
“Well these stairs are for fire emergencies or tornado shelters that go down into the basement; that much I know” he replied. Still, I’m curious. The Denver airport is full of mystery. Theories ranging from it’s close proximity to NORAD, to it’s designation “New World Airport Commission”
Denver Airport by Russell Dowden
History of Conspiracy Theories around DIA. There are several conspiracy theories relating to the airport’s design and construction such as the runways being laid out in a shape similar to a swastika. Murals painted in the baggage claim area have been claimed to contain themes referring to future military oppression and a one-world government. However, the artist, Leo Tanguma, said the murals, entitled “In Peace and Harmony With Nature” and “The Children of the World Dream of Peace,” depict man-made environmental destruction and genocide along with humanity coming together to heal nature and live in peace. Conspiracists have also seen unusual markings in the terminals in DIA and have recorded them as templar markings. They have pointed to unusual words cut into the floor as being Satanic, Masonic, or some impenetrable
secret code of the New World Order: Cochetopa, Sisnaajini and Dzit Dit Gaii.These words are actually Navajo terms for geographical sites in Colorado. “Braaksma” and “Villarreal” are actually the names of Carolyn Braaksma and Mark Villarreal, artists who worked on the airport’s sculptures and paintings.
There is a dedication marker in the airport inscribed with words, “New World Airport Commission”. It also is inscribed with the Square and Compasses of the Freemasons, along with a listing of the two Grand Lodges of Freemasonry in Colorado.
The Freemasons participated in laying this “capstone” (the last, finishing stone) of the airport project.
It is mounted over a time capsule that was sealed during the dedication of the airport, to be opened in 2094.
Robert Blaskiewicz writing for Skeptical Inquirer Magazine states that conspiracies about the airport
range from the “absurd to the even more absurd”. When asking airport media representatives, ‘what conspiracies are associated with the airport’, they responded, “You name a conspiracy theory and somehow we seem to be connected to it.”
Blaskiewicz found that contrary to claims from conspiracy theorists that DIA will not discuss these stories with the public, they also give tours of the airport.
The Quiet Brit And The Perfect Storm by Sean Casteel An Interview With Nick Pope: The Quiet Brit And The Perfect Storm By Sean Casteel Nick Pope had the honor of working for the British Ministry of Defence for 21 years and is known worldwide for the quiet dignity with which he headed the UFO post there. The obvious first question is of course how he came to that position. “I was a civilian employee,” Pope said, “so I was never actually in the military. But I obviously worked very closely with military people for most of my career. Between 1991 and 1994, I was posted to an area where my duties included responsibility for the UFO phenomenon, both in terms of policy and investigation – investigating the sightings that were reported to us. We received about 200 to 300 reports a year. “Now, I had no previous knowledge or interest in this subject,” Pope continued. “And indeed I was slightly wary that this would not be perhaps
entirely beneficial to my career. I thought it might look a little quirky on my resume. But I soon changed my mind about that and realized that it was an interesting and important subject.” Pope said he had effectively been “headhunted” into the UFO job. His previous assignment had been with the Air Force Operations Room, in the Joint Operations Center during the first Gulf War. “I was basically a briefer and a watch keeper,” he said. “And the person that had the vacancy for the UFO job was my immediate boss down there, so I impressed him with my work during the first Gulf War and he then offered me the UFO job. I did that for three years and then I got promoted, so there was nothing sinister about my being moved. Even if I’d not been promoted, three years was a fairly average posting, so I would probably have moved on anyway.” Pope next worked for the MoD in a couple of different jobs, resigning in 2006.
“I just decided,” he said, “that, having done 21 years, I would resign and go and do something else while I was still young enough to do so. So that’s basically the story of how I got the job and what happened afterwards.”
THE RELEASE OF UFO FILES BY THE U.K. Should the release of the U.K. UFO files be considered something important to rank-and-file UFOlogists? Or do the cynics who think it’s another whitewash have the right idea?
“First of all,” Pope replied, “I would say that in general terms the entire release program is hugely significant. It’s what I call ‘disclosure with a small d.’ I know a lot of people in the UFO community talk about disclosure and they tend to spell it with a big D. They imagine some scenario with the president going on television and the hangar doors of some military establishment swinging open and some great revelation of an alien spacecraft. This is not what is in these UFO files. There is no spaceship-in-the-hangar smoking gun. “That said,” he continued, “there are plenty of interesting cases which were not explained at the time. Some interesting sightings from police officers and military personnel, UFOs tracked on radar, those sorts of things. Near-misses between UFOs and commercial aircraft. So this is disclosure with a little d.” Which means one should not look askance at what is there.
“It’s the real deal,” Pope enthused. “There are literally tens of thousands of pages and this is a government-sponsored release program. So, unlike a lot of documents doing the rounds, there’s no dispute over the authenticity of this material. So the release program in its entirety is important.” The U.K. release program followed on the heels of a similar release of files by the French in
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2007, a precedent that Pope says the U.K. would have had a difficult time ignoring. “But the main reason,” Pope said, “was that the Ministry of Defence was receiving more Freedom of Information Act requests on UFOs than on any other subject. Literally hundreds of people were bombarding the department with these requests, and they decided that proactively releasing the material to the National Archives would then enable them to respond to virtually any future FOIA request with a one-sentence reply saying that all the material is now available at the National Archives.” The MoD had been releasing the files in chronological batches, and as this interview was being conducted, the fifth batch of U.K. material had been released and consisted of 24 files and over 6,000 pages of documentation. “There were some interesting cases in there,” Pope said. “One, which had attracted some media attention at the time, took place on January 6, 1995, and involved a nearmiss between a Boeing 737 and a UFO near Manchester Airport. That was an interesting case. There was also an interesting case from February 1999 where a senior air traffic controller tracked a huge target traveling at phenomenal speed on the radar. So the release program continues, and it’s good news. I welcome this.”
SHOOT-DOWN ORDERS
Another case, released along with the second batch of U.K. files, is consistently mentioned as important, not only by Pope but by others as well.
An Interview With Nick Pope:
by Sean Casteel
“This was the case of Milton Torres,” Pope said, “a United States Air Force pilot who, in 1957, was based in the United Kingdom. His story is that he was scrambled in response to an uncorrelated target being tracked on radar. He then picked up this thing, which was huge, on his airborne radar and he received an order to shoot it down. He was flying an F-86 Saber, I think, which had 24 air-to-air rockets. He came very close to a position where he would have been in range to do that, but the object, whatever it was – and which he never saw visually, by the way, this was entirely by radar – but from a very slow speed, indeed a virtual hover, it moved away at a speed of about Mach 10 when he tried to get into a firing position. So that’s a fascinating case.” There have also been shootdown orders issued in other UFO encounters, Pope said, in Iran in 1976 and Peru in 1980, adding that, “These shootdown cases are quite disturbing and interesting.”
WHERE EVIDENCE BECOMES UNDENIABLE PROOF
I asked Pope what would be required to literally force official disclosure of an alien presence. When faced with the “pushcomes-to-shove” question, Pope gave a thoughtful answer. “In terms of where evidence becomes undeniable proof,” he said, “I suppose, yes, it would require the archetypal landing on the White House lawn or the
verification by the mainstream scientific community or some artifact that was unquestionably extraterrestrial in origin. A determination of that, of course, might be quite complex, because it might be difficult to be sure that it was genuinely extraterrestrial as opposed to, say, some deep black program that had thrown up some quantum leap discovery. But isotopic analysis of the material, for example, would be a part of that.” There is another possibility for official disclosure that Pope approached somewhat more cautiously. “The other strand of all this,” he said, “and I know this is not popular with many in the UFO community, but it’s the Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence, SETI. The idea is that at any time it may be that SETI announces that they have picked up a signal, and that, in terms of verification, would be comparatively easy. You couldn’t fake the science behind that. “That’s something that might happen any day. Certainly, with the planned construction of the Square Kilometer Array, which in terms of its power and sensitivity is going to be a quantum leap ahead of anything we’ve got now, there are some exciting times ahead. It may well be that the SETI community beats the UFO community to the punch on that.”
HYSTERIA IS NOT INEVITABLE Would public knowledge of the UFO reality really cause everything to fall apart? “No, it wouldn’t,” Pope replied. “There is no real evidence that
that’s the case. I know a lot of people cite the Orson Welles ‘War of the Worlds’ broadcast as being proof that there would be panic in the streets. I think there are two points there. Firstly, the reaction to that broadcast is disputed and from my understanding was not quite as widespread in terms of the panic and the belief that that was real as some people will tell you. “The other point is that of course that was a different age. We’re in the multimedia age now of 24/7 news coverage, and, through realistic science fiction films with tremendous special effects, we’re almost anesthetized to the idea. Certainly when you talk to people like Albert Harrison at the University of California in Davis, who’s done some research into this from a scientific point of view – he’s a social scientist – and his suggestion is that actually there wouldn’t be panic in the streets. There would be a sort of, ‘Well, I always knew it was something like that.’ That kind of reaction.” There are many factors to consider, however. “Picking up a signal at a distance is one thing,” Pope cautioned. “Microbial life on Mars is another. A ‘War of the Worlds’type invasion – yes, I guess if we faced that, you probably would have panic in the streets. But a simple announcement that we’re not alone, no, not at all. Indeed, there’s quite a good precedent to this, which people tend to forget. In 1996 NASA announced that as far as they were concerned, they’d found fossilized evidence of microbial life on Mars. And what hap-
pened? Yes, it was front page news for a day or two. David Bowie’s song ‘Life On Mars’ got a lot of radio play. But the world moved on. So no panic in the streets unless we really do face an alien invasion.”
POPE’S FAVORITE CASE: A PERFECT STORM
What is Pope’s personal favorite when it comes to UFO cases? This question was an easy one and brought an immediate and sure response. “Britain’s best known UFO case,” Pope said, “the Bentwaters Incident. I would probably say that’s one of the most compelling cases that I’ve come across. And I say that because it’s almost like a perfect storm in that it’s the coming together of everything you could really ask for in a UFO case if you were scoring it high in terms of credibility and importance. “Firstly, it wasn’t an isolated incident. It happened on at least two, maybe three nights. Secondly, there were numerous witnesses. Thirdly, many of those witnesses were military officers in law enforcement and security. Additionally, there was some physical evidence in terms of damage to trees, marks on the ground where the thing was alleged to have landed on the first night of activity. And of course the radiation levels that were taken at the landing site. “Now there is some dispute about the importance of the radiation levels. People have questioned the accuracy of the readings that were taken and questioned the propriety of the equipment, whether it was appropriate to the task. To me, that’s fine. Obviously, one can only work with the data that you have, not the data you’d like to have. So when the MoD assessed those radiation levels, they could only assess the information they were given. So for all those reasons, I think Rendlesham is compelling.” One advantage Bentwaters/ Rendlesham has over the better known case of Roswell is simply that most of the people involved in the latter have now passed on.
“When people go looking for information on Roswell now,” Pope said, “generally they’re looking at second and thirdhand accounts. Little if any contemporary paperwork is available. Then, looking at Bentwaters, we’re in the fortunate situation of having a case where many of the witnesses, their names are known, they’re on the record, they’re still alive and contactable. That’s important and it gives Bentwaters an advantage over even Roswell. “The other point about this is that there is a paper trail. The Ministry of Defence’s file on this is now in the public domain under the Freedom of Information Act. The USAF statements that General Halt took from five of the people most directly involved on the first night, including sketches, that’s now in the public domain. So everything has come together to make this case compelling.” Pope also feels that media coverage of the UFO phenomenon is changing for the better. “The mainstream media is now more prepared to look with a little less of the ‘giggle factor’ about little green men,” Pope said, “though that does still happen. But a little less of that than was previously the case. “I have seen more mainstream media coverage on this subject recently,” he continued, “and I’ve seen more serious coverage, in terms of just playing it as a straight news story as opposed to a silly story. I say this as somebody who has written an op-ed piece on this for ‘The New York Times’ and has appeared on shows like ‘Good Morning, America’ and ‘Geraldo,’ shows like that. So I think that all that ties in with this idea that people’s views on this are evolving and this is no longer a subject to be treated with ridicule.” If Pope is correct in that assessment, it can only mean good things for the future of disclosure, whether you spell it with a big D or a small one. [This interview with Nick Pope is an excerpt from the book “Disclosure! Breaking Through The Barrier Of Global UFO Secrecy,” by Timothy Green Beckley, Sean Casteel and John Weigle. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com. To read more by Sean Casteel, visit the “UFO Journalist” at www.seancasteel.com
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No Vacancy with
Paranoid Magazine: Ding Ding.... Checking in! MBB: Two bottles of whiskey, 10 lb sack of potatoes and a whole fish haha! Thanks for having us in your magazine, were getting ready for a pretty eventful next couple of weeks trying to get things rolling. Writing songs playing shows and just enjoying all the good times that fall in between.
Paranoid Magazine: Welcome to Paranoid, introduce yourselves and what instrument each member plays. MBB: Squints Jorge - Vocals/Lead Guitar, Nick Fong - Rhythm Guitar, JD Martinez - Harmonica, Vince Delgado - Bass, Felipe Granados Drums
Paranoid Magazine: The sound is a very Roadhouse blues feel to it. It this fair to say? MBB: I think thats fair to say, down,deep, and we always put on on a raunchy show something to swing your woman to, or forget your women to. we like to call it, Swamp Boogie. Low down. Get down. we’ve always had a deep appreciation for the gritty side of swing and blues. i think that all of us in the band share the same appreciation even before we started playing together some years ago.Blues is just one of those things every one can appreciate and relate to because everyone’s felt the blues in one way or the other.
Paranoid Magazine: It’s been a few years since I saw you guys at the Triple Crown. How are things going? I hear that you are signed to American Icon Records. How is that going? Page 18 • www.paranoidmagazine.com
MBB: Our shows are picking up, we finished a 5 month residency at Hotel Vegas on east 6th. which had to have been one of the greatest experiences, hanging out and getting to know people that play in some of our favorite bands Bad Lovers,Sweat Lodge,American Sharks,Holy wave,ect ect and getting to play gigs with them. theres a great local music scene right now roaring through Austin just the way its been for years and years and we’re confident that a majority of these bands are writing music that will be remembered for years to come and are making there mark. We got picked up by Johnny Galyon of American Icon recently. He believes in our music as much as we do, and we appreciate that down to the marrow in our bones. were working really hard to get these next couple of albums released and really get us out there for people to enjoy. coming soon Motel Ball Band “No vacancy” live from hotel vegas!!!
“We got picked up by Johnny Galyon of American Icon recently. He believes in our music as much as we do, and we appreciate that down to the marrow in our bones. were working really hard to get these next couple of albums released and really get us out there for people to enjoy. coming soon Motel Ball Band “No vacancy” live from hotel vegas!!! “
Paranoid Magazine: I feel like riding a Harley down Ranch Road 12 and drinking some beers at Riley’s on the Backbone. That’s what Ramble or She want’s your money make me feel like.
The Motel Ball Band
MBB: It’s the type of music you hear ringing in your ears when you walk in your front door and hear your back door shut.... you know, swamp boogie blues, the kind of music that makes you want to let loose, dance and feel free, we want everyone that hears our music to feel what we do; freedom, joy, heartbreak, woe... whatever it is that reminds your your alive and present. we try our hardest to incorporate all of our feelings in our music through our instruments from the bend of a string to the to the wale of that harp to the subtle pace of a ride. there is a lot of truth behind blues and truth to the music that follows, and we just try and express it as best we can.
Paranoid Magazine: Describe the song writing process. MBB: Squints writes the licks and we roll with it. Like hopping on a train,steady rolling,on,lets go. we’ll all end up at practice with somthing fresh on the table squirmy and still alive. so we hack it up put all our favorite seasonings on it and cook it to perfection, we all end up changing things through out the process as we go along sometimes without even telling or mentioning it to one another. that’s one of the great things about us, we might just write a song while playing a live set because we know each other we’ve been friends merely all our lives. when we meet nick i swear it felt like we had known him forever, and when he played guitar for us it proved just that. there is no rules or established process. we just talk to each other through our instruments and most every time it comes together right before us.
Paranoid Magazine: Why the name The Motel Ball Band? People gotta be wondering? MBB: Well we’ve never run across
a motel with a ball room, but if your ever find yourself driving down lonesome road without a single street light guiding your direction and happen to come across a run down motel, with a couple flickering lights, you might just find us there. kind of a metaphor for always being at the right place at the right time. i can best describe it as once we were all taking a part of a good time in the late night of west Austin. we found our self’s taking a tour of the streets and random buildings surrounding us, when we ran across a building that seemed to have stair casings leading in no particular direction, it just resembled a really jenky looking motel overgrown weeds crawling up the walls and staggering drunk people everywhere. when suddenly this door opens to hear the one greatest funk bands ive ever heard and half naked painted women everywhere in sight. just something you really don’t come across every night. Plenty of experiences like that, that have always led us to believe we’ve been making the right decisions no madder how misconstrued, they have always led us to the right place. hallucinogens!
Paranoid Magazine: Upcoming Gigs in June? I hear JD has a birthday coming up? MBB: Junes 8th, schools out forever @ hotel vegas, JD’s turning like 250 or somthing, and if you’ve never celebrated a birthday party with the Motel Ball Band come and feast your eyes and ears on a damn good time. June 15, YSB benefit show @ Triple Crown in San Marcos 10 “o”clock sharp. and on the same night of the 15th will be playing @ parish underground 1 “0” clock for the rot rally hulligan’s, always a favorite kind of people to party with. late july early august were planning our record realease at hotel vegas with a boat party the following sunday. we will also be in mcallen late july stay posted on www.facebook. com/TheMotelBallBand. there all going to be spectacular shows, so everyone should come out and bring a lady or a fellow and dont forget your dancing shoes. we’ll guarantee a good time for everyone.
Suicidal Policies By Cameron Cutrone
order to keep the conversation light, Panetta was full of them. He referred to the audience, mostly comprised of widows, military families, and uniformed servicemen, as his wise “chauffeurs.” He could have used any analogy to attribute to those he was seeking advise and counsel of, but he chose to call them his chauffeurs. These people, Mr. Panetta, don’t drive you around and open doors for you, they fight, die, lose limbs, and become mentally ill as a result of policies enacted by the Defense Department.
Suicidal Policies By Cameron Cutrone
It has come to everyone’s attention recently, or so it should have, that suicide has eclipsed combat as the number one cause of death for US armed servicemen. This is a tragedy of catastrophic proportions, for somewhere in the piles of over a million files strewn about at the Veterans Administration, are thousands of preventable deaths that aren’t being prevented because of bureaucratic confusion, ineptness, and at worst, callous disregard. As of this printing, nothing has been done to improve this situation which has been public for months. Maybe it has slipped through the cracks with all of the scandals going around. However, with Memorial Day being a time to recognize fallen veterans, we can’t help but to notice that there are thousands of veterans still among us with PTSD that are in serious need of help, and some lip service from Obama and some flag waving is not what they need. Former Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta presided over a massive public relations blitz regarding the epidemic of suicide attempts among the United States Armed Forces. It is obviously and undoubtedly a problem that has put the Defense Departmant in a tight
spot with the Veterans Administartion, not to mention the public at large.
Live on Cspan, Secretary Panetta admitted the scope of the problem facing the military, to his credit. He said that the suicide rate of combat veterans has reached an average of 12 people PER DAY. That is unacceptable.
Leon Panetta has been a representative from California, a CIA member, and a cabinet secretary spanning multiple administrations. He’s not an amateur. However, judging by his public comments on Friday, you’d think he’d never before contemplated the magnitude of the mental health cost caused by people like him who cook up and enact the policies that lead to such heartache over coffee and schmoozing with defense contractors. Regardless, Panetta put great effort in trying to complicate the very simple problems before the cameras and the invited crowd. He spoke at length about preventative care, mental health screening, and postcombat reintegration efforts. That’s all well and good. However, the measures he sug-
gested would be the equivalent of giving a cough drop to a throat cancer patient. Sure, it’s vaguely aimed at alleviating the symptoms, but gives no thought to the cause. That is no surprise, for his life’s work happens to be the cause.
The cause: Imperialism, military intervention, unprovoked wars of aggression, and international police actions that have no specific goal or public interest for the citizens of the US. They are unconstitutional, and have no regard for the sanctity of human life. The cause: Imperialism, military intervention, unprovoked wars of aggression, and international police actions that have no specific goal or public interest for the citizens of the US. They are unconstitutional, and have no regard for the sanctity of human life. Stop parking them out in the desert, making them buy their own body armor, and stop-lossing them. Put them in harm’s way only when our vital national security interests or territorial integrity is at stake.
Put the power of the purse back in the hands of Congress and put the Pentagon back in it’s place. Make them have to justify their spending on wars every time they need a dime, as the constitution provides. The elected representatives ignore the law of the land and the will of the people at their own peril. With all of those actions taken, we will once again have a country worth fighting for.
Cameron Cutrone’s articles are archived online at www.freedomefiles.blogspot.com
However, it was alarming to see such a high level appointee dancing around the problem. The modus operandi seemed to be damage control as opposed to serious introspection and problem solving. Panetta went on for ten minutes supposedly “addressing” the issue by using the repeated phrase of “a complicated problem” instead of using the word “suicide.” Maybe he was hoping to put everyone asleep. It almost worked on me to be honest. But suicide amongst combat veterans is no joke. Yet, in
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Searching for the Truth with Dennis G. Balthaser
If the three pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are older than the Egyptian civilization as many of us believe they are, why is there no reference to these gigantic structures in the Bible? They are in fact the only remaining things of the original 7 wonders of the world.
Pyramids and the Bible By Dennis Balthaser Much has been written over the years about the three large pyramids of Giza, and the Sphinx, and thousands of years later we still don’t know who built them, how they were built, or for what purpose. Egyptologists claim they were completed about 2500 BC making them 4000 years old today, which would possibly predate many of the things mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible. Many of the best-preserved temples in Egypt however, were built during the New Kingdom, (1550-1069 BC), during a period of national wealth and renewed interest in monumental building. We have been given many theories on the actual construction of the great pyramid using various types of ramps to erect the two million, 2 to 70 ton stone blocks from ground level to a staggering 450 feet high. Knowing the tools available to the Egyptians at the time, and the number of laborers that would have been required, plus the time factor for erecting these gigantic structures, doesn’t add up logically or mathematically. Thus far no records have been discovered to indicate the Egyptians actually built them,
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unlike other records that have been discovered, through hieroglyphics in temples, chambers, and tombs of structures the Egyptians did in fact build. Why then if the Egyptians kept good records for other structures, are there no records of how “they” built the pyramids. Another theory that has been presented is the possibility of extraterrestrial involvement, perhaps not in the actual construction, but offering the technology as indicated in Stephen Mehler’s book, “The Land of Osiris”, referring to a civilization that pre-dated the Egyptians, known as “Khemitians”, who supposedly had contact with star people, and lived in North Africa which today is Egypt, some 10,000 years ago. The purpose of the pyramids according to many Egyptologists was to bury certain Pharaohs in them in preparation for their afterlife journey. Why then particularly with the great pyramid, was nothing ever found inside to indicate that Kufu (a 4th dynasty Pharaoh) was buried there? As far back as 890 AD when the Arab’s first entered the great pyramid, nothing was ever found to indicate Kufu had been buried there. Other purposes of the pyramids, suggested by several researchers, is the explanation that the pyramids were a form of energy machine of some sort.
Surely they would have stood out during the time of Moses, who was raised by an Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter, after she found the infant Moses floating in a basket on the River. Some believe that the Israelites were responsible for building the pyramids during the time they were in Egypt, prior to Moses leading them out to the Promised Land during the Exodus around 1400 B C. (Exodus 13:17-18). The Israelites would not have been involved in building the 3 pyramids of Giza, since the pyramid building ended before the Israelites came to Egypt. Concentrating on the possible age of the 3 pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx raises the question about moisture in Egypt over the years. The deterioration on the back of the Sphinx indicates that at some point in time there was a tremendous amount of rainfall. Even though the Nile River flooded annually during the ancient Egyptian civilization time, the deterioration on the Sphinx indicates a much larger amount of rainfall existed at some point. Like other researchers have speculated, could Noah and the flood described in the Bible have been involved? One researcher claimed that aquatic
fossils have been found on the inside walls of the pyramids. Were they preserved there by floodwater, or where they already in the stone blocks when they were quarried miles away from the pyramids current location? As I write this many other questions arise. The Bible does reference many structures that were erected all over the Middle East as far back as 2600 BC. One such structure described in the Bible was the “Tower of Babylon”, or as it is sometimes referred to the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:3-4). Descriptions of the height vary by researchers; however most say it would have been taller than the great pyramid. Other large structures, buildings and manmade objects listed in the Bible include Solomon’s Temple built between 966 and 586 BC.
Solomon’s Temple The dimensions and detailed instructions on how to build Noah’s Ark are also described in the Bible. (Genesis 6:14-17) The unit of measurement most frequently discussed in the Bible was the cubit. One cubit was equal to 1 foot, 6 inches, (18”). Using a cubit measurement for building the Ark, it would have meant it was 450x75x45 feet in size. Later the Romans used the Roman foot for measuring, which was derived from the approximate size of a man’s foot. One must also consider that those who built all those ancient structures didn’t have access to the technology we have today, (or did they?) Regardless of whether you refer to structures
mentioned in the Bible or other sources we know of, the technology was extremely impressive, and many have withstood the test of time, which we are just today beginning to unearth. Regardless of your Christian beliefs, archeologists are continually unearthing structures that were in fact present as mentioned in the Bible. Others have not yet been located such as Noah’s Ark, but are being continually searched for. So as stated earlier if the pyramids are as old, (or older) than we believe, why is there no mention of them in the Bible, since they would have been the most obvious structures in Egypt, or the world for that matter, prior to the time the Israelites were in captivity in Egypt? As a Christian myself, who also researchers the UFO phenomena, I find it odd that to my knowledge there is no reference to the pyramids in the Old Testament of the Bible. Should anyone reading this have information contrary to what I have presented, I would be pleased to hear his or her views. As I do with my UFO research, I will continue to ponder the question Why?
Dennis G. Balthaser Website: www.truthseekeratroswell.com Email: truthseeker@dfn.com
American Drug War 2
Director Kevin Booth talks about Cannabis Destiny
American Drugwar2 premieres June 6th at the Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Ln. Paranoid Magazine: Welcome back to weir.... i mean Paranoid Magazine Kevin. I see you’ve got a new film out . American Drug war 2 Cannabis Destiny. Tell us about this new film from Sacred Cow Productions. KB: It’s the follow up to American Drug War aka “ADW” that premiered on Showtime in 2008. The original film covered the hypocrisy of American drug policy from the crack epidemic - private prisons to medical marijuana. Since the first film touched on issues A-Z, we thought we would keep the story moving forward by zooming in on a character driven thread while covering the most relevant topic of the day: the nationwide battle to legalize marijuana. The film also takes a very sympathetic tact towards the effects of this drug war on children. Kids being taken away from their parents due to them using drugs that don’t generate profits for big pharma and then placed in foster homes and court ordered to take (drum roll) drugs that do profit big pharma. We cover the cancer epidemic happening to children and demonstrate how alternatives to western medicine can cause “Miracles”. We also journey across the border into Juarez Mexico and visit a neighborhood where you can hire a young boy to kill your enemy for about $40 U.S. dollars.
Paranoid Magazine: Well you’ve been on the cover of my old magazine Weird with American Drug War, and then a few years later with your other film How Weed won the West. This will be the 3rd interview in the last 6 years or so. How is this film different Kevin? KB: Well I guess the main difference is that most people are weeping when the end credits roll. ADW1 was an issue driven film; How Weed Won the West was a more humorous lighthearted film. American Drug War 2 is very personal and hopefully the heaviest saddest film I’ll ever make. I don’t know if I could survive another film like it. In ADW2 we follow a 2-year-old boy named Cashy Hyde who is battling a brain tumor. After being in a coma for 40 days his parents are told to plan a funeral, but the star of our film, the father Mike Hyde finds a new type of Cannabis Oil rediscovered by a Canadian man named Rick Simpson whom is reportedly killing cancer cells in thousands of people around the world. After injecting the illegal drug into their dying sons feeding tube, the child pulls out of the coma and starts eating. The film follows this emotional roller coaster for two years and the viewer witnesses first hand how the government’s greedy policy directly leads to the torture of children. Speaking of- my wife and I became foster parents in Los Angeles County where there are over 35,000 children who have been taken away from their parents. This was never intended to be something for a film I was working on, but when they forced us to give the 11
year old girl powerful psych meds there was no looking back. Also for the record, its important to know that the girl is happily back with her birth mother and they are not only excited to be in the film, but ironically the mother turned out to be an Alex Jones fan who had already been working to bring attention to this horrible situation.
Paranoid Magazine: The official Patent on Marijuana by the government? WTF?Tell our readers about this! KB: It’s interesting to note that in 2006 the FDA officially announced that Marijuana had zero medical benefits. I guess the FDA never did lunch with the Department of Health and Human Services who purchased the Patent for Cannabinoids three years prior in 2003. My fear is that while all of us are slowly fighting to take back rights that we really never lost, our government is quietly working with big pharma to create little sprays and pills that only utilizes a tiny percentage of the 60 plus cannabinoids in Cannabis. Got a headache you need this pill. Got menstrual cramps – then you need this spray and so forth. We are supposed to believe that consuming the entire plant is harmful based on the fact that they don’t really understand how or why it is such a one-stop medical miracle. Stupid mother-nature, when will you learn that its not true unless western scientists hired by our government say it’s true. Always reminds me of the Bill Hicks bit we put on Arizona Bay about how god made a mistake.
Paranoid Magazine: How is the Drug War and the growing police state connected more than ever today Kevin? KB: We are seeing an obvious in your face display of the government using tax dollars in mafia style fashion to protect the profit margins of big pharma, alcohol, tobacco, police unions, prisons and the whole drug war rigamarole that would crumble if marijuana were totally legalized. With over half the country totally agreeing on the fact that it should have never been out-lawed these people are running scared.
Paranoid Magazine: This film is also about the medical benefits this magical healing plant offers Kevin is the pharmaceutical industry conspiring with Congress to keep marijuana out of the hands of Patients and doctors who can help cure disease and cancers?
KB: When I ask top people that same question such as Aaron Houston of Students for Sensible Drug Policy or Rob Kampia of Marijuana Policy Project who have both worked as DC lobbyist for the legalization movement they always respond with “on a day-to-day level of operation, I do NOT see big pharma as the cause.” When I started investigating the drug war almost 10 years ago working with Alex Jones, I entered with a very conspiracy driven mindset. As I grow older and maybe a little wiser, I just
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think its basic human greed and corruption that drives it. The drug war is in itself a metaphor for human greed and corruption. What is more pure then telling people what they can and cannot put into their own bodies? I’ll tell you – locking people in cages for consuming natural remedies that don’t profit big corporations. It’s the perfect scam. And when you add the insane profits being made by Mexican cartels to the mix – there is no stopping it.
Paranoid Magazine: Well the evidence supports that there is a medicinal marijuana conspiracy here. Do you agree? KB: If by conspiracy you mean an orchestrated effort to keep it in the black market? Yes. Destroying people’s methods of profit will always evoke a battle. Its proven that people who use marijuana responsibly use less painkillers, tranquilizers, anti-depressants, alcohol, and cigarettes, not to mention the fortunes that would be lost to the prison system - incarceration machine. Sure there are plenty of people who abuse marijuana and use it in a cocktail of all the things I just listed and those in control love to point that out, but you could apply that logic in reverse towards any substance. Round and round you go with the argument, but you will always end up with the same Bill Hicks quote: “what business is it of yours what I put into my own body as long as I do not harm you or your property” The answer should be none, but the police never received that memo.
Paranoid Magazine: How has making this film affected your views on government, big pharma, and CPS? KB: Seems like the more time that goes by and as younger people step up into the roles of jobs like CPS social worker, people are getting more empathetic and reasonable. In this investigation I met many good people working inside of an archaic system. Do these systems financially represent a small percentage of extremely rich and probably evil people? In my estimation I would have to believe it does. As far as big government and
big pharma? No not really. Since I started investigating the drug war big gov and pharma have been on the same course. I want people to know that the story inside ADW2 didn’t just end when we finished filming. I have had people from the county inside my house while I’m doing this interview and I actually like them on a personal level. They really are trying to help our newest foster child while working in this broken down system - it’s not a job I would wish on my worse enemy. (I actually don’t have any enemies, unless you don’t like the new film)
Paranoid Magazine: What is your desired goal with this film Kevin? KB: My executive producer Brian Patterson lives and breaths for the medical marijuana movement and specifically wanted to bring awareness to the use if the oil. But also to bring aware ness to the use of this new type of cannabis oil and wider support for the Cash Hyde Foundation that operates in Cashy’s honor. New companies such as Cannabis Science from the film are up against great odds in this outdated system, but seeing my old friend Dr. “BOB” Melamede at the helm gives me hope that reasonable solutions could be right around the corner. I hope that the conspiracy junkies can see beyond the concept that companies are going to have to become profitable competitors against the established big pharma if we ever want to see FDA approved medical marijuana. Now I know that me saying that is going to make a lot of readers/stoners cringe. “The last thing we need is taxing it and allowing the government to ruin it”. But I choose to live in a reality that says if you want to change the way the entire American economy and American drug policy work, then knock yourself out. BUT don’t make Pot the Ginny Pig? We could have high-grade cannabis in a legal distribution centers very soon, and it could be regulated like wine. The parallels between fine-wine and high-grade cannabis are endless. If you want to change the world then we can circle back after you create utopia. Until then I just need my little hit once a day.
American Drug War 2
Director Kevin Booth talks about Cannabis Destiny Paranoid Magazine: How long has it taken you to make this film? KB: I have been making the same film over and over since 2003 so in that sense its 10 years, but in reality this film took 3 years to film. American Drug War 2 started off as an issue driven – expert talking head style film, but to be honest I got bored to death editing it and realized it needed to be character driven. In order for me to film myself attempting to grow marijuana and also becoming a foster parent, many years had to go by. So if you count the scene of me trying to grow, it’s a lot longer then three years.
Paranoid Magazine: Now when and where can the Austin area see this film? KB: You can only buy tickets from Brave New Books or on-line. Please use this link http://www.tugg. com/events/4181 Please come to the Austin Premier Presented by Brave New Books Thursday, June 06 7:00pm 8:55pmin Austin, TX at Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane $10.00 Presented by Brave New Books Thursday,
Paranoid Magazine: Tell us about TUGG. com and how this film is being released rather uniquely here in June 2013. KB:Tugg.com is a company based out of my old hometown Austin TX, with an amazing cool way of doing theatrical distribution for small releases known as “Theaters on Demand”. People all across the country can request screenings at their favorite local theater and then TUGG negotiates the price and handles all the details. Each screening has a threshold of selling approximately 60 tickets to meet the rental fee of the theater. Once this threshold is met – the theater is booked and the rest is history. I’m not going to lie, this release has
caused me a few sleepless nights thinking of all those theaters, but at the same time it has caused our team to rise to the occasion and view social networking through new invigorated eyes.
Paranoid Magazine: Kevin What ever happened to Rick Ross? KB:Freeway Ricky Ross is the Boss, he is doing great and I spoke to him today. I worked to get him out of prison in 2009. We had a deal with Original Productions and Thom Beers (known for Ice Road Truckers and World’s Deadliest Catch ) to do a show in which Ricky had one year to earn a million dollars, but this time without selling crack. Oprah passed? Today Ricky has started a new non-baking soda based empire. He has a new feature doc and dramatic feature in the works. You should follow his web site he literally launches a new business every week. I actually just saw Rick on the Russell Brand Show on FX and he looks like he is truly savoring his freedom. He also did the Joe Rogan podcast recently that was really great. As crazy as it might sound to some readers in Texas I love the fact that I have created friendships with people like Ricky, he is a true inspiration.
Paranoid Magazine: It’s really impressive what you have done for educating people about drugs and the drug war. Raising awareness of the demonetization of natural plants. Is there a growing fear of the government GMO(ING) or genetically modifying the plant marijuana? KB:Many people already fear that the GMO’s have been introduced into the popular strains. The idea is that it’s supposed to in the future strip all cannabis of its ability to reproduce. Maybe I should feed some Viagra to my Bubba Kush? In
the film we discuss how the governments failed attempt of prohibition only served to create stronger THC pot because of the black market need to get people wasted. This however has put CBD strains behind. There is a huge new movement to bring less psychoactive strains into the common dispensary scene. These people love their CBD’s. We had a short clip from ADW2 about juicing the raw plant leak out on you tube over a year ago and no mater what we did we could not get it taken down. Like I said people love their CBDs.
“The making of this film has been an unbelievable personal journey for me. As a guy that grew up and worked with Bill Hicks and Alex Jones my audience has always been predominantly male. A few weeks ago I played the film to a room filled with hundreds of sorority girls and the feeling in the theater during
the screening was different then anything I have ever experienced.” Paranoid Magazine: Lastly, is there anything you want readers in Austin or San Marcos to know about ADW2? KB: The making of this film has been an unbelievable personal journey for me. As a guy that grew up and worked with Bill Hicks and Alex Jones my audience has always been predominantly male. A few weeks ago I played the film to a room filled with hundreds of sorority girls and the feeling in the theater during the screening was different then anything I have ever experienced. This movie focuses on children and is designed to open people’s hearts through their emotions and perhaps hopefully evolve their mindset. Editing such a sad story has been a new experience for me. When editing comedy – I would have to put myself into a mindset of being able to laugh at the same jokes day after day. On ADW2 it’s the same thing, but instead of laughter it has been tears. After watching what children are being put through as a result of our countries dated and corrupted laws it’s hard for anyone to argue that things should stay the same.
Paranoid Magazine: How can folks learn more aout ADW2? KB:www.AmericanDrugWar2.com From there you can find links to buy tickets for the Austin screening preorder the film on ITUNES.
Paranoid Magazine: Thanks again Kevin I will see you June 6th at The Alamo Draftouse at 7pm for the screening. KB:Thanks Russell – it’s always a pleasure…. And again you can preorder AMERICAN DRUG WAR 2: Cannabis Destiny right now on ITUNES and your readers are reminded to please come to the Austin Premier Presented by Brave New Books Thursday, June 06 7:00pm - 8:55pm in Austin, TX at Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane $10.00 General American Drug War is available on NETFLIX.
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The Life After Death Project Has Forrest J Ackerman Communicated From the Great Beyond? By Lee Speigel When Forrest J Ackerman was alive, he’d scoff at anyone who would claim they could speak to the dead. Now that he’s dead, some people say he’s speaking from the Great Beyond. Ackerman, who passed away in 2008, is a legend in the sci-fi community, for, among other things, coining the phrase “sci-fi.” Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Peter Jackson were among the avid readers of his influential Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine. He was also co-creator of the popular comic
book superheroine Vampirella. Ackerman was a skeptic in the supernatural. But now, some of his followers believe this dead man is trying to make contact with them. It all started shortly after his death, when an odd ink blot mysteriously appeared on a sheet of paper at the home of his friend, filmmaker Paul Davids. Davids had printed out the paper that included a list of business meetings. The ink on the paper was completely dry as he left the room. When he returned, he discovered a black ink blot had somehow covered a group of words, “Spoke to Joe Amodei.” “I had no idea why these particular words were blacked out,” Davids told The Huffington Post. “It made no sense to me until later, when I was researching Forry’s editorial style and I found lots of examples of where he blacked out words so completely. I have found 15 examples of where Forry found a name within a name or a word within a word as
being a hidden word to make a pun or a point out of it.” Davids believes this was the first in a series of unexplained instances where Ackerman was trying to communicate with him. He eventually involved several university scientists to try to explain these phenomena explored in “The Life After Death Project,” a documentary that premiered recently on the Syfy channel. Some might claim Davids’ work is more akin to the Syfy channel’s fantasy-based programming, perhaps during hour 72 of a “Twilight Zone” marathon. But Davids is dead serious. “I first met Forry in 1964 and we were friends for more than 40 years,” said Davids, producerdirector of “The Life After Death Project.” “Forry professed total skepticism and atheism. He had zero belief in the paranormal, didn’t believe there was an afterlife, certainly didn’t believe in God and didn’t subscribe to any religion.” When Davids experienced the ink blot episode in 2009, it led him on a quest to determine if Ackerman’s spirit was somehow responsible. “I felt what had happened was impossible. There was no one in the house but me, I hadn’t done it, how could it have happened?” Davids had the ink stain examined by Jay Siegel, chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Indiana. “I’ve been practicing chemistry over 30 years, and when you learn science, you learn to be skeptical of things. You learn to require data and evidence in order to make statements and conclusions that you can rely on,” Siegel discusses in the documentary. “Sometimes there are circumstances which simply can’t be explained by your five senses or by all of the tools of science, and I think there are some aspects of that in this situation that give one pause. I would say disturbing, a bit, only because I’m a scientist.” The strange ink blot was also examined by John Allison, a chemistry professor and expert on inks, paints and solvents at The College of New Jersey. “How it was created in such a uniform way, we haven’t been able to reproduce that,” Allison said of his
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analysis. “I don’t know how to recreate this. I couldn’t do it. In forensics, you try to find explanations, and we usually don’t resort to interactions or intervention from someone from beyond the grave, but I can’t rule that out.” Was it the spirit of Ackerman that somehow added the unexplained ink to the document, as a way of making his presence known? The whole idea of life after death and the question of whether humans survive physical death is one of those ageless and controversial topics that’s difficult to know for certain. We’ve all heard stories of ghostly encounters with entities that are claimed to be restless spirits. But is it proof that our consciousness or spirit continues to live after the body gives out? At the University of Arizona, Gary Schwartz directs the Laboratory For Advances In Consciousness And Health. After 15 years investigating the possibility of life after death, he’s working on ways of developing actual scientific tools that could herald a breakthrough in communications between the living and the dead. That’s a big leap, and one that skeptics and debunkers of the subject will undoubtedly sink their teeth into. “First of all, anyone who will discount physical evidence that has been independently evaluated by forensic experts, or who will dismiss research mediums, conducted under conditions that rule out fraud and cold reading -- anyone who discounts evidence using state of the art technology under controlled conditions is essentially anti-science. That is just biased dismissal of real data,” Schwartz -- formerly on the faculties of Harvard and Yale, and currently a professor of psychology, medicine, neurology, psychiatry and surgery -- told HuffPost. Schwartz has experimented with something called the Silicon Photomultiplier System, technology that detects single photons of light in pitch black. “It’s used in biomedical imaging and in biochemistry devices. The system is placed within a box, within a box, within a box, so it’s truly light-tight. “Then what you do is invite specific spirits -- I affectionately refer to them as departed hypothesized co-investigators -- and you look to see whether the number of photons counted,
per unit period of time, is greater when a spirit is invited into the chamber versus controls, and that’s what we found.” Schwartz explained that they increased the control part of the experiments by setting up a sophisticated automated program that ran the system at night when no one was in the laboratory. “At four o’clock in the afternoon, the experimenter would read a standard script which would speak to [invited spirits], letting them know that the experiment would be running in the lab and asking them to follow instructions on the large computer screen: ‘Please show up at the laboratory at 11 o’clock at night. Thank you very much. I’ll pick up the data in the morning.’” The researchers did this many times over many nights. “Much to my amazement, sure enough, the data clearly indicated that there was increased structure -- patterns of light -- in the spirit-present trials compared to the pre-baselines or the post-baselines.” In 2011, Schwartz submitted a paper to the scientific journal Explore, where “it was peer-reviewed and critically analyzed and it passed muster. And so the question is how do you explain those data?” Schwartz is featured in Davids’ “The Life After Death Project,” and believes the evidence presented in it strongly suggests that Ackerman’s spirit is still “alive and well.” “This isn’t just honoring the life of Ackerman, but it’s the firstever collection of evidence from a single, formerly physical person ever chronicled with the totality of the evidence as convincing as any single case I’ve ever heard of in the history of this work.”
“Jack Jaxon and the True Spirit of Austin” by Mack White music. A lot them were from the old Armadillo days, people like artist Jim Franklin. It was great to see them all alive and kicking, still making Austin a better place. “The true spirit of Austin still lives here!” I exclaimed. After listening to the music and talking to a few people (my old friend, cartoonist Sam Hurt was there), SMiles and I went into the museum to tour the Jack Jackson exhibit. There were a great many pieces in the exhibit I hadn’t seen, starting with Jack’s psychedelic early work (this included some classic posters produced under his art direction with the Family Dog back in San Francisco days) and culminating with his more realistic Texas History work. I was particularly struck by a series of poster-size prints of Great Indians: Sacajawea, Chief Joseph, Sitting Bull, Quannah Parker. Beautiful ink work printed on tan paper, powerful art that I highly recommend as a must-see ... There was also a wall of biographical information about Jack, which I was surprised and honored to see included a short piece about Jack I wrote for the Austin Chronicle several years ago framed and hanging on the wall …
Austin Artist Jack Johnson I don’t often make it into Austin these days, and when I do I get a bad case of future shock, so changed is Austin now. The sight of the condos on Town Lake alone causes me to hyperventilate. (I refuse to call the lake by its new name, Lady Bird Lake.) I want the old Austin back, the sleepy little hippie town I knew long ago. I want nothing to do with the crowded, frenzied, over-developed horror Austin has become. Thus, I generally do not wander far from the Radio Ranch, and am happy to remain here where there’s no traffic or tall buildings, enjoying the peaceful solitude and safe routine of my art studio with a sunset view. But I can’t stay here all the time. Most of my friends live in Austin and it’s good to see them face-to-face now and then (not just on Facebook) as well as do something un-routine. So, recently I accepted the invitation from my friend SMiles Lewis to do our PsiOp Radio show at his place in South Austin, rather than by Skype, and afterwards attend
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the opening of the Jack Jackson exhibit at the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture. I haven’t spent much time in South Austin in recent years and was happy to discover it is not too different from when I lived there several years ago. There are not as many new buildings as downtown and the atmosphere is still pleasant. South Austin has not lost its soul. This is particularly the case at the South Austin Museum, which is located on South Lamar in the same building as Planet K. I hadn’t been there in a long time and was surprised to see the area in back has been turned into a party space, with a big old art car permanently parked there, psychedelic paintings on the fence, and a great Kerry Awn mural of iconic Austin comic strip characters: Wonder Wart Hog, the Fabulous Freak Brothers, Eyebeam, Too Much Coffee Man, Opus). There’s also a long section of fence devoted to a Memorial Wall of legendary Austinites, my old friend Jack Jackson being one of them. A live band was playing on the stage in front of the mural, and there were a great many people there, drinking wine and beer and enjoying the
Seeing that caused me to think about the strangeness of time, remembering the 70s when I first came to Austin, a small-town boy with a sketchbook full of crude drawings, ambitious to make comic art. Jack was a hero of mine and seemed Olympian and distant in his
greatness—therefore what a wonderful thing, years later, to become his friend.
Earlier in the afternoon, I had been complaining to SMiles about 21st century Austin—the condos, etc.—and now, just as were about to leave, SMiles nudged me and pointed to a small framed piece on the wall I had missed. It was a Jack Jackson cartoon of Town Lake walled in on both sides by condos. Jack drew it in 1982 long before the first condo was built. I had to laugh. All those years ago, Jack foresaw it all …
Mack White
“After Hours with Kevin Booth” by Russell Dowden This is the third Interview with Kevin Booth in my publications in the last 7 years.
It’s all funny to me how this is trending right now on YouTube. I don’t know how this all got started. I just know that Hadley and Miles Lewis and I would joke about these things back in 2001.
And though he keeps promising me he’ll do a radio interview with me, It’s always fun to talk to Kevin. Here is the after hours session of our interview. I ask Kevin about Bill Hicks, Drugs, UFOs, Austin culture in the 1980s and more.
So. You are friends with Alex and was childhoods friends with Bill.
Paranoid Magazine: OK Kevin, I have to know .... Like what is all this hype about how Bill Hicks is Alex Jones now? I mean this is funny because when I worked for Alex last year I told Alex that a bunch of us in South Austin years ago, like in 2001, would say how some of Bills mannerisms and things that reminded us of Bill were showing up in Alex Jones. ( I mentioned this to Alex casually). He and I laughed about this and didn’t talk much about it. My friends and I we never espoused that Bill was Alex. Just that Bill “Went Into” Alex.
What do you make of all this crazy BS trending on YouTube and Google about ALEX is BILL? KB: Just last week I was working with this somewhat conservative upscale social networking expert for some ADW2 screenings in Florida. A state that is not exactly 420 friendly. This woman who has no idea of who Bill or Alex is contacts me in a bit of a panic. She points out some guy on an Anti Drug War group who is claiming that I’m a CIA ambulance chasing sock puppet shill secretly working with Alex Jones to destroy cannabis. I don’t consider myself to be a highly confrontational guy so the idea of some complete stranger talking about me all crazy was a bit shocking. I started clicking his links and as a result on YouTube I search “Bill Hicks is Alex Jones” and bamm. Does this mean I finally am somebody? (the Jerk), I finally have totally crazy delusional people accusing me of things that
I could only wish were true, due to the grandiose nature of the accusations. Some random guy is accusing me of staging the video of Alex Jones getting kicked out of the George Bush speech before he was president. Following this guys logic, that would mean that I had to hire George Bush to play along. It’s even funnier to me because I only sold about 50 VHS tapes of that. Seriously though I can’t totally put my finger on the exact idea. Do people think Bill never died and had plastic surgery? or is there some sort of metaphysical transformation in which Bill became Alex?
Paranoid Magazine: Ya. It’s all-stupid, they were on Earth at the same time. LOL Paranoid Magazine: Early in the 1990’s I think it was the tragedy in Waco that woke me up as a young man. I knew then that I couldn’t trust my government. Didn’t you and Bill Hicks do some filming in Waco in 93? I saw all your stuff on Public Access in Austin back in those days. KB: One huge thing Bill and I had in common was we were both news junkies. I remember watching the ATF - WACO siege over and over on the news when the phone rang and it was Bill saying “You think-
ing what I’m thinking?” I said “If your thinking – when will we ever get another chance to wittiness a guitar player who couldn’t make it in Hollywood with a messiah complex – start a cult – arm himself -get in a shoot out with the federal government, happening only a few hours away from Austin?” I said that was exactly what I was thinking. Bill flew to town and we made fake press passes and heading to Waco with the little camcorder I has just bought. Bill drove like a bat out of hell in circles until we found a way via all the little farm roads that got us right up on the side of the massive press pool. We hit this one DPS checkpoint and the officer asked Bill - if we were with the press? and Bill without thinking said no. We drove less than 500 feet down the road while the officers watched us arguing, then we turned around and said. “Oh yeah we are with the press – we forgot – here is our passes”. The officer scratched his head and let us by. Back in the days right after Bill passed, many people would watch the footage and think that Bill was implying that the Davidians deserved what they got, but you have to remember that we filmed on the 7th day of the siege – long before it burned to the ground. Bill was mortified when he saw the tape of the flamethrower shooting fire from the tank as it backed out after punching a hole in the compound. Until seeing that tape, Bill considered talking about the Kennedy assassination as being “conspiratorial”. If I had to pin point one single moment that pointed Bill towards more political material, it would have to be that tape. Soon the WACO massacre became a centerpiece of his material and if anyone in the audience doubted Bill, he would actual make sure that person had a chance to see the tape.
Paranoid Magazine: Austin was something in the 1990s. Access Television really had an influence on people as a medium.
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Austin was smaller in those days Kevin. What do you remember about Austin from the 90’s. Dave Pruitt, Old Bitty, Ray Muniz Project UFO, Alex, Chris Athenas, George Humphrey ...... How important was your experience in Austin Access looking back on your career? KB: The 90’s? Try the 80’s - Like an idiot I dropped out of U.T. when my band Year Zero signed a deal with Chrysalis records. Six years of school – first trying to be an electrical engineer then to my parents total disappointment R.T.F. sorry mom sorry dad – you were right! In all reality, I learned more up at Austin Access TV about production then I ever did in school. In the 80’s ACTV was more about rock and roll, comedy and people using it to try to make themselves famous. Its not until you leave Austin that you realize that other places don’t have such a hunger for government conspiracy and such a amazing line-up of characters like Chris Athenas, George Humphrey, and Alex Jones. To me one of the charming memories of ACTV was the somewhat mean spirited competitive vibe between rival shows. You had the Backroom (Hard Rock club on Riverside) guys like Dave Pruitt who really put in the work to create more then a show, but almost like a record label with so many original recordings of bands.
Then you had this new breed of guys talking about this strange new concept “The New World Order” – but all of them were competing for air-time, popularity and everything else real TV shows compete for.
I don’t know maybe it was the water, but Austin in those days especially ACTV was the eye of the storm for a new breed of conspiracy minded heavy weights.
“After Hours with Kevin Booth” by Russell Dowden
Paranoid Magazine: Back in those days in the early 1990s, there was no cell phones, no internet, no YouTube. So watching live access TV and calling in on it was a fun way to spend a Tuesday or Wednesday night. But hey wait Ninja Bachelor Party is on! KB: Years before Sacred Cow ever had a web-site we had a TV series and a P.O. Box. We where limited to the Austin area, but without the internet we had the only game in town for total alternative programming. Yes Ninja Bachelor Party – its one of those things that will live on in my memory forever. Also working with our friend David Johndrow the part that will always get me teary eyed till the day I die is the opening breakfast scene. Bill Hicks voicing over my parents telling me to get a job. Still keeps me up at night.
Paranoid Magazine: What do you miss about Bill Hicks looking back now Kevin? What is a fond memory? KB:I have not had many best friends; I’m actually a bit of a loner. Right after Bill passed away as tragic as it was – it seemed like a somewhat normal situation. But when Bill started getting more famous and I found myself claim-
ing we were best friends during interviews it kind of became this other thing. Bill has been gone almost 20 years now and most of the current Hicks fans were just little kids when he passed away. I think the one thing I miss the most was his hopeful nature. I see and read posts of so many of the new Hick’s fans and they have all of Bill’s opinions and views down to a T, but it makes me sad that so many of them seem to hang their resentments and frustrations on Bill as this sacred deity. I miss Bill being able to shock those people, I miss Bill pissing off the people who considered themselves totally open minded enough to claim being Hick’s fans. Maybe it’s the whole Jesus factor. This breed of person usually remembers Bill in the image that is how they fantasize themselves as being. The exact same kinds of people that claim to be big Bill fans are often the same types who when Bill was alive used to give the thumbs down when Bill became “too misogynistic”, or “too righteous”. I’m sure this same concept applies to many artists who pass away, but Bill being so controversial and so young makes him the perfect “Dead Hero” for an entire new generation of young guys who are rightfully so unhappy with the world, but don’t yet know how to express themselves. This is not necessary a bad thing, but it makes me miss Bill.
Harmonic Convergence – summer of 1987. We each took about 5 dried grahams of mushrooms and Bill and I had an extended experience of entering a spaceship and communicating with beings of light from another dimension. We tripped often, this was different, and this was tangible. We spent hours comparing notes on exactly what happened and it became the single event that gave birth to Bill’s UFO material. “Agent of Evolution” by Kevin Booth & Michael Bertin – Harper Collins UK.
My fondest memories of Bill? the simple things. Eating the #5 at El Azteca, jamming on a new riff, checking out the new talent at the Midnight Cowboy. Is that still there? Was her name really Yoko?
We each took about 5 dried grahams of mushrooms and Bill and I had an extended experience of entering a spaceship and communicating with beings of light from another dimension. We tripped often, this was different, and this was tangible. We spent hours comparing notes on exactly what happened and it became the single event that gave birth to Bill’s UFO material.
Paranoid Magazine: Bill said he saw UFOs. Were you with him when the UFOs came down from the sky and made peace?
Paranoid Magazine: Don’t get me wrong I’ve seen UFOs too, and I’ve done my fair share of Acid in the 80’s and 90’s.
KB:Yeah its one of those things that I go back and forth on in regards to wishing I had never said anything to wishing I could do a better job of explaining it. I don’t think many people in the states even know that I have a book out in England. For the book I really tried to get the whole UFO story out once and for all. I even went to hypnotism to try to dig deep. Long story short – It was during the
But, I love Bills bit about your brain on drugs, and the fried egg in the pan. Those commercials from the 80’s pushed by Nancy Regan. Then he says the following commercial “This Buds for You” It’s ok to drink your drug, we meant those other drugs, those un-taxed drugs. Those are the
ones that are bad for you. Nicotine, Alcohol, Taxable drugs, those are good for you. Great stuff then. Marijuana should be legalized. In fact mandatory! Lol Great material. I think Bill would be proud of your films Kevin. KB: I used to fear that Hick fans would think I was just ridding on Bill’s coattails by doing films about drug legalization, But I did have a true epiphany along the way while working on the first American Drug War. This realization was one of the reasons I moved to Los Angeles to take a break from Austin. Plus if your going to do a film about the drug war in the states you should at least start in LA or NYC or Miami.
Paranoid Magazine: I loved Bills Hicks music, songs like Smokes was a pretty melodic guitar song, and of course Chicks Dig Jerks. Do you have copies of the music still? KB:Yeah – I have the masters to everything I ever recorded. On the day Ray Manzarek passed away I went onto You Tube and was happy to find that all of the MARBLE HEAD JOHNSON songs I did with Bill are all available. The reason I mention Ray is that we did a song called “Lay of the Land” that also featured my older brother Curt who passed away only a few years after Bill. Curt was doing his tribute to Ray Manzarek on the track that was our version of the Doors “the End” but written during the opining salvo of the first Iraq war. Also my former drummer from Year Zero – Pat Brown plays on the track.
Is there anything that focuses on Paranormal, Art, Culture, Conspiracy, Rock n Roll out there? KB:Its Hollywood, so yes there is everything you can imagine, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be a success if done correctly. I know people living in Texas love to think the rest of the world loves everything about Texas, believe me I lived in Texas for “COUGH” a long time, but when you come to Hollywood you realize that this is a town of every man for himself and although they do recognize SXSW and Austin City Limits, its not really any bigger then any of the millions of other things to choose from. I guess the point I’m trying to make. Just keep it about the conspiracies. I also think Alex Jones could be a lot bigger out here then he is, so yes I think there is a big market for your brand here.
Paranoid Magazine: Thanks Kevin I will be sure to say hi when I get out to LA this summer! KB: Wish I was still growing weed, But I bet we will find something to do Russell.
Paranoid Magazine: This issue is my 105th magazine Kevin. I call it fringe publishing. The LA market has got to be full of fringe magazines.
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Texans unaware of how legislation works. by Karli Duran
76% of adults in Texan support medicinal marijuana, so why doesn’t Texas have medicinal marijuana for our sick citizens? Texas politicians make more money keeping it illegal keeping marijuana laws strict and private prisons filled. Unfortunately when George W. Bush was Governor of Texas he made it basically impossible for Texas to ever be an I&R platform state, meaning Texas CANNOT petition to have a law put on our state ballot like California, Colorado, and Washington, but we can call, write, and educate our legislators.
Many Texans are unaware of how our legislation here in our home state works. Many Texans are unaware of how our legislation here in our home state works, and how little our voices are really heard when discussing the importance of decriminalizing and/ or fully legalizing cannabis in Texas. I still get amazed at the ignorance within the political system in Texas when talking about the advantages of a regulated cannabis market and the disadvantages of keeping cannabis illegal, but the ignorance is not only seething from the legislators, some citizens are still unaware of the damages of keeping cannabis illegal in our
state… emotionally, financially, and economically… for all Texans, not just the ones who chose to consume cannabis. Tax payers are paying over $10,000 for every marijuana arrest in Texas, and the US spends about $7 billion annually to prosecute marijuana offenders. According to statistics, 78,000 people were arrested in Texas in 2011, and 97% of those arrests were for simple possession, and 40% of all marijuana arrest in Texas are young adults under 21 years old. When a young adult is arrested for choosing to use cannabis over something like the acceptable and much more dangerous use of alcohol, they are marked with a criminal record before some of them even start their future and that’s not the worst of the consequences.
They also face jail time, loss of scholarships and loss of financial aid. So are we helping our state, our citizens, and our youth by punishing them for using an herb that research has proven does far less harm to an individual than any other illicit drug in the world? Making the laws tougher for marijuana offenders or enforcing laws that harm our society, kids, and pay checks is just not logical. America spends more money on state prisons filled with non-violent drug offenders than we do on education. That’s right America, keep your people so uneducated that they are too dumb to do the basic math. Over 70,000 people have been killed in Mexico’s drug war since 2006, a war that American’s fuel because our federal government fails to change the outdated laws of marijuana use, and many of those killings are very close to home when you live in South Texas. The Drug War is literally bleeding into Texas border towns, as a result of the cartels fighting to get their drugs into the ever so demanding needs of American’s hands. Texas alone would save almost $800,000 million annually by ending marijuana arrests, and Texas actually passed a law (HB 2391) in 2007 allowing all law enforcement in Texas the option of arresting a person caught with 4oz or less of marijuana. Although, this law does not change the fine charges or possible jail time if found guilty, it can save our state millions if
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enforced.
America spends more money on state prisons filled with nonviolent drug offenders than we do on education. That’s right America, keep your people so uneducated that they are too dumb to do the basic math.
We can get registered to vote and vote out the politicians that still quote lies and propaganda regarding marijuana. We can create state wide city petitions to enforce HB 2391 and ask our city and county governments to work with their citizens for the best outcome of the people and state. We can make a difference, but unless we do something to fight and change the law, unless we change how we allow to be heard in our state, and unless we stop waiting for someone else to make the changes instead of ourselves, Texan will remain one of the toughest states when it comes to marijuana laws, and we will continue destroying lives, wasting tax dollars, and contributing to each death statistic of the failed Drug War.
Karli Duran is the Director of the San Antonio Chapter of NORML and can be reached online at: http:// www.sanorml.org/ or viua emal at 420@sanorml.org
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