It's unfortunate that Art Bell is no longer a host on Coast to Coast AM. I first started to pick up this radio talk show, revolving primarily around the paranormal, the occult, ghosts, UFOS, Bigfoot, spirituality, and so on in 1998. By scanning the Wikipedia article on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Bell, I was reminded of his meteoric nature, his instability, as opposed to those who are reliable, who do the 90% of life that is showing up, who do what they're supposed to. I heard his repeated retirements and comebacks, his life changes in real time, or close to real time. Despite his flakiness, though, and his occasional lack of background in subject matter, he was fantastically eccentric and riveting. His sarcasm was refreshing; for example, when someone would call in and say "Are you the screener?" (not realizing the calls routed straight through to Art), he might reply, "If you could speak to Art, what would you say to him?" or I'm the only one here." The show had a chaotically unpredictable nature then; you might hear the sounds of hell, or an abductee claiming he saw Ted Kennedy on a flying saucer (the guest, apparently drunk, was kicked off the show after an hour or so). A line dedicated to time travelers might open up. Then there were the shows with the "backmasking" guy, and the ensuing falling-out he had with Art. Just the image of the host sitting in the midst of the wild empty spaces, broadcasting, was magical in itself.
Ah well, maybe he'll return...
If you could speak to Art, what would you say to him?
"Please return"
ReplyDeleteThe Wiki piece was a good read.