Some Other Sphere

Episode 77 - Matt Frederick - A Meeting at The Crossroads: Robert Johnson and The Devil

Joining me for this episode is returning guest Matt Frederick, who first appeared on Some Other Sphere back in 2019, in the early days of the podcast. This time around we’re discussing his new book, A Meeting at The Crossroads: Robert Johnson and The Devil, which explores one of Blues musics best known legends, that the musician Robert Johnson made a pact with the Devil for talent and fortune, and not long after met his demise in 1939, at the age of just twenty-seven.
In the interview we talk about the numerous factors which combined, or existed at the same time to birth the legend; the creativity and spirituality of the Blues; the rich traditions and folklore of the Deep South, the real-world dangers facing travelling Black musicians in the 1930’s and the mythic reputation that could be attained from that kind of life.
For more details on how to get hold of Matt's excellent book, along with information on his radio and DJ work go to https://www.mattfrederick.info/.
If you would like to support the podcast with a donation you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 76 - Eli Lewis-Lycett - The Local Mythstorian

My guest for this episode is Eli Lewis-Lycett.
Eli is a historian, researcher and writer from the Northwest Midlands of England who in 2020 started the Local Mythstorian project, a blog in which he delves into the legends and history of that area, which covers parts of Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. In his research he digs deep into historical records to find the connections between fact and myth, and how those things have influenced each other and been preserved through the local communities that retain a memory of events from the deep past.
In the interview we talk about his approach in more detail, and some examples of where it has yielded fascinating results. Headless Horsemen, Arthurian legends and teleporting witches all feature in what was a really fun conversation.
To visit the Local Mythstorian website and read more about Eli's research go to https://thelocalmythstorian.com/home. 
If you would like to support Some Other Sphere you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 75 - Richard Daniels - The Occultaria of Albion

For this episode I’m joined by writer, performer and podcaster Richard Daniels.
Richard is the creator of the Occultaria of Albion, a part work zine and podcast series that explores a wide range of strange goings on in locations that feel familiar but exist in an alternate England, just beyond the horizon of the one we know about.  He describes it as ‘a world designed by torch and moonlight, dedicated to revealing the truth about the paranormal’.
In the interview we start by talking about how the Occultaria came into being, the way that it explores the nature of the paranormal though a fictional lens and the insights gained by doing that.  We go on to discuss ghosts, urban legends, conspiracy theories, UFOs and the weird charisma of electricity pylons, to name just a few things. 
For more information on the Occultaria of Albion go to https://www.occultariaofalbion.com/.
You can support Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.
 

Episode 74 - Kate Cherrell - Burials and Beyond

My guest for this episode is Kate Cherrell. Kate is a writer, editor and creator of the excellent Burials & Beyond blog, which she describes as being about "life, death and the weird bits in-between".
She has a keen enthusiasm for cemeteries, unusual graves, death history, miserable Victorians, and the paranormal, all of which shines though in her writing.
In the interview we start by talking about how she got interested in these subjects, and what makes cemeteries and graveyards such fascinating places. Later on we discuss the origins of the Spiritualist movement in Britain, it’s influence on mediumship in more recent times, and how these practices are depicted in pop culture.
The Burials & Beyond Blog can be found at https://burialsandbeyond.com/.
If you'd like to support Some Other Sphere, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub', by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 73 - Caz Clarke - The Pentyrch UFO Incident

In this episode, I talk with Caz Clarke, who was a first-hand witness to a spectacular UFO that appeared near where she lived in the small village of Pentyrch, South Wales, in February 2016.
What has come to be known as the Pentyrch UFO incident was preceded by days of unusual aircraft activity in the area and escalated into what can really only be described as a full scale military operation to intercept the mysterious interloper, actions which resulted in reports of an explosion some miles away and evidence of damage to woodland in that area.
The explanation as to the nature of these events that was provided from official channels is short on detail and does not correspond with witness testimony. Added that that, there was suspicious activity reported in the area afterwards that seems directly connected to the incident and again the rationale given for this is left somewhat wanting.
All in all this is a fascinating case. In the interview I talk with Caz in detail about what happened, the investigation she is still working hard on to get a full explanation of those events, and the implications of the incident itself and how it was handled by those in authority.  
More information the the Pentyrch UFO incident can be found at http://www.thepentyrchincident.com/.
If you would like to support Some Other Sphere you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 72 - Travis Watson - Phantom Black Dogs

Welcome to the first episode of 2022! My guest is author Travis Watson, who joined me to talk about his recent book –  Phantom Black Dogs: Walkers of the Liminal Way. Travis writes both fiction and non-fiction under the name W.T. Watson and has long been fascinated by the paranormal.
In the interview we talk about what first interested him in the subject of Phantom Black Dogs, what he feels can be considered such a creature, the keys aspects of encounters with these entities, and the cultural and folkloric history of the phenomenon, which stretches from Ancient Egypt to Skinwalker Ranch.
Travis can be found on social media at:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/WTWatson2
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/curunir60/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/blackdog60
If you would like to support Some Other Sphere you can do this via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 71 - AP Strange - Christmas Weirdness and Festive Forteana

Welcome dear listener to the Some Other Sphere Christmas Special! My guest is paranormal researcher Matt Hopewell, aka AP Strange, who returned for his third visit to Sphere HQ.
In the interview we discuss a range of Yuletide topics – some that have a familiar association with the festive season such as Santa Claus and others that don’t at first glance – for example, Vampires.
Matt recommends some of his favourite Christmas movies, educates us with an interesting seasonal factoid and relates some of his ideas about the secret occult meaning of some TV Holiday specials.
To visit Matt's blog go to https://www.apstrange.com/. He can also be found on Twitter (@AProdigiosus).
If you would like to support support Some Other Sphere you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
The Gemini 6 Clip is from Wikipedia and 'A Christmas Carol' by Tom Lehrer is from https://tomlehrersongs.com/.
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn & Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 70 - Genevieve Gornichec - The Witch‘s Heart

My guest for this episode is author Genevieve Gornichec, who joined me talk about her recent novel the Witch’s Heart, a story set in the time of the ancient Norse myths and centered around the enigmatic witch Angrboda, who is crucial to the cataclysmic events of Ragnarok but only features briefly in the narrative we know from the Prose and Poetic Eddas.
In the interview I talk with Genevieve about how she re-imagined Angrboda from her traditional counterpart and focused on some of the lesser-known characters from Norse mythology when telling her story.
We also discussed the insights that can be gained into the nature of gods and supernatural beings from writing a story about them and exploring their ontology through the imagination and how that might help us understand the paranormal experiences and high strangeness reported across the world in more modern times.
For more information on Genevieve and The Witch's Heart go to https://genevievegornichec.com/.
You can support Some Other Sphere with a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
The first reading is from the Witch's Heart. The second reading is adapted from the Prose Edda and taken from a blog post on https://www.asgard.scot/. The music in both readings is 'Nordic Flute' by Gertraut Hecher and available on https://freesound.org/ .
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub by Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn.

Episode 69 - Paolo Sammut - Hauntings, Experience and Paranormal Investigation

My guest for this episode is Paolo Sammut. Paolo is a paranormal researcher, who practices a low tech approach when visiting haunted locations, where the experience is key in exploring unusual phenomena and methods such as psychic questing and techniques from systems of magic are used as part of the investigation.
Prior to the interview he sent me an essay he has written, which discusses his methodology in more detail and is the focus of our conversation. 
It was a fun and wide-ranging chat, exploring the nature of ghosts and hauntings, the value and meaning of such happenings and some of the unusual experiences Paolo has had whilst investigating the paranormal. We also talked a little about the Secret Lines of London project (@secretloLondon), which he started recently with the aim of helping people explore more of the city's esoteric history.
Paolo can be found on Twitter (@PaoloSammut) and also has his own blog, Liminal Whispers (https://www.liminalwhispers.com/).
If you'd like to support Some Other Sphere, you can do so via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee, please go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Sphere theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey.
 

Episode 68 - Douglas Batchelor - Practicing Magic

My guest for this episode is Douglas Batchelor. Douglas is a practicing magician and creator of the ‘What Magic is this?’ podcast where he discusses and explores a range of occult and Fortean topics with curious friends and guests. It’s both informative, engaging and fun -  listening to an episode feels like being part of laid back but enthusiastic tutorial on the esoteric.
In the interview I talk with Douglas about the beginnings of his interest in magic, and how his practice of it has changed and evolved as time has gone on.  We also talked about some of the magical traditions that have been part of that and the cultures they came from, as well as some unusual experiences he has had whilst honing his craft.
You can find Doug's podcast and blog at https://whatmagicisthis.com/
If you enjoy listening to Some Other Sphere, you can support it via Ko-fi at https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!
 
The Some Other Theme is from Purple Planet Music - 'Hubbub' by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey,