MonsterTalk

Last updated
MonsterTalk
MonsterTalk.png
Presentation
Hosted byBlake Smith
Karen Stollznow
Genre Science, interview
Created byBlake Smith
LanguageEnglish
Length45–80 minutes
Production
ProductionBlake Smith
Publication
Original releaseJuly 2, 2009 (2009-07-02)
ProviderMonster House, LLC
Related
Website https://www.monstertalk.org/

MonsterTalk is an audio podcast originally presented by the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine but broke ties in 2019. Since 2019 it has been an independent podcast under the "Monster House, LLC" banner. [1] [2] The show critically examines the science behind cryptozoological creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. It is hosted by Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow, and produced by Blake Smith. [3] In 2012, MonsterTalk was awarded the Parsec Award for the "Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast". [4]

Contents

History

The first episode was released on July 2, 2009, and featured an interview with NYU Professor Todd Disotell about the attempted use of DNA evidence in cryptozoologists' search for Bigfoot. [5]

MonsterTalk interviews scientists and investigators that research cryptozoological claims. The show has covered an extensive array of monsters and cryptids, including zombies, [6] demons, [7] [8] ninjas, [9] the Mothman, [10] Cthulhu, [11] the Skookum cast, [12] the Patterson–Gimlin film., [13] the Minnesota Iceman, [14] the Chupacabra; [2] and extinct animals such as pterosaurs, [15] plesiosaurs, [16] and the thylacine. [17]

Guests of the show have included Phil Plait, [18] Professor PZ Myers, [11] Steven Novella, [19] magician James Randi, [20] author Brian Regal, [21] writer and illustrator Daniel Loxton, [22] and investigator Joe Nickell. [10]

In the media

In 2011, Curt Holman conducted an interview with MonsterTalk's producer, Blake Smith, for an article in Creative Loafing . [23] Ghostly Talk radio interviewed the Monster Talk crew in 2009. [24] Blake Smith and Karen Stollznow were also interviewed on the podcast/radio show Skeptically Speaking on May 7, 2010. [25] MonsterTalk is rebroadcast on WPRR in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [26]

Co-host Blake Smith speaking in March 2018 Blake Smith Marietta GA 20180306.jpg
Co-host Blake Smith speaking in March 2018

Awards

MonsterTalk was nominated for a Parsec Award in 2010 [27] and again in 2011. [28]

MonsterTalk won the 2012 Parsec Award for "Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast", for programs that "explore the facts that influence the fictions—the science, history, culture, and mythology that inspire these stories." [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

Karl Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist and author. He lives in the Midlands, England, where he works as a zoological consultant and writer. A columnist in Fortean Times and contributor to various magazines, Shuker is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cryptozoology, which began in November 2012.

The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was co-founded by Michael Shermer and Pat Linse as a Los Angeles-area skeptical group to replace the defunct Southern California Skeptics. After the success of its Skeptic magazine, introduced in early 1992, it became a national and then international organization. Their stated mission "is the investigation of science and pseudoscience controversies, and the promotion of critical thinking."

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The Skookum cast is a plaster cast showing the imprint of what appears to be a large animal. It was discovered in a muddy wallow near Mount Adams in the southern part of Washington state in the year 2000. Enthusiasts have argued that the imprint may have been made by the mythical creature, Bigfoot, though scientific analysis says it was most likely an imprint of an elk. Scholars and academics consider Bigfoot, and alleged evidence, to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, and hoax rather than a living animal.

Loren Coleman is an American cryptozoologist who has written over 40 books on a number of topics, including the pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Stollznow</span> Australian-American skeptic (born 1976)

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References

  1. "Monster Talk". Skeptic Magazine. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  2. 1 2 Ross-Flanigan, Nancy (October 29, 2010). "Scary chupacabras monster is as much victim as villain". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on July 30, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  3. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Transcript for Bigfoot DNA". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  4. "2012 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists » Parsec Awards". www.parsecawards.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  5. "Bigfoot DNA". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. July 2, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  6. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for The Zombie Autopsies". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  7. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Demons, Ghosts and Gary Indiana". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  8. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Zombies, Cults, and Demons". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  9. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Unmasking the Ninja". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  10. 1 2 "Bringing Light to a Moth". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. May 26, 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  11. 1 2 "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Cthulhu Rises". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  12. "Is The Skookum Fair Dinkum?". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. March 16, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  13. "Anatomy of a Beast". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. July 27, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  14. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for The Iceman Goeth". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  15. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Dr. Dave Martill & Pterosaurs". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  16. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for The Plesiosaur Hypothesis". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  17. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Resurrecting the Extinct". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  18. "They Came From Outer Space!". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. December 9, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  19. "Getting into the Spirit of Things". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. March 3, 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  20. "The Columbus Poltergeist featuring James Randi". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. July 21, 2010. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  21. "Searching For Sasquatch". MonsterTalk. Skeptic Magazine. June 8, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  22. "Skeptic » Podcasts » MonsterTalk » Episode Notes for Return of the Revenge of the Son of the Bride of MonsterTalk". www.skeptic.com. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  23. "Blake Smith busts mythic beasts on MonsterTalk". Creative Loafing Atlanta. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  24. "Karen Stollznow, Ben Radford, and Blake Smith From Monster Talk Join Us. Carlisle Bergquist Explains 10 Billion Beats". Ghost Talk. 2009-09-13. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  25. Schell, Desiree (May 7, 2010). "#58 Cryptozoology 101". Skeptically Speaking. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  26. WPRR Program: MonsterTalk Public Reality Radio. accessed July 26, 2011.
  27. "MonsterTalk Podcast Celebrates Anniversary with Parsec Nomination", Skeptical Inquirer , vol. 34, no. 6, Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, p. 8, Nov–Dec 2010, archived from the original on 2012-10-12, retrieved July 28, 2011
  28. "2011 Parsec Award Nominees". Parsec Awards. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  29. "2012 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists". Parsec Awards. Retrieved September 5, 2012.