Happy Birthday little brother
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES
What has Corinna's column of Fortean bird news got to do with cryptozoology? Well, everything, actually!
In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that whereas the study of out-of-place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot or lake monsters, it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean zoologist to be interested in.
ITS WEDNESDAY AGAIN SAYS THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN
The Gonzo Daily: Wednesdayhttps://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/
THE NORMAL: Blah blah blah tenants, blah blah blah Boris Johnson, blah blah blah phylogeny of European mustelids, blah blah blah the rather excellent new album by the Raz Band, blah blah blah Immenentising the Eschatorn.
THE ABNORMAL: But you really should check out the new EP by Melanie S Jane. She writes:
"Hi I am Melanie, a singer, songwriter and also in the band Emerald Stone. I did my first solo performance at Wilders Bar on June 20th 2018 at Wilders Bar in Newcastle where Chat and Spin radio broadcast the whole evening live on internet radio."
Her record sounds wonderfully like what would happen if Kate Rusby met Syd barrett whilst falling down a rabbit hole. This lady will go far. Many thanks to Davey Curtis for pointing me in her direction.
Toodle-pip
YER EDITOR SEZ: THE DIGITAL PRAYER FLAG
You guys recently did massive amounts of praying for Corinna, and she now appears to be cancer free. I am convinced that these two things are related, with the outpouring of good vibes transmitted electronically, being a little like a Tibetan prayer flag. Having used it once to such good effect - I want to try it on a larger scale. I am still trying to work out the details, so watch this space.
Find out more:
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/p/a-prayer-flag-lung-ta-is-colourful.html
Blessed be.
ALL TODAY'S GONZO NEWS WOT'S FIT TO PRINT:
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_26.html
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/jon-anderson-news.html
JON ANDERSON NEWS
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-frank-zappa-colouring-book.html
THE FRANK ZAPPA COLOURING BOOK
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-gonzo-track-of-day-i-am-stretched.html
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: I Am Stretched On Your...
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/06/fairport-convention-upgrade-gigs.html
FAIRPORT CONVENTION UPGRADE GIGS
For those of you who are interested in such things, the Gonzo Privacy Policy is here:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/p/privacy-policy-this-privacy-policy.html
And the CFZ Privacy Policy is here:
http://tinyurl.com/y7b9rlog
And, yes,
http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/p/privacy-policy-this-privacy-policy.html
CHECK OUT THE GONZO STORES:
UK
http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/
US
http://www.gonzomultimedia.com
AND OTHER STUFF FEATURING VARIOUS GONZO CONTRIBUTORS:
Our webTV show:
https://www.facebook.com/OnTheTrack/posts/632561497117057
And if you fancy supporting it on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/CFZ
And by the way chaps and chappesses, a trip to the Jon Downes megastore may seem to be in order:
https://gonzotesting.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-notion-of-shopkeepers.html
Meanwhile I continue to pretend that I am a popstar, because now I have sold eight whole copies of my new album Coldharbour. If I continue at this rate I will get a silver disc sometime at the beginning of the next millenium. Coldharbour, by the way, can be found here: https://jondownes1.bandcamp.com/releases
I think it is really rather good, but then again I would say that wouldn't I?
AND THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE GONZO MAGAZINE:
Gonzo Weekly #343/4
THE STRANGEFOLK ISSUE
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/
This week we celebrate the return of the lovely Liz Lenten of Auburn, with a spectacular new slice of Americana. Doug is back with a look at Depeche Mode, Alan writes to Teresa May and Nicola Sturgeon, goes to see Baltic Crossing, and attends a Street Music Conference, Graham talks Hawkwind, while Jon eulogises Storm Chorus, and is bamboozled by Bob Dylan.
Hail Eris!
And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive AND Strange Fruit there is a columns from Kev Rowland, but Mr Biffo, C J Stone, and Roy Weard, Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna are on hiatus. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and potoroos who are fallen for a ruse (OK, nothing to do with tiny marsupials who are easily obfuscated, but I got carried away with things that rhymed with OOOOS) than you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!
This issue features:
Bob Dylan, Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, Storm Chorus, The Hollow Men, Rebecca Denniff, David Owen, The FLK, The Beatles, Brian Epstein, Glastonbury 2019, Extinction Rebellion, Joy Division, Miles Davis, Dr. John, The Who, Alan Dearling, Republic of Užupis, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Canterbury Sans Frontieres, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Enrico Nascimbeni, Paul "Lil Buck" Sinegal (born Paul Alton Senegal), Richard Stephen Shaw (aka Bushwick Bill), Spencer Ward Bohren, Chuck Glaser, Tre Da Kid (born Edward Montre Seay), André Coelho Matos, Sergio Augusto Bustamante, Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (aka Dr. John), Mikey Dees, Karlheinz Miklin, Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli KBE, Grande Ufficiale OMRI, Rick Wakeman, Arthur Brown, Gregg Kofi Brown, Norma Waterson feat. Richard Thompson, Martin Carthy, Danny Thompson and Eliza Carthy, Paice, Ashton & Lord, The Mitchell Trio inc. John Denver, Liz Lenten, Auburn, Thomm Jutz, Doug Harr, Depeche Mode, Street Music, Mykaell Riley, Tony Lidington aka Uncle Tacko, Kelvin Mason, Lotte Reimer, Sarha Moore, Vivian Doumpa, Gina Arnold, Chester Bingley, Kate Jones, MSFN Workshops, George McKay, Michelle Bagnall, UEA, Kev Rowland, Jizzy Pearl of Love/Hate, Jungsu Choi Tiny, Kataklysm, Surmiser, Torture Rack, Power Trip, Klaus Schulze, Baltic Crossing, Kristian Bugge, Tony Klinger, Mr. Biffo, Digitiser, C J Stone, Hawkwind, Jonathan Downes, The Wild Colonial Boy, Martin Springett, Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters
And the last few issues are:
Issue 343-4 (Auburn)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-341-2.html
Issue 341-42 (America)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-341-2.html
Issue 339-40 (Kev Rowland)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-339-40.html
Issue 337-38 (Zee)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-337-8.html
Issue 335-36 (Raz)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-335-6.html
Issue 333-34 (Nepal)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-333-4.html
Issue 331-32 (Scott Walker)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-331-2.html
Issue 329-30 (Charlie X)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-329-30.html
Issue 327-28 (Hawkwind)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-327-8.html
Issue 325-26 (Gonzo)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-325-5.html
Issue 323-24 (Irvine Welsh)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-323-4.html
Issue 321-22 (Discordianism)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-321-2.html
Issue 319-20 (Brix Smith)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-319-20.html
Issue 317-18 (Christmas)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-317-18.html
Issue 315-16 (Steve Miller)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-315-16.html
Issue 313-14 (Hawkwind)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-313-14.html
Issue 311-12 (Extinction Rebellion)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-310-11.html
Issue 309-10 (Steve Hillage)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-309-10.html
Issue 307-8 (Michael Moorcock)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-307-8.html
Issue 305-6 (Maartin Allcock)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-305-6.html
All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer. If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is power chaps, we have to share it!
You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/
SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.
* The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow...
* The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk
* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!
* Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an old hippy of 59 who - together with a Jack Russell called Archie, an infantile orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, three other cats, one totally coincidentally named after one of the Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention Archie and the Cats?
THE LAST WEEK AT THE CFZ-USA BLOG
NOT GLOATING AT ALL
I started the Centre for Fortean Zoology over twenty five years ago, and one of the first investigations that I did was into the possibility of relict populations of several species of small carnivore in the South West of England. These researches carried on for many years, and in 1996, I published the first edition of my book, The Smaller Mystery Carnivores of the West Country. In the book, I postulated that the claims made by P. J. W. Langley and D. W. Yalden in a paper published in the Mammal Review in 1977, whilst broadly correct in that they charted the decline of three species of small carnivore – the wildcat, the pine marten, and the polecat – they had missed the very real possibility that members of all three of these species had survived far longer than anyone had suspected, and that both pine martens and polecats were still to be found in various parts of England over a century after Langley and Yalden had declared them to be extinct.
I cited a number of eyewitness accounts, particular of pine martens, from Devon, Cornwell, Dorset and Hampshire up to and including the mid-1990s, and was confident that my findings would cause a mild storm in British mammalogy.
It didn’t. When I tried to discuss the matter with representatives from the Mammal Society and the British Museum (Natural History), I was given a short shrift and basically told that I was a delusional idiot.
I have it on good order from a friend who shall remain nameless, but who is far more entrenched within the sacred groves of Academe than am I, that he even tried to discuss the matter with one of the authors of the 1977 paper, with which I had disagreed, but that the author wasn’t in the slightest bit interested. He apparently said that my research “didn’t matter”.
Well, over the years I have been told that I am not taken seriously within the culture of academic research because I have long hair, because I have been known to don a guitar and sing, and because my monthly WebTV show about cryptozoology and allied disciplines is peppered with silly jokes and features a character wearing a rubber rhinoceros head.
I have also been made somewhat of a pariah from certain subsectors of the Fortean establishment for much the same reason, and I have been rejected by yet more sections of the cryptozoological community because I truly do not believe that sightings of bigfoot-like creatures in the United Kingdom and western Europe can be explained purely using zoological frames of reference.
Oh yes, there was also the time that, after a few drinks, I argued publicly with one of the more eminent yet hidebound luminaries of the cryptozoological world. And yes, I did make a stupid art film featuring gratuitous nudity and violence and a pre-op transsexual Nazi.
I cited a number of eyewitness accounts, particular of pine martens, from Devon, Cornwell, Dorset and Hampshire up to and including the mid-1990s, and was confident that my findings would cause a mild storm in British mammalogy.
It didn’t. When I tried to discuss the matter with representatives from the Mammal Society and the British Museum (Natural History), I was given a short shrift and basically told that I was a delusional idiot.
I have it on good order from a friend who shall remain nameless, but who is far more entrenched within the sacred groves of Academe than am I, that he even tried to discuss the matter with one of the authors of the 1977 paper, with which I had disagreed, but that the author wasn’t in the slightest bit interested. He apparently said that my research “didn’t matter”.
Well, over the years I have been told that I am not taken seriously within the culture of academic research because I have long hair, because I have been known to don a guitar and sing, and because my monthly WebTV show about cryptozoology and allied disciplines is peppered with silly jokes and features a character wearing a rubber rhinoceros head.
I have also been made somewhat of a pariah from certain subsectors of the Fortean establishment for much the same reason, and I have been rejected by yet more sections of the cryptozoological community because I truly do not believe that sightings of bigfoot-like creatures in the United Kingdom and western Europe can be explained purely using zoological frames of reference.
Oh yes, there was also the time that, after a few drinks, I argued publicly with one of the more eminent yet hidebound luminaries of the cryptozoological world. And yes, I did make a stupid art film featuring gratuitous nudity and violence and a pre-op transsexual Nazi.
But it appears that I was right about the pine martens.
Some years ago, a shame faced Natural England admitted that there were relict populations of pine martens in many locations in the midlands and southern England. Unfortunately, none of them turned up in the locations that I said they would. Until now.
The following story appeared on Devon Live:
Some years ago, a shame faced Natural England admitted that there were relict populations of pine martens in many locations in the midlands and southern England. Unfortunately, none of them turned up in the locations that I said they would. Until now.
The following story appeared on Devon Live:
“A shepherd has spoken of his amazement at finding a rare nocturnal animal in Devon which is usually only seen in the north of the UK. Ash Symons found a European pine marten on land he lives and works near Christow yesterday morning. Sadly the discovery was made because the animal had died. The 29-year-old said: “My girlfriend and I were moving sheep and passed it several times on road. I thought it must be an otter so I stopped to have a look and I saw it was a pine marten.
"I’m fairly good with wildlife so I knew what it was although my girlfriend didn't. I have done some research and spoken to some people and no one has ever heard of any down here or of any being quietly released in the area.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news
Reintroduction programmes, both official and unofficial, have been taking place for many years, but the fact that this dead specimen was found within a very few miles of one of the places that I cited as a hotspot for marten sightings would suggest that my original hypothesis was correct.
Many years ago, I also hypothised that a population of the European green lizard (now the western green lizard) would be found on the hills that are the hinterland of Bournemouth, and when – not at all to my surprise – a colony of these spectacular reptiles was found pretty well exactly where I said that it would be, I indulged in some slightly unseemly crowing. But I was younger then.
I have only made three major predictions as regards the cryptozoology of Britain and, to date, two of them have proved to be true.
The lesson here is not whether I, the CFZ, or other researchers who have reached the same conclusions as I have been vindicated. In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that these are the sorts of things with which cryptozoology should be concerning itself.
If more people showed an interest in and – indeed – investigated the very real zoological mysteries that are all around us if we look hard enough, rather than arguing the nuances of pseudo-scientific nonsense; if more people looked for mystery small carnivores rather than arguing whether bigfoot has a ‘cloaking device’ similar to one of the civilisations in Star Trek, then perhaps cryptozoology would be taken far more seriously than it is today.
After all, as Bernard Heuvelmans said:
“There are Lost Worlds everywhere.”
"I’m fairly good with wildlife so I knew what it was although my girlfriend didn't. I have done some research and spoken to some people and no one has ever heard of any down here or of any being quietly released in the area.”
https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news
Reintroduction programmes, both official and unofficial, have been taking place for many years, but the fact that this dead specimen was found within a very few miles of one of the places that I cited as a hotspot for marten sightings would suggest that my original hypothesis was correct.
Many years ago, I also hypothised that a population of the European green lizard (now the western green lizard) would be found on the hills that are the hinterland of Bournemouth, and when – not at all to my surprise – a colony of these spectacular reptiles was found pretty well exactly where I said that it would be, I indulged in some slightly unseemly crowing. But I was younger then.
I have only made three major predictions as regards the cryptozoology of Britain and, to date, two of them have proved to be true.
The lesson here is not whether I, the CFZ, or other researchers who have reached the same conclusions as I have been vindicated. In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that these are the sorts of things with which cryptozoology should be concerning itself.
If more people showed an interest in and – indeed – investigated the very real zoological mysteries that are all around us if we look hard enough, rather than arguing the nuances of pseudo-scientific nonsense; if more people looked for mystery small carnivores rather than arguing whether bigfoot has a ‘cloaking device’ similar to one of the civilisations in Star Trek, then perhaps cryptozoology would be taken far more seriously than it is today.
After all, as Bernard Heuvelmans said:
“There are Lost Worlds everywhere.”
BIG CAT ROUND UP
The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper-column inches than any other cryptozoological subject. There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we are publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.
The worldwide mystery cat phenomenon (or group of phenomena, if we are to be more accurate) is not JUST about cryptozoology. At its most basic level it is about the relationship between our species and various species of larger cat. That is why sometimes you will read stories here that appear to have nothing to do with cryptozoology but have everything to do with human/big cat interaction. As committed Forteans, we believe that until we understand the nature of these interactions, we have no hope of understanding the truth that we are seeking.
- SIGHTING, SCOTLAND: Woman left ‘frantic’ after sighting of ‘panther’ near Brechin primary school
- NEWSLINK: Tiger attacks farmer in Ranthambore
NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Wednesday
ON THIS DAY IN - 1483 - Richard III usurped himself to the English throne.
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk
Dad's shock after children find boa constrictor in...
Fossil of ancient four-legged whale with hooves di...
Captured 17-Foot-Long Python Was About to Have 73 ...
Komodo considers tourist ban to help boost dragon ...
AND TO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK... (Music that may have some relevance to items also on this page, or may just reflect my mood on the day)
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk
AND TO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK... (Music that may have some relevance to items also on this page, or may just reflect my mood on the day)
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