The United States of Esoterica

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Kenn Thomas
Parapolitical Jam Session
2 Hours

Titan of parapolitical research Kenn Thomas finally arrives on BoA:Audio for a jam session covering a wide variety of conspiracy related topics. Such memes include the UFO phenomenon, Ufology & Exopolitics, Disclosure, 911, the 911 Truth Movement, JFK Assassination research, esoterica's transition from the 'zine era to today's Internet based scene, Mae Brussel, Bob Dylan, and much much more. Along the way we'll also hear about Kenn's evolution as a parapolitical researcher, how Steamshovel Press came about, his famous aunt Helen Gahagan, and the economics of esoterica in today's world.

It's a fun, fast, loose, and enlightening conversation with a researcher who has observed the ebb, flow, and evolution of parapolitics over the last two decades: the incomparable Kenn Thomas.

Full Preview: The conversation starts with some discussion on the nomenclature of "parapolitics," which Kenn has been championing for a long time. We then segue into getting the origin story of Kenn Thomas and how he ended up studying parapolitcs as well as how his career as a researcher evolved. Kenn takes us all the way back to the very start of Steamshovel Press and talks about how it started and what the esoteric scene was like that influenced its early years. Looking at the first of many big genres and issues we'll discuss, we talk about the 911 Truth Movement and get Kenn's take on how it has evolved over the last 8 years. Kenn contrasts to the JFK Assassination research community and this segues into some discussion on Jesse Ventura's TV series.

The flows into some talk about the fragmentation of esoterica with regards to Ufology versus parapolitical research. Jumping back to 911, we get the story of Kenn's trip to the Pentagon where he interviewed various people who worked nearby and they all attested to seeing a plane hit the building that day as well as an interesting twist involving the FBI confiscating video of the 911 event. This leads to some discussion on why the government doesn't just release this extra footage from 911 to kill that aspect of the conspiracy theory.

Given Kenn's lengthy history of studying the esoteric, we get his perspective on the emergence of the Exopolitical field in the last ten years. We then get down to brass tacks and ask Kenn what he really thinks is going on with the UFO phenomenon and, during his answer, the conversation gets interrupted by a bizarre incident that was so strange we had to leave it in the episode. The conversation continues with Kenn talking about the problem of trying to define or truly figure out the UFO phenomenon.

Next we discuss Kenn's research into the alleged Eisenhower / alien meeting and how it ties in to Wilhelm Reich. Kenn also talks about the "triangulation of research" he uncovered with adds additional credence to the infamous "Cutler / Twining MJ-12" document. We also ponder our program's recurring idea that perhaps the UFO information that was once known by the government has been completely degraded and dispersed to the point that disclosure is impossible now.

We use a question from BoA's Richard Thomas, regarding the role of the British Royals in a global conspiracy, to launch us into our discussion on the New World Order. This leads to speculation on whether or not the various factions of global power brokers can ever get on the same page to actually implement a New World Order.

This leads into us talking about the JFK assassination and we find out from Kenn if he thinks we'll ever get a true answer to what happened on that fateful day in Dallas. We also talk about the dangers facing President Obama as well as Kenn's thoughts on the president. We also find out what sort of conspiracies predate the JFK assassination in American culture and Kenn talks about Wilhelm Reich and the controversies surrounding him. Looking at the ebb and flow of esoteric genres, Kenn talks about what sort of parapolitical stories are bubbling under the surface right now, ready to break through into major areas of research.

Bouncing around to various esoteric stories and genres, we first look at the aspect of parapolitics which ascribed more of an occult leaning to the power brokers, ala Bohemian Grove. Next, we get Kenn's take on the Moon Hoax theory. This leads to some discussion on the "King Kill 33" theory behind the JFK assassination and how it ties to the moon landing. The Gemstone File is our next topic of discussion and Kenn provides some background on the whole story. Kenn takes it down a different road as he also talks about his issues with Werner Von Braun and how he used slave labor to develop the V2 rockets.

We then look at one of the more famous esoteric players who has been lost to history: Mae Brussel and Kenn talks about his role in advancing parapolitical discourse as well as the power struggle that erupted following her death. We then get Kenn's perspective on why there were a number of major political assassinations in the 1960's but that "trend" has tapered off in the last 30 years. This leads to Kenn telling the story of his great-aunt Helen Gahagan, also known as "The Pink Lady," who ran against Richard Nixon for the California Senate seat in 1950. This segues into Kenn talking about the problem, nowadays, of the anti-Muslim extremist movement forming dubious alliances with nefarious groups.

Looking at how the world of parapolitical research has changed over the years, we get Kenn's perspective on how the Internet has changed the scene. Kenn reflects on the fundamentally broken economic aspect of the Internet, where written work and programs like this, are given away for free with very little to no return for the authors and creators. This leads to some general discussion on the troubles of making a living in the esoteric world, especially in contemporary times when so much material is available for free.

Heading towards the close, we briefly discuss Kenn's appreciation for Bob Dylan and he shares his story of meeting Dylan in 1978. We then find out what's next for Kenn Thomas including a couple of book projects and the future plans for Steamshovel Press.

This interview was recorded on 2.6.10.

Finally had time to listen to the interview and I loved it! It was great; love Kenn Thomas, and I didn't know you're a Dylan fan! fantastic, thanks Tim, really loved it.