Alien Encounters & UFOs In The News | Ep79

This week I have two guests. In the first half I am talking to Mike Damante about his book 'Above the Fold and the Fringe: How UAPs Became Mainstream News'.In the second half I am talking to Chris Bledsoe about his book 'UFO of God: The Extraordinary True Story of Chris Bledsoe'.Mike DamanteAbove the Fold and the Fringe: How UAPs Became Mainstream News goes behind the scenes of the infamous New York Times article, and examines the history of UAPs in news media, and explores the significance of the impact these stories can and have had. With interviews from the journalists behind some of the biggest UAP stories like the New York Times Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, POLITICO’s Bryan Bender, KLAS-TV’s George Knapp, Popular Mechanics Tim McMillan, and others, learn how the news industry works, and get insight into some of the biggest paranormal stories ever.This book also looks at some of the important figures who have culturally and historically changed the conversation on UAPs for the better with exclusive interviews with Jacques Vallee, Luis Elizondo, Whitley Strieber, Tom DeLonge, William Shatner, Jeffrey Kripal, Colm Kelleher,and military witnesses.Mike Damante is an author, journalist and award-winning educator. He is the author of the 2021 coffee table book “Hey Suburbia: A Guide To The Emo/Pop-Punk Rise.” In 2023, his book “Above the Fold and the Fringe: How UAPs Became Mainstream News” was published. Damante is the author of the non-fiction trilogy of the paranormal “Punk rock and UFOs” series “Punk rock and UFOs: Stranger Than Fiction," “Punk rock and UFOs: True Believers" and "Punk Rock and UFOs: Cryptozoology Meets Anarchy." In 2019 he released his first YA fiction novel “Pumpkin Spice and Nothing Nice.” Damante previously worked for the Houston Chronicle as a copy editor, writer, reporter and web producer, and has interviewed bands and musicians like blink-182, the Descendents, Bad Religion, Taking Back Sunday, Tom DeLonge,/ Angels & Airwaves, Donald Glover, Tegan and Sara, Aerosmith, Alkaline Trio, the Get Up Kids, AFI, B.o.B and countless others. He’s covered large events like the X-Games, Warped Tour, Free Press Summerfest, Wizard World Comic Con, San Diego Comic Con, NBA All-Star weekend, and has written for their 29-95, Peep, Guy Stuff, MIKED, and more Hearst blogs. Damante also served as the co-beat writer for the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros during the 2012-2013 season for chron.com. He’s interviewed former government officials like Luis Elizondo, Nimitz encounter witnesses Kevin Day and Sean Cahill, New York Times journalists Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal, computer scientist Jacques Vallee, authors Whitley Strieber, Diana Pasulka, Peter Levenda, William Shatner, Tom DeLonge, Professor Jeffrey Kripal, military witnesses of UAP events, and many more big names.He’s appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, FOX 26 Houston, Spectrum News Austin, Coast To Coast AM, Den of Geek, Hi My Name Is Mark, the Mike Herrera podcast, and countless other TV, radio and podcast programs.Amazon http://rb.gy/bi6vlhttps://www.punkrockandufos.com/Chris BledsoeChris, a deeply religious family man and successful business owner from North Carolina was on the verge of the unthinkable after losing everything in the 2007 financial crisis and suffering from a debilitating chronic disease. Fishing along the banks of the Cape Fear River with three co-workers and his teenage son, he walks away from the group and cries out to God in a desperate prayer for help. Suddenly, a UFO appears and saves his life and cures him of his illness. Experiencing four hours of missing time, he returns to his group to find them dismayed. Terrified, they run for their lives as several UFOs chase them home.This is the true story of hope, love, lies and deception, involving officials from the U.S. Government, CIA, NASA, a string of...