| Interview : Loren Coleman |
When did you decide to become
involved with cryptozoological research? What was the first
cryptid that ever intrigued you?
In 1960, I was reading the books of Charles Fort, which
gave me an "open-mind" and "question authority"
attitude. When I saw a Japanese movie about the Yeti, entitled
"Half Human," I went to school and asked my teachers
what they knew about the Abominable Snowmen.
The answers I got were very unsatisfactory (e.g. “don’t
waste your time”), so I began reading and researching
all I could on Yeti, Bigfoot, Sasquatch, lake monsters,
and more. It has become a lifelong pursuit, passion, and
part of my life.
Who are some of the individuals that
most influenced your decision to pursue these investigations
of unknown animals?
Mostly Ivan T. Sanderson, whom I began corresponding
with in 1961. I soon was a correspondent of Bernard Heuvelmans
too, and then later with John A. Keel. By 1962, I had 400
correspondents from around the world. I enjoyed the books
of Roy Chapman Andrews and Raymond Ditmars, too. But I always
saw Ivan T. Sanderson as my mentor.
What are some of the most interesting cases
you’ve ever been involved with?
I have enjoyed traveling all over North America, investigating
Sasquatch, Skunk Apes, Phantom Panthers, Mystery Kangaroos,
Lake Monsters, and many other kinds of cryptids. I will
never truly find anything more interesting that the cryptids
that first inspired me, the Abominable Snowmen. But as far
as weirdest cast, of course, that honor goes to the Dover
Demon.
Is it true that you coined the name "Dover Demon”?
Can you tell us about the investigation and your opinion
regarding what really happened?
The short story (no pun intended) is that over a two
day period in April 1977, four people saw a small, 4 foot
tall orange sharkskin creature (somewhat like Golem in Lord
of the Rings) in three separate sightings, in Dover, Massachusetts,
a rural location near Boston. The case goes down as unexplainable.
I don’t know the answer to “what really happened”
as all the eyewitnesses checked out, and were found to be
credible by law enforcement and other people in Dover. For
those that want the long answer, please see my chapter on
the case in Mysterious
America: The Revised Edition (NY: Paraview,
2001).
Can you tell us a little about your involvement
with the now legendary “Minnesota Iceman” case?
I saw the Iceman frozen in a block of ice, in 1969, at the
Illinois State Fair. I interviewed Frank Hansen, took photographs,
and compared these to those from Mark A. Hall, Ivan T. Sanderson,
and Bernard Heuvelmans. I’ve investigated the case
since then, and find there was something to it. The real
body of a hairy hominoid was switched with a Hollywood created
double, and the case has definitely gone cold.
For my fullest, up-to-date version of my thoughts, the history,
and what may be going on, see my chapter on the Minnesota
Iceman in Bigfoot!
The True Story of Apes in America (NY: Paraview Pocket
– Simon and Schuster, 2003).
More recently you have been involved with investigating
the spectacular Myakka "Skunk Ape" Photographs.
Can you tell us what you think about the images? Have there
been any recent developments in the case?
The Myakka case, also discussed in Bigfoot!, may be
a hoax or a prank. Some people have said the photograph
can be compared to a stuffed Bigfoot model. We still don’t
have any info from Florida police sources or anyone else
as to who took the pictures.
Until we know that piece of data, I must assume this case
has got to go on the back burner, as a low priority. We
have followed all the leads we had to their ends. We’re
stuck on this one, until more info is developed. Sometimes
that’s how it goes in the investigations.
You served as the publicity spokesperson for
the motion picture “The Mothman Prophecies”.
In your opinion, is the Mothman a genuine crytozoological
phenomenon or does it cross the line into the realm of the
paranormal?
The basis of the 1966 Mothman reports, where the eyewitnesses
actually called it a “Big Bird,” I feel is related
to reports of Thunderbirds and Big Owls for the Appalachian
Mountains. There is over a hundred years of reports of these
cryptids for that area.
However, the commixture of so many elements – MIBs,
UFOs, cattle mutilations, strange biped reports, attempted
abductions, and strange deaths – mostly through the
writings of John A. Keel – have made the “Mothman
case” into something beyond normalcy. I remain interested
mostly in the cryptozoological parts of the story –
and of course the human factor too.
What are your personal opinions regarding
the existence of the so-called “big three” monster
mysteries: Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents and Hairy Hominids?
Which group intrigues you most?
The way I look at it is the “Big Three Plus One”
in cryptozoology, thanks to the media, consists of Abominable
Snowman (Yeti), Bigfoot, Nessie + Sea Serpents. The Yeti
will always capture my attention, with other hairy hominoids
(which includes hominids and anthropoids), with the Lake
Monsters (including Nessie) right behind, and Sea Serpents
too.
But as I note in Cryptozoology
A to Z (NY: Simon and Schuster, 1999), there are about
200 active cryptid cases happening around the world in any
one year. I remain extremely interested in all of them,
with especial attention to the Mystery Felids and the other-of-the-way
extraordinary cases (whatever they might be).
What inspired you to write your first book
on the subject of unknown phenomenon? How many books have
you written?
I was writing articles for Fate, and coauthor at the
time, Jerry Clark and I decided to experiment with some
Jungian analysis of the Fortean data. We both contributed
to The Unidentifed (NY: Warner, 1975) and Creatures of the
Outer Edge (NY: Warner, 1978). Today, we both reject those
youthful thoughts about psychological processes, but love
the data in those books.
When I wrote my first edition of Mysterious America in 1983
for the esteemed London publisher Faber and Faber, they
had decided to publish in America. My book was actually
the second book that Boston’s Faber and Faber published
(the first was on Ronald Reagan). Mysterious America was
very much my book, very down to earth, me on the road investigating,
and cryptozoological and Fortean in tone. I had been writing
for Fortean Times for a few years, and some of the chapters
were developed out of my “On the Trail” column.
I also have published some books in the social sciences,
such as the current book, The
Copycat Effect (NY: Paraview Pocket – Simon and
Schuster, 2004), which I see is an extension of my interest
in human mysteries and the media. Altogether, with the new
editions (where the works are revised rather completely),
I’ve had 27 books published.
How has the critical/fan response
been to your published works?
I have lots of readers, students, and fans that contact
me all the time, sometimes 500 emails of a personal nature
in a week.
How did you become first become involved with
television documentaries? How has this notoriety affected
your career/life?
The television media first interviewed me in 1969. Then
slowly became more and more involved with programs as an
interviewee, and/or a behind the scenes consultant. Sometimes
notoriety can be a good thing, but in academia (I taught
at New England universities for over 20 years), your peers
misunderstand you can be a serious scholar and still be
interested in, for example, Bigfoot.
I have felt some promotions or further job opportunities
were disallowed because of my interest in cryptozoology.
This is the same kind of limitations that have been experienced
by others, such as Roy Mackal and Grover Krantz.
I am generally disconnected with formal institutions
at the present time so I will not be limited by external
politics or guidelines for what I must or must not do.
How many expeditions have you mounted in pursuit of various
cryptids? Where have you traveled?
I have been involved in treks, excursions, trips, investigative
journeys, and expeditions for 45 years. I have traveled
to every state but Alaska, most southern Canadian provinces,
Scotland (expedition to Loch Ness in 1999), and the Caribbean
and Mexico. I could not list all the places I’ve been
here. But I go places investigating all the time.
Let me just mention a few of the places from 2004….Skamania
County, Washington (Bigfoot), Black Forest, Pennsylvania
(Thunderbirds), Lake Memphremagog, Vermont (Lake Monster
– Memphre), all over New England (Maine, Vermont,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire) and New York (Black Panthers,
Bigfoot, Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents, etc.), and other places
around the country. I suppose I should write my memoirs
but who has the time?
What is the best piece of evidence that your
research has turned up regarding any of the zoological anomalies
you have pursued?
The combination of hair samples, fecal material, foot
tracks, eyewitness accounts, native traditions, in combination
with the Patterson-Gimlin footage strongly suggests we need
to keep Bigfoot/Sasquatch on our radar.
Do you feel that the Patterson/Gimlin footage is
authentic? How do you feel about the so-called “Ray
Wallace Hoax”?
Yes, I sense the Patterson-Gimlin footage shows an actual
unknown hairy hominoid. The Ray Wallace fiasco involves
a prankster well known to our field who died, and then his
children (who were not alive at the time) saying this jokester
“invented” Bigfoot in 1958.
Unfortunately, the apple does not fall far from the tree,
and I feel the family has merely helped Ray Wallace pull
off his last best joke. But the Wallace fake feet, while
they match some footprints that have been found in limited
areas; they do not match the Jerry Crew 1958 foot cast that
began the whole thing.
What are your future plans? Expeditions…
writing… television?
Yes, all of the above, as many as I can go on, as many
as I can write, and as many as I can do. I have recently
been interviewed to be on Animal X, Mystery Hunters, and
Deep Sea Detectives.
I plan to have one trek to Florida this year, to look into
some recent Skunk Ape reports, and perhaps a trip to the
Pacific Northwest (Bigfoot) and Bermuda (Giant Octopus),
but anything could happen. Documentary film crews arrive
often, and books ideas are being discussed. But most of
it is in the planning stages or confidential, and what will
be will be. I am very excited about life, and live it to
the fullest.
After all these years what drives you on your continued
pursuit of these elusive animals?
Passion and patience. The mystery of today’s cryptozoology
is the zoology of tomorrow.
For more information on the work of
Loren Coleman please visit
The Cryptozoologist at
http://www.lorencoleman.com
