There are lots of famous
Legend Trippers in history. These are
people that had the courage to say that not everything in this world is
explainable and that there are strange things out there. They weren’t afraid to
openly talk and lecture about and put world like paranormal and cryptozoology
on the map. Here are a few of this remarkable people, that I feel embody the
true spirit of legend tripping. The lives of these adventurers could fill
volumes, and there are a numerous biographies that have been written on them. Here
are a few that I wanted to mention:
Robert
L Ripley, artist, author and adventurer, who gained fame for his
“Ripley’s Believe It or Not” comic strips. You cannot talk about legend
tripping without bringing up Robert Ripley. He traveled all over the world
looking for the weird, the bizarre, and the unexplained. He traveled the world
widely in his lifelong quest for the peculiar and the weird, becoming something
of an oddity himself. He kept a pet boa constrictor, routinely dressed in
native wear from several continents, and before and after his brief marriage he
reportedly shared his 28-room mansion with up to five lady friends at the same
time. For many years he was one of America's most well-known celebrities, and
regularly received more mail than the President of the United States.
He opened his first
"Odditrium" in Chicago in 1933, featuring such attractions as a man
who would eat and then regurgitate a rodent. In the movies' early sound era,
Ripley was featured in a series of shorts, screened before the feature
attraction in theaters. He published a drawing submitted by 12-year-old Charles
Schulz, the "Peanuts" cartoonist's first paid work. Several books of
his collected columns were bestsellers, and he also had a popular nationwide
radio program until the late 1940s, when he took his talents to television. After
his death, his long-time radio and television producer took over management of
the Ripley Empire, and the cartoon, drawn by several different artists over
subsequent decades, has never ceased publication in daily papers. Within a year
of Ripley's death the display of his artifacts was spun off as its own company,
and he continues to be listed as 'author' of new Believe It or Not books.
Ripley Entertainments, now owned by Jim Pattison, currently operates dozens of
kitschy Ripley's Believe It or Not museums in ten nations. As a kid I was a huge
Ripley’s Believe it or not fan. I remember as a kid thinking “What a great job
to have, traveling all over the world looking for the strange and unexplained. When
we were traveling around the US, I would beg my father to stop at a Ripley’s
Odditrium, if I was on advertised. Now that I’m grown up with a family, I make
it a point to visit an Odditrium whenever we are in the area. My favorite is
the one located at St Augustine. It is the first and oldest permanent
collections of Ripley’s. It is located in a castle that is reported to be
haunted. I have had the privilege of visiting the Ripley’s warehouse in
Orlando. To read more about Mr. Ripley go to the official Ripley’s website at
www.ripleys.com)
Charles Fort
was the first to record the unexplained in his book “The Book of the Damned”.
He didn’t travel all around the world looking for mysteries, but his dedicated
research on the subject of the unexplained, provided legend trippers the first
guide to go by. There isn’t a legend tripper out there that doesn’t know or
read Charles Fort’s work.
Charles Fort was born into a
fairly prosperous family of Dutch immigrants who owned a wholesale grocery
business in Albany, New York State. He was the eldest of three brothers. At the
age of 18, he worked as a reporter in New York City before hitch-hiking through
Europe "to put some capital into the bank of experience." In 1896,
aged 22, he contracted malaria in South Africa and returned to New York where
he married Anna Filan (or Filing), an English servant girl in his father's
house.
Fort and Anna settled down to a life of dire poverty in a
succession of tiny apartments in the Bronx and Hell's Kitchen quarters of New
York City. Charles virtually lived at the library, chasing references and then
writing up his notes at home, pottering over them into the night. Fort has had four books published about the
unexplained. They are the “Book of the Damned”,”New Lands”, “Lo”, and “Wild
Talents”. . He is also credited with inventing the word “Teleportation”. The
books are still in publication today. Fort has gone on to cult status and in
1931 the Fortean Society was started in the United States and a meeting was
held in the New York flat of the author in order to promote the ideas of Fort. The society went on hiatus in 1959, but
revived as the International Fortean Organization in 1961. The group publishes
a magazine “INFO Journal: Science and the Unknown” and host an annual
convention “FortFest” to commemorate the work and spirit of Charles Fort.
(http://www.forteana.org/html/fortbiog.html). To read more about Charles Fort,
go to his official website at www.charlesfortpoet.com
Ivan T Sanderson
is an author/explorer who is credited with coining the term cryptozoology.
Sanderson was an early follower of Charles Fort. Later he became known for
writings on topics such as cryptozoology, in the early 1940s, with special
attention to the evidence for lake monsters, sea serpents, Mokèlé-mbèmbé, giant
penguins, Yeti, and Sasquatch. Mr. Sanderson is considered one of the pioneer
cryptozoologists. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sanderson had a pretty exciting
live visiting many countries. He also worked for MI5 during the war, giving
intelligence to the CIA about German in South America. Sanderson founded the
Ivan T. Sanderson Foundation in August 1965 on his New Jersey property, which
became the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained (SITU) in 1967.
SITU was a non-profit organization that investigated strange phenomena ignored
by mainstream science. He died of cancer at his New Jersey residence in 1973.
It should be noted that he and Bernard Heulveman were the first who were
allowed to conduct and hands on investigation of the Minnesota Iceman. As a kid
I have read all his books and was a member of the SITU organization. His books
inspired me to go legend tripping. As a kid I idolized him and his adventures.
I remember wanting to be just like him when I grew up. Richard Grigonis wrote
great bio on Mr. Sanderson and about his first meeting the author at his
website at http://www.richardgrigonis.com. It is filled the most information on
Ivan T Sanderson, with some great pictures of a man who cryptozoology owes so
much to.
Loren Coleman
is one of the leading authors on cryptozoology and the unexplained. Loren was
born in 1947 in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up in Decatur, Illinois. He has
appeared on television and radio interviews about cryptids, more than any other
cryptozoologist. Loren has written articles and books on cryptozoology and
other Fortean topics, to include my favorite “Mysterious America”. He was a
publicity consultant on The Mothman Prophecies. Coleman has carried out
fieldwork throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, regarding
sightings; trace evidence, and Native peoples' traditions of
Sasquatch/Windigo/Bigfoot. He has written on Yeti and Bigfoot expedition
sponsor Tom Slick and appeared on NPR discussing the death of Grover Krantz,
Coleman has won awards for this documentary and literary work. Coleman
established his International Cryptozoology Museum in 2003 in Portland, Maine.
On October 30, 2011, two years after moving onto Congress Street, it re-opened
in a much larger space around the corner at 11 Avon Street. The museum was
named Yankee magazine's "Best Quirky Museum" in their Maine Best
Attractions 2010 list. I highly recommend this museum. I have read all of his
books. One of things I had on my bucket list was to meet Loren and talk legend
tripping. You need to remember, it was his book “Mysterious America” that
inspired me to go out and look for legends. Tracy and I got to meet Loren at
Ripley’s BIOT Odditrium in St Augustine. He had a great time and I enjoyed
talking to Loren. Loren maintains a great website called “the Cryptozoologist”
at lorencoleman.com
Born in France in 1957 and
raised in the mountains of Colorado and Montana, David’s curiosity about the
world was piqued at a young age. He attended the University of Montana where
his studies in oriental culture and philosophy led him to a job teaching
English in Taiwan. In 1976, David left the United States on what would become a
six-year research and adventure odyssey. During this time, he studied
first-hand the ancient civilizations of Africa, the Middle East and China, sometimes
journeying into dangerous territory along the way (like Uganda during the
overthrow of Idi Amin). David is known for visiting remote islands of the
Pacific and Indian Oceans, organizing expeditions to remote areas of Peru and
Bolivia, and trekking through remote areas of the Himalayas and other parts of
Asia. His interests are mainly historical, archeological or cryptozoology.
After more than 30 years of
investigating these arcane subjects, David finds his unique views and ideas
gaining popularity. He has appeared on Fox-TV’s “Sightings and Encounters”, two
NBC-TV specials ”The Conspiracy Zone”, and segments for the Discovery Channel,
A&E, The Sci-Fi Channel, The History Channel, The Travel Channel and
others. He is currently a co-star on the History Channel popular show “Ancient
Aliens”. The show is now in its fourth season. David also appeared in the
Canadian television show “Weird of What?” hosted by William Shatner, in its
2011-2012 seasons. He is also a frequent guest on nationally syndicated radio
shows.
David continues to explore,
write and excite people about discovery through his magazine “World Explorer”
and his publishing company “Adventures Unlimited Press”. I have had a
subscription to World Explorer magazine for over four years. When not
traveling, he divides his time between his homes in Illinois and Arizona and an
apartment in London. David maintains an excellent website at
http://davidhatcherchildress.com/. World Explorer’s website, which has an
awesome book and DVD store, is at http://wexclub.com/index.html.
Josh
Gates is the star and producer of the hit television show
“Destination Truth” on the SyFy channel. The show is going on its sixth season.
The shows which labels itself as a travel show, is now heavily copied on other
channels. He has travel to more countries and looked for existence of more
unknown creatures than another television host in history. Because of this, he
was indicted into the World Explorers Club. To date, Josh and his crew have
found the most undisputable proof of the Yeti’s existence when they found large
bipedal tracks in Nepal. Josh was born and raised in Massachusetts. He has a bachelor’s degree in Archeology and
Drama. Josh even with his busy schedule finds time to give to the “Make a Wish”
foundation. Josh also guest hosts other shows on the SyFy channel, like the
annual live telecast of the show “Ghost Hunters”. During his time traveling around the world,
He found time to put his exploits on paper.
Josh recently wrote a book about his exploits in “Destination Truth:
Diary of a Monster Hunter”. I highly recommend this book. It is well written
and it makes you feel that you are having a conversation with Josh. Destination
Truth is one of my favorite shows and can be considered the only real legend
tripping show in today. Recently I finally got to meet and talk with Josh at
the 2013 Texas Bigfoot Conference at Fort Worth, Texas. For more information on
Josh go to his official website at http://joshuagates.com/
Edward
Meyer is vice president of Ripley’s Be It or Not, Inc. based
out of Orlando, Florida. Apart from being the vice president, Ed is also the
curative and archivist of Ripley’s archives. Ed is originally from Toronto,
Canada and has been with Ripley’s for over thirty years. He also runs the
Ripley’s warehouse, which looks a lot like the warehouse seen in the movie “The
Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Ed is a wealth of information not only Ripley
himself, but the entire Ripley’s organization. Ed has taken up where Robert
Ripley left off. He scours the world looking of the weird and off relics and
items for the Ripley’s Odditoriums. Ed, who has probably been to more countries
than even Marco Polo himself, can tell you more exciting stories of far off
travels, then anybody I know. If an item was featured in the comic strip or is
in one the Odditrium, Ed can tell you everything about it. He definitely has my
dream job. To travel all over the world and look for legends. Ed is a true
legend tripper.
Lyle
Blackburn is one of my best friends and fellow monster hunters. It
was Lyle who has been encouraging me during the writing of this book and had
been mentoring me through this whole experience. Lyle always makes time for me
whenever I need help.
Like me, Lyle is a lifelong
fan of cryptozoology. Lyle was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. He became
interested in monsters at an early age and is a big fan of the classic monsters
like Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, the Wolfman and my favorite “The Creature
from the Black Lagoon”. Like me, he became interested in cryptids after
watching the movie “The Legend of Boggy Creek”. Because of this, Lyle wrote the
bestselling book “The Beast of Boggy Creek”, which is the definitive guide of
the Foulke Monster. Lyle has down what nobody ever has. He has conducted the
most thorough research of Fouke monster and his book has the most complete up
to date information on both the movie and the legend. Lyle recently wrote about
another cryptid called “Lizardman: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster”.
Again Lyle conducted the most though research ever done on the legend. Both are
outstanding books and I highly recommend them
When Lyle is not writing or
researching for his next book, he performs as the lead singer of the rock band
“Ghoultown, which has had many successful tours in Europe and the US. Lyle
blends metal rock with countries into what I call Tex-Mex Rock. I enjoy the
music and own all of the bands CD’s. Lyle has also been featured in television
shows like Finding Bigfoot and Home Strange Home and has done numerous episodes
for Monsters and Mysteries of America. For more information on Lyle and the
Fouke monster go to Lyle’s official website at http://www.lyleblackburn.com
Author Jeff Belanger is the first to write on the subject of Legend
Tripping. His book “Picture Yourself Legend Tripping” is an excellent one and
covers every aspect on the subject. Jeff and his family live in Massachusetts.
He has wrote over a dozen books on the paranormal and legends, that have been
published in six languages. He is also the writer and researcher for the
popular paranormal show “Ghost Adventures” on the Travel Channel. Jeff also
hosts of the widely popular Web and cable talk show 30 Odd Minutes, and is a
sought-after lecturer who speaks at dozens of events per year for audiences big
and small. He's a recognized media personality appearing on hundreds of radio
and television programs and networks worldwide including: The History Channel,
The Travel Channel, Biography, PBS, Living TV (UK), The Maury Show, The CBS
News Early Show and Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, National Public Radio,
The BBC, Australian Radio Network, Coast to Coast AM, and the 'X' Zone. Because
of Jeff’s book I would know what to call myself. Before that I was thinking
maybe Legend Finder or Legend Pursuer. No, Legend Tripper sounds better. To
find more information on Jeff and where he guest speaking at go to his official
website at http://www.jeffbelanger.com. Jeff also maintains an excellent legend
tripping website at http://www.legendtripping.com.
He has appeared on a variety
of television programs in the UK, including The Big Breakfast; Channel 5 News;
and GMTV and works on the lecture circuit, both in the UK and overseas, and has
appeared in internationally syndicated shows discussing the UFO phenomenon.
Nick also appeared on an episode of the 3rd season of Penn & Teller: Bullsh*t!
entitled "Ghost Busters." He is also a regular on the History Channel
programs Monster Quest and UFO Hunters as well as National Geographic Channel's
Paranormal and the SyFY channel's Proof Positive. Nick recently has appeared on
History Channel’s Ancient Aliens.
In 2007 Universal Studios
bought the rights to Redfern's bestselling book "Three Men Seeking
Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monster, Giant Cats, Ghostly
Devil Dogs and Ape-Men" in the hopes of making a movie from it. To contact
Nick and see more information about his upcoming books go to his official
website at www.nickredfern.com.
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