Art Bell Archive - Classic Radio Show Episodes

Art Bell welcomes explorer Jill Heinerth, one of the most accomplished underwater cave divers on the planet, for a conversation about her extraordinary career navigating some of the most dangerous environments on Earth. Before the interview, Art provides updates on the Paris attacks, including raids in France and Belgium, and features a segment with a representative of Anonymous who describes the hacktivist group's declared war on ISIS social media operations.

Jill recounts her harrowing expedition to Antarctica in 2000, where her team intercepted the largest iceberg in recorded history after it calved from the Ross Ice Shelf. She describes diving inside the iceberg in water one-tenth of a degree from freezing, losing the entrance when ice calved over their exit, and narrowly escaping when the entire structure explosively collapsed shortly after their final dive.

The discussion also covers Jill's work in the Yucatan, where Mayan sacrificial remains sit preserved in underwater caves, her exploration of ancient Roman irrigation systems beneath the Egyptian desert, and the discovery of species new to science in volcanic lava tubes. Art presses her on climate change, ocean health, and the deterioration of freshwater springs near her Florida home.

Art Bell opens the broadcast with breaking coverage of the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris, where six sites were targeted and over 150 people were reported dead. He is joined by retired FBI agent Rick Hahn, a counterterrorism specialist, who discusses the likely involvement of ISIS, the vulnerability of Western nations to sleeper cells, and the role of social media in terrorist recruitment.

New York broadcaster John Batchelor provides additional analysis, comparing the Paris assault to the 2008 Mumbai attacks and warning that French intelligence, among the best in the world, was caught completely off guard. Both guests agree that the political class in the United States lacks the resolve to confront the growing threat, and that no current presidential candidate appears equipped to lead on the issue.

Art then opens the phone lines, where callers share their reactions to the attacks, debate concealed carry laws, discuss the implications for American cities, and speculate about which targets ISIS might strike next. Several callers draw parallels between the spread of ISIS and the spread of a virus, echoing a theme Art returns to throughout the night.

Art Bell welcomes Dr. Gillian Holloway, a dream researcher at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon, to discuss the science and practice of lucid dreaming. Dr. Holloway explains that lucid dreaming occurs when a person becomes fully aware they are asleep while the dream continues to unfold. She describes techniques for achieving this state, including recognition triggers and a meditation she calls dreamwalking, where one maintains awareness while drifting into sleep.

The conversation ranges across the landscape of dream phenomena. Dr. Holloway discusses how dreams serve a developmental purpose, preparing us for upcoming life stages, and how recurring dreams often cluster around challenges arriving within the next few years. She addresses after-death communication dreams, noting that visitation dreams are qualitatively different from grief dreams, with deceased loved ones often appearing decades younger than when they died.

Art shares his brief out-of-body experience in Paris, and callers describe flying dreams, precognitive visions of the September 11 attacks, and visits to other dimensions. Dr. Holloway explains that people can direct their dreams toward solving problems through incubation and that nightmares can be reduced simply by asking one's own mind to present the same message less intensely.

Art Bell welcomes Warren Faidley, widely regarded as America's original and premier storm chaser, for a wide-ranging conversation about severe weather, tornado science, and the evolving culture of storm chasing. Faidley recounts his journey from newspaper journalist to full-time extreme weather photographer, beginning with his iconic 1987 lightning strike photograph in Tucson and his sobering first tornado chase in Saragossa, Texas, where a twister killed children during a graduation ceremony.

The discussion covers how drought conditions have shifted the dry line eastward, pushing violent supercell storms closer to populated areas like Oklahoma City. Faidley explains the dangers of core punching, nighttime chasing without radar, and the tragic deaths of three researchers during the 2013 El Reno tornado, which expanded with terrifying speed. He criticizes the Weather Channel's embrace of what he calls "chaser-tainment," entertainment-driven coverage that risks lives by delaying viewers from seeking shelter.

Art and Faidley discuss the science of El Nino and its global weather impacts, the impossibility of current tornado control technology, and what would happen if an EF5 tornado struck a major downtown area. Faidley shares his triangle of survival framework for storm safety: know the danger, know what to do, and take action immediately.

Art Bell welcomes Jim Elvidge, who holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell, to explore the theory that our reality may be a digital construct. Elvidge outlines philosopher Nick Bostrom's simulation argument, positing that if civilizations eventually create simulations indistinguishable from reality, the odds heavily favor us already being inside one. He presents evidence ranging from the fine-tuned physical constants of the universe to the digital nature of quantum mechanics.

The discussion examines how matter itself may be nothing more than data, with each successive era of physics revealing that solid material is overwhelmingly empty space. Elvidge explains how paranormal phenomena, precognition, and the Mandela Effect could function as features or glitches within a digital system. He argues that consciousness is primary rather than emergent, citing near-death experiences and out-of-body experiences as evidence that awareness exists independent of the brain.

Art and Elvidge consider the ethical implications of humanity eventually creating its own simulated worlds with conscious beings inside them. They discuss whether free will can exist within a programmed reality, how the delayed choice quantum eraser experiment suggests retrocausality, and whether the universe contains a retrievable record of past events that remote viewers may be accessing.

Art Bell welcomes retired NYPD sergeant Ralph Sarchie, who served in the South Bronx and has spent decades investigating cases of demonic possession. Sarchie, a close friend of the late Father Malachi Martin, describes the three stages of diabolical activity: infestation, oppression, and possession. He explains that an invitation, whether through occult practices, Ouija boards, or even the actions of a family member, is required for a demon to enter the physical world.

The conversation explores the signs of genuine possession, including speaking in unknown languages, superhuman strength, and knowledge the afflicted person could not possess. Sarchie recounts assisting in the exorcism of an eight-year-old girl who spoke fluent Latin with no prior training. He discusses how the decline of spirituality in modern society creates a vacuum that dark forces increasingly fill, drawing parallels between rising violence and a growing distance from faith.

Art presses Sarchie on whether demonic possession could serve as a legal defense, the difference between mental illness and genuine diabolical activity, and whether some individuals actually seek possession. Sarchie shares his own close call when he was shot off duty and describes the disciplined spiritual life he maintains to protect himself and those he helps.