Episode 1341 · Dec 30, 2008 · 2h 33m
December 30, 2008: Predictions 2009 Part 1
Key Moments
Open transcriptArt announces his mother's passingArt Bell tells listeners his mother passed away on December 23rd, just days before the show, and recounts visiting her with his daughter Asia shortly before her death.
Art Bell hosts the annual Predictions show, inviting listeners to call in with their single best psychic prediction for the coming year. Before opening the phone lines, he reviews predictions made for 2008, noting several accurate calls about devastating Midwest tornadoes, the Dow falling below 11,000, and the economy falling apart, while handing out bonks for misses on everything from Mars discoveries to political matchups.
Callers offer a wide range of forecasts for 2009, from alien spacecraft landing in Memphis to a nuclear device detonating on American soil. A caller from Alabama predicts a new monarch on the English throne, with Prince Charles passed over in favor of Prince William. Other predictions include a major West Coast earthquake, armed rebellion against the U.S. government, and a congressman undergoing hypnosis to reveal contact with extraterrestrial beings.
Art enforces strict rules throughout the evening, rejecting political speeches and wishes in favor of genuine psychic impressions. He reminds callers that no assassination predictions are allowed, recalling past visits from suited federal agents. The show captures the collective anxieties and hopes of the audience as a turbulent 2008 gives way to an uncertain new year.
Callers offer a wide range of forecasts for 2009, from alien spacecraft landing in Memphis to a nuclear device detonating on American soil. A caller from Alabama predicts a new monarch on the English throne, with Prince Charles passed over in favor of Prince William. Other predictions include a major West Coast earthquake, armed rebellion against the U.S. government, and a congressman undergoing hypnosis to reveal contact with extraterrestrial beings.
Art enforces strict rules throughout the evening, rejecting political speeches and wishes in favor of genuine psychic impressions. He reminds callers that no assassination predictions are allowed, recalling past visits from suited federal agents. The show captures the collective anxieties and hopes of the audience as a turbulent 2008 gives way to an uncertain new year.