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From the High Desert book cover

From the High Desert

A cultural history of Art Bell and the world he broadcast into being.

Available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

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Episode Archive

2016 Episodes

Direct links to every Art Bell Archive episode from 2016, inside the Return and Midnight Era (2010-2016) stretch of the archive.

1 episodes
Return and Midnight Era
Era context · 2010-2016

Return and Midnight Era

Art returns through Dark Matter and Midnight in the Desert, revisiting old obsessions with a new internet-native audience.

135 era episodes
4 years

March 11, 2016: Open Lines - Art's Final Show

Mar 112h 25m

Art Bell returns to the microphone one last time, filling in for Heather Wade on a Friday night for what would become his final broadcast. He opens with reflections on the discovery of gravity waves, the Apple encryption battle, and his love of drone technology before diving into the 2016 presidential race.Callers from across the country and around the world phone in to share their thoughts on Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and the state of American democracy. Art reads his own Facebook post about the establishment bringing Trump's rise upon themselves. Between political calls, listeners share UFO sightings from Arizona and Pahrump, discuss shadow people and haunted mirrors, and answer Art's question of the night: what would you do if you had no fear?Throughout the evening, Art is relaxed, funny, and fully himself, proudly mentioning his daughter Asia's spelling bee victory and his beloved Trans Am. Though neither he nor his audience knows it, this open lines broadcast from the high desert marks the end of an era. It is the last time Art Bell's voice would carry across the airwaves, closing a legendary chapter in broadcasting that touched millions of listeners worldwide.

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