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From the High Desert

A Cultural History of Art Bell

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Mike "Mad Man" Marcum

Mike "Mad Man" Marcum

Time TravelInventionTechnology

Mike "Mad Man" Marcum is an inventor recognized for his audacious claims of building a time machine using electromagnetic technology, including his account of creating a temporal distortion in his backyard that resulted in a dramatic power surge. As a guest on late-night radio, his colorful personality and his persistent experimentation with electromagnetic time travel devices made him one of the most memorable and beloved recurring guests on the program.

Episodes3

1
Episode thumbnail for April 18, 1995: Building a Time Machine - "Mad Man" Marcum

April 18, 1995: Building a Time Machine - "Mad Man" Marcum

Apr 18, 1995
2h 54m
Mad Man Marcum, a 21-year-old Missouri factory worker, joins Art Bell to describe his backyard attempts at building a time machine. Marcum explains how a simple Jacob's Ladder project spiraled into something extraordinary when he noticed a strange circular vortex forming above the electrical arc. After throwing a sh...
2
Episode thumbnail for July 30, 1996: Time Travels - 'Mad Man' Marcum

July 30, 1996: Time Travels - 'Mad Man' Marcum

Jul 30, 1996
2h 2m
Mike Marcum, affectionately dubbed Mad Man Marcum by Art Bell, returns to provide a dramatic update on his homemade time machine experiments. Since his previous appearance and subsequent arrest for stealing power company transformers, Marcum has quietly assembled a massive new apparatus in a rented garage, featuring...
3
Episode thumbnail for September 4, 2015: Time Traveler - Michael "Mad Man" Marcum

September 4, 2015: Time Traveler - Michael "Mad Man" Marcum

Sep 4, 2015
2h 16m
Mike "Mad Man" Markham resurfaces after nearly two decades of silence. Art Bell first interviewed the young Missouri experimenter around 1995, dubbing him "Mad Man" out of fear he would cook himself. Markham then vanished completely. Tonight he explains why.Markham describes building a teleportation apparatus in an...