BoT : Welcome to the interview Mr. Redfern.
NR : Thanks for inviting me to take part.
BoT : You are a prolific writer on a wide range of topics, from UFO’s to cryptozoology. Can you tell us what was it that began your interest in the paranormal, i.e. the first influences and why that got you interested?
NR : Well, as far as cryptozoology is concerned, when I was about 5 years old, my parents took me to Loch Ness. We were on holiday in Scotland at the time. And they told me about what was supposed to be in the Loch and it really got my interest - even at that age! I remember being a little kid at school asking the teacher why they didn’t have any books in the school library on werewolves, Bigfoot, etc. I think the teachers viewed me as a weird little Damien-type character and left me alone...
With UFOs, it’s thanks to my dad that I got interested. He worked on radar in the British Royal Air Force and was involved in a couple of strange incidents where UFOs were tracked on radar and aircraft were scrambled. He told me how everyone was debriefed and told not to talk about it, so I knew something was going on and that got me interested in researching the subject. He still talks about it to this day.
BoT : When did you start your writing and research?
NR : After school, in the early to mid 80s, I worked on a rock music and fashion magazine called Zero in the town I was living in at the time in England. This got me interested in writing and I combined that with the paranormal stuff and started writing in the mid 80s for the old UFO Magazine (or Quest as it was known then) in the UK that Graham and Mark Birdsall edited.
BoT : What makes you want to write or speak about these things?
NR : Well, I write books, articles and lecture for several reasons: first, there are a lot of people out there interested in these things and I think that if we find things out that other people may find interesting, then let’s bring it to them and we can debate what it all means, and hopefully answer some of the questions about what these things are. Also, I hate the 9 to 5 world, having firmly left it behind in my early 20s, as I don’t like being told what to do, and I utterly refuse to work for the slave state. So I decided to live on my own terms and took a chance and pursued a writing career.
BoT : Do you find your writing/research easy or not?
NR : Yeah it’s generally ok. Occasionally I get a bit of writers block, as I’m sure most writers do. I enjoy the research more - investigating a story, travelling to the location, interviewing witnesses, etc. That’s what I love most - going on the road, and hopefully turning an investigation into a fun road-trip but getting answers too.
BoT : What’s the easiest thing about your writing or research?
NR : It’s actually not always easy. Writing for a living and self-funding investigations can be hard work. Don’t get me wrong: it’s great fun, and very rewarding in terms of hopefully resolving the mystery. But if you are going to do this in-depth then it takes a lot of commitment. But I know I’m very lucky in that it’s not real work, like a job or something.
BoT : What’s the hardest?
NR : Crawling out of bed in the morning.
BoT : Could you tell us briefly the main concepts behind your views on unknown animals? How about UFO’s?
NR : I used to believe that most cryptozoological "things" like Bigfoot, lake monsters, the Yeti, etc. were flesh and blood creatures. And for many years I was a big believer in the idea that UFOs were extraterrestrial. Around 7 or 8 years ago my views began to change and I now take an approach that is more in line with people like John Keel - the "trickster" angle, Tulpas, thought-forms, etc. It’s not a popular theory with a lot of the old school, but what the hell: I don’t look for acceptance of my theories. If people agree with me, that’s fine. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter to me and I would never lose sleep because someone disagreed with me about what did or didn’t happen in this case or that case. I find all the huffing and puffing and egotistical self-importance that a lot of researchers have about their beliefs to be very amusing, but stupid too. I also think that a lot of UFOs are classified aircraft that certain agencies are quite happy for people to think are UFOs as it acts as a good cover.
BoT : Who are your favourite researchers/writers?
NR : My favorite writer in the field of the unexplained is my good mate back in the UK, Jonathan Downes. He combines classic Forteana with a Hunter S. Thompson style and has written some great books - Monster Hunter; Only Fools and Goat Suckers; The Monster of the Mere; and loads more. Jon’s my closest friend in this weird field that we’re in and we’ve done a lot of on the road investigations, including a week-long expedition to Puerto Rico looking for the Chupacabras, and a Texas Bigfoot hunt. I spoke at his Weird Weekend conference in the UK last month. I crashed on his floor and we had a good time, playing music, flipping a few British beers and entertaining the crowds. I like Keel’s stuff a lot too. Also Terence McKenna, Greg Bishop’s work which is very insightful, Rick Strassman. I’m a big fan of Gray Barker’s books as he was a very atmospheric writer. A lot of people think I would be a fan of sci-fi but I hate it. I love horror though, particularly HP Lovecraft, and ultra-violent zombie movies.
BoT : The Book of THoTH is about bringing a greater resource of wisdom for those who want to explore further, what would be your message to those who are just beginning in their quest?
NR : I would say that anyone who has a yearning to get involved in investigating the unknown - whether its UFOs, cryptozoology, ghosts or whatever - should just go ahead and do so. Don’t be put off by people ridiculing you. Don’t worry about what other people think as it’s not important at all. Take a chance, take a risk and get out there and do it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
BoT : There are many skeptics in your range of topics. What would you say to them?
NR : I have no problem with people who are skeptical because they want evidence and that’s what we are all looking for. My main problem is with the outright debunkers who have agendas to deny the existence of certain things. Outright debunkers are as bad as uncritical wide-eyed believers. We should all strive for the middle ground where rational debate can occur even among those who have different views. But there will never be a situation where everyone agrees, but it’s not important to me what the hell the rest of the world thinks. If I can sit in a room with like-minded friends and
colleagues and debate these things and get some way towards resolving them, that’s far more important than giving any time to what this debunker or that debunker thinks.
BoT : Where do you see yourself in, say, 5 years time, and what will you have achieved?
NR : That’s a very good question and I have no idea concerning the first part of the question! I have never been one to worry about or give much regard to the future. I traveled around the UK for years going from gig to gig, sleeping on friend’s couches or in cheap motels, or even in my car, jumping on a plane to here or there, and enjoy that lifestyle of just going off at a moment’s notice with a backpack, camera, a couple of books, my I-POD and heading off in search of the unknown. I left the UK 5 years ago with a suitcase full of clothes, all my CDs, my camears, and my book collection and absolutely nothing else, and started fresh there. I went back to the UK for 4 months in the summer and who knows where things will take me next year. But that’s the fun of it - not knowing what the future is. I don’t worry about or care about being old or the future. It’s going to happen anyway, so we might as well enjoy the ride on the way to getting there! What do I think I’ve achieved? Well, I hope I have brought some interesting information to people that they can take on board or investigate further for themselves. I hope that if the answers to UFOs and cryptozoology surface, that I’ll have contributed something towards getting those answers.
BoT : Have you any advice for people wanting to follow in your footsteps?
NR : Do your own thing. Don’t be put off by people who criticize or ridicule you. Stick to your guns and follow the path you believe in and that interests you.
BoT : What are the best resources that people can use to learn more about your area of
interest/research?
NR : I have a new book out right now titled On the Trail of the Saucer Spies, which is a study of how Government agencies spy on people in the UFO subject. And people can learn more about the book and me by clicking on the publisher’s website, which is www.anomalistbooks.com I also write a regular column for UFO Magazine, and I also write for Fate and Fortean Times.
BoT : How’d you come to be involved with the New Frontiers Symposium?
NR : Paul Kimball asked me and I thought it would be a fun gig and so I said yes! I have worked with Paul on several occasions - most recently when we went to Puerto Rico for a week last year looking for the Chupacabras, and in the summer of this year when we both spoke at a conference in England. So our paths cross several times a year and I enjoy working with Paul, plus I’ve never been to Canada so I’m looking forward to it.
BoT : What’s your talk at the symposium going to be about?
NR : I’m going to be speaking about my personal cryptozoological investigations - the Chupacabras in Puerto Rico, Bigfoot in the US, and whole range of weird beasts seen in the UK that I’ve chased, such as big cats, werewolves, lake monsters and more.
BoT : Are there any projects that you’re currently working on?
NR : Yep, I have a new book out in February of next year called Celebrity Secrets, that is a study of Government surveillance files on Hollywood stars.
BoT : Any final message for the members of The Book of THoTH and the rest of the world?
NR : Believe in yourself and what you do and don’t let others dictate your life or your beliefs. Live life to the full, and if you want to get involved in investigating the paranormal, don’t ever, ever be put off from doing so. Just go ahead and do what you want to do. It’s no one else’s business what they think, so ignore those who say "You shouldn’t do this," or "That’s stupid." Who cares what they think?
BoT : Thank you for the interview Nick. I really appreciate your time, and I wish you all the best at the symposium. I look forward to checking back in with you and finding out how it went.
NR : Thanks again for the questions, and I hope that my answers will have interested people.