38 | James the Hoaxer and The Age of Disclosure

Kicking us off this week, Mal takes us through the complete James saga—a YouTuber whose mysterious “UFO” turned into toxic performance art. After that, a high-level conversation about The Age of Disclosure, before Tom finally gets to share a wonderful update from Loch Ness. It’s good, guys. It’s real good. Highlights: Recapping and then tying off the story of James the UFOtuber How he started off, what made him compelling, etc That time a couple weeks ago when he maybe faked his own death? His half-hearted attempts to keep the mystery alive The big reveal that it was all a hoax A lively conversation about the crappiness of this whole thing, and what it reveals as an artifact of our culture Weaponized sincerity, parasocial manipulation, and other fun ideas to enjoy Jordan’s meta-review of The Age of Disclosure (including a quick recap of his experience attending a screening in LA) A stupid review from the New York Times that we refuse to link to A Bug’s Life as a labor organizing manifesto Go join Citizens for Disclosure (after you hear an impassioned pitch for civic engagement) Something is shifting, people are tired of the same things, conversations are bending differently News from Loch Ness - researchers used underwater drones to capture very boring footage and very interesting SOUNDS Very much also: charming Scottish narration and infectious enthusiasm The lake monster laugh is going to be our new ringtone And in the epilogue Why being deceived doesn’t make you a chump How caveman stereotypes were reflections of mid-century misogyny and violence The study that shows how shame causes repeated bad behavior while self-acceptance corrects it. *** SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. spectrevisionradio.com linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices