Personally, I wish Bell had not attempted his two abortive comebacks, neither DM nor especially MitD were very good. Those shows reminded me of the once great Willie Mays stumbling around the outfield for the 1973 Mets. Like with Willie, my later unhappy memories tend to override the memories of a once brilliant performer.
DM--I remember Bell losing it with ufologist Timothy Good. He sent Good packing early after he made some unsubstantiated, off-the-wall claims. One was something like he had been told by his second cousin's friend's hairdresser who was told by an MI6 agent the Brits had bugged Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong's London hotel room and got recordings of them talking about aliens on the moon. Good also claimed Gordon Cooper admitted to piloting an alien craft. That night really seemed to take the starch out of Bell's sails. He called it quits just a week or so later.
MitD--Three shows standout, the first was the night Peter Robbins went berserk attacking Nick Pope. Try though he might, Bell could not get him to drop it and talk about whatever it was he was originally there to talk about. Bell got so frustrated with Robbins he read several scathing "fast blasts" from listeners directed at the guest. The next night Bell spent some time early in the show talking about the surreal nature of the previous night. He sounded totally beat down.
The other show that really caught my attention was the young man from Utah who claimed to have found a crashed UFO. It was obvious he was making it up as he went along, with Bell seemingly more upset about the kid having the audacity to speak with him over a cell phone (vice landline he been told to use) than he was the guest was clearly playing him with his phony story. I distinctly remember being saddened that night.
My one pleasant memory was guest Elaine, the woman from rural Texas who claimed a Bigfoot that wore clothes stolen from her clothesline and ate lemon pie lived in her backyard. That was the only show from DM or MitD where it sounded like Art was having fun. I think there is a good possibility she was a shill, but even if that was the case, it was good to hear Bell back in rare form.
DM--I remember Bell losing it with ufologist Timothy Good. He sent Good packing early after he made some unsubstantiated, off-the-wall claims. One was something like he had been told by his second cousin's friend's hairdresser who was told by an MI6 agent the Brits had bugged Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong's London hotel room and got recordings of them talking about aliens on the moon. Good also claimed Gordon Cooper admitted to piloting an alien craft. That night really seemed to take the starch out of Bell's sails. He called it quits just a week or so later.
MitD--Three shows standout, the first was the night Peter Robbins went berserk attacking Nick Pope. Try though he might, Bell could not get him to drop it and talk about whatever it was he was originally there to talk about. Bell got so frustrated with Robbins he read several scathing "fast blasts" from listeners directed at the guest. The next night Bell spent some time early in the show talking about the surreal nature of the previous night. He sounded totally beat down.
The other show that really caught my attention was the young man from Utah who claimed to have found a crashed UFO. It was obvious he was making it up as he went along, with Bell seemingly more upset about the kid having the audacity to speak with him over a cell phone (vice landline he been told to use) than he was the guest was clearly playing him with his phony story. I distinctly remember being saddened that night.
My one pleasant memory was guest Elaine, the woman from rural Texas who claimed a Bigfoot that wore clothes stolen from her clothesline and ate lemon pie lived in her backyard. That was the only show from DM or MitD where it sounded like Art was having fun. I think there is a good possibility she was a shill, but even if that was the case, it was good to hear Bell back in rare form.
