Mysteries Throughout Mankind

In a previous blog I commented on unexplained phenomenon which I only approached in a perfunctory paragraph. As such, I thought I’d elaborate a little on that fascinating topic.

I’ve always been drawn to historical mysteries and incidents or subjects that lack official explanations. Some that naturally come to mind are the subject of UFOs, Bigfoot, ghost sightings and unsolved crimes like the case of D.B. Cooper, the mystery man in a business suit who hijacked a Boeing 727 flight to Seattle and apparently jumped off with $200,000 ransom money, never to be seen again.

As a kid, I was intrigued by these kinds of stories and I even created my own scrapbook of photos and news clippings devoted to Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle and other subjects that spurred my imagination. My favorite was Bigfoot- he was always enduringly fascinating as a possible intermediate form between man and his simian ancestor that was still elusively roaming the dense wild.

One of my favorite shows back then was Leonard Nimoy’s ‘In Search Of...’ which sought to explore these phenomenal items through interviews and intensive research. The shows were brief and as a result only touched upon the topics with no real conclusive answers to the weekly mysteries but I still think the subtle and equivocal style they employed was far superior to those currently produced in similar-themed shows.

The contemporary versions on networks like Nat Geo, History and Investigation Discovery tend to overreach their analysis by exhausting dead-end hypotheses and showing off state-of-the-art technologies for sheer sensationalism. Sometimes it’s better and far more interesting from an entertainment aspect to simply let the subject matter speak for itself.

What fascinates you? What is it about the way it is presented in a book or show or movie that makes it even more fascinating?

Chris

Autobiographies: Getting the Inside Story

Typically, I’m not an avid reader. I rarely read fiction these days and most of the biographies I’ve read have been on figures in media or music. I’ve actually read a good number of musical autobiographies. I find that the inside perspective into the genesis of a song or musical piece often broadens the dimension for its appreciation and understanding.

Some musical autobiographies that I have read are:

• Riders on the Storm by John Densmore
  
• I Used to Be an Animal But I’m Alright Now by Eric Burdon
  
• Play On by Mick Fleetwood
  
• I’m a Believer by Micky Dolenz
  
• Chronicles Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan
  
• Searching For the Sound by Phil Lesh
  
• I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
  
• Clapton by Eric Clapton
  
• Long Time Gone by David Crosby
  
• Somebody to Love by Grace Slick
  
• I Me Mine by George Harrison
  
• Change of Seasons by John Oates

Some I have read when they were first published and others I only got around to after some twenty years or so.

Autobiographies are naturally subjective and generally divulge only select information(or misinformation) that the author wants the public to know, but they all tell fascinating stories and contain inspiring and memorable anecdotes that pass on into legend and lore.

What are some autobiographies you’ve read? More importantly - how do they inspire you?