In this short but info-rich interview, Aaron and I started with a discussion about his excellent podcast “The Saucer Life,” which is one promising direction that podcasting seems to be heading: short, informative, and easy to understand for those not familiar with the material. Aaron is a professor of history and has a strong interest in the social history of the UFO subject. It’s always fascinating to examine what kinds of people gather around the topic and why.

We delved into the period of the later 1980s and early 1990s, which Aaron calls the beginning of the “endless commercialization” of ufology. How does information get released by those (supposedly) in the know and how is it consumed, how is it used, and what myths are created and evolved? Along these lines, we recalled the early days of the Art Bell program and how that period laid a lot of the groundwork for the culture as we see it today.

Aaron does not recall ever having any sort of sighting of anything unidentified, but he mentioned that his sister remembers looking out of the window when she was four years old and seeing what looked like a big-headed entity, which bothers him a bit! We mulled over why the extraterrestrial hypothesis is popular and has been since the beginning of the modern era.

Finally, we discussed the intersection between the cultures of conspiracy and UFOs. Takeaway quote from Aaron: “Bad conspiracy writing answers every question.” I would argue that goes for Saucer writing as well.

Above: Aaron during the 2018 Esotericon in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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