Duncan Trussell Family Hour, Episode 707: Daniel Noah

Release Date: August 22, 2025
Guest: Daniel Noah (Co-founder of SpectreVision, Director of SpectreVision Radio, writer of High Strangeness)

Overview

This episode is a spirited, in-depth conversation between comedian and podcaster Duncan Trussell and producer/experiencer Daniel Noah. The core theme revolves around personal encounters with the paranormal, why our culture is experiencing a surge in reports of high strangeness, and the drive to normalize and artistically explore such experiences. Daniel Noah shares his journey from skeptic to experiencer, how his sensitivity to the unseen shapes his work, and details new projects: SpectreVision Radio (a paranormal podcast network) and the "High Strangeness" comic book series. The discussion is equal parts candid self-examination, philosophy of consciousness, and classic eerie ghost story.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Normalization of the Paranormal: Both Daniel and Duncan aim to destigmatize claiming encounters with the paranormal, framing these experiences as part of a spectrum of human consciousness rather than delusion.
• The Personal as Universal: Noah’s transformation from skeptical horror fan to open experiencer mirrors similar shifts on a societal level, where more people are reporting oddities and questioning consensual reality.
• Art as Reassurance: Discussion on how art, especially horror, serves to connect people with their own strangeness, offering comfort that “you’re not alone.”
• Changing Cultural Landscape: Reflection on the convergence of technology, media, and a rising openness to “the unknown,” coinciding with Noah’s launch of major new paranormal media hubs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

How Daniel Noah Became a Horror Producer and Paranormal Advocate

[03:50–07:27]

• Daniel’s fascination with the paranormal started young, rooted in a tumultuous childhood. At first, he saw it only as literature, a “means of practicing confronting difficult things metaphorically.”
• His original skepticism bordered on snobbery: “I thought that people who believed that stuff were kind of weak willed…” (Daniel, 06:22)
• Things changed through direct experience at haunted sites, notably the Stanley Hotel (the inspiration for "The Shining"):

  “Get on the planchette, it starts flying around the board like it defied all reason and frankly, the laws of physics.” (Daniel, 09:26)

• The experience escalated: Ouija session with “Ava,” a drowned girl, leads the group to a hotel room where others had just seen her ghost—validation from strangers, not staged by staff.
  (See [14:42] for the ghost story and details.)

Repeated Paranormal Experiences & Realizations

[17:07–21:55]

• At the Queen Mary, Noah has further experiences, including physical evidence, and realizes his sensitivity to emotion may be clairvoyant.

  “It was almost like the end of The Sixth Sense... seeing all these things that I had... It seemed so obvious that it was almost laughable.” (Daniel, 20:03)

• Finds himself “closeted” about these abilities due to social stigma:

  “For years I was closeted, you know, for lack of a better word... once my awareness was opened up, it didn’t stop.” (Daniel, 23:03)

Emotional and Philosophical Framing of the Paranormal

[24:00–30:27]

• Noah frames perception as neurological modeling—what we call “reality” is just sensory data processed internally.
• Argues that the paranormal is information outside our usual bandwidth—comparable to birds sensing magnetism, or children perceiving things adults dismiss.
• “The universe is malleable because you’re literally creating it. It isn’t actually there.” (Daniel, 28:14)

The Trickster Element & Shared Experiences

[24:00–26:13]; [54:45–57:12]

• Daniel is struck by how often the paranormal seems “prankish” or trickster-like, referencing John Keel and Jacques Vallee.
• Interference patterns (audio glitches, etc.) during the episode itself are seen as typical of high-strangeness.

  “When the interference patterns show up... it’s something in the podcast, it’s trying to diffuse, distract, to stop it from happening.” (Duncan, 12:08)

The “Age of Aquarius” and Societal Awakening

[37:57–41:09]

• Both Daniel and those he speaks with sense a “thinning of the veil”—either due to changing global consciousness or because online platforms allow for more open sharing of odd experiences.

  “More and more people seem to be having these kinds of experiences in the last five to 10 years.” (Daniel, 30:27)

Art, Film, and Paranormal Podcasting

[45:47–55:22]

• Daniel discusses SpectreVision Radio—a podcast network focused on the paranormal, featuring scientifically and mystically-minded hosts alike:

  “The notion of Spectrovision Radio is... a collective of different minds who are all examining the nature of reality.” (Daniel, 54:45)

• Daniel’s journey parallels the mission of his company: “...what she taught me was that’s why we make art. It’s quite simply to reassure other people that they’re not alone with their weird feelings.” (Daniel, 50:40)
• Shares an example from the podcast Spooked and a moving letter from an autopsy technician who, inspired by Daniel’s openness, changed her life to embrace her sensitivities. (51:43–53:51)

Notable Guests and Programs (SpectreVision Radio)

[54:48–57:12]

• Highlights include lawyer Danny Sheehan, pushing for UFO disclosure through legal amnesty for officials. Sheehan’s extensive background in political and paranormal cases is recounted, and the importance of “catastrophic disclosure”—meaning catastrophe for the secret keepers, not the public—is discussed.

UFOs, CE5, and Contact Rituals

[61:05–68:05]

• Daniel shares about his frequent orb sightings—and even gives practical tips (using intention, focus, and a Nikon P1000 with 3000mm lens).
• Duncan jokes about never being invited to the “UFO party”—their rapport remains light and irreverent.
• Daniel tells a string of synchronicities involving mantis entities (with a mantis riding along in his car as confirmation), and describes a night where going outside at 3:03 AM led to seeing 15 UFOs. (67:18–72:31)

Magical Hygiene, Gifting, and Receiving*

[75:01–81:10]

• Both describe paranormal phenomena involving small objects (like pennies) manifesting out of nowhere, with Daniel framing them as gifts and not threats.

• “The penny dropping... it’s a gift. It’s not a threat.” (Daniel, 78:23)

• Emphasis on reciprocal respect—“spiritual etiquette”—with unseen beings.

Dangers, Awe, and The “Horror” Misnomer

[94:08–105:50]

• Both discuss how fear doesn’t necessarily mean danger, and the value of awe as a more accurate descriptor than “horror.”
• Daniel distances himself from the horror label:

  “To encounter the otherworldly... it is scary, but that’s just one color. And... scary doesn’t mean dangerous. What I think is a much better word... is awesome... filled with awe.” (Daniel, 103:16)

Upcoming Projects and Final Thoughts

[106:43–110:26]

• Daniel announces:
  • SpectreVision Radio: Go to spectrevisionradio.com for paranormal podcasts.
  • High Strangeness (Comic, ONI Press): Five interlocking stories aiming for the “most accurate representation” of the paranormal in pop culture, debuting October.
  • Rabbit Trap (Film): Releases in September, a film about Celtic fairy lore featuring Dev Patel and Rosie McEwen, focusing on ancient sounds and the fae.
• Duncan publicly nerds out over modular synthesizers and the myth-laden premise of Rabbit Trap:

  “That is so cool, man. And that is so funny. I have so many synthesizers and... sometimes comes out of those things and you’re like, what the...” (Duncan, 110:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Early Transformation & Experience

• Daniel [09:26]:
  “Get on the planchette, it starts flying around the board like it defied all reason and frankly, the laws of physics.”
• Daniel [14:42]:
  “We’re in communication with a little girl named Ava who explains she drowned... At the end... we said, is there anything that you’d like us to do? And the answer was the numbers 3, 2, 4... [which is] the room number in the hotel.”

Philosophical Framing & Sensitivity

• Daniel [20:03]:
  “It was almost like the end of Sixth Sense... replaying a tape and seeing all these things.”
• Daniel [28:14]:
  “You’re literally creating [the universe]. It isn’t actually there...”

Community Building

• Daniel [50:40]:
  “That’s why we make art. It’s quite simply to reassure other people that they’re not alone with their weird feelings.”
• Daniel [53:54]:
  “Podcasts are so free... Podcasts have been a great comfort to me when I was trying to find any kind of context for what I was going through.”

The Trickster Element

• Daniel [25:17]:
  “...there is a great, there's an element of humor to a lot of the paranormal. The, the tricks that it plays. Like we, what we just went through, you know, with the constant problems with the sound.”

SpectreVision’s Mission and Projects

• Daniel [109:01]:
  "In September, our film Rabbit Trap opens... about the fae, about the fairies. It's based very, very accurately on Celtic fairy beliefs... Dev Patel, Rosie McEwen are in it... a supernatural film about sound..."
• Daniel [108:08]: "High Strangeness... the most accurate representation of how the paranormal works that has yet existed in popular media."

Awe Over Horror

• Daniel [103:16]:
  “What I think is a much better word to describe the paranormal is awesome... filled with awe. And part of experiencing awe is scary, but it's also powerfully beautiful at the same time.”

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 03:50–07:27 | Noah’s childhood & first attraction to the paranormal | | 09:26–15:28 | Detailed Stanley Hotel Ouija/ghost story | | 20:03–23:03 | Realization of sensitivity; “closeted” clairvoyance | | 28:14–30:27 | Universe as neurological “modeling”; magic, bandwidth | | 45:47–55:22 | Overview: SpectreVision Radio & impact stories | | 54:48–57:12 | Spotlight: Danny Sheehan and UAP disclosure | | 67:18–72:31 | Mantis synchronicity and desert UFO sightings | | 75:01–81:10 | Paranormal gifting (pennies, rings); etiquette | | 103:16–105:50| Pushback on the "horror" label, discussion of awe | | 106:43–110:26| Upcoming projects: SpectreVision Radio, High Strangeness, Rabbit Trap |

Tone & Style

• Conversational and playful, with Duncan’s irreverent humor throughout—often riffing on the weirdness and poking fun at both skepticism and belief.
• Candid, with Daniel sharing vulnerability about the stigma and disorientation that comes with becoming an “experiencer.”
• Philosophical: Both hosts ponder consciousness, perception, and the role of story/art.
• Encouraging openness: Threaded throughout is an invitation to listeners to consider what they tune out and why, especially in relation to childhood or repressed experiences.

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• Both guests promote an integrationist view—paranormal phenomena are neither aberrant nor shameful, but part of the human experience worthy of exploration and art.
• Daniel Noah’s projects (SpectreVision Radio, High Strangeness, Rabbit Trap) are positioned as vehicles to advance the conversation, share diverse voices, and offer “accurate” representations of high-strange realities.
• The episode is a must-listen for anyone curious about the conjunction of paranormal experience, consciousness philosophies, and horror/art as social connection.

Links & Recommendations:

• SpectreVision Radio
• High Strangeness (ONI Press, October 2025)
• Rabbit Trap (Film, September 2025)

Contact/socials: See episode notes for direct links.