High Strange – Roundtable Discussion #2 (Feb 24, 2024)

Overview

This “High Strange” roundtable brings together Payne Lindsay, Donald Albright, Dylan Harrington, and contributor Brian Bender for an in-depth, candid conversation about the state of UFO (UAP) discourse since Season 1. The episode centers on the seismic shift brought by government whistleblower David Grusch, new eyewitness accounts, and mounting governmental involvement—including historic Congressional hearings. The panel balances fascination, healthy skepticism, and journalistic rigor, featuring firsthand anecdotes, exclusive interviews (notably with Jeremy Corbell), and sharp analysis of culture, credibility, and implications for society.

Key Points & Discussions

1. The Evolution of Public Perception and Openness

• The hosts reflect on how, since Season 1, the mainstream conversation around UFOs has become far more legitimate—no longer relegated to the fringe.
  • Donald: “We’ve really never stopped talking, thinking about, or researching investigating UFO phenomenon since we...Well, since episode eight of High Strange.” (03:05)
  • Dylan: “I have researched more than I did during the production of high strange, into UFOs, into aliens, into NHI. I am obsessed beyond what I was before.” (03:58)
• They note the cultural shift, referencing real congressional hearings packed with media and enthusiasts (06:22), and the democratization of belief: “People just being open to the concept of, hey, maybe there’s stuff going on that we don’t fully understand and it’s okay to look into it.” (02:52)

2. The Congressional UFO Hearing – A Landmark Moment

• Donald and Dylan recount their spontaneous trip to D.C. to witness the July 2023 UFO Congressional hearing:
  • Donald: “It felt like a disclosure moment...I was witnessing something that was, like, legendary.” (07:04)
  • Dylan: “I think it’s historical. I think Grusch will be in textbooks.” (07:38)

2.1. Who Is David Grusch?

• The group introduces Grusch, the ex-military intelligence official at the center of the government whistleblower storm:
  • Dylan: “He was briefing Obama on counterintelligence measures...Grush is, like, almost bulletproof. Like, this guy’s like, legit.” (09:12)
  • Donald: “Not a dum dum. This guy isn’t some guy. I’m probably saying this wrong, but...he was about to be promoted to...Lieutenant Colonel...” (09:12)

2.2. Grusch's Claims

• They detail Grusch's revelations:
  • Mussolini Incident: Grusch alleges a UFO was recovered in Italy in 1933; “No one’s going to believe this. ... Mussolini, his Italia recovered a UFO in 1933.” (10:02)
  • Crash Retrieval Program: The U.S. government has long maintained secret programs to retrieve, and reverse engineer, alien craft and “biologics” (i.e., non-human remains). (11:04, 12:29)
  • The claims predate the classic “nuke test attracts UFOs” theory, upending conventional ufology timelines. (11:04–11:52)

2.3. Bipartisan Political Interest

• The hearing generated rare cross-aisle unity:
  • Dylan: “He got both sides...AOC...Matt Gaetz...Wait a minute...We need to dig further into this.” (12:47)
  • Focus on “follow the money”: concern for secret black budgets, regardless of the truth of the ‘alien’ part. (13:06)

3. Skepticism, Evidence, and Journalism

• Donald and Dylan praise Brian Bender’s level-headed, fact-centric approach, which contrasts with ufology’s tendency toward speculation (15:05).
• Brian Bender, on separating ‘smoke from fire,’ relays how his journey reporting UFOs started by “following the money,” rather than chasing stories:
  • (22:30) “If UFO research could sort of start now and go forward and throw away all the stuff in the past, I think we could be more effective at actually finding some answers...there’s this whole canon of ufology...I once used...the JFK assassination...I used to think that was...a ball of yarn, but I hadn’t met the world of ufology yet...”
  • “I think you could also go a step further and say there’s decent amount of evidence, certainly circumstantial...that they actually do exist somewhere...” (23:45)

3.1. On Grusch’s Testimony

• Brian Bender clarifies Grusch’s claims (28:52):
  • “He talked to dozens of people on the inside...who assert the government did in fact have...UFO crash material and...an actual secret program. ...he is the first to say that...he’s never seen anything. ... He’s hearing this from people who swear that this is the case.”
  • “I have found in my reporting...that they have fallen victim to a little bit of a game of telephone that has gone on for decades.” (31:29)
  • “If there was this grand conspiracy to hide evidence...why have we not been able to figure it out?” (32:38)

3.2. On Black Programs and Cultural Myth-Making

• Brian highlights the overlap between actual black military projects (e.g., stealth bombers) and UFO lore, and how governmental disinformation sows confusion to shield real secrets (36:00–43:26):
  • “There’s evidence that we actually...spread false UFO reports to drive the Russians crazy...take people off the scent of maybe some truly secret thing...that had nothing to do with ET.” (43:27)

4. The Jeremy Corbell Segment & Best Evidence

• Donald plays a clip from his recent interview with Jeremy Corbell, regarded as today’s top UFO journalist/leaker:

  • Jeremy Corbell on the best evidence: “It is the preposterous preponderance and the weight of the cumulative evidence and my personal experiences...the 2019 UFO swarm events over the 10 Navy warships...multiplatform footage...over 100 UFOs simultaneously coming from the west. ...They were trans medium. ...People...saw them go into the water.” (55:55–57:24)
  • Donald: “And the skeptics would say that it was a bouquet or something in the lens.” (57:57)
  • Corbell pushes back on debunkers and describes the case as “profound” and government-confirmed as unknown. (58:20–59:32)

• Donald and Dylan emphasize Corbell’s seriousness and sincerity; he’s motivated by disclosure, not grifting:

  • “He wants all the same stuff we want. He wants disclosure. He wants this stuff to come out. ...He wants to out every source that’s ever came to him, but he can’t.” (64:57)
  • “He’s in the business of furthering this...” (65:00)
  • “Every time I get lost in it again, and I’m like, God, man, like, if it was real, we would just know by now. I think of the exact opposite for a second. I go, man, if it wasn’t real, man, wouldn’t this just be over by now?” (66:16)

5. Encounters, “Meta-stories,” and the Persistence of the Phenomenon

• The group ponders why the UFO story won’t go away if it’s all bunk:
  • “Think about all the things that we proved to be wrong. There’s a lot. ...How is this one still so persistent? For as much as we know, it’s almost like the ideas only become more likely and more possible.” (67:01)

6. The Future of “High Strange”

• Season 2 is confirmed to be in development, focusing even more on international cases and the ever-evolving conversation:
  • Donald: “We most certainly have plans to make a second season of High Strange. ...the conversation is evolving. ...if you were riding with me the whole time in season one...there’s something going on. Right?” (69:31)
  • “It’s happening in every single fucking country you can think of. ...a legitimate worldwide thing.” (70:23)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Grusch’s credentials and impact:

  • “He was briefing Obama on counterintelligence measures.” (09:32, Dylan Harrington)
  • “If this guy is completely...lost his mind, but somehow still sounds completely sane when he’s talking...what if he’s telling the damn truth?” (12:41, Donald Albright)

• On societal implications:

  • “If we stop this kind of weird infighting and just try to look at the truth together, it will be abundantly clear that there’s a true mystery here and we could benefit from looking at it together.” (62:22, Jeremy Corbell)
  • “It would also be proof of a government within a government, because you have the House of Representatives saying, tell us what you know. ...But meanwhile, you would have some sort of netherworld, of government officials or contractors that sort of have all these goods, and even the leadership that we’ve elected to sort of oversee them are in the dark.” (36:45, Brian Bender)

• On the “game of telephone” in UFO circles:

  • “They have fallen victim to a little bit of a game of telephone that has gone on for decades.” (31:29, Brian Bender)

• On staying skeptical and open:

  • “You gotta check yourself always. And have other people do it for you too. Help you.” (64:00, Jeremy Corbell)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• ~02:52 – Podcast team reflects on non-stop UFO research and changes since Season 1.
• 06:22–07:38 – Recounting attending the Congressional hearing.
• 09:12–12:29 – David Grusch’s biography and his extraordinary claims, including “Mussolini’s UFO.”
• 13:06–14:00 – Bipartisan concern and “follow the money.”
• 15:05–20:43 – Discussion with Brian Bender on journalistic approaches and UFO history.
• 28:52–33:56 – Bender explains Grusch’s allegations and the “game of telephone.”
• 36:00–43:26 – Bender on black programs, military secrecy, and the deliberate generation of UFO confusion.
• 55:29–59:37 – Clip of Jeremy Corbell discussing the 2019 Navy UFO “swarm” case as best current evidence.
• 64:57–67:01 – On Corbell’s motives, persistence of the UFO story, and why the debate endures.
• 69:31–71:55 – Confirmation of High Strange Season 2; focus on broader, global stories.
• 71:55–72:13 – Lighthearted banter about “the peanut butter incident”—ending on a humorous, human note.

Tone and Style

The discussion is open, irreverent, and engaging—balancing deep-dive analysis with self-aware humor, enthusiastic curiosity, and moments of playful banter. The team remains committed to skeptical inquiry alongside an obvious passion for the mystery.

Conclusion

This roundtable episode of “High Strange” serves as both a synthesis of the past year in UFO discourse and a springboard for even deeper exploration. By weaving together firsthand experiences, exclusive interviews, expert journalism, and big-picture cultural questions, the panel makes the subject accessible, pertinent, and perpetually unresolved. The persistent, worldwide nature of the phenomenon—and its place at the center of political, scientific, and cultural battlegrounds—only deepens the intrigue as “High Strange” looks to its next season.