Tales From The Rabbit Hole

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Tales from the Rabbit Hole is an interview-style podcast focusing on people whose lives have been affected by the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. Guests will include both former and current believers in a variety of conspiracy theories, as well as debunkers, skeptics, and the investigators of those t…

Mick West


    • Jan 26, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 6m AVG DURATION
    • 58 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Tales From The Rabbit Hole podcast is a fascinating and thought-provoking show that explores the world of conspiracy theories, paranormal phenomena, and pseudoscience. Hosted by Mick West, this podcast delves into the rabbit hole of wild discussions happening on the internet in a respectful and confrontational manner. In an increasingly unstable world, this kind of respectful confrontation is needed to shed light on these topics and encourage critical thinking.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is Mick West's ability to calmly and effectively converse with people who hold unconventional beliefs. He approaches each interview with respect and understanding, even when he disagrees with his guests. This creates an atmosphere where both sides can engage in meaningful dialogue without resorting to condescension or hostility. Mick's assiduous approach to debunking is also commendable, as he prioritizes verification, research, and self-validation rather than quick thrills or "gotcha" moments.

    However, one potential drawback of this podcast is that at times it can leave listeners feeling unsatisfied or lacking concrete answers. The interviews with UFO enthusiasts often lead to intriguing possibilities but fail to provide definitive evidence or clear explanations. This can be frustrating for those seeking more concrete information or looking for definitive debunking of certain theories. Additionally, some guests may not resonate with all listeners, as their ideas can be challenging to comprehend or accept.

    In conclusion, The Tales From The Rabbit Hole podcast offers a unique and valuable perspective on conspiracy theories and paranormal phenomena. Mick West's approach to respectful confrontation promotes critical thinking and encourages listeners to question their own beliefs. While it may not always provide clear-cut answers or definitive debunkings, it serves as a reminder of the importance of rationality, skepticism, and self-reflection in an increasingly irrational world. Overall, this podcast is a great listen for those interested in exploring the real-world implications of skeptical thinking and debunking prevalent myths and misconceptions.



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    Latest episodes from Tales From The Rabbit Hole

    Episode 58: Peter Bergen – Kirpatrick, UFOs, and the Pentagon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 30:21


    Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America, a professor of practice at Arizona State University, and the host of the Audible podcast “In the Room with Peter Bergen.”  He...

    Episode 57: Alex Dietrich, Clouds, Critical Thinking, and UFOs

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 95:34


    Alex Dietrich served a 20-year career as a Naval officer and fighter pilot with two combat deployments. She was also deployed to Afghanistan as an Infrastructure reconstruction engineer.  She then transitioned to academia, serving as...

    Episode 56: Robert Bartholomew – Havana Syndrome and Mass Psychogenic Illness

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2021 57:11


    Robert Bartholomew has a PhD in Medical Sociology, and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. He's an expert in Mass Psychogenic Illness...

    Episode 55 – Professor Avi Loeb: The Galileo Project

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 65:31


    What is a University professor doing investigating UFOs?  Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard University heads the Galileo Project, which seeks (in part) to identify the nature of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena by establishing a network of...

    Episode 54 – Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko: Pastels and Pedophiles

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2021 71:45


    Mia Bloom is Professor of Communication at Georgia State University with a PhD in political science from Columbia University. Sophia Moskalenko is a research fellow at Georgia State University and a researcher at the National...

    Episode 53 – Jason Colavito – UFOs and the Invisible College, How Did We Get Here?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2021 62:59


    Jason Colavito is an author and journalist with a focus on “alternative archeology” and, more recently, the UFO cultural phenomenon. In May 2021, he wrote the article: “How Washington Got Hooked on Flying Saucers” in...

    Episode 52 – Luis Elizondo – UFOs, UAPs, AATIP, and TTSA

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2021 61:28


    Luis Elizondo is a former senior intelligence official, a disclosure advocate,  a national security expert, and the former director of the Pentagon’s UFO/UAP Program (AATIP). We talk about his work in those capacities and also...

    Episode 51 – Michael: Post Inauguration QAnon Catchup

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2021 107:58


    Michael is a “follower” of Q, in what is commonly known as the QAnon conspiracy theory. I first talked to him one year ago, February 2020. We met on Twitter discussing UFOs, but had a...

    Episode 50 – Alex: Raised by Conspiracy Theorists

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2021 78:27


    Alex was raised by conspiracy theorists. This makes him different from most people who end up down the rabbit hole in that assuming nefarious plots were going on was never a surprise to him. Indeed,...

    Episode 49 – Georgina: A QAnon Friend in the UK

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2021 55:01


    QAnon is a very American conspiracy theory, focussing upon a supposed plan by a mysterious entity named ‘Q’ who was working with Donald Trump to rid the US of a corrupt elite.  But despite this...

    Episode 48 – Accidentally Dating a Conspiracy Theorist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2021 69:11


    My guest this week thought all was well when she started dating a handsome intelligent man. But then a few things he said, particularly about “the Jews” started to seem like something more than just...

    Episode 47: Sarah – Conspiracy Casualty

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2020 58:55


    Sarah’s ex-partner seemed like a normal person, but a few years ago he discovered conspiracy theory videos. Starting with claims that the Moon Landing was fake he quickly progressed to Flat Earth and eventually ended...

    Episode 46: Ryan – Growing Out Of 9/11

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2020 49:47


    Ryan became a conspiracy theorist at age 15. He spent five years solidly down the 9/11 conspiracy rabbit hole, believing that the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed with pre-planted explosives. As he grew older...

    Episode 45: Brandon Fugal: The Owner of Skinwalker Ranch

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2020 100:33


    Brandon Fugal is a prominent business leader based in Utah and is the current owner of the mysterious Skinwalker Ranch, which is the focus of a wide variety of reported strange phenomena, from supernatural visitors...

    Episode 44: Steven Hassan – Cults and Conspiracies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2020 66:11


    Steven Hassan is an expert on cults. A former high ranking member of the Unification Church, aka the “Moonies”, he’s been helping people escape the rabbit hole since his own escape in 1976. Now he’s...

    Episode 43 – Tim McMillan: The Challenges of UFO Investigations

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2020 104:42


    Investigating UFOs presents a number of challenges, many of which are not immediately obvious, but swiftly rear up to impede progress. There are straightforward issues, like military secrecy and people being afraid to talk because...

    Episode 42 – Flat Earth and Coronavirus

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2020 68:29


    Does a Flat Earther react to world events differently to other people? When you think the world is flat, then you think that the mainstream view of the world is very wrong. Does this carry...

    Episode 41 – Johnny Orbital: Former Flat Earther, Now a Science Advocate

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2020 79:09


    Johnny Orbital is a rare breed – a former genuine believer in the Flat Earth theory who is willing to talk about his experience. When I was writing my book Tales From the Rabbit Hole,...

    Episode 40 – Jeremy Rys: Alien Science and 9/11 Conspiracy Theories

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020 55:17


    Jeremy Rys has gone by “Alien Scientist” for over ten years. His primary interest is in independently researching exotic technology like anti-gravity and warp drives. Some people speculate that such technology exists and comes from...

    Episode 39 – DJ Thermal Detonator: 9/11 History and Change

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2020 60:26


    DJ Thermal Detonator was heavily involved in the Los Angeles 9/11 Truth scene in the late 2000s. At that time, local activism centered around the We Are Change group. DJ attended meetings, helped out with...

    Episode 38 – Michael: Part 2: QAnon and Predictions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2020


    In this second part of my chat with UFO experiencer Michael, we talk about his interest in the QAnon theory. He firmly believes we are on the verge of a storm of arrests of people...

    Episode 37 – Michael: Part 1: UFOs and Alien Encounters

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2020 54:11


    Michael posts on Twitter as “UFO Today”. For most of his life, he’s had experiences that seem to him to be some kind of alien visitors. We talk about these, starting with his first experience...

    Episode 36 – Gary Voorhis: Tic-Tac UFO Witness

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2020 81:22


    Gary Voorhis was a computer technician on the USS Princeton during the 2004 "Tic-Tac" UFO incident (commonly referred to as the "Nimitz Incident" after the aircraft carrier heading the strike group.) He thinks what he saw was some kind of advanced technology, possibly alien technology.

    Episode 35 – Mike Santangelo: 9/11 Truth vs. B.S.

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2020 93:52


    Mike is a member of the 9/11 Truth community. He thinks there might have been explosives used on 9/11 to cause the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. He does NOT think that a cruise missile hit the Pentagon, and considers that, like some other common 9/11 beliefs, to be "B.S."

    Episode 34 – Stian Arnesen: Debunking, Censorship, 9/11, and UFOs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2020 98:17


    Stian is someone who has been quite deeply involved in the 9/11 Truth community and the UFO community. He also just read my book: Escaping the Rabbit Hole, and has a few questions for me...

    Episode 33 – Anthony Magnabosco: Street Epistemology and Conspiracy Theories

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2020 58:54


    Anthony Magnabosco is the most well-known practitioner of the craft of “Street Epistemology”, which he defines as: “a dialog where you use questions to explore somebody’s claim to see how they concluded that it’s true.”...

    Episode 32 – The Skeptic of the North: Former Conspiracist, Current Skeptic

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2019 57:48


    Phil is a former conspiracy theorist in Northern Ireland who got into conspiracy theories aged 18, around 14 years ago. Going to university exposed him to a variety of people and to new ways of...

    Episode 31: Professor Elizabeth Loftus – Memory and Conspiracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2019 58:54


    Elizabeth Loftus is an expert on memory. We discuss how that sometimes relates to the world of conspiracy theories. 

    Episode 30: Tom – 9/11 Why We Believe and Change

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2019 59:26


    Tom has dabbled in a few conspiracy theories over the years, and still thinks there are some significant questions that have never been answered about why the World Trade Center buildings fell down the way...

    Episode 29: Geoff – Everything is a Hoax, The Earth Might Be Flat

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2019 79:38


    Geoff says that six years ago he was “as normal as everyone else,” but when he was caught up in the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bomber (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev) he took an interest in the...

    Episode 28 – Brian Dunning: Skeptoid, Conspiracies Declassified, and Science Friction

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2019 59:35


    Brian Dunning is a prolific skeptical podcaster with his award-winning show "Skeptoid" coming up on its 700th episode.

    Episode 27 – Michael Shermer: Conspiracies and Conspiracy Theories — The Great Courses

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2019 92:52


    Dr Michael Shermer is founder of The Skeptics Society, and editor-in-chief of its magazine Skeptic. He's written several books on science and skepticism and his latest work is an audio-only 12-part course on Conspiracies.

    Episode 26: UFO Jesus – Disclosure, the Nimitz Tic-Tac, and UFO Evidence

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2019 61:03


    UFO Jesus is a popular advocate of UFO “disclosure”, the belief that the US Government is close to revealing that it knows that some UFOs actually are the result of alien visitors. We talk about...

    Episode 25 – Jason Bermas: Producer of Loose Change, Shade, Invisible Empire

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2019 77:01


    Jason Bermas is a producer, writer, and YouTuber, best known for conspiracy documentaries such as Loose Change, Fabled Enemies, Shade, and Invisible Empire. Loose Change was a seminal documentary for the 9/11 “Truth” movement, and...

    Episode 24: Nick Pope – Area 51, UFOs and UFOlogy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2019 62:52


    Nick Pope is a journalist and media commentator who writes and talks a lot about the UFO phenomenon. He is perhaps best known for a role he undertook for the British Government from 1991 to...

    Episode 23 – Ian/TheoryQED: UFOs, Government Cover-ups, and Alien Visitors.

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2019 71:07


    Ian goes by the name TheoryQED on Metabunk and his YouTube Channel, where he posts about UFOs. Unlike me, and definitely unlike my last guest (Seth Shostak), Ian thinks there's something highly significant to the UFO phenomenon

    Episode 22 – Seth Shostak: SETI Senior Astronomer on the Search for ETs, UFO “Disclosure”, and Storming Area 51.

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2019 50:45


    Seth Shostak is the Senior Astronomer for the SETI Institute and former Director of Center for SETI Research. A popular science communicator, Seth has hosted SETI’s weekly radio show (and now podcast) Big Picture Science...

    Episode 21: Donald Friedman – Engineer at the World Trade Center After 9/11

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2019 47:16


    Donald Friedman, P.E., F.ASCE, is a professional engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the investigation, analysis, and restoration of landmark buildings. He has taught engineering  at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of...

    Episode 20 – JM Talboo: Debunker of 9/11 Debunkers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2019 78:37


    JM Talboo runs the web site http://911debunkers.blogspot.com subtitled "Debunking the Debunkers of the 9/11 Truth Movement". His focus is on debunking people like me.

    Episode 19 – Mike Rothschild: Decline of QAnon, Death of Epstein, and other Conspiracies.

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2019 61:30


    Mike Rothschild is a writer who is an expert on a variety of conspiracy theories, in particular QAnon. We discuss the drawn-out decline of the QAnon theory, prosperity scams, and the theories around the death...

    Episode 18 – Paradigm Shift – A Student With Questions about 9/11 and the Possibility of Explosives

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2019 91:00


    Paradigm Shift had made many posts about 9/11, and the need, as he sees it, for a new investigation to look into the possibility of explosives being used to bring down the twin towers.

    Episode 17: Willie – Rabbit Hole Escapee (ETRH – Preface)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2019 69:03


    Willie was one of the first people that I interviewed for my book Escaping The Rabbit Hole.  He’s a former believer in theories from 9/11 being an “inside job”, to chemtrails.  His story forms the...

    Episode 16: Adam Taylor – Retired 9/11 Truth Activist

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2019 65:50


    Adam Taylor was very active in the 9/11 truth movement for ten years from 2007 to 2017.  He's still very much in favor of a new investigation and thinks there are many unanswered questions about the events of 9/11.

    Episode 15: Brad – Mathematics vs. Conspiracy Theories

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2019 48:06


    Brad is an electrical engineer and an expert in mathematics. He also likes to consider that an idea might be true before rejecting it, no matter how extreme. This led him very briefly down the rabbit hole of checking to see if the earth was actually round like a ball, or might it possibly be flat.

    Episode 14: Rory – Flat Earth Debunking and Spiritual Journeys

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2019 64:01


    Rory has an extensive series of videos on YouTube debunking Flat Earth, focusing on simple ways of demonstrating that there’s a curve. But he’s also got a very interesting life story as a traveler, both...

    Episode 13 – Professor David Keith – Geoengineering Research and the Chemtrails Conspiracy Theory

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2019 52:23


    Professor David Keith is a well-known expert in the largely theoretical field of geoengineering (deliberately modifying the Earth's climate) who has become an often demonized target for conspiracy theorists who think that the climate is actually being secretly modified using "chemtrails."

    Episode 12: Paul – Escape from Planet X

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2019 41:44


    Paul is a former promoter of the Planet X conspiracy theory. Planet X (or Nibiru) is a supposed rogue planet that some people claim they can observe near the sun. Supposedly the existence of this planet is being covered up by the government because it's about to cause the end of the world.

    Episode 11: Jim Lee – Chemtrails, Geoengineering, Conspiracies, and Semantics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2019 75:00


    Jim Lee used to be a fairly hardcore conspiracy theorist, deep into things like Chemtrails and doomsday comets. Now he’s less deep down the rabbit hole, but has managed to create one of his own....

    Episode 10: Jen Senko – Director of “The Brainwashing of my Dad”

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2019 51:26


    Jen Senko is the director of the documentary film The Brainwashing of my Dad, released in 2016. The film tells the story of how her father had a drastic change in personality after slowly getting sucked into a rabbit hole of conservative talk radio

    director dad jen senko brainwashing of my dad
    Episode 9: Joe – Former Chemtrail Conspiracist, Current New World Order Conspiracist

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2019 53:55


    Joe is someone I’ve known online for nearly ten years, back when he was a believer in the chemtrails conspiracy theory. Over a few years, I managed to talk him out of that one. He’s...

    Episode 8: Sasha: Chatting with a Flat Earther

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2019 64:42


    I met Sasha at the Flat Earth conference a couple of weeks ago. During the debate she asked an interesting question about the moment that made us commit to the Earth being flat (or, in my case, a globe).

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