Comments on: Keel Ends Life Rather Alone

By: Dib

Dib — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:57:58 +0000

Considering what the Utraterrestrials can do to those who touch their realm, it’s remarkable that he was as sane as he was and lived as long as he did. It must have been his strength of character or, perhaps, his ability to not take them or himself too seriously.

By: theo

theo — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:07:41 +0000

John Keel’s ‘Our Haunted Planet’ was formative in my teens – I read it when I was 12. many years later, Keel kindly wrote the preface to my book ‘Free Energy Pioneer: John Worrell Keely’ that was first published in 1998.

I talked to John a number of times over the phone and at one time I suggested he’d do a follow up on his ‘Mothman Prophecies’. While he commented how physically hard it is to write a book (and believe me, it is) I heard him chuckling at the other end of the transatlantic line, creating on the fly the title of the book: “The Return Of Mothman!” Hearing saying him that gave me goosepimples. Just imagine: a new Keel title!

In the end it was not to be and Keel has passed on to the Disneyland Of The Gods, as Phyllis Benjamin of INFO so aptly put it.

Although I never met him, he will be deeply missed. His passing marks the end of an era. Forteana found its poet, that mantle firmly resting on Keel’s shoulders.

In honour of a most original thinker, researcher and author, click following the link to an old Keel article (published in 1967) titled: “Who Was That 6-Inch-High Animated Tin Can I Saw You With Last Night?”: http://seektress.com/tincan2.htm
regards,

Theo Paijmans

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:09:54 +0000

Love the conversations between Smith and Keel. I won’t be surprised if someone collects them and they appear in some “anecdote” anthology somewhere. Wish that were so…

Fortgeorge made a good point. I’ve also struggled with isolation all my life. Working through it but it’s not ALL bad.

Red_Pill_Junkie:
You made superb point!!! Who in the heck wants to be “in” all the time? I, for one, like my small “outsider” status. “Normal” is most often boring. Long live the “non-conformists.”

By: lincoln s

lincoln s — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:52:57 +0000

its sad to hear but what loren said in that last sentence was rather comforting

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:47:28 +0000

So sad. I empathize with this because, as maybe some Cryptomundians have experimented personally, having an interest in these subjects carries a heavy toll. You become an outsider, even if you don’t want to; “Oh, here goes that guy who reads about UFOs & Bigfoot”. And eve if you don’t experience direct scorn, our distaste for the dull frivolous concerns of the majority of society will never let us to fit in.

…But then again: do we really want to fit in? Do we want to talk about American idol and TV commercials, when Mothman and ultraterrestrials are so much more interesting?

By: Labyrinth_13

Labyrinth_13 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:36:01 +0000

Quite a sad eulogy. But it is good to know that there was enough fire left in John for this quote:

“Keel’s mind, despite his physical infirmities, was alive, and his wry sense of humor was not entirely understood by nursery home workers who were helping him with physical therapy and rehabilitation.”

I daresay that I hope that the same can be said of me if/when I’m in the same situation years from now.

Thanks for posting this.

By: Skeptical...

Skeptical... — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:50:48 +0000

Man, I just found out about John Keel’s passing today. It sounds like life was not particularly kind to John toward the end but I mourn his passing nonetheless. He was one of very few out-of-the-box thinkers that the UFO phenomenon has ever seen. He has been vilified by some but he left a unique and undeniable mark on UFOlogy.

Hope Indrid Cold was waiting for you with open arms, John. Thanks for fighting the good fight.

By: blackcatlounge

blackcatlounge — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:37:25 +0000

I am so sorry to hear of John Keel’s passing. Thank you for all the information, Loren, and please accept my sympathy on the loss of your friend. His writing gave me so much pleasure (I have most of his books and was a big fan of his Fate column) and it’s painful to read about his sad death.

My sister and I were lucky enough to have met John Keel at the Fortfest in Bethesda, MD, in November 1995. He sat at our table, and we were thrilled. I asked him for his autograph, and he gave me his card, which I still treasure to this day.

I hope that wherever he is, he has found the truth about the mysteries he investigated, as, hopefully, we all will.

Thank you.

By: gridbug

gridbug — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:35:37 +0000

“He may have to fight off harpies for a bit, but the angels and virgins are probably waiting for him over the next ridge.”

BEST. EULOGY. EVER.

By: smithcolony

smithcolony — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:30:29 +0000

Hi Loren-

First of all, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend, the beloved author John A. Keel.

I first discovered his work when I was still a teenager, when I came across a tattered copy of “Our Haunted Planet” at a garage sale. As I write this, that very same book rests on my desk. And, as ever, it’s worth the world to me.

Over the course of twenty years or so, I’ve collected and read all but the rarest of his books. Mr. Keel has been a tremendous influence on my life. And always will be…

I was wondering if a memorial service for him is planned, and if so, when and where it may take place.

I’m sure many fans of his would like to send flowers and condolences. Any information you could post on your blog would help.