Colin Bennett RIP

[Croydon13013]

It seems that the "fortean" author Colin Bennett died in December 2014 but news only got out to the fortean and skeptic communities a month ago. I only heard today.

There is very little about him on the interweb, despite the fact that he published a series of books and wrote regularly for the Fortean Times until 2004. His website "Combat Diaries" AKA "The New Fortean Times" seems to be down.

I had the misfortune to meet him in 2004 at UnConvention and was a central player in the events that provoked him into falling out with the Fortean Times. During his talk (I have no recollection of what it was supposed to be about but it was long, dull and stupid) he said that skepticism was one step away from loading Jews into cattle cars. So I stood up and shouted "bullshit!" 90%ish of the audience agreed with me and he took this very badly. Even though the FT editor David Sutton supported him at the talk and later in the FT, Bennett decided that FT forteans weren't real forteans and huffed off into the wilderness.

A later panel where he shared the stage with skeptics Andy Roberts and Dave Clarke only made things worse. Bennett refused to say whether he thought that Adamski had met aliens; repeatedly telling Roberts and Clarke that wanting facts and evidence was "anti-intellectualism". The audience laughed and laughed at him. When the discussion was opened up to the floor for questions the first question was "Does Colin Bennett believe that George Adamski actually met alien beings?" How we laughed again. He refused to answer and asked for another question, I was given the mike and asked him if he thought that Adamski had met aliens.

Bennett's version of events: "My last feature in FT was a postmodern interpretation of the claims that the original Moon Landing was media fraud. I conceived of the two opposed points of view as mediatexts battling for prime time, thus unlocking the accepted paradigm of fact versus fiction. Such articles as this caused so much outrage amongst the old aunts and knitting circles of FT. I was almost howled off the stage by FT queens and devotees at the 2004 Uncon. Onstage, I was outnumbered by assembled skeptics of the cabal whose influence had almost destroyed FT as a Fortean Journal."

His books included "Looking for Orthon, the story of George Adamski", "Politics of the Imagination: The Life, Work and Ideas of Charles Fort" (an incredibly badly written mess) and "An American Demonology: Flying Saucers Over the White House" (with contribution from Nick Pope).

I suppose it is a sign of just how unimportant he had made himself that nobody even noticed his passing.

[chaggle]

Never 'eard of him.

[Croydon13013]

A small correction to my earlier post. I am told by the person who was sitting next to me that I shouted "Bollocks!" at Colin Bennett, not "Bulllshit!"

He says he remembers it well because I woke him up.

[polomint38]

A small correction to my earlier post. I am told by the person who was sitting next to me that I shouted "Bollocks!" at Colin Bennett, not "Bulllshit!"

He says he remembers it well because I woke him up.

Could it have been another expletive starting the a B. I like to imagine that Bob shouted Balderdash! Any other possibilities.

[chaggle]

A small correction to my earlier post. I am told by the person who was sitting next to me that I shouted "Bollocks!" at Colin Bennett, not "Bulllshit!"

He says he remembers it well because I woke him up.

Could it have been another expletive starting the a B. I like to imagine that Bob shouted Balderdash! Any other possibilities.

Botheration!

[Tinkerbell]

A small correction to my earlier post. I am told by the person who was sitting next to me that I shouted "Bollocks!" at Colin Bennett, not "Bulllshit!"

He says he remembers it well because I woke him up.

Could it have been another expletive starting the a B. I like to imagine that Bob shouted Balderdash! Any other possibilities.

Botheration!

My mother says 'botheratiackins' (no idea how to spell it...)

[Croydon13013]

Could it have been another expletive starting the a B. I like to imagine that Bob shouted Balderdash! Any other possibilities.

Bruce?

[Tinkerbell]

Could it have been another expletive starting the a B. I like to imagine that Bob shouted Balderdash! Any other possibilities.

Bruce?

No, no...it's 'Caitlyn' now....

[chaggle]

Bruce?

No, no...it's 'Caitlyn' now.... :la

Oh! Very good...

[polomint38]

Bruce?

No, no...it's 'Caitlyn' now.... :la

Oh! Very good...

Not Funny #je suis Caitlyn