“Flying Saucerers” Has Landed
Well, the long wait is finally over and the new book from British-based ufological kill-joys, skeptics and possible deep-cover MI5/GCHQ/CIA/B&Q agents Dave Clarke and Andy Roberts - Flying Saucerers - is finally with us. Was it worth the wait? Indeed, it was.
But, as with all of the terrible twosome’s previous books, this one is going to please some, intrigue others, illuminate and inform most readers, and annoy the hell out of the remainder. But, there’s nothing wrong with a bit (or indeed a lot!) of controversy - the subject needs a kick-start now and again, and Flying Saucerers most certainly provides that kick. But in a way that actually achieves something worthwhile in terms of providing much welcome insight on a seldom tackled area of study.
Actually, for US based UFO devotees who may not be fully conversant with the world and the workings of the pair, to call Andy and Dave kill-joys isn’t quite correct; although to some it might seem that way. Basically, Andy and Dave have very little time for the Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) when it comes to the UFO subject - not because they dispute the possibility that aliens could exist or could have visited the earth.
Rather, they are of the opinion that the evidence presented by ufologists in support of the ETH thus far is currently lacking in terms of being wholly convincing and definitive. In other words, belief or circumstantial evidence is not enough: they want firm, hard evidence. And it has to be said that, thus far we, as a UFO research community at least, don’t have that undeniable evidence that we can present to the media or the scientific community.
Now, we certainly do have data, we have witness testimony, and we have intriguing evidence in the form of photographs, official documents, radar-originated material, and more. But, even I have to admit that this doesn’t provide the definitive answers concerning what it is that lies at the heart of the UFO mystery - only that something is going on. And, for some people, that’s enough proof. But, it’s this lack of hard evidence that Andy and Dave have a problem with when it comes to those that loudly proclaim that ET is visiting us. They tend to see the ET theory for the UFO puzzle as more of a belief system that has developed over the decades, rather than as a theory that is supported by definitive proof.
Indeed, it is perhaps this attitude that has led to charges that the pair are nothing but debunkers. But this is far, far from the case: demanding facts, rather than just accepting opinions and theories based upon incomplete evidence, does not a debunker make.
And, with those thoughts fixed firmly in our minds, let us now turn our attention to Flying Saucerers. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is Dave and Andy’s best book to date. And by “best” I mean in the sense of having an impact on the subject, of providing new and insightful information, and for contributing something that is worth reading.
You will find very little within the pages of Flying Saucerers on the analysis of UFO incidents, or forensic analyses of radar reports, or pilot encounters and such. But, it’s important to stress that this is not what the book is about. Some, who disagree with Dave and Andy, might say in view of this that their book can have nothing to do with UFOs. But they would be wrong. Arguably, the book has everything to do with UFOs.
Basically, Flying Saucerers is an in-depth and fascinating study of the origins of UFology in Britain from the late 1940s to the late 1970s (with a nod towards the end of the book to the later years of the 80s and the X-Files dominated 90s), the people, the players, and the movers and the shakers who - either directly or indirectly, and deliberately or inadvertently - shaped and sculpted British ufology into what it is today.
As Dave and Andy’s book shows, in many ways those same people were equally as important (if not more so, arguably) to the development of the subject in jolly old England as were the cases that they either investigated or were personally implicated in.
And, unlike so many books that tend to focus on the subject today, Flying Saucerers delves back into an era that, until now, has been poorly documented in books, periodicals and magazines. Yes, there have been countless books that have focused on UFO encounters in the UK in the period from the 40s to the late 70s; but until now very few, definitive studies of the “ufological scene” in that period have been successfully written - and that’s where Flying Saucerers scores immensely, and that is also why this book should be on your book-shelves.
And you don’t have to be a Brit to apppreciate this book. Anyone and everyone with an interest in Ufology needs to acquaint themselves with the entire subject and its history - and not just the present-day stories of black-eyed Grays, and the equally black Flying Triangles.
I would stress that this book is not some watery-eyed, nostalgia-driven trip down memory lane to a time long-gone and when all was well in the world. No, and thank god for that. But it is a trip into a period of history that needed to be documented.
You will find in this book some names that are well-known, some that are familiar, and others that may mean little at all. But all of them - in their own way, large or small - contributed something to what is today British Ufology.
So, what do you get for your heard earned pounds, dollars (or whatever currency you may use)? Well, aside from a truly huge amount of fascinating and seldom-seen photographs, drawings, artwork, and more, you get the following:
(A) A wealth of intriguing material which conclusively details the deep links that many of the early UFO researchers and groups within the UK had to the worlds of spiritualism, life-after-death, the paranormal, and the occult;
(B) Revelations concerning the ways and means by which the British public came to equate the terms “Flying Saucer” and “UFO” with alien spacecraft;
(C) The eye-opening, behind-the-scenes activities deep within the heart of the British Establishment (from politicians to Royalty) as they related to UFOs and the development of belief systems;
(D) The deep impact that the New Age and “Hippie” cultures had on British Ufology (I never thought I, as a punk-loving Ufologist would have to use the word “Hippie” in my blog, but it just goes to prove that nothing is ever certain in ufology…);
(E) The Contactee era of the 1950s, and the accounts of George Adamski;
(F) A wealth of fascinating data on the Aetherius Society and its founder George King (including evidence of surveillance by British authorities, the beginnings of the group, its influence, and how it was perceived by mainstream Ufology);
(G) The drug culture that sprung up in the 60s, LSD use, and their connections to all things Ufological (including the very funny story of how a certain former editor of Flying Saucer Review nearly choked on his dinner one night after he believed it had been spiked with mind-altering chemicals);
(H) The ways in which the subject came to affect and even take over the lives of those that delved into it, and how belief systems of these same people were created, manipulated, and sometimes utterly shattered;
(I) The dark tales of those that entered the field as wide-eyed believers in ET; but who ultimately came to the disturbing conclusion that UFOs had demonic origins;
(J) The truth (finally!) behind the complex tales of the UFO mysteries of Warminster, Wiltshire that so dominated much of 1960s Ufology;
(K) Hilarious accounts of hoaxes (that at times left an incredible and longlasting impression on the UFO research community - such as that of the chap who had the bright idea of dressing up in a silver-lined asbestos suit and helmet one night, and scaring his neighbors half to death by pretending to be an alien, and nearly getting shot by a hysterical woman in the process); and much more.
Some may disagree with me, but there is no doubt in my mind that Flying Saucerers is one of the most important ufological contributions of the last few years; and it is vital reading for anyone and everyone that has an interest in belief systems, how beliefs, ideas and theories originate, grow, mutate, become accepted, and are then perceived as hard fact - and on a truly astonishing large scale, too.
And as a book that reveals the adventures, escapades, larks, investigations, and memorable characters of a long-gone era, Flying Saucerers is required reading.
In saying all of that, I do differ from Dave and Andy in the sense that I do think there is enough data in hand to suggest the presence of something among us - some unknown. But, unless or until the day comes when we can understand and appreciate what that “unknown” may be, I would urge you all to get a copy of Flying Saucerers.
You will not find a better study of ufological belief systems, mythologies, memorable characters, hidden histories, and “I want to believe” figures than this.
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Mar 29 2007 
March 29th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
It sounds very interesting. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep an eye out for it.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Dammit! I wish I’d written it! (at least from an American perspective) Who do I contact for a review copy?
This title sounds like a more muckraking version of Keith Thompson’s book, Angels and Aliens, which is another often overlooked title dealing with the history of the UFO subject. Thompson examined the subject from a mytholigical/ social viewpoint. Very highly recommended. We interviewed Thompson in the Excluded Middle zine way back when and found him to be not only a highly intelligent and perceptive guy, but also quite friendly and accessible.
This excerpt is still relevant, over a decade later:
EM: In your book, you invoke the Myth of Sisyphus as a tale of futility that could give us a wise place to stand.
KT: Yes, that’s how I ended it. You know the story. Sisyphus is sentenced by the gods to roll a rock to the top of the hill, knowing full well that it will roll back down to the bottom. He must do this for eternity — no reprieve. He defies the gods by saying yes to his task, even though this amounts to affirming endless labor intended as torture. The task of making sense of UFOs is Sisyphean. Each attempt to explain these hovering shapes manages to get the rock to the top — and then each theory falls, inevitably, like his rolling rock. On it goes. I find this strangely heartening. The human spirit always agrees to make the climb to the top, not knowing why. For me it comes down to an article of faith that, in the entangling of human and divine fates, to be human is not to be at a loss. I want to keep asking questions. Keep pushing the rock.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Greg
It’s actually not muck-raking at all. Rather, it basically reveals the facts as they are, which even on their own (without prodding needed from Andy and Dave) are entertaining, bizarre, outrageous, and thought-provoking.
That’s the thing that the book demonstrates: that the people in the subject back then were an intriguing, unusual bunch (has nothing changed today? LOL) whose work influenced whole swathes of the public, the UFO book reading public, and even people in the official and establishment worlds.
Rather than muck-rake, Dave and Andy tell it as it was back then, which was highly controversial on its own.
March 30th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Greg:
I forgot: for review copies, contact the owner of Heart of Albion Press, Bob Trubshaw, at albion@indigogroup.co.uk
For fans of British folklore, mythology, and Fortean history, Heart of Albion put out some excellent titles. Check out their website: http://www.hoap.co.uk
March 31st, 2007 at 8:49 am
How does it compare to Shockingly Close to the Truth?
I was going to use Shockingly in my class this summer, but I decided to go with Brenda Denzler’s Lure of the Edge this time around.
March 31st, 2007 at 8:55 am
spooky:
I’d say it’s very different to Shockingly, as it’s basically a social history of the way in which the subject developed in the UK. But for a class study, I think it would be a good one, as the story is one that arguably could be applied to ufology all over the world, I think: how the subject began, developed, how belief systems are formed etc.
March 31st, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Thanks.
It looks like nobody can write well about the more recent years, as I note in my review of Shockingly and Watch the Skies.
http://spookyparadigm.blogspot.com/2006/10/watch-skies-and-shockingly-close-to.html
I guess Dolan does it in the second volume of his book (I haven’t read vol. 1 yet, though it is sitting here next to me on the wait list.
April 1st, 2007 at 1:26 pm
I think we need more books like this, not because I’m a debunker. I most certainly am not that. I’ve seen the darn things and consider the subject academic. There’s a nother book, perhaps someone can help me remember the author’s name, I think it’s titled “Abducted by Aliens”, which has absolutely nothing to do with what may or may not have happened regarding the existence of UFO’s but is rather an ethnography of those people whose lives have been completely taken over by their obsession on the subject. There’s also a pretty funny description of Richard C Hoagland losing his temper, which I understand he’s secretly famous for. The fact is that the extraterrestrial hypothesis IS extremely premature. The accounts of those who claim intimate communication with aliens are in the main absolutely ludicrous. Even those who once inspired some credibility have gone so far out in the pursuit of trying to make a buck off of people who also claim to be in communication with “THEM” that their original assertions must be brought into question. As I said before in my post, and have discussed in profile (in a manner intended to humorous)I have seen all manner of The Weird and am quite convinced that something is going on. However, I have never spoken to one of Icke’s reptilian guys who drink the blood of Aryan babies (I’m telling you, listen to an interview with that, the reason he has to swallow so frequently is probably the anti-psychotic medication), and I can’t say I really take the broad incompetence displayed by governments as a clear sign that Illuminati are running everything (or if that they are, that it’s realy much to worry about). I find the subject of the culture surrounding the weird at least as interesting as the weird itself. Whatever Dave & Barry may have done in the past, this sounds like a genuine contribution and I thank Nick for bringing it to our attention.
April 3rd, 2007 at 2:28 am
Personally, Nick, I have no difficulty with Messrs. Clarke & Roberts’ notion that those who interpret the ‘ufo’ data as evidence of ‘men from Mars’ are unwittingly or otherwise prone to (a) belief system(s).
What I wonder, though, is to what extent they’re aware their insistence the evidence must prove itself on their terms - no matter how scientific they consider those terms to be - is also a product of yet another belief system?
People say, why don’t the ‘Spacemen’ come out in the open? (Ditto, for that matter, God!)
But the truth is, if they did - and if enough of us stopped running for the hills long enough - the first thing we’d be sensible to ask ourselves is, how do we really know they’re who they say they are?
How could we really be certain the strange DNA they gave us wasn’t something concocted by the likes of the supposed New World Order? That the miraculous feats they performed really weren’t some Steven Spielberg-esque technological sleight-of-hand? Etc., etc.,…That the whole thing wasn’t just some stunt to dominate the global population even more?
And even if we were convinced, how could we really be certain of what their intentions were?
For that matter, like no doubt many members of the likes of the supposed NWO probably imagine themselves to have, ‘the Aliens’ may well have the very best of intentions - but then the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Besides which, what one half of the human race may agree is for the best, the other may indeed violently disagree.
The point being, while many ufologists may look quaint and quirky, even clownish to Clarke and Roberts, from another point of view, their approach to the subject can be viewed as just as quaint and quirky and clownish.
April 3rd, 2007 at 5:21 am
Alan
If there are real aliens (by that I mean ETs or something from other realm of existence that maybe we don’t understand), I seriously doubt they have any good intentions with regard to us.
Personally, I think we do have an unexplained presence, up to no good at all, that has no intention of helping us or saving us.
Frankly, I’m convinced we’d be better off without their presence.
Of course, to an extent that comes down to my belief based on my analysis of the evidence.
Unfortunately, to an extent, everyone’s opinion of what lies behind the UFO puzzle (something or nothing) is belief driven, no matter how we argue it or claim otherwise.
We can hopefully try and keep belief systems to a minimum and try and base our conclusions on facts alone.
But hard facts in ufology are hard to find, and so belief (on all sides of the fence) will always raise its head.
But that’s ufology. And it’s also somemthing that can be applied to pretty much every aspect of human life.