Remembering Mac
The news that good friend, fellow author and Fortean writer and researcher Mac Tonnies has passed away suddenly at the age of only 34, is tragic, mind-numbing and overwhelmingly saddening.
It’s difficult (as it always is in such situations) to put my thoughts and feelings into words. But, my first thoughts are, of course, with Mac’s family at this terrible time.
I first came across Mac in 2004, when Paraview-Pocket Books published his book, After the Martian Apocalypse, which is a very good, and highly balanced, study of the Face on Mars controversy. I interviewed Mac not long after the book came out for the now-defunct Phenomena Magazine, and we stayed in touch, and soon became friends - albeit at the time purely by email and sometimes by lengthy night-time phone-calls, during which we would chat about Forteana, music and more.
Then, in late 2006 - at Paul Kimball’s New Frontiers Symposium in Halifax, Nova Scotia - we got to meet up, along with Greg and several others for a weekend of Forteana, UFOs, Cryptozoology, and general high-strangeness.
Needless to say, it was a fun few days, and I have a lot of good memories of Mac from that gig - he gave a fine presentation, everyone had a great time, and there was a cool vibe in the air.
After that, me and Mac continued to stay in regular contact. Indeed, only a couple of months ago I interviewed him for an upcoming project, about which he was very excited - and now he’s gone; which I am still finding hard to believe and accept.
Mac was a great thinker and a thoughtful individual. He was a person with much to say and who had the skills to say it, too. And, with the manuscript of his planned book The Cryptoterrestrials nearly completed, I truly believe that Mac was about to come into his own in the Fortean field on a very large scale indeed.
He was also my friend, and I’ll greatly miss him.
Mac was taken far too early; so let’s always remember the man, the friend, and the work that he left behind. That’s really all I want to say right now.
PS: The photo above shows Mac (on the left) with Greg, sharing a laugh about something at Paul Kimball’s 2006 gig. This is the Mac I will remember.
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Oct 23 2009 
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:35 am
” The photo above shows Mac (on the left) with Greg, sharing a laugh about something at Paul Kimball’s 2006 gig. This is the Mac I will remember.”
Me too, amigo… me too!
October 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 am
Holy Shit! I’ve just gone into shock and am totally freaking out.
I’ve known Mac online for at least 5+ years and have met him twice. I’d bugged him about coming again to visit STL because those times we me, we had a very nice time and I know that though we were mostly e-friends we were friends nevertheless.
I thought his C2C interview was fantastic and I was really looking forward to reading The Cryptoterrestrials.
I’m wrecked. I’m just, really really wrecked and Iknow you guys are too.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:06 am
We conversed in email and on twitter. Always hoped that I’d meet him one day. Terribly sad.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:09 am
Thank you Mac.
With deep sadness,
Paolo Martinuz
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:46 am
Me too, Firkon. I’d been a faithful reader of his blog for years.
It was obvious what a great person Mac was. This is a terrible loss.
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:05 am
And he had just turned 34!
I’ve never met the guy, but I really feel like I lost a personal friend (I had become a regular visitor of his blog recently). How I would have enjoyed to shake his hand and buy him a beer
October 23rd, 2009 at 2:43 am
Nick, et al,
My wife came running into my office a short time ago and asked me, “what was the matter?!”; apparently I had blurted something aloud as I read about Mac’s demise.
Like everyone else, I am taken aback by this inconceivable event. The emotions that erupt when someone so young has passed are acute!
One word is mulled over again and again–WHY?!
I did not know Mac personally, and only corresponded with him a time or two; however, I admired and respected him from afar. He was a sober, salient voice to this thing we call Ufology, and other things esoteric; his Mars research is beyond compare and his unique perspective and obvious intelligence was a breath of fresh air in contrast to all the noise that exists in our ether.
My condolences to his family and anyone who called him friend–the void left behind will always be present; however, the life of the man, will now live on, in the memory of us all . . .
Respectfully,
Frank Warren
The UFO Chronicles
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:20 am
Thanks guys, for all of the comments; much appreciated indeed. And the same goes for all future comments re Mac’s very sad passing.
We should also not forget Mac’s other (seldom-discussed) blog, which I found very entertaining:
http://pseudosaucers.blogspot.com/
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:38 am
You will be missed, Mac.
October 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 am
How very sad. To die so young.
October 23rd, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Nick,
Thanks for posting the picture. It reminds me of how much fun we had kicking ideas and jokes around.