BHA52: ‘The Goblin Universe’ in Overview (feat. AP Strange & Seriah Azkath of ‘Where Did the Road Go?’)

This week we have another very special cross-over episode for you! Not only is it the longest Black Hoodie Alchemy episode so far, but also the densest. Joined with Seriah Azkath (veteran radio host of Where Did the Road Go? in New York) and AP Strange (veteran researcher of the unexplainable and a historian of Fortean culture), we tackle the classic and unsung Fortean research book The Goblin Universe, by F.W. ‘Ted’ Holiday.

You can listen to the episode right here, or anywhere you stream your podcast action!

And if you listened to this conversation on Where Did the Road Go already — I have another hour of our recorded talk that was only released on the WDRG Patreon, and you can listen to it right here! This extra portion of the conversation starts at 1:49:00 in the run-time.

Those familiar with researchers like John Keel of The Mothman Prophecies and Jacques Vallee of Passport to Magonia will be right at home in the contents of this strange book. The Goblin Universe is an ambitious attempt to analyze the relationship between Jungian analytic psychology and true genuinely unexplainable phenomena, to include cases like the Loch Ness Monster itself.

Yes, this book analyzes the possibility of reincarnating serial killers, a Catholic priest’s attempt to give Loch Ness an exorcism, phantom jungle cats, poltergeists and classic ghosts stories, Men in Black encounters, ley lines, UFOs, Nostradamus, a lot of cryptids and so much more!

The Goblin Universe was released in 1990 — after Holiday’s death — by his late friend Colin Wilson, who is another classic researcher in his own right. With a very lengthy introduction given by Wilson, along with proof-reads and basic edits, the book is released as is and boasts as many insightful ideas as it does half-baked ones. It’s a sure bet that, should Holiday have survived long enough to publish it himself, not all of the contents would have made it into the final draft as they did in Wilson’s hands, but this is part of the magic and mystique of this delightful treasure of a read!

For years, the book remained in obscurity, with print copies costing literal hundreds of dollars to acquire and digital copies being nowhere in sight. However, the tables have recently turned, and today you can find reprints and even official Kindle versions of the book! For the three of us having this recorded conversation, this was actually quite a surprise — it seems that the Goblin Universe famine has ended quite recently, and our conversation couldn’t have been timed better.

Tune in for this bat-shit crazy and detailed conversation about Ted Holiday’s almost-fully-baked book that was still so far ahead of its time! Then, after that, read The Goblin Universe for yourself and ponder the legacy of the genuine and insightful man that Ted Holiday was.

Ted Holiday’s The Goblin Universe on Amazon

⁠AP Strange’s Website⁠

Seriah’s ⁠Where Did the Road Go?⁠

⁠my website⁠

Check out this week’s featured music — and don’t forget to support your favorite independent artists!

Drum and Space – I am a UFO

Down Here – Glowing Brain

Echo Planet – Negative Blast

Salt – Salt

Souled Out – Doc Hammer