Free cake! "Mirage Men" book launch (London: Thursday 29 July 2010)

There is an event in central London tomorrow evening (Thursday, near Russell Square), open to all, to celebrate the launch of a UFO book by Mark Pilkington, called "Mirage Men" - see the details on the flyer below.

I hope to be there.

Is anyone else from ATS planning on going?

Mark Pilkington is not one of the best known names in ufology, but he's been around the ufological block a few times. He's the editor of my second favourite book on crop circles and has written quite a bit on UFO/fortean for various publications.

The book focuses on speculation that intelligence services are behind a significant part of the UFO myth, with considerable discussion of Rick Doty and a few other familiar names. The book is due to be released tomorrow. I've read a copy already and really must find the time to post a review of it. Basically, I found it :

(a) contained a very large element of speculation - much of which I did not agree with, but was also

(b) extremely interesting and entertaining. I just wish it was two or three times as long to allow many of the issues to be addressed in greater depth - but this may not have been ideal for a commercial publication aimed at a wider audience...

Overall, it would probably come top of a list of the most thought provoking UFO books I've read in the last year or two.

"Mirage Men" is available to pre-order at the link below, with a publication date indicated of 29 July 2010:

www.amazon.co.uk...


A flyer posted on Mark Pilkington's blog has some information about the launch event for his book on 29 July 2010 near Russell Square tube, London at which we will be "dazzled by Flying saucer memorabilia, films, music, cakes and more".

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/c40afdac9b160fa9.jpg[/atsimg]

I'm told by Mark that:

(a) The event is open to the public.

(b) The "special preview of the [Mirage Men] film" mentioned at the above link is a ten minute clip of Rick Doty being interviewed.

(c) The cake mentioned at the above link "will be *very* special".


From the publisher's website:
www.constablerobinson.com...

Seeking the truth about UFOs in America, Mark Pilkington and John Lundberg uncover a 60 year-old story stranger than any conspiracy thriller.

Through the fascinating account of their quest Mark Pilkington reveals the long history of UFOria and its parallels in little known tales from the murky worlds of espionage, psychological warfare and advanced military technology. Along the way he discovers that the truth about flying saucers is stranger and more complex than either the ufologists or debunkers would have us believe.

As he crossed the US meeting intelligence agents, disinformation specialists and UFO hunters Pilkington was confronted with a dizzying array of ever more outrageous claims and counter claims. As a result he began to suspect that, instead of covering up stories of crashed flying saucers, alien contacts and secret underground bases, the US intelligence agencies had actually been promoting them all along. Meanwhile he has to deal with his own uncertainties, the suspicions of the UFO community and a partner who is starting to believe that conspiracy theorists might be right after all.

With a fresh, funny and objective approach, Pilkington is the ideal guide to steer us through these strange territories, where nothing is quite as it seems and reality is just a matter of managing perceptions.

All the best,

Isaac


[edit on 28-7-2010 by IsaacKoi]

reply to post by IsaacKoi


I might come however, I want to know more about this *very* special free cake that you mention - what kind of 'cake' and how much can I have.....lol only joking.....

Thanks for the info..... I may come...looks interesting, is it free entry? concessions for students?

Originally posted by slinkey10
looks interesting, is it free entry?

I've certainly assumed so.

The post on Mark's blog says that everyone is welcome and (unlike one or two of the other events mentioned on there) there is no entry fee mentioned on the blog or the flyer.

I've been looking forward to this book/documentary for awhile.

If you get some spare time I'd like to read your review of it Isaac.

Originally posted by freelance_zenarchist
I've been looking forward to this book/documentary for awhile.

As have I.

I'm still looking forward to seeing the documentary, although things seem to be moving very slowly on that front.

If you get some spare time I'd like to read your review of it Isaac.

Ah, "spare time" - currently almost as elusive as UFOs...

I am also very interested in the free cake, will it have frosting? and will it be vegetarian?

Isaac do you know if John Lundberg's documentary The Mythologist is available to purchase or view anywhere? I emailed John a couple of years ago about it but never got a response.

Originally posted by MR BOB
will it be vegetarian?

mmmmmm.... meatless cake



[edit on 29-7-2010 by freelance_zenarchist]

So... how was the cake?

Originally posted by freelance_zenarchist
Isaac do you know if John Lundberg's documentary The Mythologist is available to purchase or view anywhere? I emailed John a couple of years ago about it but never got a response.

I don't think John Lundberg made that documentary available to purchase. Since it was broadcast, I haven't seen it available elsewhere.

After a bit of effort, a year or two ago I obtained one of a limited number of DVDs that John distributed to those that were interviewed for the documentary.

John may well be prepared to run off more copies of that DVD, particularly if asked nicely and/or offered a financial incentive.

Since you mention having a communication problem when you emailed John direct, I'd be happy to forward any message or email to Mark Pilkington which I'm sure he would raise with John. I may be getting in touch with John directly myself in the near future anyway.

All the best,

Isaac

PS I went to the book launch event and raised a glass to Mark to congratulate him on his book (and to have a brief chat with him and a few others regarding why I don't agree with much of the speculation in Mark's book).

I had to leave before they started on the cake...

Just finished reading Mirage Men. It's speculation based on facts rather than theology. There's as much speculation as facts, but the available facts (particularly re Paul Bennewitz) disgust me because they somewhat confirmed the degree to which disinformation has hijacked believers, and to an extent, sceptics such as myself.

The book will have zero impact on sceptics or believers, because they're often no more than useful idiots. I came to the conclusion earlier in the year, but I want zero to do with mainstream UFOlogy. It's really reinforced the "don't join gangs, don't take things on face value, stay sceptical, don't get used" in me.

IsaacKoi, Phage, DoomsdayRex, Kandinsky, Chadwickus, Maybe...maybe not, ArMaP and many others I salute you and wish you success.

The reason I haven't been around is it's quite depressing reading through stuff from ardent believers (in the same way I find "jump to conclusions" sceptics annoying). Always suspected they were inadvertently tools, and Mirage Men strengthened that suspicion.

Just back briefly to see if there was any reaction to Mirage Men, but as is often the case with important threads, written by non-knuckle draggers, I had to use the search. So at least this comment bumps it.

Best of luck.

Edit:

Here's a link to the paperback (UK):

www.amazon.co.uk...

Some US sellers have it on Amazon.com too:

www.amazon.com...

They'd be mad not to publish it in the US too.

[edit on 19/8/2010 by jackphotohobby]

reply to post by jackphotohobby

Thanks for your review jackphotohobby.

I've been interested in ‘Mirage Men’ for a while now and having followed its development and updates — and also having read Project Beta — I have an idea of what to expect from it.

I'm sorry to hear it has bummed you out by confirming some of your worst suspicions about ufology, but I think everyone interested in the UFO phenomenon would benefit, in the long term, by being exposed to and aware of the amount of disinformation and how that has shaped the perceptions of people regarding this phenomenon. I'm sure many would be disillusioned with ufology, but maybe we need that in order to move on and beyond what we have right now.

On another, and hopefully more cheerful, note I think it's important to remind ourselves that the phenomenon and ufology are two distinct things. While we might get tired of ufology — who in their right mind isn't? — there's still a real, intriguing, and important mystery to be uncovered.

Originally posted by IsaacKoi
I'm still looking forward to seeing the documentary, although things seem to be moving very slowly on that front.

I'm looking forward to this, too. I can't help but think it is on hold as the producers wait for the exclusive, irrefutable film footage that Doty has promised to deliver soon... very soon.

Two-thirds of the way through the book at the moment and it's a fascinating read. It gives an interesting and downright worrying perspective of the UFO culture. It also shows how easily people can be manipulated when they get trapped in the loop of their own belief system- though that is currently plainly evident here on ATS. Who needs Doty now we have YouTube!

I've been looking forward to the Mirage Men documentary for ages...

It looks like the final cut has been made and it will (hopefully) be available soon:

www.hollywoodreporter.com...

Delving into the shadowy hinterland of delusion, deception and paranoia that fuels UFO mythology, this tantalizing British-made documentary has just had its world premiere at the tenth annual Doc/Fest in the northern English city of Sheffield. Mirage Men features testimony from true believers, close-encounter witnesses, airline pilots and highway patrolmen. But it is chiefly concerned with a more prosaic and earthbound conspiracy, which suggests that much key UFO folklore was deliberately fabricated by U.S. military insiders to discredit extra-terrestrial investigators as unhinged cranks, thus defecting attention from their own covert projects.

...
Never less than engaging and generally good fun, Mirage Men touches on some accidentally topical material, including the ethics of NSA snooping and secret unmanned drone aircraft. The evergreen theme, eccentric personalities and bizarre anecdotes here are strong enough to guarantee further festival slots following its Sheffield debut. After that, television seems to be the most obvious platform, though the juicy subject matter and high-end production values may well attract niche theatrical business.

...
The open-ended finale is also disappointingly flat, leaving only the impression that USAF insider Doty is as slippery and deluded as any tinfoil-hatted UFO conspiracy nut. But Pilkington and his fellow film-makers know their audience well. As with all paranormal myths, nobody really wants conclusive proof that little green men were fakes all along. The Truth is still out there.

A book, now a film.

All I need is the T-shirt to feel complete

Originally posted by mirageman
A book, now a film.

All I need is the T-shirt to feel complete

Hey, if you post a request on Mark Pilkington's blog then he may be inspired to sort out some merchanise related to the documentary (if he hasn't already...).

miragemen.wordpress.com...

reply to post by IsaacKoi


Will do! I definitely want the T-shirt for obvious reasons.

Mark Pilkington writes for Fortean times and is a solid contributor. I really believe that his premise of military disinformation is correct. Aslomost people just want confirmation of there perspective as opposed to getting to the truth.

Originally posted by Tiger5
I really believe that his premise of military disinformation is correct.

But where's the evidence of military disinformation in relation to UFOs (other than in relation to one or two very limited instances, such as Project Beta) instead of, say, certain people having a laugh at the expense of the gullible and/or seeking to make a bit of money?

I've read Mark Pilkington's enjoyable book and have spoken to Mark about it a couple of times - but I remain unconvinced.

Originally posted by freelance_zenarchist
I've been looking forward to this documentary for awhile.