Coast to Coast AM: A real trip to the Far Side

Anyone who's ever worked the graveyard shift knows that finding things to keep your mind occupied is the key to making the experience tolerable. The problem is there's generally nothing interesting going on at 4 am. Which is why I was extremely happy when I discovered the AM radio cult show Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Have you ever thought about gravity propulsion, the Chupacabra, or shadow people? Yeah, me neither. There are apparently a lot of people up at the wee hours of the morning that have however. With over 8 million loyal listeners on 500 affiliates, Coast to Coast AM has entertained conspiracy theorists, UFOlogists, truck drivers, insomniacs, and graveyard shift-workers for almost 15 years.

The roots of Coast to Coast AM go back to 1989 when Art Bell, a long-time disc jockey and ex Air Force medic was offered a 5 hour timeslot on KDWN in Las Vegas, NV. It began as a political call-in show but in the early nineties, Art tired of the format and felt with the emergence of radio superstars like Rush Limbaugh, there was already too much competition. Bell began focusing on his long-time interest in UFO's, timetravel, and other "fringe" subjects and when the show was syndicated, he established a fairly large following. Beginning in 1998, Bell "retired" several times for personal reasons usually to return within weeks. He last retired in late 2002 but returned again in 2003 to be the weekend host. The show is now hosted weekdays by George Noory who seemingly shares Bell's passion for the bizarre. Noory claims that in 2003 he remote viewed the past, travelling to the Roswell, NM of the 1940's to watch a UFO event.

Whether or not you take this subject matter seriously, Coast to Coast AM is great entertainment. Like a good horror or sci-fi movie, it can take you places you've never been and sometimes never wanted to be. Working alone at night and listening to callers recount stories of hauntings and possessions, I've often gotten goosebumps, jumped at strange noises, and seen shadows move out of the corner of my eye. It's an interesting little trip back to childhood, where anything, both good and bad, is possible.

To find the Coast to Coast AM affiliate near you, click here.

To read more about Coast to Coast AM and its hosts, go to Wikipedia