Wyrd Wessex

On a dark stretch of the I-77 in 1966, a hardworking salesman named Woodrow "Woody" Derenberger was pulled over by a craft that looked like a "charcoal burner" and a man with an impossible, unblinking grin. That man called himself Indrid Cold, and while the world eventually turned him into a sinister "Grinning Man" urban legend, the reality for the Derenberger family was a decade-long descent into social and financial ruin.

In this episode, the Wyrdos dig through the wreckage left behind by the man from Lanulos. We aren't just looking at the lights in the sky; we’re investigating how a genuinely unsettling brush with "High Strangeness" was reshaped by predatory 1970s publishers into a generic "Space Gospel." From the suspicious ghostwriting of Visitors from Lanulos to the devastating domestic fallout that hounded Woody’s children for fifty years, we explore the high price of being "chosen" by the phenomenon.

Finally, we navigate the bizarre later years of the mythos, where the story takes a turn for the truly surreal. We look at the mysterious links to the Pentagon’s "Valiant Thor," the presence of Men in Black with "neuralizers" at the front door, and a modern twist: an interstellar death announcement made via a Facebook notification.

In this episode:

The Naked Truth: Craig shares a personal (and far too revealing) story from his days in Swindon that gives "creepers at the window" a whole new meaning.

The Ghost in the Machine: We examine the 1971 first edition of Visitors from Lanulos and how ghostwriters potentially stripped the truth to sell a "pulpy" sci-fi narrative.

The Price of Contact: Why Woody is the ultimate counter-argument to the "he did it for fame" trope—and how his career and marriage tanked after speaking out.

The Interstellar Roll Call: We break down the absurdity of the alien names—from "Kimmulus" and "Mystique" to the strangely mundane "Tony and Daryl."

The Star Wars Ending: The claims that Indrid Cold and his sons attended Woody’s funeral in person to say a final goodbye to the salesman who told their story.

The Facebook Obituary: A look at Tanya Derenberger’s final accounts, featuring alien dogfights, "Hat Man" sightings, and social media obituaries.

It turns out the "Grinning Man" never really left—he just traded his shimmering green suit for a Facebook profile.

Stay Wyrd

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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to an episode of AfterWyrd that smells… well, a bit fleshy. While Craig turns the studio into a medieval tannery with drying deer skins, he recounts a bizarre dream about a bus-based library and the temptation of stealing folklore tomes. Meanwhile, Andy brings us a review of a very awkward "date night" with Nicolas Cage.

We dive into the dark side of the digital age, from AI bots advising "rectal garlic" to a woman whose AI boyfriend, Sinclair, is apparently "an arsehole, but in a nice way." Things take a sobering turn as we discuss the terrifying reality of phrogging in Gravesend and the vanishing NASA engineers tied to "Project Mondaloy." Finally, we tackle the latest from the US political sphere: are UAPs actually extra-planetary visitors, or—as JD Vance suggests—are we dealing with literal celestial demons?

The Wyrd News:

The Tannery Aesthetics: Why the Wyrd Wessex studio currently smells like a Viking workshop and how "fleshy" aromas might be the future of dark tourism.

Folklore Dreams & Yorkshire Joseph: Craig’s subconscious attempts to steal Reader's Digest: Folklore, Myths and Legends from a dream-bus. Plus, Andy reviews the "dark biblical" film The Carpenter’s Son—featuring a stressed-out Joseph accusing Mary of hanging out with the local plumber.

UFO Flashbacks: A revisit to Fire in the Sky. We discuss why the Travis Walton case and the loggers' near-prosecution for murder remain some of the most compelling (and bleakest) evidence for abduction.

AI Psychosis: From garlic-burning medical bots to the birth of "Sinclair," the sentient (and controlling) AI boyfriend who picks his partner's tattoos and claims he's better than a human.

The Gravesend Phrogger: The harrowing story of Chloe, who was gaslit and medicated for "psychosis" while a man lived in her loft for months. We discuss the terrifying moment the hatch finally opened.

The Demon Theory: JD Vance and the theological battle over "Aliens.gov." We explore the shift from "Little Grey Men" to the idea that UAPs are actually ancient extra-natural entities.

Project Mondaloy: The vanishing of Monica Jacinto Reza and the "dark pattern" of missing aerospace scientists working on futuristic super-alloys. Is it a secret affair or a targeted disappearance?

Earth’s Heartbeat: Is a spike in the Schumann Resonance causing our collective brain fog and ringing ears? We blame "Mother Earth's metronome" for our inability to follow the script.

Wyrdo Shout-outs:

A massive thank you to our Discord regulars: Terry, Simon, Rosie, Nick, John, and our newest subscriber, Andrew. Thanks for keeping the conversation Wyrd!

If you’re feeling a bit off-kilter or hearing voices from the attic—Don't blame the owls!

Donate to the show and follow along for full show notes, Discord membership & more:
www.wyrdwessex.co.uk

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?anchor=profile&asc=u

Hosted by Craig Brooks & Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by: Universfield Dark 80s Sci-Fi Atmosphere
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I’m relying on spirit 100% to not make me look like a twat on stage."

What happens when a professional Cher tribute act gets booed off stage in Worthing and ends up receiving messages from the dead in a Wiltshire bed shop? This week, Wyrd Wessex hosts Andy and Craig sit down with Mitch Garlington—a male witch, Reiki healer, and prominent psychic medium with one of the most colourful backstories in the craft.

In this episode, we explore how Mitch navigated the transition from the glitter of the drag stage to the "energy" of a Somerset mattress showroom. We dive into past-life visions of being burnt at the stake, meeting a foul-mouthed spirit guide who survived the Titanic, and the mystery of the "Spirit Turtle" that haunted Craig during a live show in Frome.

Highlights of the Episode:

The Worthing Disaster: Why a disastrous night as Cher became the catalyst for a spiritual awakening.
The Bed Shop Revelations: When spirits started "interrupting" sales pitches for king-size mattresses.
The Spirit Turtle: Craig’s first-hand report from the live show, including the judgmental reptile in the corner.
"Bub-bleh" & Rainbow Scissors: Terrifyingly specific "hits" that left even our resident skeptics scratching their heads.
The Grief Bridge: A look at why modern society is "starving" for a connection to death and how mediumship fills the gap.

Find out more about about Mitch, his latest shows, bookings and books:
https://www.mitch-garlington.co.uk/

Stay Wyrd!

Help keep the show alive:buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex
www.wyrdwessex.co.uk

Buy our merch here

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"It’s less Romeo and Juliet and more Sweeney Todd meets a Greek tragedy."

Welcome to the debut of WyrdLore, our bonus series dedicated to the strange tales, local legends, and folklore that are just too "Wyrd" for the main show.

In this first outing, Craig digs into a 17th-century "romance" from Robert Hunt’s Popular Romances of the West of England. But don't expect any Valentine’s cards—this is the story of a long-lost son returning to Cornwall from the East Indies with a bag of gold and a very bad idea.

Instead of announcing his return, he decides to play a 1618 version of Undercover Boss on his own parents. What follows is a brutal tale of greed, a "convenient scar," and a murder that allegedly left a patch of ground at Boholland Farm cursed and blighted for centuries.

In this WyrdLore session:

The Fatal Prank: Why testing your parents' greed with a pile of gold is a recipe for disaster.

The Blighted Earth: The legend of the cursed patch of ground where nothing has grown for 400 years.

Fact or Theatre?: We look at the 1618 pamphlet that inspired stage plays and local superstitions alike.

Help keep the lights on and join our Discord here: buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex

Buy our merch here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/saxonforageruk/shop?asc=u

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Main theme: NRA-LAB Intro
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people visit the rolling Salisbury Plain to find peace in the Wiltshire landscape, but in 1662, one manor house became a battlefield for a year of physical warfare. In this episode, the Wyrdos trace a phantom beat from a jail cell in Gloucester to a bedroom in North Tidworth, where an invisible drummer turned a family’s life into a living nightmare.

We begin with John Mompesson, a local magistrate who thought he was simply doing his duty by confiscating a drum from a vagrant with a forged permit. He had no idea he was inviting a "demon" across his threshold. From iron talons scratching under floorboards to the "weird hounds" sitting in petrified silence while beds were hoisted toward the ceiling, we investigate how this single drumbeat convinced the greatest scientific minds of the 17th century that spirits were very, very real.

Finally, we look at the legacy of the men who tried to unmask the mystery. From the 17th-century "ghost tourists" who swamped the village to the investigative accounts of Joseph Glanvill and the legendary Harry Price, we explore how a 300-year-old case established the blueprint for every "poltergeist" trope in modern cinema—long before the movies even existed.

In this episode:

The Cursed Permit: The true story of William Drury and the forgery that sparked a year-long siege on the Mompesson household.
Ghost Tourism 1.0: How the village of North Tidworth became a viral sensation in 1662, with strangers taking over children's beds just to catch a glimpse of the weirdness.
The Founding Father: Craig and Andy discuss why this case is the "original" poltergeist story and how it hits every trope from physical levitation to domestic terror.
The Talking Mongoose: A look at the investigators, from Glanvill’s Saducismus Triumphatus to Harry Price’s disparaging takes on "talking mongooses" and the "Age of Enlightenment."
It turns out the drumming never really stopped—it just became the blueprint for every bump in the night that followed.

Stay Wyrd!

Help keep the show alive:buymeacoffee.com/wyrdwessex
www.wyrdwessex.co.uk

Buy our merch here

Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens
Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Antipodean Writer: Full of Soul - Neon Waves Extended - Remix
Outro music by Colt Fingaz: Ding Ding Dong
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.