In the first half, John B. Wells was joined by Grammy-nominated rock musician Merrell Fankhauser, who talked about his music career, research into the lost continent of Mu and interest in ufology. According to Fankhauser, his group had recorded the first version of the song Wipe Out in 1962, a year before the Surfaris' rendition was released. After the initial Wipe Out session, the band was called back to the studio in 1963 to re-record the now famous surfer song to include several additional drum solos, he recalled. The Surfaris' manager happened to be at that recording session, liked the song and took it to the Surfaris, who recorded it themselves and had a big hit, he continued. Fankhauser admitted to not knowing how to copyright his work back then, which allowed the producers to keep all the profits earned by Wipe Out from 1962 to 1994, the year he regained the rights to the song.
Fankhauser spoke about Col. James Churchward's book, The Lost Continent of Mu, which examines claims by certain North and South American tribes that they originally came from a now submerged continent in the Pacific Ocean where the Hawaiian Islands are located. The idea inspired him to move to Maui in 1973 to further his studies on the so-called lost continent. Fankhauser said his research uncovered another book, Children of the Rainbow, which reveals how the indigenous Polynesians found the people of Mu on the island after arriving from Tahiti. His investigation eventually led him to a ruin in a remote area of Maui. Fankhauser described finding four pillars standing 30-35 feet tall in the shape of hex head rods and an ancient sidewalk that wound its way under a lava flow and into the sea. German researchers dated the ruin at 10,500 years old, he noted.
Fankhauser also reported on finding a pyramid atop Haleakala Crater as well as UFO sightings from the area. As far back as the early 1800s, Hawaiians have seen what they called 'flying pearly shells' traveling out of the crater and diving into the ocean, he said. (Related Music: Calling From A Star, Return To Mu - Video Intro, Area 51)
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In the latter half, former NY Times journalist Ralph Blumenthal discussed esteemed Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, a noted researcher of individuals claiming to have had experiences with strange entities. He described Mack as a man of science with impeccable credentials who began looking into the phenomenon after numerous patients reported being abducted by aliens. His credibility as a scientifically-minded researcher elevated the discussion and made it impossible to dismiss the topic, Blumenthal said. Mack approached the subject as a skeptic but eventually became convinced after realizing his patients were normal except for the extraordinary experiences they related to him, he noted.
According to Blumenthal, Mack had been doing psychological research on himself trying to figure out the strange workings of the human mind, including his own. While doing breathwork experiments Mack became acquainted with a man who told him about Budd Hopkins, the father of the alien abduction movement. Hopkins introduced him to people claiming to have been kidnapped by aliens and he became astounded by their accounts, Blumenthal explained. As Mack looked into the stories and the people telling them, he became convinced that something had happened and ultimately investigated over 700 cases, he added. Blumenthal commented on one-sided media programming and academics dismissive of UFOs and abduction phenomenon, pointing out that "a lot of strange things have been happening for some time."
He also briefly spoke about his work researching the 'Pizza Connection' mafia drug case, America's greatest nightclub, the Stork Club, and the Tawana Brawley rape hoax.