Biologist Jeremy Wade has spent the last 35 years solving mysteries that lurk in our planet's rivers, lakes, and seas. Wade joined guest host Ian Punnett (Twitter) to discuss some of the world's most astounding underwater mysteries, including unexplained sightings of mythical beasts, and shipwrecks that mysteriously changed position or disappeared entirely. Wade reported on a the wreck of a Nazi submarine sitting at bottom of the ocean off of Norway which some think may contain Hitler’s last will and testament. The vessel is structurally unsound and likely contains dangerous materials that could possibly put the whole world at risk if they leak out, he warned.
Wade shared an account of a catamaran that dramatically slowed during a race with no explanation. The crew looked out of a porthole to discover a massive tentacled creature hanging onto the bottom of the boat. "They were so focused on the race... that nobody thought to photograph this thing," he lamented. Wade also commented on the marine food chain and state of large fish he has tried to find. "The life in rivers is very depleted compared to what it used to be," he said, noting how river fish are not a sustainable food source. He also suggested people eat smaller fish that are lower on the oceanic food chain instead of those near the top, such as tuna.
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Open Lines followed in the latter half of the program. Kip in Louisiana told Ian he once had a show on Animal Planet, and enjoyed a humorous encounter with a boy and his mom at a local restaurant. According to Kip, who laughed while telling the story, the child recognized him from his program then asked him to tell Jeremy Wade he is his favorite Animal Planet star. Kip also spoke about alligators and how easy they are to hunt. "They're pretty gullible, they like chicken," he said.
Richard from Connecticut recounted a concert experience he had in 1971 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven where he saw Eric Clapton with an unknown guest performer. He wore a white suit, had almost waist-length hair, and a heavy beard, Richard recalled. On the way home, the guest performer called out to him from his limo asking if he knew his identity. Richard did not at the time but has come to believe it was John Lennon performing as Dr. Winston O'Boogie.
Bill in Los Angeles shared a funny (but not likely not true) story about why Eric Clapton has not been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. According to Bill, Clapton was on his way to Buckingham Palace to be knighted in 2005 when the Queen heard "Lay Down Sally." She was so upset by his use of the grammatically incorrect transitive verb "lay" instead of the intransitive verb "lie" that she canceled the knighting, he explained, noting his story's spurious lore.
News segment guests: Tim Binnall / Corny Koehl