The following excerpts are from the unpublished Occult Talk series guide, featuring transcripts of post-cancellation interviews with staffers and producers.
Producer Anselm Raven reminiscences on the day-to-day work that went into Occult Talk.
Anselm Raven: "Occult Talk memories? Let me think. I worked on that program for several years, trying to keep things under control as best I could. I did try, and I gave it my all until the unfortunate Pell incident-- but, um, I'd rather not go into that, if you don't mind. Focus on the positive things, my therapist always tells me."
Anselm Raven (cont): "I do recall vividly the first meeting we had with the first replacement host after Mr. Simpson started to get out of line. All of us thought so, you know, not just me. Always drinking on set, all that nasty behaviour toward the guests. How many times did he go off script for those'Final Thought' segments, raging against a million imaginary things? I suppose just watching the show go off the rails was what kept our audience coming back for more. God... Hm, anyway, yes... Rock Waters. He was a handsome fellow, would have made a fine host too were it not for his accident. Accidents always seemed to befall people who tried to break in to the clique."
Anselm Raven (cont): "My main responsibility was making sure that our sponsors were satisfied, you know, and just generally making a program that ran smoothly. It wasn't an easy job, I can tell you that much. Some of the sponsors never really understood what the program was all about-- I guess they expected something more like 'Coast to Coast,' and what they got was... well, how do you even compare something like 'Occult Talk' to anything else? It remains a unique production. A hellish job for a producer to go through; trial by fire, I used to say. Not everyone who came on left again, but, you know, that's how things go in this business sometimes."
Anselm Raven (cont): "I was a bit of an overseer, picking up slack for some of the executives. Dealing with that Zuhl character, his constant complaints about how late the production was running-- what kind of a name is that anyway? Hm. You know, that reminds me of the first time we lost the tapes for a syndicated episode just before they were to go out. That happened a lot come to think of it..."
Anselm Raven (cont): "Would I do it all again? I think I would have to. I don't know the specifics, but the contract that I signed... oh, um, you know. We did win a number of awards for the show during my tenure. I will always be proud of our production team for putting together an explosive hour of rousing entertainment each week, always in spite of the best efforts of... you know, I think I'm done. Wrap."
Anselm Raven (cont): "I am Anselm Raven, former producer of Occult Talk, and this has been my Occult Talk Memory."
Lead writer Marguerite Alexander describes the process of writing material for Occult Talk.
Marguerite Alexander: "We had a space below the set, which was almost like a crypt to us. It may have been an emergency bunker, like the kind they built in the fifties, but it just felt like you were doing these seances in a tomb, and if you've seen the set when all the lights are off, it just feels haunted. It may well have been too-- one of the foleys who was scheduled to work on the program was found hanging over the spot where the guest sofa is now. Someone told me that Anselm had a priest come in after that, but I don't know if that's true or not. A lot of rumours about that whole thing."
Marguerite Alexander (cont): "The primary seances we did were held at the very beginning of the working week, all of the writers there, and we would call on the Muses for guidance. You know, just the very basic stuff to keep everyone working on schedule. On Fridays, a few hours before the show, Ginger and Nicodemus would guide us in a ritual, offering to Merfilde to ensure the guests were all on time, tithing to Korson, Ashtaroth. But, yeah, that was the standard formula we used to draw inspiration, to make the show the best we possibly could. There wasn't a lot of turn around in on the staff once you were in, so everyone felt comfortable being open with each other. I think that helped a lot."
Marguerite Alexander (cont): "Even with all that preparation done in advance, there was always the spontaneous elements that you couldn't predict. If you take the Final Thoughts, for example: they'd often had to be spot rewritten when Brenden or the guests veered off from the expected topics, which might have been Thelema, into something like UFOs and Tony Robbins. It was totally chaotic, and we were always under pressure, but it was so great for us. Every show was completely invigorating, totally fresh, and the experiences brought us all closer together as a coven of writers. I'll always be proud of my girls and myself for our work on OT."
Marguerite Alexander (cont): "I am Marguerite Alexander, writer for Occult Talk, and this has been my Occult Talk Memory."
Announcer Nicodemus Amer remembers what it was like joining and working with the Occult Talk team.
Nicodemus Amer: "Hold onto your broomsticks, Occult Talkers! Do you know why 'Occult Talk' was the No Hex Zone? It was actually Brenden's idea originally, something he thought would just be a huge joke on Anselm, who kept telling us to not make the show into a parody, but I don't think Brenden ever took it seriously. The idea of a No Hex Zone really did strike a chord with the staff, myself in particular, so we carried it forward, made sure that nothing ever got through. I never had any problems with hexes, even with the stream of angry letters and phone calls coming in after some programs, so I'd say it worked wonders. Big psychological boost."
Nicodemus Amer (cont): "I interviewed for this job at the request of Ginger Wetherell, a very old friend of mine. They, the producers that is, had me come in to read for them, and it wasn't a very good reading, but they said they'd get back me. I took as a bit of a defeat, just a cold handshake and a push out the door. So there I was, dejected, just slithering my way out, when I bumped straight into Ginger and Brenden. Brenden congratulated me on winning out on some tough competition, which threw me a lot. It turns out what had happened was Ginger had gone behind the backs of the producers straight to Brenden and his team to get them to listen to my demo tape. They liked my work, so I don't think the producers had much say in the matter after that."
Nicodemus Amer (cont): "My tenure with the show was very comfortable, and they gave me a lot more creative input than I ever would have expected. I was just an announcer, but they were having me in to writing sessions, asking my opinion, having me help with their preparations before the shows. There was a balancing act to be had with the producers, sure, but that's how things go in this business."
Nicodemus Amer (cont): "My favourite segment reading of all time was, probably, 'Hold tight to your bone fetish, shapeshifters, because the Wolf Girl will be out next!' I had never before tried to howl on air, and I don't know if I would try again, but I think I did all right. I had some expert coaching before we went to the taping, so that helped."
Nicodemus Amer (cont): "I am Nicodemus Amer, voice of Occult Talk, and this has been my Occult Talk Memory."
Production assistant Ginger Wetherell recalls the trials and tribulations of arranging guest appearances.
Ginger Wetherell: "Normally this is where I come on, and talk about how some rock star guest refused to go on because they found a brown candy in a bowl of all green candies, but this is Occult Talk, so I'll save those stories for Access Hollywood. The two guests I remember best were Erwin Blank and Andrew McFing."
Ginger Wetherell (cont): "Erwin Blank, I should preface that the episode I'm talking about was confiscated by the FBI, but there may have been a leaked version posted on Youtube or something. He seemed to be this mousy little guy, very quiet backstage. His agency came to us to book him, no one had ever seen him do an interview, just a faceless new guy. We just expected him to discuss his conspiracy theories, since he'd just put out a book about black magicians working for the Democrats-- the deep expose-style material, hugely unsourced. The general interest stuff that our audience chewed into, you know? So when his time to go on came, well, this team, I swear it was like an action movie, stormed the set, the whole audience pushed out into the main hall by this goon squad. Five minutes, a little team of people took over the functions of the camera and studio team, the rest of the crew were locked up in a broom closet. Now, apparently, this may not be true, Brenden smashed a bottle over Erwin's head while he was trying to read a statement, and the camera went dead after that, so I guess only Brenden and the authorities know what happened. They thought it was a live broadcast, but, yeah. We got our first bomb threats after that fiasco."
Ginger Wetherell (cont): "Even after a guest like Erwin Blank, it took Andrew McFing to make the executives at ISM to step in to tell us that we had to start getting their approval for our guests in advance. Andrew McFing! His appearance was right after 'THE TOES OF FREEDOM' was released, so we should have known better, especially after that report about him kept doing reruns on CNN, but when you get the chance to put someone so reviled on air when no one else gets him, you take the shot. Three sponsors dropped us cold as soon as we announced he was the guest for the night, part of the audience walked out in protest, and the funniest part was how normal and lucid he was. Never rerun, and Anselm actually ripped down the photograph of him shaking hands with Brenden from the wall."
Ginger Wetherell (cont): "I am Ginger Wetherell, former production assistant for Occult Talk, and this has been my Occult Talk Memory."