Let’s talk about the Pacific Northwest’s most loveable cryptid — Bigfoot. From his appearance on “Harry and the Hendersons” to “Boggy Creek” and his hit show “Finding Bigfoot,” he’s captured the imagination of generations.
He’s shown up on pizza chains, restaurants, bars and even outposts. Where the Bigfoot name goes, fans follow.
The Bigfoot scene in podcasting is filled with people who talk of aliens, UFOs and conspiracy theories. Except for “Wild Thing.”
Career journalist Laura Krantz spent a year conducting interviews and going on hikes and camping trips with Bigfoot enthusiasts. She sent samples off to labs to bring us a critical look at the people who swear Bigfoot is real.
Laura uses each episode to do a mini deep dive into a different aspect of Bigfoot. She takes the listener on a nine-episode journey with interviews coming up in between main episodes.
These interviews don’t take away from the storytelling — in fact they enhance it. They add depth to stories about the scientific hunt, merchandising, evidence and Bigfoot erotica.
Yes, Bigfoot erotica — episode eight and the following interview.
If the chance to hear about Bigfoot erotica didn’t get you on board, let me be the first to tell you Laura is funny and not beyond poking fun at herself. She even made a deep throat reference, but I’m not telling you where.
The interesting thing about this podcast is the journalistic, almost scientific way Laura attempts to explain Bigfoot and the people who look for it.
She speaks to experts in anthropology, genetic testing and expert bigfoot hunters — ones who spend days, weeks and even years dedicated to searching.
There is little mention of the “Woo” side of bigfoot hunting, or the people who describe him as brought to earth by aliens or some supernatural being. It is straightforward, factual and oddly scientific.
“Wild Thing” takes you on a journey of one person who is just like you — a little bit skeptical, mildly interested and not sold on the supernatural.
This podcast is far enough removed, and by episode three or four you may, just like I did, find Laura to be a regular person who found a strange ancestor and wanted to know what it’s like to be an anthropologist who seriously looked for Bigfoot.
All in all, this series is a short weekend listen for those who spend hours binging podcasts. It takes you on a journey from Olympia national forests to a city in Utah with a Bigfoot outpost to a bar in California sharing the Bigfoot name.
You’ll meet interesting people on Laura’s journey, like Peter Byrne, who is considered one of the “Four Horsemen of Sasquatchery” and helped lay the groundwork for the scientific study of Bigfoot. One thing’s for sure — you’ll be entertained.
Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kalinelson