1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Quick housekeeping note if he 4 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: didn't see the title of this Tuesday's episode, this is 5 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: part two of a two part series on a very 6 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: interesting sexual revolutionary. As a matter of fact, the guy 7 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: who invented the term sexual revolution, Mr Wilhelm Reich. Uh, 8 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: let's shout out our super producer, Mr Max Williams. They 9 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: called me ben Noel. We have been We've been taking 10 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: our time with this. I think we did our due 11 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: diligence with the excellent help of our research associate, Mr 12 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: Zach Williams. No relation, and uh, we saved a lot 13 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: of crazy stuff for part two. Wouldn't you say? This 14 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: is where we uh is where we get weird with it. 15 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: We we you know, we're just gonna kind of go 16 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: along for the ride in this magic school bus of weirdness. 17 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: But Dr Reich is is the one who truly originates 18 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: the weirdness here in nineteen thirty three, the Nazis, Uh, 19 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: they've he's already been on their radar. Ke you know. 20 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: It was to mention at the end of the last episode. 21 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: He's got some ideas that flat completely counter to the puritanical, 22 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: you know, repressive kind of views uh and ideologies of 23 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: the Nazi Party. And Rich has become a figure of 24 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: some note in this neck of the woods, and the 25 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: not sees do not care for it, and they have 26 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: decided that he is persona on grata a burn his 27 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: works along with the works of Sigmund Freud, who was 28 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: his mentor, uh and uh and the works of Magnus Hirschfeld. 29 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: He is compelled to flee. Um. He and his mistress escape. 30 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:25,799 Speaker 1: They make haste to Denmark, but the Danish Communist Party 31 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: they've gone too far for even them at this point 32 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,959 Speaker 1: does some of these ideas, this idea of the orgasm, 33 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: you know, being a source of pleasure, you know, and 34 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: then not just procreation. Um. So there they though that 35 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: you can't come in. Sorry, uh, no, no room at 36 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: the end. Um. So they then have to go to Sweden, 37 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: where Dr Reich is admitted, but he is placed under surveillance. Yes, 38 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: this is a weird story. This is a this is 39 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: a moment, right or should I say Reich for re enactments. Uh. 40 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: The the police who are surveilling the good doctor see 41 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: that he has multiple patients coming and going from his hotel, 42 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: and this convinces them that he is, to put it bluntly, 43 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: that he is a pimp, that he is operating some 44 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: sort of um sex worker ring. And the authorities say, look, 45 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 1: you can't stay here any longer. We know what you're 46 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 1: up to. Uh. And as you know, folks in every life, 47 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: when it rains, it pours. He loses his contract to 48 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: publish an upcoming book called Character Analysis, and he shows 49 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: up to a conference in nineteen thirty four at the 50 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: International psycho Analytic Association in Lucerne, and when he shows up, 51 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: he is told once again there is no room at 52 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: the academic in They tell him doctor, you cannot be here. 53 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 1: We expelled you from our association, from the I p A. 54 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: We would call it in English. We expelled you last year. 55 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: You should have you didn't know. You didn't get the letter. 56 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: And he sticks by it though. He stays despite the controversy, 57 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: and he lectures on a paper that he has produced. 58 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: H lectures as a guest. But this marks the partying 59 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: of ways between him and what we would consider mainstream 60 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: psycho analysis of the day. We've got a pretty crazy 61 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: quote about it. It's been a long time coming. I 62 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: think we've we've we've sort of seen this in the cards. 63 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: And just to site once again the fantastic article the 64 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: scientific assassination of a sexual Revolutionary. That headline alone, it's 65 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: worth the price of admission, which is free. You can 66 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: find this on Motherboard via vice by Jason louve um 67 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,279 Speaker 1: On on the internet. But yeah, really, really great quote, 68 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: and this has exactly we've been describing why the fascists 69 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: were so against uh Reich's whole deal. And he saw this, 70 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,920 Speaker 1: and I think he's, uh, he's he's stating a pretty 71 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: even handed view of the whole situation. Um he says, quote. 72 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: I was told that my work on mass psychology, which 73 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,919 Speaker 1: was directed against the irrationalism of fascism, had placed me 74 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: in a much too exposed position. Hence my membership was 75 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: no longer tenable. Four years later, Freud had to flee 76 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: Vienna for London, and the psychoanalytic groups were crushed by fascists. Subsequently, 77 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: I avoided contact with my earlier colleagues. Their behavior was 78 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,840 Speaker 1: neither better nor worse than as usual in such cases, 79 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 1: it was low and uninteresting. A good dose of banality 80 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:54,159 Speaker 1: is all that is needed to hush up a matter nice. 81 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:59,360 Speaker 1: So this is uh. This is especially enticing to me 82 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: because is uh. I will tell you, fellow ridiculous historians, 83 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: if you really want to cut someone to the core, 84 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: you shouldn't waste your time trying to viscerally insult them. 85 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: You can just look them in the eye and tell 86 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: them they're not being interesting. I'm telling you that that 87 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: is that is nuclear weaponry. In an acrimonious conversation. Hearing 88 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:30,919 Speaker 1: Reich say that this particular Ivory tower is low and 89 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: uninteresting would have been quite a cutting insult for them. 90 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: At this point, we see Reik escaping through happy accident. 91 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: The horrors and atrocities of the Second World War we 92 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: mentioned in part one a Guardian article. I want to 93 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: go back to shout out to Christopher Turner, who wrote 94 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,800 Speaker 1: wrote a fantastic piece Villain Reich, the man who invented 95 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: free love. This piece, the journalist says, the most brilliant 96 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: of the second generation of psychoanalysts, the folks have been. 97 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: Freud's pupils arrived in New York in August in nine nine, 98 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: and this was keep in mind, just a few days 99 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: after the war officially broke out. Right is feeling good. 100 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: You know, He's got the wind at his back, the 101 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: sun is shining on his career, and he is thinking, Hey, 102 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: maybe things aren't that bad. Maybe this country is the 103 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:38,320 Speaker 1: place for me. Maybe they will understand what I'm trying 104 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: to teach people about sex and politics. Maybe, because this 105 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: is not fascist Europe, my ideas, my thoughts, my studies 106 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: will be given the deference they deserve. Uh. And I 107 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: like that you mentioned Kinsey Alfred Kenzie in part one. Uh, here, Nold, 108 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: because what you see is that just a year before 109 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: Kinsey has started his own historically significant investigations into into 110 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: sex society and all the associated baggage. But he was 111 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: on the heels He was on the heels of of Reich, 112 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,679 Speaker 1: but but not purely contemporary. Reich was kind of ahead 113 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: of his at least it was parallel maybe, but like 114 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: Rich was already out there with this kind of stuff 115 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: before Kinsey made his debut. Right, Reich had been working 116 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:38,800 Speaker 1: in this field for some time. Yeah, And his decision 117 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: to move to America was largely largely triggered by a 118 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: psychiatrist based in New York, a guy named Dr Theodore Wolfe. 119 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: Dr Wolfe had studied in Oslo for one year and 120 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: he was a fan of Reich's work. He thought it 121 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: led an interesting directions, so he pulled some strings and 122 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: he got Dr Reich a two year gig as an 123 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: associate professor of medical psychology at the New School for 124 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: Social Research in New York. Again, the sun is shining right. 125 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: You just got kicked out in the Ivory Tower. Your 126 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: papers are getting canceled, your books aren't publishing. But now 127 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,720 Speaker 1: you're in a new country. You're making a new start, 128 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,199 Speaker 1: you know, to the Perfect Stranger's theme song. That's how 129 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: I see Dr wolf and Dr Reich right now. Hey everyone, 130 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: this is future Max here. I just want to let 131 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: you know that I am not going to play the 132 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 1: Perfect Strangers to me right here. It just doesn't seem 133 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,680 Speaker 1: like smart for a five second joke to riskless king suit. 134 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: So instead you're gonna get this. I should probably say 135 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 1: ahead of time, I'm very sorry for what you're about 136 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: to hear. And dreams not. It's a classic jam, it's 137 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,839 Speaker 1: and I'm not not kiding. I really do think that, 138 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: especially the whole like come with the Swiss police monitoring 139 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: the Cummings and goings from there. You know, hotel that 140 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: could be the Friends apartments. You know, that could be 141 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: the sign fell Jerry's place. You know, this could be 142 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,280 Speaker 1: the center of the Wilhelm Reich and Friends UH sitcom 143 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: that never was, that no one asked for. But I 144 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,680 Speaker 1: think we deserve. But we're giving it to you because 145 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: you earned it, folks, You earned ito and uh and yes, 146 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: shout out to that golden era of sitcom themes. I 147 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 1: I love it. I gotta tell you, I liked the 148 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: theme songs more than the actual shows. And and rich 149 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 1: Is Reich is feeling warm fuzzy dare I say, sexually 150 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,320 Speaker 1: and politically unrepressed when he rents a house in Forest 151 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: Hills in nineteen nine and then he starts u n 152 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 1: seen and repeating his earlier patterns of scholarship, the same 153 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: things he did in Oslo and Vienna and Berlin. He 154 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: starts an institute, and he starts a publishing outfit called 155 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: the Orgone Press for his various uh, his various publications, 156 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: his books, his articles and whatnot. He also sets up 157 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 1: a laboratory guys, and he hires Ilsa Olindorf we recognize 158 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: from part one as the woman who will become his 159 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: third spouse. Uh, he starts quoting her. Oh, we're closing 160 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: up the lab. You want to get a coffee like 161 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: they do in Vienna. Anyway, whatever his dating game was, 162 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: it works. Uh. They decide to get married. And I'll say, 163 00:11:53,120 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: is step in step, handing glove assisting Reich in his research, 164 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: which is considered to to his supporters, it is considered 165 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: groundbreaking new science and to his critics, as we'll see, 166 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:23,120 Speaker 1: it's considered not science at all totally, and like like 167 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:24,959 Speaker 1: we said, like you know that that that that that 168 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 1: kind of thumbing of his nose the scientific community talking 169 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: about how hey just add a little banality. It's a 170 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: great way to ruin a good thing. That really was 171 00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: his like official f you to you know what had 172 00:12:37,559 --> 00:12:40,439 Speaker 1: what had been his his colleagues. You know, he is 173 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,319 Speaker 1: now going his own way. He's going the way of 174 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:47,200 Speaker 1: more of like let's just say what today we might 175 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: consider new age healer thinker types. And again there's some 176 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,679 Speaker 1: that are way more reputable than others. That are some 177 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: that are pure snake oil salesman. I I the jury 178 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,480 Speaker 1: is out in my opinion on on this, Uh, this 179 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: period of Reik's career because he really is, you know, 180 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: starting to harness this idea of these you know, sexual energies, 181 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,120 Speaker 1: and he has dubbed them orgone energy uh, and he 182 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:18,720 Speaker 1: has decided that he can harness, he can accumulate these 183 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 1: energies to do what what what with I'm not quite sure. 184 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: The idea is that they could be used to treat 185 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: certain cancer, radiation, poisoning, different ailments. We have no real data, 186 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: you know, proving the efficacy of any of this stuff. 187 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:39,199 Speaker 1: But he essentially designs what he considers like a greenhouse 188 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: that can like capture these energies you know when a 189 00:13:42,559 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: person like hangs out inside and presumably does sexy stuff. 190 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: I don't know, we'll get there, um. But he he 191 00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: designs this thing called the orgone Energy accumulator, which is 192 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: essentially just like a wooden cupboard um around the size 193 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 1: of a phone box, you know, a telephone booth um 194 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,679 Speaker 1: lined with an insulated material of of metal um and 195 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 1: steel wool and in it um. The idea would be 196 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: that he that that he could capture this stuff the 197 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: way you might capture your solar power on us on 198 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,000 Speaker 1: a solar cell, or the way you might store electricity 199 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 1: in a battery sure, yeah, yeah, or the way you 200 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: can get energy from wind power. Right, You're you're you're 201 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: taking ambient energy and you're sort of redirecting and accumulating it. Now, 202 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: let us be clear, ridiculous historians, none of us are 203 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: saying that the orgone energy accumulator worked to the same 204 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: scientific rigor of a hydroelectric dam or a wind turbine. 205 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 1: But we also promised some etymology here. If you are 206 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: wondering what orgon is it, Uh, it was defined as 207 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: a vital energy that was anti entropic. It's a generative 208 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: force and it's meant to at least in Reich's mind, 209 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 1: it is something that is all around us. It's like 210 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: um medicalaureans or the force in the Star Wars universe. Right. 211 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: It affects people in a gstaltic, you know, like comprehensive way. 212 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: And so his idea is that you can harness the 213 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: force for lack of a better word, and you can 214 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: improve people's orgastic potency. Right, you can improve their orgasms basically, 215 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 1: and this will therefore improve not just their mental well 216 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: being but their physical well being. Uh. This argo and 217 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: energy that he concentrates per you know, his reasoning in 218 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: his accumulator it. He does a thing that a lot 219 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: of doctors do in the early days, or a lot 220 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: of pioneers do in the early days, where he says, Okay, 221 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: I found something that I think is good. As a 222 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: matter of fact, I like it so much. I think 223 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: it is good for everything. So in you know, two 224 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: shakes of a Lamb's tale, as they used to say, 225 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: this guy is saying, look, I'm onto something, folks. Not 226 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: only does or going help you feel better, not only 227 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: is it the reason that you feel good when you 228 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: are engaged in sexual activity, but this can also help 229 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:42,320 Speaker 1: you with cancer. You got radiation, sickness, no worries, let's 230 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: accumulate some war going. Uh do you have you know, 231 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: do you have a runny nose? Do you have a fever? 232 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 1: Do you have dropsy? Do you have half CELEPSI? Which 233 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: is a thing that I just made up. I'm doing 234 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: a rich voice. Is when do you have weird foot? 235 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:59,320 Speaker 1: Is one of your feet weird? Let's get or going 236 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: on it or goings on the case. Uh, it's a 237 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 1: it's a catch all right, it's a catch cure all Yes, 238 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: that's right. And that that that inherently leads to skepticism, 239 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 1: you know, understandably. And I think we're both on the 240 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: same page about this, and I think we both also 241 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,159 Speaker 1: agree that there is a period of Reich's life or 242 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,200 Speaker 1: his his studies that that does make a lot of sense, 243 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:26,360 Speaker 1: and that he really does kind of nail a lot 244 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: of the whole, you know, nature of sexual repression and 245 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: like all of that, and just the whole idea of 246 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: of being open about sexuality. But I feel like at 247 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: this point he's maybe gone a bridge too far. Um. 248 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:41,879 Speaker 1: It just doesn't feel like scientific research. It starts to 249 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: feel more like the makings of a cult than it 250 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: does scientific research. M Yeah, And the question is does 251 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: it become at some point a cult of personality? And 252 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: I think that's a question a lot of us were 253 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:59,120 Speaker 1: wondering when we were listening to part one of this series. 254 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: He does something that a lot of cult leaders do. 255 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: He purchases some out of the way land and he 256 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: starts building his compound folks over in Maine. He opens 257 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: the organ On Institute, which we refer to in Part one. Uh, 258 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: this is where he can free himself from the repressive 259 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:25,800 Speaker 1: shackles of mainstream science, whatever that means. In his day. 260 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 1: He can research full time organomy, which I think is 261 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,360 Speaker 1: just a beautiful, beautifully constructed word. I like the as 262 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: you would say, the mouth feel of it organomy. He 263 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 1: now expands, and he says, I didn't just find the 264 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:46,240 Speaker 1: good stuff, the good pervasive energy. I found the dark energy. 265 00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:49,679 Speaker 1: I found what I call the d o R. Also, 266 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,440 Speaker 1: by the way acronyms initialisms, I should say, uh, they 267 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:58,959 Speaker 1: are a another indicator of cultic activity. D o R 268 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: stands for deadly orgon radiation. It's it's still orgasmic matter. 269 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,040 Speaker 1: It's still you know, the force, but it's a little sithy, 270 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: it's a little sith lord about it. It is anti 271 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:18,640 Speaker 1: matter to him, and he says, this stuff, this bad vibe, 272 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: for lack of a better term, is responsible through all 273 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 1: the bad stuff in the environment. This is before people 274 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: knew about the dangers of plastics. This is before people 275 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: knew about the pervasive nature of various um contaminants and 276 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:39,959 Speaker 1: chemicals left in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. They 277 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: didn't know, for instance, about the harmful intergenerational effects of lead. 278 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: So Reich, being an intelligent man by all accounts, he 279 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,439 Speaker 1: knew that there were stuff wrong with the environment, with 280 00:19:55,560 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 1: the world it wasn't perfect. But he again he the 281 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 1: bridge too far and he uh, he said, it's all 282 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: due to this duo r the snacks and old rhyme. 283 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,600 Speaker 1: But I stand by it. No it's good. Um, but yeah, no, 284 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: it is it it It does kind of take on 285 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: this uh Midichlorian kind of like good force versus bad 286 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 1: force kind of vibes, you know what I mean, like 287 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: like the powers of evil versus the powers of darkness, 288 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: which you can boil down, you know, if you really 289 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: want to take a paint with a broad brush. You know, 290 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: there obviously are forces of of of positivity and and 291 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: and and healing and cleansing, and there are obviously forces 292 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: of contamination and poisoning and destruction, there's no question about that. 293 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: But they're not They're not these like separate entities. They're 294 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: they're all. They all cut. They all stem from the 295 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: stuff that we're all made of. You know. It's not 296 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: like there's some evil you know, hexas from Fern Gully 297 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: force out there that's just creating all of this demonic 298 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: evil energy to destroy the trees. I mean, it really 299 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: is just a lot of it comes from man harnessing 300 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: these things and making things that then have byproducts that 301 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: cause all these problems. And it seems like what what 302 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: Reick is trying to do is oversimplify into these like 303 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,879 Speaker 1: cosmic sort of you know materials, right like like this 304 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:13,359 Speaker 1: matter antimatter kind of situation, which just feels a little 305 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: bit reductive and almost kind of really further makes me 306 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: kind of sort of shake my head and some of 307 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: where he's going in this period. I like the I 308 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: like the term reductive here because one thing that will 309 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 1: stand out to anybody in in stem right now, anybody 310 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:35,280 Speaker 1: in a scientific field, is that you know, measurable forces 311 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:38,880 Speaker 1: of the universe of reality as we know it, they 312 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:45,040 Speaker 1: have no moral compass. Gravity is not thinking about actions. 313 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: Gravity is not trending toward uh a good or a 314 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,119 Speaker 1: bad that could be identified by human beings. So to 315 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:59,560 Speaker 1: ascribe morality to this concept of orgon and deadly orgone 316 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 1: d o R, it's it's a little a bit uh well, 317 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,840 Speaker 1: it's a lot of bit of anthropomorphizing, which is when 318 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:14,280 Speaker 1: you ascribe human framework, human cognitive framework to a thing 319 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: that is only a thing, and you know, there's this 320 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 1: is a huge part of human psychology. It's kind of 321 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: the reason cars have two headlights such that they look 322 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:28,280 Speaker 1: like a face. It's kind of the reason that humans 323 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: grow attachments to the oddest things. This is what we 324 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: mean when we say he's getting a little off the rails. Objectively, 325 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: he is aware of at this point, he is aware 326 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 1: of the US nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Also, 327 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: we had an earlier episode about the unluckiest or luckiest 328 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: guy in Japan during that time. Please do check out 329 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: our show on the guy who survived both of those attacks. 330 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:04,199 Speaker 1: In Reich's opinion, now he sees himself as a leader 331 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: of good, almost uh messionic figure. He is fighting for 332 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:17,480 Speaker 1: life energy, not death energy, and he wants to weaponize. 333 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: He wants to weaponize his concepts. And that's when he 334 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: starts building what we call cloud busters. What he called 335 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: cloud busters. You might call them were gone guns if 336 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: you're in the right subreddit these days. But he says, 337 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: look this stuff, it can make it rain. It's not 338 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 1: a euphemism for throwing dollar bills. It can actually change 339 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: the weather. And with these cloud busters, I can also 340 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:51,160 Speaker 1: reverse the process of desertification, which is when soil erodes 341 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: and biome transforms into something like the Sahara that's right, 342 00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: and um, this kind of technolog g is where I 343 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: think uh we mentioned Reich in a past Ridiculous History 344 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: episode about a guy that kind of like scammed um 345 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: a small drought ridden town into thinking he could you know, 346 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: make it rain um because yeah, cloud seating using silver 347 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: iodide or dry ice was a thing, uh since the 348 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 1: nineteen forty. Is the idea of like being able to 349 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,200 Speaker 1: pull rain out of out of clouds and in times 350 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,120 Speaker 1: of drought even seen it harnessed like during the there's 351 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: an Olympic ceremony I think where they they did a 352 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:35,159 Speaker 1: big thing where they made it rain um using this technology. 353 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: He wasn't going for that. His cloud busting uh technology 354 00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:43,160 Speaker 1: that he purported to have invented used this Oregon energy 355 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:45,840 Speaker 1: believe that he could pull it directly out of the 356 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 1: atmosphere and then funnel it into the ground or into 357 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: a body of water. He believed that what he was 358 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: doing was akin to what you might see happening with 359 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: a lightning rod, you know, where it could you know 360 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:00,639 Speaker 1: go to ground. This energy contain in his mind that 361 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:04,880 Speaker 1: same level of of powers as electricity, and he claimed 362 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:09,919 Speaker 1: to have successfully achieved this. You know again, this is 363 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:14,679 Speaker 1: all happening on his land under his watch, you know, 364 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: with his data. So it's a little little questionable there. 365 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,680 Speaker 1: But um, he he did do numerous experiments using these 366 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: cloud busters, and according to Reich, um these these experiments 367 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: started to get some interest from from beyond, from beyond 368 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 1: our our our universe. M h, yeah, he believes an 369 00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:42,919 Speaker 1: extra terrestrial life. To say the quiet part out loud 370 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:46,440 Speaker 1: UFOs U A p s. They're called now a days 371 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: in the West. Uh. He calls them energy alpha's and 372 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 1: he says they are attacking the Earth with d O 373 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,520 Speaker 1: R again deadly orgo and radiation. He says, I've seen 374 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: a number of alien crap aft over my institute here 375 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: in Maine. And he even goes on to describe how 376 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: he and his son use a orgon gun a cloud 377 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:19,680 Speaker 1: buster to fight a quote full scale interplanetary battle in Arizona. 378 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,400 Speaker 1: This is again from that Vice article, but you can 379 00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: find it confirmed in multiple sources, because he really did 380 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: say this. Now did he believe it himself? Was he 381 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,439 Speaker 1: a scam artist? Was he bilking people? Or was he 382 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 1: like Merlin in uh Mark Twain's a Connecticut Yankee and 383 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: King Arthur's court. Did he believe, truly believe his own magic. 384 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 1: That's up to history. Not everybody, surprise, surprise, agreed with him. 385 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:56,920 Speaker 1: He got lambasted in the press for his application of 386 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: um orgon principles two people with serious medical conditions like cancer. 387 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 1: One journalist in particular, Mildred Brandy, wrote two. I don't 388 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: know it's you could say their hit pieces in terms 389 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:20,080 Speaker 1: of language, but Brandy here is not coming from a 390 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,880 Speaker 1: bad place necessarily. You can find the articles the New 391 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: Cult of Sex and Anarchy and the strange case of 392 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:31,360 Speaker 1: Wilhelm Reich. These may have well, he's definitely in some 393 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: way triggered a federal investigation the f D. A shortly 394 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:41,760 Speaker 1: after these articles come out. They send their agent, Charles 395 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: Wood double O D. I guess w w O dB. 396 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:51,760 Speaker 1: There's a pun there somewhere, I believe. And this whole 397 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: scenario really was kind of dramatized in the incredible Kate 398 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: Bush song and music video cloud Busting UM. Kate Bush 399 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: kind of plays Reich's son, uh and Donald Sutherland plays 400 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 1: Reich himself, and there's this really cool kind of orgon 401 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,360 Speaker 1: cannon kind of thing, like one of these cloud busters, 402 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: where there's like a crank and they you know, he 403 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: shoots it up at the sky and like the whole 404 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: deal is you're not really sure if it works or not, 405 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: and the guy is just crazy scientists. Um. But the 406 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: Sun really loves him. And at the end you see 407 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: the men and the men in black kind of suits 408 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: coming for him and taking him away, and then the 409 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: Sun sort of runs out to the field where the 410 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 1: the devices and and uses it and then makes it rain. 411 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 1: And then you see Dad kind of looking back and 412 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: like smiling and like giving the thumbs up to the Sun. 413 00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: And it's a really beautiful video. Um, And it really 414 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: is kind of it's it's less about you know, is 415 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: this real? Was this something that he actually could do? 416 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 1: And more just about like the liberation the liberating power 417 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: of like belief and discovery and things like that, like 418 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 1: and the fact that it freaks people out, you know, 419 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 1: when someone truly believes in their own magic. As you 420 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: put in Agent double O D right, because it's still 421 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: like would no, no, let's let it go. No, you're right, Max. 422 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: So in the f d A goes official with their 423 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:22,240 Speaker 1: issues after their agent Charles Wood, investigates Reich and this 424 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 1: center organ on in Maine, UH and the FDA says 425 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 1: Dr Reich, you have violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic 426 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,959 Speaker 1: Act because you are delivering miss branded and adulterated devices 427 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: across state lines, and you are also making false and 428 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,720 Speaker 1: misleading claims. I want to stay here for a second, 429 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,600 Speaker 1: because we are We're at the point now where a 430 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: lot of people who believe in rather conspiratorial perspectives on 431 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,800 Speaker 1: on the life of Reich will say, this is why 432 00:29:56,840 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: he's legit. They'll say the f d A shut down 433 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:07,000 Speaker 1: and repressed his technology. Now to what degree that depends 434 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: again on which forum you're in online, which conforts you 435 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,280 Speaker 1: go to, etcetera. But the FDA makes no bones about this. 436 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 1: They're not being particularly diplomatic. They say these accumulators are 437 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: a sham. They say Orgon Energy does not exist. A 438 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: judge comes out with an injunction that says the following, 439 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: All accumulators that are rented by Reich or owned by 440 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: Reich and anyone working with him, must be destroyed post 441 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:43,960 Speaker 1: haste at any labeling that refers to Orgon Energy. While 442 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,680 Speaker 1: you're at it, burn that to throw that on the fire. 443 00:30:47,160 --> 00:30:50,680 Speaker 1: And and Wright doesn't go to court. By the way, 444 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,479 Speaker 1: he writes a letter defending himself. But the FBI, you know, 445 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: they take this pretty seriously, um as as you can 446 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,800 Speaker 1: again see dramatized and that that also k push video. 447 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 1: They actually have a whole section of their website even 448 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: today devoted to Wilhelm Reich um and this is what 449 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: they have to say about this. This this gentleman um quote, 450 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: This German immigrant described himself as the Associate professor of 451 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: medical psychology, director of the Oregon Institute, President and Research 452 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: physician of the Wilhelm Reich Foundation, and discoverer of biological 453 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:26,200 Speaker 1: or life energy. A nineteen forty security investigation was begun 454 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: to determine the extent of Reich's communist commitments. In a 455 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:34,480 Speaker 1: security investigation concluded that neither the Oregon Project nor any 456 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 1: of its staff were engaged in subversive activities or were 457 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: in violation of any statute within the jurisdiction of the FBI. 458 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: So that's good, uh. In the U. S. Attorney General 459 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: filed a complaint seeking permanent injunction to prevent interstate shipment 460 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: of devices and literature distributed by Dr Reich's group. That 461 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,760 Speaker 1: same year, doctor Wright was arrested for a contempt of 462 00:31:55,840 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 1: court violation of the Attorney General's injunction. That kind of 463 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: took a turn. Yeah, and that's why even today true 464 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:16,040 Speaker 1: believers will say he found something they don't want you 465 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:20,440 Speaker 1: to know. Uh, they're there are consequences here, whether or 466 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:24,000 Speaker 1: not you think there's something to the science, whether or 467 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: not you think it has some sand to it, holds water, 468 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:30,560 Speaker 1: whatever you want to say. It's clear that the FDA 469 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: was against it. They were they they were being the 470 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,040 Speaker 1: deadly rago and radiation. As far as Reich's concerned, they're 471 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,200 Speaker 1: they're a force for evil and repression. And you know 472 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 1: the guy hates repression. Uh. It's strange because if you 473 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:53,960 Speaker 1: look at the actual accumulator, which we described briefly, it's 474 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: like it's like it's as smaller than average phone booth, 475 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,720 Speaker 1: and even a phone booth now maybe a dated reference, 476 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 1: but you sit in this little time out corner and 477 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: you wait for the organ that has been accumulated to 478 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,400 Speaker 1: acree in your own body and go through you. Right, 479 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: you're focusing your medicalaureans and right thinks that this can 480 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:26,440 Speaker 1: replace actual therapy. As any therapist listening along today knows 481 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: that's um that could be a dangerous and unhealthy replacement. 482 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: Sitting by yourself in a box, even a magic box, 483 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:39,960 Speaker 1: is not the same thing as processing, uh, your life, 484 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:43,240 Speaker 1: your past and your future. Oh and you thought it 485 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:46,680 Speaker 1: could cure cancer, right now, that's that's that's that's right. 486 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: He did think it could cure all kinds of stuff. So, 487 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: like we said, he's brought up on charges for contempt 488 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: of court for violating the Attorney General's injunction, and he 489 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: ultimately was sentenced to two years in jail in prison 490 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:06,120 Speaker 1: for refusing to stop selling his inventions on May seven 491 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 1: of nineteen fifty six, um apparently, and what what stays 492 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:12,959 Speaker 1: to this day one of the only federally sanctioned book 493 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 1: burnings in America. His books were burned. That's wild, you know, 494 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: like to your point, Ben that it does really feel 495 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,160 Speaker 1: like there's something more going on here than just a 496 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:28,320 Speaker 1: crotchety old mad scientists, you know, refusing to to stop 497 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 1: selling his wares. You know, if there's really nothing to it, 498 00:34:31,280 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: why does the government care so much? You know? He 499 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:37,640 Speaker 1: went to Louisbourg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, and and six months 500 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 1: later he passed away, um while incarcerated from a heart attack. 501 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:43,759 Speaker 1: It's a sad, sad way to go sad into his life, 502 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:46,160 Speaker 1: but apparently, up until the last he really did believe 503 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:47,960 Speaker 1: his own magic. I'm gonna keep using that because I 504 00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:49,799 Speaker 1: just love that bag. I think. I think it can 505 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: be a negative thing. It can be like drinking your 506 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 1: own kool aid, you know, but it also can be 507 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:57,800 Speaker 1: believing in yourself. You know what I mean. I don't know. 508 00:34:57,920 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 1: I'm of two minds here. Yeah, that is why I 509 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:05,040 Speaker 1: don't think he was a scammer. I don't think he 510 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:08,640 Speaker 1: was a confidence man. I think he genuinely believed this. Also, 511 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: let's get in front of let's get in front of 512 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:14,520 Speaker 1: any correspondence here and say, yes, we know that Jim 513 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:18,800 Speaker 1: Jones gave flavor Aid, not kool Aid to his own cult, 514 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:22,120 Speaker 1: but we like the phrase drink your own kool aid. 515 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: We think it makes sense. You get it, You get 516 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 1: the gist. Dr Reich is six years old, and like 517 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: you said, no, he's only in he's only incarcerated for 518 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: six months before he passes away. And even now you 519 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:39,400 Speaker 1: can find people a little bit further on the conspiratorial 520 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 1: spectrum who will say that he was murdered, but there 521 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:48,360 Speaker 1: is to be clear no proof of that at this time. 522 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: It does look like a heart attack. And if we 523 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: fast forward a decade later, we'll see that society is 524 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:02,520 Speaker 1: still thinking about it and thinking about his work. Time 525 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:07,320 Speaker 1: Magazine says Dr Villain. Reich may have been a profit 526 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,799 Speaker 1: for now. It sometimes seems that all America is one 527 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:15,080 Speaker 1: big Oregon box. Uh. And so I know, look, I 528 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: want to pause because I know we have we have 529 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: some folks who may consider themselves supporters, adherents, believers in 530 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:27,360 Speaker 1: Reich's work today in the audience. And you should know, folks, 531 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: that you are not alone. As a matter of fact, right, 532 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 1: got co signed by uh, some notable people, some names 533 00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:41,439 Speaker 1: that might surprise you, fellow scientists, not psychoanalysts, more like physicists. Yeah, 534 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 1: and we we had mentioned at the top of the 535 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:47,120 Speaker 1: of episode one of this expansive two parts series that 536 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,800 Speaker 1: there were definitely gonna be some way ends from some 537 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: some important cultural figures, one of which, as you teas 538 00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:59,400 Speaker 1: been as as a very renowned physicist Albert Einstein. Reich, 539 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:04,960 Speaker 1: through his own research and experimentation, believed that his energy, 540 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,600 Speaker 1: this orgon energy was was and this is a I'm 541 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,160 Speaker 1: gonna quote this New York Times article, Um that we've 542 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:14,880 Speaker 1: been referencing was quote reflected by non organic substances like 543 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:19,040 Speaker 1: metal and absorbed by organic substances like wood, and that's 544 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:23,640 Speaker 1: why he built this organ accumulator out of wood and metal. Einstein, 545 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:27,920 Speaker 1: though they had actually had met before. In January of 546 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:33,439 Speaker 1: Einstein believed that that Reich was barking up the wrong tree. Um. 547 00:37:33,520 --> 00:37:36,359 Speaker 1: He wrote Reich a letter and told him that he 548 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,880 Speaker 1: had been able to replicate these findings regarding the increased 549 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,799 Speaker 1: temperature in the box that he was perceiving as the 550 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: absorption of these um these these energies, these organ energies. 551 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,359 Speaker 1: But there was a much simpler explanation and then then 552 00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 1: you know this idea of of of accumulating organ energy. Um. 553 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,399 Speaker 1: They never wrote to each other. Again, we don't really 554 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:00,840 Speaker 1: know what that explanation was, but I did refer to 555 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: this correspondence as quote the Einstein affair. I guess in 556 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:09,560 Speaker 1: a way of like almost um, you know, kind of 557 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,640 Speaker 1: discrediting Einstein and saying like this guy didn't know what 558 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,160 Speaker 1: he was talking about. This is just like a brief, 559 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:17,880 Speaker 1: you know, encounter that ultimately did not lead him to 560 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 1: change his opinions on anything. But Einstein thought there was 561 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 1: something there. He just thought it had a different explanation, 562 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:27,280 Speaker 1: and he was talking about you know, you could loosely 563 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,040 Speaker 1: call it a greenhouse effact. He said, yeah, the temperature 564 00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:33,120 Speaker 1: gets warmer. I believe you that part is true. But 565 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 1: here's why you're shutting a box, MIDDI Glorian's bros. You 566 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 1: and I Ben have experienced this greenhouse effect we can 567 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: call the podcast effects. You know, when we're in the 568 00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:50,319 Speaker 1: box together. When we were doing things in person more 569 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:53,839 Speaker 1: often with inadequate air conditioning and ventilation. You know, your 570 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:56,560 Speaker 1: body temperature alone is going to raise the temperature that 571 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,480 Speaker 1: room over the course of you know, a session pretty significantly. 572 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:03,120 Speaker 1: So I would maybe argue that's what Einstein was was 573 00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: barking at. Reik's ideas have never ever been really examined 574 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 1: by the scientific community, nor have they been really revisited 575 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: by the psychoanalytical community. Um, and they still both of 576 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:24,440 Speaker 1: these you know groups, uh still kind of disown him. 577 00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: M yeah. Yeah, And psychoanalysts today are not looking kindly 578 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: on on Reich's life and work. But we do see 579 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:41,799 Speaker 1: that he has a legacy. You know, he contributed to 580 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: things like ego psychology, gastalt therapy, body psychology, even primal 581 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: scream therapy, which is as metal as it sounds. Yeah, 582 00:39:57,160 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: there's an interesting note here again from that Vice article 583 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: that says you can see a little bit of Reich's 584 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 1: academic DNA in what's sometimes called feel good body therapy, massage, yoga. 585 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 1: There's also you can also do heavy metal yoga. I 586 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:20,520 Speaker 1: recommend it. It's yeah, oddly soothing, it's counterintuitive, but it 587 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 1: feels good. We had mentioned that at the top of 588 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:25,799 Speaker 1: of episode one. I think here to where things like 589 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:29,000 Speaker 1: raiky energy work. You know, a lot of these uh. 590 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:31,799 Speaker 1: You know the Vice article uses feel good uh, you 591 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 1: know whatever therapy, but I mean it could be described 592 00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 1: as holistic medicine or even like ancient Asian medicine and uh, 593 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:44,640 Speaker 1: and therapies such as reflexology and and deep tissue massage 594 00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:48,040 Speaker 1: and the idea of the body storing these energies. Um. 595 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:51,000 Speaker 1: And you know, Reich's whole early deal was about tension 596 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: in the body and where does that stuff go and 597 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: how do you get it out? And he really kind 598 00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: of flew in the face of the the psychiatric can 599 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,760 Speaker 1: unity by touching his patience. And we know that touch 600 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:08,040 Speaker 1: can be a very important part of people's uh, isolation, 601 00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:11,319 Speaker 1: you know, and if people's feelings of loneliness and not 602 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:14,359 Speaker 1: sexual touch but just touch, just you know, like having 603 00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:17,520 Speaker 1: someone lay hands on you. It sounds like religious experience, 604 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:20,160 Speaker 1: but just having a massage and someone touching you with 605 00:41:20,239 --> 00:41:22,719 Speaker 1: to heal, you know, laying healing hands. I think that 606 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:25,440 Speaker 1: can really go a long way. Uh. And that's alive 607 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,520 Speaker 1: And well today, I've got a massage scheduled for this 608 00:41:27,560 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 1: week and I cannot wait. It is one of the 609 00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:33,520 Speaker 1: most you know, valuable things I think I do, other 610 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:35,840 Speaker 1: than like going to actual therapy. I think a massage 611 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:38,920 Speaker 1: is really really valuable because those tensions do get stored 612 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,080 Speaker 1: and then there's no questions. Do you feel fair enough 613 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,040 Speaker 1: to me? Okay, Well, if I pay you and I 614 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:47,279 Speaker 1: give you permission, please touch me all day long. Because 615 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,520 Speaker 1: when I leave that transactional I I do feel well. 616 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:53,239 Speaker 1: It's so is therapy. You know, everything is transactional in 617 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,120 Speaker 1: some some way or another. You're paying somebody to do something. 618 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,240 Speaker 1: It doesn't make it any less worthwhile or any less valuable. 619 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: But I walk out of that room feeling relief. Oh well, 620 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:07,080 Speaker 1: more massages for you, my friend. I'm quite close with 621 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:11,240 Speaker 1: several professional messeurs, I guess would be the word. Uh, 622 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:14,879 Speaker 1: and it is. It is legitimate. It does do a 623 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:18,919 Speaker 1: world of good for people to each their own. Uh. 624 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:23,160 Speaker 1: And if you want to take a page from Reich's book, literally, 625 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:25,280 Speaker 1: if you would like to learn more about his work, 626 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:30,480 Speaker 1: you will find that his publications are still kept in print. 627 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:34,799 Speaker 1: There is also a scientific journal, the Journal of Organomy. 628 00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:38,200 Speaker 1: Probably my favorite word from this series. Uh. They have 629 00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:41,399 Speaker 1: public lectures even now in the modern day. You can 630 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:44,640 Speaker 1: learn more about it. And there are Reichi and therapists. 631 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:47,919 Speaker 1: They follow Wilhelm Reich. They didn't burn them, all right, 632 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:52,840 Speaker 1: It's definitely obviously the the perspective has changed to some degree. 633 00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 1: Um whether that's because they feel like, you know, people 634 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:59,279 Speaker 1: don't take it seriously enough anymore. Again, I'm I'm not 635 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,719 Speaker 1: to put on conspiracy had too much from from our 636 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:03,400 Speaker 1: other show, but I really do get a sense of 637 00:43:03,480 --> 00:43:06,760 Speaker 1: the government, you know, was after this guy for something 638 00:43:06,880 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 1: other than just like he's violating food and drug laws. 639 00:43:11,120 --> 00:43:13,600 Speaker 1: Like why did they burn his books? That's the thing 640 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:17,239 Speaker 1: that really blows me away. They burned his books and 641 00:43:17,560 --> 00:43:20,040 Speaker 1: thankfully you can still get them, and he has been 642 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,600 Speaker 1: and remains. I mentioned that Kate push thing a a 643 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:26,120 Speaker 1: very uh loom was large and pop culture. You know, 644 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:29,920 Speaker 1: there are a few of these Oregon accumulator boxes that 645 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:36,160 Speaker 1: um stayed around. Uh. The writer and uh druggie weirdo 646 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:40,400 Speaker 1: william S Burrows had one and apparently invited Jimmy Page, 647 00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:43,239 Speaker 1: the guitarist for Lizeppelin, to hop into one when he 648 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:47,799 Speaker 1: was interviewing him in nineteen seventy five. Reportedly Page declined, 649 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:52,319 Speaker 1: but um, the Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was a big fan 650 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:54,719 Speaker 1: of of Burrows and they hung out um a good 651 00:43:54,760 --> 00:43:57,919 Speaker 1: bit at his home. And uh there's photographs of of 652 00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,239 Speaker 1: of of Kurt Cobain inside of the accumulator when he 653 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:04,680 Speaker 1: visited his house in n There's also some you know, 654 00:44:04,719 --> 00:44:08,200 Speaker 1: examples of it. The inspiration in film, like in the 655 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:11,680 Speaker 1: Jane Fonda film Barbarella, you can see something called an 656 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: excessive machine and this is in eight and then one 657 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,600 Speaker 1: of Woody Allen's kind of lesser known films. Um and 658 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:21,560 Speaker 1: what kind of own issues there, um, but he did 659 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:24,760 Speaker 1: make some interesting films. In nineteen seventy three, the movie Sleeper, 660 00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: which is kind of a weird SATs here called dystopian 661 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:31,160 Speaker 1: sci fi thing. There is a machine called the Orgasmatron, 662 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: So he's definitely still around. Yeah. Actually that's what I 663 00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:36,719 Speaker 1: want to kind of talk about. So a couple of 664 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:39,080 Speaker 1: years ago, my brother gave me this book right here. 665 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:45,400 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and I can't I can't say I finished it. 666 00:44:45,440 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 1: I think I got about like a third of the 667 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:48,839 Speaker 1: way through it. I'm not the biggest reader. I think 668 00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 1: I've talked about that before unless it's about like a 669 00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:53,439 Speaker 1: sports article. But I remember reading it would be like, 670 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:56,480 Speaker 1: what the hell is this about? What are these cloud busters? 671 00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:59,080 Speaker 1: I didn't know anything about the about it about her 672 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:03,520 Speaker 1: pillam right forehand, but I'm just reading this is so weird. Um. 673 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:06,799 Speaker 1: I will say he at least the way his son 674 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:09,000 Speaker 1: portrays him in his book, because this book was written 675 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:13,680 Speaker 1: by his son, Peter Reich. Everything says that will Helm 676 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:18,239 Speaker 1: believed what he was preaching. He was drinking that flavorade, 677 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,399 Speaker 1: his own flavor. Doesn't the son to describe a dream 678 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:24,439 Speaker 1: where his father came down to to to rescue him 679 00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:29,360 Speaker 1: in a UFO. Isn't that a thing? So yeah, I 680 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:31,319 Speaker 1: didn't make it all the way through. But like they 681 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:33,399 Speaker 1: do talk about, like going to he talks about when 682 00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:36,040 Speaker 1: he went to Arizona with the cloud Buster and fought 683 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:40,840 Speaker 1: the like big thing like it's uh, it's very weird 684 00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:43,359 Speaker 1: when you don't know anything about the story and you're 685 00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:47,000 Speaker 1: just reading this. I'll tell you though. It was six tons, 686 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:52,800 Speaker 1: six physical tons of books that were burned by by 687 00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:56,040 Speaker 1: the US government, So of course they make him a 688 00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:00,279 Speaker 1: bit of a martyr right and there. I think that's 689 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:04,759 Speaker 1: a huge part of why people remain so interested in 690 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:10,520 Speaker 1: his explorations today. If you would like to learn more 691 00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:15,560 Speaker 1: about Dr Reich firsthand, then I guess what. He's got 692 00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:20,240 Speaker 1: a museum. It is in Maine. I believe it's pronounced rangely. 693 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,040 Speaker 1: Perhaps we'll actually I have to check with Andrew Howard 694 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:27,160 Speaker 1: R Pal who is from Maine to get confirmation there. 695 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:30,640 Speaker 1: But the the museum itself, I've never been there in 696 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:34,919 Speaker 1: the interest of full disclosure, but it is a repository 697 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,120 Speaker 1: of a lot of his work. They have an active 698 00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:43,600 Speaker 1: itinerary of programs and events, and you can visit the 699 00:46:43,800 --> 00:46:47,879 Speaker 1: organ on institute that's on the property. I really want 700 00:46:47,960 --> 00:46:52,399 Speaker 1: to go. The website is just villam Reich Museum dot org. 701 00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:55,480 Speaker 1: Check it out. And you know, more importantly, tell us 702 00:46:55,560 --> 00:46:59,239 Speaker 1: if you have been, tell us if you accumulated or 703 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,600 Speaker 1: gone while you were there, And importantly, which kind of 704 00:47:02,719 --> 00:47:06,759 Speaker 1: orgon did you accumulate? The good stuff or the d 705 00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:11,560 Speaker 1: O r U the deadly orgon radiation. What a ride. 706 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:15,960 Speaker 1: Thanks again to our excellent research associate Zach Williams, who 707 00:47:16,000 --> 00:47:20,240 Speaker 1: you will meet very soon. Ridiculous historians and where would 708 00:47:20,239 --> 00:47:22,240 Speaker 1: we be without the man the myth of the legend, 709 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:27,040 Speaker 1: our super producer, Mr Max Williams. Max, I'll read the 710 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:30,840 Speaker 1: rest of that book if you want. I'll please not 711 00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:33,719 Speaker 1: that that's about the level of reader I am. Or 712 00:47:33,719 --> 00:47:36,200 Speaker 1: maybe you could produce like a little short film. I 713 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:39,920 Speaker 1: can just watch that instead. Surely there must be some 714 00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:44,320 Speaker 1: cliff notes or idiot's guide to Willhelm Rank to orgon energy. 715 00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:46,040 Speaker 1: I'd be down with that. I'd just be fun just 716 00:47:46,080 --> 00:47:48,680 Speaker 1: to see what they think is the most important bits. 717 00:47:48,800 --> 00:47:51,279 Speaker 1: Because to your point, Max, when you read something like 718 00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:53,279 Speaker 1: that and it is just kind of the regurgitations of 719 00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:56,799 Speaker 1: someone's mind who has been exposed to you know, a 720 00:47:56,920 --> 00:48:00,319 Speaker 1: person of the stature, you know, this person's father, I 721 00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:03,760 Speaker 1: can't imagine, uh what what all of that would entail. 722 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,560 Speaker 1: And then just like you know, um, it would it 723 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:08,880 Speaker 1: would have to have an effect you know, on on 724 00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:10,480 Speaker 1: on this person in the way they think about in 725 00:48:10,560 --> 00:48:13,040 Speaker 1: view the world. So I'm interested as well. Um, but 726 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:15,200 Speaker 1: let us know what you think. You can write to 727 00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:17,560 Speaker 1: us on on the social media. You can find me 728 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:20,920 Speaker 1: exclusively on Instagram where I'm at how now, Noel brown Man, 729 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:22,759 Speaker 1: I think they've they've got a couple of places to 730 00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:26,080 Speaker 1: find you. The rumors are true, folks. You can see 731 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:29,720 Speaker 1: me all over the internet. You can get a behind 732 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:33,560 Speaker 1: the scenes peak of stuff that I am working on, 733 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:39,880 Speaker 1: such as the book that Noel, Matt and yours truly 734 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:42,399 Speaker 1: wrote for stuff they don't want you to know. I'm 735 00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:44,759 Speaker 1: holding it up in the chat even though this is 736 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:49,239 Speaker 1: an audio podcast. It's called inniverse to creativity stuff they 737 00:48:49,239 --> 00:48:52,359 Speaker 1: don't want you to know. On to other adventures as well. 738 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:55,920 Speaker 1: We're gonna be going live to promote the book in October. 739 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:58,680 Speaker 1: If you ever want to meet us in person, uh 740 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:01,920 Speaker 1: find out more? You can write to me at Ben 741 00:49:01,920 --> 00:49:05,520 Speaker 1: Bowlen bo w l i in on Instagram. You can 742 00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:10,080 Speaker 1: also help me in my ongoing mission, my continuing mission 743 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:14,000 Speaker 1: to explore strange new foods. Do you like that? Max? 744 00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,680 Speaker 1: A little spin on that? Okay? And and you can 745 00:49:16,680 --> 00:49:18,960 Speaker 1: find me also on Twitter where I'm at Ben bullin 746 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:22,200 Speaker 1: hs W. If you know you know uh and if 747 00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:24,480 Speaker 1: you know Twitter, you know the best thing about it 748 00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:28,520 Speaker 1: is that's where you can find my pal, Mr Max Williams, 749 00:49:29,560 --> 00:49:33,879 Speaker 1: the resident curling expert of not just ridiculous history, not 750 00:49:33,960 --> 00:49:38,560 Speaker 1: just Twitter, not just the Internet. But these are modern days. 751 00:49:39,239 --> 00:49:41,440 Speaker 1: I will not accept that honor. If you wanted to 752 00:49:41,480 --> 00:49:44,480 Speaker 1: know more about curling, follow Matt Hamilton's the most interesting 753 00:49:44,480 --> 00:49:47,160 Speaker 1: man in curling, who was just coast comes off as 754 00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:48,960 Speaker 1: being a very good guy. But yes, you can find 755 00:49:48,960 --> 00:49:51,520 Speaker 1: me on Twitter at a t L underscore. Max Williams 756 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:57,520 Speaker 1: activity is literally just trolling Ben. So yeah, all right, 757 00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:00,120 Speaker 1: I got so much I gotta go accumulate my are 758 00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:02,520 Speaker 1: going guys. I didn't want to say it, but over 759 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:06,160 Speaker 1: the course of these episodes, I'm kind of persuaded. Yeah, man, 760 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,120 Speaker 1: I think I'm gonna build the building and we're going 761 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:10,520 Speaker 1: to accumulator in my garage. Probably would also work as 762 00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:13,800 Speaker 1: a good like sound booth, you know, for for voiceover 763 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,680 Speaker 1: or something. Who like things to be dual purpose. Let's 764 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:25,640 Speaker 1: see you next time. Books. For more podcasts for my 765 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:28,360 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 766 00:50:28,440 --> 00:50:30,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,