'John Alva Keel is best remembered as the author of The Mothman Prophecies, a classic work of Fortean reportage. The book painted an eery portrait of a tiny town besieged by inexplicable incidents: sightings of a moth-like creature with glowing red eyes, strange lights in the sky and midnight visits from men in black. Keel began his investigation as an outsider, but was soon drawn into the dark orbit of the mothman.
'Keel achieved some amount of public recognition when his book became the basis of a 2002 movie of the same name starring Richard Gere, but the public at large had no idea that Keel’s encounter with the mothman was only one small part of an incredibly strange, adventurous life. Keel, a veteran writer of the weird, was well-known within the ranks of forteana for his writings on UFOs, conspiracies and strange mysteries discovered in the furthest corners of the globe.
'Keel’s later years were tough ones. As he grew older, his career suffered. So did his health. Thankfully, he was not completely alone. A small circle of friends and admirers stood by his side. One of them was Fortean writer and professional composer Doug Skinner. Skinner, a close friend of Keel’s, discusses the matter on the latest episode of The DisinfoCast.' (Disinformation podcast).media-underground.net