Dr. Bob Curran @ BOA

Full Preview: We kick things off by finding out what Dr. Bob Curran has been up to since his previous appearance on BoA:Audio. We then learn what inspired Bob to pen his latest book Man-Made Monsters. Bob also addresses some of the fundamental psychological questions behind the interest in man-made monsters. Diving in to the book, we first look at some of the inspirations for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, notably Giovanni Aldini, an 18th century scientist who attempted to revive corpses with electricity. This also leads to some discussion on how, during those times, science and magic (for lack of a better term) were fairly well intertwined.

Next we look at the Golem and Bob starts out by detailing the origins of this mysterious creature. We also examine why the Golem has not achieved the same kind of cultural impact that creatures like the Werewolf and Vampire have. We also hear the amazing story of the 'Golem of Prague' and how it even resonated with invading Nazi soldiers during World War II.

We then discuss the alchemists and their infamous Humunculi. We begin with some background on the alchemists and how their quests go far beyond the classic stereotype of 'transmuting gold.' Then we delve into the homunculus and ponder what the goal was behind creating such a creature. We also find out about the concept of 'growing life' from the alchemists. Looking at alchemy, as a whole, we then examine the idea of when, or if, the 'science' ever died out.

This segues into talk about contemporary man-made monsters: clones. Returning to the realm of the homunculus, we find out what Bob thinks of the Jack Parsons homunculus experiment story. We then talk about another element of Man-Made Monsters: ancient computers and robots. Bob details some of the ancient computers found from Rome and China. He also shares some tales of amazing robots that existed long, long ago and where some of them can be found today. Bob also shares one story about a man who was told by the Church to stop making robots because they were 'too perfect.'

Digging into some of the other details from the book, we then cover the Voynich Manuscript. Getting back to contemporary man-made monsters, we talk about how the potential to make a truly monstrous creature is actually pretty strong. Beyond mere monsters, we also talk about the possibility of detailed tinkering with child development and the implications of such possibilities. Wrapping up the discussion on Man-Made Monsters, we find out where people can get it and also put over another series of amazing drawings done by Ian xxx that can be found in the book.