The Cryptid Factor team (from left) Leon 'Buttons' Kirkbeck, Rhys Darby and David Farrier.
As some of you may know, in my spare time I have an avid interest in the field of cryptozoology. Perhaps you've heard of my radio show called The Cryptid Factor.
It's a Fortean fun discussion group that sees its members, myself, David Farrier and producer Leon "Buttons" Kirkbeck literally
rolling in the aisles with joy as we channel our youthful imaginations and regale our listeners with the latest on all things weird.
The show itself has been broadcast on no less than three radio stations in the Auckland region, each time looking for a new home due to either dismissal, dismay or ease of proximity. Thanks to podcasting through Soundcloud and iTunes we have gained new fans living beyond the outer reaches of the Grey Lynn realm. In fact, we now have fans numbering in the tens of thousands spreading right across the globe. With this in mind and to mark the fifth anniversary of our audio oddness the CF team decided it was high time we made a pilot show of the televisual kind.
Last week we ventured to Austin, Texas, a city that really prides itself on being weird. Our major calling there was the official Museum of the Weird, a wonderful treasure trove of eclectic oddities. If you're a fan of the paranormal and in particular cryptid creatures this place is a must-see.
It's an eerie labyrinth of fantastical exhibits from Sasquatch footprint casts to a 3000-year-old mummy. Mythological specimens litter the walls like the mysterious man-fish, the fierce furry trout and the notorious Fiji mermaid. The ultimate room (where cameras could not go) housed the mighty Minnesota Iceman, a hairy hominid from the 1960s encased in a frozen glass coffin.
