Ghost Hunters Fans is excited to present our exclusive interview with Ghost Hunters International investigator and tech manager Barry Fitzgerald! A big thank you to Barry for allowing us to conduct the interview!
What's your favorite...? Food? Potato dishes, though ironically I'm allergic to potatoes, but death by mash isn't a bad way to go. Book? Jadoo, by former John A Keel. Music style/musical group? All types, especially lounge jazz, but not death metal, can't stand it. Color? Deep purple, Royal Blue and Emerald Green. Movie of all time? Several,1st The Quiet Man, a humorous look at life in old Ireland starring John Wayne.2nd kung fu hustle, a Chinese killer of a comedy.3rd Traumschiff Surpirse, a German belly buster taking a jab at Star Wars and Star Trek. TV show? Fringe, Flash Forward, True Blood, Dr Who, You've Been Framed, Takeshi's castle, Battle-starGalactica (the new one), Space 1999, Star Trek. Historical figure? Stanislav Petrov, a retired Soviet Air Defence Forces lieutenant colonel who deviated from standard Soviet doctrine by correctly identifying a missile attack warning as a false alarm on September 26, 1983, his commanders screamed at him to fire their missiles at America and he refused. We are here today because of one man....an unknown face in a crowd. Truly amazing. Inspirational figure? My Father. Super power? The United Federation of Planets ;) Sport? Canoing.
What sparked your interest in the paranormal? I suppose growing up in a haunted property, my parents had things happen to them and never said anything to us kids, but it was not too long till we too started to experience things and this lead to a who, why and what which has taken me all over this world.
What do you like to do when you’re not ghost hunting? I truly enjoying photography and use this as an escape. My better half lives in Austria and I spend a lot of my time in mainland Europe now with her at the castle in the Alps. Of course it's haunted and a good place to test the new equipment.I’m working with new engineers from Colorado developing a new range of camera systems for the paranormal community and the UFO community with specialized tracking software and varying focal optics covering an increased band of the spectrum's. I will be announcing the new MVC cameras in 2010 and placing my name and support behind the new ranges which are truly remarkable. I’m also writing a new book with Dustin Pari which will be out in early 2010 and is another fantastic read and of course another book designed by researchers for researchers. A new website has been developed to sell my prints and will be available though sellers in Vienna Austria, or over the net and will be announced in 2010. The frames for the images are being hand made by members of the Fine Art Trade and have been awarded by the London School of Fine art on three occasions, these guys see the picture and say which frame will go with it. They are wizards as the pictures become truly magical and make the piece a true work of art.
You’ve published several books featuring your photography. Are there any similarities between your photography and ghost hunting? Ghost Hunting is like fishing, you have to have time. Rushing the situation isn’t going to work. My photos are much the same, I could walk for hours and see nothing to photo and then all of a sudden the image appears and I start to shot. But its more than looks, it’s about feeling and if the image feels good it makes it through and I continue to take the pictures until the feeling has gone and I move on.I know patience is not a virtue awarded to man, but it’s something you have to develop in time and with that comes respect.
Can you tell us about the difference between nature spirits & elementals and the “usual ghosts”? Nature spirits where never alive in the sense that we know as being alive and this is the main feature difference in human and nature spirit. However the nature spirit/elemental has the ability to manipulate environmental patterns around us or in a localised area which can be troublesome and sometimes fatal. The processes used are too big for us to turn around unlike those used by a negative entity and can be easily slapped back into place. We can simply acknowledge it and get the hell out.
Have you ever encountered a nature spirit or elemental? Ha ha yes many times, but many don’t interact with us as they couldn’t care less if we are alive or dead. On occasions if you know where to look and at what times, it can happen and it is a truly amazing experience and at times can frighten the hell out of you, but what an experience.
Do you get a chance to spend any time in the cities you visit, or do you just film an investigation and leave? Ohhh no I always make time to see the areas around us, though there have been a few countries that I would prefer not to return to. My appreciation for a countries beauty is reflected in the amount of photos I take, some countries have only one or two shots and will never see the light of day, whilst others are a wonder to behold.
How long does it take to film a season of GHI? This depends on the amount of shows ordered by Sy Fy our Season 1 was huge and you can work out the maths when you consider that each episode takes two weeks to film approximately and each episode is a new country. So a lot of work and a lot of travel, but my word it has been an experience.
What new equipment will we see in the new season of GHI? Well as I stated above I’m working with the engineers on a new and exciting range of cameras and DVR systems which is way ahead of anything presently available. Their development has been painstaking but we are ready to have then released and I will be sporting the top of the range models which are something from the set of star trek with the help of the engineers and the company of Vforge based in Colorado.
What new locations will we see? The new shows in January which we finished filming in October 2009 will see the team in Australia, Costa Rica and Argentina to name a few. We have gone further than ever before and the footage is the best yet and I do believe that these are the best shows yet.
Is there a different perception about the paranormal/ghost hunting internationally? (as compared to the US) For sure, the Europeans are more cynical in their approach and this is one reason for the advancement of technology as they understand this and the science behind it and starts them thinking. There are not as many paranormal shows in Europe unlike America and there is a wider field of interest because of the shows. In South America and Africa they always had a belief in the paranormal and ancestral worship and this has lead to the success of GHI in those countries.
Do you find that you get better results when using English or the native language? Strangely enough even though we use the native language we are getting responses in English. Go figure.
If you could investigate any place in the world, where would it be? India
What has been the best thing about being a part of Ghost Hunters International? The friends I have made.
Can you tell the readers a little about your new book The Complete Approach, co-authored by yourself and Dustin Pari? ‘The Complete Approach’ is a look at the science in paranormal investigation and the connections made with metaphysics. It a inspirational look at this very difficult field and pulling together of facts and figures and a little humour to help those investigative teams capture more evidence and understand the nature of the entities they are tracking.
Do you think the rise of paranormal television shows has helped or hurt the professional paranormal field? I have to admit there are some shows, although I haven't seen them that are damaging the field. But for the most part the field will survive and grow and the new preposterous theories will fade and the true paths will still be there to follow.
Is there anything else that you would like to add before we go?Nope.
