“White-Trash Werewolf Smorgasbord”
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 12th, 2006
Yes, that quoted phrase is the subsection title that columnist Melanie Conklin of the Wisconsin State Journal of Madison, Wisconsin, employs in her little segment on the The Beast of Bray Road. It is not often that you see a modern newspaper writer employing what, in essence, is a racial slur with a mention about cryptozoology. But there it is.
Actually, to be specific, Conklin is quoting Linda Godfrey who is rather upset these days. Here is what Melanie Conklin wrote on July 12th, even mentioning this humble blog site along the way:
‘White-trash werewolf smorgasbord’
If you attend Wisconsin author Linda Godfrey’s book signing Thursday at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble West (7433 Mineral Point Road [Madison, Wisconsin]) on her new book, Hunting the American Werewolf, you can leave with more than some bizarre tales of people who’ve spotted werewolves.
Godfrey, a former cartoonist, plans to bring a “grab bag” of “free signed Beast doodles,” which are little drawings she’s done of “the manwolf” on objects of no real value, like birch bark or old floppy disks.
But right now Godfrey, who was born in Madison and lives in Elkhorn, is busy replying to many queries about a movie that will air Saturday on the Sci Fi Channel that shares a title with her last book, The Beast of Bray Road. (Her blog on the topic was posted at cryptomundo.com.)
She wants to state for the record that the Elkhorn area’s alleged werewolf has nothing in common with the one in the movie that decapitates and disembowels random humans. “They portray Wisconsin residents as brawling, foul-mouthed, beer-guzzling hicks. It’s a white-trash werewolf smorgasbord,” says Godfrey. “I had nothing to do with the movie.”
Message received.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
I just came back from a vacation in Madison, WI. We did drink some beer, and I believe I heard a foul word once or twice coming from the mouth of one or two WI “hicks”, but there was only a minimum of frackus and fray.
LOL! Well, as I said in my original blog, it isn’t as if Elkhorn (or any town) doesn’t have a few people who do all of the above. And nothing wrong with hoisting a cold one, I’ve been known to do that myself! As for the movie (and I do own the DVD) I don’t think I’d describe myself as upset, really, I just don’t like the stereotype of small town, Wisconsin people the movie makers chose to portray. Or the implied association with my first book, which contains nary a gore-filled episode. The worst thing about it is that It sets the study of cryptids even further back in the public image, I think, when every unknown creature is turned into some head-ripping, fearsome monster and the only humans involved, other than perhaps the “visiting cryptozoologist” in the story, are shown as backwoods ignoramuses. This attitude makes it so much easier to ignore the next reports of Bigfoot, out of place kangaroos, or anything else that doesn’t fit neatly into known zoological parameters. It isn’t just the small-towners or so-far-harmless creatures that come out of this with a black eye, it’s every serious researcher into the unknown who becomes laughable by association. Maybe I actually should be upset, but if so, then so should everyone else who cares about Fortean or cryptozoological studies.
By all means watch the movie Saturday if you haven’t seen it, but as I said in an earlier post, just please go into it with the clear idea that it’s merely someone’s idea of gorey entertainment and not a source of truth about any aspect depicted. Believe it or not, there are people out there who have trouble understanding that concept. – Linda Godfrey
Linda,
All I can say is Amen!
I grew up on the Kentucky/West Virginia border, so I know a little something about stereotypes of rural folks myself and all I can say is Amen…
Myself, I’d not be as “nice” about the whole thing as you are.
This entry reminds me that the “Beast of Bray Road” movie is set to air on the SciFi Channel Saturday, July 15th, according to my TV Guide.
Go get them Linda!!
Hunting the American Werewolf is a recent addition to my ‘to-buy’ book list. Lycanthropy is fascinating, so naturally, I’ll watch just about anything about were-creatures, no matter how positively horrid. Anyone else hear they’re remaking the Wolfman, probably starring Benicio del Toro?
I’ve just started to read “Hunting The American Werewolf”, and so far find it pretty interesting reading.
TemplarKnight21c, I don’t know if you read her first book, but if you have make sure you read this one. One of the other creatures she touched on in her first book, other than “The Beast” she’s now found a likely ancestor for. One that is known to have existed on the North American Continent. In comparison, the modern versions seem to be considerably smaller, but many animals of today are smaller than their prehistoric counterparts.
Then again, we hit that word, extinct, funny how a number of animals who have been called extinct, are now being rediscovered. Maybe it should be changed to “assumed extinct”, and not held so definitive.
As far as the movie is concerned, I’ve yet to see it, but have heard a lot of talk about it. My guess is they probably figured the biggest money was going to be drawing the lovers of the Horror Genre into the theaters, or video stores. No blood and gore, no audience, no money, no profit. I also have to agree with Linda that there is a portion of the populace that believe what they see in this movie. There are some that know I live near the area of the sightings, and they think I’ve been holding out on them about all of the beheadings and killings and other gruesome details. When I try to tell them, that didn’t happen, I get “Oh Yeah! It’s in the movie!” Geesh!
I can only imagine what some of these same people must think about the Jersey Devil after seeing the Godawful “Thirteenth Child” movie…
6: What MAROONS!
all of linda godfrey books about real life werewolf encounters look realy great. linda it looks you did a wonderful job on your resent book. all your werewolf books covers realy stand out with boldness etc. i hope everyone here get linda werewolf books in near future in stores or online. linda i hope write more books about werewolfs in next couple months or next year. bill green 🙂
The compelling Beast of Seven Chutes photograph, is the best photographic proof yet that unknown creatures do exist.
It shows a creature that closely resembles the creatures described as a ‘werewolf’. Eyewitness descriptions throughout northern New England, Northeast Canada, Wisconsin and Michigan and the great lakes area clearly match the creature in this photo.