Biscardi’s C2C Legacy: “I-Was-Hoodwinked”

I will be a guest on tonight’s Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, to react to today’s California news conference on the alleged Bigfoot body. I am actually hoping to heard some positive things out of that news conference.

Oregon Bigfoot researcher Autumn Williams has done a rather good job of re-visiting Tom Biscardi’s 2005 fiasco over on Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, here, complete with transcripts of some of what was said.

One of the reasons my lorencoleman.com might have been targeted was to take out of circulation my 2005 essay on Biscardi’s earlier “I-was-hoodwinked” end game and past similar histories. That selection is now missing from the site and from the reconstructed index to the archives there. I am assuming that it might have been one of the items the hacker was after. Please do not read into this that I am saying Biscardi or one of his organization did this. I am only pointing out what has been discovered. Frankly, I think Biscardi has had his hands full, and wasn’t involved in any hacking, of course.

However, the coincidence is intriguing, so I found an old archived copy elsewhere, and am reproducing the entire thing here, for historical insights:

What’s the latest on the adventures of Tom Biscardi? Let’s begin with the Coast to Coast AM with George Noory overview:

Bigfoot Update
First hour guest, cryptozoologist Loren Coleman reacted to Tom Biscardi’s Bigfoot hunt. On Friday night’s program, Biscardi claimed his group had captured one of the creatures and he would be presenting photos of it on Monday. Coleman said over the weekend one of Biscardi’s associates posted in a blog that the capture story was a hoax. “This man is a Las Vegas promoter,” and his actions speak louder than words, Coleman commented. Biscardi briefly phoned in for “equal time” declaring that he would be giving out the full story on Tuesday.
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On the night of August 23, Tom Biscardi will tell his “full story,” reportedly. He could have directly addressed host George Noory’s questions about whether Noory was going to get a photograph of a Bigfoot last night. Instead, Biscardi immediately used his airtime on Monday to attempt to smear me and distract the listeners from whether or not he had actually caught a Bigfoot.

Biscardi rushed on air to repeat one side of an old story of a misunderstanding between myself and a fellow researcher whom I respect. Biscardi, naturally, was trying to discredit me because he didn’t like that I was skeptical of the twists and turns in his fantastic tales. Nevertheless, the question on the table was about Biscardi and his “captive Bigfoot.” What came so quickly out of Biscardi’s mouth was expected. I guess it was easier to do that than address the issues at hand. Bottomline, I’ve never claimed on a national radio program that I’ve caught a Bigfoot or requested people support me with a million dollars to go on an expedition. And ask yourself, if you had someone on your “team” catch a Bigfoot, would you sit in your room for apparently ten days before going to see it, as Biscardi has said he has?

So folks, hold on to your hats. The next part of the melodrama on C2C with George Noory is on tonight. Noory will do his job, I bet, and directly ask questions about Biscardi’s claims and the flip-flops on his captive Bigfoot news. People want to know (and have been asking me in emails), how much money has been netted after each Coast to Coast-Biscardi appearance, for the $19.95/week registrations and $59.95 “passes” to see Biscardi’s pay-per-view videostreaming and the promised views of “his” captive Bigfoot? The more important issue for me is what damage to the credibility of the field will this fiasco have.

Will the “real story” Biscardi is going to tell go something like the one that was apparently leaked over the weekend?

Linda Martin, identified as the editor of the Happy Camp News, the one who invited Biscardi to Happy Camp, and now, as she claims, is his friend and associate, wrote in her “Bigfoot Sightings” blog on Saturday, August 20, 2005:

“I got the news a few minutes ago – Biscardi was scammed by a woman in Nevada. There was no Bigfoot after all. I hope they didn’t lose much money on this fiasco. He will issue a statement on this soon I’m sure. I’m so glad it is over.”

“Though it is a big disappointment and embarrassment to be scammed like this – going through this can make our team stronger in many ways. And we can get back to business – what this project was started for – to capture a Bigfoot and prove they exist. Yay! I feel that we’re on the right path again. I heard Tom filmed an apology from the woman’s husband, and I hope he adds it to the videostream! It’s all part of the story of this expedition. Very exciting stuff if you ask me.”

After receiving many negative comments about her involvement with Biscardi and Biscardi himself, via her blog, late on Monday, August 22, Ms. Martin took her “No Bigfoot” entry off her blog.

What will tomorrow bring? Isn’t this all such a detour from the real search for Bigfoot? Won’t it harm the credibility of Bigfoot research? The recent and past history would seem to indicate as much.

During last night’s program, I only had enough time to outline what had come before, and for those interested, here’s the specifics:

In 1970, according to the Redding Searchlight newspaper and many other sources, Tom Biscardi’s mentor or associate, Ivan Marx said he would capture a Bigfoot in a year. He apparently never did. What he did produce were two films that are now universally said to be alleged fakes, even though one was sold to the “You Asked for It” television program for $25,000 in 1972.

In May 11, 1981, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Biscardi said he saw a Bigfoot on April 12, 1981, on Mount Lassen that “was a male, 7-foot-4, some 450 pounds.” Biscardi told the reporter he was going to capture a Bigfoot. Apparently he never did.

In 1983, Tom Biscardi was the executive director and associate producer of “In the Shadow of Bigfoot,” a self-proclaimed documentary that contains more Ivan Marx footage of apparently the same pointy-headed, pointy-eared alleged Bigfoot seen in the earlier Marx films. It also contained the infamous “Bigfoot in a snowstorm” scene that had many film reviewers laughing off their seats. Once again, critics were unexcited by this film and noted it was full of factual errors. “Good for entertainment value only,” wrote Mike Quast in his long entry on Ivan Marx, with notes on Biscardi, in his book Big Footage: A History of Claims for the Sasquatch on Film (2000). “In the Shadow of Bigfoot” was distributed by Biscardi’s company, Amazing Horizons, Inc.

With the 2003 news of legitimate organizations like the BFRO (bfro.net) planning sponsored (pay-as-you-go) expeditions, Biscardi’s reappeared in early 2004, to put out press releases stating he was trying to obtain over a million dollars from corporate sponsors to conduct a Bigfoot expedition. “The timing of this current expedition was prompted by the recent sighting and news reports of an ‘albino’ Bigfoot. Biscardi has seen and has a photo of a baby Bigfoot with white fur….The photo was taken by tracker, Peggy Marx,” noted the January 4, 2004, press release. Later he would say his expedition was going to be a pay-as-you-go trek, just like the BFRO’s. Biscardi’s various group’s names (e.g. “American Bigfoot Expedition”) then morphed into the GABFRO (Great American Bigfoot Research Organization).

On April 16, 2005, ferry operator Bobby Clarke allegedly videotaped a Nelson River, Manitoba Sasquatch and then sold the first rights to broadcast, for reportedly “six figures,” to Fox TV’s “A Current Affair”. It screened on May 4, 2005.

On April 19, 2005, Marx’s grandchildren, the Hickmans, and Biscardi claimed to have seen a Bigfoot near Burney, California. Unfortunately, Biscardi told the media, he “left his tranquilizer gun and his wire-mesh grenade launcher at home.”

On April 27, 2005, Jill Miller’s “Waiting for Bigfoot” project, in the planning for months, is announced. One of the innovations of the project is for Miller to live on-site for six weeks and have real-time video feed from her campsite’s satellite uplink, 24 hours a day.

On June 29, 2005, another Biscardi press release appeared, saying that an “Imminent Capture Anticipated” (sic) of Bigfoot. The release gave helpful contact information that the “findings and materials forthcoming from this investigation will also be offered for commercial sale and distribution. Organizations interested in acquiring the rights for projects such as publishing, television, film, merchandising, lectures and exhibits based on Biscardi’s expeditions, “could contact his p.r. firm.” Some of the publicity from Biscardi’s interviews with the media, based on this release, have been revealing, as is the one on July 21, 2005, in the North Coast Journal, entitled “BIGBUCKS.”

Jill Miller’s “Waiting for Bigfoot” project began July 2, 2005, sending live feeds out from waitingforbigfoot.com. Biscardi said he was going to have a pay-for-view live feed from his “expedition” site, 24/7, for $19.95 per week, or a $59.95 “pass.” A site, findingbigfoot.com, is created for Biscardi’s “streaming video.” Meanwhile, Miller’s videos are placed on the internet for free viewing.

Next Biscardi followed up on his earlier promise to capture a Bigfoot during an appearance on Coast to Coast AM, by announcing to George Noory on Friday, August 19, 2005, that, according to Biscardi, his team (although Biscardi hadn’t seen it), had in captivity for over a week, a 17 year old, male, over 400 pounds, 8 foot tall Bigfoot. Biscardi stumbled during the show and although he had earlier said the Bigfoot was 800 pounds, told George Noory had misheard him. (Noory would play back, on the August 22nd appearance, that Noory had gotten it right.) Furthermore, inquiring listeners emailing me wanted to know how can anyone, with a straight face, claim they know a Bigfoot is 17 years old?

But as it turned out, according to the leak revealed on August 20th and detailed above, there is no Bigfoot. So, once again, Biscardi is empty handed? Or is he? What will his next claim be? George Noory can be trusted to ask the hard questions, once again.

Some of you knew how this was going to turn out, since, say, 1970 or 1981. For others, this is all new territory. Indeed, we will see if Tom Biscardi’s actions, not his words, stories, excuses, or distracting attacks, are what speak volumes. It is up to everyone to examine what has happened, learn from it, grow, and move on.
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An Update: August 24, 2005
In what is being called the “I-was-hoodwinked account” (as coined by Roger Knights, an insightful Bigfoot writer), Tom Biscardi appeared on Coast to Coast AM, during the evening of August 23. Here’s is the short recap, followed my longer summary of the program:

Biscardi Statement
First hour guest, Tom Biscardi offered an explanation and apology related to his earlier claims (made on Friday’s show) that he had a Bigfoot in captivity. He now says he was misled by an acquaintance of his colleague, Peggy Marx. The acquaintance, who lives in Stagecoach, Nevada, had told them of an injured Bigfoot that was being cared for by two veterinarians. As the details of her story began to unravel, Biscardi said he eventually concluded that her reports were false.

George Noory asked Biscardi if he would refund people’s money who signed up for his Internet streaming service after Friday’s announcement that video of Bigfoot was forthcoming. Biscardi said he would consider that. George suggested that people could also contact their credit card companies about reversing the charges if they had signed up for his service after Friday’s show.
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My summary…
Biscardi’s story just got more fantastic, saying an Indian shot an injured Nevada reservation Bigfoot with arrows, that after the male was captured, a female was also taken into captivity, and that one of the vets treating it or them, “kidnapped” it or them. Reportedly, this “kidnapped” Bigfoot is right now being kept in one of two warehouses in Clearlake, California, just down the road from a grocery store. Biscardi said it was a story from a woman in Stagecoach, Nevada. (Stagecoach is not even close to his “three team” sites near Happy Camp, California.) He never had a video, never saw the Bigfoot, and there probably never was a Bigfoot. He kept using the word “hoodwinked.”

At a couple points, Biscardi seemed like he was trying to blame Coast to Coast and its listeners as the source of the hoax, that a listener of the program was behind this hoodwinking. Noory launched into him about this, noting Biscardi can’t blame the listeners for what Biscardi said about having a Bigfoot. Afterall, Biscardi is the one who came on the program and said what he said. Noory mildly pushed back at Biscardi for attempting to shift the responsibility to others.

Biscardi’s rambling story of blame and hoodwink ended, thankfully, when George Noory correctly moved on to the callers who had much to say to Biscardi.

Biscardi began somewhat arguing with the people calling in, saying at first they had not been “gipped.” But, as the show rolled along, it became clear from the callers that on Friday, August 19, Biscardi’s exact words were that “we have a Bigfoot” in captivity. Not “we’ve heard about a captive Bigfoot” or anything similar. Also, callers said Biscardi told listeners they were preparing the video and pictures of the Bigfoot for their site. Not that he was still trying to get a video, or that the Bigfoot wasn’t under his control, but some very obvious statements that misled people.

He was reminded by the callers that he had “sold” them on his promises of seeing the footage of a “captive Bigfoot.” The callers confronted Biscardi with his marketing, that if they’d signed up to his website on Friday, with the current reduced rates ($19.95/week or $59.00/pass), they would be able to see the images cheaper than the increased rate he was going to charge after the new footage of the captive Bigfoot was posted. Biscardi was virtually speechless towards the end of the program, after several callers in a row appropriately challenged Biscardi’s actions. The callers demanded their money back, said they had been duped by Biscardi, and one frankly noted that “this is fraud, dude.” Another called it all an “Abominable Snow Job.”

George Noory was good, saying these events have questioned Biscardi’s credibility, and asking him several times if he would give refunds to those that signed up to the GABFRO since the C2C “we-have-a-Bigfoot” statements on Friday. Biscardi was not clear if he was going to give refunds, seeming to say that he would to some callers but then saying to Noory that “he had to check with some other people.”

One caller, who noted he is involved with the media, told Noory that the GABFRO site reportedly got nine million (yes, 9,000,000) hits after the Coast to Coast broadcast on Friday.

So, of course, the obvious questions are….what is the fiscal database here? How many sign-ups, registrations did Biscardi get? How much money are we talking about that needs to be refunded? How much money did he get from the videostream subscribers? How much will he actually refund? What evidence will we have to believe him?

George Noory ended this segment of the August 23 broadcast asking his listeners to email him if they did get refunds from Biscardi. (How many “friends” of Biscardi will send in false emails?) Noory said that only if Biscardi did give refunds, would he regain his credibility. And if Biscardi did not, Noory was never again going to allow Biscardi on the program. Of course, Noory was too easy on him. Some people feel Biscardi hoodwinked Coast to Coast’s audience, and Biscardi shouldn’t be allowed on again, period. But George Noory is a gentleman, and tries to be a diplomat in such situations.

Biscardi ended by saying his operation is still in the field, operating and still distributing material for people to pay-per-view. You know what they say…”Caveat emptor” and “Taurus excreta cerebrum vincit.”

Loren Coleman 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.

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