Picture the scene…
EXT: The mid-nineties. A launch party for a hot new sci-fi show.
Later, the pilot will be aired for the first time – no one outside of the production team has watched it. All the guests are wearing novelty name badges except one; a mysterious, preppy stranger in his thirties, hanging around the edges of the party. In a quiet moment, he corners one of the show’s makers.
MYSTERIOUS STRANGER
You got a lot right.
That cinematic incident is the hook for Sound, Light & Frequency, a new podcast hosted by Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, creators of cult nineties TV show Dark Skies. According to the duo, this mysterious stranger – known as "JC" – approached both of them that night and asked if they were interested in working with the government in order to use their new show to help acclimate the public to the existence of extra-terrestrials.
Zabel and Friedman have been haunted by the conversation ever since. And it’s led them to wonder: who else has been approached?
Sound, Light & Frequency is a fascinating melange of genre. It’s a UFO conspiracy podcast. It’s an inside baseball media show, where a couple of Hollywood types discuss the business of getting things made. It’s a movie criticism podcast that delves into sci-fi classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Independence Day, and Contact to compare how they treat their little green men. And it’s also a personal confessional, where two old friends discuss their deep, decades-old belief in the unbelievable and how it has affected their lives.
That’s a lot of different things for a podcast to handle, and as such, Zabel and Friedman’s show often feels meandering. That, however, is part of its charm. There’s an appealing quality to the messiness of the production, the way the hosts tend to over-announce their transitions, changing course and second-guessing themselves mid-stream.
Sometimes listening to the podcast feels like being sat at a bar, eavesdropping on a couple of pals shooting the shit. You can’t follow everything they say, some of it makes no sense at all, but you really miss them the moment they pay up and leave.
In a frightening era propelled by dangerous conspiracy theories, it’s refreshing, soothing even, to be able to indulge in one which, frankly, isn’t hurting anyone. Zabel and Friedman’s hyper-credulity leads to a phalanx of “Oh, come on!” moments; for one thing, that Friedman’s claim he saw "light beings" when he was in hospital is completely ridiculous, especially when you consider he had sepsis and 105.5 degree fever. Nevertheless, there are still a few instances that land within the, “Well, maybe…” territory. Hearing all the theories, pondering the possibilities, is a lot of fun.
Perhaps the best thing about Sound, Light & Frequency is that whatever your level of belief in the extra-terrestrial – if you’re a Mulder, a Scully, or even more of a sceptic – it’s no barrier to enjoying the series. Zabel and Friedman seem deeply earnest in their personal UFO devotion. If you feel similarly, you’ll understand. If you don’t, then that earnestness is still endearing, even if they don’t translate the terminology quite as often as someone who’s not as drenched in the lore might hope.
Either way, the two are accomplished storytellers who know how to keep a listener hooked. This is likely due to Zabel's past as a CNN correspondent; his sonorous tones are particularly pleasing to listen to. All that’s required to enjoy their show is fondness for a good sci-fi tale.
In a year where two of the three most recent presidents have commented on the existence of extra-terrestrials, Independence Day celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, and Steven Spielberg’s releasing his first sci-fi movie in over twenty years, the debate over the existence of UFOs remains a big a part of our cultural lexicon as it ever was.
Even if you come down as a negative on that pivotal question, Sound, Light & Frequency is entertaining enough to leave you thinking, “I want to believe.”
