At least, that’s what scholar and alien-afficionado Matthew Bowman is claiming. Actually, he goes further: If you want to understand Steven Spielberg, he says in a recent piece for Slate, you’ve got to understand UFOs — and if you want to understand why so many of us find UFOs compelling, well, you need to understand Spielberg. Both his and the public’s interest have informed and grown alongside each other for decades, right up through recent Congressional hearings about UFOs and Spielberg’s latest film, “Disclosure Day.” Matthew Bowman joins us to talk about what’s behind Spielberg’s obsession with aliens, as well as our own.
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Matthew Bowman | He’s an associate professor of religion and history at Claremont Graduate University and the author of “The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America.”
Airdate: July 9, 2026