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Rev. Robert Short

Reverend Robert Short Voice from this episode was featured on a soundtrack called First Wave http://www.discogs.com/release/57406(approve sites) produced by Julian Cobb http://www.discogs.com/artist/Julian+Cobb(approve sites) also known as Hellfish.

Reverend Robert Short features in the UFO episode of Weird Weekends, in Weird Christmas and in Louis Theroux's book 'The Call of the Weird' (Pan Macmillan, 2005). Having failed to gain access to several UFO cults in his investigations during the UFO documentary Louis takes up Rev Short's offer to channel an Extra Terrestrial. It will cost Louis fifty dollars. He heads to Rev Short’s the Blue Rose Ministry in Sedona, Arizona.

Rev. Short explains that a people had inhabited our solar system thousands of years ago but because of warfare they wanted to leave. They managed to cross the time barrier, at great risk, to a solar system parallel in time to ours. In another time zone they live on a planet that is like our Saturn. Their planet is called Koldas. Once this has all been explained Rev Short begins to channel an ET called Korton, his ‘contact’ or ‘source’. The noises he makes as he goes into the trance, during which he speaks in the voices of different ETs including Korton, are hard to describe. Nevertheless Louis does this very well is his book: ‘He sat on a small throne in the corner of a little chapel behind his house and wheezed and gurgled and shook from side to side for several hours in the semi-darkness.’ (p. 24)

Korton does not want to dwell upon the threats from aliens to planet earth when Louis asks about these. Louis also asks if he will have any travel problems and Korton, through the body of Rev. Short, warns him that ‘There may be some problems having to do with weather.’ He is not allowed to answer Louis’ question about relations between rival members of the UFO hunting community but does advise him on how to continue his investigation into cattle allegedly mutilated by aliens. Korton greets the viewers of BBC2 ‘in peace’. When he has emerged from his trance Rev Short asks Louis to feel his chest, now covered in sweat. A woman who was also present for the channelling explains that it was the ‘energy beam’ that has made the Reverend sweat.

During their first meeting it is clear that Rev. Short doesn’t like to be interrupted. In Louis’ book we find that this seems to be a concern shared by Korton. Louis writes that: “Korton said he couldn’t give out information about the pop star Michael Jackson because of certain ‘LAW CODES’, that my car’s electrical system needed updating and that I should check the ‘TREAD-WEAR, UM’ on the ‘AS YOU TERM IT, TYRES’; advised getting my eyes tested; and when asked generally about my journey said I interrupted too much in my interviews.” (page 29)

In his book Louis describes what Reverend Short is wearing at a UFO Congress in Nevada, referring to him as Bob: ‘… Bob was wearing a shiny lame top and gold cummerbund. Around his neck was a bolo tie with a flying-saucer fastener. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and, though it was dark, he had sunglasses on.’ (page 16)

Rev Short features in the Weird Christmas program when he joins others who had already been stars of the Weird Weekends series for a Christmas celebration. There is conflict when he explains his beliefs to Christian Fundamentalist Reverend Randy James. The result is that Rev James, who finds any sort of channelling Satanic, goes for a walk with his wife while the rest of the party join Rev Short as he channels Korton. Among those present is JJ Michaels, who has already said he thinks Short must be ‘insane’, and Mike Oehler, known as Mountain Mike. These two participants cannot stop laughing when Rev Short begins to channel. Korton tells JJ, who stars in porn films, that he will soon change his life dramatically, modelling this on someone with the initials MJF. Louis suggests that this might be Michael J Fox and that the new activity might be making non-pornographic films. JJ sounds unconvinced. Mountain Mike is persuaded by Louis to ask about the Course in Miracles, writings that were channelled and which he believes in. Korton explains that these writings apply to everyone differently but bring about a universal enlightenment. Louis asks whether Korton is Satanic, to which he replies that he is loyal to Almighty God, Father of Light.

During the DVD in-vision commentary on the Weird Weekends UFO documentary Jimmy Saville argues that whilst Rev Short is clearly a ‘freak’ he has to be applauded for getting fifty dollars from Louis for doing nothing more than pulling a face and ‘carrying on like a third rate space film.’