Hacking The Afterlife podcast

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer and Janis Joplin

Recently on the "Hacking the Afterlife" forum on Quora someone asked me why we hadn't interviewed more women.   I pointed out that I wasn't in charge of the guest list, but offered that perhaps there were more men than women was because of the occupations we've chatted with. Quite a few musicians who invite their pals to our classroom.

That's not to say that we've only interviewed guys - in the books "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" there are excerpts of 100s of interviews, quite a few women of note.  Women who have come forward to share their stories - including Amelia Earhart who has stopped by more than once.  A third of the book "Hacking the Afterlife" is multiple interviews with her via different mediums.

But that being said, I suggested to this poster that if they had someone they wanted to chat with, they should take the time to invite them around to do so.  That in my case, I generally let my pal Luana Anders on the flipside create the guest list.

Fans of the podcast know that it was Tom Petty who suggested that Luana was like someone "holding the VIP clipboard to backstage" - he even commented "You have no idea how many people  want to speak in this class!"

For the record, as noted, I reached out to one of his family members who said "Every day I wish I could speak with my dad, but I don't think you are doing so."  Which is fine - I'm not here to prove anything to anyone. It's just something we stumbled upon after filming Jennifer accessing the afterlife for the past six years.

As noted, she works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases, so I'm lucky to snag her for a half hour to do our podcast.   The podcast is to demonstrate the process - how easy it is for anyone to access the other side. One doesn't need a medium (it helps) or a hypnotherapist (it helps) - they can do so on their own with a little effort.

In this podcast, I thought "Well, a friend is planning a film about this person, so maybe I can suggest she come to our class. I said her name out loud this morning - just in case she might want to show up. So when Jennifer said it was related to me, and that this person wanted to speak, I told Jennifer her first name was "Janice."

Well, we all know her first name is Janis, but I didn't spell it for her. So as anyone can see - she had no clue as to who I was talking about.  Eventually she did - and I asked her questions not based on the "celebrity of Janis Joplin" but on the idea that no one dies.  Everyone is on the flipside - we can access anyone, our loved ones, our friends - even strangers in this case.

The only connection I have to Ms. Joplin is Luana who was there at the Monterey Pop festival, invited by the promoters, along with Fred Roos and Harry Dean Stanton..  (As reported in the film "Hacking the Afterlife.") For the record, I never mention Janis in that documentary - I knew she was there, but was reminded she was there watching the documentary about Clive Davis when he said he first went there.

She has a message for Clive Davis as well. So if you know Clive (I don't) please pass it along to him. Pass the clip along to him. He's at an age now where he knows that people can access the afterlife, he likely knows people who have, if not himself. As we all grow older we realize that it's possible.

In this case - it's wonderful. 

Enjoy.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer speaking of dreams, a Civil War Vet and Ric Ocasek

Another mind bending foray into the flipside.

 As noted in this podcast, we don't come prepped or ready to speak to anyone, unless something odd has happened.

In this case, Jennifer had asked for help from her great grandfather a few days ago - and really didn't  know anything beyond his name.

And like I do with all of my research, I do look this stuff up. As it turns out the Civil War veteran who showed up actually was a Civil War veteran. To demonstrate how mediums have to "translate the information" they're seeing - I asked this guy if he served in the Civil War, because in response to "when were you alive?" she said "It seems like there was a lot of war."

And to see this guy's record during the Civil War (searching his name and "Civil War") it turns out he fought in many battles. The reason she saw him in the medical tent is because he was wounded after Bull Run, and later got dysentery - which put him in a hospital tent until they discharged him.  So he was there a long time before he was let out to return to his family.

He married Fannie who worked for the Queen of England. He had children during the war, died in 1912 (she saw 1902). He was 73 when he passed. 

This is an example of me asking simple questions to someone who has shown up - and he gives her visuals that I try to interpret. 

Then Tom Petty showed up to introduce his pal Ric Ocasek. I didn't know him, didn't review his shows when I wrote music reviews for Variety, but asked him some simple questions based on what I knew about him.  I remember meeting his wife - then girlfriend backstage at the Merv Griffin show around the time they met.

I just happened to notice that yesterday, there was an article online about how he and his wife had split up before he passed, but Paulina missed him terribly.  Unfortunately, he appears to have been less that fatherly to two of his sons, and reading this interview, will likely continue to be mad at him. If I had known how angry they are at him (for disowning them) I would have asked questions about that. If he shows up again, I will.

Again - as noted, we speak to whomever shows up. We ask questions and see what we can learn. The bulk of this podcast is about how to ask loved ones to appear in dreams, or show up to assist us.  Hope this helps.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer and Luana Anders talking about communication to the Flipside

Jennifer and I have been doing this work for the past six years.

Every week, clockwork, we meet up and chat with people on the flipside.  We've gotten to a point where I can understand the metaphor of what she's seeing or saying.

In terms of the process, it's pretty much stayed the same. Since the first time we met, and someone "showed up" during our conversation, I wondered if this was a "one time thing" or if it was something that could be repeated.

Three books later, "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" possibly 300 interviews we have pretty much honed what we're doing into a half hour to 45 minute podcast. Jennifer and I, with the help of my friend Luana Anders, who left the planet in 1996, we have a chat with people on the flipside about process.

Luana appears to be a conduit on the flipside to help others communicate here. Because she was an actor and worked in over 300 TV shows and over 30 feature films, she knows quite a few people in that industry, and they often stop by to say hello, or to pass along messages to loved ones.

That being said, we've had people show up that weren't invited by her, invited by someone else in the class, and they show up to voice their concerns. Last week's podcast, Anthony Bourdain had much to say about a documentary about him that just came out.  Not planned, didn't ask for him to stop by - but he was adamant about being heard.

A few weeks back, Carl Laemmle, a film producer who passed in 1939 showed up - wanted to talk about the process of what goes on over on the flipside.

In today's podcast, Luana wanted to talk about the process of communication. Helping people on this side to "clear the deck" find a place of "peace" and open up their hearts (and check their disbeliefs) to allow loved ones to come through.

All I can say is that everything she's saying in this podcast is reflected in the research - the thousands of clinical case studies I've looked at from various doctors (Wambach, Weiss) from Michael Newton and the Newton Institute, from the 100 sessions I've filmed.  

Jennifer has done thousands of readings, works with law enforcement agencies nationwide on missing person cases - I already know how talented she is, and we're lucky to access this method.  

Enjoy.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Anthony Bourdain, Robin Williams, Robert Downey Sr.

Another unusual podcast.

As we've noted in the past, it's rare that people show up to insist on being interviewed.  In this case, it was someone we'd interviewed in the past, in fact a year ago, July 17th, 2020 Anthony Bourdain and Robin Williams stopped by on a podcast named "Exiting Early." (Anthony and Robin appear in the books "Backstage Pass to the Flipside," both interviewed extensively.)

But in this case, Anthony wanted to weigh in on the film about his life, called "Roadrunner." 

He says he was disappointed in it, that the filmmaker "didn't have a clue" as to what happened to him - how he himself didn't have a plan to exit early, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with his relationship with Asia Argento.

He pointed out that he thought the AI of his voice sounded "robotic" (neither I nor Jennifer have seen the film) and the ending, having an artist deface a mural on camera for the film was "shitty."  Again - I haven't seen it, but I took the time to ask him about it. He also called the filmmaker "amateur" but gave the film a "five" out of ten because at the very least, it had footage that he'd shot in it.

I'm a filmmaker myself, member of the DGA/WGA. I was so stung by Ebert's "thumbs way down" review of my film "Limit Up" at the time, when Luana Anders was still on the planet (cowriter of the script) when I asked her to read the review, but to edit out the negativity... over the phone she read "Richard Martini... directed Limit Up."  Took me a year to read the negative review.

So it gives me no pleasure to tee off on this filmmaker - even though I was a music critic at Variety for years, I always tended to give people the benefit of the musical doubt.  If I doubted they're rehearsed, I noted it. In this case, Anthony came forward to tee off on this filmmaker. Wasn't my idea. 

I tried to ask him cogent questions - and to fill in the blanks. "Why no note left behind?" He answers that eloquently. He talks about how to meditate to help set aside negativity. He talks about finding beauty in gratitude.

As I note in the podcast, if you're going to make a film about someone, take the time to see if it's possible to communicate with them. Ask their loved ones if they've had dreams, find three different mediums and ask the same questions (as I do in "Talking to Bill Paxton" on Gaia) take the time and effort to allow the possibility that they might have an opinion on their own story.

I can only report. The only editing in this podcast is done for time if there's a long space between me asking a question and Jennifer getting an answer. . Apologies for having to end it early - Charles Grodin, Prince and Robert Downey Sr. ("Greaser's Palace") all make appearances and report things I've never considered or could have heard of.

I asked about Robert senior because Luana knew him, he directed her in the film "Greaser's Palace" which is on cable, and ran this week in Santa Monica.

Robert Sr. says that his son is already "speaking to him" and the father says he's learning from his son, as well as being proud of him.  Prince reminds us that strings tuned too tightly tend to break, a metaphor about finding a "middle way" between not listening to loved ones, and finding a way to "tighten up the string" to allow them to communicate to us by tuning into them.

The film cited in this podcast is "Hacking the Afterlife" - it's available on Amazon Prime through Gaia. If you have Amazon Prime it's a small five dollar charge to watch it.  It represents ten years of research, and notes the science behind the flipside.

Again - I didn't ask for Anthony to come forward, Jennifer did not either, and he had a mouthful to say about his opinion about this film Roadrunner about his life.  I don't think he's saying "don't watch it" but he is saying "don't buy the conclusions about who he was, as this filmmaker didn't have a clue."

Ask Anthony on one's own. If you knew him, you love him, or even liked him - set the stage for a meditation where he sits across from you and answers questions. An obvious first question would be "So Anthony,  how accurate was this podcast I just heard?"  Enjoy.

Hacking the Afterlife with Robert, his dog Hira and friends

This is a wee bit shorter than the other podcasts, partially because we weren't able to get all three of us on camera at the same time, but we invited a friend whose dog passed away over 30 years ago.

 Fans of our books "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" will recognize who this person is, but for now, he's my old boss Robert. Robert had a Hungarian sheepdog who had a heritage. I met his sister at some point, but for three years of my post film school life, I walked this dog around the Warner Bros lot.

Hira was not a dog you "walked." He walked you. He wouldn't leave Robert's office unless Robert was busy, he would finally deign to go outside with me, but walked, ran, wherever he wanted to.  He tolerated my presence behind him - and when he went to do his business, it was long before the days of scoopers and plastic bags.  (Thankfully I missed that era).

But for some reason, Hira would go straight to the head of the studio's office and leave a large memory of himself piled up outside his door. I didn't know it was Frank Well's office, but apparently Hira did. And his secretary would call me and say "I saw you!" And I'd say "You saw me what?" She'd say "You let that dog come over here and soil my boss's front porch!"

And I'd say - "Ma'am I'm sorry. I don't walk that dog. He allows me to accompany him outside. I have no power over where he goes."  I was with him his last days on the planet, and I can attest to everything that is said in this session, and learn new information from him.

That's the point of this podcast - I heard and learned new information from an animal that is no longer on the planet, but revealed details live on camera that I didn't know, that Jennifer could not have known, that are not public record, that aren't possible for others to know - except the person who owned him.

This podcast is for all the animal lovers who have reached out to ask me about pets in the afterlife, or animals on the flipside.  I ask the question directly and he answers it.

Mind bending.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Father Jim, Luana Anders on the Delta Variant

Another unusual podcast. 

We  begin with a discussion of Jennifer's birthday (Happy Birthday Jennifer!) and her dad stops by to say a few words.  Discussion leads into my recent hip operation and all of the unusual experiences with the #11 that particular day - including a dream my wife had  where Luana reminded her of a previous dream ("Picture 11:11, we meet at the decimals") and she had the experience of hearing information from her about the upcoming operation.

Aside from the fact  that I was in room 11, the surgeon did 11 surgeries that day, my wife picked up the medication and noticed the clock was 11:11 - the discussion became a general one about "How do you guys do that?"

Towards the end of the podcast, Luana wanted to talk about getting vaccinated and the Delta variant. As noted, Luana was a homeopath, knew home medicine, and treated herself for illnesses her entire life - but had a tremendous fear of doctors, based on the cancer treatments her parents went through. 

So we spent months in clinics in Mexico where she'd bounce back  for weeks, sometimes months... but for her to come  forward and recommend that "If it's possible to take the vaccine, take the vaccine" was unusual.

Again, there's no political agenda, we didn't ask her opinion on it, clearly Jennifer was reluctant to "go there" but we did.  And I got her to repeat it; "If you can get the vaccine, get the vaccine."  Meaning, if you don't have an underlying condition that will prevent you from getting it, or a doctor's advice is against it - if you "can get it" then you should get it. (Pfizer, Moderna, or J and J).  

This isn't coming from me, but from someone we love on the flipside.  Any complains must be directed to Luana. (Kidding, not kidding.)

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Blue Suede Shoes, Route 66 and Elvis

Another unplanned visit from someone everyone knew as Elvis Aaron Presley from Tupelo Mississippi.

 I must admit I was never a fan until he started showing up in our class. And then I spent the time to listen to his earlier rockabilly tunes, and grew to appreciate what he'd done with his talent.

To be clear Jennifer and I don't discuss in advance who we're going to speak to, and Luana Anders our trusted moderator is in charge of who gets on her clipboard and into the class.

As noted, a couple of weeks ago it was film producer Carl Laemmle, someone I knew very little about, but had much to say about the journey in the afterlife.

In this episode Elvis wanted to talk about process - the process of how we bring a portion of our conscious energy to a lifetime, and that is never lost, or goes away. He references someone Jennifer and I have no idea - a young girl that met him when he crossed over, but he wanted to speak about that process, and how knowing a bit of it in advance "would have helped him."

Also the topic of chanting and praying aloud comes into play - for those who are religious, consider this a message from heaven, for those more science oriented consider this a "conversation with one's subconscious about how to heal or cure depression."

We've heard it often, that meditation can help heal or cure a person, and meditating on music is also a way to do the same. In this instance, the concept is to "listen to music that elevates your spirit or "heals the heart."

To be clear, I asked if this concept was a religious or a science one - and the answer was that it was literally the fact that one can "heal or help one's health by connecting to, dancing to, swaying to, listening to their favorite singer, to connect with the memory of them, to connect with the heart of them, to connect with the healing light of the universe by listening.

This isn't a new topic nor is it fantastical.  Set aside the idea of who the conversation is with and focus on the content of the conversation and it becomes clear why it's important to know that life goes on, and that we can connect with loved ones on the flipside.  

By the way: the film “Hacking the Afterlife” is available on  Gaia.com Jennifer is at JenniferShaffer.com I’m at RichMartini.com HackingTheAfterlife.com is our podcast MartiniZone.com is our youtube channel This version of “Route 66” is on “Rich Martini on the Rocks” at Amazon or CDbaby.com

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Carl Laemmle, Prince, Ludwig and Vincent

Another one of those mind bending sessions. 

Having spent the past five years chatting with Jennifer on a weekly basis, only starting to film about a year ago, we have 65 podcasts of us chatting with people on the flipside.

We have three books of interviews "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" where we discuss how we met, the process we use, and the many verifications that have occurred on camera in her office, in restaurants.  In this case, one can search through these podcasts to hear other verificiations.

Each week we "enter our classroom" where people are standing by waiting to chat with us. The books were named because Tom Petty described the process of "getting onto the clipboard of Luana the way someone might try to get a VIP pass to backstage at a concert."  My friend of 20 years, who passed in 1996, starting showing up to me and to family members over the years.

Then when I met Jennifer Luana started showing up weekly - that is helping us to access people on the flipside, and vice versa. On the flipside they describe her participation as "showing how it's done."  In the six years of doing this, I've often "asked for people to come forward" - and most of the time Jennifer tells me who it is that I've asked for - said their name aloud prior to a session - in one to three tries.  

Sometimes it takes longer - because again, they're putting images in her head that lead her to say something. So for example, if someone shows up named "Fred" - she might see her husband Fred. And then from there I ask questions about the identify of whomever shows up.

This was one of those examples.  She said "somewhere is here that wants to speak to us, but neither of us would know him."  So it took me the time it took me to figure out who that might be.

Carl Laemmle was a prolific film producer in the 1920s and 30's. He dies at the age of 72 in 1939, making such hit films as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Phantom of the Opera" "Dracula" and "Frankenstein."  I was not aware of the films he made - but doing this research after the podcast, I realize last night while watching "Singing in the Rain" with their parody of the first sound films, I noted to my wife that if one watches "Dracula" (1931) carefully, the actors move over to where a microphone is hidden in a plant or a lamp or somewhere in the room to pick up the sound.  In the film "Singing in the Rain" they had a character with a German accent playing the role of the film director beside himself with fury about planting the microphones on set - and I realize as I write this sentence it was likely a parody of Germans like Carl who emigrated in the 1880's.

Everything I report is accurate - in that it was Carl who suggested that Amelia Earhart star in a film about herself, and how she and Mary Pickford wrote a screenplay together, excerpted in George Putnam's posthumous biography of his missing wife.

Fans of "Hacking the Afterlife" know that we interviewed Amelia extensively and that I've spent 30 years gathering eyewitness reports that claim she was captured, and died in Saipan. (EarhartOnSaipan.com is a webpage filled with details of that sage).  But in this instance, it was Amelia who brought Carl in - and he wanted to "give it a shot" and be interviewed by us.

After my incredulousness wore off (not about the fact he was there, but why he showed up) I asked him to describe what he's up to, and his reply is unlike any we've heard before.  We have heard people can "learn to cook" but his specificity of Indian ovens (ie. tandoor ovens) for specific dishes is accurate but not something Jennifer is aware of.  His description of various salts (Moroccan!) is also accurate, having traveled around the world I know there's more than Morton Salt to be tasted.  That was quite specific.

But then Prince showed up - and as fans of our work know, he's been showing up since he crossed over, interviews are in "Hacking the Afterlife" and a number of times in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside." I'm aware that the vast majority of listeners would turn off the podcast around this moment, but they'd miss him bringing Ludwig and Vincent forward to talk about art and how those frequencies affect their continued work.

We tend to think in human centric terms (how could we not?) about time, about fame, about all of those things that don't mean much on the flipside. The idea that Carl could come forward 80 some years after his passing, and carry on a conversation as if he was aware of everything that's been said since is mind bending.  The idea that Ludwig might be considered 250 years old - but what she had to say about his digestive issues is accurate - and at one point mentions his "blindness" ... because she's not aware that he was going to come to class today, or not really up on his story.

I literally did finish reading a biography about him this morning, and am in awe of his talent and output as an artist - but I wanted to dig into something that bothered me, his behavior towards his sister and law and her son is considered beyond the pale - while working on Missa Solemnis and the 7th, 8th and 9th symphonies.  Like the sand in an oyster that turns into great pearls, it was the sacrifice his sister and law Johanna and nephew Frank put up with so that he could create the kind of art that he did.

Vincent mentions a "savage animal" attacking his ear - that could be a metaphor for the "man in the mirror," "some bar fight gone wrong," or literally an animal attacking him - I don't know. It doesn't really matter, because as he put it "I won. I'm the most valued artist of us all."  Funny way to put it - but accurate.

This podcast may offend a few, may startle a few, but Jennifer and I show up unprepared, except for the body of work that's preceded when I turn on the camera and record our podcast.

Enjoy.

Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Anthy, Jonathan Krane and Tom Petty

Another mind bending podcast, this one about music and frequency. 

Luana began by directing us to an event that had occurred earlier in the day, when I went to visit her friend Sally Kellerman (still on the planet.)  We talked about Sally's husband on the flipside, my old friend who produced 3 of my films. My mother, a concert pianist stopped by to refer to a photograph I was working with on my latest book a few days ago.

Then Tom Petty stopped by. As noted before, I have never asked Tom to stop by - each time he does it's related to something that we are discussing. In this case, it was the energy of music or how frequency works on the flipside.

As noted in the podcast, he asked us to reach out to someone whom I did reach out to - who said "I wish that I could speak to Tom, but I don't  believe you are speaking to him."  Not everyone is open to the possibility that our loved ones still exist - and further, it can be annoying when a complete stranger says "Hey, I was talking to your pal the other day."

But we have to allow for the possibility that they're outside of time and space and can reach out to us. In this case, I wanted to know some details about music on the other side - not his personal journey, or who he is hanging out with, but specifically what frequency is, what music is, and how we download it. His answers are unusual and profound.

Again, Jennifer and I have been doing this for over five years. We have on numerous occasions learned new information from folks on the flipside, information that cannot be cryptomnesia or something either one of us dreamed, heard or made up.

But I have to note that not everyone is supposed to embrace the idea of "knowing how the play ends before it does."  So one does not have to "believe" that Jennifer and I are speaking to a specific individual, but it helps if one is "open to the possibility" that some form of communication continues on, and those closest to their loved ones can take the time or make the effort to chat with them one on one.

As he noted, this is only about the 3rd time he's shown up, when we have quoted, cited, or otherwise let others take the podium - Prince, Robin Williams and others.  I do not have any direct connection with Tom - despite being a music critic for Variety for a number of years, I never reviewed his shows, never met him backstage as I have with many others who have shown up in our class.  I directed Ray Charles in a feature film, so basically anyone that Ray knows could show up at any minute.

We have interviewed a member of the Traveling Wilburys before, so that may be the connection - or to someone else that Luana knows on the flipside that I'm not aware of.  But like everyone else who shows up in our classroom, if Luana has "put them on the list" I assume they're showing up for a reason.

It was Tom who coined the title of our three books; "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" when he noted that "talking to us, getting onto Luana's clipboard was like someone trying to get backstage to the VIP lounge.  If "the name is not on the list" they don't get a chance to speak.

Enjoy. Also, my documentary "Hacking the Afterlife" premieres on Gaia.com on June 21st. Check it out.

NOTE: THERE IS A GLITCH IN THIS VERSION - AN INTERRUPTION WHERE I STOPPED AN STARTED THE PODCAST (COUNTING DOWN AND SAYING "I'LL CUT THIS LATER") I DID CUT IT LATER, AND THE SAME PODCAST WITHOUT THE EDIT IS POSTED AFTER THIS - APOLOGIES FOR THE GLITCH, BUT DELETING THE ENTIRE EPISODE MIGHT SCREW UP THE LISTING. SO CLICK ON THE SAME NAME LATER DATE)\

Hacking the Afterlife with my grandma, Hira the dog and Charles Grodin part two

Part two of our interview with Charles Grodin, but a week later. 

It starts off with a visit from my Italian grandmother, who answers a couple of questions - I include this because it's a way to demonstrate how people can access loved ones.

Then we interview Charles Grodin again, with some questions about process and clarification. There's a brief discussion with Robert Towne's dog Hira, and a comment about something Chuck mentioned to his friend Paul.  I can report that Paul has responded to what Chuck said about him, offering "Chuck’s words have an absolute connection to what I am doing. Rather astounding if true! Thank you."

The point is that people on the flipside can say private message to their loved ones that won't make much sense to anyone else but them. I'm glad to be able to pass the message along from one old friend to another.