As we reported on Friday, Grant Wilson is reuniting with former Ghost Hunters co-lead Jason Hawes on tonight's Beyond Reality Radio show, which is making a debut on the Entercom network.
Though Hawes spoke with Paranormal Pop Culture about the reunion, that's only one half of the story.
To get his take on rejoining with Jason, as a guest on Beyond Reality, Wilson chatted us up about the timing, topics for the show, the sad state of paranormal TV, and his continued involvement in the field since leaving the Syfy show in 2012.
Also, since Wilson and his Rather Dashing Games team (of Mike Richie, Holly Richie, and Reanna Wilson) is hard at work developing new gaming products, we had to get an update on what we should keep an eye out for.
After a long absence, why were you ready to reunite now on this episode?
Wilson: I have been kept abreast of what was happening with Jay's new radio show and I am excited for him. It's something he has always wanted to do and I think he can bring a lot of freshness to the world of paranormal radio. Jay called me up and asked me to be his first guest and I couldn't turn him down. I support this endeavor and am happy to be on and help kickstart it.
What are some things you'd like to talk to Jason about? Is there anything you're looking forward to discussing on the show?
Wilson: I talk to Jason often. It will just be nice to reminisce and answer calls. I'd love to dive deeper into the paranormal but time is limited.
How do you think you've changed as a person after your departure?
Wilson: Leaving the show was absolutely the right thing for me to do. I have a lovely wife and three boys that mean the world to me. I have been able to get back in touch with the things that mean so much to me: family, nature, art, music, and creativity, while still investigating, studying, and exploring the paranormal. I am now able to get back to proper investigation. Investigating like we used to before the show. On the show you see a preliminary investigation. I missed investigating until the job was done. Staying with a family until all is resolved. Now, I am able to do that again.
I feel I have gotten more in touch with my own paranormal experiences and I feel i have found a happier, healthier, more peaceful lifestyle.
What is your favorite memory of you two guys while working on Ghost Hunters?
Wilson: There are many, too many. We had so much fun just riding this crazy GH ride. Playing jokes, laughing until our ribs hurt at 4:30am. But it was a struggle in every way imaginable. I truly loved the breakthroughs. I loved smashing through walls of ignorance together to bring peace to our clients.
What do you think is the state of paranormal TV now that GH is going to conclude after this season?
Wilson:I am so grateful for GH and paranormal TV for smashing the social barrier of paranormal stigmatism and ignorance. But, I think it's lost its way. I think money and fame have taken over.
Very little of paranormal TV is sincere. Its usually just a different niche of a team walking around in the dark. That's doesn't provide any sort of forward movement for the field. In fact, it's having an opposite effect. It's becoming tired and therefore reducing it's effective impact on the masses. I am working very hard to produce shows that challenge the paranormal TV paradigm to bring fresh, approachable, programming that pushes the field forward. The fans are ready to graduate from paranormal elementary school.
Talk about where you are right now with regards to the paranormal world? How are you remaining involved?
Wilson:I will never stop investigation, researching, and exploring the paranormal. But, I do it to help people and I feel I've brought it back to where it should be in my life. I still investigate, but mostly by educating and comforting people.
I still do events, mainly with Strange-Escapes.com and IdealEventManage.com. These keep me in touch with the millions of fans and allows me to help them face-to-face and spread my unique view of the paranormal to more people in an unedited, friendly format.
I am doing my best to cram all of the paranormal knowledge I have gathered, experienced, and discovered, along with my theories, observations, and connections into a brain dump of a book.
Many times my love for the paranormal leaks out in my other passions in life. I just helped design and illustrated a board game called "Graveyards Ghosts & Haunted Houses" from my company Rather Dashing Games, and we have more in the works. The paranormal permeates the pages of my steampunk novel Brotherhood of the Strange. And it even comes through in my music; from my piano song "Cured" which speaks to the release that can come with death, to my band's song "My Distraction," which is about the spirit of a woman who is stuck here because she is in love with someone who is still alive.
What's up next for Rather Dashing?
Wilson: Well, we went from a team of 2 to a team of 202, so we have a lot coming. We will be doing four games a year with expansions on top of that. So, I am busy as I help develop these games and do all of the artwork. We are cranking! Our game "We Come in Peace" is out and "Element" will be out late this fall with "This Belongs in a Museum" coming the beginning of next year.