Jonathan Downes
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist
, author
, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T. Downes (1925–2006), authored several books on wide range of subjects, such as African history, theology
and Devonshire dialect. His mother Mary Downes (née Rawlins) (1922–2002) was a broadcaster and author who published several collections of Nigerian folklore under the pen-name `Yar Kunama`.
He is currently the editor of Animals & Men; the journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
, the editor of The Amateur Naturalist (formerly `Exotic Pets`) - a magazine published by CFZ Press, the editor of the online magazine blog `Cryptozoology:Online`, and from January 2003 until August 2007 was the Deputy Editor of Tropical World magazine, a tropical fish magazine published in the UK. He has also edited and contributed to several other publications over the years
According to his autobiography and other writings, as a child he lived in Nigeria
, and then Hong Kong
(then a British Crown Colony), and returned to the UK in 1971, when his father was 'invalided out' of the Hong Kong government. He was educated at Bideford Grammar School, (1971-6) and later West Buckland School
(1976-7) from which he was expelled. He worked as a psychiatric nurse between 1981–90 and between 1990 and 1994 ran the fan club for Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
He is active in community work, and is part of the team organising the monthly children's service in the village church at Woolfardisworthy, North Devon. Having suffered from manic-depression
for years, Downes is an activist for mental health issues. On the 21st July 2007 he married his second wife Corinna Newton Downes.
He has two stepdaughters, Shoshannah (24) and Olivia (22)
, arguably the world's largest cryptozoological research organization. He is vocal in his opinion that cryptozoology should not be considered to be a branch of paranormal research. Although he has written a number of books on UFOS and other Fortean subjects (sometimes in collaboration with his friend and colleague Nick Redfern
), he considers cryptozoology to be a branch of mainstream zoology, rather than anything more esoteric.
His best selling book is The Owlman and Others. In his 2004 autobiography Monster Hunter
, he discusses his years of substance abuse, as well as his achievements as a cryptozoologist. Once described by Nick Redfern
as "Cryptozoology's answer to Hunter Thompson", Downes has stated on a number of occasions that this aspect of his life is now firmly in the past. His latest book is a re-examination of the Puerto Rican chupacabras mythos, based on two expeditions to the island in 1998 and 2004. In addition he has edited ten annual Yearbooks for the CFZ.
His new book `Island of Paradise` covers in great depth his two expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the chupacabra and other animals of fortean interest.
Also Nick Redfern
's 2004 book Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-men is a fictionalized chronicle of the adventures of Redfern, Downes and Richard Freeman.
He freely admits that his first two films are "rubbish", the former of which is "a load of avant garde bullshit", and the second "a seedy art movie; a semi homage to John Waters
, featuring gratuitous nudity, violence, and a pre-op transsexual Nazi." His more recent films, however, are part of the ongoing CFZtv project
, and are rough-cut `Guerilla Journalism` projects available for free on the CFZtv website, together with some songs from his albums.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Downes was active as a musician and performer, mostly with cult art-rock band The Amphibians from Outer Space with whom he sang, played guitar, bass and piano. He integrated elements of psychodrama and performance art into the performances. He has been described as being an ungodly cross between Warren Zevon and Steve Harley.
1996-2008
However, after his divorce which ended eleven years of marriage to first wife Alison in 1996, Downes all but dropped out of the music industry in favor of cryptozoology
, and has since done only four records and a handful of live musical performances.
Records released by Downes include:
, "not really by the music, but by the D-I-Y attitude." He has always maintained the opinion that "in many ways it is more important to be heard than to get paid for it," and the CFZ, his music and films have always been disseminated along broadly anarchist/libertarian lines.
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T. Downes (1925–2006), authored several books on wide range of subjects, such as African history, theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and Devonshire dialect. His mother Mary Downes (née Rawlins) (1922–2002) was a broadcaster and author who published several collections of Nigerian folklore under the pen-name `Yar Kunama`.
He is currently the editor of Animals & Men; the journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
, the editor of The Amateur Naturalist (formerly `Exotic Pets`) - a magazine published by CFZ Press, the editor of the online magazine blog `Cryptozoology:Online`, and from January 2003 until August 2007 was the Deputy Editor of Tropical World magazine, a tropical fish magazine published in the UK. He has also edited and contributed to several other publications over the years
According to his autobiography and other writings, as a child he lived in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and then Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(then a British Crown Colony), and returned to the UK in 1971, when his father was 'invalided out' of the Hong Kong government. He was educated at Bideford Grammar School, (1971-6) and later West Buckland School
West Buckland School
West Buckland School is an English public school located on the outskirts of the village of West Buckland on the edge of Exmoor, 9 miles east of Barnstaple, Devon. It comprises a senior school , preparatory school and a nursery...
(1976-7) from which he was expelled. He worked as a psychiatric nurse between 1981–90 and between 1990 and 1994 ran the fan club for Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.
He is active in community work, and is part of the team organising the monthly children's service in the village church at Woolfardisworthy, North Devon. Having suffered from manic-depression
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
for years, Downes is an activist for mental health issues. On the 21st July 2007 he married his second wife Corinna Newton Downes.
He has two stepdaughters, Shoshannah (24) and Olivia (22)
Cryptozoology
In 1992 Downes founded the Centre for Fortean ZoologyCentre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
, arguably the world's largest cryptozoological research organization. He is vocal in his opinion that cryptozoology should not be considered to be a branch of paranormal research. Although he has written a number of books on UFOS and other Fortean subjects (sometimes in collaboration with his friend and colleague Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern
Nicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
), he considers cryptozoology to be a branch of mainstream zoology, rather than anything more esoteric.
Books
He has written the following books:- Take this Brother may it serve you well (1988)
- Riding the Waves (with Kim Andrews) (1990)
- El Grand Senor (with Kim Andrews) (1991)
- Road Dreams (1993)
- Smaller Mystery Carnivores of the Westcountry (1996)
- The Owlman and Others (ISBN 1-905723-02-4, 1997)
- The Rising of the Moon with Nigel Wright (ISBN 0-9544936-5-6, 1999)
- Weird Devon with Richard Freeman and Graham Inglis (ISBN 1-899383-38-7, 2000)
- UFOs over Devon (ISBN 1-899383-37-9, 2000)
- Weird War Tales with Nick RedfernNick RedfernNicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
(2000) - Weird War Tales Volume 2 with Nick RedfernNick RedfernNicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
(2000) - The Blackdown Mystery (ISBN 1-905723-00-8, 2000)
- Only Fools and Goatsuckers (ISBN 0-9512872-3-0, 2001)
- In the Beginning - Animals & Men Collected Editions Volume One (Ed)(2001)
- The Number of the Beast - Animals & Men Collected Editions Volume Two(Ed) (2001)
- The Monster of the Mere (ISBN 0-9512872-2-2, 2002)
- Monster Hunter (ISBN 0-9512872-7-3, 2004)
- Strength through Koi (ISBN 1-905723-04-0, 2006)
- The Call of the Wild - Animals & Men Collected Editions Volume Three (ISBN 978-1905723072, 2007)
- The Island of Paradise: Chupacabra, UFO Crash Retrievals, and Accelerated Evolution on the Island of Puerto Rico (ISBN 978-1905723324) 2008)
His best selling book is The Owlman and Others. In his 2004 autobiography Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...
, he discusses his years of substance abuse, as well as his achievements as a cryptozoologist. Once described by Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern
Nicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
as "Cryptozoology's answer to Hunter Thompson", Downes has stated on a number of occasions that this aspect of his life is now firmly in the past. His latest book is a re-examination of the Puerto Rican chupacabras mythos, based on two expeditions to the island in 1998 and 2004. In addition he has edited ten annual Yearbooks for the CFZ.
His new book `Island of Paradise` covers in great depth his two expeditions to Puerto Rico in search of the chupacabra and other animals of fortean interest.
Also Nick Redfern
Nick Redfern
Nicholas "Nick" Redfern born 1964 in Pelsall, Walsall, Staffordshire is a British best-selling author, Ufologist and Cryptozoologist now living in Dallas, Texas, U.S.....
's 2004 book Three Men Seeking Monsters: Six Weeks in Pursuit of Werewolves, Lake Monsters, Giant Cats, Ghostly Devil Dogs and Ape-men is a fictionalized chronicle of the adventures of Redfern, Downes and Richard Freeman.
Film Maker
In his autobiography and in other published writings, Downes admits that one of his earliest ambitions was to make films. He has made a few of them over the years, including:- The "Case" for Crop Circles (1997)
- The Owlman and Others (2000)
- Eel or no Eel(2006)
- The lair of the Red Worm (2007)
- The Dragons of Africa (2007)
- The Savage Land (2008)
- of Mystery (2009)
- of the Hills (2011)
- Emily and the Big Cats (To be released 2011)
He freely admits that his first two films are "rubbish", the former of which is "a load of avant garde bullshit", and the second "a seedy art movie; a semi homage to John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
, featuring gratuitous nudity, violence, and a pre-op transsexual Nazi." His more recent films, however, are part of the ongoing CFZtv project
Centre for Fortean Zoology
Centre for Fortean Zoology is an organisation dedicated to cryptozoology, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer John Blashford-Snell....
, and are rough-cut `Guerilla Journalism` projects available for free on the CFZtv website, together with some songs from his albums.
On the Track
In October 2007 Downes announced a new CFZtv project: a monthly webTV show giving all the latest news from the CFZ and cryptozoology news from around the world. It is called `On the Track` and can be found on its own dedicated blog at http://cfzmonthly.blogspot.com/. The 18th edition was released on February 2, 2009.Musical career
1982 - 1996During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Downes was active as a musician and performer, mostly with cult art-rock band The Amphibians from Outer Space with whom he sang, played guitar, bass and piano. He integrated elements of psychodrama and performance art into the performances. He has been described as being an ungodly cross between Warren Zevon and Steve Harley.
1996-2008
However, after his divorce which ended eleven years of marriage to first wife Alison in 1996, Downes all but dropped out of the music industry in favor of cryptozoology
Cryptozoology
Cryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
, and has since done only four records and a handful of live musical performances.
Records released by Downes include:
- The Mistake with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1982)
- You took me up (1984)
- Emotional Fascism (1984)
- Outside the Asylum with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1990)
- Breakfast with Brian Storer (1991)
- Pyramidiocy (1992)
- SexGodBaby with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1993)
- The Chicken Sleeps Tonight with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1993)
- The Case with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1995)
- Contractual Obligations with The Amphibians from Outer Space (1996)
- The Weird World with Fr Lionel Fanthorpe and The Amphibians from Outer Space (2000)
- Hard Sports (2002)
- Lost Weekend (2003)
- Twilight over England (2007)
Politics
Downes describes himself as "basically an anarchist". As an artist, and indeed in many other ways he was primarily influenced by anarcho-punks CrassCrass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, "not really by the music, but by the D-I-Y attitude." He has always maintained the opinion that "in many ways it is more important to be heard than to get paid for it," and the CFZ, his music and films have always been disseminated along broadly anarchist/libertarian lines.