Uri GellerEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

I’m a bit short of time this week so I’m just going to okay you the interview without all the preamble that usually comes with my weekly podcast. As you’re well aware I’m sure the World Cup has started and this week you can hear an interview I did with Uri Geller, the spoon bending physic who back in 2002 asked the whole nation to collectively try and heal David Beckham’s famous metatarsal injury which threatened his participation in that year’s World Cup competition. England captain David Beckham suffered a broken foot playing for Manchester United in the Champions League on this day in 2002, sparking fears he would not be fit for that summer’s World Cup. The United midfielder, whose stoppage-time free-kick in the last qualifier against Greece had taken the Three Lions to the finals, was on the end of a tough tackle from Deportivo La Coruna’s Aldo Duscher in a quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford. Not only did the injury end Beckham’s domestic campaign, it also introduced most of the nation to the word metatarsal. His recovery from that broken metatarsal was the source of daily interest, but Beckham eventually was passed fit and led England out against Sweden in their group stage opener on June 2……but did Uri Geller’s physic healing intervention have a part to play?

In 2017, The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released more than 12 million pages of declassified documents online . Some of these documents pertained to the self-proclaimed psychic spy Uri Geller. The documents revealed a CIA funded study at the Stanford Research Institute revolving around psychokinesis. Psychokinesis is the ability for someone to move objects with the power of their minds. Why in the world would the CIA, arguably the world’s most elite spy agency, want to study psychics? I interviewed Uri Geller about his time at the Stanford Research Institute. We spoke about his childhood, discovering his supernatural abilities, his involvement with spy agencies like the Israeli Mossad , and many other unbelievable events. You have to remember, this all took place in the 1970s. Governments were more open to exploring the supernatural. Even the Soviet Union reportedly hired psychics to spy on their enemies. But not everyone was eager to seek the help of psychics. Johnny Carson invited Uri Geller on The Tonight Show and it was a total disaster. Uri Geller could not perform his most basic tricks. What happened? Uri Geller says it was a hit job. To learn more about Uri Geller, check out The Secret Life of Uri Geller . It's a fascinating documentary. ------- Story idea? If you have a story to share, email Javier a voice memo or short written description at info@pretendradio.org . For more episodes like this visit pretendradio.org. To get early releases and bonus episodes go to pretendradio.org/donate Theme music by The Chicken Additional music by Podington Bear, Glad Rags, Blue Dot Sessions Written and produced by Javier Leiva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices