Art Bell opens the phone lines on a night dominated by a horrifying story out of Detroit, where a young woman was attacked after a traffic accident, stripped of her clothing, and cheered by dozens of onlookers as she leaped to her death from a bridge over the Detroit River.
The incident becomes a launching point for a broader discussion about the deterioration of society and the accelerating pace of tragedy Art Bell calls "the quickening." Callers weigh in on whether the bystanders should face criminal charges, while Art catalogs a grim parade of recent news: child abuse cases, the busy Atlantic hurricane season spawning multiple storms, and the ongoing O.J. Simpson trial where forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee has identified mystery footprints at the murder scene. A darkly humorous list of "40 Ways to Destroy the Earth" circulating on the Internet provides momentary comic relief. Callers also debate alien visitation, the possible discovery of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat, and the story of an 89-year-old Texas billionaire who married a 26-year-old model.
A raw and unflinching snapshot of mid-1990s America grappling with violence, moral decay, and the unknown.
