Ian R Crane 1956 – 2021

Ian R Crane, truth seeker extraordinaire, freedom campaigner and anti-fracking maestro, a close friend and colleague of Andy for years, very sadly died of cancer on 25 February 2021, aged just 64. Andy pays a personal tribute to Ian…

Ian’s determination and strength shone through right until the last, qualities he applied to everything he did. Having made a career for himself in the high-flying world of the oil industry, living in Texas for a number of years, Ian’s growing fascination with the esoteric and the ‘stories behind the stories’ saw his life take on a very different direction from the early 2000s as he was drawn into the world of truth campaigning and live presentations.

Ian’s powerful and gifted lectures in Britain and other countries, together with his online video posts on what some might crudely describe as ‘conspiracy’ topics began to build him a significant following, especially when he founded The Alternative View conferences, which gathered speakers who might go otherwise unheard to share their ideas on anything he saw as threatening human liberty. Ian sought always to expose ruling elites planning, as he put it, ‘their own private fiefdoms’.

Ian was instrumental in setting up the British 9/11 Truth Campaign, which sought to reinvestigate the obvious anomalies of those events, and he expanded his repertoire to perform widely acclaimed work in uncovering the dubious international ‘Codex Alimentarius’ restrictions on the sale of alternative health products. Not all of Ian’s worst fears were realised – yet – but many argue that his wide sharing of concerns may in themselves have prevented some of the worst excesses. Ian’s later years were spent in a hands-on capacity living on fracking protestor camps, sacrificing his own comforts to regularly broadcast the reality of authorities’ actions, abuses and environmental violations. This kind of devotion may well have played a role in the gradual deflation of the British government’s planned fracking bonanza.

On a personal note, I was close to Ian for several years and am honoured to have played a small part in opening some doors. I first met Ian when he approached me after a lecture I gave around 2000 at the school where my son and his stepdaughter attended. Our many subsequent playground conversations encouraged me to invite him to share his enthusiastic ideas, then on the paranormal and spirituality, at our Changing Times group in West Sussex. Despite never having presented on such topics before, Ian’s talk was so successful that soon I managed to ensure that he became the annual star speaker for a decade at the Glastonbury Symposium, before he moved on to create his own blockbuster Alternative View events, the first three of which I was privileged to co-host. Meanwhile, I have Ian to thank deeply for introducing me to his friend, one Helen Sewell – now my wife and Glastonbury Symposium team member.

Ian’s fire, wit and lucid perception captured the hearts and imagination of many audience members. His dramatic, thoughtful and very revealing exposes of a secret world many attendees had never even considered left people changed and determined to help make their own differences – the very point of Ian’s passion. His aim was always to inspire others to do their own research and tip their own little dominos to offset the worst intentions of those who would control us through nefarious means. Most endearingly, for all of the acclaim and admiration he received, Ian retained his humility and, importantly, his humanity, which was always at the core of his approach.

Ian, and the example he set to us all, will be greatly missed. The world needs more people like him. We send our condolences and best wishes to all his family and friends.

A number of Ian’s Glastonbury Symposium presentations can still be watched on the Glastonbury Symposium YouTube channel. Find them by scrolling down at: https://www.youtube.com/c/GlastonburySymposium/videos