Did Paranormal Radio Legend Art Bell Have a Fetish for Women with Long Hair? A Look at the Evidence
Decades of radio broadcasts, personal photographs, and conversations with country music star Crystal Gayle reveal a fascinating side of the legendary broadcaster.
Art Bell, the legendary host of Coast to Coast AM, spent decades entertaining millions of late-night listeners with discussions about UFOs, ghosts, time travel, conspiracy theories, and unexplained phenomena.
But among longtime fans, there is a rather different mystery surrounding the famous radio personality.
Did Art Bell have a particular attraction, or even a fetish, for women with exceptionally long hair?
The theory has circulated among listeners for years. While Bell never appears to have publicly identified himself as having such a fetish, surviving recordings and archived material reveal that he was certainly an enthusiastic admirer of country music star Crystal Gayle, including her famously long hair.
A closer examination of broadcasts spanning nearly two decades offers some intriguing clues.
A Fascination with Crystal Gayle
One of the earliest pieces of evidence comes directly from Bell's own website.
An archived personal photo album contains a photograph of country music legend Crystal Gayle, accompanied by this caption:
«One of Art's favorite singers, Crystal Gayle with her very long hair!»
Although seemingly innocent, the caption is notable for specifically drawing attention to Gayle's extraordinary hair length.
Another photograph documents Bell meeting Gayle following a concert in Las Vegas on November 23, 1996.
Gayle, best known for songs such as Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, became famous not only for her distinctive voice but also for her remarkably long, dark hair, which at times nearly reached the floor.
View the archived photographs: "Art Bell's Personal Photo Album" (https://artbellorg.com/album.html)
August 29, 1997: Bell Discusses Gayle's Hair on the Air
During an August 29, 1997 broadcast of Coast to Coast AM, Bell recalled attending a Crystal Gayle concert.
He spoke enthusiastically about the singer, describing her as beautiful both inside and out.
Then he addressed an unusual question he had received from a listener.
Someone had sent him a fax asking how long Gayle's hair was.
Bell responded:
«And the answer is, about as long as she is.»
He explained that her hair practically touched the floor, emphasizing its extraordinary length.
Bell then made another interesting remark.
He explained that he did not frequently smile in photographs, but a picture of himself with Gayle displayed a particularly large smile, for what he described as an obvious reason.
Was he simply thrilled to meet one of his favorite singers, or was her distinctive appearance part of the attraction?
The recording does not establish the answer, but it demonstrates how readily Bell discussed her hair.
Listen to the original broadcast: "Art Bell — August 29, 1997" (https://fight.fudgie.org/search/show/ab/episode/19970829_Fri)
Relevant discussion begins at approximately 3 hours, 12 minutes, 44 seconds.
October 19, 2001: Bell Admits He Has a Thing for Crystal Gayle
Perhaps one of the most revealing moments occurred during an October 19, 2001 broadcast.
Bell was discussing Gayle's recent visit to his home in Pahrump, Nevada, where she had enjoyed lunch with Bell and his wife, Ramona.
Before explaining the visit, Bell made a particularly interesting admission:
«I have always really had a thing for Crystal Gale.»
The archived transcription spells her surname phonetically, but Bell was referring to Crystal Gayle.
He immediately praised her singing voice, describing it as angelic, and spoke about the many songs of hers that he regularly played on the radio.
The occasion was especially memorable because Gayle had personally presented him with a recording of Midnight in the Desert, a song written specifically for his radio program.
Gayle later appeared on the broadcast to discuss the music.
This recording is important because it establishes that Bell openly acknowledged a longstanding affection for the singer.
However, the statement alone does not establish whether that affection was romantic, physical, musical, or some combination of those feelings.
Listen to the original broadcast: "Art Bell — October 19, 2001" (https://fight.fudgie.org/search/show/ab/episode/20011019_Fri)
Bell's revealing comment begins at approximately 14 minutes, 30 seconds.
Additional source: "Official Coast to Coast AM episode description" (https://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/crystal-gayle-midnight-in-the-desert/)
July 20, 2015: Bell Brings Up Her Hair Again
Nearly eighteen years after the 1997 broadcast, Bell's fascination with Gayle's distinctive hairstyle was still apparent.
On July 20, 2015, Bell launched his revived paranormal program, Midnight in the Desert.
Among his opening guests was Crystal Gayle herself.
During their conversation, Bell abruptly turned the discussion toward her hair.
«So I've got to ask you about your hair.»
He reminded Gayle that she was internationally recognizable for her long hair and asked about rumors that she had considered cutting it.
Gayle explained that she had trimmed it over the years and occasionally dreamed of having a shorter, more manageable hairstyle.
Bell recalled seeing her when her hair reached her ankles and expressed amazement at its length.
He suggested that her hair had become such an important part of her public image that people around her probably encouraged her not to cut it.
As the conversation continued, Gayle discussed how quickly her hair grew and the practical difficulties of maintaining it.
Bell eventually offered a straightforward compliment:
«Well, it's absolutely gorgeous.»
He also noted that photographers frequently captured Gayle from behind to show the extraordinary length of her hair.
The exchange was friendly and entirely appropriate for a celebrity interview. Nevertheless, the detail and enthusiasm with which Bell discussed her hair are striking when considered alongside his earlier broadcasts.
Listen to the original interview: "Art Bell Interviews Crystal Gayle — July 20, 2015" (https://fight.fudgie.org/search/show/ab/episode/20150720_Mon)
The discussion about Gayle's hair begins at approximately 6 minutes, 34 seconds, and continues through approximately 8 minutes, 30 seconds.
What Do Longtime Listeners Remember?
Online discussions among Art Bell enthusiasts suggest that the subject has not gone unnoticed.
In a discussion on the Art Bell subreddit, one commenter specifically remembered Bell's fondness for women with long hair.
The commenter recalled Bell discussing Crystal Gayle's hair on multiple occasions and remembered his apparent reluctance to see her cut it.
Other listeners remembered his obvious admiration for Gayle and his repeated references to her music.
These recollections are not definitive evidence of a fetish. Memories can change over time, and fans sometimes interpret a broadcaster's personality differently.
Nevertheless, the surviving recordings demonstrate that the broader observation has a genuine basis.
Read the discussion: "Reddit — Art Bell and Crystal Gayle" (https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtBell/comments/18z325u/crystal_gayle/)
An Attraction, an Appreciation, or a Fetish?
There is an important distinction between finding a particular physical characteristic attractive and having a sexual fetish involving that characteristic.
Bell's admiration for Crystal Gayle and her extraordinarily long hair is well documented.
What is not established is whether he regarded long hair as a specific sexual interest.
No reliable recording or interview located during this research contains an explicit statement from Bell confirming that he had a long-hair fetish.
Likewise, no documented statement was found in which he specifically denied having one.
His repeated compliments, his interest in Gayle's hair length, and his own description of having a thing for the singer certainly give fans material to speculate about.
But speculation should not be confused with confirmation.
The Verdict
Art Bell spent much of his broadcasting career asking listeners to question accepted explanations and investigate extraordinary claims.
Perhaps it is fitting that decades later, fans are still investigating mysteries about the broadcaster himself.
The available evidence establishes three things: Bell was a devoted admirer of Crystal Gayle, he repeatedly and enthusiastically discussed her exceptionally long hair, and he openly acknowledged having a longstanding affection for the singer.
Whether that fascination amounted to a sexual fetish remains unknown.
The evidence supports the theory that Art Bell especially admired very long hair. It does not conclusively establish that he had a fetish for it.
Fortunately, thanks to surviving broadcast archives, listeners can hear his comments for themselves and reach their own conclusions.
And for a man whose career was built around exploring unanswered questions, that may be a rather fitting ending.
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Research note: This article draws on historical Coast to Coast AM and Midnight in the Desert broadcasts, an archived Art Bell personal photo album, official program documentation, and public listener discussions. Archived audio pages include searchable, automatically generated transcripts that may contain minor transcription errors.