Episodes

You know what they say about a guy with big feet... - He's probably a liar. - This week, the guys go on a trek through the great Pacific Northwest to discover the truth behind the legend of America's own Abominable Snowman, the Sasquatch. Bigfoot.

I'm not moving it, you're moving it! On this very special episode, we are excited to welcome our first invited guest of 2019, The Devil! Ok, well, maybe we aren't inviting the Devil onto the show. But we are exploring the original spiritual gateway drug--the Ouija Board! From its humble, craven, capitalist beginnings, the Ouija Board has been many things: a toy, a cash cow, a muse, a last hope for the desperate. Even today, it is informing cutting-edge science in surprising ways. So never fear;...

No tragedy is complete without some good old Act-of-God type destruction, and this week, the guys are serving up a tragedy of Biblical proportions, complete with a plague and "wrathful God"-level retaliation. Try not to squirm too much as you learn about the record-breaking Locust Swarm of 1874, which basically ate the flyover states, carrying off, as one farmer put it, "everything but the mortgage." If, after listening, you feel like eating a cricket burger as vengeance, we won't blame you!

It's our 50th episode, and we're pulling out all the stops! This episode has everything: demonology, witchcraft, voodoo, murder, rape, blasphemy, suicide, assassination, insanity, sex perversion, homosexuality, prostitution, satanic rituals, gambling, barbarism, cannibalism, sadism, desecration, demon summoning, necromancy, and divination, all accessible with the roll of one 20-sided die! That's right, this week the guys are summoning the Satan Panic surrounding the role-playing game Dungeons & ...

Arizona of the 1880s was hardscrabble enough without the Devil terrorizing the countryside on horseback. But that's just what the citizens of post-Civil War Arizona Territory thought was happening when they were visited by the fabled Red Ghost of Arizona. This week, the guys learn the true identity of the Ghost (spoiler: it was Old Man Withers the whole time!), while learning about one of America's first military boondoggles. Stock up on water for this one; we won't reach an oasis of sanity for ...

It's wonderful when the bully loses! This week the guys are k-k-kicking open the door on two memorable times from the 1950s when KKK Grand Dragon James "Catfish" Cole was publicly humiliated by the intended targets of his racist harassment. Feel free to engage in plenty of schadenfreude this week, as we revel in the power of organized resistance!

A petty man wants to build a wall. So, what else is new? This week, the guys explore the history of Spite Fences, with a particular focus on the most famous one. Erected by Charles Crocker on San Francisco's Nob Hill in the late 1800s, this 40-foot-tall monstrosity was built for the express purpose of ruining his neighbor's (Nicholas Yung) view and forcing Yung to sell his property to Crocker. You think your neighbors are assholes? Just wait.

Mary had two little hands, little hands, little hands, - Mary had two little hands, with skin all rife with poo. - And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went, - Everywhere that Mary went, she'd surely sicken you! - - That's right!

Empires, amirite? - There's nothing like an international pissing contest to stoke the fires of patriotism. There's also nothing new about world powers finding it impossible to back down, even when the cause of conflict is completely stupid.

Oh, the tangled web we weave...when we con millions of people out of their money, promising heavenly rewards to them while quietly enriching ourselves and avoiding taxes. Isn't that how the saying goes? This week, the guys explore the glorious tragedy that was Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, two of the most successful (and corrupt) televangelists of all time. Have a look behind the makeup, if you dare, to the madness and secret lives beyond. Crack open an Apocalypse Fiesta Bucket and enjoy!

What would history be without a healthy dose of misogyny? Thanks to men, we will never know! Fortunately, some women have been such badasses that their stories cut through the static and inspire us even today. This week, the guys highlight one such heroine, the incomparable Nellie Bly--a journalist, activist, traveller and business magnate who shattered the glass ceiling in investigative journalism and improved the lives of countless women who could not advocate for themselves.

If there is one thing history has taught us, it's that you should never piss off the Germans. Mein Gott! They can hold a grudge! This week, the guys cross the ocean with the New Germany movement of the 19th Century, an ill-fated attempt by a few displaced German royals to create a German Reich inside of the Republic of Texas. And they would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for pesky incompetence, weather, human nature, geopolitics and how farming works!

Well, it's early January, so chances are you've already failed at maintaining your New Year's resolutions! But don't feel bad; you're in great company--just about as long as there have been people, those people are mostly terrible at sticking with a plan. This week, the guys ring in the new year with a look back at the history of the New Year's Resolution, a time-honored tradition as old as civilization. Look for a cameo this week from our good friends the Puritans, who just can't get enough of ...

Ah, Christmas time! It's a wonderful season of giving, making memories, and co-opting pagan celebrations to quash any religious expression that isn't Christian! This week, the guys strap on some skis and slide headlong down the slippery slope of the origins of Christmas. You should be sitting down for this one, preferably in front of a warm fire, eggnog in hand. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! To those who don't, Happy New Year!

Think 2018 invented the Year of the Woman? Think again. Women have been kicking ass and taking names since before time began. This week, the guys slip into a toga and travel back to the Roman Empire of the 4th Century, where Hypatia of Alexandria exploded the cultural idea of what a woman ought to be, earning a place for herself among history's great thinkers in the process. And of course, no men had a problem with her outspokenness at all! No, wait, we meant to say that men killed her in a horr...

The holidays are here, which means it's time to remember the reason for the season--the food! We hope you enjoy all the treats that abound, but sometime around when you're shoveling in that fourth piece of Yule log, give a thought to whether or not your cat-lady aunt washed her hands before she made it. In the meantime, join the guys this week as they spew forth about that most-unwelcome holiday visitor: food poisoning! Learn about the major culprits that can invade your biome, and hear the naus...

Whoring is dangerous. Just ask Jason T. Gaffney. Or ask any of the victims of Jack the Ripper, the first serial killer to go viral. This week, the guys delve into the deep cuts of Jack's infamous, nightmarish murder spree of 1888, from the Canonical Five to various theories of who he really was. Speaking of nightmare fuel, Jack's identity has never been conclusively determined, so in a way, he will always be watching us from deep within the London Fog.

Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov was, depending on your perspective, either a visionary biologist years ahead of his time, or a despicable monkey fucker. This week, the guys explore his gory attempts in the early 20th century to create a "Humanzee," a theoretical creature that is the result of crossbreeding of humans and chimps. As you may imagine, it doesn't go well for anyone, and it ends in fascism. Life hack: if Stalin is the hero of your story, you need a rewrite.

It's Thanksgiving week, and we are grateful for you! Kevin and Jason are simply filled with gratitude for our listeners and for the chance to share our show with you! Don't worry, though; we aren't so thankful that we forgot to find something fucked-up for you this week. In fact, in honor of Thanksgiving, we are diving headfirst into the weird, craven event that's the real reason for the season: Black Friday. Every year, millions of Americans compete in our very own version of the Hunger Games, ...

Who doesn't love a good sex cult? If you're wondering where the right to bear arms meets the right to bare butts, this is the episode for you! This week, the guys peek under the robes to discover the hidden world of Rajneeshpuram, the Oregon cult of the 70s and 80s. This episode is insane, so be prepared for everything from free love to terrorist bombings. After this wild, wild ride is over, you may not want to run out and out and join the Rajneeshees, but we guarantee you'll never look at a sne...

Human. It's what's for dinner. This week, the guys head out on the trail with the Donner Party, the famously doomed pioneer wagon train of 1846. Join this migrant caravan as they break axles, get dysentery, and invent the original frozen dinner. Feel free to join the party! You'll probably be able to snag some digits; just avoid the salsa.

Vampires are dicks. Even when you think they're dead, there they go, escaping the grave at night to slowly suck the life from their relatives. That's a dick move, vampires. This week, on a very special Halloween episode, the guys sink their teeth into the Vampire Panic of 19th-century New England. Along the way, you can learn a lot about tuberculosis, one-stop shopping, and why you never hear the phrase, "running around like a vampire with its head cut off."

OK, OK. All your heroes are a lie. History is told by those who live the longest, and this week, most of the people in our story don't live long enough to tell the tale. That's OK, though, because Jason T. Gaffney is on the case, ably assisted by best-selling author Suzanne Brockmann, who also just happens to be Jason's mom! This story gets dicey, but you'll be OK. Corral your feelings and check your weapons at the city limits!

Take me out to the ball game! - Throw hot dogs at my head! - Knife me and kiss me and scream at me. - I won't care, cuz the beer's almost free! - Yes, it's Ten Cent Beer Night in Cleveland, - Where thousands of fans broke the law; -