Episode 369 - I'm AI and I'm Here to Help
CONTENT WARNING - There is discussionof mental illness, some domestic violence and suicide in this episode
AI is revolutionizing everything, at least if you listen to the people who believe that AI is revolutionizing everything. But when a NYC accountant asked AI to tell him about "simulation theory," the revolutionary technology sent him down a horrific rabbit hole he never fully dug out of. Welcome to the world of AI Psychosis.
Episode 368 - Modern Monster Myths - Part 2
In the second of a two-parter we try to set the record straight on Frankenstein's monster, zombies, ghosts, and witches.
Weird Bit 67 - Fake Bands for Fake Fans
Velvet Sundown is blowing up on Spotify. Billboard Magazine said they "sound like the memory of something you never lived, and somehow make it feel real." Timbaland find Ta-Ta is another rising star. But maybe you should give us a listen hear before you decide if you want to give these exciting artists a listen there.
Episode 367 - Modern Monster Myths - Part 1
We're not saying monsters are real, but we're not saying they're not. But do we get monsters right? In part 1, we take a look at how modern storytelling has reshaped vampires and werewolves from their "true" selves.
Episode366 - Weird News: 6-12-25 The Mutating Dogs at the Gateway to Hell
We are all over the place with this Weird News episode, from Area 51 to the nuke dogs of Chernobyl to the Gateway to Hell to the pitfalls of relying on tech to solve your problems.
Weird Bit 66 - The Biden Clone Conspiracy
Turns out Joe Biden was "executed" in 2020 and all this time he has been a clone pretending to be Joe Biden. Or a robot. Or a "soulless entity." Maybe even a demon because his eyes are black. Who knew? Thankfully there are people out there willing to tell the truth, including one who lives in Washington, DC.
Episode 365 - Aimee Semple McPherson: God's Prophet in Los Angeles - Part 2
Aimee is flying high, her Echo Park megachurch filled every Sunday when suddenly she disappears while swimming in the ocean. It is a sensation. Weeks later she shows up bedraggled at a small Mexican border town with a remarkable tale to tell. But what really happened to Aimee while the police and press frantically searched for her?
Episode 364 - Aimee Semple McPherson: God's Prophet in Los Angeles - Part 1
When James Kennedy murdered his first-wife (allegedly, by Deanonly) he replaced her with his 14-year-old nanny. They had a daughter they named Aimee. Aimee got religion early and preached fire and brimstone to her dolls, as you do. She soon shed farm life and a Mr. McPherson to found the world's first megachurch in the heart of Los Angeles decadence. Then she disappeared.
Episode 363 - Cheerleader Syndrome: Strange Behavior in LeRoy, NY
Katie got it first, a weird tick with her chin she couldn’t explain or control. Then Laurie, then Chelsea, then five more, then ten more. An epidemic of strange behavior hit the kids of Leroy Junior Senior High School. The case became a national cause celebre even more baffling than the name of their school.
Episode 362 - The Bogle-Chandler Mystery
It seemed like a straight-up double homicide - two bodies at the river's edge, killed while late night trysting in early 1960s Sydney. But if it was murder, why was there no sign of it? After a year of intense investigation, authorities could still not determine what had killed the victims, let alone who.
Episode 361 - The Return of the Dire Wolf?
The dire wolf was not just a CGI co-star on Game of Thrones. It was an apex predator until 10,000 years ago when they became extinct. Until now. A bioscience company in Texas says they have rewritten the genetic code of a gray wolf to give birth to three dire wolves. Next up: the wooly mammoth.
Episode 360 - Ricky McCormick and The Secret in his Pocket
When police found Ricky McCormick's body dumped in a field they discovered two odd notes in his pocket. The jumble of numbers and letters made no sense. The FBI was convinced it was a cipher - but the best code breakers in the world have never solved it. Who killed Ricky? And what the hell is in those cryptic notes?
Episode 359 - The Flatwoods Monster
Three kids playing football in their rural West Virginia town in 1952 saw a bright light flash across the sky and, they thought, crash into a neighbor's farm. Quickly a little group gathered to bravely trek into the woods. Something with bright red eyes, a strage spade-shaped head and a metal apron floated down the hill toward them and into UFO history. What was the Flatwoods Monster?
Episode 358 - Weird News 03/14/25: Dumb Shaming
You might call it dumb, but let's call it poor judgment. This week in weird news we highlight some very poor decisions. Things like do-it-yourself cryogenics, surgeons that did not put sticky notes on the organs they were supposed to remove, people who start a war with raccoons, and so much more.
Episode 357 - Capturing the Dead - William H Mumler and the Birth of Spirit Photography
Thanks to photoshop, the only limit on how we can mess with pictures is our imagination. But back in the 19th century, William H. Mumler began capturing people in his family portraits that had never been inside his studio - at least not while they were alive.
Episode 356 - A Town Called Chaos
When a group of hardcore Libertarians took the political reins of a little town in New Hampshire they figured they would face opposition. Hostility from government-loving locals, from the teacher and cops they would try to fire, the usual suspects. But they didn't know they would also be attacked by the bears.
Episode 355 - Kalanoro - Madagascar's Mini Monsters
Does an ancient race of small hairy humanoids with sharp claws and nasty fangs still live in the deepest jungles of modern Madagascar? Many locals are terrified of these Kalanoro, because, though only not quite three feet tall, they have been known to kidnap and kill humans.
Episode 354 - Canada Invents a Gaydar
Every straight guy will say something about their “gaydar” at least 3 times a year if they work in an office. But there was a time when Canada - yes, Canada - thought they really could build a device that could tell if someone was gay or not, and that this was a good thing.