Psychedelics and Death, with Dr. Neal Goldsmith

The Morbid Academy Series begins this month on February 25th with a conversation between authors and weird historians Mitch Horowitz and Robert Damon Schneck (that is, they study weird history; I can'...

18 Feb 201619min

There was a point in time not so long ago when, for a nickel or so, one could enter a booth in the back of a seedy bookstore to watch a grainy film of a woman undressing. It wasn't quite porn but cert...

11 Feb 201622min

The "criminally insane" defense and all its trappings (longer sentences, institutionalization and treatment, etc.) are not as old as you think they are. Judy Jackson tells us about the history of this...

11 Jan 201620min

4 German automatons changed music forever in the 70s. Stephen tells us how.You can listen to Stephen's music here: https://soundcloud.com/stephen-veseckyThe Kraftwerk songs featured at the end of the ...

12 Des 201524min

Dia de Los Muertos was last week, and to celebrate, here's a short, sweet interview with Rosie Sharp (sarahrosesharp.com) on the ofrenda installation she did for the Detroit Institute of the Arts. She...

1 Nov 201513min

Ilise Carter, a.k.a. the Lady Aye, tells me all about the history of sword swallowing - generally and personally. From mystical beginnings to low class entertainment to a revival in burlesque and side...

29 Sep 201517min

Registered patent attorney Eric Indin (not his real name) talks me through the weird world of patent research, namely the medical and "game and entertainment" divisions.

26 Jul 201515min

Ever wondered why Jesus is often depicted with his heart outside his torso, shining and on fire? No, it's not a congenital deformity, but rather a metaphorical depiction of... nobody's really sure. Sa...

21 Jun 201518min