Strange Country

America's "doctors" don't seem to be dispensing the best advice during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Oz says opening up schools is appetizing. Dr. Phil says more people die crashing cars into swimming pools yet we don't close the country for that. And Dr. Drew downplayed the virus for weeks. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about these purveyors of quackery disguised as medical experti...

In 1977, Mary Gillespie received an anonymous letter that would throw her life into a tailspin. She wasn't the only Circleville, OH resident to get one. For nearly two decades, an anonymous scribe unsettled the minds of residents of that town with his or her poison pen. Join Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly as they take on this murky tale and test theories about who the anonymous writer cou...

It's true baseball and pandemics do not mix well. But that doesn't mean we can't talk about strange baseball stories- like that of the Kid, Mr. Wonderful, Ted Williams. But people are complicated and not just wonderful- there is always a little more to the story. And Ted Williams is like everyone; complicated. And his head is frozen in a Cryogenic Lab in Arizona- so there is that. Listen as Beth a...

While in quarantine, enjoy another story about a forced quarantine, this time on the island of Molokai in Hawaii. In 1866, leprosy was labeled a crime and those who had it shipped off to die in exile. Join Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly as they discuss the deplorable conditions and the irrationality of fear. Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thousands Cite your sources: Adams, Ceci...

To get our minds off the mass murder some Republicans are willing to commit to boost the stock market, Strange Country will focus on another mass murderer who killed his entire family before flying to Cancun to impersonate a New York Times reporter. Join Beth and Kelly on the strange topic of Christian Longo who murdered his wife and three young children in 2001. Theme music: Big White Lie by  A C...

If there's anything that makes this a strange country, it's a pandemic. Strange Country co-hosts discuss the one topic that is affecting all of us--improper use of toilet paper. Oh and COVID-19. Beth rails against the Trump Administration's incompetent response (SHOCKER!) and Kelly puts her optimistic spin on things. We are all in this together, dash hounds. Stay safe and stay in. Theme music: Big...

Yes it ain't. That is Kelly and Beth's stance on womanhood fun these days. Listen in as we discuss the sad but true tale of Brittany Smith of Alabama. We read this article "How Far Can Abused Women Go to Protect Themselves" in The New Yorker and got damn angry. But you Dash Hounds know it doesn't take much to get us riled up. Thank you always for listening and we hope this short and angry episode...

Well Dear Readers, if you don't need another refill of Beth's Nexium prescription, stick with us this week for a new topic. Sarah Bennett was one of our early Strange Country topics (episode 18 if you are working as one of our personal historians). And her story was right up our alley, with bizarre over-mothering, wild woman of the woods ways, and a finale of life in and insane asylum. But sadly,...

We have reached the zenith or the nadir of our look into NXIVM, the self-help sex slave cult in Albany. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly slog through to the bitter end and test their acting chops with some outstanding readers' theater. What do you make it mean, dash hounds? Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thousands Cite your sources: Barnes, Steve. "NXIVM Doctor Facing State Charge...

Welcome back, cultees! We can call you that, right? Well if it feels wrong then it must be right according to NXIVM. We're now in Part III and things are getting darker and more horrible. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly delve into DOS, a master/slave group billed as super empowering. Get ready for branding, readiness drills and puppy plugs! Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thousand...

Greetings Espians! Welcome to Part II of NXIVM, the Albany-based self-help program, that will improve your life through indebtedness and slavery. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly continue their hero-journey quest into explaining how Keith Raniere roped so many people into believing he had all the answers. Spoiler alert: He doesn't. Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thousands Cite you...

In a three-episode arc, Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly delve into NXIVM, a self-help seminar/cult set in Albany NY. Part I explores the history of NXIVM founder Keith Raniere, the self-proclaimed smartest, most ethical, best volleyballer, top Vanguard player in the whole, wide world. Dive deep with us dashhounds and get ready to transform your life and you can too! Send checks! Theme musi...

It's fun to be a woman, y'all. Strange Country features a brand-new installment: the mini-episode about one particular joy of womanhood. It features a new song and a new challenge to Kelly and Beth to try to keep this to a tight 20 minutes. In our inaugural episode, moms get all the glory when they get blamed for causing autism in their children by being cold, withholding iceboxes. Theme music: To...

The fine line between eccentric and mentally ill is actually a gigantic pile of money. John du Pont used his piles of money to buy Olympic glory and in his quest ends up murdering a Olympic star Dave Schultz. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about this sad tale and pontificate about America's obsession with the filthy rich. Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thousands Cite your s...

Strange Country tackles another trial of the century. This time it's the trial of Pamela Smart, a woman accused of bewitching a teen and his friends into murdering her husband. Co-hosts Beth and Kelly take about the impact of the media's glare. Smart's trial was the first to be broadcast live as it was happening and many of the participants acted more than a little starstruck. Also Beth does a spe...

Let's face it, it just ain't easy being a woman. Wait, who wrote that? A man or a woman? What is the narrative of our fragile little lives in the books we grew up reading? if a woman dared to write the story of a strong woman who lived a life without getting married in the end, would it ever make it to print in the 1800's? If a tree falls in the woods does it make a sound? This week on Strange Cou...

It's the start of a new decade and impeachment is in the air. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the very first time the Congress tried to get rid of a very unfit president in 1868. Andrew Johnson, a virulent racist, wanted to pretend the Southern states didn't actually secede and Radical Republicans weren't keen on a prez playing king. Theme music: Big White Lie by  A Cast of Thou...

Strange Country is ringing out the old year with a story to remind all of its readers that people are just really awful. Georgia Tann popularized adoption in the 1920s, but she did it by stealing kids and selling them for primo profit. Gross. She's gross. Co-hosts Beth and Kelly will be back in the new year with more stories to remind you that maybe our mass extinction isn't such a bad thing. Them...

Winter is upon us in Strange Country. How will you get through? Listen as Beth and Kelly discuss the brief and questionable tale of Rhoda Beebe of upstate New York who survived a hellish winter in the 1700's. Or did she? This is a ramble through winter worries, special tips intended for rich people who venture into the cold on purpose, and typical mother fail admissions. We are two friends, librar...

Over a 30 year period, from 1944 - 1974, the U.S. government deliberately and purposefully conducted radioactive tests on its citizens and released radioactive elements into the environment. Strange Country cohosts Beth and Kelly explore some of these experiments like the boys of Fernald fed Quaker Oats laced with radioactive iron or the pregnant women visiting Vanderbilt Hospital given "cocktails...

We are changing things up here at Strange Country starting with our newest intro song. Keep listening as Strange Country podcasters Kelly and Beth discuss our belief that the #metoo movement stretches way into the past. So many of our leading ladies dealt with misogynist bullshit, including this week's Jackie Mitchell. Mitchell likely would have been one of the greatest pitchers in baseball histor...

Strange Country Episode 119 has it all--greed, betrayal, murder, the hazards of women's fashion, and even patent medicine. Nancy Clem, a 19th century grifter, likely killed her business partner and his wife, but after only about a bazillion trials was she set free. Co-hosts Beth and Kelly showcase their financial illiteracy as they talk about the Notorious Mrs. Clem. Theme music: Resting Place by...

Huuuummmm. If you went in the direction of anything related to a phallus- go turn on another podcast. This one is all about the hum that is heard round the world by 2 percent of the people in the world- and driving them a little crazy. Have you heard it Dash Hounds? If you have there is a map you need to go to right now to help those trying to figure out what and where that noise is coming from. M...

Velcome Dashounds, to Strange Country: The Halloween Edition. In ep. 117, co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the paranormal investigators who started it all, Ed and Lorraine Warren. Hear the story of Annabelle, the doll, and the Snedeker Funeral Home Haunting. . . if boo dare!!! Theme music: Resting Place by  A Cast of Thousands . Cite your sources: "Arne Cheyenne Johnson." The Courtroom Sketches...

Welcome Dear Dash Hounds to another weekly tale of strange behavior from Merkins. Back in the day when slavery was legal and it was illegal to teach slaves to read, there was a woman named Prudence Crandall who knew that was wrong and set to change such terrible ways that white people ran education. In her frustration, Prudence, a highly educated and obviously intelligent woman, opened a school on...