The Absurd

A very brief bit of coolness about Howard Johnson’s. Mel will then tell us a sad, cautionary tale about a young woman who committed a horrific case of self-harm while using crystal meth. Rod will then tell us about a bizarre turn of events when a young woman bought a DNA ancestry kit. She never could have imagined what it would show. Mel will then tell us about Dr Robert Liston, a 19th century sur...

In what is probably a mix of ego and stupidity, we will learn of a Toronto corporate lawyer who got his cheque cashed. Mel will then tell us a very disturbing story out of Austria. Seriously, if you’re especially sensitive to stories of abuse, this might not be a story for you (start 13:25, end 29:00). Next, financial hardships have pushed a lot of people into taking extreme actions to address the...

Our first story is rather disgusting. So if you’re eating, you might want to finish up before listening. That’s all we’re saying about that one. Mel will then take us back to 10th century Ukraine to meet Olga who shows that vengeance and kickin’ ass are by no means gender specific. Not that any sensible person could think otherwise. Then we’ll nip next door to Russia to learn about some fascinatin...

This is our first ever recording on location, and we were at Rural Roots Brewing Company in Elmira, ON. Cannot recommend it enough! Great beer, great staff, and great wings too. We open on a chat with owner and proprietor Roger Lichti. Mel than tells us about someone with entirely too much money who went bananas for a banana. Next, Rod amazes and confounds us with some absurd facts. Then we’re off...

The Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever designed and tested, and the largest human-made explosion. It’ll blow your mind! Next we’re off to Mel’s home province to learn about a series of mysterious and as yet unexplained loud booms reported in 1978. We will then meet four people whose attempts to commit insurance fraud could best be described as grizzly. Lastly we will learn about a b...

Anyone who has flown knows that it is not an overly comfortable experience. Cramped seats, screaming kids, mediocre food. But here’s one thing I hope none of us will ever have to experience. We will next meet a man who while under the influence of GHB decided it would be best to insert 15 hard boiled eggs into his rectum. What an oeuf! We rely on doctors to dispense healing treatment as spelled ou...

You like pizza? Of course. Who doesn’t? Are you a user of cannabis? If so, you might want to head to Stoughton, Wisconsin where a pizzeria mistakenly added THC oil to their pizza dough. Next, Mel takes us down to Kentucky where police make a truly grizzly discovery. Next, we’ll head to a village in Japan where the population has declined so much that residents have made life sized dolls in an atte...

Hey everyone. This is the second of our Hallowe’en focused episodes, and by focused we mean scarier and darker. First, Mel will tell us about various different monsters we associate with Hallowe’en. Next, Rod will tell us about a cannibal restaurant in South Africa. Grab your plates! We will then look at the strange sightings of the “Mothman” which has been associated with the collapse of a bridge...

Welcome to our first Hallowe’en episode, where the stories are a little more macabre and dark. First we’re off to South Africa where two patients incapable of walking disappeared shortly after their surgeries. Where they were found defies explanation. Then Mel will tell us about a very strange and potentially terrifying type of geocaching. In our final story, we look at a case of organ donation, o...

Anyone who cooks knows that meat must be brought to a certain temperature to kill any parasites that may naturally exist in that meat. In case you’re thinking of cooking up a hunk of bear meat, you might want to listen to this first. Next, Mel will tell us about a disturbing case of a woman who went to great lengths to hide her gambling debts. Then Rod will tell us a fun tale about a burglar who t...

Psilocybin is a compound found in “magic mushrooms” which are often used recreationally as a harmless distraction. It is also the subject of much clinical study to determine if it has application to treat a myriad of mental health issues. In this instance however, a very large dose coupled with an axe proves … life-altering for the user. Then we’re off to Indiana for a foul incident at a Dollar Tr...

In this episode, Rod has a cold, and he’s not happy about it! Mel will tell us about a liposuction procedure using a dental suction device. Yeah, it didn’t go well. Next, Rod will take us to St Louis to learn about a fight club orchestrated by teachers at a daycare centre. Sounds fun right, but it really is a bad idea. For those of you with children, you ever thought of selling one of your babies?...

Here’s another fistful of absurdities. First we’re off to Derbyshire, England for some toe wrestling. Pretty sure Mel will be taking this up as a new hobby. Did you know that running an electric fan in your bedroom at night can kill you? In South Korea it can. Next we’re off to Spain for their own version of Bessie Bingo. Lastly we have a local story out of Guelph about an absurd incident that hap...

When we think of dangerous animals, cows probably don’t come first to mind. Truth is, they kill several people a year in the UK alone. If you’ve ever flown, you know that airline food is so-so. Could be worse though. You could find a mouse in your meal like this passenger. Next a horrific tale of a man who murdered his wife … and pureed her. Lastly, will bring things up with a story out of Califor...

I think most of us can be competitive. At very least, none of us likes to lose. How far would you go to defeat your opponent? Would you poison them? This Russian chess player decided it was a good move. Next we’re off to Japan where a man abducted two teenage girls and held them at his home … so they could study. Then we’ll talk about the rare, terrifying, and even deadly Rapunzel syndrome. Lastly...

I think it’s fair to say we can fall out of love, and fall in love with someone else. And parting ways is never easy. But how far would you be willing to go to move on with your new love? Would you drug someone to do it? This man and step-daughter did … to her own mother. Next, we’re going to meet a couple of super cowardly parents who abandoned their baby after she had been shot. Don’t worry. The...

Imagine you take your family out for a delicious Japanese dinner, and your toddler ends up getting drunk off her ass. Bit young, no? Many men are insecure about the size of their penis. Some especially so. Here are some guys who went too far. Lastly, we’re off to a bar in Dallas, Texas for a very interesting and intimate type of race.

We welcome back Mel who returned from a trip to her home province of Newfoundland (and Labrador) and she regales us with some fascinating facts about puffins. Then we will meet Jean Libbera who spent most of his life performing in circuses and sideshows. Why you ask? Well, Jean had a brother Jacques who was not only a conjoined twin, but was a vestigial or “parasitic” twin. Lastly, we have a Whopp...

Who of our age didn’t love reading the Guinness Book of World Records when we were younger? Did you know that some of the rules on those records had to be changed so as not to result in the death of contenders? Me neither. Then we’ll find out about the quietest place on earth. Sounds kind of awesome, right? Yeah, it’s not. Then a sad incident of a young man who went missing in a store, and was not...

I imagine all of us have heard that chickens can run around after their heads are cut off. Mike the chicken did so … for 18 months! Let’s head down to the Pacific island of Tanna in the country of Vanuatu where we’ll meet the Kastom people. They are a perfectly normal Pacific people with one exception; they worshiped Prince Phillip like a god. Next, Melina is going to tell us about the absolutely...

A friend of the podcast sent us in a funny tale of some drunken raccoons. How can you not love that? Then we’ll hear an infuriating case that explains why the legal profession has such a bad name. While you’re still angry, let’s meet some parents (who have no business being parents) and learn what they did to their six-year-old son to teach him not to be so nice. Lastly, let’s lighten the load wit...

I think most of us have gone on holiday and hoped that we might end up satisfying a little hedonistic something. No idea if this British tourist in Cambodia had such a thought but if so … Then we’re off to Alaska where a great many people and aircraft have gone missing in what is dubbed the Alaska Triangle. Aliens? Inter-dimensional portals? Bigfoot-like creatures? Then we will meet a young woman...

Several fishermen in Sri Lanka died with others in critical condition after they drank from bottles they found floating in the sea. Dumb much? Then we’re off to sunny, crazy Florida where a supposed game of hide and seek went wrong. Or did it? Next, we’ll hear about the amazing story of flight attendant Vesna Vulovic who survived a 10,000 metre fall after the airplane she was in blew up. Lastly, l...

Mel has some more facts for us that are completely untrue. Then we’ll meet Olivia the “bionic girl” who feels no pain and barely eats or sleeps. Hippos are scary. Imagine if those foul tempered buggers could fly. Well, they kind of can. Lastly, a boy in Montreal was attacked by a fish while swimming at a beach in a freshwater lake. What the heck?

Woman sues auto insurer for getting an STD after having sex in a car. Yup! Then, a super lucky man in Nigeria is rescued after almost three days trapped inside an overturned boat 100 feet down. Then we’re down in New Orleans for some more underwater adventures. This time it’s a padlocked skull. You heard me. Next, a romantic (albeit strange) gift idea very nearly turns deadly. I wonder if they’re...