The Weirdest Thing

We've got a couple morbid stories for you this (yuck) Black Friday. Scotty relates the wild, violent tale of the Bloody Espinosas of southern Colorado, while Amelia takes us deep into the mystery of "disaster ghosts." CONTENT WARNING: This week's stories mention sexual assault, murder, plane crashes, and deadly fires. Happy Thanksgiving!

Spooky Season continues here at the Weirdest Thing podcast! Amelia takes us on a tour of some of Hollywood's most haunted hotels, and Scotty details the sordid lives and extravagant crimes of Scotland's Burke and Hare. CONTENT WARNING: This episode is full of murder.

Happy Spooky Season! This week Scotty talks about the New England vampire panics of the 18th and 19th century, and Amelia gives the true story behind the Winchester Mystery House. Plus some general musings about true crime and hauntings. To read Scotty's short story "Basically Normal" in the Dark Matter Magazine Halloween Special, go to https://darkmattermagazine.shop/blogs/halloween-special-issue...

We're coming into your earholes this week with a couple major natural disasters. Amelia talks about the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and the subsequent "Miracle of Hospital Juárez." Scotty describes the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871, which remains the deadliest fire in U.S. history. CONTENT WARNING: This week's stories both detail crushings, burnings, boilings, drownings, and just about any other hor...

Scotty tried to claim we were being lazy this week, but Amelia violently disagreed. Either way, we have another research-free movie episode for you guys, where each of us picked a favorite film that we knew the other would probably never watch on their own. Scotty chose the Coen Brothers' 1991 black-comic Hollywood horror/noir Barton Fink, and Amelia selected Alfonso Arau's 1992 adaptation of Laur...

THE Weirdest Thing is back! And this week we're coming at you with a couple stories about conflicts within the entertainment industry. Scotty kicks things off with Van Morrison's "revenge album" against Bang Records, and Amelia does a deep dive into the infamous Comedy Store strike. CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide. This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

Welcome to the last episode of A Weirdest Thing! To close out this Amelia-less era, Scotty invited his Boston bestie Mandy Connor on to have a full-on horror-fan geek out. We cover our mutual love of Stephen King, our personal criteria for what makes "good" horror, books and movies that freaked us out as kids, Scotty's experience participating in the infamous "Grossout Contest" at KillerCon, and m...

This week Scotty talks to Bram Stoker-winning horror author Gwendolyn Kiste about her life, work, and influences. We also discuss her upcoming historical horror novel Reluctant Immortals, and its examination of the "forgotten women" of both Stoker's Dracula and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. Reluctant Immortals will be released on August 23! Click the link for more information: https://www.simonand...

This week Scotty and actor/comedian/rock star Lauren Poole have a wide-ranging conversation about everything from theatre, the best lessons ever learned from teachers, the enduring power of Korn, writing music, going viral, touring with indie legends, and (of course) Lauren's kickass band Prism Bitch. Check out Prism Bitch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PrismBtch Check out Scotty being an a...

Welcome back to THE Weirdest Thing Podcast! This week we delve into two unexpected and very different conflicts. Scotty talks about the shocking Gombe Chimpanzee War of 1974 and its implications for our understanding of human behavior, while Amelia explores the Chocolate Wars and how they spurred innovations that changed how we make, eat, and market food to this day. CONTENT WARNING: Scotty's stor...

This week Scotty welcomes celebrated author Sara Tantlinger onto the podcast to talk about poetry, writing horror, psychopaths, historical serial killers, and her Bram Stoker-nominated collection The Devil's Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes. CONTENT WARNING: This week's episode talks about murder in many of its various forms. Links: The Devil's Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes: h...

Amelia is BACK for an episode of THE Weirdest Thing Podcast! This week we cover two absolutely badass women in history. Amelia talks about Linda Coffee, the unsung hero of Roe Vs. Wade and the battle for reproductive rights, while Scotty discusses the too-short life and immense musical legacy of Mia Zapata, lead singer of The Gits. CONTENT WARNING: This week's episode talks about sexual assault an...

This week guest host Danielle explains how stand-up comedy has its roots in the racist history of minstrel shows and describes how one performer decided to push back, and Scotty talks about the particularities of Jewish humor and how it manifested in the famed "borscht belt" of the Catskills. Plus, a palate-cleansing clip of the incredible Moms Mabley! https://youtu.be/4h0t_teqE_E CONTENT WARNING:...

This week Scotty welcomes actor/comedian Danielle Robertson on to talk about acting, improv, standup, and the unexpected ways that horror and comedy intersect. Link to Amelia's reading of Scotty's short stories "In the Woods," "Mary," and "Mouse Trap," recorded after Duke City Repertory Theatre's performance of "Ghost, Ghost, Come Out Tonight" (Halloween, 2019): https://vimeo.com/718982673 This po...

This week we welcome our first guest host, horror author and editor Rebecca Rowland! Rebecca takes us through the Salem witch hysteria of 1692, while Scotty talks about the book Michelle Remembers and the beginning of the Satanic Panic. Plus a conversation about writing horror, editing, and the upcoming charity anthology Dancing in the Shadows: A Tribute to Anne Rice , co-edited by Rebecca and fea...

We're (hopefully, knock on wood) marking the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic with a couple stories about historical plagues. Amelia takes us deep into the gross and deadly 1854 Broad Street cholera epidemic of London, and Scotty talks about the infamous and bizarre "dancing plagues" of Europe. This is Amelia's last show for awhile, recorded just before she departed for Barter Theatre in Virginia...

We've got another odds-and-ends episode for you this week, where we talk about four of the lesser-known cryptids/bogeys from around the world. This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

This week we talk about two horror movies that aren't horror movies, but actually are horror movies: John Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962) and Damien Chazelle's "Whiplash" (2014). This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

This week Scotty and Amelia dive into two of the greatest conspiracy theories in the history of rock music.

Happy 50th episode! This week Scotty talks about the infamous (and goofy as hell) legend of the Bell Witch of Tennessee, and Amelia explains how the Gilded Age's conflict between old and new money lead to the creation of New York's Metropolitan Opera . Plus a brief, spoiler-free discussion of the Netflix show "Inventing Anna" and some much needed Mötley Crüe appreciation. This podcast is powered b...

Once again we're celebrating Black History Month and Women in Horror Month! Amelia takes us through the fascinating cultural and culinary history of soul food, and Scotty talks about author Anne Rice and her influence on both horror fiction and Goth culture. This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

This week we hop across the Atlantic to explore some interesting goings on in Europe. Scotty tells the chilling story of the Order of the Solar Temple, and Amelia tells the significantly less chilling story of the 1976 Judgment of Paris. CONTENT WARNING: Scotty's story talks about suicide, murder (including child death), and some men generally being the worst. This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

Happy New Year! To celebrate 2022, we've decided to go back a hundred years for our stories this week. Amelia delves into the shocking unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor, and Scotty talks about the making (and near unmaking) of F.W. Murnau's classic film "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror." CONTENT WARNING: There's a brief discussion of the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, which dea...

This week Scotty and Amelia take on three "alt-Christmas" classics — Gremlins, Die Hard, and Edward Scissorhands — and determine whether they are, in fact, Christmas movies. ALL DECISIONS WILL BE FINAL! This podcast is powered by Pinecast .

This week Scotty talks about the controversy that raged around the band Body Count's 1992 song "Cop Killer," and Amelia introduces us to "the first lady of graffiti" Lady Pink. Plus, our continuing discussion of/obsession over the Showtime series "Yellowjackets," and SEVERAL cameos from Amelia's dog Doña. CONTENT WARNING: the Body Count discussion necessitates a look at the lyrics, which explicitl...