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I began my foray into podcasts via this very cast - Serial
Killers. I’ve always had a fascination with the weird, with the strange, with
the incomprehensible. I think it’s one of the reasons why I write - the world
is full of so many fascinating things, that ideas just tend to fly at me from
left and right.
Anyway! Serial Killers attracted me because of the name. I
wasn’t really sure what I was going to be listening to - and by that I mean, at
all. I had no idea what format a podcast takes, who “reads” it, nothing. These
episodes are great for someone who wants a detailed look at a specific topic -
in this case, various serial killers - without having to sit down and read a
500 page book.
The podcasts tend to follow a similar pattern - we open with
a scene: what happened when the killer struck; then we learn a little about the
overarching crimes. The presenters then go into detail about the history of the
killer (provided the killer's identity is known) - their upbringing, childhood
trauma which may have led in part to their crimes.
With this podcast, I started at the very first episode, The Werewolf of Wisteria. This isn’t necessary, you can start anywhere in the list. Most serial killers get two episodes - some three - and as long as you start with the first of the two, you’re good to go. The Werewolf of Wisteria was fascinating to me for a couple of reasons, the main one being how long ago it was. I don’t know why, but apparently in my head I had the mindset that serial killers were a modern thing (I mean, duh, Jack the Ripper? Not my finest moment haha). The Werewolf of Wisteria was active in the 1920’s. He was a serial killer, serial rapist, and a cannibal. That’s all I will tell you now, as I was attempting to keep these short and sweet!
Other notable inclusions on this podcast are: Jeffery Dahmer, The Zodiac Killer, The Death House Landlady and Son of Sam.
Content Warnings: Gore, strong language, discussions of child abuse, discussions of rape/assault, discussions of murder, cannibalism.
I’m somewhat embarrassed at how long it took me to realise
that the advertisement in the Serial Killer Podcast was for a different show…
Despite the fact that the presenters say something along the lines of “Hello
Cults listeners”, I didn’t realise that there was, in fact, a Cults show. I
know.
Cults fascinate me even more than serial killers. I read every memoir I can get my hands on that delves into life inside and post-cults. If there’s a book I haven’t read on the FLDS, I want to know about it! Something about the psychology of the cult leaders, paired with how “normal” people can be sucked into something that the standard bystander can clearly see as not-right, just makes me crave more.
Cults let me fall even deeper down the rabbit hole of new and mind boggling cults. Some I knew - FLDS - some I had a vague knowledge of - the Manson Family - and some I had no idea about - The Moonies. There is a wealth of information here, and I particularly enjoyed learning about cults that I was not aware of.
Content Warnings: Gore, strong language, discussions of child abuse, discussions of rape/assault, discussions of murder, cannibalism.
Who doesn’t like the
smell of a good conspiracy theory in the morning?
So far as I am aware,
NZ doesn’t have too many conspiracy theories (apart from that one about the
rich people from other countries making secret bunkers in the South Island for
the coming zombie apocalypse…). I think my first encounter with a conspiracy
theory was in high school, when a friend researched the conspiracy theories
surrounding 9/11.
This podcast is not for the faint hearted or easily swayed. Despite the presenters noting that they are not conspiracy theorists themselves, they put forth a well thought-out and well researched description of the theory, with all the required back-up information. Many theories have multiple options/theories - Flight MH370 for one has a number of different theories around where it actually ended up - and the presenters compare and discuss each theory in detail, before ranking them at the end of the episode. Where there is clear refutation, this is taken into account and discussed alongside the theory.
Some theories you will
find here include: Flat Earth, Vaccines, The Moon Landing and the Death of Kurt
Cobain.
Content Warnings: conspiracy theories, discussions of uncomfortable situations and disasters, theories which may minimise the suffering of people involved in disasters.
This was a podcast it took me a while to find, and when I did I was just so mind blown. Here in NZ, we don’t know about the Donner Party. It’s not something we study, so until I saw it referenced in a teen librarian blog post, I had no idea about the insane journey the pioneers had to make when they Went West. My first listen to Survival was the Donner Party, and the horrendous collection of misfortunes that befell the party, leading to many deaths and devastation.
Given the fascination
I have with natural disasters and the like, I read very little non-fiction. For
me, the Survival Podcast is an ideal way for me to learn about the sequence of
events which lead up to a disaster; the ‘meat’ of the situation, and the
fallout afterwards. Again, I very much enjoyed the “we found this source
extremely helpful” at the end of each episode, and even had to look up a few
books in my library catalogue!
Some tales you will
find here include the infamous Donner Party, Violet Jessop - who survived not
only the sinking of the Titanic but also the sinking of two other ships! - and
the 2010 Haiti Quake.
If you enjoy this
podcast, there is another called Natural Disasters, which may also be up your
alley.
Content Warnings: death, disaster, gore, cannibalism, PTSD triggers.
And then, of course, there is a podcast which touches on a number of topics - Unexplained Mysteries. There are a number of cross-over episodes here - Jack the Ripper, MH370 - but also a lot of stand alone stories.
Me, I have had a fascination with things such as The Bermuda Triangle, ESP, and Crop Circles. This podcast gave me so much more than these however (although they are all included!), I think my favourite of which was the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Seriously, if you haven’t heard of this, take a little time and listen to the episodes. It’s as fascinating as the Donner Party, but set much closer to home time-wise. In 1959 nine students set off on a trek into the Ural Mountains. They did not return, and the state their bodies and campsite were found in has spawned a plethora of conspiracy theories. Great for a listen if you want to know more about the things that mainstream media may have brushed off as a hoax, or a wacked out story.
Content Warnings:
death, murder, gore, unexplained phenomena.
Posted by Li
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