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Every episode
Timesuck with Dan Cummins
30 episodes
520 - Mother of Frankenstein: Mary Shelley
Aug 17, 2026 · 2 hr 33 min
Mary Shelley didn't just create Frankenstein - she helped invent modern science fiction while forever changing the landscape of horror. This episode, we explore her remarkable life: her radical parents, scandalous romance with Percy Shelley, the personal tragedies that shaped her, and the stormy night that gave birth to one of literature's greatest monsters. Along the way, we'll also trace how a novel written by an eighteen-year-old became one of the most influential stories ever told, inspiring…
Short Suck 63: The Children's Crusade: Faith, Folly, and 30,000 Kids
Aug 14, 2026 · 59 min
In 1212, thousands of children set out across Europe believing God would part the Mediterranean and lead them peacefully to Jerusalem. (Spoiler alert: God didn't.) Their impossible journey became one of the strangest and most hotly debated events of the Middle Ages, blurring the line between history, myth, religious fervor, and mass delusion. It's also wildly entertaining. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi…
519 - Death Before Divorce: The Kouri Richins Case
Aug 10, 2026 · 2 hr 14 min
When Utah realtor and children's author Kouri Richins reported her husband dead after what appeared to be a tragic medical emergency, investigators eventually uncovered allegations of a massive amount of secret debt, an affair, financial deception, a fatal dose of fentanyl and more. This week we look into the investigation and trial of one of America's most shocking recent murder cases—and explore how the person you trust most can sometimes be the one you should fear most. Merch and more: www.ba…
518 - San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre
Aug 3, 2026 · 2 hr 38 min
From the troubled life of James Huberty to the horrifying events inside a San Ysidro McDonald's on July 18th, 1984, we explore how one of America's first modern mass shootings - still the deadliest mass shooting on California soil and the deadliest one perpetuated by a lone shooter in US history at the time - forever changed America's understanding of public violence. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious Pri…
517 - The Buffalo River Cult: Murder, Prophecy, and... a Ghost Girl??
Jul 27, 2026 · 2 hr 49 min
In 1978, a fanatical doomsday cult disappeared into the Arkansas Ozarks believing the end of the world was arriving fast... which it did (for them), after they were arrested for the brutal murder of a three-year-old girl. More than twenty years later, six-year-old Haley Zega survived three days lost in that same wilderness, later claiming she was guided to safety by an "imaginary friend." How do these two seemingly unrelated stories relate to one another? Listen and find out! Merch and more: www…
Short Suck 62: From Mom-and-Pop to Mega-Corporations: The Transformation of America’s Food Industry
Jul 24, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
How did a nation built on local farms and family businesses become dependent on a handful of massive corporations for most of its (now mostly processed) food? In this week's Short Suck, we investigate the surprising evolution of the American food industry over the past century, from mom-and-pop markets to mega-distributors, exploring how convenience, consolidation, and ultra-processed foods quietly transformed what ends up on all of our plates. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, he…
516 - Murder at 100 MPH: The Mackenzie Shirilla Case
Jul 20, 2026 · 2 hr 22 min
A quiet Ohio suburb is shattered when a 17-year-old girl, Mackenzie Shirilla, drives nearly 100 miles per hour into a brick wall, killing her boyfriend and a close friend while somehow surviving herself. Was it a tragic accident, a medical emergency, or a carefully calculated act of murder? This week, we examine the evidence, the trial, the toxic relationship at the center of it all, and the questions that continue to divide people over the case. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Times…
515 - Fort Hood: Murders, Mysteries, and Silence
Jul 13, 2026 · 2 hr 32 min
For years, Fort Hood has been plagued by an unsettling string of murders, disappearances, suspicious deaths, and allegations of institutional failure that have left grieving families searching for answers. This week, we dive into the history of one of America's largest military installations, explore the cases that brought it under national scrutiny, and examine the competing theories—from leadership failures and violent crime to cartel rumors and even whispers of something more sinister. What's…
Short Suck 61: Why Are Nordic People So.... Happy?
Jul 10, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
For over a decade, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden have consistently ranked among the happiest nations on Earth—but why? We dig into the research behind the World Happiness Report, separate fact from political myth, and explore whether strong social safety nets, low governmental corruption, public trust, and the Nordic model of government really do create happier lives. Along the way, we also examine the decades of propaganda, misconceptions, and ideological battles that have shape…
514 - Carl Tanzler: Romantic... Necrophiliac?
Jul 6, 2026 · 2 hr 59 min
In Key West, Florida during the Great Depression, an obsessed German radiology technician, Carl Tanzler, became convinced that a dying young woman named Elena de Hoyos was his supernatural soulmate. After her death, his delusion led him to commit one of the most bizarre and disturbing acts of grave robbery in American history. We explore the strange intersection of obsession, tuberculosis, embalming, mental illness, and necrophilia in yet another dark, weird, and fascinating episode. Merch and m…
513 - The Dark Strangler: Serial Killer Earle Nelson
Jun 29, 2026 · 2 hr 26 min
For at least sixteen months in the 1920s, Earle Nelson terrorized North America, murdering at least twenty-two women while drifting from city to city under false identities. Known as the Gorilla Man and the Dark Strangler, Nelson was a deeply disturbed sexual predator whose life was marked by childhood tragedy, mental illness, brain injury, prison sentences, and multiple escapes from psychiatric institutions. This is an especially wild one. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Di…
Short Suck 60: The Mystery of the Yuba County Five
Jun 24, 2026 · 1 hr
In February of 1978, five friends left a college basketball game in Northern California and seemingly vanished into thin air. Months later, four of them were found dead deep in the wilderness, miles from their abandoned car, while the fifth remained missing. Nearly fifty years later, the Yuba County Five remains one of America's strangest unsolved mysteries—a baffling case filled with unexplained decisions, bizarre clues, and theories ranging from tragic misadventure to murder and conspiracy. Fo…
512 - The Stonewall Riots
Jun 22, 2026 · 2 hr 42 min
On June 28th, 1969, New York City police expected another routine raid on a gay bar. Instead, they found a community that had finally had enough. This week, we explore the long history of anti-LGBTQ+ persecution in America, the explosive events of the Stonewall Riots, and how a few nights of resistance helped ignite the modern fight for queer liberation. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook G…
511 - The 1991 Austin Yogurt Shop Murders
Jun 15, 2026 · 2 hr 37 min
On a December night in 1991, four teenage girls gathered at an Austin frozen yogurt shop for what should have been an ordinary evening of work, pizza, friendship, and weekend plans. Instead, they became the victims of one of the most brutal and baffling crimes in Texas history - a case that shattered Austin's sense of safety and led to further tragedy. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Gro…
Short Suck 59: The Alligator Man aka The Butcher of Elmendorf
Jun 12, 2026 · 50 min
Long before serial killers became podcast and true crime doc celebrities in the US, there was Joe Ball: a bootlegger, bar owner, womanizer, and suspected murderer who kept a pit full of hungry alligators behind his Texas tavern. In the late 1930s, as women connected to Ball began disappearing one after another, rumors spread that "The Alligator Man" wasn't just feeding stray animals to his reptiles—he might have been feeding them people... For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to…
510 - Black Death: The Bizarre Kidnapping of Chloe Ayling
Jun 8, 2026 · 2 hr 22 min
A young British glamour model flies to Milan for what she believes is a routine photo shoot in 2017 — and vanishes into one of the strangest kidnapping cases in modern true crime history. Drugged, stuffed into the trunk of a car, and allegedly marked for sale on a dark web sex auction by a shadowy group called “Black Death,” Chloe Ayling’s story quickly spiraled into an international media frenzy filled with bizarre twists, contradictory behavior, and public skepticism. Was she the victim of a r…
509 - 13 Hours of Terror: The 2020 Nova Scotia Massacre
Jun 1, 2026 · 2 hr 20 min
In April of 2020, while the rest of the world fixated on the terrifying early days of the Covid pandemic, a 51-year-old denturist in rural Nova Scotia launched one of the deadliest mass shootings in North American history — murdering 22 people across 13 horrifying hours while disguised as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. We dive deep into the shocking failures, bizarre details, and devastating human stories behind these attacks: a case involving fake police cars, burning homes, biker gan…
508 - John of God: Ghosts, Grift, and Psychic Surgery
May 25, 2026 · 2 hr 29 min
For decades, hundreds of thousands of desperate people (maybe even millions) traveled to rural Brazil seeking miracles from João Teixeira de Faria — better known as “John of God” — a self-proclaimed psychic surgeon who claimed spirits healed others through his body. But behind the stories of supernatural cures, celebrity endorsements, and spiritual enlightenment lurked allegations of fraud, manipulation, and horrific abuse. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://di…
Short Suck 58: Roaring! Spinning! Winning! The Rise of the Big Wheel
May 22, 2026 · 59 min
Before helmets, hoverboards, and helicopter parenting… there was the Big Wheel. Louis Marx and Company turned a low-slung plastic tricycle into one of the most iconic - and unexpectedly controversial - toys in American history. From glorious downhill drifts and neighborhood wipeouts to lawsuits, broken bones, and adult underground Big Wheel racing leagues, this is the wild story of the toy that taught generations of kids that danger and fun were sometimes the exact same thing. For Merch and ever…
507 - Finding The Lost City of Z: Percy Fawcett's Suicide Mission
May 18, 2026 · 3 hr 12 min
What began as a search for a mythical city hidden deep within the Amazon became an obsession that consumed famed British explorer Percy Fawcett. In 1925, convinced that an advanced lost civilization known only as “Z” truly existed, Fawcett led a small expedition that included his oldest son into one of the deadliest environments on Earth… and vanished forever. What happened to them? And does Z exist? Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to…
506 - The Charmer: Serial Killer George Russell
May 11, 2026 · 3 hr 8 min
Big episode today! There were just too many interesting details out there about George Russell to cut out. Such a strange, unique, and ultimately terrible human being who is alive and in prison right now for some brutal murderers he committed in the summer of 1990 in Bellevue, Washington. Also, if you're a fan of Black Angus steakhouses, you will never think of them the same way after this week. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join…
Short Suck #57: Return to the Land: The Ravenden Experiment
May 8, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Deep in the Ozarks, outside a tiny Arkansas town, a group of white nationalists believe they’ve found a legal loophole to resurrect segregation in America. They call it Return to the Land — a “traditionalist” community built around shared values, shared land… and shared race. Will they be shut down? Or will the be allowed to have, essentially, a new Sundown town? For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company…
505 - Drowned by the Horizon: Japan’s 2011 Tsunami Nightmare
May 4, 2026 · 2 hr 18 min
On March 11th, 2011, the ground beneath Japan didn’t just shake—it unraveled, releasing one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. Minutes later, the ocean rose in response, surging inland with unstoppable force, swallowing towns, families, and entire futures in a matter of moments. What followed was not just a natural disaster, but a cascading nightmare of water, fire, and radiation that left a nation forever changed. This is the story of the day the horizon turned against humanity—and…
504 - Blizzard of Lies: The Karen Read Murder Trials
Apr 27, 2026 · 2 hr 44 min
A blizzard, a body in the snow, and a case that’s divided a town—and the internet. In this episode, we break down the mysterious death of Boston police officer John O’Keefe and the explosive murder trials of Karen Read, where accusations of drunken rage collide with claims of a massive police cover-up. What really happened on Fairview Road… and who, if anyone, is telling the truth? Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of t…
Short Suck #56: Triple Axel, Triple Chaos: The Rise and Fall of Tonya Harding
Apr 24, 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Tonya Harding went from landing one of the hardest moves in figure skating history to being at the center of a real-life “what the hell were you thinking?” crime. This episode unpacks her rough upbringing, explosive relationships, and the unbelievably sloppy plot that turned Olympic dreams into tabloid infamy. Talent, dysfunction, and absolute chaos—this story's got it all. For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW…
503 - Lemurians, Lizard People, and Lies: Ramtha’s School Exposed
Apr 20, 2026 · 2 hr 50 min
A purple, 35,000-year-old warrior from Atlantis shows up in a woman’s kitchen… and somehow turns her into a millionaire. Totally normal. Today’s Timesuck unpacks the wild, weird, and wildly profitable story of JZ Knight, Ramtha, and the New Age empire based in Yelm, Washington that asks: what if enlightenment… was just really confident nonsense? Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go…
502 - Help Me Before I Kill: The Chilling Story of Eddie Cole
Apr 13, 2026 · 2 hr 37 min
Most serial killers hide what they are. Eddie Cole did the opposite—he flat-out told people he wanted to rape and kill women, and begged for help before it was too late. Somehow, again and again, he was released back into the world. Today’s Timesuck dives into one of the most frustrating true crime cases imaginable: a killer who warned everyone… and still wasn’t stopped. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious…
Short Suck #55: Stolen History: The British Museum Debate
Apr 10, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
The British Museum is one of the world’s greatest treasure houses—home to over eight million artifacts spanning human history. But behind its incredible collection lies a complicated legacy of empire, conquest, and controversy that raises a difficult question: who should really own the past? For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per…
501 - The Ant Hill Kids: Most Brutal Cult Ever?
Apr 6, 2026 · 3 hr 1 min
Roch Thériault promised his followers healing, purpose, and a closer connection to God — but what he built in the wilderness of Canada became something far, FAR more sinister. As his control tightened, faith twisted into fear, and “treatment” became torture. This is the story of the Ant Hill Kids. A story of how belief, isolation, and absolute power created one of the most disturbing cults in modern history. Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v…
500 - Blowing Through the Mushroom Murders
Mar 30, 2026 · 2 hr 35 min
The 500th episode! And for the 500th straight week of Timesuck, I will not be in my right mind (but is it ever right?). I'll also be sharing the story of the 2023 Leongatha, Australia Mushroom Murders, when four family members all became violently ill after eating a lunch prepared by Erin Patterson. A meal laced with death cap mushrooms. This case riveted Australia like few others in recent memory. Listen to find out why! Thank you for keeping this podcast going! And check out https://bobsbounti…
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