The Last Podcast on the Left and the Last Podcast Network

A thread I've been meaning start for a while now, in which we can discuss latest and favorite episodes of The Last Podcast on the Left

https://www.lastpodcastontheleft.com/

For anyone unfamiliar, The Last Podcast on the Left features three hosts, Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski, discuss subjects ranging from True Crime, cults, the supernatural, aliens, conspiracy theories, and other high strangeness.

However, it is not a show I lightly recommend, as these three are highly prone to Black Comedy as they discuss the often horrible people involved with all the respect they feel they deserve: None. For example, they'll go into detail on the depravity of the serial killer BTK, while expressing active disgust at the man's attempt to be a Pungeon Master or crack jokes about the useless police chasing him being nicknamed "The Hot Dog Squad".

Short version, if you're squeamish and/or easily outraged, this show will likely not be for you.

Here's an episode list sorted by general topic so you can find whatever catches your fancy: https://www.lastpodcastontheleft.com/#archive-section

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Fortunately, if macabre humor isn't your thing, Last Podcast is only one of several shows in the greater Last Podcast Network.

https://www.lastpodcastnetwork.com/shows

If you're interested more in geeky history and info, there's Wizard And The Bruiser, hosted by Jake Young and Holden McNeely who discuss the wheres and how-comes of things like Star Wars, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Skyrim, among others. Movie Sign With The Mads, hosted by Frank Conniff, Trace Beaulieu, and Carolina Hidalgo, go on film odyssey exploring the good, the bad, and the weird.

If you want news, there's political news with Abe Lincolns Top Hat, with Ben Kissel and Marcus Parks, or entertainment news with Page Seven with Jackie Zebrowski, Marcus Parks, and Molly Knefel.

There's even a Spanish-speaking equivalent to Last Podcast, Escuela Sangre hosted by Carolina Hidalgo, Juan Camilo Sáez, and Veronica Garza.

Whatever you might be into, the Network may well have something. So pick your poison (figuratively speaking) and discuss what you love, hate, or in-between here.

And, as always, Hail Yourselves.

Edited by sgamer82 on Feb 15th 2019 at 6:56:03 AM

I've heard a lot about these guys so I think it's high time I listen to themc,cheers

New theme music also a box

I hope you enjoy. Like I said, much as I've enjoyed the series, and learned no small amount from it, I think, I always find it a bit hard to recommend. They just did a recent one-shot episode about the history of the Ouija board. Though the eps right before that were a 3-part series on Josef Mengele. The second ep got heavy enough that the hosts had to take a step back a couple times.

Now that the big introductory post is out of the way, for anyone who's already familiar with the series or listening to it:

What is your favorite series to date? I tend to favor the cult episodes and a personal favorite there is their series on Aum Shinrikyo. That said, the amount of work they put into their five part Jonestown series was staggering, to me.

Edited by sgamer82 on Feb 15th 2019 at 7:01:15 AM

I've recently listened to the BTK Killer episodes and absolutely loved the Detective Popcorn riffs.

Edited by Motyka5 on Feb 15th 2019 at 6:01:10 AM

Just a person. He/him.

I actually started with BTK both because my first time seeing mention of the series was in reference to Detective Popcorn, and because the page's entry for Early-Installment Weirdness noted that's when they started to hit their stride.

For the heck of it, a fan animation featuring the Detective:

Edited by sgamer82 on Feb 15th 2019 at 7:03:31 AM

Yeah, I also skipped to that episode because the Trope page indicated that had been the time when they had grown the beard.

Just a person. He/him.

Been listening to old episodes recently. Right now it's the Biggie and Tupac series and it once again struck me how, in the first episode, Marcus notes that one of the reasons so many conspiracies exist around them is because people want their heroes' deaths to mean something, which is something Marcus has to realize himself in the Kurt Cobain episodes.

Also Skinwalker Ranch part 3 is out.

I have been listening to The Last Podcast on the Left for a year and I wonder if I have listened to all the interesting main episodes. Though Side Stories can be fun too.

That probably depends on what you find interesting. I find the serial killer and cult episodes most riveting. The historical ones like Rasputin and Biggie & Tupoc pretty good. I'm less enthused about conspiracy theory episodes, mostly because I find it legitimately hard to tell where Henry's mockery ends and his sincere belief begins.

Yeah, I have listened to most of the serial killer and cult episodes and those are things from this podcast that interest me the most. Side Stories has its moments though.

I've started listening to their newest episode on Israel Keyes, a killer the hosts seen to feel even more disdain for BTK. Henry actually feels compelled to take BTK's side when comparing the two.

Also, is it odd that I regard their reading of Veggie Tales slash fic from a couple Side Stories episodes ago to be one of the best disturbing things they've done?

Edited by sgamer82 on Apr 27th 2019 at 11:22:02 AM

Some interesting stuff going on in the newest episodes. The latest regular episode starts us on the history of Bonnie and Clyde, while the newest Side Stories is an interview with Dan Aykroyd.

Edited by sgamer82 on Jun 20th 2019 at 1:25:53 PM

This week the guys are doing a one shot episode on one of the first mass shooters in U.S. history, Howard Unruh, who predates even the better known Charles Whitman of the 70s(?).

The timing of the episode is actually coincidental, decided weeks before as a one shot to build time so they could research their next big series, but then the the Garlic Festival, Dayton, El Paso, and others that didn't make the news all happened and they decided if they waited until there were no mass shootings before releasing an episode on a mass shooter, they were never going to release an episode on a mass shooter.

To paraphrase one of the reasons they went ahead regardless: "these assholes are as deserving of the same scorn and derision we give the serial killers we cover."

Given recent events, there might be some catharsis there (I've only just started listening myself so I can't say too specifically)

Thread bump so any listeners not already aware can be made so:

Last Podcast and its other shows are going to be moving over to Spotify. By my understanding, it'll be exclusively Spotify. Fortunately, outside of what app/site you use to access them, this shouldn't otherwise change anything.

The end of their latest episode "Sexual Encounters with the Alien" has them explaining that they insisted on full creative control and that premium would not be needed to listen. To paraphrase Henry, if someone can't afford to listen to them, they shouldn't have to pay to.

I also confirmed, since it was a specific concern of mine, that Spotify can download for later listening.

So that's why I couldn't find anything on Soundcloud.

Phew, I thought they were cancelled.

David Berg: "What am I holding in my hand?"

"You're holding your cock."

Newest episode is Madame Blavatsky, a woman the gang has mentioned in many an occult episode.

https://t.co/5Sc8cXU58h?amp=1

Man, poor Ricky.

Anyone watched that video all the way to the end?

I haven't. I'm not sure if I'd be able to or not.

Related: A while back I listened to Jonestown with my roommate during our commute. He commented that he hadn't ever realized that little kids and such were part of all that until we heard the Jonestown audio and you could hear them in the background.

Well it was a whole community, and it lasted long enough for some kids to grow up in it.

The saddest thing about Jonestown, thinking about it, is that if Jim Jones wasn't a maniac, it could have ended up perfectly well. It started out innocently enough, and for a lot of time, it stayed that way.

Learning that a man's dick can break another's man faith in God is exactly why I listen to this podcast, thank you so much for introducing me to this sgamer82

Edited by HailMuffins on May 29th 2020 at 12:13:50 PM

Glad you're enjoying Raaaaaasputin.

A couple i like, if you're listening in no particular order, are the Aum Shinrikyo cult, starting ep 218, and Flat Earth, ep 334.

Edited by sgamer82 on May 29th 2020 at 9:41:50 AM

I was planning on starting the Aleph cult next because Japan is giving cult enthusiasts material for decades to come.

Flat Earth...I feel sorry for Marcus, researching that must've given him an aneurism.

I think Henry was the one more confused by it.

"I like the idea of questioning what you see, but what brings a person to question depth and volume?"

Okay, so why aren't you supposed to sing "Stairway to Heaven" in the US?