Too Close to Home Podcast

118: Bigfoot and the Emerald Triangle, Part 2 - Reefer Madness

In part 2 of our series, we start by getting a lesson on biomechanics and species divergence: two things which help us understand how ol' Sassie could potentially be a real, living being. We then take a massive detour and talk about the history and criminality of marijuana, the back to the land movement of Northern California, and how the conditions of the area make it perfect for high quality cannabis cultivation. I know what you're asking: how is this related to Bigfoot? It may be standing in the shadows of the cannabis farms of the not-so-peaceful Emerald Triangle, and maybe... just maybe... it has a violent appetite. 

117: Bigfoot and the Emerald Triangle, Part 1 - Sassy Origin Stories

Time to pass the dutchie 'pon the left hand side, and straight into the hands of probably the most famous cryptid in the world... Bigfoot, or the Sasquatch! We go way back to the beginning with the origins of the Bigfoot legend as described in Indigenous American oral history, and go forward in time to the stories and evidence presented during the modern era within the Emerald Triangle and beyond. Does Bigfoot really exist? Is it a protector figure, or is he a ferocious beast capable of violence... even murder? In order to understand Bigfoot's link to the world's superhighway of the finest quality ganja, we first have to understand the misunderstood beast itself. 

116: The Milton Florida Murders, Part 2 - Organic Brain Damage

We jump right into the investigation into the murders, and Lawrence is quickly identified as a number one suspect, and the search of his home yields many discoveries... some hilarious and some disturbing. Following some robbery and car chase shenanigans, Rodgers is also quickly apprehended. In the trial that comes, is it determined they are just mentally ill and didn't have their faculties about them? Or did they know exactly what heinous acts they were committing?

115: The Milton Florida Murders, Part 1 - The Devil Is In The Details

In this listener request series, we shed light on a little known yet brutal series of murders which occurred in the small town of Milton, Florida in 1998... one that our own Becky actually grew up in! We jump straight into the crime spree of perpetrators Jeremiah Rodgers and Jonathan Lawrence, beginning with the murder of Lawrence's cousin Justin Livingston. Following some 3D Doritos and small-town petty drama, we arrive at the day of Jennifer Robinson's date with Jeremiah Rodgers... the last day she is seen alive.

114: The Yukon Beaver Eater - The More You Know

Just imagine for a second that you are an innocent beaver... hiding away in your dark, wet habitat... when all of a sudden, you are exposed to a beast with a voracious appetite... one that loves to eat beaver. Now get your mind out of the gutter! We are referring to the giant sloth-like cryptid: The Yukon Beaver Eater! If we stop laughing long enough, we may even talk about its history, sightings, and some science. Come join us for some much needed mind bleach!

113: Rudolph Hoess, Part 5 - FAFO

As a member of the WVHA, Rudy had unfettered access to everything involved in the concentration camp system, and it was his expertise that led him to spearhead Operation Hoess: The mass deportation and execution of Hungarian Jews. During this time, however, the Allies have successfully invaded Europe and the time of the Third Reich is nearing its inevitable end. We then touch upon the aftermath, the Nuremberg Trials, and the poetic justice which befalls Rudy as he is executed on the very grounds of Auschwitz he helped create.

112: Rudolph Hoess, Part 4 - Naughty Nazi

With the Final Solution well underway, we first start by discussing the role of Sonderkommandos: Jewish prisoners who were responsible for the "dirty" work involved in the mass killings, and the horrors they had to perform and endure. During the miserable expansion of Auschwitz, we also take a detour into Rudy and his wife Hedwig's personal life, his scandalous "affair" with a prisoner servant, and Rudy's eventual promotion to the WVHA

111: Rudolph Hoess, Part 3 - The Final Solution

The life of a concentration camp prisoner is something most people could never truly fathom. In part 3 of this series, we discuss a small part of what that was like; we touch upon the role of music, the conditions the prisoners and guards deal with, the advent of Zyklon B, and Hoess’ transition of Auschwitz into a death camp to answer the question to the Final Solution. We are truly fixing to enter the darkest period in the history of humanity, and Rudolph Hoess is engineering and observing, front and center, with gas mask donned.