Too Close to Home Podcast

64: The Stayner Brothers, Part 1 - The Strongest Lost Boy

In this heart-wrenching series, we are looking at the tragedies that fell upon the Stayner family, and these events are on completely different ends of the spectrum. In part one, we look into the kidnapping and sexual abuse of 7-year old Stephen Stayner at the hands of child molester Kenneth Parnell. Stephen's innocence is matched only by the goodness in his heart, and his bravery saved not only his own life, but the life of another potential victim as well.

63: Jim Jones And The People’s Temple, Part 5 - Psalms 106:36-38

"... And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood..."
This is where the road ends, and it is a dead-end filled with pain and blood. For the series finale on Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, we are going to dark places while we explore Congressman Leo Ryan’s fateful visit to Jonestown and the final white night: an event that became (at the time) the singular greatest loss of civilian life in American history.
Trigger Warning… this episode contains many segments from the Jonestown Death Tape that feature very real human suffering and death. For those of you that may be triggered by these audio excerpts, it is strongly recommended that you skip this episode.

62: Halloween Special - The Headless Horseman And The Mystery Of The Acorn Stew

In the spirit of the spooky season, we are giving you a bit of a palate cleanser before we go off the deep end in the bitter Jonestown finale! Trust us… you need it. In our first Halloween special, we explore one of the OG’s of horror legend: the headless horseman! We bet some of you didn’t know the history of this ghastly equestrian goes deeper than the titular character from Sleepy Hollow; it has appeared throughout the centuries in folk tales from around the world. Some horsemen are forces for good, while others are the stuff of nightmares. Regardless of their intentions, you can be sure of one thing: heads are going to roll!

61: Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, Part 4 - Tiger, Take Me Away!

Make sure you have used the latrine hole and buckle up tight, because we are putting the pedal to the metal in this rickety People's Temple bus. Destination? Jonestown! In this super-sized penultimate episode in our People's Temple series, we explore in-depth the destitution plaguing Jonestown, the daily physical and mental abuse, and the unrest which followed. With defections, political attention, and contingency plans being formulated, the pieces are starting to fall into place for the devastating end.
With special thanks to the Jonestown Institute, featured throughout the episode are original tape recordings which bring you as close as possible to the horrible conditions in Guyana, and the worsening health and madness of Jim Jones.

60: Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, Part 3 - Where Are The Thundercats When You Need Them?

Scott Mackenzie once sang, "If you're going to San Francisco, you're going to meet some gentle people there". This song was not written with Jim Jones in mind! In part three of this in-depth series, we see the establishment of the People's Temple headquarters in San Francisco, the rise of Jim Jones' short-lived political career, the escalating abuse, and what became the Temple's biggest ideology shift: abandoning all traces of traditional Christianity in favor of full-blown Apostolic Socialism... with Jim Jones at the center as a God-like figure to his congregants.

59: Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, Part 2 - I Wear My Sunglasses In Church

In the formative years of your average new church, one may expect the usual fare: growing your congregation, fundraising efforts, and even refining your philosophy and vision. When it comes to the People’s Temple, however, this fare also includes amphetamines, headshots with healing powers, congregational F*%# chants, and a healthy dose of Socialism! In part 2 of our series on Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, we will move beyond the rotten chicken guts and witness the deranged power of Jim Jones’ new ministry… just don’t look him in the eyes.

58: Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, Part 1 - Maybe It’s Cancer. Maybe It’s Chicken Guts

Hold onto your butts and mind the flavor-aid, because this is part one of a massive series on Jim Jones, the People’s Temple, and all the groundwork laid for Jonestown. We are going back to the beginning and looking at Jim Jones’ childhood, his “career” path, and the events which led to the founding of the People’s Temple. The story of the mother of all cults begins now!

57: The Mothman - We Have Mothmanitus

Welcome back to our sickness everyone... we have missed you immensely! After bouts of COVID for both families, school starting up again, and some much needed R&R, we are back with a vengeance! We are coming at you hard with some fun and the seer of despair himself: The legendary Mothman! Many people have heard about the events of Point Pleasant, but those piercing red eyes have actually been seen around the world... and always as a prophetic warning of doom.