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True Crime
True Crime Obsessed
The true crime / comedy podcast YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE. We recap your favorite true crime documentaries with humor, sass, and heart. FROM VULTURE: "It’s not wrong to laugh when you’re listening to a true-crime podcast. Or at least I hope it isn’t, because if almost crashing my car while listening to True Crime Obsessed is wrong, I don’t want to be right." Hear our take on "Abducted in Plain Sight," "The Ted Bundy Tapes,"Dirty John: The Dirty Truth" and so many more.
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42: Author: The JT LeRoy Story

42: Author: The JT LeRoy Story

In 2000, the novel “Sarah” was published. It was written by a homeless teenaged hustler named JT LeRoy. Nobody had ever met him—his only correspondence with press and publishers was over the phone or fax machine—and still he became the literary sensation of the time. He was dubbed a ‘wunderkind,’ an ‘it boy’ and ‘the literary voice of his generation.’ He became a best-selling author and sold the film rights to his books. The only thing was, he didn’t actually exist. On January 9, 2006 The New York Times sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about a sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. It turned out that he was the creative expression of 40-year-old San Francisco former phone-sex operator turned housewife, Laura Albert. Author: The JT LeRoy Story takes us down the infinitely fascinating rabbit hole of how Laura Albert--like a Cyrano de Bergerac on steroids--breathed not only words, but life, into her avatar for a decade. Albert's epic and entertaining account plunges us into a glittery world of rock shows, fashion events, and the Cannes red carpet where LeRoy becomes a mysterious sensation. Also, our best friend Courtney Love (call us, girl!) Is back in a big, cocaine-infused way. Oh, how we’ve missed her. You Guys! We're creating WEEKLY FULL BONUS EPISODES via our Patreon feed. We're currently covering "Serial" season 1 episode-by-episode. The firs 4 episode of "Serial" plus 2 full bonus episodes (covering "The Queen of Versailles" and "Madonna: Truth or Dare") are now available. NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE:  The Seven Five. Check out the Trailer here!
59:0008/05/2018
41: Fantastic Lies

41: Fantastic Lies

In 2006, three Duke University lacrosse players were accused of rape. The men were presumed guilty by the much of school's student body, the faculty, and when the story became national news, the country. If convicted, the accused men faced decades of mandatory jail time without the possibility of parole. The District Attorney who was trying the case was determined to put them away at all cost and was willing to break the law to do it. But the men were innocent. The victim had lied. The question was, would the men be able to prove. It. In related-ish news. These lacrosse players had the filthiest bathroom on Earth. There is photographic evidence. And we go in on it. Because it’s disgusting. Have you heard? We're covering "Serial" episode-by-episode via our Patreon feed! Check it out! You'll also find hilarious extended outtakes from recent episodes, 2 other full bonus episodes, and 7 mini episodes! Join our Patreon community today and see what everyone is talking about! NEXT WEEK'S EPISODE: Author: The JT Leroy Story. Check out the trailer here
01:04:5124/04/2018
40: Kidnapped For Christ

40: Kidnapped For Christ

Kate Logan, an Evangelical missionary, was in The Dominican Republic on a break from her second year of film school when she stumbled upon  Escuela Caribe, an American-operated, faith-based reform school that aims to "cure" teens of homosexuality and purge "ungodly" influences though "Christian milieu therapy." She set out to document the 'good work' the school was doing, but quickly realized that the kids she was documenting were in serious danger at the hands of their 'house fathers.' Kate then embarks on a year long journey of helping one of the students, David, escape.
58:3617/04/2018
39: Crazy Love

39: Crazy Love

There really aren't words to describe how much both Gillian and Patrick hated this film. H.A.T.E.D. Also, they both agree, this MIGHT be their best episode. These ladies are hilarious when they're furious.  Whatever, Garbage Bert meets Linda. He's disgusting, she's gorgeous. He's also insane, she's basically normal. He's rich, she likes him for his money and they date. But then she finds out that he's married. She finds someone else and he hires two guys to THROW ACID IN HER FACE. She's scarred and blinded. He goes to jail. But after he gets out her GARBAGE FRIENDS decide TO SET THEM UP ON A DATE (Like, I can't) and after five months THEY GET ENGAGED. And then THEY GET MARRIED.  Fine, whatever, they deserve each other.  Did you hear? We're covering 'Serial' episode-by-episode via our Patreon feed! Our first episode is live now! Check it out and join our Patreon community here!
56:2210/04/2018
Our New Podcast "My So-Called Podcast" Is Live! Hear Our Hilarious Trailer!

Our New Podcast "My So-Called Podcast" Is Live! Hear Our Hilarious Trailer!

YOU GUYS!! Our new podcast, "My So-Called Podcast" is live! It's hilarious and fun--it's TCO for "My So-Called Life." HEAR OUR TRAILER HERE! And e'd love for you to check out our episodes! Find "My So-Called Podcasts wherever you get your podcasts!
04:1404/04/2018
YOU GUYS LISTEN TO THIS IMMEDIATELY! BIG NEWS!

YOU GUYS LISTEN TO THIS IMMEDIATELY! BIG NEWS!

We've been keeping a secret from you. We haven't liked it. But it's time for us to come out about the fact that WE'RE MAKING A PODCAST ABOUT MY SO CALLED LIFE! It's called "MY SO-CALLED PODCAST" and you're going to love it. Imagine the format of True Crime Obsessed, but for "My So-Called Life"--all the flannel, floppy hair, drama, under aged drinking, and JORDAN CATALANO! Listen to this teaser and then go wherever you get your podcasts to listen to the full promo! And subscribe! We love you, that's why we're asking you to, like, join us on this journey....or whatever. You can also stream the promo here!
02:5630/03/2018
38: Sour Grapes

38: Sour Grapes

As Gillian Says: "this is 'My Kid Could Paint That,' but with wine, meets 'The Queen of Versailles.' And I hated it."  Rudy Kurniawan has charisma, pockets full of cash, and an uncanny memory for vintages. He earns the reputation of a wine savant by surrounding himself with some of high society’s most fervent wine connoisseurs. But when Bill Koch – a top US collector – and Laurent Ponsot – a Burgundian wine producer – discover suspicious bottles, a humorous and suspenseful investigation begins into one of the most ingenious cons of our time. Join our Patreon community to check out our 2 commercial-free full bonus episodes and our 7 mini episodes! And we're adding more content every week!
49:3927/03/2018
37: Welcome To Leith

37: Welcome To Leith

How not Awesome would it be if a group of weirdo Nazis tried to take over your town? That's exactly what happened to the 24 (yes twenty four) residents of Leith, North Dakota.  As you might have guessed,the bad-ass residents of Leith were not having it and an all out war was waged to run the Nazis out of town. Maybe they shouldn't have been Nazis, you know? Join our Patreon community to find our monthly full bonus episodes and our weekly mini episodes! Later this week we'll be dropping full bonus episode number 2--"Madonna: Truth or Dare." We are on record that this might be the funniest episode we've ever made! You can join our Patreon Community here!
52:0520/03/2018
36: How To Survive A Plague

36: How To Survive A Plague

The hero bell and the garbage bell both got a workout with this one... "How To Survive A Plague" is a riveting, powerful telling of the story of the grassroots movement of activists, many of them in a life-or-death struggle, who seized upon scientific research to help develop the drugs that turned HIV from a mostly fatal infection to a manageable disease. Ignored by public officials, religious leaders, and the nation at large, and confronted with shame and hatred, this small group of men and women chose to fight for their right to live by educating themselves and demanding to become full partners in the race for effective treatments. Around the globe, 16 million people are alive today thanks to their efforts. Be sure to check out the hilarious bonus content we're creating via Patreon! We have a whole bunch of mini episodes--we upload at least one per week--and one FULL Bonus episode all about the bat shit doc "The Queen of Versailles." Our next FULL bonus episode will be out within the next few days and it's all about Madonna's "Truth or Dare." We promise April's full bonus episode will be slightly less gay.
51:4113/03/2018
35: Team Foxcatcher

35: Team Foxcatcher

It's a sports doc…but stick with us, you guys, it's also super murderey. When billionaire John Du Pont decides to build the United States' premiere wrestling training facility on his property in Pennsylvania, he attracts the sport's top athletes and coaches to come live and train there. As the athletes and their families begin to create an idyllic 'sports utopia,' Du Pont devolves into a state of constant paranoia. As his mental state deteriorates and goes unchecked, Du Pont becomes suspicious and distrustful of the athletes who've come to depend on him--a combination that results in a brutal and senseless murder. For even more TCO, find our weekly bonus mini episodes and our monthly Full Bonus Episodes on our Patreon page!
56:5806/03/2018
34: Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

34: Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

A decade after making the documentary film “Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer” about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, director Nick Broomfield was subpoenaed as a witness for Aileen’s final appeal in overturning her death sentence. When he became a participant in Aileen’s legal fight, Broomfield decided made this new documentary which looks at Aileen's violent, tortured childhood in Troy, Michigan and her subsequent years on the road as a hitch-hiking prostitute which culminated in her committing seven murders in the span of one year. For the documentary, Aileen granted Broomfield exclusive interviews in order to share her side of the story—conspiracy theories and all—as she prepared to be executed.  YOU GUYS! Our very first full bonus episode will be available via Patreon THIS WEEK! We're covering "The Queen of Versailles," a completely bonkers doc about a family of billionaires who begin construction on the biggest home in America just before the economy tanked in 2009. BTW, Gillian HATED this doc, which ALWAYS makes for the funniest episodes! Join our Patreon community here!
56:4513/02/2018
33: My Friend Rockefeller

33: My Friend Rockefeller

Kidnapping! Murder! Swindling Rich People! Fancy Art Shenanigans! This one has it all. Christian Gerhartsreiter, a man eventually known as "Clark Rockefelle," lived a life of deception; the FBI called it "the longest-running con in FBI history." After ingratiating himself into New York society and marrying a top banker with a Harvard MBA, "Clark" settled into his new luxurious life. The two had a daughter before they divorced after 13 years. When his wife won custody, a distraught Clark abducted his beloved daughter. Ironically, it was the search for the missing child that not only exposed a web of lies and multiple identities, but a double murder committed decades earlier .  Check out our Patreon where you'll find mini bonus episodes (2 there now!), monthly bonus full episodes (first one coming this week!), exclusive videos (we're gonna watch Unsolved Mysteries and talk about it) and more! Join our Patreon Community!
53:4306/02/2018
32: Tower

32: Tower

On August 1, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the iconic University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes in what was a previously unimaginable event. Based entirely on first person testimonies from witnesses, heroes, and survivors, TOWER combines archival footage with rotoscopic animation to tell the story of that day. The film highlights the fear, confusion, and visceral realities that changed the lives of those present, and the rest of us, forever - a day when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others. For this one, you guys, the garbage bell is magically transformed into the hero bell. And there's a whole lot of dinging.
58:3730/01/2018
31: My Kid Could Paint That

31: My Kid Could Paint That

A four-year-old girl, whose paintings are compared to Kandinsky, Pollock, and even Picasso, has sold $300,000 dollars worth of paintings. Is she a genius of abstract expressionism, a tiny charlatan, or an exploited child whose parents have sold her out for the glare of the media and the lure of the almighty dollar? This one's a dozy, but hey, nobody gets murdered! Do you know someone who would love TCO? Tweet them and us (@truecrimeobsess) using  #GetObsessed and let us playfully harass them until the check us out! This week's sponsor is Songfinch and Patrick is OBSESSED! This week's palate cleanser is the song Patrick had Songfinch write for Daisy's 4th birthday. If you love it, tweet them (@Sonfinch) and tell them that you heard it on TCO
58:5123/01/2018
30: Beware The Slenderman

30: Beware The Slenderman

BEWARE THE SLENDERMAN tells the story of the internet's elusive Boogeyman and two 12-year-old girls who would kill for him. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured their best friend into the woods, stabbed her 19 times, then set out on an odyssey to meet the tall and faceless man known online as Slenderman. Shot over 18 months with heartbreaking access to the families of the would-be murderers, the film plunges deep down the rabbit hole of their crime, a Boogeyman. and our society's most impressionable consumers of media. The entrance to the internet can quickly lead us to its dark basement, within just a matter of clicks. How much do we hold children responsible for what they find there? Find all of our episodes at our website and follow us on twitter!
53:1816/01/2018
29: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

29: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Strangeness is afoot. Most people don't notice the hundreds of cryptic tiled messages about resurrecting the dead that have been appearing in city streets over the past three decades. But Justin Duerr does. For years, finding an answer to this long-standing urban mystery has been his obsession. He has been collecting clues that the tiler has embedded in the streets of major cities across the U.S. and South America. But as Justin starts piecing together key events of the past he finds a story that is more surreal than he imagined, and one that hits disturbingly close to home.
01:00:4709/01/2018
28: Voyeur

28: Voyeur

In the 1960s, Gerald Foos bought a motel in Colorado, furnished the rooms with louvered vents that allowed him to spy on his guests, and kept a journal of their sexual encounters and more (including maybe a murder?). Over the course of 30 years, celebrated writer Gay Talese coxes Gerald’s story out of him and finally convinces Gerald to let him publish it. But when the story gets out, questions are raised and nothing is as it seems.
01:09:2622/12/2017
27: The Price of Gold: The Nancy Kerrigan / Tonya Harding Story

27: The Price of Gold: The Nancy Kerrigan / Tonya Harding Story

The world couldn't keep its eyes off two athletes at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer - Nancy Kerrigan, the elegant brunette and Tonya Harding, the feisty blonde engulfed in scandal. Just weeks before the Olympics on January 6, 1994 at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Kerrigan was stunningly clubbed on the right knee by an unknown assailant and left wailing, "Why, why, why?" As the bizarre "why" mystery unraveled, it was revealed that Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had plotted the attack with his misfit friends to literally eliminate Kerrigan from the competition. Now two decades later, The Price of Gold takes a fresh look at the worldwide spectacle that elevated the popularity of professional figure skating and has Harding still facing questions over what she knew when she knew it.
01:08:5606/12/2017
26: "Tabloid" + Our Take on the "Tickled" Follow Up "The Tickle King"

26: "Tabloid" + Our Take on the "Tickled" Follow Up "The Tickle King"

Meet Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming with an IQ of 168. 30 years ago, she fell in love with a young Mormon named Kirk. When Kirk disappeared and then turned up a few months later in the UK, Joyce was convinced he’d been kidnapped and was being held against his well. Determined to get him back, Joyce set off on a journey that would lead her across the globe, into jail, and onto the front pages of the most popular tabloids of the time. Her crusade for love took her through a surreal world of kidnapping, manacled Mormons, risqué photography, magic underwear, and celestial sex. Oh AND to the 1977 after party for the film “Saturday Night Fever.” “Tabloid,” directed by the genius Errol Morris, is a portrayal of a phenomenally driven woman whose romantic obsessions and delusions catapult her over the edge into scandal, fame, and an unimaginable life.
01:03:5428/11/2017
25: Tickled

25: Tickled

It's not what you think. After stumbling upon a bizarre "competitive endurance tickling" video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shocking-the sender mocks Farrier's sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper. So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite: he travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigates, the stranger it gets, discovering secret identities and criminal activity. Discovering the truth becomes Farrier's obsession, despite increasingly sinister threats and warnings. With humor and determination, Farrier and co-director Dylan Reeve summon up every resource available to get to the bottom of this tickling worm hole.
59:0314/11/2017
24: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

24: The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Who killed Marsha P. Johnson? When the beloved, self-described "street queen" of NY's gay ghetto was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992, the NYPD chalked it up as a suicide and refused to investigate. But Marsha was a lover of life and many who knew her refused to believe she would have taken her own life. Now, a quarter century later, at a time of unprecedented visibility and escalating violence in the transgender community, Marsha's old friend and fellow activist Victoria Cruz has taken it upon herself to reexamine what happened to Marsha. Dipping deep into jaw-dropping archival footage of another era of New York City life, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson follows as this champion pursues leads, mobilizes officials, and works to tell the story of Marsha's life and get to the bottom of Marsha's death.
57:1407/11/2017
23: Dear Zachary

23: Dear Zachary

Our most requested episode to date, and it was a doozy! But don't worry, we found a way to laugh through our rage. In 2001, Dr. Andrew Bagby was shot dead by jealous ex-girlfriend Dr. Shirley Turner. Shortly thereafter, Bagby's friends and family were hocked to learn that Turner was pregnant with Bagby's son. Hoping to create a film that would serve as both a memorial to Bagby and an introduction to the father the boy would never know, Bagby's bwst friend Kuenne quickly began production on a film celebrating the life of his late friend.  Meanwhile, upon learning that Turner had fled to Newfoundland, Bagby's devastated parents uprooted their entire lives and relocated to the easternmost providence of Canada in order to fight for the custody of their newborn grandson, Zachary. However, the Canadian government freed Turner on bail and she maintained custody of Zachary as she awaited extradition to the United States. The situation took a devastating turn during that crucial time and tragedy ensued.
45:1331/10/2017
22: Long Shot

22: Long Shot

In May 2003, 16-year-old Martha Puebla was shot in the head on the doorstep of her Los Angeles home, days after testifying in a gangland murder trial. Police arrested 24-year-old Juan Catalan at gunpoint, alleging that he’d carried out the hit for his gangster brother Mario. Not only did Catalan not commit the crime, but he had an alibi. At the time of Puebla’s cold-blooded killing, he was at Dodger Stadium with his six-year-old daughter. Frustratingly, though, Catalan’s lawyer couldn’t find clear enough TV footage to prove it. Catalan faced death row if found guilty at trial. Even worse, the prosecuting attorney was unbeaten in murder cases and nicknamed “Sniper” because she liked to pick off defendants with the death penalty. Then came the head-spinning twist. It just so happened that an episode of the HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was also being shot at the ballpark that night. Finding Juan in the episode was the last hope this innocent man’s life.
50:5724/10/2017
21: TalHotBlond

21: TalHotBlond

Thomas Montgomery, a 47-year-old, married factory worker was playing a game online when a beautiful 18-year-old teenager named Jessi, screen name talhotblond, texted him ‘hello.’ He was instantly hooked. In order to keep her attention, he lied and pretended to be a buff, brave 18 year old soldier, screen name marinesniper. The online romance was epic, but the fantasy blew up when the teenager found out who Montgomery really was. For revenge, she started up an online affair with one of Montgomery's co-workers, 22 year-old Brian Barrett. When Jessi pits the men against each other, the levels of desire and deceit escalate and mind games result in real-life murder. But even then, the story isn’t over and the truth about talhotblond’s is revealed.
47:0717/10/2017
20: Prophet's Prey

20: Prophet's Prey

In 1999, writer John Krakauer stopped at a gas station in Colorado City, AZ, a place he had never been. What he found was a town frozen in time, with women in long prairie dresses and hairstyles that rang of the 1800s. The curious sight led him on a journalistic investigation into a modern day 'prophet' named Warren Jeffs and the cult-like FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). When the investigation of Warren Jeffs sends him on the run, he winds up in the number two spot on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List. The number one spot being occupied by Osama Bin Laden. The manhunt for Jeffs uncovers his 'religion's most vile atrocities including the forced marriages of underage girls, rape, and polygamy.  Fun, right? But fear not, we play a LOT of "The Book of Mormon" in this one. 
51:4503/10/2017
19: There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane

19: There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane

On Sunday, July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler left the campgrounds in upstate New York where she was vacationing with her family and set off towards home on Long Island. With her were five young children: her son, her daughter, and three nieces. Four hours later, she drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway for nearly two miles – eventually crashing into an oncoming SUV, killing herself and seven others. Nine days after her deadly crash, Diane’s toxicology report revealed she had a blood-alcohol content of .19% – the equivalent of ten drinks and more than twice the legal limit – as well as a high blood level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. In sharp contrast to the toxicology report, Schuler had no known history of substance abuse or psychological problems and was generally known as a loving and stable wife and mother. In the aftermath, Diane Schuler was portrayed as a reckless drunk and a mother who cracked. But was she the monster the public made her out to be? Or the perfect wife and mother described by so many who knew her?
46:1019/09/2017
18: Cropsey

18: Cropsey

Growing up on Staten Island, filmmakers Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio had often heard the legend of ‘Cropsey.’ For the kids in their neighborhood, Cropsey was the escaped mental patient who lived in the old abandoned Willowbrook Mental Institution, who would come out late at night and snatch children off the streets. Later as teenagers, the filmmakers assumed Cropsey was just an urban legend. That all changed in the summer of 1987 when a 12-year-old girl disappeared from their community. The police quickly connected this disappearance to several other children who'd gone missing in the area. The hunt for the abductor would lead authorities to the real-life boogeyman living in their midst. 
47:0812/09/2017
17: Captivated: The Trials of Pam Smart

17: Captivated: The Trials of Pam Smart

When the curtain rose on the murder trial of Pamela Smart 23 years ago, the stage was set for the birth of reality TV. Accused of plotting the 1990 murder of her husband Gregory, 22-year-old Smart was subsequently convicted in the first fully televised, gavel-to-gavel court case, which has inspired TV shows, books, plays and feature films. This documentary takes another look at everything we think we know about the case. Is it possible that Pamela had nothing do to with the murder? That her teen aged lover killed her husband in a jealous rage without Pamela's knowledge? The evidence is shockingly compelling.  Join us on this bonkers romp through one of the most thought provoking true crime documentaries we've ever seen.
40:5705/09/2017
16: Exit Through the Gift Shop

16: Exit Through the Gift Shop

An amateur documentary filmmaker named Thierry is on a mission to track down and film the elusive and anonymous street artist named Banksy. When Thierry finds him, Banksy turns the camera on the filmmaker and hilarity, mystery, shenanigans, and some pretty frikking impressive art ensue. BUT SERIOUSLY YOU GUYS, ARE WE BEING PUNKED? Is the whole thing an elaborate piece of performance art? Is it real? And WHO is Banksy?  We have lots of thoughts and opinions. We're flipping tables and taking the bait. Join us!
47:3029/08/2017
15: Holy Hell

15: Holy Hell

A bunch of altruistic hot people join a cult in 1980s West Hollywood, what could possibly go wrong? Using footage shot by the cult's (known as The Buddahfield) in-house documentarian, we follow these lovable gorgeous weirdos as they slowly become disenchanted by their 'master' 'lord' 'leader' 'prophet' who claims to have a direct line to God. It all, inevitably, falls apart. Lives are ruined, faiths are shaken, and fruit salads are painstakingly made. 
45:3923/08/2017
14: The Witness

14: The Witness

In the early morning hours of March 13, 1964, 28-year-old Kitty Genovese was murdered in front of her building in Kew Gardens, Queens. According to the New York Times story that followed, 38 people watched the murder happen and did nothing. 50 years later, her brother is on a mission to uncover the truth. Is it possible that nobody tried to help her? Did she really die scared and alone? Why was she attacked? Could she have been saved?Through his investigation her brother gets to know her in a way he never knew her in life. Also, you guys, this episode is VERY Queens-centric and Gillian, our resident Queen...s.... (former) resident is our guide. We learn about Diners and cigar clubs, and bars that open at 8 am. And get ready for the accents and to #BeAnEarWitness.
57:3015/08/2017
13: Who Took Johnny?

13: Who Took Johnny?

Johnny Gosch was 12-years-old when he disappeared while on his paper route on September 5, 1982. There were FIVE witnesses, but the local police (and eventually FBI) declared there was no crime. Over the years, Johnny's parents never gave up hope that they would find him.  This documentary tells the tale of the world's most ferocious mother, Noreen Gosch (who gives GREAT documentary), a horrendously managed investigation, a weirdo who might know where Johnny is, a possible sex ring (and we cannot even with that), and maybe (MAYBE!) a return by Johnny himself. This one's a doozy, you guys!
46:4308/08/2017
12: Jesus Camp

12: Jesus Camp

Jesus Camp follows a group of children as they attend an evangelical Christian summer camp, where they are taught that they have "prophetic gifts" and can "take back America for Christ.  The film claims that it "documents and does not judge." But Gillian and Patrick sure do! Get ready for some good old fashioned speaking in tongues, Jesus hip-hop, climate change denial, and a complete dismissal of science, some SUPER intense kiddos, and even a dance number or two! But leave your "Harry Potter" books at home, because...well...you'll see. 
45:5125/07/2017
11: Netflix's Amanda Knox (Part 2)

11: Netflix's Amanda Knox (Part 2)

Amanda Knox was an 21-year-old exchange student in rural Italy when she and her boyfriend were arrested for and convicted of killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher. It took nearly five years, almost all of which she spent behind bars, to clear her name.  In this bonkers documentary from Netflix, Amanda herself takes us through the entire journey. We also hear from a human-garbage 'journalist,' A lead prosecutor who's tight with God, and a defense attorney who's zingers are the stuff of legend.  This is part 2 of our 2-part series on this documentary. 
32:5518/07/2017
10: Netflix's Amanda Knox (Part 1)

10: Netflix's Amanda Knox (Part 1)

Amanda Knox was an 21 year old exchange student in rural Italy when she and her boyfriend were arrested for and convicted of killing her roommate, Meredith Kercher. It took nearly five years, almost all of which she spent behind bars, to clear her name.  In this bonkers documentary from Netflix, Amanda herself takes us through the entire journey. We also hear from a human-garbage 'journalist,' A lead prosecutor who's tight with God, and a defense attorney who's zingers are the stuff of legend.  This is part 1 of our 2-part series on this documentary. 
35:3618/07/2017
9: Capturing the Friedmans

9: Capturing the Friedmans

Meet the Friedmans: Father Arnold, Mother Elaine, and kids David, Seth, and Jesse. They're all living the 'perfect' middle class life on Long Island in the 1980 until Arnold and Jesse are arrested and charged with truly horrific crimes. And guess what? Thanks to the family's love of camcorders and, weirdly, taping every second of their lives, we're treated to a front row seat as their lives completely fall apart.  The question is, did  they do it? The police say yes, but many witnesses say otherwise. Come with us as we learn all about this strange family with their bizarre love of pre-jail piano parties, yelling at their mother, and VIDEO DIARIES! Ahhh, the 80s. 
45:5011/07/2017
8: The Woman Who Wasn't There

8: The Woman Who Wasn't There

We believe the working title for this documentary was "The Garbage-Human Who Pretended To Be A 9/11 Survivor." Ugh, Meet Tania Head, the woman who claimed to be a survivor of the attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. An "employee of Merrill Lynch" with "degrees from Harvard and Stanford" and the "fiancee of 'Big Dave,'" an employee in the opposite tower, Tania was, for all intents and purposes, the face of the survivors of 9/11....Until the New York Times looked into her story.  As the truth of her story comes to light, we meet the real survivors she conned--some who'd figured her out early on, others who held out hope that she was who she claimed to be.  Hear our funny, insightful, and super-annoyed take. 
39:3327/06/2017
6: The Keepers: Part 1 (episodes 1 - 3)

6: The Keepers: Part 1 (episodes 1 - 3)

Who killed Sister Cathy Ceznick in Baltimore, MD in November of 1969? Two former students--our heroes Gemma and Abbie--launch a dogged investigation into the decades-old cold case. The horrors they uncover include stories of sexual abuse by Priests, a possible cover up by the Catholic Church, and a potentially corrupt city government.  In pursuit of the truth, we meet crooked cops, gay uncles, pregnant drag queens (you heard me), a detective named "deep throat," and a whole bunch of bad-ass ladies who are getting to the bottom this thing, no matter what.  This is part one of two.  Yellow Tail Chardonnay is the EXCLUSIVE sponsor of this episode. 
50:0720/06/2017
7: The Keepers: Part 2 (Episodes 4 - 8)

7: The Keepers: Part 2 (Episodes 4 - 8)

Who killed Sister Cathy Ceznick in Baltimore, MD in November of 1969? Two former students--our heroes Gemma and Abbie--launch a dogged investigation into the decades-old cold case. The horrors they uncover include stories of sexual abuse by Priests, a possible cover up by the Catholic Church, and a potentially corrupt city government.  In pursuit of the truth, we meet crooked cops, gay uncles, pregnant drag queens (you heard me), a detective named "deep throat," and a whole bunch of bad-ass ladies who are getting to the bottom this thing, no matter what.  This is part two of two.  Yellow Tail Chardonnay is the EXCLUSIVE sponsor of this episode. 
57:3520/06/2017
5: Mommy Dead and Dearest

5: Mommy Dead and Dearest

Late on the evening of June 14, 2015, deputy sheriffs in Greene County, Missouri, found the body of Dee Dee Blancharde laying facedown in a pool of blood from the stab wounds that had killed her several days earlier.  There was no sign of her teenage daughter, Gypsy Rose, who, according to Blancharde, suffered from leukemia, asthma, muscular dystrophy, and several other chronic conditions, and had the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. In the days and weeks that followed, the police came to understand the crime and the treacherous web of lies, child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love that set the stage for this horrendous and brutal murder. 
45:2706/06/2017
4: Kurt and Courtney

4: Kurt and Courtney

What drove music icon Kurt Cobain to take his own life on April 8th, 1994. Is it possible that he didn't? Could he have been murdered? After all, the gun had been wiped of finger prints and there are a LOT of questions about the legitimacy of the suicide note. And if he was murdered, did his wife, Courtney Love, have something to do with it? The 1998 Nick Broomfield documentary looks into all of this. We also meet Kurt's....colorful?....Seattle friends, become obsessed with his Aunt Mary, have an awkward encounter at the Washington State Lottery, and ride along with a pimp to the home of a weirdo named El Duce! Ahhhhh, the 90s. 
43:5630/05/2017
3: Lots of Feelings About "Casting Jonbenet" + A "Catfish" Update!

3: Lots of Feelings About "Casting Jonbenet" + A "Catfish" Update!

A "Catfish" update! Hot nerds Nev, Ariele, and Henry are back! In the first part of episode 3, we take you through the 7-minutes "Catfish" follow up "Finding the Woman in the Pictures" in which the boys track down Aimee Gonzales, aka Megan Facio, who had NO idea about her stolen identity. Shenanigans ensue.   In the second part of the episode, Patrick and Gillian break down the...brilliant? horrifying? interesting-but-completely-creepy Netflix documentary "Casting Jonbenet" and, oh boy, do they have LOTS of feelings about it.  You can watch "Finding The Woman in the Pictures" here.
43:2423/05/2017
2: Catfish

2: Catfish

In episode two, Patrick and Gillian dive into 2010's Catfish, the documentary that shed a light on the world of people posing as others on the internet. We follow Nev Schulman, his brother Ariel, and their collaborator Henry Joost as they document Nev's online friendship with an 8-year-old artist named Abby, which leads to Nev falling in love with her beautiful sister Megan. But of course none of it is true: it's really Abby's mother, Angela, posing as Megan and about 15 other people. But does this make her a monster? Let's discuss it together, shall we?
45:0212/05/2017
1: The Imposter

1: The Imposter

For our very first episode, Patrick and Gillian are breaking down the 2012 true crime documentary "The Imposter." The film centers on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years. Using clips from the movie, Patrick and Gillian take you through the film while discussing everything that is tragic, ridiculous, and yes, even hilarious about it. 
36:2612/05/2017
True Crime Obsessed Preview

True Crime Obsessed Preview

Have you listened to "Serial" season 1 more than once? Do you have notes in the margins of you copy of "Zodiac"? Could you have watched seven MORE episodes of "The Jinx"? Us Too!  Each week hosts Patrick Hinds and Gillian Pensavalle break down one of these true crime classics in the funny, engaging, and interesting way that only two gorgeous theater nerds can. 
02:2701/05/2017