Henry Handsome Lived & Died - podcast cover

Henry Handsome Lived & Died

Henry Handsome was an outlaw cowboy—at least that's how the legend goes. Henry Handsome Lived & Died examines the creation, evolution, proliferation, dissemination and degradation of American folklore. Through 30 different short stories, the character, vague idea, false memory, misattributed anecdote or influence of the titular Henry Handsome does everything from change the course of American media to sculpt modern day knowledge of manifest destiny. Together, the collection represents the stories that create and define a culture, how those stories are told, if they ever were to begin with—and if any of that matters at all. Each story was written, recorded, narrated and produced by Elliot Matson. If you'd like to learn more about the collection, go to elliotmatson.com/henryhandsome.
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Episodes

26 - Michelle Lafayette's Car Wouldn't Start

Michelle Lafayette tries to get to work during a terrible storm in Oklahoma City, OK, and isn’t having any luck. Until a handsome stranger moseys up.

Jan 03, 202318 minSeason 1Ep. 27

24 - Elmer Elwood Edison Slept the Whole Day and Then Some

Elmer Elwood Edison works at a Memphis, TN, lumber yard in the early 20th-century. On account of his ailments and slight stature, though, he mostly sings and plays guitar to keep the boys’ spirits high.

Jan 03, 202315 minSeason 1Ep. 25

19 - Clint Hornsby Ended It All

Cincinnati, OH, children’s television star, Clint Hornsby, has a crisis of faith while filming his beloved show, Mr. Hornsby’s Sunday Stroll.

Jan 03, 202334 minSeason 1Ep. 20

17 - Henry Handsome Muddied the Mighty Mississippi

Henry Handsome robs a St. Louis, MO, bank in 1865 and escapes into the night. However, it happens to be the same night John Wilkes Booth decides to assassinate Lincoln and the heat is on both of the outlaws.

Jan 03, 202311 minSeason 1Ep. 18

16 - Kalin Chakravat Rode a Hurricane

In a Baton Rouge, LA, elder care home during a terrible hurricane, Amjad regales his fellow residents about a storm he witnessed just like it.

Jan 03, 202319 minSeason 1Ep. 17

15 - Archer Stevens Misplaced Abe Lincoln's Body for Six Hours

At the terminus of Lincoln’s 1865 multi-city funeral procession, Archer Stevens is hired to guard his beloved President’s body in the Springfield, IL, Town Square overnight. It’s easy-going until Archer wakes up from his unexpected nap and finds the casket is empty.

Jan 03, 202323 minSeason 1Ep. 16

10 - Tito Berra Opened the Wrong Box of Cigars

Tito Berra loves his wife and his family. He just wants a little something for himself. But all the excitement over his friend’s gift of a box of genuine Hernán Guapo cigars vanishes when he opens them up.

Jan 03, 202323 minSeason 1Ep. 11

8 - Freddy Quigley Forgot the Twine

It’s winter 1990 in a desolate Manitoba cabin. Freddy Quigley and Rene Boucher took a young woman for ransom and things are going according to plan—until Freddy realizes he forgot something essential.

Jan 03, 202333 minSeason 1Ep. 9

4 - Hobart Jenkins Played a Good Tune

Musical ethnographer Barrett Ford sits down to record old-timer Hobart Jenkins play some fiddle in his rickety Appalachian cabin in the 1950s.

Jan 03, 202312 minSeason 1Ep. 5

3 - Henry Handsome Salted the Great Salt Lake

Henry Handsome and the Handsome Gang hijack a locomotive full of East Coast bigwigs on their way to Promontory Summit, Utah, celebrating the terminus of the Transcontinental Railway.

Jan 03, 202316 minSeason 1Ep. 4

2 - Memo Madrigal Broke His Arm in Seven Places

Life is hard in 1980s Wyoming for Nez Perce rodeo rider Joseph Their Many Bison. But a fortuitous accident of the rodeo’s star rider might give Joseph the big break he’s been hoping for.

Jan 03, 202330 minSeason 1Ep. 3

1 - Carson Becker Got Abducted By Aliens

In the 1970s, in the kitschy Old West tourist town of Settlersville, CA, teen tour guide Carson Becker feels an odd gravitational pull to an outskirts building with ties to a notorious cult.

Jan 03, 202326 minSeason 1Ep. 2
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