Though the histories and cultures of indigenous people are often lost, the evidence they've left behind might be closer than you expect. In this episode, the boys share information on Native American mounds - some of which are practically in their backyard. And what would our show be without making fun of how stupid old-timey people were? No, really... In the case of this week's European Americans (including one well-known national hero), they were VERY stupid. Click here to learn more about Ser...
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 39
Ever look into your hometown's local history? Max and Dorian can't help but be proud of their beautiful city, warts and all. So imagine their excitement at discovering that one of their favorite local landmarks is built on top of countless human bones! Using the Buckeye State as a springboard, the boys explore other instances of frequently trampled dead bodies - including an English king of ill repute, and a mysterious lake inexplicably filled with strangely wounded skeletons. Join us as we dig ...
Sep 16, 2019•56 min•Ep. 38
It’s no secret that Max and Dorian are firmly in the #YoureGonnaRot camp, and they’re not exactly fans of pumping chemicals into dead bodies to preserve them. But it’s time to open our minds! In this episode they retrace the history of embalming and discover a mysterious perfect fluid, some hilariously mangled old corpses, and at least one case where embalming was an important step toward legal justice. Speaking of open minds, click here for the story of King Charles XII of Sweden. Es kam einer ...
Sep 02, 2019•49 min•Ep. 37
Travel the world in 60 minutes as Max and Dorian scour the earth for the strangest final resting places in existence! Learn about the graves inside airports, restaurants, and parking lots; the disgraced soldiers hidden away in unmarked French graves; the most densely populated cemeteries we’ve seen yet; and a place so haunted, the Pope (allegedly) reroutes his plane to avoid it. Come meet us at the Columbus Podcast Awards on August 25th!...
Aug 12, 2019•59 min•Ep. 36
After last episode’s depressing foray into war photography, the boys drop a KING-SIZED EPISODE exploring Harlem’s reverential and innovative funeral photos, the obituaries of a small town in Wisconsin, and the weird world of con artist spirit photographers! But first, Dorian shares the harrowing tale of how he got stranded in a river. Click here to read The Case for Spirit Photography by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So absurd....
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 35
When daguerreotype photography made its way to America, Mathew Brady capitalized on this burgeoning technology and changed the way the world understands violence. He was also kind of a dick with a knack for writing his name on things that weren't his! Join Max and Dorian as they explore the Civil War images that made Brady's career, as well as one of the most controversial war photos ever taken. -- Click here to read about Kenneth Jarecke's Desert Storm photography....
Jul 08, 2019•50 min•Ep. 34
After popular demand, it’s finally time for the boys to cover the Shrunken Heads of the Shuar people! While many cultures practiced head hunting to intimidate their enemies, these ritualistically-preserved noggins were created for much more innocuous purposes. Listen to learn all about their history - as well as how to identify a fake.
Jun 10, 2019•40 min•Ep. 33
Think Norse culture starts and ends with shooting flaming arrows at corpses on longboats? Surprises abound in this episode about Norse mythology (Odin, Loki, Thor, Ragnarok, et al), and how it affected daily Scandinavian life! The boys cover a nasty Viking killing ritual, an unconventional biological ship-building material, and perhaps the biggest plot twist of any Pre-Dead Boys episode thus far. -- It's the FINAL WEEK to vote for us in the Columbus Podcast Awards!! Voting closes May 31st Click ...
May 27, 2019•53 min•Ep. 32
If you think modern sports are violent, buckle up! Throughout sports history, fun pastimes have often given way to religious sacrifice and total brutality. Join Max and Dorian as they cover Roman gladiatorial funeral practices, a Native American ball game that will ruin your hips, and the horrific final game of a baseball legend. Yes, Max talks about baseball. And Dorian talks about MMA. But it's on-topic, we promise! -- KEEP VOTING FOR US in the Columbus Podcast Awards! Click here to cast your ...
May 13, 2019•49 min•Ep. 31
HEY GUYS WELCOME TO MY VLOG!!! Just kidding. Unlike other content-creators, your REAL favorite bros Max and Dorian are here to deliver an uncommonly respectful homage to the beautiful "Sea of Trees" at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. The forest is unfortunately known most (especially in the West) for the rash of suicides that have occurred within its borders over the years. But how did that morbid history start? Is there a major American landmark with a similar history? And is there anything or a...
Apr 23, 2019•59 min•Ep. 30
Think plants are boring? THINK AGAIN! The Boys are back to dig up the dirt on interesting death-related stories about our floral and fungal friends. There's dead bodies inside trees. There's plants growing inside dead bodies (and living ones, too!). And there's the seedlings and fungi that kill, including the documentary darling that inspired a hit video game series. Click here for more info on Capsula Mundi's biodegradable burial projects....
Apr 09, 2019•46 min•Ep. 29
Pre-Dead Girl, you better WORK! This week, Max and Dorian discuss the weird practice of dressing a corpse - ranging from the baptism clothes of the early Christian church, to the stuffy suits we all know, to the more casual and innovative practices today. They also get outside of their comfort zone with topics like Marilyn Monroe's funeral dress… then get right back in it with how clothes affect decaying and bloating bodies. Gross! Click here to read Reuters’ report on Japanese corpse-dressing c...
Mar 26, 2019•52 min•Ep. 28
Ever wish you could just disappear? WHY, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE?? Whether you're trying to escape debt, leave a rocky marriage, or prank your friends, staging your own death might be right for you! It could also get you into some serious legal trouble. Join Max and Dorian as they cover several recent attempts at pseudocide, both successful and... not so successful. Click here to watch 1 News Now's interview with Frank Ahearn....
Mar 11, 2019•58 min•Ep. 27
Before cheering crowds gathered at Ted Bundy’s execution, capital punishment and torture had been popular public spectacle for centuries. Are humans just nasty freaks that love watching people die? Topics covered: The five capital crimes, Shakespeare’s horrific references to the Tyburn Tree, the moralizing pageantry of early American hangings, and last meals! Click here to watch Fox 13 News Tampa Bay’s 1989 report on Ted Bundy’s execution....
Feb 25, 2019•58 min•Ep. 26
It’s been one full year of Pre-Dead Boys, and have they got a TREAT for you! Listen to the history of humans eating humans - for survival, for ritual practice… and just because they were stupid.
Feb 13, 2019•54 min•Ep. 25
Who wants to live forever? Transhumanists do! The boys research mind-uploading, cryonics (again), and the soul (whatever that is) - all in an effort to learn about the science-fiction-inspired movement to defeat death! WARNING: It is 100% fatal.
Jan 28, 2019•49 min•Ep. 24
The boys RETURN with horror and hubris-filled accounts of people who tried to conquer the largest mountain in the world. BUT FIRST: the strangest, grossest, and funniest death-related news of 2018!
Jan 16, 2019•49 min•Ep. 23
For the final show of 2018, Max shows Dorian a kitty drone, a gross mermaid, mummies buried with their pets… and the single most horrific and perverted thing he's ever seen. Click here to watch the Orvillecopter in flight.
Dec 28, 2018•53 min•Ep. 22
FINALLY, after nearly a year of discussing death, Max and Dorian decide their funeral plans. Will it be as explosive as Hunter S. Thompson’s ceremony? A fake funeral like Chinese student Zeng Jia? Will it involve motorcycles, clowns, holograms, or spaceships? Listen and learn about it all! Click here to watch WPEC’s segment on Funeral Holograms.
Dec 10, 2018•47 min•Ep. 21
Good dogs, nasty vultures, Zoroastrianism, and the largest cemetery in the world! Join the boys as they explore the death culture and funeral rituals of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the oft-misunderstood Middle East.
Nov 26, 2018•50 min•Ep. 20
Max and Dorian are going off the rails! Learn about presidential funeral processions, the railway with the COOLEST name, and just how gross an overpopulated city gets when cholera breaks out. Click here to see Paul Fusco's photography from Robert Kennedy's procession.
Nov 12, 2018•45 min•Ep. 19
The Pre-Dead Book Club is in session! We discuss UZUMAKI, the bizarre and brilliant magnum opus of horror comics legend Junji Ito. Max and Dorian try to make sense of this creepy tome via Akira, Watchmen, those awful Blumhouse movies, and cultural differences between Eastern and Western storytelling. Tell us what you think! @predeadboys Predeadboys@gmail.com
Oct 29, 2018•54 min
Journey through history with Max and Dorian as they parse through the various folk tales that formed the modern day vampire, explore the hysteria of real-life cases of alleged vampirism, and try to figure out just how these blood-sucking creeps got to be so dang sexy.
Oct 22, 2018•50 min•Ep. 18
Psh. Zombies? On a so-called history podcast? Yeah right! Sounds like the boys are just covering fiction from now on! Unless you ask the people of Haiti. Or the acclaimed novelist/anthropologist who saw a zombie. Or the man who was turned into one.
Oct 09, 2018•57 min•Ep. 17
As a special THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the podcast this far, here’s a BONUS EPISODE! Max and Dorian discuss the history of the film, the fan theories, possible themes of masculinity, and more in John Carpenter’s slimy sci-fi masterpiece. And, very briefly, The Warriors and Predator. We couldn't help ourselves. We might do more episodes about death in film, TV, games, music, etc... Let us know what you think! @predeadboys PreDeadBoys@gmail.com
Oct 01, 2018•41 min
Murder and exploitation abound in the business of stealing dead people! While cadavers were hard to come by in the early days of modern medicine, there was no shortage of nefarious dudes willing to do despicable things to obtain them. Fortunately, we discovered a local hero who fought back in the most Pre-Dead Boys way possible: EXPLODING CORPSES. -- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and INSTAGRAM ! @predeadboys JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP to talk to other pre-dead folks! Search PRE-DEAD BOYS PODCAST on Facebook...
Sep 24, 2018•45 min•Ep. 16
Man it’s a hot one! The boys take a look at the documented cases throughout history of humans bursting into flames. Surprisingly, the science isn’t quite as weird as you might think. Read Dr. Paul Rolli’s account here. -- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and INSTAGRAM! @predeadboys JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP to talk to other pre-dead folks! Search PRE-DEAD BOYS PODCAST on Facebook! DONATE A COUPLE BUCKS to help us grow! ko-fi.com/predeadboys...
Sep 10, 2018•47 min•Ep. 15
You randy for bones? Then come learn all about the history of the Catacombs! Max and Dorian discuss the overflow of corpses that led to their creation, as well as some nasty wax… all before they get nabbed by the Cave Cops. Watch La Cité Dans la Mer on Vimeo -- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and INSTAGRAM! @predeadboys JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP to talk to other pre-dead folks! Search PRE-DEAD BOYS PODCAST on Facebook! DONATE A COUPLE BUCKS to help us grow! ko-fi.com/predeadboys...
Aug 27, 2018•46 min•Ep. 14
What happens to a corpse when you put it on display? Max and Dorian discuss an English king who was at risk of exploding, a Russian ruler whose brain got reamed, and a dorky philosopher trapped in a locker. Finally, find out which one had the grossest head. -- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and INSTAGRAM! @predeadboys JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP to talk to other pre-dead folks! Search PRE-DEAD BOYS PODCAST on Facebook! DONATE A COUPLE BUCKS to help us grow! ko-fi.com/predeadboys...
Aug 13, 2018•56 min•Ep. 13
THE BOYS STRIKE BACK in their epic return, this time covering mortality in movies! Learn about family-friendly flicks like FACES OF DEATH and THE DRILLER KILLER, and shudder in horror as they discuss snuff films like THE LION KING and COCO... as well as a few of their personal favorites. -- FOLLOW US ON TWITTER and INSTAGRAM! @predeadboys JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP to talk to other pre-dead folks! Search PRE-DEAD BOYS PODCAST on Facebook! DONATE A COUPLE BUCKS to help us grow! ko-fi.com/predeadboys...
Jul 23, 2018•50 min•Ep. 12
