Over the course of their relatively short career, Sonic Youth absolutely rocked the music world, creating timeless songs and art that remain deeply relevant in the modern day. Yet as special guest Jake Brennan, the legendary creator of Disgraceland, reveals: there's a dark, disturbing story behind the cover art of their breakout, mainstream album Goo. Join Jake as he breaks down the horrific story of the serial killers informing this art... and teaching Ben, Matt and Noel why neither the band no...
May 22, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Dropbear Whisperer asks for more exploration of new AI initiatives like Raveneye and BlueHalo. Hidalgo inspires the guys to explore the story of Tina Resch and (alleged) poletergiest activity. Ancient Astronaut Chick shares her bizarre experience with a US President visiting a local hotel. The Roadrunner's Call needs more people to talk about the threat of Flock cameras. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/st...
May 21, 2026•1 hr 3 min
With distinct food, history, and world-famous culture, Louisiana is one of the most unique states in all of the union. It also has some serious problems. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the ongoing -- terrifyingly real -- conspiracy of Louisiana's Cancer Alley. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 20, 2026•1 hr 11 min
In the second part of this Classic series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into another aspect of the global livestock industry: the lives of the animals and humans involved. Learn more about the hidden reality of life for livestock--and how it could eventually impact the entire world, giving rise to superbugs. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 19, 2026•1 hr 18 min
The world follows the bizarre saga of a hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius. Is a new pandemic on the way? A small-town mayor in Georgia attempts to fire the entire police force. The ongoing data center controversy. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 18, 2026•1 hr 4 min
It’s the unlikeliest of criminal partnerships: a devout polygamist from an insular Utah sect joining forces with a shadowy Armenian tycoon from LA. The result - a billion dollar fraud conspiracy. In Kingdom of Fraud, investigative reporter Michele McPhee traces the origins of the extraordinary alliance between Jacob Kingston and Levon Termendzhyan. Together, the two men trigger the largest tax investigation in American history and weave around themselves a web of dirty cops, influential politica...
May 16, 2026•2 min
Like so many wealthy people, disgraced financier and child trafficker Jeffrey Epstein owned multiple properties across the Western world (spoiler, the day before his final arrest, Epstein tried to buy an obscure palace in Morocco). In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore an unclean place often ignored in the saga. For some reason, one of the world's most successful child abusers purchased a sprawling ranch in the middle of nowhere: a place called Zorro Ranch, in the high desert of centr...
May 15, 2026•1 hr
OrpheusFox hips the guys to a conspiratorial jailbreak... which may have been orchestrated by the CIA. Mr. P. prompts an exploration of mysterious, high-altitude airships. Sea Bat explores the often-buried story of the Port Chicago disaster. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 14, 2026•51 min
Have you ever used a Tarot deck? Heck, have you designed your own? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the strange history of the Tarot, from its origin as a card game for wealthy Italians to its present, multivariate state as anything from a fun diversion to a genuine tool of 'divination'. Spoiler, Conspiracy Realists: the guys are pretty convinced they've figured out why the Tarot is so popular -- and how it actually works. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.mac...
May 13, 2026•55 min
The global livestock industry employs millions of people in one way or another -- meat is a big business, and business is booming. In communities across the planet meat is often seen as a status symbol, a way to impress friends and announce one's own success -- but how much should meat actually cost? Critics argue every piece of meat, from a fast-food burger to high-end steak and everything in between, is actually riddled with hidden costs that will eventually be paid by everyone, whether or not...
May 12, 2026•44 min
In this week's strange news segment: you can officially enter your sperm in an international race! The legendary, divisive Ted Turner is dead, as is Spirit Airlines. Media freedom is trouble. The Supreme Court has again turned on the US public, gutting the Voting Rights Act and allowing for new levels of Suessian gerrymandering -- and endangering your right to actually vote. Tune in for all this and more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-sh...
May 11, 2026•1 hr 5 min
In an increasingly secular world, people often look back on the past with a mixture of amusement and disdain: "Why," they ask, "would our ancestors really believe in fanciful things like demons, Gods, spirits and angels?" Yet in tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel discover one strange trend that calls these assumptions into question: Why did so many ancient cultures across the world worship snakes, or reptilian-human hybrids? Is there a grain of fact to the legends of Snake Gods? What exactly ...
May 08, 2026•1 hr 15 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Poe inspires a conversation about the End of Ownership. Chewy Black Heart asks the guys for more about missing scientists. Nikki explores the Bell Witch Cave. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 08, 2026•55 min
When the Ammons family moved to their new home in Gary, Indiana, they weren't sure what to expect. Of course, they anticipated all the usual hassles of relocation -- but they weren't expecting demons. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the bizarre, tragic saga of a family beset by what they genuinely seemed to feel was demonic possession. The media, the clergy, and even members of law enforcement agreed with them. So: What actually happened? They don't want you to read our book.: h...
May 06, 2026•1 hr 18 min
On July 17, 1944, over 300 people died in a massive explosion. These weren't soldiers fighting overseas -- they were sailors and civilians near the pier, where hurried loading operations inevitably went wrong. To this day, no one knows what triggered the explosion -- but, in a terrible way, this was only the beginning of the story. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 05, 2026•50 min
In this week's strange news segment: Ben and Matt explore a billionaire's mission to save Pablo Escobar's Hippos. Also, western oil profits skyrocket as the conflict in Iran continues, triggering drama in OPEC. But Ku-wait one second... the FBI investigated Bigfoot? What happened at the White House? Also, an epidemic of disappearing Chinese scientists. Tune in to learn more. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/l...
May 05, 2026•1 hr 9 min
For most of modern history, the concept of ownership was pretty simple. You paid for something, either all at once or over time, and boom: you owned it. However, as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in today's episode, powerful forces are conspiring to push consumers away from owning stuff, and into a world of constant, unending subscriptions. "You will own nothing," says the World Economic Forum, "and you will be happy." So what does this mean for the future? How long do we have before we live in a w...
May 01, 2026•1 hr 34 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Ben, Matt and Noel respond to an anonymous call about disappearing scientists and military officials. PCC38Lightning hips the guys to trucking and liberty. J-Ill explains the newer issues with environmental contamination in Coldwater Creek. All this and more -- most importantly, join the show: hit us up at conspiracy@iheartmedia.com. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/liste...
Apr 30, 2026•55 min
Tucked away in Suffolk, more than 60 miles from London, the tiny village of Borley is a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' spot on the map of the UK countryside. Yet despite its size, this little community was infamous for being home to one of England's most haunted places: the Borley Rectory. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel discover the murky origins of the Rectory... and how one controversial man may have created the legend out of whole cloth. They don't want you to read our book.: https://st...
Apr 29, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Ghislaine Maxwell, long time associate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, is currently incarcerated, charged with helping recruit, groom and abuse minors as young as 14 as part of a sex-trafficking ring allegedly operated by Epstein. Observers around the world have voiced concerns that, one way or another, Maxwell might never see a day in court. Part of this fear comes from the fact that Epstein died while in prison -- but there's another thread here, as well: Years earlier, Ghislaine Maxwe...
Apr 28, 2026•1 hr 5 min
In this week's strange news segment, Ben, Matt and Noel discuss: the Onion's all-but-certain acquisition of Alex Jones's Infowars, pasta heists and pasta surveillance, zoonotic threats on the horizon, fuel concerns in the EU, and the hilarious fact of Meta/Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg creating his own AI avatar to skip meetings. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 28, 2026•1 hr 13 min
By now, the story of Jeffrey Epstein is familiar to people across the globe. A once-obscure financier, fixer, child abuser and sex trafficker who died under murky circumstance in prison, Epstein is a parable of the dangers of power and perversion. Yet in tonight's episode, Ben and Matt explore a dangerous question that's haunted them ever since they began looking into the case: Was Epstein just a wealthy monster? What was his real motivation? Could it be possible that he was working for someone ...
Apr 25, 2026•1 hr 20 min
In tonight's Classic episode, Ben, Matt and Noel return to a case that still haunts them: at just 24 years old, Rebecca Coriam had her whole life ahead of her. Her love of physical fitness and knack for teaching made her perfectly-suited for her job in Youth Activities aboard the Disney Wonder, an enormous, high-class cruise ship. On March 22nd, 2011, Coriam vanished from the vessel. The distraught parents and friends of Rebecca puzzled over the cruise line's official explanation -- that a rogue...
Apr 23, 2026•1 hr 8 min
Are you an outdoorsy type? If so, you know the wilderness is beautiful and dangerous. Slippery terrain, lack of water, poisonous plants, wild animals and other humans can all be a threat... but out in Appalachia, folks are convinced there's another danger at play: supernatural, eerie voices in the woods, luring the unwary to their doom. Live from Baha Mar, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the mystery of the Appalachian Mimic Voice. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/st...
Apr 22, 2026•1 hr 9 min
It's true that the founders of the United States all too often failed to live up to the values they espoused in the Constitution and other related documents -- but it appears they were up to even stranger things. In the second episode of this two-part series, the guys delve deeper into some of the strangest, most obscure alleged secrets of the founding fathers, including one terrifying story that is absolutely true. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/s...
Apr 22, 2026•1 hr
The world's trade system is cartoonishly complex, and it depends on multiple factors: one of the most important being trucks. Without semis and truckers, the global economy will immediately collapse -- and, unfortunately, trucking is in trouble. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore a catastrophe on the horizon. A spiraling economy, skyrocketing inflation, and disruptive new technology combine to put one of the world's most essential industries is on the verge of collapse. So what hap...
Apr 20, 2026•50 min
The world's trade system is cartoonishly complex, and it depends on multiple factors: one of the most important being trucks. Without semis and truckers, the global economy will immediately collapse -- and, unfortunately, trucking is in trouble. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore a catastrophe on the horizon. A spiraling economy, skyrocketing inflation, and disruptive new technology combine to put one of the world's most essential industries is on the verge of collapse. So what hap...
Apr 17, 2026•1 hr 8 min
In this week's listener mail segment: Xevious Wrecks hips Ben and Noel to 'hillbilly toothpicks', a euphemism for raccoon penises, inspiring the guys to never see the internet again. Uncle Bosco explores how you can hack encounters with police by using the alias 'FNU LNU' (spoiler, you get in situations). Jameson reveals a conspiracy afoot with the world's standing record for IQ tests. Sergeant Will proposes that at least a few UFOs are obscure, spooky rigid airships. In our Letters From Home, T...
Apr 17, 2026•38 min
Nowadays, everyone knows lead is toxic. Yet for thousands of years, it was treated as a miracle substance. Ancient Romans used it in everything from water pipes to wine sweetener -- an ubiquity that may well have contributed to the fall of the Empire as the civilization's collective IQ decreased due to lead exposure. And in the U.S., lead was also widespread until relatively recently. There's fascinating -- and disturbing -- speculation about how lead exposure in childhood may have created a spi...
Apr 15, 2026•56 min
In this week's Classic episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore some extremely weird dudes known as the Founding Fathers of the United States. They're memorialized in monuments, museums, currency, holidays -- the list goes on. For more than a century they were deified, held up as paragons of statecraft. Yet the way they've been portrayed in textbooks often skips over details that ran counter to the shining image sold to generations of school children. You see, the Founding Fathers had secrets... so m...
Apr 14, 2026•58 min
