Timesuck with Dan Cummins - podcast cover

Timesuck with Dan Cummins

Jump down new rabbit holes with Timesuck, the weekly podcast that takes you on a fascinating and bizarre journey through history’s darkest corners, most shocking conspiracies, and wildest true stories. Hosted by acclaimed standup comedian and storyteller Dan Cummins, each episode blends dark humor with deep research to uncover hidden truths about infamous historical figures, unsolved mysteries, notorious serial killers, and more. If you crave the weird, the wild, and the unexpected, Timesuck is your next obsession! And check out the Short Sucks, a new series of 40-60 minute episodes two Fridays a month. These bite-sized stories are perfect for when you want a quick dose of Timesuck (or need more addictive content to consume while you’re waiting for your next Timesuck!)

Episodes

BONUS 8 - Project MK Ultra: The CIA experiments with LSD

In the 1950s, while many Americans were busy watching I Love Lucy or waiting for the new Elvis Presley album, the members of the CIA's Project MK Ultra were busy dropping acid, taking shrooms, and conducting some of our nation's most outlandish experiments in their quest to beat Russia in a race to see who could develop a truth serum, induce selective amnesia, and master mind control (spoiler alert - neither nation figured it out - thank God). Hear the true, declassified tales of CIA Cold War ma...

Aug 25, 20172 hr 49 min

49 - Kurt Cobain: The Triumph and Tragedy of Alt Rock's Greatest Icon

I remember the exact moment I first heard Nirvana and I remember the day he died. But I didn't know how hard he had to work for Nirvana to break through, and I didn't know how terribly troubled he was while they were breaking through. With the recent suicides of Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, it felt like the right time for this episode. And it was a great excuse to listen to Nirvana all week. They were so good it made me angry all over again that Kurt's not still with us. ...

Aug 21, 20172 hr 38 min

48 - Slenderman: A Modern Monster is Born

In 2014, two twelve year old Wisconsin girls believed in monsters. They believed in one, Slenderman, so completely, they decided to kill their friend to prove their worth to Slenderman so they could become his "proxies" and live with him in his woodland mansion. Luckily, their friend survived, despite being stabbed 19 times. Who is Slenderman? And why do some people still believe in him? And what exactly happened the day this girl was stabbed? Find out in a spooky, how-to-create-a-mons...

Aug 14, 20172 hr 30 min

47 - Rasputin: Russia's Mad Monk

Rasputin is one of the strangest historical figures out there. He was a Siberian peasant who ended up becoming part of the Tsar's inner circle due to his alleged healing abilities. He also helped getting Russia's royal family murdered when the Russian people came to believe he was possessed by the Devil, partly because he was sleeping with about half of St. Petersburg, holding odd religious orgies, and doing stuff like getting drunk and waving his penis around at restaurants. Not cool for a guy ...

Aug 07, 20172 hr 41 min

46 - Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory: Most Prolific Female Serial Killer Ever?

16th century Hungary was a place and time of unimaginable violence. Europe had been at war with itself and the Ottoman Turks for centuries. Hungary was located between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottomans, and when those two empires weren't battling each other on Hungarian soil, Hungary was battling itself. And after Hungarian nobles had squashed a recent peasant uprising, the Hungarian peasant class had become virtual slaves with zero rights, people the noble class could exploit however they ...

Jul 31, 20171 hr 26 min

45 - North Korea: Prison Posing as a Nation

What is happening over in North Korea and why do we not try and stop the atrocities being committed? Just how insane is Kim Jong-un? (VERY) How bad is life for the average North Korean citizen? (HELL ON EARTH) Does the North Korean regime have any redeeming qualities? (UM... NOPE) Find out how North Korea came to be and what life is like in the "Hermit Kingdom" in this totalitarian edition of Timesuck. Today's episode is sponsored by Mack Weldon! Go to www.mackweldon.com and use the pr...

Jul 24, 20172 hr 42 min

44 - The Transgender Debate

What does it actually mean to be transgender? Why does one person identifying as transgender scare, disgust, or enrage so many others? Does it really matter? Listen, be entertained, and maybe gain a new perspective on a topic you either knew nothing about, or learn something new about a topic you know a lot about, as I throw out some Transgender info and speak with a Transgender Timesucker in the Suck's first ever interview. To contact Erica directly, please email her at [email protected] An...

Jul 17, 20172 hr 39 min

BONUS 7 - Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula: Man Behind the Vampire

How do you become the real life basis for the most famous monster of our time? By being one of the most sadistic and terrifying figures who ever lived. Vlad impaled, disemboweled, boiled, burned, hacked, tortured, and beheaded his way in world wide notoriety, his name still recognizable over 500 years after his death. Forget medieval - we go full-evil - on the darkest edition of Timesuck yet. Like the new logo? Hire Timesucker Anduin Vaid for all your graphic design needs. Hit him up at anduin.g...

Jul 14, 20172 hr 43 min

43 - The Lost City of Atlantis! So Many Crazy Theories...

Atlantis! Did a highly advanced civilization sink into the sea tens of thousands of years ago? Can the cultures of the Romans, Maya, Incas, Mesopotamians, Greeks and more all be traced back to it? Or is Atlantis just another myth? An oceanic metropolis invented by the Greek philosopher Plato to teach a moral lesson to ancient Athenians? Find out in the wild and crazy ride we have to take to unravel the mystery of today’s Timesuck. Today's Timesuck is sponsored by Mack Weldon! Go to www.mackweldo...

Jul 10, 20172 hr 45 min

42 - Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life, Legacy and Assassination Conspiracy

How much do you really know about Martin Luther King, Jr.? Did you know he was so committed to nonviolence that he refused to even defend himself from a white supremacist that once attacked him on stage? That he urged angry neighbors to stay calm after someone bombed HIS house? Did you know a government investigative committee determined that his assassination was likely a part of a conspiracy? A verdict a civil court also later confirmed. Find out all this and more in the longest, deepest Times...

Jul 03, 20172 hr 51 min

41 - Blood and Glory: True Tales of the Texas Rangers

If it weren't for the Texas Rangers, Texas probably wouldn't be a state today. These wild, eccentric frontiersman rode into battle on crippled legs, gun wound shortened arms, shot horseshoes out of cannons and did whatever it took to get the job done and win independence from Mexico. Meet the real Walker, Texas Ranger, meet the man who brought down Bonnie and Clyde, and learn some gritty Texas history along the way. Timesuck goes deep in the heart of Texas to tell Texas-sized tales of it's first...

Jun 26, 20172 hr 36 min

40 - Doomsday Drama! Nostradamus & Apocalypse Prophets

Did Nostradamus predict a series of major world events that would occur hundreds of years after his death? Did he know when the world would end? Or is it all just a bunch of ridiculous nonsense? Find out who Nostradamus was, what he predicted, what I think of those predictions and learn a little about what most doomsday predictions are based on and how many times doomsday prophets have been wrong the past few millennia in this apocalyptic edition of Timesuck! This episode of Timesuck is brought ...

Jun 19, 20171 hr 29 min

39 - Bonnie & Clyde: Original Gangsters

On May 23rd, 1934, 23 year old Bonnie Parker was shot 26 times. 25 year old Clyde Barrow was shot 17 times. They died in a hail of gunfire, initiated by legendary Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, who'd come out of retirement to catch them. Why did the law man want them that dead? Because for over two years, the Barrow gang had been behind a preposterous number of bank robberies, prison breakouts, and murders. Who were Bonnie and Clyde? Why'd they do it? Find out in this high speed pursuit, bustin' loos...

Jun 12, 20172 hr 38 min

38 - JFK Assassination Part 2 of 2

The conclusion of Timesuck's first two part episode. Do I think Oswald killed Kennedy? I don't think so. Do I think the CIA was involved in Kennedy's death? I do think so. I know this all sounds crazy! But take a listen and find out why I came to the conclusions I did researching the most mind-bending topic I've looked into so far. Today's episode is brought to you by Dollar Shave Club. Go to www.dollarshaveclub.com/timesuck today and get their badass Executive razor handle, four stainless steel...

Jun 05, 20171 hr 28 min

BONUS 6 - JFK Assassination Part 1 of 2

We know that on November 22nd, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30PM CST while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in a 1961 open-top, Lincoln Continental convertible limousine. Why can't we all agree on who killed him or why he was killed? Listen in for the deepest suck yet! www.timesuckpodcast.com

Jun 02, 20172 hr 31 min

37 - Shark Attacks! Great Whites, Megalodon, & Blood in the Water…

Why do sharks terrify us? How dangerous are they? Can they attack in fresh water!?! Can they nibble your dick off!?! SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! So many answers on this getting ready for summertime, shark-infested edition of Timesuck! Today's episode is brought to you by Dollar Shave Club. Go to www.dollarshaveclub.com/timesuck today and get their badass Executive razor handle, four stainless steel, six blade cartridges and a tube of Dr. Carver's Shave Butter sent to your door for only 5 bucks! Best ra...

May 29, 20171 hr 19 min

36 - Jeffrey Dahmer: The Cannibal of Milwaukee

Sadist. Rapist. Pedophile. Murderer. Cannibal. Necrophiliac. Jeffrey Dahmer was all of these things. But why? Why did he do it? What exactly did he do? Find out on this fascinating and cringeworthy edition of Timesuck! This episode of Timesuck is brought to you by Audible. Go to www.audible.com/TIMESUCK and get a free audiobook with your 30 day trial membership!

May 22, 20172 hr 32 min

35 - Murder, Drugs, Porn, and Pirates: Tales From the Dark Web

On Friday, May 25th, 2015, 31 year old Ross Ulbricht, aka the Dread Pirate Roberts, was sentenced to life in prison for money laundering, computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic narcotics, "drug kingpin" charges, and he narrowly avoided "procurement of murder" charges. All for running the online, dark web marketplace, The Silk Road. What is the "dark web", should we keep it around, and are online marketplaces for vice, like the Silk Road, actually a good idea? Today...

May 15, 20171 hr 25 min

34 - Jonestown Massacre: Cult leader Jim Jones and his mass suicide in South America

The most insane suck yet, Timesuckers. How did a pastor and political activist convince nearly 1,000 people to move from California to a communist jungle compound in Guyana and then kill themselves by drinking poisoned Flavor Aid? Listen, find out, and take advantage of some great deals from this episode's sponsors! *** Turn your commute into something more with a free trial at Audible. Go to Audible.com/timesuck to start sucking their many audiobooks right now. *** Timesuckers can also join the...

May 08, 20171 hr 27 min

33 - Designer Babies: The Scary Pandora's Box of Genetic Modification

What exactly are designer babies? What plants and animals have scientists already genetically modified? Have any humans been genetically modified? How will genetic modification affect the future of the human race? Find out and get 20% off any purchase at Mackweldon.com by using the promo code TIMESUCK

May 01, 20171 hr 1 min

BONUS 5 - Pablo Escobar: Coke, Power, Mayhem & So Much Money

How do you rise from being so poor your parents can't afford to buy you shoes for school to being the 7th richest man in the entire world? If you're Pablo Escobar you do it through violence, intimidation, and selling a crazy amount of cocaine. Eighty percent of America's 80's coke came from Pablo and at the height of his power it made him 420 million dollars... A WEEK. He had a fleet of yachts, hundreds of homes, even a personal zoo, but he still ended up dying essentially poor and alone with a ...

Apr 28, 20172 hr 35 min

32 - Marilyn Monroe: Life, Death, & Murder Conspiracy

What do you know about Marilyn Monroe? Did you know it took years after she being "discovered" for her to "make it"? That she spent part of her childhood in an orphanage? That she never knew who her father was? Or that her mother spent most of Marilyn's childhood committed to various mental institutions? Or that she took on the Hollywood studio contract system and won, paving the way for modern actors and actresses to also become producers and control their careers more than ...

Apr 24, 20171 hr 28 min

31 - The Mandela Effect: False Memories, Satanic Cults, Parallel Universes, and more...

The Mandela Effect: a large group of people remembering an event that never happened or remembering an alternate version of an event that did happen in the same, incorrect way. Is this proof that there are parallel dimensions some of us are slipping in and out of? Is it the perfectly explainable result of false memory creation? Or, is it a glitch in some futuristic computer simulation we're all currently (virtually) living in? We go full Twilight Zone on today's Timesuck! And please, if you have...

Apr 17, 20171 hr 18 min

30 - Caligula: Rome's Monstrous Son

Special guest episode! The hosts of the wildly entertaining Crime and Sports and Small Town Murder podcasts, James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman, ride along for today's suck on ancient Rome and one of the tyrants it created, Caligula. Was Caligula a debaucherous madman? Or, just product of the times he lived in? Was he both? Find out for yourself on the most torturous, sex-crazed, over-the-top Timesuck yet. And PLEASE, help keep Timesuck keep going by filling one a 30 second survey at http://po...

Apr 10, 20172 hr 30 min

29 - The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam

On February 1st, 2013, 21 year old Canadian college student Elisa Lam vanished while staying at the Cecil hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Her nude, decomposing body isn't found until the morning of February 19th, after hotel residents complain of foul-tasting water. A strange, four minute hotel elevator camera video capturing the last moments she's ever seen alive goes viral, and a murder mystery is born that has the internet obsessed to this day over what really happened. Find out what conclusio...

Apr 03, 20171 hr 12 min

BONUS 4 - Scientology

Scientology. What do they believe? How did it begin? Who, exactly, was L Ron Hubbard? What appeal does it have for Tom Cruise? So much crazy revealed on this OT9, beyond clear, Sea Org edition of Timesuck.

Mar 31, 20171 hr 27 min

28 - Blackbeard the pirate!

In just a year as captain of his own fleet of pirates, Blackbeard made one hell of a name for himself. A name that's lasted to this day. Pistols, cutlasses, looting, plundering - even the lawless Buccaneer island of Tortuga and pirate city of Nassau explored on this swashbuckling edition of Timesuck!

Mar 27, 20171 hr 12 min

27 - ISIS, Syria, and Islam

Yup. ISIS. We're talking about them Timesuckers! A brief explanation of Islam, what's going on in Syria, and how President Assad may be even worse than ISIS (and they're pretty bad). An intense, controversial, and entertaining edition of Timesuck!

Mar 20, 20171 hr 11 min

26 - Sasquatch vs Loch Ness Monster!

It's the Skunk Ape from Shreveport, the Bigfoot from Bremerton squaring off against the Sea Creature from Scotland, the dinosaur of Drumnadrochit. Sasquatch versus The Loch Ness Monster! Which legend do you believe? Which creature’s believers are more insane? Two of the world's most famous mythological creatures get sucked… today on Timesuck!

Mar 13, 20171 hr 8 min

BONUS 3 - Hitler's Third Reich: How Did It Happen?

How did Hitler and his Nazi Party ever gain political power in 1930s Germany? Why didn't the German people revolt? Why didn't America or any other countries intervene? How did the Jewish persecution begin? The foundation for Hitler and WWII examined and explained on this bonus episode of Timesuck!

Mar 10, 20171 hr 12 min