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

22 - Al Capone's Valentine's Day Massacre

On Feb. 14th, 1929, seven men were found dead in a North Side Chicago garage. The scene was grisly - each man had been shot anywhere from nine to fifteen times, mowed down with shotguns and Thompson "Tommy Gun" sub-machine guns. Who were they? Why did it happen? What did Al Capone have to do with it? Learn about the history of organized crime in Chicago and so much more in this underworld edition of Timesuck!

Feb 13, 20171 hr 5 min

BONUS 2 - Alien Extravaganza! Roswell, Area 51, UFOs and more!

When did humans first claim to be contacted by extraterrestrials? What really happened at Roswell? What is going on at Area 51? Why do aliens want to stick things in our butts? Is it all made up!?! Take a listen to a thoroughly researched (and very sarcastic) investigation into whether or not we've made contact with outer space.

Feb 10, 20172 hr 31 min

21 - Ghosts & Magic: Houdini takes on Spiritualism

In the early 1920s, world renown escape artist and master magician, Harry Houdini, became obsessed with exposing seance-holding mediums as frauds and imposters, sometimes cancelling his own shows to attend their performances and debunk them. Who was Houdini and what drove him to discredit all who claimed they could speak with the dead? Find out in the biggest Timesuck so far!

Feb 06, 20171 hr 25 min

20 - Insane Insane Asylum Tales

What started off as a listener suggested look into the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia became a disturbing timesuck into the dark history of mental health patient mistreatment, especially in late 19th century America. A diagnosis of reading too many novels or being prone to day dreaming could end up getting you an "icepick lobotomy". Seriously. All this and so much more in this completely insane episode. Pics at www.timesuckpodcast.com

Jan 30, 201754 min

19 - Flat Earth Theory F*ckery

Welcome to a Flat Earth Society edition of Timesuck! Think the Earth is a floating disc being propelled upwards by something you can't define? Think gravity is a myth? Do you have no respect for science in general and/or empirical evidence? Well, then I hope you have a thick skin because I take a big factual dump all over your silly beliefs. Find out why your world only makes sense when it's round in this chock-full of mockery episode of Timesuck!

Jan 23, 201749 min

18 - Charles Manson: Sex, Murder, and Helter Skelter

In 1969 Charles Manson convinced Tex Watson and several young women to brutally murder seven innocent people in Los Angeles, including rising star/model Sharon Tate. Why did he do it and how did he become the crazy guy we see now with a swastika on his forehead talking nonsense in prison? How could this obvious maniac convince anyone into giving him a ride down the street let alone into murdering on his behalf? Find out all this and more in my favorite Timesuck so far!

Jan 16, 20171 hr 5 min

17 - Is Walmart the Problem?

Is Walmart destroying middle class America? Is it the problem or merely a symptom of a larger economic disease? Find out who's bending over working class Americans and how hard they're sticking it to the them in this ear-opening edition of Timesuck!

Jan 09, 201758 min

16 - Is We Getting Dumberest?

What happened to the good old days when dumb, lazy fucks used to just die in the pre-industrialized, non-welfare state world of yesteryear? It’s never been easier for the least motivated members of society to stay alive and procreate. Is our gene pool getting shallower as a result? Find out as I try to answer one of society's most important questions: IS we getting dumberest!?!

Jan 02, 201740 min

BONUS 1 - Robert the Cursed Doll

Old porcelain dolls weird me out. Especially the kind whose eyes blink when you move them around. Those all too realistic looking glass eyes that seem to be truly watching you. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. Certain dolls are just creepy. And one of the creepiest of those dolls is named Robert. He talks, he trashes your house, he might kill your aunt in her sleep, and he’s probably the real life inspiration for Child's Play's Chucky. Let’s finish 2016 with some fear on a bonus, than...

Dec 30, 201642 min

15 - LBJ's "Jumbo" Johnson

It was a crazy time in America in the 1960s. JFK was assassinated in Dallas, we were entrenched in Vietnam - a war that deeply divided the nation, the civil rights movement was in full swing, and, from 1963 - 1969, our 36th president, Lyndon Baines Johnson, was apparently showing his big, "Jumbo" dick to just about everyone who set foot in the White House. Get ready for a rock hard, fully erect edition, of Timesuck.

Dec 26, 201637 min

14 - Krampus: The Christmas Devil.

In the mountains of central Europe, jolly old St. Nick doesn’t work alone. He leaves the handling of the naughty list to Krampus - a horned, goat-legged, split tongued, whip holding, Christmas demon draped in chains who beats and sometimes kidnaps wicked children. Krampus throws kids in the sack on his back and takes them to Hell and occasionally even eats them. Yup. This is a real tale that has been told to children. Buckle up for this dark holiday edition of Timesuck and get ready to learn all...

Dec 19, 201644 min

13 - The Dead Do Tell Tales

Timesucker and British archaeologist Rebecca Pridmore sent me some fascinating articles on what we’ve learned from the excavation of various ancient tombs and incredibly well preserved corpses. Bog people, a 12,000 year old funeral, and more on this rotten, decaying, and totally dead episode of Timesuck.

Dec 12, 201631 min

12 - Elon Musk's Mars Mission

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk wants to have a million people living on Mars by 2070 and wants to send the first 100 people to permanently live on Mars by 2024. Can he make this happen? And would you really want to live on that cold, red, dusty shithole of a planet? Find out on this interplanetary episode of Timesuck!

Dec 05, 201635 min

11 - Ted Bundy, Real Life Monster

Ted Bundy is perhaps the most disturbing serial killer of the 20th century. Why? For starters, he didn’t look like a serial killer, so you can’t convince yourself you would’ve seen him coming. He was well-educated, well-liked, charismatic, and handsome. And evil to the core. And unlike most sociopathic killers, Ted knew he was evil. He described himself as the “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet,” and after listening, I think you’ll agree.

Nov 28, 201643 min

10 - Robots, Artificial Intelligence, & Extinction?

Will we see robots that look, feel, and communicate in such lifelike ways that we won’t be able to tell them apart from other humans in our lifetime? When did the artificial intelligence movement begin? Is our progress with artificial intelligence leading to an inevitable, Skynet-like confrontation with future Terminator robots doomed to turn against us? Where are we at now with robot progress? (Hint: further than you think!) When will we be having sex with sexy sexbots? (hint: sooner than you t...

Nov 21, 201637 min

9 - Corey Haim: Lost Years of the Lost Boy

Corey Haim went one from a teen heartthrob and one of the most bankable child stars of the late 80s to being a junkie and out-of-work actor labeled as a “has been” by the early 90s to being virtually homeless before he was thirty. Find out what happened to Dan’s onetime favorite actor in this tragic (and fascinating) edition of Timesuck!

Nov 14, 201632 min

8 - A President, Mole People, and Hollow Earth Theory

John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States, a Massachusetts State Senator, a Harvard professor, the Secretary of State, and a member of the House of Representatives for the last 17 years of his life. He was also a man who hoped to fund an expedition to travel into the center of the Earth via the North Pole and possibly establish trade with mole people. Yup.

Nov 07, 201632 min

7 - Halloween Origins

What is Halloween? Where does it come from? When did people start asking for candy? When did it become an excuse for women to dress like porn stars?? All of this and more answered on a very informative and hopefully equally entertaining episode. Shove work up your ass - it’s time for Timesuck!!

Oct 31, 201636 min

6 - The Mongol Mass-Beheading of Nishapur

The Mongols sacked many cities over the course of their reign, but perhaps none so brutally as the Persian jewel of Nishapur in 1221. When they were done, giant pyramids of human heads stood where a majestic, cosmopolitan, Silk Road oasis had flourished only a few short days before. Be glad, so glad, you never lived on the wrong side of Genghis in this unbelievably bloody edition of Timesuck.

Oct 24, 201637 min

5 - The Great Clown Scare of 2016

Year of the creepy clown. What's behind the insane number of creepy clown sightings happening around the world? Why do we fear clowns? Have these creepy clowns actually hurt anyone? Everything you need to know about the current clown craze in this extended episode of Timesuck.

Oct 17, 201645 min

4 - Sociopaths and Psychopaths

What is a sociopath? What's a psychopath? Do you know one? Are you one? Dan breaks down the clinical definition of both and defines them in his own terms as well before nervously taking both a sociopath and a psychopath test himself. Take the tests with him and join Dan in this mentally ill edition of Timesuck! http://illnessquiz.com/sociopath-test/ http://vistriai.com/psychopathtest/

Oct 10, 201642 min

3 - The Big One

Your chances of dying in "the big one" Southern California earthquake are roughly the same as of being shot and killed by a toddler according to a study cited by the LA Times. Is it even scientifically possible for a giant earthquake to cause LA to fall into the sea? Are there a lot of trigger happy babies out there? Find out all this and more as the show's first guest, Jacob Kubon, and Dan break down the origins and possibility of the giant earthquake legend.

Oct 03, 201633 min

2 - Weird Sex Customs

Roman orgies! Columbian bestiality! Irish underwear! Find out what the Hell Dan is referring to and learn what Dan considers to be the ten strangest sexual customs of the world today and some odd sexual norms of yesteryear as well.

Sep 26, 201633 min

1 - Lizard Illuminati Conspiracy

Did you believe that a race of alien lizards has been secretly running the world’s governments since the dawn of human civilization, mining for mono-atomic gold in their underground cities and tunnels, creating world wars in order to feast on human sadness and controlling our thoughts from their moon weapon? If you do, you should probably skip this podcast and order one of British conspiracy theorist David Icke’s books explaining oh so much more about the reptilian agenda. If you think this soun...

Sep 19, 201632 min

What is Timesuck?

Welcome to Timesuck! Do you wonder how people end up in doomsday cults? Or why they believe in OUTLANDISH conspiracies? Are you morbidly curious about history’s most depraved serial killers - and wonder why they committed their terrible crimes? Me too! Join me, comedic host Dan Cummins, for heavily researched episodes every week, where I deep dive on topics like The Scorecard Killer, Randy Kraft, the NXIVM Cult, the Q Anon Conspiracy, the 1980 New Mexico Prison Riot, the life of Wild West legend...

Sep 04, 20163 min