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

386 - The Lady of Silence: Mexico's First Hunt For a Serial Killer

Between 1998 and 2006, at least 48 elderly women were strangled to death in Mexico City. These murders would lead to Mexico's first ever investigation into an active serial killer. The task force was certain that a man was responsible for the killings, and were shocked to realize the killer was a middle-aged mother of four. A wannabe luchadora who told friends she once wrestled under the name of the Lady of Silence. Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HJtJRTu_ILI Merch: https://www.badma...

Feb 05, 20242 hr 27 min

385 - Brain Damage, Murder, and Football: The Aaron Hernandez Story

I've wanted to dig into this story for a couple of years now. Aaron seemed to have EVERYTHING going for him. And he threw it all away through committing the most confusing, impulsive acts of violence. How much did the severe case of CTE football gave him lead to the murder (and probably multiple murders) he committed? Congrats to the Suck Ranger, Tyler Sea, and please wish him luck on the next chapter of his life. He's a great dude and we will miss having him around! Watch the Suck on YouTube: h...

Jan 29, 20243 hr 50 min

Short Suck #2 - Grizzly Bear vs Mountain Man: The Story of Hugh Glass

Today's Short Suck is all about the life of Hugh Glass - the man whose insane story of surviving a Grizzly Bear attack inspired the 2015 Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Revenant. Hope you enjoy! And have a great weekend! Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1nnLCum2UsU For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com...

Jan 26, 202448 min

384 - Satanic Panic and the West Memphis Three

In the Spring of 1993, three eight-year-old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. And immediately, thanks to outlandish, paranoid Satanic Panic notions, investigative suspicion fell on a local eighteen-year-old, Damien Echols, ignorantly believed to be the leader of a local Satanic cult, and two of his teen friends, falsely believed to be his followers... Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UiP4cd3rvH8 Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH...

Jan 22, 20243 hr 56 min

383 - The Iron Claw: The Von Erich Curse

The story behind the new Iron Claw movie starring Zac Effron and Jeremy Allen White. Was the Von Erich wrestling family actually cursed? I understand why some people think so. Five out of six of wrestling star Fritz Von Erich's sons would die prematurely and tragically, many of them dying shortly after the family became the most famous family in all of professional wrestling. Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T6Rc-_-Bk04 Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.com Timesuck Discord! https://di...

Jan 15, 20243 hr 3 min

Short Suck #1 - The Strange Tale of Lobster Boy

The first in what will hopefully be many Short Sucks! 45-60 minute stories delivered in a more traditional type of story-telling. No inside jokes and mythology to keep track of. Just some quick extra entertainment! This episode is all about the life of Grady Stiles, Jr. aka Lobster Boy, a "freak show" performer who truly was a monster. Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ivyX-o9HbCA For Merch and more, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com...

Jan 12, 202451 min

382 - The Riverside Killer: America's Forgotten Serial Killer

Sharing the life and crimes today of William Lester Suff aka the Riverside Killer. Convicted of killing twelve women after being arrest in 1992 after already serving nearly a decade in prison in Texas for murdering his own child. Come for the true crime, stay for the chili recipe... Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EE36ytvUJSk Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.com Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious Private Facebook Group ? Go directly to F...

Jan 08, 20243 hr 51 min

381 - The Cult of the Twin Flames Universe

Whether or not you've seen the recent Amazon and/or Netflix docuseries on Twin Flames Universe, I think you're gonna love this one. Another cult episode, but with a few major twists. This cult was born and still lives primarily online. And rather than selling salvation, it's focused on selling you romance. Jeffrey and Shaleia Divine are true grifters, playing with the lives of their followers in strange and dangerous ways. Also - Happy New Year! Let's tear it up in 2024! Watch the Suck on YouTub...

Jan 01, 20243 hr 37 min

380 - Kentucky Fried Suck!

For this year's annual, inspirational episode and wrap-up, I share the surprisingly inspiring and entertaining tale of Colonel Harland Sanders, man behind the KFC empire. Then I go over what went down in Bad Magic 2023, and what I'm hoping to do in 2024. Hail Nimrod and THANK YOU! It was such a good year and thanks to your continual support, I am more excited going into the next year of Bad Magic than I've ever been. Hope you had a great 2023, and really looking forward to 2024! Thank you for li...

Dec 25, 20233 hr 40 min

379 - The Incelosphere: Sex, Hate, and Violence

Did you know the term "incel" no longer generally refers to someone who is just lonely and horny? Now, it's more synonymous with a new kind of domestic terrorist. A rise in mass shootings carried out by self-identified "incels," starting with Elliot Rodger in 2014, has more and more people looking into the "manosphere" that incels digitally inhabit. It's a sad and terrifying place... and also - holy shit, is it unintentionally also hilarious. Get ready to learn all about Chads, Stacys, Tyrones, ...

Dec 18, 20233 hr 49 min

378 - Zombies, White Camps, and Murder: The Story of Lori Vallow

I know - this episode is a long one! I tried to cut as much as I could that didn't feel relevant to tell this tale. I really did! There's just so much juicy stuff. So many strange, STRANGE details. Lori evolved, over the course of her adult life, from a manipulative person who was also very religious, into a murderous, manipulative person who became, essentially, the co-leader of a cult when she met her fifth and final husband, Chad Daybell. Chad had, over many years as an LDS author, created a ...

Dec 11, 20233 hr 14 min

377 - The Murdaugh Murders: Rise and Fall of a Low Country Dynasty

I finally look into what all the hype about the Murdaugh family murders is about. And the hype... is justified. I provide a summary of the Murdaugh's history of power and influence in South Carolina's Low Country and how a series of financial crimes and murders led to the collapse of their corrupt rural empire. Alec Murdaugh is a TERRIBLE human being... and I'm so glad that snake will rot in prison for the rest of his life. BAD MAGIC GIVING TREE: Go to Amazon.com and purchase an Amazon gift card...

Dec 04, 20233 hr 46 min

376 - Debunking The World's Most Dangerous Conspiracy: The Protocols

Want to know where a lot of the core ideas from the many conspiracies that revolve around the idea the a small, secretive cabal of wealthy Jews control the world and want to enslave and destroy humanity come from? Some old debunked Russian propaganda that is still causing problems over 125 years after it was written. Today, I'll explore the roots of antisemitism, and how antisemitic beliefs have led to various conspiratorial allegations against the Jewish people, and to the creation of the ficti...

Nov 27, 20233 hr 35 min

375 - The Cleveland Kidnappings: Tremont's House of Horrors

On the evening of May 6th, 2013, in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, three enduring mysteries were shockingly solved. Three missing Cleveland women, Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus - all long presumed dead - were found to have been held captive by a madman named Ariel Castro for roughly a decade. It is insane what they had endured, and it is so inspiring how all three women have chosen not to let their torture and captivity define them. GIVING TREE INFORMATION : If yo...

Nov 20, 20233 hr 10 min

374 - The Duggar's Dark Secrets

You probably are pretty familiar with the Duggar family, from TLC's hit show 19 and Counting. But do you know about the sexual abuse they hid for years? And do you know about the organization, often called a dangerous cult, that shaped their beliefs that may have led to them downplay that sexual abuse, The Institute in Basic Life Principles? Wild one today. A lot more talk about riding bikes than I anticipated. Hail Nimrod! GIVING TREE INFORMATION : If you would like to donate this year, go to a...

Nov 13, 20233 hr 35 min

373 - The Chicago Tylenol Murders

Who decided to add cyanide to a bunch of bottles of Tylenol in the Chicago area in 1982? A couple of real shifty, odd suspects emerged in an investigation that lasted decades. In this episode, we'll not only look at the Chicago crimes, we'll also look at how these crimes led to legal changes to protect the consumers of all kinds of products. Protections all of us benefit from today. And we'll look into some copycat crimes that came later. Get ready to smell your medicine and vitamins for the sce...

Nov 06, 20233 hr 46 min

372 - Gilles de Rais: Medieval Monster or Witch-Hunt Victim?

Headed to 15th century to explore the life of a man who may have been the wealthiest noble in all of France at one point, and commander of France's military - Gilles de Rais. Was this contemporary of Joan of Arc also a demon-worshipper child killer? He was put to death for, among other crimes, confessing to killing 140 children in the most heinous of ways. Did he really do all that he was accused of? Or was he another victim of a medieval witch hunt? Nice blend of true crime and. history today. ...

Oct 30, 20232 hr 14 min

371 - The School of The Prophets Cult Killings

This week we dig into both LDS and FLDS teachings, and learn about The School of the Prophets, a group composted largely of FLDS polygamists who believed strongly in the gift of personal revelation. And a revelation in 1984 would lead to the murder of a young Mormon wife and their baby. CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Better Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9kkxBcdMEgg Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch.com Timesuck Discord!...

Oct 23, 20233 hr 50 min

370 - The Cuban Revolution: Fidel Castro's Communist Tranformation

When Fidel Castro took over Cuba in 1959, he deposed a dictator. And then the man who promised democracy turned into a dictator himself, and turned Cuba communist. Did he also make Cuba better than it was before? Or worse? Today we dig into the Cuba Revolution, and also go over the centuries of foreign subjugation and internal chaos and corruption that preceded it. Cuba has been struggling since long before Castro took it over. We meet a few interesting players in addition to going over the hist...

Oct 16, 20233 hr 48 min

369 - Larry Hall: Serial Killer or "Wannabe"?

Is Larry Hall, currently incarcerated in federal prison on a charge of kidnapping for the purposes of sexual gratification, one of America's most prolific serial killers? Or a serial confessor to murder? A, as some local police who initially interrogated him believed, a wannabe? The true story of Larry Hall and FBI informant Jimmy Keene's attempts to get him to confess to murder, behind the Apple+ TV series, Black Bird. CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Better Get tour...

Oct 09, 20233 hr 45 min

368 - The Korean War: First Shots of the Cold War

How much do you know about "The Forgotten War" as the Korean War - technically a UN Police Action - is often called? Sandwiched between WW2 and Vietnam, it's never gotten the attention it's deserved. So let's give it some! Also, do you know how connected Jon Bon Jovi is to the Korean War? You're about to... CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Better Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MxXj6iQ6bNs Merch: https://www.badmagicmerch....

Oct 02, 20233 hr 50 min

367 - The Bloody Briley Brothers

Have you heard of the Briley Brothers? Three young brothers, and a teenage neighbor, went on a vicious murder, robbery, and rape spree in Richmond, Virginia in 1979. And then two of the brothers later planned a historic death row prison escape. Today's episode really again asks the question, "Are some people just born evil?" It sure seems ago with at least Linwood Briley. A wild story that I'm surprised isn't more commonly known. CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Bette...

Sep 25, 20232 hr 6 min

366 - Black Holes and the Nature of the Universe!

My favorite episode in months. One that I'm hoping the most curious of the cult of the curious will truly enjoy. Today, we look at the very nature of our existence, how we came to our current theoretical understanding of the universe, what we know about black holes (like how the bend the very fabric of space-time!) and more entertaining and existential mind-candy! CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Better Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camp tickets are ON SALE! BadMagicMerch....

Sep 18, 20232 hr 25 min

365 - The Trailside Killer

Between August of 1979, and May of 1981, convicted serial rapist David Carpenter escalated to murdering his rape victims, and he killed at least seven young women, and likely several other victims. He also killed the fiancé of one victim and nearly killed the boyfriend of another. David's sexually violent crimes began almost 90 years ago in his childhood, and he's still alive today, the oldest inmate on California's death row. CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY NEW SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! Trying to Get Better W...

Sep 11, 20233 hr 33 min

364 - The Mystery of the Great Library of Ancient Alexandria

Did the fall and/or destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria really set human progress a thousand years? Would w bee flying around in spaceships and teleporting and doing all kinds of crazy stuff if Julius Ceasar hadn't have burned down the library around 2000 years ago? Or DID Ceasar burn it down? What actually happened? What do we truly know about the contents of a place said to be the greatest house of knowledge of the ancient world? Exploring a historical mystery today - AND - bringing...

Sep 04, 20232 hr 57 min

363 - NATLFED: Communist Cult Hiding in America

In the early '70s, a man presenting himself as Eugenio Mario Perente-Ramos creates the Eastern Farmworkers Association - an organization purportedly aiming to help migrant workers on Long Island, New York. He then quickly goes national with the National Labor Federation, aka NATLFED, and develops other groups purportedly aimed at helping the poor around the US in other ways. Meanwhile, in the background, all of these groups end up funneling money to a militant communist group in Brooklyn known a...

Aug 28, 20233 hr 40 min

362 - Watergate: When Faith in American Politics Was Destroyed

On August 9th, 1974, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America, while serving his second term (after winning in a landslide), became the first and still only American leader to resign from office. Why? In a word, "Watergate." But Watergate was only the tip of the corruption iceberg. Through the televised Senate Watergate hearings, other members of government and the American public learned that having men break into the Democratic National Headquarters at the Wate...

Aug 21, 20233 hr 56 min

361 - The UK's Jeffrey Dahmer: Dennis Nilsen

In addition to being a serial killer who very likely killed at least 15 young men and boys around London between 1978 and 1983... Dennis Nilsen was also SO WEIRD. Have you ever pretended to pass out in front of a friend or coworker, hoping they'll try to molest you? Dennis did that. Ever strip down naked while working security and rubbed your genitals on a stuffed gorilla? Dennis also did that. Dennis did SO many weird things, fueled by his intensely specific and peculiar sexual fantasies. We ge...

Aug 14, 20233 hr 49 min

360 - The Lynching of Emmett Till

Early on the morning of August 28th, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from his great-uncle's home by two white men, Roy Bryant and JW Milam, and several others. Why? He'd allegedly flirted with Roy's wife Carolyn Bryant. Roy, JW, and possibly others proceeded to whip, punch, and pistol whip Emmett, before putting a bullet in his head and dumping his body in the river. And then they were found innocent of his murder, a murder they later publicly admitted to, in a rigged trial. Real his...

Aug 07, 20232 hr 25 min

359 - William Shakespeare (Billy Shakes?)

What do we known about William Shakespeare the man? And why are his works still popular today? Who was Billy Shakes? We dive into the legacy of the English language's most important author this week, examine the claims that Shakespeare didn't actually write all that is attributed to him, learn a lot about the time and place he lived in, and so much more in this literary (and kind of true crime?) edition of Timesuck. Also - go get those street team stickers! And watch my new special August 27th o...

Jul 31, 20233 hr 30 min