Bittersweet Infamy

Bittersweet Infamy

By Josie Mitchell + Taylor BassoSociety & CultureHistory
Download on the App Store

Bittersweet Infamy episodes

  • #82 - Get the Hell Out
    Halloween special! Josie tells Taylor about three infamous exorcisms, including a convent of hell-raising nuns in 17th century France, a passel of seemingly possessed Pueblo women in the Spanish colony of New Mexico, and the mid-century possession that inspired the classic horror flick The Exorcist. Plus: unearthing the shadowy secret behind Powers of Darkness, the Icelandic translation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 36 min
  • #81 - The Flying Tailor
    Taylor tells Josie about garment-maker/inventor Franz Reichelt and his fateful 1912 flight from the Eiffel Tower. Plus: unmasking Saúl Armendáriz, a.k.a. Cassandro, an iconic and exotic figure in the world of lucha libre (Mexican professional wrestling).

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 23 min
  • #80 - The Mysterious Affair at Harrogate
    Josie tells Taylor about the infamous 1926 disappearance of mystery icon Agatha Christie. Plus: the shocking lost Sesame Street episode that traumatized child audiences, "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce."

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 40 min
  • #79 - The Empress of Canada
    In the final episode of our special British Columbia-centric Bittersweet 604 series, guest host The Established, Shanda Leer tells Josie and Taylor about legendary Vancouver drag queen and activist ted northe, the Imperial Court System, and the Dogwood Monarchist Society. Plus: the real story of professional wrestling's Fake Razor Ramon, BC's own Rick Bognar.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 32 min
  • #78 - Brother XII of the Great White Lodge
    In this road trip special recorded inside a 1970 Volkswagen bus in Jordan River, BC, Taylor tells Josie about spiritualist Edward Arthur Wilson, a.k.a. Brother XII, and the Aquarian Foundation, Vancouver Island's mystical doomsday cult. Plus: the sweetest protest in Canadian history—the Ladysmith chocolate bar strike of 1947.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 38 min
  • #77 - The Right Side of the Tracks
    In this road trip special recorded in the forests of Jordan River, BC, Josie tells Taylor about the Militant Mothers of Raymur, who stood in front of speeding trains to make a better world for their children. Plus: a blurry glimpse of two of British Columbia's most elusive residents—the serpentine marine monsters, Cadborosaurus and Ogopogo.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 35 min
  • #76 - One Book, Two Books, Banned Books, Blue Books
    In this 604 Podcast Network studio special, Taylor tells Josie about children's educator and LGBTQ+ activist James Chamberlain, and his fight against Surrey School District 36 to teach kids that parents come in every colour of the rainbow—featuring an original interview with James himself. Plus: W̱SÁNEĆ elder Dave Elliott Sr., and the thrift store typewriter he used to save the SENĆOŦEN language from extinction.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 36 min
  • #75 - From the Andes to Israel With Love
    Taylor tells Josie about "En Tus Tierras Bailaré," a musical love ode to Israel performed by three of Latin America's most infamous YouTube stars—Delfín "Hasta el Fin" Quishpe, La Tigresa del Oriente, and "La Pequeña" Wendy Sulca. Plus: Tonka the celebrity chimp, his allegedly fake death, and Scottish actor Alan Cumming's quest to bring the sordid truth to light.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 35 min
  • #74 - Coldproof
    Josie tells Taylor about the superhuman survival story of capsized Icelandic fisherman Guðlaugur Friðþórsson. Plus: Ying Zheng (嬴政), Jing Ke (荊軻), and the wackiest assassination attempt in ancient Chinese history.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 19 min
  • #73 - This Side Up With Care
    Taylor tells Josie about American abolitionist and magician Henry Box Brown, and his most ingenious disappearing act: his escape from slavery. Plus: the stop-and-go story of East Berlin's iconic Ampelmännchen traffic lights.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 24 min

About Bittersweet Infamy

From the publisher's feed

Storytellers and best friends Josie Mitchell and Taylor Basso share the stories that live on in infamy: the strange and the familiar, the tragic and the comic—the bitter and the sweet. Check back on…