On this 269th episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we pull back the shadows of the famous American mastermind of mystery and macabre, Edgar Allan Poe.

Known historically as the Godfather of funk, wait no, I’m still drunk.

Poor boy Poe was the middle child of three souls born to actor parents in 1809. By his first birthday, his father had packed up and split for greener pastures leaving his mother to care for three small children alone.

Not wanting to spend the rest of her life chained down by responsibilities, she contracted tuberculosis and cashed in her life chips just before Poe turned three. The siblings would all be split up and sent to different foster homes and the young Eddie would end up with the Allan family where he acquired the now famous second surname to become the one horror Autobot to rule them all, Edgar Allan Poe. Spoiler alert: He wasn’t really an Autobot.

Poe would excel at schooling and live the lavish childhood life that was afforded him by the tobacco merchant Allan family but would soon find himself at ends with his foster father once he was sent off to college.  Racking up a quick gambling debt that Allan refused to pay Poe would turn to the military and enlist under a false name.

How did a now abandoned little orphan boy become the master of mystery and the macabre? You’ll have to listen to find out. Come join us as we dissect the dark genius that would become Edgar Allan Poe, and wonder never-mo.