Best Treefort Media Podcasts (2024)

1
On Disability & Monsters 1:17:39

15m ago1:17:39

1:17:39

🦾🐕‍🦺🦻🏼 On this riveting Chinwag, Paul and Stephen speak to Riva Lehrer, an award-winning artist, writer, and curator with an unconventional approach to portraiture. Together they explore the nuances of living with a disability, stigma, defining beauty, and the complexities of human interactions. Riva shares the importance of representation and the …

1
THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING 50:09

4h ago50:09

50:09

Over a year has passed since that night aboard the Natural Selection. By now, William “Wild Bill” Holbert has graduated from grifter to murderer. He is arrested (along with his faithful companion, Laura Michelle Reese) and charged with murdering six fellow ex-pats in Central America. As he awaits trial in a Panamanian prison, Wild Bill makes a shoc…

1
Matthew Milat: Keeping Murder in the Family 39:07

27m ago39:07

39:07

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into the case of Matthew Milat. In his early teen years, Matthew harbored an unhealthy obsession with his uncle -- Ivan Milat, the notorious "Backpack Murderer" of Australia. In 2010, Matthew decided to follow in Ivan's footsteps by killing his own friend. Candice explores Matthew's descen…

1
Fortean Times Talk 59:31

3d ago59:31

59:31

📰🛸🕵🏼‍♀️ Fortean Times has been bringing weirdness into people’s lives for over 50 years and Paul’s been reading its pages since he was a mere Chin-cub. Now join Paul and Stephen as they meet the man behind the mag, esteemed News Editor, Ian Simmons. What follows is a mind-bending exploration of the weird and wonderful including a colorful sketch of…

1
I AM A GOD 45:25

8d ago45:25

45:25

Bocas del Toro, Panama – 2009. Scott McAda, his wife Belinda, and their son Wes are enjoying a peaceful sunset on their yacht, the Natural Selection, when a motorboat approaches. An American couple introduce themselves as Bill and Jane Cortez. Always a friend to fellow expats, Scott invites them on board for a cocktail, but after several rounds of …

1
Encore - The Fort Bragg Murders: The Brutal Case of Jeffrey MacDonald 45:02

4d ago45:02

45:02

Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong takes a closer look at the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, a former United States Army officer convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters. He maintains innocence to this day, blaming four mysterious "hippies" for the crimes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca…

1
Mothman: Legend and Lore 24:11

8d ago24:11

24:11

👨🏼‍🏫🍏🕰️ The Professor is in for Chinwag Office Hours! Professor Stephen Asma offers his rarefied time and detours into more of the unusual topics you crave. This week on Office Hours, Stephen drops his knowledge on the Mothman and the psychology of creepiness. What is the purpose of creepy feelings and eerie sensations? Are they interdimensional be…

1
ENCORE: The Cult of Kathryn Hahn 1:00:09

10d ago1:00:09

1:00:09

🏐🏐🏐 Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma were delighted to speak with the wonderful Kathryn Hahn in this early Chinwag gem. They were fascinated by Hahn's deep knowledge of cults, con men, hypnosis, brainwashing dogs, and the power of late night volleyball sessions. Hear about Travis the chimpanzee, radical nuns, lice couches, whether the Popes "Netflix …

1
Belinda Van Krevel: Her Brother's Keeper 45:39

16d ago45:39

45:39

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the case of Belinda Van Krevel. After enduring a childhood of alleged abuse – and her brother’s eventual spiral into violence and imprisonment – she orchestrated the murder of her father, whom she blamed for her brother’s downfall. Candice dives into this troubled family, and how Belin…

1
ASK THE PHILOSOPHER! PT DEUX 57:36

17d ago57:36

57:36

📚🧐🏛 Paul’s been studying up on Western philosophy and has even more burning questions for our exceedingly patient resident expert, Professor Stephen Asma. Lean in to these bite-sized lessons about rationalists, empiricists and idealists, and Stephen’s explanation of the notoriously difficult to understand German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich …

1
Stephen Griffiths: Crossbow Killer 40:08

18d ago40:08

40:08

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the case of Stephen Griffiths. Between 2009 and 2010, Griffiths killed and cannibalized women in the West Yorkshire, England town of Bradford. His unusual weapon of choice – a crossbow – earned him the nickname “The Crossbow Cannibal.” Candice digs into the troubled mind of Griffiths…

1
Listen Now: The Spy Who 6:20

19d ago6:20

6:20

These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own. L…

1
Bonus-wag: Burning Questions with Bill Hader 24:55

22d ago24:55

24:55

😊🎙️👽 It’s the audience’s turn to ask Paul, Stephen and the hilarious Bill Hader anything at this Chinwag recorded live from Dynasty Typewriter in L.A., and things go off the rails pretty quick! If aliens land on Earth, what movie would this trio show them first? Then at the audience’s prodding, hear their favorite alien abduction movies, which cryp…

1
Tackling True Crime, One Podcast at a Time: A Conversation With M. William Phelps 13:46

22d ago13:46

13:46

For more than 20 years, bestselling author and investigative journalist M. William Phelps has been immersed in the world of true crime. As the host of the podcast Paper Ghosts, he seeks answers in unsolved cases. And in his podcast Crossing the Line with M. William Phelps, he sheds light on stories of the missing and murdered from the past – and th…

1
CHINWAG LIVE: Bill Hader Unleashed and Waggin' 1:04:17

24d ago1:04:17

1:04:17

🎬🍿🎞 Recorded live at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, Paul and Stephen are joined by comedy legend Bill Hader for a night of hilarious and obscure impressions, a rundown of insane B- movies, their shared fear of the school bus, and so much more! What did Hader overhear director Sam Raimi say walking out of a screening of Cannibal Holocaust? What …

1
Nancy Brophy: The Husband Killer 43:35

27d ago43:35

43:35

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong walks us through the case of Nancy Brophy. Brophy was a romance novelist who murdered her husband Daniel at the culinary institute where he worked in 2018. Though it appeared that she and her husband had a good relationship and were said to be a loving couple, Brophy's elaborate plot showed sig…

1
Bonus-wag: David Grann 23:51

29d ago23:51

23:51

📓✍🏽🛢️ In this captivating Bonus-Wag, hosts Paul and Stephen sit down with investigative historian David Grann for a cerebral exploration. Grann’s journey began as a journalist with an insatiable passion for storytelling. How did he transition from reporting facts to weaving gripping narratives? Then, imagine a man unfairly sent to death row, despit…

1
How (Not) to Murder Your Husband: Inside the Story of Nancy Brophy 14:31

1M ago14:31

14:31

In today’s Headlines, Candice is joined by novelist Heidi Tretheway, who was formerly a member of Brophy's writing group, and currently hosts the new Wondery limited series Happily Never After: Dan and Nancy. Together, they discuss possible reasons why Brophy committed such a horrible crime, and take a closer look at her behavior before and after t…

1
Chin-wrecked! 1:02:59

1M ago1:02:59

1:02:59

🌊🏴‍☠️⚓ Paul and Stephen embark on a deep-sea exploration of maritime history with David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon, The Lost City of Z, and most recently, The Wager. The trio unravel tales of mutinies, scurvy, and the enigmatic allure of failure. Did you know most seamen couldn’t swim? How were sailors selected or found aboard thes…

1
Encore - John Bunting: The Snowtown Murders 42:31

1M ago42:31

42:31

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong digs into John Bunting, the ring leader of the Australian Snowtown murders. Bunting recruited acolytes to help him kill those he deemed unfit to live. Bunting considered himself a vigilante for justice, but his sadistic nature and financial crimes suggest otherwise. Candice explores the psychol…

1
Bonus-wag: Shaking Hands with the Dead 19:30

1M ago19:30

19:30

☠️🤝☠️ Join Paul and Stephen for a special bonus episode as they sit down with investigative journalist Leslie Kean. The topic? Spirit hands—ethereal entities that connect the living and the dead. Leslie describes witnessing famed British spirit medium Stewart Alexander conjuring spirit hands seemingly from nothing – conjuring a black amorphous goo …

1
The Case of Kouri Richins: Will the Defense Struggle to Prove Her Claim of Innocence? 13:27

1M ago13:27

13:27

In 2022, after the sudden death of her husband, Utah mother Kouri Richins released a children’s book about coping with grief. But shortly after the book garnered national attention, Kouri was charged with murder. Prosecutors say that she intentionally killed her own husband, but she claims she is innocent. Just a few weeks ago, Kouri’s attorneys wi…

1
Séances, Skeptics, and ... Spirit Trumpets! 1:05:06

1M ago1:05:06

1:05:06

🎺🎺🎺 Open your mind as Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma talk about accessing the spirit world with investigative journalist Leslie Kean — the very journalist who broke the groundbreaking 2017 UFO story to The New York Times and introduced the world to the Pentagon’s UFO videos. The trio delve into the esoteric world of ectoplasm and explore its weight…

1
John Wayne Gacy, Part 2: A Conversation with his Appeal Lawyer 40:18

1M ago40:18

40:18

In the second half of this two-part episode, retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong speaks with Chicago trial attorney, radio show host and legal analyst Karen Conti, who represented notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy in his final death row appeal attempts. Candice and Karen discuss what Gacy was like on a personal level and wh…

1
Bonus-wag: Chuck Bryant Has Seen A Ghost 24:27

1M ago24:27

24:27

🪐🕰️💫 Paul, Stephen and Chuck Bryant on being a strict materialist, natural evolution, Olaf Stapledon, and more Stuff You Should Know. Plus, Chuck shares a creepy ghost story that challenges his skeptical nature to this day. Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer, and the self-proclaimed Emperor of Neptune. Stephen Asma is a professor …

1
Felonious Florida: The Case of The Pillowcase Rapist 15:14

2M ago15:14

15:14

During the 1980s, women in South Florida were terrorized by a prolific serial rapist. Victims reported a man sneaking into their homes at night and assaulting them while covering their faces with a pillowcase. They called him “The Pillowcase Rapist,” and after over 40 assaults, he vanished, until over 30 years later, when a stroke of luck led polic…

1
Stuff You Should Chinwag About with the Silurian Hypothesis 1:10:39

2M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

☢️☢️☢️ Paul and Stephen are joined by Stuff You Should Know’s Chuck Bryant for a deep wag on lizard people, the importance and impermanence of what we leave behind, the rarity of finding dinosaur bones, nuclear semiotics, and of course, the Silurian Hypothesis. How do we know advanced civilizations didn’t exist before us and what does that mean for…

1
John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown, Part I 52:50

2M ago52:50

52:50

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong breaks down the seminal case of John Wayne Gacy. Known as the "Killer Clown," Gacy murdered thirty-three boys and young men, burying the majority of them under his house. Candice digs into Gacy's abusive childhood, a domineering father and internalized homophobia to understand how he became one…

1
Mailwag: War of the Worlds & Penis Clairvoyance 25:33

2M ago25:33

25:33

📻✋🏼♆ It’s back to the WagBag we go! This week, Chinwag listener Scott S. writes in with an account of his grandfather’s panic during Orson Welles’s famed 1938 The War of the Worlds broadcast. Paul recalls his own grandfather’s memory of that fateful broadcast, as well as that of the Hindenburg! Then, Barbara C. writes us with a fascinating tutorial…

1
Why Did Kendra Licari Harass her Own Daughter? The Strange Case of "Cyber Munchausen Syndrome" 11:26

2M ago11:26

11:26

For over a year, Kendra Licari’s 14-year-old daughter received threatening and harmful messages from a person she believed to be another teenager. She told her mom and together, they reported the harassment to the police. Cyberbullying at its worst, the hateful messages devastated Kendra’s daughter as she didn’t know the culprit behind the messages…

1
Breaking Down Buddhism 1:15:48

2M ago1:15:48

1:15:48

📿📿📿 Paul and Stephen are honored to welcome the esteemed Dr. Khy Sovanratana, dear friend of Dr. Stephen Asma, and former monk in the Theravada tradition in Cambodia. After 34 years as a monk, Dr. Sovanratana removed his robe and left the monastery to become the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Cambodian government. Many think they know Buddhism…

1
The Weepy Voiced Killer: Paul Michael Stephani 37:37

2M ago37:37

37:37

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into the case of Paul Michael Stephani, also known as the “Weepy-Voiced Killer.” A serial murderer who terrorized women around St-Paul in the early 80s, Stephani got his moniker because he would place anonymous calls to the police and report his own crimes in a whiny, high-pitched, weepy…

1
Bonus-wag: AI'm Not A Robot 16:02

2M ago16:02

16:02

🤖🌭🏦 Recorded at Spotify Studios... Elizabeth Banks reflects on her collegiate aspirations to become the next Diane Sawyer, and whether AI could make its own Everything Everywhere All At Once. But…could it replicate the hot dog fingers fight scene? Among other topics, our hosts and Ms. Banks ponder why so many actors are introverts? And what does ch…

1
The Trial of Chad Daybell: Will a Bombshell Testimony Lead to Conviction? 12:42

2M ago12:42

12:42

The trial of "Doomsday Prophet" Chad Daybell is well underway, expected to last at least two months, with more than sixty witnesses having taken the stand so far. Daybell stands accused of murder in the deaths of his first wife, Tammy Daybell, and the two children of his second wife, Lori Vallow. Daybell is facing the death penalty. Though his firs…

1
Cocaine Bears and Ghostly Stares 1:14:00

2M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

❄️🐻👻 Recorded at Spotify Studios... Join Paul and Stephen as they sit down to discuss death and their paranormal encounters with Paul’s Fred Claus co-star Elizabeth Banks. They discuss what drove Elizabeth to make her 2023 hit film Cocaine Bear, the omen of the white owl on her doorstep, and how they would all like to be buried or in Stephen’s case…

1
Nathan Matthews: The Murderous Step-Brother 41:05

2M ago41:05

41:05

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the case of Nathan Matthews. With the help of his girlfriend Shauna Hoare, Nathan brutally murdered his sixteen year old step-sister Becky Watts in a sexually motivated attack. Candice walks us through how Nathan's history of resentment and dangerous sexual fantasies tore his family ap…

1
Bonus-wag: More Moon Lore & Owning the Moon 25:15

2M ago25:15

25:15

🧀🌝🛰️ Paul and Stephen explore more moon theories…is the moon made of cheese? Might the moon be a spacecraft? Are we all descendants of moon-people? And can someone claim the moon? All this and H.P. Lovecraft, burgeoning schools of space law, and real estate on the moon (not to mention Pluto!!) Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer, a…

1
Program or Prison Time? The Fate of Dharmesh Patel is Now in Judge’s Hands 13:47

2M ago13:47

13:47

In January 2023, California radiologist Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove his Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two children inside after suffering a “psychotic break” and extreme delusions. Miraculously, the entire family survived. When Patel recovered from his injuries, he was charged with three counts of attempted murder. Now, with the suppor…

1
SHOOTING THE MOON 1:03:50

2M ago1:03:50

1:03:50

🌒🌒🌒 Ever since they tackled the hollow earth, Paul and Stephen have wanted to talk about weird moon conspiracy theories. Was the Apollo moon landing faked or was it really a movie set? Why does the American flag appear to be flapping on a windless moon? Where was Neil Armstrong’s camera in that famed picture and what about those eyewitness accounts…

1
Pamela Smart: Fatal Obsession 46:11

2M ago46:11

46:11

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the case of Pamela Smart, whose twisted story became a media sensation in the 90s when her husband was found dead. Pamela was accused of orchestrating his murder with the help of four teenage boys, one of whom she alledgedly seduced. Candice explores how Pamela skillfully manipulated…

1
Chinwag Mailbag: A Ghostly Life After Near-Death 27:28

2M ago27:28

27:28

⭐️📬🌎 Deep into the Chinwag Mailbag we go! Caroline writes about an incredible near-death experience that’s left her feeling like a ghost in her own life. Then, how almost dying can alter religious convictions and spiritual reality, DMT, the Bahá’í faith, and Victor Hugo! Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a profes…

1
The Trial of Karen Read: A Tale of Two Theories 12:54

2M ago12:54

12:54

After nearly two years of pretrial hearings and preparations, Karen Read’s second-degree murder trial is now underway. She is accused of hitting her boyfriend, Boston Police officer John O’Keefe with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die in a bitter snowstorm. She contends that John’s death was caused by a brutal beating by his own law enforcement…

1
Baseball, Religion & Renewal 50:01

2M ago50:01

50:01

⚾️⚾️⚾️ Part 2 of Paul and Stephen’s Chinwag turns to the religion of baseball with writer, comedian and passionate fan, Alex Edelman. If Paul is gonna talk sports, it’s bound to be about its spiritual pull and ability to expand space and time. They’ll get into all of it: superstition, Mark “the Bird” Fidrych, the legendary Bart Giamatti, George Gre…

1
Belle Gunness: The Norwegian Black Widow 37:20

3M ago37:20

37:20

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong explores the case of Belle Gunness, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in America in the late 1800s. Known as “The Black Widow,” Belle found financial stability through multiple marriages...but the men she entrapped met gruesome ends, with their remains discovered buried on her property. The tru…

1
Chinwag Mailbag: Aliens at the Movies & Theories on JFK 27:34

3M ago27:34

27:34

💬🛸🩻 We’re diving back into the Chinwag Mailbag! Billy C. wants to know how Paul would like to see UFOs portrayed in films. Should paranormal encounters be big and fantastical, or what about - no special effects at all? Then, Paul’s got some obscure film recommendations and of course, Betty and Barney Hill, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Russia…

1
Murder on My Mind: What Comes Next for YNW Melly? 11:52

3M ago11:52

11:52

Jamell Demons, known by his stage name YNW Melly, rose to fame when his song “Murder on My Mind” hit the mainstream rap charts. But not long after hitting a high point in his career, Melly was charged with killing his two childhood friends and staging the crime scene to mislead police. After his first trial was declared a mistrial, many are wonderi…

1
Spirituality, Rigor & Improv 47:46

3M ago47:46

47:46

🦈🦈🦈 Paul and Stephen welcome brilliant writer and comedian Alex Edelman for a deep chinwag on spirituality, religion, improvisation, and paranormal leanings. Listen as they dive right in with why the CIA should use Baby Shark in its interrogation program, the importance and virtue of repetition in the process of joke writing, the Socratic method in…

1
America’s First Mass School Shooting: The Texas Tower Shooter 51:25

3M ago51:25

51:25

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong dives into the case of Charles Whitman, also known as the Texas Tower Shooter. In 1966, he wreaked havoc on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in one of the first mass school shootings in American history. Candice explores how Whitman went from a promising young man to a deadly gun…

1
Chinwag Mailbag: Paleocontact and Our Fave Sci-Fi Books 26:27

3M ago26:27

26:27

📖🫱🏽‍🫲🏾👽 We’re diving into the Chinwag Mailbag! Paul in Australia writes to Paul and Stephen with a topic of biblical proportion! He brings to Chinwag the theory known as Paleocontact, which states that our ancient ancestors experienced contact with other non-terrestrial civilizations. Do ancient texts support the idea that paleocontact goes back to…

1
Jennifer and James Crumbley Sentenced: Will More Parents Pay for Their Child’s Crimes? 12:59

3M ago12:59

12:59

Ethan Crumbley was just 15 years old when he was arrested for killing four students and injuring several others in a shooting at Oxford High School in 2021. When investigators learned that his parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, failed to prevent the deadly actions of their son, they were charged and eventually convicted of involuntary manslaught…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Treefort Media Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

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