Bittersweet Infamy
97 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago - ★★★★★ - 31 ratingsStorytellers 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. New episodes every other Sunday. Support the show: ko-fi.com/bittersweetinfamy
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Episodes
#97 - URGENT! Exclusive Opportunity
April 14, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 207 MBJosie tells Taylor about the history of the Nigerian prince email scam, and the rise and fall of influencer/fraudster Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, a.k.a. Hushpuppi the Billionaire Gucci Master. Plus: a chess-playing robot attacks a child? A viral chess trend makes it to outer space? The truth isn't black and white in the April Fools' Fact or Fiction Minfamous!
#96 - All 33 of Us Are Safe in the Shelter
March 24, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 126 MBTaylor tells Josie about the 2010 San José mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, and the 33 miners whose rescue captivated viewers around the world. Plus: the fatal 2009 accident at Utah's Nutty Putty Cave.
#95 - Florida Man
March 10, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 219 MBJosie tells Taylor about Florida Man, the memetic everyman whose chaotic antics dominate the headlines of the Sunshine State. Plus: a shambolic AI-generated Willy Wonka live experience leaves parents and kids in a world of pure infuriation.
#94 - Dulce Amor (Sweet Love)
February 25, 2024 08:00 - 59 minutes - 76.7 MBBittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart “CUTIE,” Taylor tells Josie about “Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu,” the viral TikTok anthem based on Peruvian ex-president Martín Vizcarra’s alleged salacious WhatsApp messages. Plus: Josie and Taylor indulge in a racy game of F, Marry, Kill!
#93 - The Tree Huggers
February 18, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 166 MBBittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart "HUG ME," Josie tells Taylor about the Chipko movement of 1970s Northern India, where villagers hugged trees to save the endangered Himalayan forests. Plus: learn about the infamous reality TV show, "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" Are you sure "I do" is your final answer?
#92 - No Other Love
February 11, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBBittersweet Romance! Taylor tells Josie about the turbulent marriage between R&B icon Faith Evans and rap legend The Notorious B.I.G., and the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop feud that ended in two of music's most infamous assassinations. Plus: meet the Egyptologist influencer couple whose controversial cosplay is making waves up and down the Nile River.
#91 - Driven
February 04, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 218 MBBittersweet Romance! Josie tells Taylor about astronaut Lisa Nowak and her most dangerous mission: an overnight drive from Houston to Orlando to eliminate a romantic rival. Plus: Jack and Meg White of award-winning rock band The White Stripes—brother and sister? Married? Neither? Both?
#90 - I'd Like to Phone a Friend
January 28, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 161 MBIn this special episode, Taylor surprises Josie with Bittersweet Ambush, a guerrilla game show with a devious twist, before telling her about the history of game show cheating scandals, including: the quiz show fixing trials of the 1950s; the ultra-gamers that broke Press Your Luck and The Price is Right; and the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? scammers who coughed their way to the million.
#89 - To the Island
January 15, 2024 02:53 - 1 hour - 224 MBJosie tells Taylor about the life and letters of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, who was scheduled for a lobotomy when her debut book won a national prize. Plus: keeping it Kiwi with a report back from Josie and Mitchell's van life honeymoon on New Zealand's South Island.
#88 - The Final Countdown
December 31, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 132 MBNew Year's Eve special! Taylor tells Josie about the computer glitch turned doomsday spectacle: the millennium bug, Y2K. Plus: as Steamboat Willie lapses into the public domain, we look back at the colourful history of Disney's Mickey Mouse copyright.
#87 - SantaCon is Coming to Town
December 17, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 204 MBHoliday special! Josie tells Taylor about the anarchic origins of the rowdy annual Santa celebration, SantaCon. Plus: on Christmas Day 1914, a heartwarming moment of peace emerges from the icy trenches of war.
#86 - Self-Insert
December 03, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 122 MBGuest host Amanda Ortiz tells Josie and Taylor about the web of fate connecting the September 11 terrorist attacks, My Chemical Romance, Twilight, and Fifty Shades of Grey. Plus: the local legend of Jim McIngvale a.k.a. Mattress Mack, Houston's best known gambler, philanthropist, and furniture baron.
#85 - Rand Larceny
November 19, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 225 MBJosie tells Taylor about South Africa's crooked cop turned brazen bank robber, the infamous André Stander. Plus: the stone cold truth about the most iconic novelty gift of the 1970s—the Pet Rock.
#84 - Gotta Get Down On Friday
November 05, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 112 MBSeason premiere! Taylor tells Josie about the viral anthem of 2011, "Friday," and the sudden infamy of singer Rebecca Black. Plus: all the gossip from Josie and Mitchell's wedding, including the haunting in hotel room #309!
#83 - A House That Eats Girls
October 22, 2023 07:00 - 2 hours - 155 MBHalloween special + season finale! Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about the scary movie co-written by a child: Nobuhiko Obayashi's infamously eccentric experimental horror comedy, House (1977). Plus: Josie and Mitchell trap Taylor in a fiendish and frightening choose-your-own-adventure story!
#82 - Get the Hell Out
October 08, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 218 MBHalloween 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.
#81 - The Flying Tailor
September 24, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBTaylor 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).
#80 - The Mysterious Affair at Harrogate
September 10, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 228 MBJosie 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."
#79 - The Empress of Canada
August 27, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 210 MBIn 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.
#78 - Brother XII of the Great White Lodge
August 20, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 129 MBIn 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.
#77 - The Right Side of the Tracks
August 13, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 216 MBIn 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.
#76 - One Book, Two Books, Banned Books, Blue Books
August 06, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 134 MBIn this 604 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.
#75 - From the Andes to Israel With Love
July 23, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 121 MBTaylor 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.
#74 - Coldproof
July 09, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBJosie 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.
#73 - This Side Up With Care
June 25, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBTaylor 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.
#72 - The Night the Hills Lost Time
June 11, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 94.7 MBJosie tells Taylor about honeymooners Barney and Betty Hill, and their infamous extraterrestrial encounter. Plus: a nautical joyride gone wrong pits three Tokelauan teens against the merciless Pacific Ocean.
#71 - Elizabeth Shrugged
May 28, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 120 MBTaylor tells Josie about American con artist and automotive entrepreneur Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael, and her three-wheeled masterpiece: the Dale. Plus: the time 300 to 400 pounds of pasta appeared overnight in the New Jersey woods.
#70 - Finding the Groove
May 14, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 209 MBJosie tells Taylor about the embattled production of a Disney cult classic: The Emperor's New Groove. Plus: one mother's quest to secure Hannah Montana tickets for her daughter—no matter the cost.
#69 - Made in America
April 30, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBTaylor tells Josie about the rise and fall of the hippest brand of the '00s: American Apparel. Plus: a menagerie of dolphin midwives and feral zombie hogs—but which ones are actually real?
#68 - The Cult of the Clitoris
April 16, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 254 MBGuest host Lucia Misch tells Josie and Taylor about dancer Maud Allan, the fantastical allegations against her, and the spectacular trial that ensued. Plus: a governor steps out with The Nanny, and a beloved band unloads a septic surprise on some unsuspecting tourists—but which one is the truth?
#67 - The Immaculate Concussion
April 02, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 202 MBJosie tells Taylor about the mysterious illness infamously known as Havana syndrome. Plus: a household tips column gives some messy advice, and video game vixen Carmen Sandiego takes an unlikely detour through North Dakota—but which one actually happened?
#66 - The Human Computer
March 19, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBTaylor tells Josie about the extraordinary life of Indian mathematical prodigy Shakuntala Devi. Plus: SeaPods, the aquatic homes of the future, and the prototype unveiling that went a little left.
#65 - Wikid Games
March 05, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 212 MBJosie tells Taylor about the many fabricated histories of Chinese Wikipedia editor Zhemao (折毛). Plus: the extravagantly wealthy ruler of Mali, Musa I, and his opulent pilgrimage to Mecca.
#64 - The Universal Language
February 19, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBTaylor tells Josie about the world's best-known constructed language, Esperanto. Plus: Tijuana's "La Mona", the gigantic naked woman you can live inside.
#63 - Raisin Hell
February 05, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 220 MBJosie tells Taylor about the juicy history of the California raisin industry. Plus: the origins of a deadly game—Russian roulette.
#62 - Fight the Real Enemy
January 23, 2023 22:57 - 1 hour - 92.2 MB604 Podcast Network premiere! Taylor tells Josie about Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor and her infamous Pope-ripping Saturday Night Live performance. Plus: the Minnesota State Fair's bevy of buttery beauties, the Butter Heads.
#61 - Lost in Translation
January 08, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 77.3 MBJosie tells Taylor about the legendary 1954 Japanese film Gojira, and its infamous American adaptation: Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Plus: more translation drama starring the notorious kissing cousins of the Sailor Moon dub.
#60 - Abandoned On Isle Royale
December 25, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 67.1 MBHoliday special! Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about Angelique and Charlie Mott's Lake Superior struggle for survival through the winter of 1845–1846. Plus: separating the real from the fake in the outlandish world of Hallmark Christmas movies.
#59 - A Very Caca Christmas
December 11, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 74 MBHoliday special! Josie tells Taylor about el Caganer (the crapping man) and the other scatological fixtures of a traditional Catalonian Christmas. Plus: the colourful world of Ghanaian bootleg movie posters.
#58 - The White House Party Crashers
November 27, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBTaylor tells Josie about uninvited guests Tareq and Michaele Salahi, and the Real Housewives storyline that ended in a congressional hearing. Plus: all the latest on the former Princess of Norway and her spirit hacking reptilian shaman fiancé.
#57 - Follow the River
November 13, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBSeason premiere! Josie tells Taylor about plane crash survivor Juliane Koepcke and her incredible rainforest odyssey. Plus: the unlikely rise of Wing, New Zealand's most unusual pop star.
#56 - It Is Finished
October 30, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 70 MBHalloween special + season finale! Guest host Gerard Coletta tells Josie and Taylor about one of Australia's most infamous and enduring mysteries: the Somerton man, a.k.a. the tamám shud case. Plus: an unconventional public health intervention starring the pocong, the Javanese shrouded ghost.
#55 - Hell House
October 15, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBHalloween special! Josie tells Taylor about the evangelical Christian haunted houses that try to scare the devil out of you. Plus: beware the winged Texan terror of the Houston Batman!
#54 - Sexcula
October 02, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBHalloween special! Taylor tells Josie about Canada’s infamous lost-and-found ‘70s vampire porno. Plus: the ballad of Art Nouveau, Joni Mitchell's controversial alter ego.
#53 - Make It Rain
September 18, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 73.2 MBJosie tells Taylor about American "rainmaker" Charles Hatfield and the San Diego flood of 1916. Plus: vuvuzelas, SunChips bags, and other things that are simply too loud.
#52 - The Divine Fire
September 04, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 78.3 MBTaylor tells Josie about the deadly fire at the LGBTQ+ nightclub Divine in Valparaíso, Chile, and a community’s tireless hunt for truth and justice amongst the ashes. Plus: Uruguay's Noche de la Nostalgia, the night for looking back and partying down.
#51 - Pregnant? Don't Want to Be? Call Jane.
August 21, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 105 MBJosie tells Taylor about the underground abortion organization that served Chicago during America's sexual revolution. Plus: the legacy of Star Trek's Lt. Uhura, and one of the most infamous kisses in TV history.
#50 - The Pharaoh's Curse
August 07, 2022 07:00 - 2 hours - 124 MB50th episode spectacular! Taylor tells Josie about the life, death, and afterlife of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, and the truth behind an infamous curse. Plus: the Meltie Awards, where fans pick the highlights of 50 episodes of infamy!
#49 - The Cottingley Fairies
July 24, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 98.1 MBJosie tells Taylor about the photographic hoax that ensnared the author of Sherlock Holmes. Plus: Blucifer, the killer blue mustang, and other oddities of Denver International Airport.
#48 - A World Behind A Wall
July 10, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 68.1 MBTaylor tells Josie about Bolivia's infamous San Pedro prison. Plus: the deadly tragedy of Cameroon's Lake Nyos.