Let Them Fight: A Comedy History Podcast
507 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 136 ratingsJoin comedians Jacob Trimmer and Tim Groeschel in a mashup of true crime, history, and comedy as they swap stories and make jokes about people throughout time who have lived interesting and violent lives. Get your dose of grindhouse history every Tuesday, because everyone likes violence as long as it's happening to someone else.
Feel free to reach out to us with any feedback or comments at [email protected], https://www.facebook.com/LTFpodcast, or https://twitter.com/PodcastLTF.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Ep. 405 Maria Bochkareva
May 09, 2023 07:30 - 44 minutes - 30.2 MBWhat's this? Another Russian woman who winds up being a badass soldier? They really do breed 'em different over there. Maria Bochkareva was inspired by the kickoff of World War 1 to well, go to war. Where she saw the men faltering and decided, "Well, women will do it then." And she put in some serious work. Unfortunately, if you know anything about what happened in Russia around the end of WW1, you know this ain't exactly headed for a happy ending. But enjoy!
Ep. 404 Cedric Maake and Moses Sithole
May 04, 2023 09:42 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBGood news, dear listeners, today is a special two for one episode! We'll be traveling to the land of apartheid and Elon Musk's dad's slavery mine, to talk about two locals who got into some shady things. Cedric Maake and Moses Sithole either loved murder, or really hated other black people. Either way the result were the same,. a lot of bodies dropped. But hey, enjoy!
Ep. 403 Marquis de Lafayette
May 02, 2023 07:30 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBIt's not often that I get to say this, dear listeners, but this French dude was fucking awesome. The Marquis de Lafayette came to America and helped us throw off the yoke of those dumb British. His reasons? He just really, really hated the English and saw it as a perfect opportunity to kill some. Hell yea, welcome to the team, Frenchie! Then he still went on and did a bunch of other shit after that. Enjoy!
Ep. 402 Futoshi Matsunaga
April 27, 2023 09:03 - 53 minutes - 37.5 MBWell dear listeners, it didn't take long for ol' Timmy G to take his revenge for the Mesrine episode. We're off to Japan, the land of anime, robots, and public transit gropers, to talk about Futoshi Matsunaga. His story started off seemingly pretty normal, but it didn't take long for him to become the fucking worst. And every time you think, "Surely somebody is going to stop him now," he just. Keeps. Going. I hate him. Anyways, come for the scumnut, stay for the rage. Enjoy!
Ep. 401 Jacques Mesrine
April 25, 2023 07:19 - 1 hour - 41.2 MBIt's time for a trip to France, dear listeners. Today we're talking about Jacques Mesrine, a man of many hats. Soldier, poet, bank robber, and now bane of Tim's existence (I know you monsters will enjoy all his rage this episode). Also he literally wore a bunch of hats, dude loved disguises. Anyways, this dude may be one of the ballsiest criminals we've ever talked about. He went all jetsetting around the world breaking the law whenever he felt like it, and taunting the authorities the whole...
Ep. 400 "Terry the Tramp" Orendorff
April 20, 2023 08:15 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBWelcome to episode 400, dear listeners! We're celebrating surviving this long by answering the numerous requests to cover a biker again, by covering one of the biggest ones over here in California. Terry the Tramp may not have founded the Vagos, but boy did he help shape them and determine the direction the club took for a long time. Also, I already double checked and Shovels were 1966 to 1984, so don't @ me. Anyways, enjoy!
Ep. 399 Hannibal Barca
April 18, 2023 09:17 - 1 hour - 48.9 MBWe have made our stance on Italians pretty clear at this point, and everyone knows Romans are just proto-Italians, so we're big fans of the subject of today's episode, Hannibal Barca. This dude ran rampant all over those toga wearing fools. And everybody knows about the whole war elephants thing, but that's just the start. He made some incredible war innovations and really was one of the greatest generals to ever practice the art of killing. The fact that he did it to the Romans is just a sw...
Ep. 398 Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy
April 13, 2023 07:34 - 40 minutes - 29.3 MBWell dear listeners, it's time for another criminal that gets compared to Robin Hood to make them seem like a better person, and because people aren't original. This time it's the Robin Hood of the sea, Samuel Bellamy. Also known as Black Sam, which sounds like a character in a minstrel show, but it's only because he had black hair so it's ok. That being said, Black Sam was dope as hell and accomplished some incredible feats of piracy. And the epilogue to his story is bonkers and comes outta...
Ep. 397 Idi Amin
April 11, 2023 08:05 - 56 minutes - 39 MBWelcome back, dear listeners, today we'll be taking a trip to Africa, Uganda specifically, to talk about one of the biggest names in crimes against humanity, Idi Amin. His story starts off in the classical way, with a few lies and moments of brutality, then ramps up to less lies, but waaaaay more brutality. Now I don't want to spoil how the rest of the story goes, but suffice to say he had more than one nickname that included the word "butcher." Enjoy!
Ep. 396 Martin Bryant
April 06, 2023 07:56 - 48 minutes - 32.6 MBToday we have an interesting one for you, dear listeners. I initially thought Martin Bryant was going to be anger inducing when Tim heard his story, but it turns out, it's way more sad. You really start to feel bad for the guy. Then some real awful shit goes down and who knows what to think. But this guy's life had a huge ripple effect that changed an entire country. Not one of the good ones though, or one that matters, but still. Enjoy!
Ep. 395 Michael Swango
April 04, 2023 07:42 - 54 minutes - 37.8 MBIf like me you're already not a fan of the American healthcare system, then you are going to love this episode. We're talking about Michael Swango, one of the worst doctors who ever did doctoring. Everything starts off pretty normal, but then one day the switch flips and this dude decides it's time to become a giant piece of shit. And if you've been listening to us for any amount of time, you just know the incompetence train is gonna roll on in, so get ready for that. Enjoy!
Ep. 394 Eugene B. Fluckey
March 30, 2023 08:50 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBToday we'll be taking a dip under the surface of the ocean to look at the life of one badass submarine commander, Eugene Fluckey. This dude got into the business back when our subs were mostly dogshit, and at best, dogwater. And that didn't stop when war were declared. But he didn't let that stop him, he started going to work and he made the Japanese fear the briny depths as he showed up wherever he felt like and sewed chaos amongst their ships. Enjoy!
Ep. 393 Alvin Karpis
March 28, 2023 09:02 - 58 minutes - 40.9 MBTime for another fun Depression era story as we talk about bank robber and gangster, Alvin Karpis. Who is also also proof that not even the strongly ingrained Canadian pansiness can hold up to being raised in America. Especially one of the boring states, like Kansas. This dude accomplished a lot of criminal milestones, but is mostly forgotten in favor of some of the other big names of the time, but those fools got shot in the face, so jokes on them I guess. Enjoy!
Ep. 392 Daniel Lugo and the Sun Gym Gang
March 23, 2023 08:49 - 1 hour - 49.4 MBWhat do you get when you cross a group of steroid injecting muscleheads with absolute sheer incompetence? You get the Sun Gym Gang! Daniel Lugo and company make some truly mind boggling choices. In fact, damn near everyone you're going to hear about in the episode is certifiably stupid. But boy does it make for one fun story. Enjoy!
Ep. 391 George Meade
March 21, 2023 07:28 - 1 hour - 52.3 MBGeorge Meade may look like if J.K. Simmons played Gollum, but this dude was one hell of an ass kicker. He never really wanted the military life, but destiny dragged his ass kicking and screaming all the way through it. He played a significant role in the Mexican-American War, and got no glory. Then when the Civil War rolled around he smashed Confederates left and right, and still never quite got all the respect he deserved. But it's safe to say the war might have gone differently if not for ...
Ep. 390 Henry Plummer
March 16, 2023 07:48 - 49 minutes - 34.5 MBAfter Tuesday's episode of gross nightmares, we figured we'd bring you something a bit tamer today. Don't get us wrong, Henry Plummer got into some shit for sure, and he actually killed more people, but it was good old wholesome wild west violence, you know? No trophies. And some of it was even done legitimately kind of. Because ol' Plummer decided to play both sides of the law throughout his life. All while chasing gold in them there hills. So grab your favorite bolo tie and enjoy!
Ep. 389 Ed Gein
March 14, 2023 08:43 - 53 minutes - 36 MBWell, dear listeners. It's finally time to cover Ed Gein. Now, good old Eddie may not have put up the same number of kills as some of our more prolific murderous scum, but he more than made up for it in being gross. Between his emotional hang-ups, the state of his house, and the various collections he accrued, this dude had all the likeability of a noxious fart cloud. So get ready for a bit of skin crawling as we talk about all of it, and enjoy!
Ep. 388 Skanderbeg
March 09, 2023 09:25 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBToday we're going to a land nearly forgotten by man and god, Albania. The only time people remember this country exists is when they need a bad guy in a movie, or a track suit for cheap. But it turns out they did put out on badass, Skanderbeg. This dude had a massive hate boner for the Ottomans, and boy did he make his displeasure known. Maybe not as much as one account would have us believe, but he was still damn impressive. Enjoy!
Ep. 387 Marquis de Sade
March 07, 2023 08:30 - 52 minutes - 36.6 MBToday we bring you another monster, dear listeners. Marquis de Sade had a fancy fufu name, and titles, and he was French. But he still did some real messed up shit during his day. I don't want to give anything away, but he liked to screw women in a very uncomfortable place. And no I don't mean the back of a Volkswagen. When the fuck did they start spelling that with an E? Anyway, he was a man that apparently didn't know the meaning of consent. So, enjoy!
Ep. 386 Audie Murphy
March 02, 2023 09:04 - 51 minutes - 36.2 MBWe're back with another hard charging, dick swinging, pipe hitting motherfucker today for you, dear listeners. Audie Murphy proved that you don't have to be a big dude to kick some serious ass. He ran all over the place in WW2 killing every Italian and German he found and winning all the medals. Then he lived happily ever after. Just kidding, there's no such thing as happy endings. While he had dope moments, things were also pretty not great. Still, dude lived an incredible life. Enjoy!
Ep. 385 Sir Francis Drake
February 28, 2023 08:14 - 59 minutes - 40.3 MBToday we're talking about that badass British naval guy we all learned a couple things about in school, Sir Francis Drake. Turns out, he was pretty badass on the sea. Although, it also turns out that he was kind of a piece of shit, and yes there are quite a few examples in the episode. But at the end of the day he mostly fucked with the Spanish, and we're ok with that. Especially since at that time Spain was a big old bag of dicks and had it coming. Enjoy!
Ep. 384 Nat Love
February 23, 2023 08:55 - 1 hour - 45 MBWelcome back, dear listeners. We're closing out this week with a dope ass cowboy by the name of Nat Love. He got into all sorts of shenanigans, and also proved that not everybody in the wild west looked like Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. Also, he may have hated Indians even more than John Wayne did. But I digress, he lived a badass life and it made for a real fun story. So, enjoy!
Ep. 383 Hugh Thompson
February 21, 2023 08:27 - 38 minutes - 27.7 MBWelcome back, dear listeners! Today we're talking about Hugh Thompson, who was one solid dude that tried to do the right thing. Unfortunately, this is a sad fucking story because everyone else around him decided doing the right thing was for bitches or something. Unlike most of the degenerates we talk about on this podcast, Hugh tried his damnedest to save lives and stop horrific shit from happening. Alas...well you'll see. Enjoy!
Ep. 382 Stand Watie (Guest: Matt Cole)
February 16, 2023 09:49 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBWelcome back, dear listeners to round 2 with our favorite drunken oaf and yours, Matt Cole. He joins us to talk about Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader who was well, kind of a piece of shit to be honest. Most of the time when you look back in American history the Natives are definitely the victims of some shit. It's nice of Stand to break the mold and remind us that sometimes they produce a bad guy of their own. So listen while Matt drunkenly asks questions Tim answered 5 minutes before, and en...
Ep. 381 Mike Vining (Guest: Matt Cole)
February 14, 2023 09:13 - 1 hour - 46.8 MBToday we have one bad motherfucker for you, dear listeners. Mike Vining knew at an early age that he wanted to be an asskicker, and he wasn't about to let those birth control glasses get in the way. So that's exactly what he became. This dude has fought in more countries than your average American student even knows exist, but most of that is classified. I made due with the information that was available though, and he still came out sounding badass as hell. So strap in for war stories and u...
Ep. 380 Fritz Haber
February 09, 2023 11:48 - 44 minutes - 30.1 MBWell, dear listeners, this guy may be the most intelligent person we've ever covered on the podcast. Normally that wouldn't be all that impressive given how dumb a lot of the people we've covered have been. But Fritz Haber really was a goddamn genius. And he used it to tackle some of the greatest problems facing the planet, which unfortunately for some included how to kill the most people the fastest. Enjoy!
Ep. 379 Charles Schmid
February 07, 2023 11:04 - 37 minutes - 26.4 MBWell dear listeners, we have another shitbag for you today. Charles Schmid, who also went by "Smitty," because of course he did, was technically a serial killer. But like, he's the serial killer equivalent of a dude showing up for a gangbang with a micropenis. Sure he meets the bare minimum requirement for the job, but we're all going to laugh at him. Also he was apparently super charming, or women back in his day were retarded. Either way I hate him. Anyways, join us in making fun of him, a...
Ep. 378 Cayetano Santos Godino
February 02, 2023 09:05 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBHere at Let Them Fight HQ, we've made our stance on Italians very clear. And this is yet another shining example of why we're right. This little shit, Cayetano Godino, wasn't even born and raised in Italy and this is how he turned out. Badness is just in their blood. But have fun listening to us shitting all over this little psycho and his big Dumbo ears as he runs around his little slice of Argentina doing guinea things. Enjoy!
Ep. 377 Robert Maudsley
January 31, 2023 08:41 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBToday we have a real interesting one for you, dear listeners. Robert Maudsley's life starts off in a way that should be pretty familiar to any of our regular listeners, but there are more than enough twists to keep things interesting along the way. Then he gets busy with some killin', and normally that would be pretty awful, but for reasons you'll probably be able to figure out on your own when they crop up, you'll want to root for him. Enjoy!
Ep. 376 Marc Dutroux
January 26, 2023 10:43 - 50 minutes - 35.5 MBTime to close out the week, dear listeners, and well, it's not gonna end on a happy note. We're headed to Belgium, or as I like to call it, shittier France. And we're gonna talk about Marc Dutroux. This fucking guy...what can I say about him except he fucking sucks. Oh, I can also say that the police in Belgium are worth as much as a hard dick in a nunnery. Useless. Anyways, enjoy!
Ep. 375 Alek Minassian
January 24, 2023 10:04 - 52 minutes - 35.6 MBWell, dear listeners, today's episode is another lesson that not every Canadian is a chill person. Alek Minassian is proof that violence can play an important part in somebody's life, while they still remain a cowardly piece of shit. But don't worry, it's a real uplifting story. You can trust me. I've never lied in one of these before. Anyways, join us in making fun of this System of a Down reject while you actively root against him, because obviously you will. Enjoy!
Ep. 374 James Oliver Huberty
January 19, 2023 11:24 - 1 hour - 50.4 MBThat's right, dear listeners, three names. You know we're bringing you a real scumbag today. James Oliver Huberty started off life with a series of real shitty happenings, and that's probably where the issues started with him. Things only got worse as he stumbled and failed his way through life for a while, an experience I'm sure most of us can at least sympathize with. Then he got real unhinged and did some shit none of us can sympathize with. Enjoy!
Ep. 373 North Hollywood Shootout
January 17, 2023 09:26 - 1 hour - 54.4 MBStrap in, dear listeners, because we're going on a journey to the land of broken dreams, Hollywood, North Hollywood anyways. We're going to be talking about a particularly bad day to be in the area though, the day of the North Hollywood Shootout. Arguably one of the most significant events when it comes to shaping law enforcement in America, and overall just one bonkers ass day. Enjoy!
Ep. 372 Julie d'Aubigny
January 12, 2023 08:56 - 58 minutes - 39.7 MBToday is gonna be a good day, dear listeners, because we have a dope ass broad to discuss. Julie d'Aubigny was famous for a few things, but she was notorious for two, fucking and fighting. And that's at a time when every French person was fucking and fighting, so it's pretty damn impressive. Her life is shrouded in a bit of "is it real or mythology" but to hell with it, all the stories are great so we're keeping 'em all in. Enjoy!
Ep. 371 Khalid Ibn al-Walid
January 10, 2023 09:18 - 1 hour - 48.3 MBNow, I know we're all aware that Jews and Muslims are natural enemies, like cats and dogs, or people from Alabama and the ability to speak intelligently. But I gotta give credit where it's due, Khalid Ibn al-Walid was one bad motherfucker. This dude stomped all around the old timey world and made his presence known, while also remaining loyal and not getting too full of himself like most warlord types usually do. He put in work and had himself one bonkers life, and we had a lot of fun making...
Ep. 370 The Harpe Brothers
January 05, 2023 09:02 - 42 minutes - 30.1 MBHello again, dear listeners! Today we'll be closing out the first week of the new year with a trip back to the 1700s, and a bit of a special for you, 2 for 1. You can't talk about just one of the Harpe brothers after all, since they went everywhere together and even crossed the scumnut stream. I'm pretty sure that means something. Anyways, these two vicious bastards got their start most likely from spite, then boy did they run with that and rack up some damage. Enjoy!
Ep. 369 Danny Rolling
January 03, 2023 09:38 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBHappy new year, dear listeners! We decided to open up 2023 with a nice lighthearted episode. Just kidding, here's a fucking monster. Danny Rolling's life started off pretty awful, pretty quickly. And that's about how things stayed for the entirety of his life. And boy did he enjoy taking it out on other people. So strap in for another fun episode of scumnuttery. Enjoy!
Ep. 368 Paul John Knowles
December 29, 2022 08:49 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBWell, dear listeners, we've had a lot of fun talking about badass heroes, but it's time for a shift back to the scum side of things. Paul John Knowles is on the docket for today, and well, you know what three names means, he's a real piece of shit. But don't worry, he definitely had a good reason for the stuff he did. It's not like he just snapped over something stupid and decided to make a whole bunch of people suffer for it. No way. Anyways, enjoy!
Ep. 367 Xiahou Dun
December 27, 2022 09:00 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBThat's right, dear listeners, you can tell by that episode title that we'll be messing up a lot of pronunciations today. Because we're headed to China to talk about Xiahou Dun, one bad motherfucker. A couple familiar faces pop up along the way, and they lend even more credence that our boy Dun was not someone you wanted to fight. And he was loyal to a fault. Dude always put his allies first and surrounded himself with the best of men. Respect. And enjoy!
Ep. 366 Yi Sun-sin
December 22, 2022 13:04 - 56 minutes - 41.3 MBWell dear listeners, it's time for a sentence I never thought I would ever say on this podcast. We're talking about the Korean navy and its biggest badass, Yi Sun-sin. Hell, this was the first time I learned they even had a navy. But our boy Yi Sun-sin has shown me the error of my ways, dude was fucking awesome. He didn't start in the sea, but once he arrived he took to it, well, like a fish to water, and was goddamn unstoppable. Enjoy!
Ep. 365 Augusto Cesar Sandino
December 20, 2022 14:45 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBToday we'll be taking a trip to one of the many countries that god forgot, Nicaragua. And once there we're gonna talk about Augusto Cesar Sandino. Augusto was a badass dude that just wanted to see his country free, so he started putting in work even when he was being dismissed as a non-entity. The results were a huge impact on the historical landscape, and one hell of a legacy. Enjoy!
Ep. 364 Bob Denard
December 15, 2022 08:41 - 37 minutes - 26.8 MBToday we're talking about an OG soldier of fortune, Bob Denard. This French mercenary has never once seen an African country he didn't want to invade and/or overthrow. But don't worry, he totally did it for the right reasons. He wanted money and he really hated communism. Perfectly reasonable right? Also this dude was the Tom Brady of coups, because he didn't know when it was time to just retire. Enjoy!
Ep. 363 Henry Every
December 13, 2022 09:33 - 54 minutes - 39.2 MBIt's time to return to the high seas, dear listeners. Today we're talking about Henry Every, who was surrounded by blandly named people and badly named ships, but man was he a bad motherfucker. Sure, he did some very questionable things regarding a certain transatlantic trade system, but he also did a bunch of dope shit, so let's focus on that part. If it's good enough for the founding fathers...Anyways, enjoy!
Ep. 362 James Scott the 1st Duke of Monmouth
December 08, 2022 10:33 - 42 minutes - 31 MBHello again there, dear listeners. If you can't tell by the fancy bullshit title James Scott is sporting, he's British. But looking at his picture, he's clearly got some French influence in there as well. He's one shitty European country away from being the blandest turducken. But credit where it's due, he kicked major ass on the battlefield. He rocked around for a while just killing and winning, and plowing fancy upper class ladies on the side. Then kind of has a bummer of an ending, but st...
Ep. 361 Paul Ogorzow
December 06, 2022 08:52 - 57 minutes - 41.3 MBWelcome back, dear listeners! Today we're heading off to Germany to talk about Paul Ogorzow. This shitty, little troll decided that being a Nazi just wasn't enough for him. Oh no, he wanted to be even more of a garbage person. So he used his job as a railway worker to do some, shall we say, super not cool things. He wasn't really that good at it, or even that smart. But he had tenacity. Like the Rudy of scumnuts, except nobody chanted his name, and even Sean Astin is probably taller than him...
Ep. 360 "Deacon" Jim Miller
December 01, 2022 14:46 - 46 minutes - 33 MBIt's time for another trip back to the wild west day, dear listeners. And we're talking about a man so religious and wholesome that it earned him his nickname, "Deacon" Jim Miller. That's the image he portrayed anyways, meanwhile he was basically a wild west serial killer. Just roaming the lands and shotgunning anyone he decided needed killing, which was quite a few people apparently.
Ep. 359 Arthur Shawcross
November 29, 2022 10:21 - 49 minutes - 35.8 MBToday we have a kind, gentle soul for you, dear listeners. Just kidding, it's a colossal piece of shit. Now, Arthur Shawcross was more than just a hideous pile of mashed potatoes with the brain of a, well, potato, he was also a gross, creepy murderous son of a bitch. And yet again, police incompetence rears its head and allowed this dude to keep doing his thing for way too long. Tune in if you want to find out more about all the shenanigans Lenny Clarke's evil twin got into. Enjoy!
Ep. 358 Frederic Ives Lord
November 24, 2022 10:40 - 35 minutes - 25.6 MBHappy Thanksgiving, dear listeners. Now our person today doesn't have anything to do with the holiday, but he was a lot of crazy good fun that should brighten up the holiday, whether or not you celebrate it. Frederic Ives Lord got off to a rough start with his piloting career, but man did he make up for it quickly. He went bonkers all over the sky for years. Then things got kind of weird and mysterious, and ended in a way that would give any conspiracy theorist a hard-on. Enjoy!
Ep. 357 Michael Collins
November 22, 2022 10:00 - 1 hour - 48.8 MBToday we have the ultimate example of one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Michael Collins loved his country, Ireland, with a burning passion and wanted to see it free from English rule. So he went to work with both a rifle and a pen and fought to make that happen. Making him a hero to a lot of people. Of course, no Englishman looks at any member of the IRA, let alone a significant one such as him, and thinks "There goes my hero." They just see a fire breathing, potato eatin...
Ep. 356 Lonnie Franklin
November 17, 2022 10:51 - 48 minutes - 34.2 MBWell, dear listeners, we got a real scumbag for you today. Lonnie Franklin ran all around Los Angeles, but mostly the poorer areas, and killed a whole bunch of women. More than we'll ever know actually. Also his nickname was The Grim Sleeper, which is something an 8 year old would find cool. And to the surprise of nobody, yet again the level of police incompetence is staggering. Not a lot of winners to be found in this story, but enjoy!