Let Them Fight: A Comedy History Podcast
518 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 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.
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Episodes
Ep. 216 Henry Tandey
July 15, 2021 08:11 - 31 minutes - 23.3 MBToday we're heading back to a regular visit of ours in history, World War 1. This time we're talking about badass British shitkicker Henry Tandey, who knocked the hell outta some Germans in his day. And then everything he ever accomplished was overshadowed by some bullshit that I in no way believe is real, but I guess if enough people believe something it becomes a part of history. Anyway, enjoy the ride and the jokes we make along the way, whether or not you believe in the conspiracy theory...
Ep. 215 George "Machine Gun Kelly" Barnes
July 13, 2021 08:04 - 41 minutes - 29.4 MBToday we're talking about one of the most infamous old timey American gangsters, George Barnes, AKA "Machine Gun Kelly." Sounds pretty fearsome right? Well turns out he just had a great publicist. Sure he was a bank robber and kidnapper, but he was no Baby Face Nelson or John Dillinger. We still had a lot of fun making fun of his life though, so enjoy!
Ep. 214 Alton Knappenberger
July 08, 2021 08:03 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBToday we have a nice soul palette cleanser of an episode for you, war hero Alton Knappenberger. They called him the "one man army" but all he wanted to be was just a regular working class Joe. He just had to shoot through a bunch of Nazis to get to live out that dream. Then the army did what they do with a propaganda gold mine, kept him in the rear, ran a bunch of stories, and used him to sell war bonds. But for one battle, this dude was straight up unstoppable. Enjoy!
Ep. 213 William Bonin
July 06, 2021 07:28 - 56 minutes - 40.9 MBToday we've got a real asshole of a monster from our neck of the woods, William Bonin. This dude had a real awful childhood, so of course he grew up to do all the same shit that was done to him, to other people, because there is no god. Anyways, he's also further proof that reporters are terrible at naming things, as his serial killer name was The Freeway Killer. Hey writers, do better. To the rest of you, enjoy!
Ep. 212 Ned Low (Guest: Matt Cole)
July 01, 2021 07:48 - 55 minutes - 40.2 MBWe are joined again by friend of show and comedian, Matt Cole. This time to talk about Ned Low, a dude who rose way above the mediocrity of his name to become one of the world's most successful pirates. His ships all had pretty terrible names, but he more than made up for it with sheer barbarity that led to a reputation of being a dude you shouldn't bother surrendering to, because he's gonna fuck you up either way. And there was the weird stuff with the rope...anyways, enjoy!
Ep. 211 Michael Wayne Ryan (Guest: Matt Cole)
June 29, 2021 08:20 - 1 hour - 46.9 MBWe're back with your regularly scheduled scumnuttery, and joined by friend of show, Matt Cole. Today we're talking about Michael Wayne Ryan, a real garbage monster who got into some heinous shit and could not look more like the cult leader he was. He's another guy who may not have gotten a high score when it comes to number of bodies, but boy did he go gruesome to make up for it. Enjoy!
Bonus Episode: The Stonewall Riots
June 28, 2021 08:27 - 41 minutes - 94.3 MBToday for the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, we decided to release our Patreon episode on the event. Both because it's one of the greatest riots in history, and because why not give a bit of a preview into what you're missing by not subscribing to the Patreon? So since you can't honor this huge moment in history the way the people involved probably would have wanted, throwing a brick through a cop car windshield or something, kick back and listen to this episode instead. Enjoy!
Ep. 210 Giovanni "The Pig" Brusca
June 24, 2021 09:39 - 51 minutes - 36 MBWe've covered a lot of American mob guys, but this time we're bringing you a straight up Sicilian goon. Giovanni Brusca really raised the bar on pissing off an entire country. And for the worst use of the word "puppy," but I don't want to spoil anything. So come join us in mispronouncing all the Italian names while we make fun of this violent sociopath, enjoy!
Ep. 209 Maksim Gelman
June 22, 2021 07:50 - 47 minutes - 34.5 MBToday we're bringing you a fun Ukrainian garbage person who decided life needs a little bit more stabbing in it. Maksim Gelman's early life was full of skateboarding, stalking, and a mixture of cocaine and PCP. And yes, all of those things are red flags. So it's no surprise he had a breakdown and decided a bunch of people looked a lot like knife sheaths. Enjoy!
Ep. 208 Gertrude Baniszewski
June 17, 2021 07:45 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBToday we're talking about good ol' American homegrown nightmare and the patron saint of domestic violence, Gertrude Baniszewski. She may not have a high bodycount, but she certainly makes up for that in sheer brutality and cruelty. Enjoy the ride and join us in going, "What, she did what? And they did what?!" as we go over the life of the ghoul that really puts the "ew" in "Baniszewski."
Ep. 207 Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa
June 15, 2021 07:26 - 55 minutes - 39.7 MBTime for another trip to New York to talk about some mafia goons. But this time with a neat little twist. You see, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa are no regular mafia worker bees, they were also NYPD detectives. And boy did they get into some shenanigans. Enjoy!
Ep. 206 Dawood Ibrahim
June 10, 2021 07:30 - 50 minutes - 36.2 MBToday we'll be going back to India to talk about notorious crime boss, Dawood Ibrahim. If a crime has been committed in India in the last few decades, chances are he was involved or is actively warring with the person responsible. He also decided to rise way above his starting point and get tied up with governments and terrorist organizations. A real rags to riches story where you'll find yourself cheering for, well nobody to be honest. Everyone is kind of a terrible person. But it's a lot o...
Ep. 205 Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard
June 08, 2021 07:57 - 1 hour - 47.6 MBIf you've been listening to us for a while you've undoubtedly heard this name before, and now he's getting his own episode. PGT Beauregard was a Civil War general that was fairly well accomplished, albeit for the wrong side. And he went on to say a couple regrettable things post-war. That being said, he still had an interesting life and we had a lot of fun making fun of it. Enjoy!
Ep. 204 Joel Rifkin
June 03, 2021 08:11 - 51 minutes - 38.1 MBToday we're talking about a real degenerate asshole of a human being, Joel Rifkin. He liked buying hookers, and he loved getting his hands dirty. By strangling those hookers. There's no heroes in this story, but there are plenty of scumnuts. So listen along as we make fun of this dumb hunchback's life and all the shitty things he did along the way!
Ep. 203 Frederick Russell Burnham
June 01, 2021 07:47 - 1 hour - 50.1 MBToday we've got Frederick Burnham, a man who was full of wanderlust and the unquenchable desire to shoot people (in battle of course). He accomplished some amazing things and avoided death in pretty bonkers ways. Of course, the people he fought against could best be described as victims of rampant colonization, so you kinda gotta ignore that part to really enjoy his work. But either way, still a crazy life. Enjoy!
Ep. 202 Carlos Hathcock
May 27, 2021 08:11 - 1 hour - 62.4 MBCarlos Hathcock was more than just a sniper in the Vietnam War, he was THE sniper in the Vietnam War. Bounties from the North Vietnamese forces on snipers were a pretty regular occurrence, but the bounty on Hathcock was equal to a small fortune. That's how terrified of him they were. And with pretty good reason, guy did some major damage. But always stayed grounded and didn't enjoy killing. But he knew it was a part of war and that it would help keep US troops alive. Enjoy!
Ep. 201 Ilse Koch
May 25, 2021 07:30 - 51 minutes - 38.1 MBIf you were a fan of ol' Irma Grese, then you're going to love today's subject, Ilse Koch. She went from normal girl with no red flags, to true believer in the Nazi cause. And nothing good happens after somebody becomes a true believer. Now I don't want to give away any of the details of her heinous actions, but I will say that her nickname was "The Bitch of Buchenwald" and it was more than well deserved.
Ep. 200 Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller
May 20, 2021 07:58 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBWell dear listeners, we made it all the way to 200. So here's a special treat, Chesty Puller. A hardass Marine who Marine'd harder than anybody else. If you needed a battle won and some fantastic one liners dropped along the way, this was the man you called. He fought all over the place and earned a ton of awards for badassery along the way. Enjoy!
Ep. 199 Jon Roberts
May 18, 2021 07:51 - 2 hours - 104 MBThis week we're bringing you a couple special episodes to celebrate hitting the 200 episodes milestone, and we're kicking it off with the life of a bonkers ass dude who lived like 8 different lives. Jon Roberts seems like the name of a pretty boring dude, but his life was truly a rollercoaster of insanity. I don't want to spoil anything but I'll say if you like mafia stuff, Vietnam War stuff, and cocaine then you're going to really enjoy this guy.
Ep. 198 Jack Unterweger
May 13, 2021 07:56 - 46 minutes - 33.3 MBIt's time for another trip to Europe, dear listeners. We're going to be talking about the second worst Austrian today, Jack Unterweger. It's a pretty classic story. Man meets hooker, hooker has baby, man flees, hooker goes to jail, and baby is raised by a shitty grandfather. Then goes on to beat and eventually kill hookers himself. You know, that timeless story. Listen in and try to guess why it took those cops so long to figure out who was behind the killings, then laugh at their incompeten...
Ep. 197 Quanah Parker
May 11, 2021 08:02 - 52 minutes - 39.1 MBWe're going back to the early days of America to talk about a member of the Comanche who stood up to America's pretty shitty policy in regards to dealing with Native "troublemakers" for as long as he could. He kicked a lot of ass and then when it became time to turn in, he did what he had to do. And made damn sure that his people made some money and were taken care of after the fighting ended. While most stories about Natives don't exactly have happy endings, his was pretty much the best the...
Ep. 196 Joseph Paul Franklin
May 06, 2021 07:38 - 40 minutes - 29.7 MBToday we're covering pretty much the most opposite a person possible from our Tuesday episode. Joseph Paul Franklin, like all Americans with three names, dedicated his life to killing people. And because he was super racist the media gave him the wonderfully creative nickname, The Racist Killer. Really. These people get paid to write for a living. I hate them. Anyways, some truly surprising name drops in this episode, and some that are pretty on the nose. But it's all fun, enjoy!
Ep. 195 Titus Cornelius AKA Colonel Tye
May 04, 2021 07:09 - 41 minutes - 29.4 MBToday we have badass soldier from the Revolutionary War, Titus Cornelius. It's just a shame he fought for the British instead of the US. But well, we kinda fucked that up by not being the ones to offer him freedom from slavery so that's kinda on us. And it doesn't take away from any of his hard charging, dick punching ways. He ran around New Jersey (gross) and neighboring areas slapping down slave owners wherever he found them. And you know what they say, "Live fast, die young, leave a gangr...
Ep. 194 Charles Starkweather
April 29, 2021 07:48 - 1 hour - 43.8 MBToday we're talking about Charles Starkweather, who answers the question, "What if we took a James Dean wannabe and gave him all the worst parts of Mickey Knox from Natural Born Killers, removed all the charisma, and gave him the brain power of James Dean after the car crash?" This spree killer really set the bar in regards to what you can get away with in a few days when the cops are terrible at their jobs. But congratulations to Nebraska for finally giving us something interesting. Enjoy!
Ep. 193 Benedict Arnold
April 27, 2021 07:21 - 53 minutes - 38.8 MBToday we'll be talking about the life of Benedict Arnold, one of the most hated men in America due to kinda, sorta betraying us during the Revolutionary War. Of course we wouldn't have won the war without him either. And he kinda got fucked over and over again. So it's all a bit of give and take here. But there are plenty of shenanigans, wonkyness, and violence to discuss. And he has one of the best monuments in America. Enjoy!
Ep. 192 Hershel Woodrow Williams (Guest: Dave Apkarian)
April 22, 2021 07:38 - 38 minutes - 27.9 MBDave Apkarian joins us again to talk about a great marine, and sprayer of nightmare fuel (a flamethrower), Hershel Williams, and the part he played in the battle of Iwo Jima. That battle was horrible no matter what side you were on or what you were doing, but Hershel made it just a tad bit worse for the Japanese as he was walking around with a weapon that turned regular soldiers into well done soldiers. He proceeds to kick ass up and down that small ass island, and still lives a long, full l...
Ep. 191 Andranik Ozanian (Guest: Dave Apkarian)
April 20, 2021 08:43 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBToday we're joined by friend of the show and shining gem of Fresno, Dave Apkarian, to talk about badass Armenian, Andranik Ozanian. For those that don't know about Armenian history, which is probably most of us since I didn't even know who they were until I was legally old enough to rent a car, they've gotten fucked with by the Turks since pretty much day one. Things got pretty bad for them and Andranik decided to fuck back and did a pretty solid job all things considered. Enjoy the tales of...
Ep. 190 John Ausonius
April 15, 2021 08:05 - 39 minutes - 27.1 MBToday we'll be continuing the week of incompetence by talking about John Ausonius. Also known as "The Laser Man," this dude wanted to be the savior of Sweden from the foreign menace, only to go down in history as the most failed, self-hating immigrant, assassin that it's possible to be. Come for the violence, and stay to laugh at how upset Tim gets at the dumb shit this guy did while in prison. Enjoy!
Ep. 189 Richard Lawrence
April 13, 2021 07:36 - 36 minutes - 25.9 MBToday we're talking about one of the most batshit crazy people I've ever heard of. What Richard Lawrence lacks in an interesting name, he more than makes up for with pure, unadulterated insanity. It all started pretty normal, then ramps up and up until it becomes one of my favorite stories involving a president. He doesn't commit a lot of violent acts, other than beating on his sisters for assumed slights anyways, but enjoy the story of this incompetent assassin anyways!
Ep. 188 Jeronimus Cornelisz
April 08, 2021 07:33 - 42 minutes - 30.5 MBToday we're talking about our first (I think) person from Dutchland, or Holland, or the Netherlands, whatever those windmill making bastards call their country. Jeronimus Cornelisz not only has the most frustratingly spelled name I've ever seen, but he was a bonkers ass crazy person. He wound up in Australia and did things that would put that nightmarish hellscape to shame. Or at least ordered those things be done. He didn't get his hands dirty often, but he certainly went horrific when he d...
Ep. 187 Jan Baalsrud
April 06, 2021 07:17 - 47 minutes - 33.8 MBToday we're talking about a badass Norwegian who for sure has that strong viking blood, Jan Baalsrud. He fought the Nazis when they first showed up in his country, and admittedly lost. But he made his way to Britain to learn how to fight back, at which point he admittedly lost again. So he's not great at winning. But damn if he isn't great at surviving. Dude went through hell and back, and still lived to be an old man. And he got to enjoy a mode of transportation I need to experience some da...
Ep. 186 Robert Pickton (Guest: Tom Goss)
April 01, 2021 07:41 - 1 hour - 48.4 MBTime for round 2 (or I guess round 4 technically) with Tom Goss, and boy do we have a doozy of a subject for him. Robert Pickton was a murderous dick, ran a pig farm, and, fittingly, he basically wallowed in his own filth. We've covered a few Canadians at this point and Robert is definitely by far the grossest. When the guy running a rendering plant says you're creepy and gross, you should probably just give up at that point and let nature reclaim you. Anyways, enjoy this crazy Canadian murd...
Ep. 185 John C Woods (Guest: Tom Goss)
March 30, 2021 08:58 - 1 hour - 47.2 MBToday we are joined by comedian, friend of the show, and beloved nutball, Tom Goss, to talk about John C Woods. A man so inept at his job that he actually cycled back around to kinda successful. He stumbled through life bungling one thing after another before winding up in the Army and being asked, "You know how to hang people?" He of course lied his ass off and became the Army's personal executioner. Also you'll get to learn about Tom's weird thing about sea creatures. Enjoy!
Ep. 184 Lenny Murphy
March 25, 2021 07:51 - 40 minutes - 29.6 MBToday we'll be visiting the land of leprechauns to discuss a pretty divisive figure from The Troubles, Lenny Murphy. If you're an Irish Protestant or English, you're probably pretty supportive of his cause. But if you're an Irish Catholic or one of the many people in the world that thinks England should keep its dick to itself, you're probably not a fan. Also dude was in charge of a group called The Shankill Butchers so he wasn't really a good person. But anyways, pour yourself an Irish car ...
Ep. 183 Nathaniel Kinney and the Bald Knobbers
March 23, 2021 07:30 - 1 hour - 44.7 MBToday we're covering a requested vigilante, Nathaniel Kinney, and his terribly named vigilance committee from the 1800s. This committee stirred up a whole heap of shit in Missouri and despite starting for semi-admirable reasons, quickly devolved into some blatant fuckery. Beatings, shootings, and lynchings, they pretty much covered all the necessary bases and earned the attention of a hilariously named governor. Enjoy the tales of their night rides and comically tragic executions!
Ep. 182 Dutch Schultz
March 18, 2021 07:30 - 1 hour - 46 MBWe're closing out anniversary week with a dude that's popped up over and over again in other stories, so we figured it's finally time to cover his life. Dutch Schultz went from German Jew immigrant to fake Dutchman criminal. He made a lot of money, killed a lot of people, and even blinded a guy in the grossest way possible once. We had a lot of fun talking about his life, and going over the stream of consciousness and insanity that was his last words. Enjoy!
Ep. 181 Miyamoto Musashi
March 16, 2021 08:05 - 1 hour - 70.7 MBToday we're kicking off the week of our 2 year anniversary with Miyamoto Musashi, a man surrounded by a fog of legends, but we cut through all that anime bullshit and give you the real stuff because even that is plenty bonkers. He ran around the Japanese countryside alternating between sword and wood, beating the shit outta every badass he could in duels. And even when he earned enough prestige and honor to become a proper samurai, or just chill he said, "fuck that, there's murder to be done...
Ep. 180 Llewellyn Chilson
March 11, 2021 08:43 - 43 minutes - 31.2 MBToday we got Llewellyn Chilson, another man who proves that if you give a dude a woman's name he'll grow up to fuck some shit up. The amount of Nazi ass he kicked during World War 2 led to him being one of the most decorated American soldiers and probably inspired at least a few video games. How he was never awarded the Medal of Honor baffles me, because he easily did enough to earn one several times over. Enjoy this batshit crazy badass!
Ep. 179 Bartholomew Roberts
March 09, 2021 08:35 - 54 minutes - 38.1 MBDo you like crazy vindictive Welsh pirates with a flair for fancy clothes? Well then this is the episode for you! Bartholomew Roberts got into some wild shit over the course of his 3ish year career. He became one of the most successful pirates ever in terms of ships captured, and showed the people of Martinique why they shouldn't send pirate hunters after him. He wasn't terribly creative with ship names though. But he did create a whole pirate code. Enjoy!
Ep. 178 Luke Short
March 04, 2021 08:31 - 1 hour - 45.7 MBIt's been a while since we covered a fun wild west badass, so today we're bringing you Luke Short. Whose life is proof that everyone seemed to know each other back then as he ran around with some familiar names. And shot a few people who also knew people he knew. It's like a big old game of six degrees of separation but with gambling and guns. Also check out that top hat, dude was a classy ass gambling gunfighter.
Ep. 177 Nathaniel Bar-Jonah
March 02, 2021 08:55 - 56 minutes - 38.9 MBToday we'll be talking about a horrendously gross man, in pretty much very possible meaning. I don't want to give away everything about Nathaniel Bar-Jonah, but I will say that there was a lot of strangulation. And where he went, children disappeared, and meals were made. And he looks like exactly the kind of person to do all the fucked up shit that he did. Turns out, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. And this book cover is smeared in well, a lot of things you don't want to touch....
Ep. 176 Newton Knight
February 25, 2021 08:47 - 40 minutes - 29.2 MBToday we'll be talking about the first guy from the South to show up on this podcast that wasn't super into slavery, Newton Knight. This dude, while admittedly kind of a simpleton based on the way he sounds in his quotes, was anti-Confederacy and managed to lead a whole splinter group of other like-minded swamp folk. They didn't do a whole lot of significant damage, but man did the rebel leadership hate them, and that's good enough for me. Also dude had some comedy gold in his quotes. Enjoy!
Ep. 175 Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw
February 23, 2021 08:39 - 1 hour - 55 MBToday we're taking another trip to England, dear listeners. This time it's to talk about human Guy Ritchie movie, Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw. Like most of the people we talk about, he started fighting at a young age, and then just didn't stop. He fought in the streets, in the pub, in the boxing ring, in the psych hospital, in the prison, pretty much everywhere you can fight. Hell, he probably didn't fuck so much as throw punches with his dick. He lived a hell of a life and we had a lot of fun tal...
Ep. 174 Dennis "Mr. Death" Allen
February 18, 2021 08:27 - 41 minutes - 29.5 MBIt's time for us to go back to Australia to talk about Dennis Allen, and his family, who were frankly, super fucked up. His story is pretty much all over the place. A Mr. T amount of gold chains, glory hole drugs, a sex slave, and blood vomit. Just some of the examples of baffling insanity that Mr. Death got into throughout his short but brutal life. No matter how much of the animal life in that country is crazy deadly, humans always manage to one-up them. Enjoy!
Ep. 173 Claude Lemieux
February 16, 2021 08:52 - 54 minutes - 39 MBWhen it comes to terrible names, Claude Percy Lemieux is gonna be at the top of the list. He's also going to be at the top of the list of hated NHL players for all the dirty shots and shenanigans he got into over the years. This dude loved winning, and cheap shotting anybody in an opposing jersey. He was also the cause of probably the greatest brawl in sports history, seriously, that fight had everything short of a murder. Now listen to us make fun of his entire legacy, enjoy!
Ep. 172 Oskar Dirlewanger (Guest: Derrick Murray)
February 11, 2021 08:04 - 48 minutes - 33.3 MBNow, dear listeners, you know we would never give you back to back monsters right? Well, here's another monster. Oskar Dirlewanger hated commies and Jews, and the things he did as a result of that hate even made other Nazis go, "Hey, man. Like, take it easy ok?" Do you realize how over the top you have to act for Nazis to think you're going too far? Well if not, you'll be learning in this episode as we again subject friend of the show, Derrick Murray, to some awful brutality. Enjoy!
Ep. 171 David Parker Ray (Guest: Derrick Murray)
February 09, 2021 08:53 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBNot gonna lie to you, dear listeners, this was a rough one. David Parker Ray was one seriously messed up dude even for a serial killer/rapist, and the stuff he did combined with the transcript of the tape he played for his victims adds up to be one of our most brutal episodes. So of course we decided to inflict it upon one of our friends by having Derrick Murray back on the show. Listen to him go from, "I've learned about this dude!" to, "I did not know about that..." one horrifying fact at ...
Ep. 170 Lee Murray
February 04, 2021 08:30 - 55 minutes - 39.8 MBToday we have mixed martial artist and criminal extraordinaire, Lee Murray. He could have had a great career in beating people up if it wasn't for the other career he had in beating people up. Whether it be in the ring, or in the alley of a local pub, Lee just loved fighting. And stealing. That was the other thing that got him into a wee bit of trouble. You'll see what I mean. If you own any Tapout shirts, you're gonna love the name drops in this episode by the way. Enjoy!
Ep. 169 George Armstrong Custer
February 02, 2021 08:51 - 51 minutes - 37.6 MBGeneral George Armstrong Custer is most famously known for losing the battle at Little Bighorn in the biggest and most impressively stupid way possible. But today we'll be telling you about all his other failings and bad decisions. And about how, up until that last battle, pure dumb luck basically carried him through life. And if you think we're overexaggerating what a bad officer he was, wait until you hear about what his former soldiers had planned. Enjoy!
Ep. 168 Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
January 28, 2021 08:09 - 57 minutes - 41.8 MBDespite the fancy title, Thomas Cochrane got down in his day. He spent most of his life sailing around in a goddamn tugboat masquerading as a warship, and still managed to fuck up all of Britain's enemies. Then when his wild shit talking got him into too much trouble, he bounced from the Navy and went into politics. Then when his mouth got him into too much trouble there, he went down to South America to fuck up some more people. Even stole his own payment when they held out on him. Respect.