CLASSIC: A Digital Cult? The Strange Story of...

What makes a genre of music successful? Ideally, the art connects on a personal level with the audience, speaking truth to power, tapping into a universal experience.... but what if that isn't always the case? In 2012, an email from someone claiming to be a former music industry ...  Show more

In this week's Strange News segment, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the following: As the Iran conflict ramps up, a mysterious numbers station begins transmitting ominous codes in Farsi -- raising speculation about a possible conspiracy afoot. Legendary MC Afroman wins a bizarre cour ...  Show more

American Spiritualism is a frequently invoked, rarely understood religion that hinges on speaking with spirit through mediums. In our first episode, Jamie Loftus puts your little baby brain at rest -- it's not a cult. But what is it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa ...  Show more

When you think of a cult, you might conjure some very specific imagery. Groups of people dressed in white, huddled around a charismatic, long-haired leader. Glasses of red fruit punch, mixed with other things, in the background. And a general sense of impending doom as the leader ...  Show more

“Why does it feel like everything that has to do with tradition is actually a cult?” Such is one of our many musings from this week’s episode on the “cult” of Greek life. We call it “hazing” and “pledges” rather than “brainwashing” and “cult members,” but aren’t these highly excl ...  Show more

Cults are conventionally understood to be unestablished, non-mainstream religious groups that follow a single leader. So what does it take to be the leader? Tune in as Josh and Chuck take a closer look at cults.