Profiles In Eccentricity

This week Matt brings us into the seedy world of professional boxing promotion in the 80’s and 90’s with a Kenny Powersesque scumbag that corrupted the sport in every way! From bribing and poisoning his own fighters while currying favor with George Foreman and Don King, Rick Parker became so loathesome that it brought on his own murder!

This week Johnboy concludes the saga of Yugoslavia’s long-reigning communist dictator, Tito! We see Josip Broz liberate the country from the Nazi occupation, exile the monarchy, survive multiple assassination attempts from Stalin and create a unique economic, cultural and geopolitical landscape all singularly Tito!     Sources: https://www.slobodenpecat.mk/en/foto-site-zheni-koi-neuspeale-da-mu-odoleat-na-tito/ https://medium.com/@_lommol_/the-cult-of-tito-8907a0b4ff28 https://www.barrons. com/news/five-things-about-tito-thefather-of-communist-yugoslavia-01588211703 https://yugotour.com/blog/tito-leader/ https://www.kristinalang.uk/post/five-loves-of-josip-broztito-pet-ljubavi-josipa-broza-tita https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/partisan_fighters 01.shtml#: https ://www.youtube.com/watch_?v=9goS_1_n_HM_-E&t= 708s https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,868972,00.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josip_Broz_Tito https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslavia_and_the_NonAlignedMovement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yugoslav_training_ship_Galeb https://rm.coe.int/079317-queer-in-europe-during-thesecond-world-war-web-web/16808e4a53

Josip 'Tito' Broz, future communist dictator of Yugoslavia, endures battles, eludes purges, and dances through life as a political fugitive. The podcast explores his early life, revolutionary activities, time in prison camps, joining the Communist Party, military volunteering, and challenges he faced during crucial historical periods.

A Chinese woman rose from prostitution to control the Eastern seas with a fleet of men. Topics include train robberies, dark comedy, amputation, and a Cantonese prostitute-turned-madam named Ching Shih. They discuss her rise to power, her rules and punishments, and her integration into the Chinese government.

Subbing for the fetching Aaron Pita we are joined by the gorgeous queen Laura Crawford, as Matt brings the tale of one Irish woman who braved endless war to find her husband -IN DRAG - and another who used their filicide to become a legendary executioner!

Guest Radiston Zahariev shares the story of a tough guy from London who became a gang leader, drug dealer, and bank robber, terrifying police while also being an amateur UFC fighter. The podcast also discusses the controversial launch of New Coke by Coca-Cola and the obsession with dead celebrities.

Renegade rocket scientist Jack Parsons is the focus of this episode. From his early life and interests in chemistry and rockets to his addiction and complicated personal life, Parsons lived an unconventional life. The hosts discuss his moral stances, libertarian beliefs, and the controversy surrounding his dangerous experimentation with rockets and the occult. They express their fascination with his eccentricity and hint at future episodes featuring other intriguing individuals.

This week Johnboy shares the story of celebrity Irish criminal Martin Cahill and his exploits in stealing from a young age to becoming the greatest thief in Irish history and cultivating an image that showed his absolute disdain for authority from the bedroom to the courtroom before a bid with paramilitaries led to his demise!

Ada and Minna Everleigh, high class brothel owners, are the guests on the show. Topics discussed include the luxurious Everleigh Club, superstitions and practices of sex workers, Chicago's corrupt aldermen and bathhouse owners, white slavery, reverse marketing, courtesan marriage and a notable ball, challenges faced by women in brothels, the Mann Act and the closure of vice districts, shifting attitudes towards raunchiness and sexual expression over time, and the exploitation and power dynamics at play in the story of Ada and Minna Everleigh.

Guest James A Harden-Hickey's wild journey to becoming king of a tiny island, his French aristocracy roots, and his revenge plot against the British. The podcast covers his guide to suicide, eccentric adventures, island conquest plans, and the bizarre world of disputed island inheritance.