Beggars Belief

Stolen Socks and Counterfeit Cricket

In this week's episode, we review some short but curious cases from around the world.

First up from England, two people convinced pub goers to give up their socks for charity.  The story is so ridiculous, it leaves Chris speechless.

Then we go to India, where a bunch of people faked an entire cricket league, and managed to profit.

Music by Roger A Martinez

How Lenin Became A Mushroom-A Soviet Prank

Just before the fall of the Soviet Union, a musician and a journalist got together to pull an absurd and confusing prank--convincing people that Vladimir Lenin was a mushroom.  How did they get people to believe the former Bolshevik leader was actually fungus?  What role did world events play into this hoax being successful?  And most importantly, how many mushroom related puns can Chris fit into a half hour?

Join us this week as we explore this weird hoax.

Music by Roger Martinez.

How To Buy a Hockey Team

We all have our dreams.  For John Spano, that dream was to own a national hockey team.  And he wasn't going to let little facts like not having money get in the way of those dreams.  We discuss how he scammed his way into owning the New York Islanders, who at the time had an unfortunate redesign on their logo.

Mellie and Chris aren't sports fans, but you don't have to be to be interested in this weird rabbit hole!

Disney Hoaxes and Scams

Today we turn our eyes to Disney, looking at how a Texan scammed investors by promising a brand new park, and how ghost videos played into viral marketing in the 2010s.  Meanwhile other stories, Chris's Goofy impersonation, and a review of Disneyland's opening day back in 1955.

The (Fake) Autobiography of Howard Hughes

Clifford Irving and Robert Suskind wanted to write an autobiography of notable reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, based on one on one interviews and personal papers.  So they did.  Too bad they never actually met Hughes.

This story is a rollercoaster that somehow got further than anyone could have ever imagined, with fact and fiction becoming intertwined.

The Hoax https://amzn.to/4a4BsNj

The (fake) autobiography https://amzn.to/3ULqQ1k

The Hoax movie starring Richard Gere https://amzn.to/3UNVmIe

Music by Roger A. Martinez

Weekly World News and the Bat Boy Xtravaganza

On this week's episode, we delve into the history of the most fake publication to grace store shelves in the 90s, the Weekly World News, and the history of its unofficial mascot, BatBoy.  How did this tabloid get started, how did it stop publication, where did they get their ideas from.  Also, we discuss 80s snack foods and Chris exposes his love of Bigfoot.

MishMash Episode

In a fun break, we are going to explore three small tales. With these stories of treasure hunts, misinformation, and internet, we chat about our thoughts on treasure hunts, ARGs, AI, and internet culture. 

Music by Roger A Martinez

The Return of Martin Guerre

Back in medieval France, a family is full of drama. Martin had left his wife and newborn son and disappears.  When he returns, he has questions about how his inheritance was spent by his uncle.  It ends with the two in court with some outrageous claims that had no legal precedence.  The entire village becomes embroiled in the intrigue, in this well documented historic case.

Join us as we explore the story, unravel the truth, do a terrible job with the French language and mispronounce "Martin" in several different ways.

Sources mentioned:

book, The Return of Martin Guerre https://amzn.to/3W906Jl

The Movie, https://amzn.to/3xExjlD