Podcast: The Generation Why

Podcast thegenerationwhypodcast.com/

Host: Aaron Habel, Justin Evans Episode Count: 270+ Format: Conversation Established: June 2012 Frequency: Weekly Topics: Unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries, conspiracies, and true crime According to their website, on the Generation Why Podcast: “Two friends, Aaron and Justin, discuss theories and share their opinions on unsolved murders, controversies, mysteries, conspiracies, and true crime.” While true crime stories and mysteries are the mainstay of the podcast, there is more than enough that could be classed as fortean to make it well worth a listen. Episodes before the end of 2014 are available at genwhypod.com, some of them free (although donations are encouraged), some as paid-for ‘premium episodes’. At the time of writing, instalments from around episode 80 onwards were available free; one of the earliest of these is titled ‘Vaccination Fears’, which points to the scope of the show beyond just true crime.

Some of these early episodes, when Evans and Haber were still finding their feet, include such topics as the JFK assassination (#8), 9/11 truthers (#14), the Moon landing ‘hoax’ (#37), Roswell (#39), Amityville (#45), and the lost colony of Roanoke (#57). These are interspersed between ‘true crime’ episodes dealing with such infamous cases as those of cult leader David Koresh, Amanda Knox, Ted Bundy, and Oscar Pistorius.

Inevitably, there are episodes where true crime meets forteana – the most obvious example being the still unsolved Jack the Ripper murders. Several episodes deal with the case, including ‘Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders’ (#59), a follow-up with the optimistic title of ‘Jack the Ripper Identified?’ (#87), and a third entry, ‘Ripper Confidential’ (#254). An entire episode is devoted to the Dyatlov Pass Incident (#92), laid out in clear and accessible terms by the co-hosts, who deliver the information on each topic discussed in a very clear manner, presented as a simple, yet informed, conversation between them. It’s a no-nonsense approach, from a softly sceptical (with a ‘c’, rather than a ‘k’) point of view.

Stories where unsolved mysteries meet unsolved true crime are especially good, as in the case of Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian student who died in mysterious circumstances in the notorious Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. Missing for almost two weeks, her body was found in the water tank on the hotel roof – it was only investigated after residents complained about the ‘weird taste’ of the water. A strange CCTV video emerged of Lam acting oddly in a lift. There was enough of a mystery already to make the case interesting, but the added fact that the story involved the Cecil Hotel made it more attractive to true crime aficionados. Built in 1924, the Cecil was trendy for a while in the 1940s, before becoming a ‘skid row’ destination for long-term and transient residents. The hotel has such a reputation for violence and self-harm that it became known as ‘The Suicide’ rather than The Cecil. The Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short, was supposed to have frequented the hotel bar in the days before her murder in January 1947. The most notorious later Cecil residents were serial killers Richard Ramirez, dubbed the ‘night stalker’, and the Austrian killer Jack Unterweger.

Aaron and Justin discuss the case in some detail, laying out the timeline and filling in the background of both Lam and the hotel, including a discussion of whether being on or off her bipolar and depression medication had anything to do with her death. While they discuss the widespread speculation about the weirdness of the case, including its resemblance to the movie Dark Water (2005), the Generation Why guys are more interested in facts that can be proven than weirdness for weirdness sake.

Another good example is their Bermuda Triangle Mystery episode (#132), which focuses on what can factually be established about Flight 19, the training flight of five Avenger planes that disappeared together in December 1945. They discuss the details of the incident, speculate a little, but offer some grounded explanations of what may have happened. The tight focus on one case or subject ensures things stay accessible and keeps the length of each podcast down to around an hour.

Strengths: The easygoing yet informative chat between Justin and Aaron is welcoming.

Weaknesses: Few, but their occasional attempts at humour can fall flat.

Recommended Episodes: The Bell Witch (#62); Bigfoot (#79); Dyatlov Pass Incident (#92); The Warrens & the Paranormal (#117); Loch Ness Monster (#121); The Enfield Poltergeist (#151); The Philadelphia Experiment (#168).

Verdict: Accessible and informative, the Generation Why podcast extends beyond its true crime focus to cover many fortean topics.