Timesuck with Dan Cummins

Latest Episodes:

521 - The Serpent: Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Long before Catch Me If You Can made Frank Abagnale famous, another master con man was crisscrossing the globe under countless stolen identities and leaving a trail of bodies behind him. Charles Sobhraj, “The Serpent,” was a charismatic thief, fraudster, prison escape artist, and serial killer who preyed on travelers across Asia while repeatedly slipping through the fingers of law enforcement. His story is so crazy it feels less like real life, and more like a movie.

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Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

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Sign up through Patreon, and for $5 a month, you get access to the entire Secret Suck catalog (295 episodes) PLUS the entire catalog of Timesuck, AD FREE. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch.

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520 - Mother of Frankenstein: Mary Shelley Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Mary Shelley didn't just create Frankenstein - she helped invent modern science fiction while forever changing the landscape of horror. This episode, we explore her remarkable life: her radical parents, scandalous romance with Percy Shelley, the personal tragedies that shaped her, and the stormy night that gave birth to one of literature's greatest monsters. Along the way, we'll also trace how a novel written by an eighteen-year-old became one of the most influential stories ever told, inspiring centuries of debate about science, humanity, and what it truly means to be a creator.

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

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Short Suck 63: The Children's Crusade: Faith, Folly, and 30,000 Kids Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

In 1212, thousands of children set out across Europe believing God would part the Mediterranean and lead them peacefully to Jerusalem. (Spoiler alert: God didn't.) Their impossible journey became one of the strangest and most hotly debated events of the Middle Ages, blurring the line between history, myth, religious fervor, and mass delusion. It's also wildly entertaining.

For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com

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519 - Death Before Divorce: The Kouri Richins Case Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

When Utah realtor and children's author Kouri Richins reported her husband dead after what appeared to be a tragic medical emergency, investigators eventually uncovered allegations of a massive amount of secret debt, an affair, financial deception, a fatal dose of fentanyl and more. This week we look into the investigation and trial of one of America's most shocking recent murder cases—and explore how the person you trust most can sometimes be the one you should fear most.

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

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518 - San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

From the troubled life of James Huberty to the horrifying events inside a San Ysidro McDonald's on July 18th, 1984, we explore how one of America's first modern mass shootings - still the deadliest mass shooting on California soil and the deadliest one perpetuated by a lone shooter in US history at the time - forever changed America's understanding of public violence.

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

517 - The Buffalo River Cult: Murder, Prophecy, and... a Ghost Girl?? Jul 27, 2026

Show notes

In 1978, a fanatical doomsday cult disappeared into the Arkansas Ozarks believing the end of the world was arriving fast... which it did (for them), after they were arrested for the brutal murder of a three-year-old girl. More than twenty years later, six-year-old Haley Zega survived three days lost in that same wilderness, later claiming she was guided to safety by an "imaginary friend." How do these two seemingly unrelated stories relate to one another? Listen and find out!

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

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Short Suck 62: From Mom-and-Pop to Mega-Corporations: The Transformation of America’s Food Industry Jul 24, 2026

Show notes

How did a nation built on local farms and family businesses become dependent on a handful of massive corporations for most of its (now mostly processed) food? In this week's Short Suck, we investigate the surprising evolution of the American food industry over the past century, from mom-and-pop markets to mega-distributors, exploring how convenience, consolidation, and ultra-processed foods quietly transformed what ends up on all of our plates.

For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com

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516 - Murder at 100 MPH: The Mackenzie Shirilla Case Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

A quiet Ohio suburb is shattered when a 17-year-old girl, Mackenzie Shirilla, drives nearly 100 miles per hour into a brick wall, killing her boyfriend and a close friend while somehow surviving herself. Was it a tragic accident, a medical emergency, or a carefully calculated act of murder? This week, we examine the evidence, the trial, the toxic relationship at the center of it all, and the questions that continue to divide people over the case.

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

515 - Fort Hood: Murders, Mysteries, and Silence Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

For years, Fort Hood has been plagued by an unsettling string of murders, disappearances, suspicious deaths, and allegations of institutional failure that have left grieving families searching for answers. This week, we dive into the history of one of America's largest military installations, explore the cases that brought it under national scrutiny, and examine the competing theories—from leadership failures and violent crime to cartel rumors and even whispers of something more sinister. What's been going on at Fort Hood... and why?

Merch and more: www.badmagicproductions.com

Timesuck Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v

Want to join the Cult of the Curious PrivateFacebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)

For all merch-related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)

Please rate and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast

Wanna become a Space Lizard? Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Short Suck 61: Why Are Nordic People So.... Happy? Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

For over a decade, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden have consistently ranked among the happiest nations on Earth—but why? We dig into the research behind the World Happiness Report, separate fact from political myth, and explore whether strong social safety nets, low governmental corruption, public trust, and the Nordic model of government really do create happier lives. Along the way, we also examine the decades of propaganda, misconceptions, and ideological battles that have shaped how many Americans think about Scandinavia—and ask what lessons, if any, the United States should take from the world's happiest people. Fuck yeah, bro.

For Merch and everything else Bad Magic related, head to: https://www.badmagicproductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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