Bittersweet Infamy

#136 - Merry Mitchmas!

24 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie Margaret Mitchell, Taylor Mitchell Basso, and guest host Mitchell Charles Collins ring in Mitchmas, a made-up holiday celebrating people named M...

#135 - Mother of a Monster

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trick-or-Treat Infamy + season finale! Josie tells Taylor about the dramatic life and times of English novelist Mary Shelley, and the infamous origins...

#134 - The Mad Trapper of Rat River

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trick-or-Treat Infamy! Taylor tells Josie about Albert Johnson (not his real name), the mysterious outlaw who led Mounties on an explosive and deadly ...

#133 - Naked and Aflame

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Skookum B.C. Road Trip! In this special episode, Josie tells Taylor about the Sons of Freedom (a.k.a. the Freedomites), the religious sect with an...

#132 - Operation: Save Linda's Sweater

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Skookum B.C. Road Trip! Josie, Taylor, and special guests Lucia Misch and Ruy Gonzalez travel around Canada's beautiful westernmost province, Brit...

#131 - The Big Skookum Bittersweet Ambush

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Skookum B.C. Road Trip! In this special episode recorded at the Arthur O. Wheeler hut in Glacier National Park, Taylor and special guests Lucia Mi...

#130 - Bury Me On Rattlesnake Island

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Big Skookum B.C. Road Trip! In this special episode, Taylor tells Josie about Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur Eddy Haymour, and how his dream of buildi...

#129 - A Shipwreck Away from Abalonia

30 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the 1966 near-founding of the micronation of Abalonia on a sunken island 100 miles off the California coast, and how the woul...

#128 - Too Cute for Comfort

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about Cuties (a.k.a. Mignonnes), the 2020 Netflix film by Senegalese-French writer/director Maïmouna Doucouré, and how it spark...

#127 - A Palace of Seeds and Nothing to Eat

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor how the botanists at the U.S.S.R.'s Institute of Plant Industry kept the world's largest seed bank intact during the infamously bru...

#126 - Spin-Out in the Fast Lane

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the cheating conspiracy behind Brazilian auto racer Nelson Piquet Jr.'s deliberate crash at the 2008 Formula One Singapore Gr...

#125 - The White Witch of Rose Hall

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about Annie Palmer, the legendary murderous vodou matron whose ghost is said to haunt her Montego Bay plantation—and how her stor...

#124 - My X Father

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Kai Cheng Thom tells Josie and Taylor about the turbulent relationship between terminally online rich guy Elon Musk and his transgender dau...

#123 - The Wreck of the Titan

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the finale of our Titanic April series, Taylor tells Josie about the discovery and exploration of the Titanic's wreck, and the deadly 2023 implosio...

#122 - Women and Children First

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As part of our Titanic April series, Josie tells Taylor about the history of the disaster evacuation rule "women and children first," and how the gend...

#121 - Nazi Titanic (and Other Films in Which Ships Sink)

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As part of our Titanic April series, Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about the film adaptations of the Titanic story, including Sav...

#120 - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic

06 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To launch our Titanic April series, Josie tells Taylor about the most infamous maritime disaster in history: the sinking of the largest ocean liner in...

#119 - In the Garden of the Emperor

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about France's disastrous attempt to overthrow the Mexican government in the 1860s, and the unwise rise and catastrophic fall of th...

#118 - How the West Was Sold

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor how our modern cultural image of the Wild West was constructed by one man: soldier and showman "Buffalo" Bill Cody. Plus: unravelli...

#117 - My Perfect Socialist Daughter Must Die

23 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the toxic, possessive, and deadly mother-daughter relationship between 1930s Spanish political activists Aurora and Hildegart...

#116 - A Most Unusual Proposal

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the unconventional art project that saw American artist Jill Magid propose to Italian archivist Federica Zanco with a diamond...

#115 - This Bud's Not for You

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie the stories of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, whose TikTok ad for Bud Light kicked off a right-wing beer boycott, and Janu...

#114 - The Terrorist Heiress

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Season five premiere! Josie tells Taylor about heiress turned abductee turned revolutionary Patricia Hearst, and her explosive odyssey with the militi...

#113 - The Twelve Days of Infamy

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holiday special! Taylor tells Josie one infamous story for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas—from the drummer the Beatles drummed out of the band...

#112 - A Spirited Tour of Spiritualism

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special + season finale! Josie tells Taylor about the haunting history of the modern Spiritualist movement—from the crafty teen sisters wh...

#111 - The War of the Worlds

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special! Taylor tells Josie about the 1938 Orson Welles radio play about a Martian invasion that allegedly caused a mass hysteria, and the 1...

#110 - The Killers of Eden

29 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Peter Chiykowski tells Josie and Taylor about the pod of orcas who hunted in harmony with humans until a brutal betrayal ended it all. Plus...

#109 - Night at the Dick Museum

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which contains the world's largest display of phalluses, and curator Sigurður Hjartarson...

#108 - Satan's Last Stronghold

15 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Erika Jo Brown tells Josie and Taylor about the evangelical Christian fervour that led American missionary John Chau to contact the volunta...

#107 - The Tower

08 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about Alicia Esteve "Tania" Head, the prominent 9/11 survivor who was exposed as a fraud. Plus: a deep dive into the centuries-old ...

#106 - The Party Bus Omnibus

25 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie celebrates Taylor's birthday with a series of infamous party stories, featuring guests of honour from Kim Kardashian to Kim Jong-il. Plus: step ...

#105 - I Hate Brenda

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about '90s nighttime soap queen and tabloid bad girl Shannen Doherty. Plus: a closer listen to hit ...

#104 - Artifact or Fiction?

28 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the muddy line between forgery and art, and how Mexican ceramicist Brígido Lara made it even muddier. Plus: 1972 Democratic ...

#103 - Mine, All Mine

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the legend of Slumach's gold, and the curses, killings, and calamity surrounding the mythical lost mine of Pitt Lake, British...

#102 - Waste 'n' Time

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about humankind's attempts to communicate the dangers of nuclear waste to our descendants in the very distant future. Plus: the dec...

#101 - Hachikō, Stay

16 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about Hachikō, the Japanese dog who became a national icon by loyally waiting for his long-dead master, and other very good boys o...

#100 - One Hundred Gumballs

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie and Taylor present the Melties, celebrating your choices for the best moments of 100 episodes of Bittersweet Infamy. Josie chews so much gum th...

#99 - Country Lessons

12 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the controversial 2016 CMA Awards performance by Beyoncé and The Chicks, and how it inspired Beyoncé's 2024 album, Cowboy ...

#98 - I Beg That I Have Not Intruded

28 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about activist Sacheen Littlefeather, her protest on behalf of actor Marlon Brando at the 1973 Academy Awards, the disputes around ...

#97 - URGENT! Exclusive Opportunity

14 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the history of the Nigerian prince email scam, and the rise and fall of influencer/fraudster Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, a.k.a. Hus...

#96 - All 33 of Us Are Safe in the Shelter

24 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the 2010 San José mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, and the 33 miners whose rescue captivated viewers...

#95 - Florida Man

10 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about Florida Man, the memetic everyman whose chaotic antics dominate the headlines of the Sunshine State. Plus: a shambolic AI-gen...

#94 - Dulce Amor (Sweet Love)

25 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart "CUTIE," Taylor tells Josie about "Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu," the vir...

#93 - The Tree Huggers

18 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart "HUG ME," Josie tells Taylor about the Chipko movement of 1970...

#92 - No Other Love

11 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bittersweet Romance! Taylor tells Josie about the turbulent marriage between R&B icon Faith Evans and rap legend The Notorious B.I.G., and the East Co...

#91 - Driven

04 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bittersweet Romance! Josie tells Taylor about astronaut Lisa Nowak and her most dangerous mission: an overnight drive from Houston to Orlando to elimi...

#90 - I'd Like to Phone a Friend

28 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special episode, Taylor surprises Josie with Bittersweet Ambush, a guerrilla game show with a devious twist, before telling her about the his...

#89 - To the Island

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the life and letters of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, who was scheduled for a lobotomy when her debut book won a national p...

#88 - The Final Countdown

31 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New Year's Eve special! Taylor tells Josie about the computer glitch turned doomsday spectacle: the millennium bug, Y2K. Plus: as Steamboat Willie lap...

#87 - SantaCon is Coming to Town

17 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Holiday special! Josie tells Taylor about the anarchic origins of the rowdy annual Santa celebration, SantaCon. Plus: on Christmas Day 1914, a heartwa...

#86 - Self-Insert

03 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Amanda Ortiz tells Josie and Taylor about the web of fate connecting the September 11 terrorist attacks, My Chemical Romance, Twilight, an...

#85 - Rand Larceny

19 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about South Africa's crooked cop turned brazen bank robber, the infamous André Stander. Plus: the stone cold truth about the most ...

#84 - Gotta Get Down On Friday

05 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Season premiere! Taylor tells Josie about the viral anthem of 2011, "Friday," and the sudden infamy of singer Rebecca Black. Plus: all the gossip from...

#83 - A House That Eats Girls

22 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special + season finale! Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about the scary movie co-written by a child: Nobuhiko Obayashi's...

#82 - Get the Hell Out

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special! Josie tells Taylor about three infamous exorcisms, including a convent of hell-raising nuns in 17th century France, a passel of see...

#81 - The Flying Tailor

24 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about garment-maker/inventor Franz Reichelt and his fateful 1912 flight from the Eiffel Tower. Plus: unmasking Saúl Armendáriz, a...

#80 - The Mysterious Affair at Harrogate

10 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the infamous 1926 disappearance of mystery icon Agatha Christie. Plus: the shocking lost Sesame Street episode that traumatiz...

#79 - The Empress of Canada

27 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the final episode of our special British Columbia-centric Bittersweet 604 series, guest host The Established, Shanda Leer tells Josie and Taylor ab...

#78 - Brother XII of the Great White Lodge

20 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this road trip special recorded inside a 1970 Volkswagen bus in Jordan River, BC, Taylor tells Josie about spiritualist Edward Arthur Wilson, a.k.a...

#77 - The Right Side of the Tracks

13 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this road trip special recorded in the forests of Jordan River, BC, Josie tells Taylor about the Militant Mothers of Raymur, who stood in front of ...

#76 - One Book, Two Books, Banned Books, Blue Books

06 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this 604 Podcast Network studio special, Taylor tells Josie about children's educator and LGBTQ+ activist James Chamberlain, and his fight against ...

#75 - From the Andes to Israel With Love

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about "En Tus Tierras Bailaré," a musical love ode to Israel performed by three of Latin America's most infamous YouTube stars—D...

#74 - Coldproof

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the superhuman survival story of capsized Icelandic fisherman Guðlaugur Friðþórsson. Plus: Ying Zheng (嬴政), Jing Ke (...

#73 - This Side Up With Care

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about American abolitionist and magician Henry Box Brown, and his most ingenious disappearing act: his escape from slavery. Plus: t...

#72 - The Night the Hills Lost Time

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about honeymooners Barney and Betty Hill, and their infamous extraterrestrial encounter. Plus: a nautical joyride gone wrong pits t...

#71 - Elizabeth Shrugged

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about American con artist and automotive entrepreneur Geraldine Elizabeth Carmichael, and her three-wheeled masterpiece: the Dale. ...

#70 - Finding the Groove

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the embattled production of a Disney cult classic: The Emperor's New Groove. Plus: one mother's quest to secure Hannah Monta...

#69 - Made in America

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the rise and fall of the hippest brand of the '00s: American Apparel. Plus: a menagerie of dolphin midwives and feral zombie ...

#68 - The Cult of the Clitoris

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Lucia Misch tells Josie and Taylor about dancer Maud Allan, the fantastical allegations against her, and the spectacular trial that ensued....

#67 - The Immaculate Concussion

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the mysterious illness infamously known as Havana syndrome. Plus: a household tips column gives some messy advice, and video ...

#66 - The Human Computer

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the extraordinary life of Indian mathematical prodigy Shakuntala Devi. Plus: SeaPods, the aquatic homes of the future, and th...

#65 - Wikid Games

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the many fabricated histories of Chinese Wikipedia editor Zhemao (折毛). Plus: the extravagantly wealthy ruler of Mali, Mus...

#64 - The Universal Language

19 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the world's best-known constructed language, Esperanto. Plus: Tijuana's "La Mona", the gigantic naked woman you can live insi...

#63 - Raisin Hell

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the juicy history of the California raisin industry. Plus: the origins of a deadly game—Russian roulette.

#62 - Fight the Real Enemy

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

604 Podcast Network premiere! Taylor tells Josie about Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor and her infamous Pope-ripping Saturday Night Live perf...

#61 - Lost in Translation

08 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the legendary 1954 Japanese film Gojira, and its infamous American adaptation: Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Plus: more tra...

#60 - Abandoned On Isle Royale

25 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Holiday special! Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about Angelique and Charlie Mott's Lake Superior struggle for survival through the...

#59 - A Very Caca Christmas

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Holiday special! Josie tells Taylor about el Caganer (the crapping man) and the other scatological fixtures of a traditional Catalonian Christmas. Plu...

#58 - The White House Party Crashers

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about uninvited guests Tareq and Michaele Salahi, and the Real Housewives storyline that ended in a congressional hearing. Plus: al...

#57 - Follow the River

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Season premiere! Josie tells Taylor about plane crash survivor Juliane Koepcke and her incredible rainforest odyssey. Plus: the unlikely rise of Wing,...

#56 - It Is Finished

30 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special + season finale! Guest host Gerard Coletta tells Josie and Taylor about one of Australia's most infamous and enduring mysteries: the...

#55 - Hell House

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special! Josie tells Taylor about the evangelical Christian haunted houses that try to scare the devil out of you. Plus: beware the winged T...

#54 - Sexcula

02 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Halloween special! Taylor tells Josie about Canada's infamous lost-and-found '70s vampire porno. Plus: the ballad of Art Nouveau, Joni Mitchell's cont...

#53 - Make It Rain

18 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about American "rainmaker" Charles Hatfield and the San Diego flood of 1916. Plus: vuvuzelas, SunChips bags, and other things that ...

#52 - The Divine Fire

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the deadly fire at the LGBTQ+ nightclub Divine in Valparaíso, Chile, and a community's tireless hunt for truth and justice a...

#51 - Pregnant? Don't Want to Be? Call Jane.

21 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the underground abortion organization that served Chicago during America's sexual revolution. Plus: the legacy of Nichelle Ni...

#50 - The Pharaoh's Curse

07 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

50th episode spectacular! Taylor tells Josie about the life, death, and afterlife of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, and the truth behind an infamou...

#49 - The Cottingley Fairies

24 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the photographic hoax that ensnared the author of Sherlock Holmes. Plus: Blucifer, the killer blue mustang, and other odditie...

#48 - A World Behind A Wall

10 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about Bolivia's infamous San Pedro prison, where anything goes but nothing goes for free. Plus: the deadly tragedy of Cameroon's La...

#47 - Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island)

26 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the dark history behind one of Japan's most adorable tourist attractions. Plus: the mystery of the disappearing Sri Lankan ha...

#46 - The DeLorean

12 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about controversial automaker John DeLorean and the most famous time machine in cinematic history. Plus: the true story of Ellen Wi...

#45 - The Nicest Killer Around

29 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about ultra-affable mortician Bernie Tiede and the murder of Marge Nugent. Plus: the rise and fall of Blok P, Greenland's most infa...

#44 - Bloodbath on Broadway

15 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Guest host Ramón Esquivel tells Josie and Taylor about Broadway's bloodiest flop: the 1988 musical adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie. Plus: the hig...

#43 - The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults

01 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about an infamous 1980s TV special about an infamous 1920s gangster. Plus: meteorites, the collectors that love them, and the dogs ...

#42 - Moonstruck

17 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor and guest host Mitchell Collins about controversial religious leader Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church, more infamously kno...

#41 - The Runaway Bride

03 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks and her highly publicized disappearing act. Plus: an unusual in...

#40 - The Voynich Manuscript

20 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the ancient unreadable text that has eluded cryptographers for centuries. Plus: a small New York village's controversial trib...

#39 - Caster Semenya

06 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about South African runner Caster Semenya and the history of sex testing in women's track and field. Plus: the wild story of Americ...

#38 - Zheng Yi Sao

20 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Josie tells Taylor about the pirate queen of the South China Sea. Plus: the McBarge, Vancouver's abandoned floating McDonald's restaurant.

#37 - Go Set a Watchman

06 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor tells Josie about the controversial "sequel" to Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Plus: a trip to the Gates of Hell, Turkmenis...