The Paranoid Strain
Episodes
New! Qanon: How we got here - How the blood libel mutated into the Satanic Panic
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last stop before our full, multi-part discussion of the Satanic Panic of the 80s and early 90s. This stop is back in the depths of antisemitism, the m...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Just a smidgeon of human sacrifice
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Out with the old, in with the new. In this case, no more Birchers of fluoride--we've moved on to other Q-related topics. This time, we're taking a lon...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Our precious bodily fluids
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're gonna get to the bottom of the fluoride conspiracy. Where does it come from? Who believes it? And how did we start dunking our teeth in t...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Dedicated, conscious agents of the anti-Communist conspiracy
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're finishing up our Bircher talk here, with our discussion of the group's great crusades to keep people from having more rights, because apparently...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Old ladies in tennis shoes derail the Deep State
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We find ourselves falling deeper into the history of the John Birch Society, Robert Welch's baby, and the anti-communist organization that seemed so f...
New! Qanon: How we got here - The Candyman versus the Commies
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the title suggests, this is the moment where we hand off the story from contemporary Russia to the USA's number one Cold Warrior, a former candy ma...
New! Qanon: How we got here - The plot to DESTROY Russia. (Not really)
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our second full part on the topic of Putin's Russia, we cover more of that fun-loving gaggle of nationalist extremist conspiracy theorists who run tha...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Russia collapses into conspiracy
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Having finished our dissection of Fed conspiracies, we now move on to consider how the other great world power of the 20th Century ended up becoming a...
New! Qanon: How we got here - JP Morgan Sinks the Titanic
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The last gasp of our Fed-related shows, this covers the truly goofy shit--sordid plots to sink huge ships to keep people who don't oppose the Fed from...
New! Qanon: How we got here - The Fed the Bitcoin Bros, and the Goldbugs
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 3! We hope you like hearing Federal reserve conspiracy theories debunked, because boy, that's what you're getting this time. Thrill to the his...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Part 2: Q and the Jekyll Island Conspiracy
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Second episode! Which means the introduction to this series literally took up an entire episode. Does that mean we're getting better or worse? Hard to...
New! Qanon: How we got here - Part 1 - Introductions
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're back, bay-bee! For the next umpty-bajillion episodes, we're going to take a new angle to look at Qanon. Why, when we've already done Qanon sever...
Archive: JFK Part 7
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We did it! We reached the end of the marathon. In this one, we chat through the Zapruder film, and its cultural impact. But the most important thing a...
Archive: JFK Part 6
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
PENULTIMATE! It does not, as a young Jesuit believed, mean "better than ultimate". It means "the one before the last one." Which is what we have here....
Archive: JFK Part 5
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time, we focus not on Oliver Stone, but rather the real guy whom his movie portrayed as a fearless, untouchable campaigner for the truth--former ...
Archive: JFK Part 4
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 4, which includes the end of our Stone/Costner courtroom takedown, as well as a discussion of a bunch of other conspiracies that somehow Stone ma...
Archive: JFK Part 3
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Third part of JFK inbound. This one features one of the highlights of our cross-country conspiracy trek of 2017, an interview with Stephen Fagin of th...
Archive: JFK Part 2
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2, better late than never. This episode covers Lee Harvey Oswald's desperate attempt to make his life matter in some way by murdering a President...
Archive: JFK Part 1
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Lo, we have entered the time prophesied--the time between episode arcs...the time...of the ARCHIVE! Seriously, though, we're once again breaking down ...
Complete Secret Societies - Part 4
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We reach the end, with the last stretch of Masons and all of the Illuminati. In case you've been waiting days for the new stuff, and want to jump righ...
Complete Secret Societies - Part 3
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Covering plenty of ground, with details on both the Rosicrucians and the Masons. Final episode tomorrow! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...
Complete Secret Societies - Part 2
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is probably my favorite part, since it has the whole story of the Priory of Sion and all of that nonsense. Includes most of episode 7 through mos...
Complete Secret Societies - Part 1
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The complete Secret Societies series. Collecting episodes 1-6, plus a little bit of 7. Three more parts coming over the next three days. Enjoy. Hosted...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 21 - The Illuminati 2
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You're not gonna believe this--but this is actually the final episode of the secret societies series. I know. Which means that next week, as promised,...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 21 - The Illuminati 1
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Off-schedule, but on-topic, we bring you the first of two Illuminati episodes to wrap up this epic series. This one's the story of the actual, real-li...
New: Book Report--Illuminatus!
08 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Comin' in HOT! We just got Dana Unicorn's lines a day or so ago, and yet here we are, presenting a complete, piping-fresh episode right out of the ove...
State of the Podcast--2022
01 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just a quick check-in. Dana is briefly out of commission (but 100% ok and on the mend), so we're stopping by briefly to let you know what to expect ou...
The Paranoid Strain Orchestra presents: 9116--The Rock Opera, Disc 2
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to “Disc 2” of what, as far as we know, is the first ever two-and-a-half-hour podcast episode that is actually a full-on rock opera. Pleas...
The Paranoid Strain Orchestra presents: 9116--The Rock Opera, Disc 1
06 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to “Disc 1” of what, as far as we know, is the first ever two-and-a-half-hour podcast episode that is actually a full-on rock opera. Pleas...
Not an episode--But something special is coming out this Thursday.
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Just a quick teaser for our release on 1/6. Can't wait for you to hear it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
New: Secret Societies I, Part 20 - The Freemasons 6
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We've reached the end of the Masons section, which means we're covering the sad story of the masons versus the various fascisms that dominated the pre...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 19 - The Freemasons 5
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here we have perhaps our favorite of this Masons series, covering everything from the supposed coverup of the masonic murder of Mozart (alliteration!)...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 18 - The Freemasons 4
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here's where the Masons story runs smack into 'MURICA! From the founding fathers' relationship to the Craft, to the very strange interplay between Mor...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 17 - The Freemasons 3
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As you can probably tell by our episode art, this here is the episode where we find out why the Freemasons caused the French Revolution. Or rather, we...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 16 - The Freemasons 2
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this second part of our dive into the world's most successful secret society, we go deep into the early history of the Freemasons, as well as the p...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 15 - The Freemasons 1
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
So we've finally reached a secret society that surely every listener to this show has already heard of, the Freemasons. To be totally honest here, we ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 14 - The Rosicrucians and Foucault's Pendulum
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're fourteen goddamned episodes into this seemingly never-ending cavalcade of secret society information, and there are, at minimum, seven or eight ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 13 - The Rosicrucians 2
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More stories of the best darned secret society that didn't technically exist,! We return to the weird and wonderful world of the Rosicrucians this tim...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 12 - The Rosicrucians
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you, like Mike Schmidt, believed that our final statement at the end of last episode meant we were done with Secret Societies...well, I guess you h...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 11 - Priory of Sion and Rennes-le-Chateau
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And here we are--about to hear the final revelations of the misleading nonsense, con jobs, and pranks that eventually led to the edifice of bullshit t...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 10 - Holy Blood, Holy Grail 2
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Another fortnight, another episode about silly men and their silly book. Once again, we're discussing the work of Messrs. Lincoln, Baigent,and Leigh, ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 9 - Holy Blood, Holy Grail 1
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 9 of the Secret Societies series, but also the second episode in our sub-series about the strange origins of the conspiracy theories that ende...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 8 - The Da Vinci Code
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
YAY! We've reached Jesuit's favorite part of this series--a sort of 4-part sub-series of inter-connected conspiracy theories that build on each other ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 7 - Cathars 2
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I know that most of you woke up this morning and had that same thought you do every time you open your eyes. "How am I going to face the day without a...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 6 - Templars and Cathars
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, many of you, including notably the 40 Year Old Boy, Mike Schmidt, noticed that I made a typo in the numbering of the show last time. Regardless, ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 4 - Knights Templar 3
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And so we...nearly(?) come to the end of our coverage of the Knights Templar. I mean, there's a little bit that carries over to the next episode, but ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 4 - Knights Templar 2
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And so we move on to the fourth installment of our Secret Societies series, where we get to the heart of the historical story of the rise and fall of ...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 3 - Crusades and the Knights Templar
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Day late, but definitely no dollars short, we bring you the beginning of our in-depth analyses of historical secret societies with one of the most int...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 2 - Temple of Solomon and Other Ancient Secrets
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When the new episode train starts runnin', you know you best get out of the way. And so we barrel down the tracks to episode 2, which is still technic...
New: Secret Societies I, Part 1 - Introduction and the Eleusinian Mysteries
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Holy shit, we're BACK, BAYBEE! This is the first of a projected we-have-no-real-idea-how-many shows we're doing on Secret Societies. All we do know is...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 7
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And now, the end is near, and Episode 17, Reality Show 1's archive presentation faces...the final curtain. The important thing to know is that this pa...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 6
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coming into the home stretch, it's part six and seven neck and neck. Seven surges ahead but NO! LOOK AT THAT! Six has come up behind and wins by a nos...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 5
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Number Five...IS ALIVE! That joke meant nothing to the vast majority of you, but for a few middle-aged listeners, it brought the kind of smile that on...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 4
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Part 4 has nestled safely into your podcast feed, just as your horoscope predicted. Today's segment of what was originally Episode 17, Reality Part 1 ...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 3
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Third time's the charm? Well, that's definitely the case here, as we settle into the third segment of our archive presentation of what was originally ...
Archive Episode 17, Part 2
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The time has come for the second part of our Archive presentation of Episode 17. This segment of our Reality Part 1 Episode is mostly concerned with t...
Archive: Episode 17, Part 1
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's a new year! And it's time for new content! But not quite yet. We're working hard on the new Secret Societies series, but to keep your feed full i...
Quick Hit: Qanon (yes, again)
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I know. I know. I've got to be kidding with another goddamned Qanon episode. But I'm not, because they keep doing dumber and dumber shit. Unfortunatel...
Stupid Land: An Evening with the Paranoid Strain Soundtrack
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The prophecy is fulfilled--the oracle's glass has shattered. The darkness emerges from its stygian pit and crawls across the desert floor. The Stupid ...
Historical Political Conspiracies--Complete
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hi, everybody. This is our first show with our new hosting service, so hopefully you're receiving this the same way you did previously, and nothing wo...
Announcement: We're joining a podcast network
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
By the title of this super-short update, you can tell that we have decided to throw our lot in with the That's Not Canon podcast network out of Austra...
Historical Political Conspiracies, Part 6
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, we come to the end of our epic political conspiracy series, taking on the legacy of the happy conspiracist, Ronald Reagan. Not only is his na...
Quick Hit: Election 2020
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE We're back after only 1 week with some piping hot content for you to listen to in your intermin...
Historical political conspiracies, part 5
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Must we already say goodbye to Nixon? Yes, alas. But we're sending him off with a barnburner of an episode. More Rick Perlstein! Less Barry Goldwater!...
Political conspiracies, part 4
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, we've reached the moment we've all been waiting for. Well, the moment that I've been waiting for: The Nixon portion of the proceedings. Here...
Historical political conspiracies, part 3
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Back for round three, we're taking on three quick topics this time--the early nineteenth century's obsessions with the nefarious doings of the Masons,...
Historical political conspiracies, part 2
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back again, with the next installment of our historical review of American political conspiracy theories. This time, unfortunately, we have to t...
Historical political conspiracies, part 1
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brand. Spanking. New. Content. Welcome back. This episode inaugurates a nice, long run of new stuff that should lead all the way up to the U.S. Pre...
Archive--Episode 1, part 2 (plus bonus Rick Perlstein interview)
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We're back, just a week(!) later, with the last third of the show's original, 2017 first episode. We could have cut it into two chunks of even length,...
Archive--Episode 1, part 1
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
PHASE TWO IS UPON US. Please do not panic. We're ready for this. As promised, we're starting our new, more frequent content feed with the first two-th...
Not really an episode: FORMAT CHANGE!
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As noted above, this isn't a real episode, but it is a real announcement. You're gonna start hearing this show every two weeks. Or sometimes, if we're...
Quick Hit: Recap
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hey--remember, like, five or six months ago, when we told you the next episode would be a recap? And that we'd go over all the stuff that had happened...
Quick HIt: Coronavirus Conspiracies 2, The Phlegm and the Fury
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Yeah, I know. This wasn't the episode we promised last time. But coronavirus is, in addition to being a real asshole of a disease, also the gift that ...
Quick Hit: Coronavirus Conspiracies
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Whaaaaaa? A new episode? But it's been just a few weeks? That's right, Strainiacs. We're back in the saddle, albeit an indoor, socially distancing, ...
Reality is an Illusion? Part 2, Philip K Dick
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sorry about the delay, but we’re very pleased to present you, via our brand new podcast feed (which should, from your perspective, be completely ind...
Reality is an Illusion? Part 1
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We came, we saw, we conquered, and we rendered it all into an mp3 file. Welcome back to the Paranoid Strain. This is the first of a two-part series th...
Anti-Vaxxers
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back. We hope you enjoyed the silliness of our previous, Moon landing episode, because unfortunately, this topic is deadly serious. Yes, unf...
The Moon Landing(s)
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
That’s one small episode for a Jesuit…one giant leap for a podcast feed. Howdy, and welcome to oneathem fun, lighthearted episodes of Ye Olde Para...
Assassinations (JFK Edition)
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hi. Miss us? The Chads say “Hi”–they weren’t with you last month because…you know, actually, I have no idea why. They were raving something ...
Assassinations (non-JFK edition)
09 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
My, my, my. Have two months flown by already? Where does the time go? Thanks for all of your concern–I safely escaped from the clutches of the Chads...
Stupid Land: Don't Cross The Streams
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Guys, I’m not gonna lie. Some stuff went down in this one. Yes, it’s once again a Stupid Land episode. And yes, that once again means you won’t ...
Quick Hit: Alex Jones and the Denver Airport
12 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hey there, Strainiacs. Today, we bring you another of our Quick Hit episodes. Yes, that means the return of the Quick Hit guy. PARANOID STRAIN! QUICK ...
Stupid Land: Church of Latter-Day Flat
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ok. Nobody panic. It’s happening again. But we’ve been through this before, haven’t we? We understand that sometimes terrible things happen. War...
Flat Earth
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to your home away from home, the Paranoid Strain. This time, we squash flat earth beliefs…well, flat, I suppose. Stupid English languag...
Stupid Land: Q-level Clarence
14 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Wait–we’re doing this again? Many have approached me, deep concern on their eager faces. “Why, Fearful?” they plead. “Why do you let them do...
9/11 Truthers: Part 2
02 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Back in record time, we’re here to provide closure for our 9/11 story. Last time we touched on this national tragedy and its discontents, we dealt w...
Qanon: Quick Hit
11 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I know what you’re thinking. This was supposed to be 9/11 Part 2. And don’t worry–it’s still coming. But this super-stupid Qanon thing was jus...
Stupid Land: Bush Can't Melt Steel Beams
08 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A brand-new, steaming heap of whatever it is that the Chads do is now here for your delectation. Following through on our lifelong, three-month comm...
9/11 Truthers: Part 1
03 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Just in time for the 4th of July, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. This time, we’re bringing you the story of 9/11, and the Trut...
Introducing: Stupid Land
11 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
I can already hear you: “It’s been two months. Where’s the new episode of our favorite anti-conspiracy theory podcast?” What? We’re not your...
False Flags and Alex Jones
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Call it Easter, call it April Fool’s…either way, we’ve got one helluva present for you. It’s the seventh episode of the Paranoid Strain. This ...
Chemtrails and HAARP
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a plane spraying evil, toxic, murderous chemtrails! Nope. It’s the Paranoid Strain. Howdy...
Sovereign Citizens to Wesley Snipes
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hey there, strangers. We’re publishing our fifth episode. And on time, no less. This is our fifth episode, and the third of our series on the histor...
From the Posse to the Sovereigns
04 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Hey there, loyal listener. First, we’d like to apologize. This show is coming to you several weeks after we had originally intended. We plan to make...
The Posse Comitatus
07 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the inevitable third episode of The Paranoid Strain. “Well. Took you long enough.” That’s what I hear you thinking. Yes, it’s been ...
The Protocols
30 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Interview with Professor John Efron Hello and welcome to the second episode of The Paranoid Strain, your skeptica...
Welcome to the Paranoid Strain
01 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
An Introduction: Interviewee–Lane Greene Hello and welcome to the inaugural episode of The Paranoid Strain, your skeptical guide to conspiracy theor...