What happens when comedy and horror collide? An incredible and addictive podcast emerges. The banter between Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgarrif, the hosts of the podcast "My Favorite Murder" alone is enough to glue your attention to their podcast.
I get bored easily, and obviously I try to avoid this. I discovered this podcast last winter in between semesters when I found my self with free time on my hands. I was hooked 30 minutes into the first episode. I have a bizarre tendency to shut off serialized television and podcasts if my brain isn't fully stimulated. But I have found just what I'm looking for in this podcast. Each story told seems to be better than the last. When I found out the two came to my university last fall, I was happy yet majorly disappointed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will make their way back to the Cities.
The premise of the show can be figured out by the title, but it is so much more than a collection of murder cases. Each episode, the hosts each pick a murder to research and offer their opinions, reactions and knowledge surrounding each crime. The two have wit, smarts and humor that make the difficulty of listening about murder disappear, because you find yourself in a detective role.
I'm not shocked that this is my favorite podcast. True crime has piqued my interest ever since I was little. The first case I can remember obsessing over was Jacob Wetterling's disappearance. I was around 8 years old when I watched a documentary about the case, and I couldn't help but be completely fascinated. There was something personal about it happening close to where I grew up and the fact that Wetterling was around my age when he was abducted. The hunt to solve the unknown filled my thoughts. When my high school research project rolled around, I chose to do my project on child abduction and the laws that have been created surrounding it. Investigation Discovery is one of my favorite channels because it allows me to binge true crime docs anytime of the day. And I'm not the only one obsessing over murder.
The podcast's following can reflect this. The show has almost 500,000 downloads per episode and has repeatedly been on iTune's Top 10 Comedy Podcast Chart. The podcast has also toured cities around the world where sold out shows are not uncommon.
So, why are we so fascinated by unexpected death? I have some theories about it. I think part of listening to these stories isn't necessarily the deaths alone, but instead the story of how it all happened. The murders discussed on the podcast handpicked by the hosts are not cut and dry ones. Each has cinematic aspects, blurred lines and plot twists involved. Another reason I think murder and other terrible things that happen in this world are so intriguing is because it forces us to analyze the human psyche. Everybody is different, but we also have many things in common with each other. Ted Bundy wanted to pursue a career in law, and so have millions of his non-psychopathic human counterparts. John Wayne Gacy was a married man, so he had to have some sort of empathetic bone in his body, right?
Like the podcast does, the show "Mindhunter" on Netflix examines the question of nature versus nurture when it comes to serial killers. What is it that drives these people to commit such horrific crimes?
So often, I feel that these gruesome acts can feel worlds away. We like to think "this would never happen to me," but I'm sure many of the murder victims discussed on the podcast probably thought the same exact thing. This has to play a part in the popularity of the podcast.
Are you a murderino too? If not, you can binge the podcast on Apple Podcasts or any other place you get your podcasts. The duo also recently announced the release of their book coming out in 2019.
And for the love of god, PLEASE stay sexy, and don't get murdered.
