

Timesuck with Dan Cummins
Dan Cummins
Jump down new rabbit holes with Timesuck, the weekly podcast that takes you on a fascinating and bizarre journey through history’s darkest corners, most shocking conspiracies, and wildest true stories. Hosted by acclaimed standup comedian and storyteller Dan Cummins, each episode blends dark humor with deep research to uncover hidden truths about infamous historical figures, unsolved mysteries, notorious serial killers, and more. If you crave the weird, the wild, and the unexpected, Timesuck is your next obsession!
And check out the Short Sucks, a new series of 40-60 minute episodes two Fridays a month. These bite-sized stories are perfect for when you want a quick dose of Timesuck (or need more addictive content to consume while you’re waiting for your next Timesuck!)
And check out the Short Sucks, a new series of 40-60 minute episodes two Fridays a month. These bite-sized stories are perfect for when you want a quick dose of Timesuck (or need more addictive content to consume while you’re waiting for your next Timesuck!)
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 5, 2020 • 2h 2min
212 - The Boston Strangler
The Boston Strangler! The residents of Boston, in late 1962 through the summer of 1964, were terrified of a man the newspapers dubbed “the Boston Strangler.” A sadistic serial rapist and murderer who was somehow seemingly tricking one area women after another into letting him into their homes where he’d then proceed to strangle and rape them. Police in five different jurisdictions scrambled to question every known pervert, petty criminal, and person with a history of mental illness and violence who could maybe be connected to the heinous crimes of the Strangler in some way. And then the police found Albert DeSalvo… a man brought in on seemingly unrelated charges, who confessed to everything! The Boston Strangler was behind bars. Case closed! …or maybe not. Irregularities in the crimes, gaps in DeSalvo’s story, and the pressure on authorities to solve the case have led some to believe that DeSalvo was responsible for maybe one or two of the Strangler’s murders, but not for the rest. And he was never charged with ANY of the murders. Actually, no one was EVER officially charged with the Boston Strangler murders. So who really was the Boston Strangler? Today we’ll dig into the life of the man who would confess to being the Strangler - a man who for sure committed other disgusting violent crimes - Albert DeSalvo. And we’ll follow the Boston Police Department's hunt for this psycho as they form what was colloquially known as the “Strangler Bureau.” All of this and more on another true crime, “bet you’re gonna lock your doors now if you weren’t already,” edition of Timesuck. Which candidate(s) do you align with?: https://www.isidewith.com/
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ErAAU9bLs2Q
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 28, 2020 • 2h 11min
211 - The Immanuel David Cult
The Immanuel David Cult! Not much has been written about Immanuel David compared to more notable cult leaders like Jim Jones or David Koresh - but he was just as delusional and, in his own way, just as destructive. Immanuel David was born in the late 1930s to seemingly normal parents - he had what was likely a great childhood - and then, not long after converting to Mormonism, he decided that he was the REAL prophet that should lead his new religion. After the LDS church excommunicated him, Immanuel David created his own church… and went off to live on a communal compound where a group of people, including his wife Rachel and their seven children, would worship him - not as God's prophet anymore - but as God in the flesh. In true cult leader fashion, he gave his followers biblical names and tricked them into giving him money while they all waited for the US government and the LDS faith to collapse, and for Immanuel to rise up out of the ashes and lead a new church. And then David's rein as cult leader came to end in 1978 in a very dramatic and horrifying way. This week we’ll also examine into some of the fringier aspects of Mormonism’s theological history, as some of these elements lead to the construction of David's cult. And we'll give a brief overview of a few other FLDS cults, on today's messianic edition of Timesuck.ProCon Election Comparison: https://2020election.procon.org/view.source-summary-chart.phpDonated $7000 to the SBP. Founded in 2006 by a couple in St. Bernard Parish, its model is focused on streamlining the recovery process, which includes quickly rebuilding homes and restoring local businesses, and supporting policies that aid long-term recovery. Go to https://sbpusa.org/ to donate, volunteer, or find out more.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pf-en6av-2Q
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 21, 2020 • 2h 30min
210 - Alexander the Great!
Alexander III, king of the ancient state of Macedon aka Macedonia - one of history’s greatest military commanders. And he was even more than that. He was also a scholar, a lover of literature and the arts, a deeply religious man. Undefeated in battle, he unleashed his army on countries great and small to forge an empire that stretched over three continents, from Greece to India and as far south as Egypt. He did all this in a little more than a decade after taking power at the age of twenty, until his untimely death at thirty-two. Alexander the Great was so great at destroying his opponents, his military tactics and strategies are still studied in military academies today.... over twenty-three centuries later. In a culture that valued war over all else, Alexander prevailed by being the best at conquering. He did whatever was necessary to win - and sometimes things that maybe weren’t so necessary. Entire cities were sometimes destroyed, priceless artifacts obliterated, all according to Alexander’s mercurial will. What made Alexander so great? We attempt to answer that question and more in today’s ancient and bloody and interesting as Hell edition of Timesuck.
Donated $7000 to the SBP. Founded in 2006 by a couple in St. Bernard Parish, its model is focused on streamlining the recovery process, which includes quickly rebuilding homes and restoring local businesses, and supporting policies that aid long-term recovery. Go to https://sbpusa.org/ to donate, volunteer, or find out more.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XrizDgKqhTc
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 14, 2020 • 2h 18min
209 - American Riots: the 1992 LA Riots and So Much More
LAPD and California Highway Patrol officers chased, arrested, and beat Rodney King, a twenty-five-year-old Black man, in 1991, and the fateful encounter would lead to a verdict of “not guilty” for the four officers that brought the city of LA to its knees. Long standing racial tensions bubbled over the surface, and inflamed by a video of the altercation, people took to the streets, burning, looting, and brutalizing their fellow civilians. The LA riots happened just under thirty years ago, yet from a historical perspective - so recent. And they are one of many. Tulsa in 1921. Watts in 1965. Ferguson in 2014. So many in 2020. Why? Are black Americans actually being unfairly targeted by law enforcement? Or is that just the perception? The answer, as is so usually is, seems to be more complicated than many in the media would have you believe. I do my damndest today to answer some really complicated, complex, and culturally volatile and polarizing questions in this “Why can’t we all just get along?” edition, of Timesuck.
Donated $7000 to the SBP. Founded in 2006 by a couple in St. Bernard Parish, its model is focused on streamlining the recovery process, which includes quickly rebuilding homes and restoring local businesses, and supporting policies that aid long-term recovery. Go to https://sbpusa.org/ to donate, volunteer, or find out more.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_PXWkpXRjEk
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sep 7, 2020 • 2h 23min
208 - The Titanic: Its Sinking and the Conspiracies That Surround It
The Titanic's tragic sinking unveils a whirlwind of fascinating tales. Discover the opulence of its design and the chaos that ensued after it struck an iceberg. Hear about the bravery of passengers like Margaret Brown amidst the disorder. Dive into wild conspiracy theories suggesting J.P. Morgan’s involvement in the disaster. Vivid accounts of the final moments reveal musicians playing until the end and highlight critical flaws in emergency protocols. It’s a blend of historical intrigue and human drama that forever reshaped maritime safety.

Aug 31, 2020 • 2h 8min
207 - The Vampire of Sacramento: Serial Killer Richard Chase
Wow. This is a really, really crazy tale. Sacramento's Richard chase was very mentally ill. He was a paranoid schizophrenic who did not do well when he was off his meds. He was also a sadistic monster and its hard to give him a pass on the heinous acts he committed because of his psychological state. He brutally killed strangers and desecrated their bodies. He killed men, women, and children. He literally ate a baby. If you don't like the darker episodes, be sure to sit this one out. Not a tale for the squeamish!
Donated $6600 to the YWCA's Idaho County Fund! To donate yourself to this important cause, go to ywcaidaho.org and earmark your donation to “General Fund Idaho County” by typing that in the comments section of the online donation form. Or call them at 208 743 1535.
Watch the Suck on YouTube:
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 24, 2020 • 2h 3min
206 - The Strange Kidnapping of Patty Hearst
Who joins the gang that kidnapped them and held them for ransom and helps them rob banks long after they're free to leave? Patty Hearst did that in 1974. And who the Hell is Patty Hearst? She's the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, a man who created the largest newspaper, magazine, newsreel, and movie business in the world in the early 1900s. Patty is the daughter and granddaughter of billionaires. And when she was kidnapped, she was a nineteen-year-old college kid studying at Berkeley. She was kidnapped by the SLA - the Symbionese Liberation Army - a small group of radical, militant communists lead by career criminal Donald DeFreeze. She was, to the group, an important symbol of the "fascist pig" capitalism they despised, and within weeks of being kidnapped, Patty transitioned from captor to communist soldier and became the world's most famous example of Stockholm Syndrome. It's a crazy, extremely unique tale, and I'm excited to tell it, today, on Timesuck.
Donating $6600 to the YWCA's Idaho County Fund! To donate yourself to this important cause, go to ywcaidaho.org and earmark your donation to “General Fund Idaho County” by typing that in the comments section of the online donation form. Or call them at 208 743 1535.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/phblP_ZtXvk
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ 2020 online gathering tix on sale now! Try out Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9000 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 17, 2020 • 2h 3min
205 - Skinwalker Ranch
What the Hell is going on in Northeastern Utah? If you just drove by, you might think that Skinwalker Ranch is just an innocent-seeming 512-acre parcel of land about 150 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. But this small patch of high desert ranch-land, and the Uintah Basin around it, is arguably home to more paranormal sightings over the last eighty years than any other similarly-sized geographical area in the world. Why? Why have thousands of UFO and cryptid sightings been reported? Demonic activity has been reported. There have been allegations of secret government psyops, wormhole sightings, and more. So many crazy stories! We look at the long history of alleged encounters in today's odd and very X-Files-ish edition of Timesuck!
Donating $6600 to the YWCA's Idaho County Fund! To donate yourself to this important cause, go to ywcaidaho.org and earmark your donation to “General Fund Idaho County” by typing that in the comments section of the online donation form. Or call them at 208 743 1535.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TdAXGD4QX5g
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ 2020 online gathering tix on sale now! Try out Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9000 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 10, 2020 • 2h 4min
204 - Walt Disney: How a Media Empire Was Built
Walt Disney! How much do you know about the mind and the man that built one of the ten biggest media empires in the world? How did the production company behind some animated short films in the 1920s morph and evolve into the media behemoth Disney is today? Did Walt come from money? Did he luck into a few amazing opportunities? When did Disneyland open? Was it successful early on? Are a variety of conspiracies about it true? Had a lot of fun working on this Suck - hope it shows when you hear it! Hail Nimrod and Hail Walt Disney.
Donating $6600 to the YWCA's Idaho County Fund! My childhood friend and former classmate Kristy Dewitt-Beckstead has been a YWCA advocate for the past nine years. She helps victims of domestic violence, who are almost always women who have been isolated in the extremely rural area I grew up, where they feel trapped by abusive partners. To donate yourself to this important cause, go to ywcaidaho.org and earmark your donation to “General Fund Idaho County” by typing that in the comments section of the online donation form.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lmLTOrZ6xbg
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ 2020 online gathering tix on sale now! Try out Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9000 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Aug 3, 2020 • 2h 8min
203 - BSU: The FBI's Serial Killer Catchers
Investigating the investigators today! Talking about the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit. Looking into how a small group of special agents introduced the term "serial killer" into our lexicon, and then studied infamous serial killers like Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and others to try and understand the minds of some of the sickest, most dangerous members of society, in an attempt to keep the body counts of future serial killers as low as possible by predicting where and how and who they'd try and kill next. Also looking into how the FBI itself involved over the year into a massive federal law enforcement agency that created not only the BSU but multiple other crime-fighting units. There's a lot of info and hopefully, a lot of laughs coming your way, today, on Timesuck. Donating $6600 to the YWCA's Idaho County Fund! My childhood friend and former classmate Kristy Dewitt-Beckstead has been a YWCA advocate for the past nine years. She helps victims of domestic violence, who are almost always women who have been isolated in the extremely rural area I grew up, where they feel trapped by abusive partners. To donate yourself to this important cause, go to ywcaidaho.org and earmark your donation to “General Fund Idaho County” by typing that in the comments section of the online donation form.
Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/LxesUrt_8x8
Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ 2020 online gathering tix go on sale August 10th at Noon PST! Try out Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v
Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :)
For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact
Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast
Wanna become a Space Lizard? We're over 9000 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast
Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


