31: The Why Behind the Weird

31: The Why Behind the Weird

Dive into strange but lesser-known true stories from our mysterious world with host Quinn Lovecraft.

Episodes

March 7, 2026 52 mins

A warning, a song, an explosion. Some people have tried desperately to contact aliens; but one strange act on Christmas may have been an attempt to save us from them.

Thank you again to BE/HOLD for licensing "These Woods Are Haunted" from the album "Where They Landed." Find more about BE/HOLD here.

For listeners in the US, if you are considering harming yourself or others, please visit the CDC site here for a list...

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Happy Halloween! Enjoy this short, spooky tale by Quinn Lovecraft.

Music used in this episode:

"Abandoned Places" - Material Gurl

"Doll's Eyes" - Wicked Cinema

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Follow on Instagram: @31pod31

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December 12, 2024 60 mins

Werner Herzog claims to have shot a short film involving children and a rooster that was so disturbing he never released it. But with so little known about this film, some speculate that this never existed at all. In this episode, "31" follows the breadcrumbs left by Herzog throughout the years to try to piece together the truth.

Sources

Music (licensed via Soundstripe):
Moments - Find it in Yourself...

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This year, "31" is bringing you a fictional short story for our Halloween Special. Today's tale is "How to Cook a Soft-Boiled Egg," written and narrated by Quinn Lovecraft. Happy Halloween!

Music (licensed via Soundstripe):
Lunareh - Jack O Lantern Jive
CJ-0 - Evidence Board

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Support the show

Follow on Instagram: @31pod31

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August 23, 2024 53 mins

In 1922, the famed creator of Sherlock Holmes came to America to lecture on Spiritualism. How much was he accountable for the tragedy that occurred in its name two days later? 31 dives into how the author's history intertwines with a movement founded by tragedy and fueled by outcasts.

A complete list of sources can be found here.

Music used in this episode (licensed from Soundstripe):
Cody Martin - Tesser...

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July 1, 2024 25 mins

Many people have heard about the theory that Paul McCartney died midway through his Beatles run, and some have even heard the rumor that Avril Lavigne was replaced by a woman named Melissa. In this episode, 31 explores these conspiracy theories along with a lesser-known doppelgänger in music: the mysterious case of the two Nikki Sixxes.

Music (licensed via Soundstripe):
glasseyes - "Kaleidoscope"
Neon Bea...

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May 28, 2024 71 mins

"31" investigates the mysterious disappearance of the "world's dirtiest joke" by diving into the history of obscenity and the state of comedy today. Featuring an interview with comic Martin M. Morrow.

Find Martin Morrow on Instagram, YouTube, Threads, TikTok, and listen to his wrestling podcast B4 The Bell.

Sources:
"The Aristocrats" Directed by Paul Provenza, 2005.
Legma...

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March 26, 2024 58 mins

The Crystal Palace debuted at the first World's Fair in London, and many imitators followed. This episode explores a strange architecture mystery: why did every Crystal Palace meet the same fate?

You can find all sources on a document here.

Music (licensed via Soundstripe)
"Airport Lounges" - Nu Alkemi
"Where the Money Comes From" - Sam Barsh
"Mutual I'm Sure" - ...

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January 23, 2024 56 mins

The 1990 theft of 13 works of art from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is the largest unsolved art heist in history. Theories abound - but today we look at a fascinating one that's never talked about. Was this a rescue mission all along?
.................................
Complete list of sources can be found here

Music featured in this episode (licensed via Soundstripe):
Rarefaction - Neon B...

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December 14, 2023 28 mins
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December 3, 2023 14 mins
Strange. Vile. Completely anonymous. This is the most unusual flash-fiction to ever hit the internet. (Note: this episode contains content for listeners 18+. Listener discretion is advised.)

Sources:
Backlinko - Reddit Statistics
YouTube - Best Posts & Comments - What's a dark piece of Reddit history...
reddit.com
Medium - KiwiFarms Went Down
Wikipedia - KiwiFarms
Voices by Play.ht 

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November 15, 2023 13 mins
Two couples are murdered 35 years apart. The crimes are completely unrelated, but both share one strange similarity: art found in the home that seems to mimic the crime scene. .............................

Sources:
The Corpsewood Murders: 40 years later - Atlanta Magazine
Corpsewood Manor - Autopsy of Architecture
The most brilliant scientific discoveries will in time... (libquotes.com)
Satanic Panic’s...
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November 10, 2023 29 mins
What do "Tom and Jerry," "The Simpsons," and "Neon Genesis Evangelion" have in common? More than you think. .......................................................................
Sources:
https://geekdad.com/2015/06/the-gene-deitch-collection/
Gene Deitch - Lambiek Comiclopedia
https://www.cbr.com/the-simpsons-some-enchanted-evening-almost-killed-show/
Illustration History -...
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October 31, 2023 11 mins

Quinn Lovecraft tells you her own spooky campfire story about an abandoned place in the middle of nowhere.

Sources:
Weird Ohio by Andy Henderson, James A Willis, Loren Coleman, and Andrew Henderson
https://www.facebook.com/ghosttownfindlay
Quinn Lovecraft's personal files

Music:
"Trick or Treat" PALA
"Disappearance" Wicked Cinema
"Hell's Bells" GEMM

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October 22, 2023 26 mins

William Bernard's strange death - and the equally strange fate of his body - tells us a lot about the chaos of goldrush-era San Francisco. ..........................................
Sources:
Daily Alta California 11 January 1854 — California Digital Newspaper Collection (ucr.edu)
1854: William Snyder killed in most bizarre and terrifying way ever - Flashbak
Sacramento Daily Union 13 January 1854 — California Di...

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October 20, 2023 30 mins
What if a group of strangers started accusing you of a terrible crime just because you weren't very interesting? ...........................................................................

Sources:
Funny115
Survivor: Kelly Shinn reacts to her infamous purple edit in Nicaragua (ew.com)
Buzzfeed News
IMDB
EW
The Traidar Podcast Episode 5
Tiktok - Benedict Townsend
Purple Kelly's...
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October 16, 2023 38 mins

Why are people misremembering violent events en masse - events that never happened at all?............................................
Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/23/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.html
https://www.denverpost.com/2006/09/27/hostage-horror/
https://obscurban-legend.fandom.com/wiki/Doveland,_Wisconsin
https://mickey-pal.tumblr.com/post/168142627743/haiku-robot-russiansupport

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October 16, 2023 20 mins

Shergar was a top-tier athlete who had just retired to have children when he was kidnapped by masked gunman, never to be seen again. This is the strange story of Shergar, the fastest racehorse in Ireland. ........................................................................................................
Sources:
https://www.history.com/news/the-troubles-northern-ireland
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/i...

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October 8, 2023 7 mins
Maybe you've never thought about the last sound you'll hear. That's okay - someone has chosen it for you. ....................................................
Sources:
https://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-video-cnn-will-play-when-the-world-ends-1677511538
https://youtu.be/z6f7j1E61sM?si=PqMw4eiHC3UrM6T7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWhgKuKvvPE&t=470s
https://www.intheknow.com/post/2020-vis...

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October 7, 2023 13 mins
Thrill-seeking tourists flock to Tonopah, Nevada's Clown Motel, eager to run into a spirit among the eerily-smiling clown figurines. But the real horrors of Tonopah have little to do with the clowns, and they're buried next door... ........................................................................

Sources:
https://www.theclownmotelusa.com/history
https://www.tonopahnevada.com/history/
http:...

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