PODCAST · society
Marked for Life
by Alabama Astronaut
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God.As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too. Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"
Episodes
-
A.A.R.T. (The Alabama Astronaut Radio Transmission)
Folk artist Abe Partridge, spurred by the Covid lockdowns, pursued Signs Following songs for six long years. These songs (which mention the handling of serpents and consumption of deadly poisons) have been performed for decades by the "serpent handlers" of the Appalachians. At a music festival in...
-
The "Real" Afterword
Dalton Mills, narrator of Marked for Life, also shares the same hometown of Middlesboro, KY, with Cody and the Coots family. In this episode, he offers a "crater's-eye" view of the unique town, sharing his perspective on the serpent handlers and how actually they are perceived by the people of…
more -
32. "On Them that Believe"
Cody mounts a defense for the people of the faith. Even with years of sinning copiously, he noticed many of the faithful remained steadfast and pure, particularly one man from Alabama who lived his faith to perfection: watching no TV, "doctoring" for nothing, and clean shaven. He also had no...
-
31. "Mr. Weatherman"
Cody returns after two years to compose a final chapter of this memoir, Marked for Life. "I thought writing this book would be like therapy," he said. "But then, I got my eyes off God."
-
30. "The Five Signs of Mark 16"
Cody explains his beliefs, and how they are properly demonstrated. (At one time, he "learned" how to do them, manufacturing miracles. But this way, Cody says, the Signs are accomplished to edify God...) Cassy is pregnant. But Cody, though excited, gets a bad feeling one Thursday when she goes to...
-
29. "The Ballad of 'ol Lemonhead"
A stranger, an artist and ex-fundamentalist preacher from Alabama, is interested in Cody's Signs-following songs. He reaches out. "These have never been documented before," the stranger says. "Would you and Cassy mind singing a few into my handheld recorder?" A relationship begins. It leads to a...
-
28. "Monkey Wrench"
Cody tires of life in Middlesboro. He tells Cassy, "Let's move in with your folks in Berea." So they do. Freshly settled, a snake attacks Cody in the snake room out back. Meanwhile, a global pandemic threatens the region. It begins stretching out to every holler in east Kentucky.
-
27. "Exorcism in Bell County"
Cody rages outside the church, and it's all Shelton's fault he can never be saved! Afterward, Cody and his friends caravan. They pray for him at his house. Somebody speaks in tongues; another lays hands on Cody's shoulder. Another picks up the family bible from where it lay on the floor, there...
-
25 – 26. "Rage Mode"
Out-of-work Cody Coots is barely scraping by. Now, he turns to the one trade he knows best: snake trading in the great state of Kentucky, USA. He also tries ridding the household of Nina by making a deal with the devil. "I want some of what you've got, Devil," says Cody. Of course, such a deal...
-
24. "Nina Returns"
Cassy moves in with Cody, only to find an unexpected houseguest: "Nina." Together, the newly minted duo drives the streets of Middlesboro escaping Nina, staying out until daybreak, staying far away from home for as long as they can. Meanwhile, Nina gets worse day by day...
-
23. "You Can Be Free"
Cody is determined to do what is best for him regardless of what some people might say, like his bosses. He spends the week at Cassy's house. "Try to salvage your marriage, Cody," they tell him, but it's easier said than done. He can't stop dreaming about Cassy in his life. Reflecting on his past...
-
23. "I'll Be Right Over"
Cody's home life is such a mess, he gives himself a haircut – it's something he does when at his wits' end. His wife walks in on him and he declares his time is over with the church – his allegiance to Christianity is done. And that's when the fighting really starts. It's Thanksgiving Day. The…
more -
22. "Return to the House of Horror"
Cody takes a vacation from work, and decides to revisit the House of Horror. As he strolls through the devastation of his former home, he also strolls down memory lane. Though ghosts inhabit this place, Cody attempts to make peace with them all.
-
21. "My Only Sister"
Cody gets word that his mother Linda Coots is looking for his sister, Trina. "For some reason," she explains, "Trina is not answering her phone." Meanwhile, Cody continues to express feelings toward Cassy. He asks her to drop everything and come be with him. "I have done so much to disappoint my...
-
19-20. "I Am Nina"
Cody's sinning reaches a fever pitch. Snakebitten in the snake room while feeding a rattler, he's visited by members of the church who congregate by his bedside to pray faithfully. Then, in walks a girl named Cassy. When Cody sees her, he thinks, "Lord? If I'm dying from a snakebite, it's ok if...
-
18. "You Can't Be Saved."
Cody has words with Pap and leaves the church – again. This time, out of spite, he takes the church instruments with him. "Let's see if they can run the church with just one guitar!" he growls, leaving. "I was an evil, spiteful man back in those days." Cody is gone again, then back again, in and...
-
17. "Top of the World"
Cody outsmarts a prostitute on a Middlesboro mountainside. Pimps can set traps, stealing everything from unwitting "Johns." But Cody will not be robbed, beaten or killed. He knows the land too well. Most importantly, on Top of the World, he will not be discovered by the people he loves most.
-
16. "You Need Medicine."
Cody goes to the doctor, and after showing her his set of brass knuckles, she gives a troubling diagnosis. Does it slow Cody down? Also, he encounters a sneaky "street walker," who leaves him no options. What does he tell his wife? Also...the voices in Cody's head grow louder.
-
15. "Highway to Hell with a Snake Named Axl"
The Signs-following faith considers any "backslider" a "sinnerman." As Cody rages against his church, the terms easily apply. Cody said it best at the beginning of the series. "I was told since childhood," he explained, "'Cody? You should give 110% to serving God! And, don’t be a hypocrite! 'But,...
-
14. (Part 2.) "Another Stranger's Kindness"
Cody is life-flighted to the intensive care unit of the University of Tennessee Hospital. When the doctors wake him, his feel pain so excruciating, Cody welcomes the relief of death. "This hurts so bad!!!" he scribbles on paper. "PLEASE DOPE ME UP 'TILL I PASS OUT!!" Then, a stranger – a kind…
more -
14. "Strange Flesh"
The reckoning comes. This time, it's all captured on camera by a multimedia company from London. It was why Cody kept away from snakes for months on end, fasting, and attempting to purify himself. When tragedy strikes, Big Cody Wynn jumps in. Cody now faces a choice: to live or to die.
-
13. "The Thunder Shuffle"
Cody arrives with the caravan, but in the church parking lot, two fellows with "bad reputations" await. Cody, urged by the congregation to run off the "hypocrites," knows he is definitely lead pastor of Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name now, and there's no doubt about it. It begins a season of...
-
12. "Preacher and the Outlaw"
The wake continues. "Outlaw," a notorious local drug boss, arrives at the funeral home to pay his respects to Jamie Coots, the Signs-following preacher who died from a snake bite. Meanwhile, worshippers press Cody. Can they bring snakes inside the parlor? Cody realizes he is now the church…
more -
11. (Part 2) "Thank you, Middlesboro."
The story of a snakebite that unites Middlesboro continues. Cody and his buddies tend to Jamie Coots, the beloved preacher bitten by one of a gob of rattlesnakes he held in a Middlesboro, Kentucky worship service. "My face is on fire," the preacher said, slumping to the floor of the church...
-
11. "The Day My Life Changed"
Cody's life changes forever on a cold day in February. Tragedy strikes the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name church, and Cody knows he must take charge. But does he know how?
-
10. "Cody Goes to Court"
Cody and his dad Jamie are laid off from work, but they spend quality time together traveling the country and hunting snakes. One "National T.V. Program" is more than willing to fit the bill, only if the two will travel to warmer climes to hunt snakes for a film crew. In Tennessee, a series of…
more -
9. "I Got Busted"
One night, up to no good, Cody starts Messaging people on Facebook. It's a risk, but it's a good thrill. Soon, his wife bursts into the room. His heart skips a beat. "What have you been doing in here, Cody??" she yells. "Who were you Messaging online?!" Cody, ashamed, blocks the computer screen,...
-
8. Part II: "Marry...Or Burn"
Cody's down-spiraling. “There I was,” he says, “18 years old and a blaster in the coal mines.” Jamie demands he stop sleeping around, or else, get married. He subjects Cody to a verse from First Corinthians: “I say therefore to the unmarried and widows," it reads, "It is good for them if they…
more -
8. "Andrew's Ordeal Continues"
Andrew and Cody emerge from the snake room. Andrew's arm desperately needs attention. With every step, he deteriorates. Cody knows rattlesnake bites are nothing to play with. He also knows his friend is in for a long, hard ride. When Jamie walks downstairs to find Andrew suffering in the…
more -
7. "Andrew Got Bit"
A rattlesnake slithers in the woods, and by divine help, Jamie knows where to find it. He pulls it from some weeds. God says, "Take it inside the house, not the snake room." Jamie obeys. Here is the story of an emerging friendship between two prominent, Signs-following preachers: Cody Coots and…
more -
6. "Run to the Altar!"
Cody is haunted by his secret sins, so he runs to the altar to pray. His father sees this and kneels by his side, taking his son's hand. Together they call upon The Lord for salvation. Cody knows he must change his ways. He must stop cussing. He must stop listening to country music. And, he must...
-
5. "Nothing Left To Lose"
Cody Coots' childhood is in shambles, so he pursues a relationship with his father: the world-famous serpent handling preacher Jamie Coots. Jamie starred in what Cody calls, "a national TV program that I won't mention out of legal concerns." Together, they watch WWE every weekend. It's what they...
-
4. "Coots vs. The Public School System"
The Bible passage "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man" from Deuteronomy means another life change for Cody. This child of the serpent-handling faith continues to suffer from the reverberations of a horrid abuse case... and now, this. A real-life monster, behind bars, means...
-
3. "We Can't Testify"
A trial is scheduled for Cody’s abuser. However, believers across the faith are concerned about Cody testifying. The reason? One day at church, long ago, when Cody was 8, something unbelievable happened. It's something only Cody's church knows. Now, if it comes out at trial, they all know Cody…
more -
1 – 2. "The House of Horror"
After a fatal rattlesnake bite at his apartment in Middlesboro, Kentucky, Cody and his family move to a new place on South 45th Street. This is a house that changes Cody forever, and not for the better. In this account, he refers to the house as The House of Horror. A special introductory…
more -
Foreword
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation "Signs Follower." His childhood was anything but normal. At age 6, he started handling fake serpents with his sister Trina. They used leather belts for props. Such was life in East Kentucky. Cody's congregation of believers proclaimed themselves to be the truest...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is the world's most famous serpent-handling preacher.) A terrible act of violence befalls 8-year-old Cody, shocking the serpent handling community. A preacher pleads guilty to charges of deviant sexual abuse, but it's too late: Cody's innocence is shattered. Anger boils inside him, so he turns his wrath upon his parents, his church, and even his God.As he cruises the backstreets of Middlesboro, Ky, looking for nothing but trouble, Cody's sins begin piling up. But the consequences do, too. Is Cody beyond salvation? Or, is he as the community describes him: "Marked for life?"
HOSTED BY
Alabama Astronaut
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Marked for Life have?
Marked for Life currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Marked for Life about?
Cody Coots is a fourth-generation serpent handler. By age 6, he handles mock serpents with his sister, Trina, in the church, using leather belts for props. Cody secretly yearns for a normal childhood. He likes to ride his bike, play drums, and watch WWE wrestling with his father, Jamie. (Jamie is...
How often does Marked for Life release new episodes?
Marked for Life has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Marked for Life?
You can listen to Marked for Life on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Marked for Life?
Marked for Life is created and hosted by Alabama Astronaut.
URL copied to clipboard!