Episodes
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65: Cremation
Max and Dorian come clambering back from break to discuss CREMATION, the act of burning dead bodies! Cremation has essentially become end-of-life option number 2 in America today, but the practice has deep and worldwide historical roots. Learn about the roughly 40,000-year-old remains of the...
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64: Kyla Rice - Cadaver Dog Trainer
We've got an EXTRA SPECIAL episode for ya - an interview with Human Remains Detection Dog trainer & handler Kyla Rice, and her German Shepherd Emrick! Kyla gives us the lowdown on why she got into this field, how to train and maintain a working dog, and how HRD dogs (a.k.a. cadaver dogs) can help...
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63: Death in Space
Whether or not there's life beyond our planet, there's plenty of death! Max and Dorian discuss these accounts, as well as what happens to bodies in vaccuum, the long list of animals sent into space, and a new method for burying bodies on Mars.
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62: Ghosts
In Spooky Seasons past, the boys have taken on vampires, zombies, and frankensteins. This year, their crosshairs are set on the scammy world of spirits! Retrace the history of ghosts from religious concepts to physical beings, explore the origins of the first-ever haunted house, and expose the...
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BONUS: Evil Dead
HAPPY SPOOKY SEASON! Here’s an UNLOCKED BONUS EPISODE. To get access to MORE bonus episodes like this and lotsa extra goodies, support us on Patreon! Patreon.com/PreDeadBoys -- Before there was a cabin-in-the-woods movie trope, an inventive young filmmaker and his friends made their first...
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61: Politics & Death
Oh, you think the current leaders of the world are old and decrepit? YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET. In this episode, Max and Dorian plunge into the wacky world of countries ruled by dead people! But first, the boys discuss the history of city coroners... including the most scandalous ad campaign in...
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60: Ossuaries
Too many bones? Not enough graves? Time for some interior design! Join Max and Dorian as they examine several grim, yet beautiful locations decorated floor-to-ceiling with bones - as well as the reasoning for this surprisingly practical and poignant creative solution.
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59: The Brain
The most fascinating organ in the body is still the one we know the least about... But that won't stop Max and Dorian from illuminating what we DO know. Learn more about the exact point when a brain dies, some shockingly well-preserved ancient brains, and celebrity brain theft. We also cover some...
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58: Black American Death Care
The funeral industry faces many challenges. But the segment of it that serves, and is comprised of, Black Americans faces its own unique struggles. Join Max and Dorian as they explore homegoing celebrations, the use of coffins in the Underground Railroad, the distinct issues befalling Black-owned...
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57: Animals 2
This week, Max and Dorian look at more animal stories! It’s a little bit of a bummer at first as they examine how animals grieve, but they end on an uplifting note by honoring some HEROIC DOGS. For more animal stories, go back and listen to episode 22. Need a mask? Check out LunarPoison’s shop!
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56: Veneration
Mere minutes before Dorian sets out on a death-defying stunt, Max teaches him about the religious act of honoring a dead person through relics! Although most of their discussion revolves around the (often dubious) personal items and remains of the Catholic saints, a dramatic Buddhist...
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55: Death and the Internet
In an extremely online world, no one truly disappears when they die. Join Max and Dorian as they explore death in the era of Web 2.0! It's a realm of digital remains, post-mortem social media profiles, public mourning of celebrities... and brands being very, very dumb. Click here to read Natalie...
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54: Food
Love food? TOO BAD, according to several cultures! While some funeral celebrations have sweet confections and savory meals for the mourners to enjoy, others strictly prohibit the enjoyment of funeral food and keep things as bland as possible. Listen to this episode to learn all about these...
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1: Bone Diaries ep. 1
Dorian found a dead squirrel. He wants its bones. Click here to read Jake's Bones.
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53: Necropolises
Cities of the dead (a.k.a. Necropolises) sound scary, but are actually pretty chill! This week, Max and Dorian learn about the Vatican, the Giza pyramids, and other large burial destinations around the world. As time goes on, society will have more and more dead to bury. Will we build more of…
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52: Gravediggers
Whether by heroism, necessity, or both, the essential worker steps up when average people consider a job too lowly or risky. Enter the gravediggers! In this episode, Max and Dorian tell the stories of the faithful workers protecting Jewish bodies from desecration, the brave women who buried…
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51: What to Do in a Pandemic
Are you anxious over the current global crisis? Max and Dorian have the remedy for your socially-distanced blues! For those not on forced quarantine, might we recommend a visit to your local cemetery? Believe it or not, these were originally constructed to be used for relaxation. After covering…
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50: Corpse Scandals
Let's look at some BIGTIME mismanagement of dead bodies! Max and Dorian begin their exploration with a long-abandoned island of bummer buildings and overstuffed graves, then wrap up (heh) by uncovering (heh heh) one of the biggest screwups in the history of the death care industry (oops). Hope…
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49: Bog Bodies
Murder! Human sacrifice! And... peat?! It may sound crazy, but that cruddy fossil fuel is key to understanding the incredible things that happen when a corpse is stuffed into a bog. Discover the miraculous ways bogs preserve ancient bodies (and luscious locks), and what forensic analysis of these...
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48: Body Farms
It's the TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the Pre-Dead Boys, and things get a little steamy! Specifically, dead bodies get steamy. And chilly. And eaten by squirrels. And run over by lawnmowers. It all happens at Anthropological Research Facilities, a.k.a. BODY FARMS, where forensic researchers experiment...
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47: Plagues
Are you afraid you'll catch an illness? So is Max! His paranoia led to a frenzied deep-dive into the history of epidemics. Join him as he shares his newfound knowledge with Dorian, from the Black Death to today's Coronavirus scare. We also discuss those weird-looking plague doctors, and their...
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46: Coffin Tech
WE'RE BACK BAY-BEE, with a hot (yet comprehensive) take on the cutting edge of coffin developments throughout history! Discover the measures taken to make coffins better for those buried alive, worse for those who steal corpses, and weirder for the rest of us. Yes we do talk about exploding…
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45: Deathy Holidays
In the name of the Kallikantzaros, the Mari Lwyd, and the unholy Krampus: Max and Dorian wish you a merry new year, and gift you with an episode absolutely STUFFED with death-centric winter holiday traditions from around the world! Don't let these Christmas-hating scrooges fool you - they wrap up...
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44: Body Composting
Do you realize how much garbage we put into the earth when we perform traditional western burials? Before Dorian hops on his soapbox to rant about it, Max educates him (and you!) on the mechanics of composting a dead body, how it benefits the soil, and which teenage heartthrob opted for a…
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43: Exhumation
Why dig up a stinky dead body? Well, there are good reasons to do that, like honoring lost war heroes and resolving legal disputes. There are also gross reasons that make you rethink things like eating cream cheese. Today, Max and Dorian cover both! They also answer the age-old question: what...
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42: Daredevils
It's time to look death in the eye and say NOT TODAY! Learn about Evel Knievel, Buster Keaton, Alex Honnold, and other American legends who chucked their body into death-defying situations and lived to make money from it. Unfortunately, those paychecks are typically meager - so Max and Dorian…
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41: NECROMANCY
Frankenstein isn't the only person to attempt to raise the dead! Join Max and Dorian on their crash-course through necromancin' in ancient Greek literature, the Hebrew Bible, and HP Lovecraft*. Pour yourself some goat's blood cocktails and pull up a chair, because for our final October episode,...
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Patreon FAQ
We launched a Patreon! Here's a mini-episode explaining what it is and how it works. Help us keep this podcast running, and get bonus rewards! Check out patreon.com/predeadboys
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BONUS: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
In 1974, America was beginning to see the uncomfortable truth beneath things like war, politics, and the oil & meat industries. That same year, a little indie film reflected those deceptions in its harrowing account of murder and cannibalism. Join Dorian and Max as they unpack these themes…
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40: FRANKENSTEIN
Two centuries ago, on vacation in Geneva, a young novelist with a lifelong morbid curiosity conceived one of the most enduring and fascinating stories of all time. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is known for being the first science fiction novel and an early achievement in horror, but it is also a...
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39: Native American Burial Mounds
Though the histories and cultures of indigenous people are often lost, the evidence they've left behind might be closer than you expect. In this episode, the boys share information on Native American mounds - some of which are practically in their backyard. And what would our show be without…
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38: BODIES UNDER OUR FEET!!
Ever look into your hometown's local history? Max and Dorian can't help but be proud of their beautiful city, warts and all. So imagine their excitement at discovering that one of their favorite local landmarks is built on top of countless human bones! Using the Buckeye State as a springboard…
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37: Embalming
It’s no secret that Max and Dorian are firmly in the #YoureGonnaRot camp, and they’re not exactly fans of pumping chemicals into dead bodies to preserve them. But it’s time to open our minds! In this episode they retrace the history of embalming and discover a mysterious perfect fluid, some...
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36: Weird Cemeteries
Travel the world in 60 minutes as Max and Dorian scour the earth for the strangest final resting places in existence! Learn about the graves inside airports, restaurants, and parking lots; the disgraced soldiers hidden away in unmarked French graves; the most densely populated cemeteries we’ve…
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35: Photography Part 2: Post Mortem
After last episode’s depressing foray into war photography, the boys drop a KING-SIZED EPISODE exploring Harlem’s reverential and innovative funeral photos, the obituaries of a small town in Wisconsin, and the weird world of con artist spirit photographers! But first, Dorian shares the harrowing...
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34: Photography Part 1: War
When daguerreotype photography made its way to America, Mathew Brady capitalized on this burgeoning technology and changed the way the world understands violence. He was also kind of a dick with a knack for writing his name on things that weren't his! Join Max and Dorian as they explore the Civil...
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33: Shrunken Heads
After popular demand, it’s finally time for the boys to cover the Shrunken Heads of the Shuar people! While many cultures practiced head hunting to intimidate their enemies, these ritualistically-preserved noggins were created for much more innocuous purposes. Listen to learn all about their...
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32: Norse Death Culture
Think Norse culture starts and ends with shooting flaming arrows at corpses on longboats? Surprises abound in this episode about Norse mythology (Odin, Loki, Thor, Ragnarok, et al), and how it affected daily Scandinavian life! The boys cover a nasty Viking killing ritual, an unconventional...
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31: SPORTS!!
If you think modern sports are violent, buckle up! Throughout sports history, fun pastimes have often given way to religious sacrifice and total brutality. Join Max and Dorian as they cover Roman gladiatorial funeral practices, a Native American ball game that will ruin your hips, and the…
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30: Aokigahara
HEY GUYS WELCOME TO MY VLOG!!! Just kidding. Unlike other content-creators, your REAL favorite bros Max and Dorian are here to deliver an uncommonly respectful homage to the beautiful "Sea of Trees" at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan. The forest is unfortunately known most (especially in the West)...
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29: Plants, Fungus & Death
Think plants are boring? THINK AGAIN! The Boys are back to dig up the dirt on interesting death-related stories about our floral and fungal friends. There's dead bodies inside trees. There's plants growing inside dead bodies (and living ones, too!). And there's the seedlings and fungi that kill,...
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28: Death Fashion
Pre-Dead Girl, you better WORK! This week, Max and Dorian discuss the weird practice of dressing a corpse - ranging from the baptism clothes of the early Christian church, to the stuffy suits we all know, to the more casual and innovative practices today. They also get outside of their comfort…
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27: How to Fake Your Death
Ever wish you could just disappear? WHY, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO HIDE?? Whether you're trying to escape debt, leave a rocky marriage, or prank your friends, staging your own death might be right for you! It could also get you into some serious legal trouble. Join Max and Dorian as they cover…
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26: Public Executions
Before cheering crowds gathered at Ted Bundy’s execution, capital punishment and torture had been popular public spectacle for centuries. Are humans just nasty freaks that love watching people die? Topics covered: The five capital crimes, Shakespeare’s horrific references to the Tyburn Tree, the...
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25: CANNIBALS!!
It’s been one full year of Pre-Dead Boys, and have they got a TREAT for you! Listen to the history of humans eating humans - for survival, for ritual practice… and just because they were stupid.
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24: Transhumanism
Who wants to live forever? Transhumanists do! The boys research mind-uploading, cryonics (again), and the soul (whatever that is) - all in an effort to learn about the science-fiction-inspired movement to defeat death! WARNING: It is 100% fatal.
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23: Mount Everest
The boys RETURN with horror and hubris-filled accounts of people who tried to conquer the largest mountain in the world. BUT FIRST: the strangest, grossest, and funniest death-related news of 2018!
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22: Animals
For the final show of 2018, Max shows Dorian a kitty drone, a gross mermaid, mummies buried with their pets… and the single most horrific and perverted thing he's ever seen. Click here to watch the Orvillecopter in flight.
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21: Weird Funerals
FINALLY, after nearly a year of discussing death, Max and Dorian decide their funeral plans. Will it be as explosive as Hunter S. Thompson’s ceremony? A fake funeral like Chinese student Zeng Jia? Will it involve motorcycles, clowns, holograms, or spaceships? Listen and learn about it all! Click...
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20: The Middle East
Good dogs, nasty vultures, Zoroastrianism, and the largest cemetery in the world! Join the boys as they explore the death culture and funeral rituals of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the oft-misunderstood Middle East.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pre-Dead Boys have?
Pre-Dead Boys currently has 71 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Pre-Dead Boys is a podcast covering topics in history.
How often does Pre-Dead Boys release new episodes?
Pre-Dead Boys has 71 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Pre-Dead Boys is created and hosted by Pre-Dead Boys.
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