The Podcaster's Guide to the Conspiracy

It's been 25 years since the 9/11 attacks, so obviously we're going to talk about AI. Does it pass the Turing Test? Is it conscious? Are there parasitic AI personas inducting their users into the secrets of the universe? What's the correct way to pronounce "ChatGPT"? This episode contains those answers and no others.You know, we never bother to include references in our episode descriptions, like all the cool podcasts do. Here's a few:"The Rise of Parasitic AI" by Adele Lopez"AI bots started a religion — humans immediately followed" by Hayden Field"No Diggity" by Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre, Queen Pen

M's desire to discuss the who, what and why of the ascended masters sees us look into Theosophy and its founder, Mme. Blavatsky, whose magnum opus is, we think you'll agree, thematically identical to the straight-to-DVD sci-fi horror film Species 3. Or Alien: Romulus if you prefer. Stay to the end for some startling revelations around what is and isn't Cake!

The mysterious Project Anchor has been a topic of conversation on social media lately, so we thought now would be a good time to look into it. What are NASA up to with $89 billion? What are they preparing for and what don't they want you to know about it? When is this all kicking off? The answers may surprise you unless you've read about it already.

Gird your loins, steel your nerves and kiss your loved ones goodbye as we stride proudly into The Confoundanatorium! First, M will attempt to confound Josh with a mini "What the Conspiracy?" segment; then Josh will do his best to confound M with a smaller-than-usual "Does M Remember?" segment! Who will be the most confounded by whom and what will be left of either of them at the end of it all? Only one thing is certain: everybody is a monkey racist.

M has been off schmoozing with their peers, cavorting and carousing at one of those star-studded, high-rolling philosophy conferences you always hear about on the news. They're back in China now, ready to give us a breakdown of what they got up to. No good? Some good? TOO MUCH GOOD?! The only way to know is to listen.

M's off being a practicing philosopher or something, so here's a quick story of the dangers of building your own jetpack. The dangers include not just flying into the sky and exploding, but more crimes and conspiracies than you might expect.

Willie McRae, a Scottish lawyer, politician and activist, died on April 7 1985 - this much is agreed on. Conspiracy theories persist to this day around exactly how and why he died (although, to be fair those closest to him really wish they wouldn't). This episode, we take a look into the claims and counterclaims around his death, to see what people think really happened and who was behind it.

It's time for another Conspiracy Theory Masterpiece Theatre - OR IS IT?  “Philosophy and conspiracy theories” by Juha Räikkä and Juho Ritola (a chapter from The Routledge handbook of conspiracy theories) is about conspiracy theories alright, and its conclusion is quite the showstopper. But "masterpiece"? Listen in to hear our views on whether it's masterful and what it may or may not be a piece of.

Heartened by the discovery that Project Blue Beam - a conspiracy theory from the 90s about NASA using holograms and mind control to take over the world - is still alive and kicking in 2026, we go Back to the Conspiracy and revisit our old material from 2015, with updates for current developments. Turns out drones are the new holograms.

It's been way too long since we've encountered any truly novel conspiracy theories, so this episode Josh and M go on the hunt, browsing various sites and networks in real time to see if there's anything new and interesting out there. Results are... mixed. But we do get to talk about phlogiston at one point, so that's something.

It's been a good long while since we tested M's recall of their student radio days, so Josh has curated a package of themed episodes to quiz them with. Can M remember the details of conspiracy content that is even older than this podcast? Yes and no.

This episode was recorded on Easter Monday, and if we had been off the air for three days instead of three weeks, there might be some significance in that. As it stands, we're looking at David Coady's paper "Conspiracy as Heresy", whose title has religious connotations of its own, so I guess it all works out and we regret nothing.

We tried to record a new episode and failed spectacularly, so until conditions allow for a proper recording, here's a short episode that will become more relevant once the next full episode comes out. It's a look at the life of Martha Mitchell and the Effect that bears her name. Martha Mitchell was the wife of Nixon's Attorney General, who tried to blow the whistle on Watergate. An outspoken woman standing up to the most powerful men in the world, in the early 1970s? Surely that will turn out well for all involved.

Josh and M discuss some Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories, and what the Epstein Files might mean for conspiracy theory theory overall.

M is still in the country, so we put another meal on the Patreon expense account and talk about recent and less recent conspiratorial happenings in Iran, while eating delicious baked goods at a Takapuna café. Good news if you like your podcasts candid and slice-of-life; if not, M will be back in China before you know it and we'll be back to recording as normal, so everyone's happy. Unless they're in the Epstein files.

Join Josh and M over dinner as they discuss the recently deceased.

M has finished Ben Vigden's "State Secrets II" and - as a punishment - Josh has to find out how it ends.

A couple of episodes ago, we looked at a paper on particularism by Kurtis, M and Charles - this episode we're looking at the paper that that paper was a response to, making it both a prequel and a sequel. Just like The Godfather Part II. This episode is the Godfather Part II of podcast episodes - you can tell people we said that.

Josh and M discuss TESCREAL, Peter Thiel, and how Silicon Valley hasn't so much found god but, rather, decided to try and create one that they are afraid of...

Aw, Particularism - why so glum? You look like you need some positive affirmation - some reaffirmation, even. Well, you're in luck, because M, Kurtis and Charles have just authored “Particularism Reaffirmed: Why Conspiracy Theories (Variously Defined) Should Be Judged on Their Own Merits”! Let's have a look through it together and see if it can't perk you up.

M chats with Melina Tsapos and Patrick Brooks, two newly minted PhD holders whose works are on or at least touch on the philosophy of conspiracy theory theory.

Josh and M are back together, so the sensible thing to do is destroy both of their brains by having M try once again to find the point to "State Secrets II" - local author Ben Vigden's book of local conspiracy theories - and communicate it to Josh. Things do not go well.

Circumstances conspire against M and Josh for another week, but rather than deplete The Can any further, Josh records a filler episode covering an infamously conspiratorial incident from the world of professional wrestling.

Stuff is happening that means Josh and M can't record this week. But they did record two unreleased episodes back in January, so here's one of them. Consider this a prequel to the "Tunnel Vision" series. Also, it mentions the other "From the Can" episode that hasn't been released for reasons that maybe will become clear one day...

M is back in China with a functioning larynx, so we record a "Back to the Conspiracy" episode, taking another look at a subject we last covered ten years ago: the Dreyfus Affair. Why is a French soldier convicted of treason like Amber Heard? Listen and find out.

M's having voice issues, so Josh records a short episode on the NZ mockumentary "Forgotten Silver" to keep you happy until we're ready to record normally. Learn how Peter Jackson and Costa Botes fooled a nation, even though it seems like they didn't really mean to.

M guides Josh through chapter one of Dunedinite Ben Vigden's book 'State Secrets II' in this special and incredibly confusing edition of 'What the Conspiracy!'

The Podcaster's Guide to the Conspiracy tackles a story torn from today's headlines (about an issue that goes back to the late 90s), as we discuss the Horizon Post Office scandal. If you live in the UK, this may be a story you're familiar with, but for rest of us, it makes for a darkly fascinating affair. (Mentions of suicide, just in case that's problem for you.)

Josh and M review the third series of the podcast 'Bed of Lies', which deals with what the British were doing during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The answer is 'They were up to no good', but what kind of 'no good' was it?

This week we look into a 450-year-old compilation of 900-year-old prophecies about who's going to be the pope. Unless it's actually a 450-year-old fake about who we want to be the pope. In either case, it makes one thing clear: there are now Too Many Popes. (Which is like Too Many Cooks, but with fancier hats.)

Josh and M conclude their discussion of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions of "Tunnel Vision" by Martin Butler.

This is definitely the last time we'll talk about Martin Butler's book "Tunnel Vision" and the conspiracy theories it contains. We don't have a problem - we can stop any time we want! Or can we...?

Josh and M continue their review of not one, not two, but not quite three editions of Martin Butler's book "Tunnel Vision," the best argument yet for a hidden tunnel complex under Auckland's North Head. In this episode a lot of testimony is discussed...

Conspiracy theories about secret tunnels under the military base on North Head are essentially the reason why this podcast exists in the first place, so we probably should have looked at the book (books?) that puts forward the best case for these conspiracy theories a long time ago. But we didn't - we're doing it now. This will be part one of at least two, depending on how far down the rabbit hole we follow Mr. Butler...

Josh and M revisit the story of the mysterious disappearance of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt by going to a website written and hosted by someone who claims to be at least partially responsible for the event...

We're revisiting a topic from over ten years ago (which we can do, because apparently this podcast is over ten years old, even though that can't be right), as we talk about notable cases of people disappearing in conspiratorial circumstances, never to be seen again. We hit the classics (Hoffa and Lucan) and more besides.

Josh talks to M about their recent presentation at the University of Waikato.

M is off living life, so Josh presents a solo episode about a big bang. But not the sexy kind, the World War I sabotage kind. Which, we think you'll agree, is worse.

We're back! The good news is that M and Josh are in the same country, so can record together in person; the bad news is that this means the usual recording setup isn't available, so the sound quality leaves something to be desired (the wind actually whistling around the building doesn't help either). Nevertheless, it won't stop Josh from making good on his promise to scour more of M's old radio show episodes and throw them back in their face.

It's a Xmas miracle: a formerly patron bonus episode made freely available to all. Here M talks with Brian L. Keeley about that LLM-generated podcast that was based upon his work.

Gather round, children! It's nearly Christmas time, and if you listen closely, you can hear the approach of that most Christmassy of things: a low-effort "year in review" episode to finish off the year! It's a Yuletide miracle probably!

Copyright be damned; Josh and M want you to know about a podcast about conspiracy theories, the contents of which are so scandalous that Josh and M play the entirety of that podcast in their very own!

M tells Josh about the Berners Street Hoax of 1810 in this, the return of "What the Conspiracy!"

Regular recording didn't work out this week, so Josh has recorded a short episode that acts as a companion piece to our last episode on the killings of political dissidents, followed by a brief Public Service Announcement on a matter close to his heart.Also, for some reason this time his microphone picked up every single rustle of fabric every time he moved, so watch out for that. 

This week we travel back in time to look at the death by poison-tipped umbrella of a Bulgarian dissident living in London in the 70s. Ah the past - things sure were wacky back then. Not like right now, when everything is as normal and stable as it could possibly be and if you'll excuse me I'm going to stand in a corner screaming for the next 17 months.

Josh and M use the excuse that the Golden Owl has been found to take a trip back to the conspiracy and look at treasure hunts like the Fenn Treasure, Masquerade, Hareraiser, the Eternity Puzzles, and the Publius Enigma.ominous tone.wav by mderr -- https://freesound.org/s/403184/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

"Cassamagain"? Why do we keep letting Josh come up with titles? True, this episode again looks at the work of Quassim Cassam; this time it's "Conspiracy Theories" - not the book, but its remake/sequel article from 2023. Is it the Evil Dead 2 of conspiracy theory theory, or is it the The Craft: Legacy? It's not Desperado, that's for damn sure.

Josh and M get to grips with chapters 3 and 4 of Quassim Cassam's 2029 book "Conspriacy Theories."

M and Josh take their first look at Quassim Cassam's 2019 book "Conspiracy Theories". M would like to reiterate that Cassam is not their archenemy; Josh would like to emphasise that that would be awesome though.

Josh and M go back (to the conspiracy) and look at Papal plots and plots against papists!