KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

Greetings & Salutations! We're here to cover various interesting/infamous/inexplicable living enigmas & anomalies from across all of time, space, maybe even beyond, & from history BOTH ANCIENT & RECENT! Basically it's "BIOGRAPHY!" but focused solely on WEIRDOS! Listen then repeat what you hear to sound smart at parties! STOP being MYOPIC! START being ESOTERIC! (Mmm! Yum!) Stay tuned True Believers! NEW EPISODES POSTED UP ON HUMPDAYS! Clear The Hump w/us as we provide Weekly Bios on strange/insane/shameful/lost/forgotten Misfits of History! Comedy/Conspiracy/True Crime/High Strangeness! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mike-lucht/support

KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS! is a comedy podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 184 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!, a comedy show with 184 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

  HORRORS OF THE MICROCOSM Pt.2 - "BUGFCUK!"

  Aug 19, 20261h 33m

  THE HORROR...THE HORROR! PLEASE TO ENJOY!Email Us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.comAll music is copyright/license free from Pixaby.comSOURCES (for masochists and perverts): - https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-centipede- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopendra_gigantea- https://www.newsweek.com/scolopendra-gigantea-giant-centipede-painful-venomous-bite-1711287https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/goliath-birdeater-tarantula-worlds-biggest-spider-science- Britannica – "Giant huntsman spider" – 30cm leg span, cave-dwelling species: https://www.britannica.com/animal/giant-huntsman-spider- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/animals/giant-huntsman-spider-the-11-8-inch-discovery-that-shocked-science/articleshow/130424493.cmshttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/japanese-spider-crabhttps://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Macrocheira_kaempferi/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16377374/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330675233_Ekbom's_Delusional_Parasitosis_A_Systematic_Review- https://www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/ekbom-syndrome-secondary-major-depressive-episode/- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12420414/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163834305001490- https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/4362https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125172321.htm- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.335.6068.511-a- https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/mystery-skin-disease-morgellons-has-no-clear-cause-cdc-study-1C6436053- https://academic.oup.com/jme- https://philippines.travel/destinations/siquijor- https://www.aswangproject.com/mambabarang-insect-sorcery/- https://pro11.pnp.gov.ph/https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1903/dec1903/gr_1205_1903.htmlhttps://www.chanrobles.com/cralaw/1966junedecisions.php?id=255https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1981/oct1981/gr_49149_1981.htmlhttps://www.chanrobles.com/cralaw/1981junedecisions.php?id=377-https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/delusional-parasitosis/art-20044996-Urogenital Myiasis & Fly Larvae: J. Travel Med. (2008, 15:363-366); Case Rep. Urol. (2020, 8816912).-Formicophilia & Beetle Complications: Dewaraja & Money, J. Sex Marital Ther. (1986, 12:139-145); Spizzirri et al., J. Sex. Med. (2012, 9:s3); Am. J. Dermatopathol. (2018, 40:4).- https://www.gaia.com/article/mantis-aliens- https://hangar1publishing.com/blogs/ufos-uaps-and-aliens/mantis-beings- https://medium.com/quantum-psychology-and-engineering/the-insectoid-alien-type-priest-scientists-of-the-abduction-phenomenon-2ffa01076ddd- https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/2025/12/the-mantis-beings-guardians-overlords-or-earthly-teachers.html- https://www.uapdigest.com/woo-wednesday-mantis-beings-insectoid-aliens/- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formicophilia- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-infested-mind/201506/paraphilia-insects-as-sources-of-sexual-arousal- https://www.discovermagazine.com/flashback-friday-ant-fetish-yup-its-a-thing-6119- https://grokipedia.com/page/Formicophilia- https://drmarkgriffiths.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/ants-in-your-pants-a-beginners-guide-to-formicophilia/- https://www.jezebel.com/what-it-s-like-to-be-sexually-aroused-by-insects-farts-1793854102- https://gakuran.com/the-gruesome-art-of-daikichi-amano/- Vice Documentary – "Genki and the Art of Eel Porn" – Daikichi Amano interview (referenced in multiple sources; originally at VBS.tv, now archived)- https://horrornews.net/114535/film-review-genki-genki-18/- http://jadedviewer.blogspot.com/2010/12/things-i-learned-researching-japanese.html- https://themadcanvas.org/daikichi-amano1/- https://drmarkgriffiths.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/the-worm-that-turned-on-a-beginners-guide-to-vermiphilia/- https://clotmag.com/oped/obscene-performing-machines-of-wenzhe-lis-mental-eelness-by-piotr-bockowski

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  KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

  HORRORS OF THE MICROCOSM Pt.1 - "I GOT WYRMS!"

  Aug 19, 20261h 23m

  This one's got worms, wyrms, demonic parasites, slime gurus, super freaky fungi, and so much more! PLEASE TO ENJOY!Email us!:kooksandcranks@gmail.comAll music is license/copyright free from Pixaby.comSOURCES:- "Behavioral Manipulation by Toxoplasma gondii: Does Brain Residence Matter?" ScienceDirect, 2020. - "Brain parasite may strip away rodents' fear of predators—not just of cats." Science, AAAS. - "Mind-control' parasite Toxoplasma hides from the immune system with 2 key genes." Live Science, 2024.- "The role of parasite-produced dopamine in Toxoplasma gondii-altered host behavior." Nature Communications, 2025.- "Absurd Creature of the Week: The Parasitic Worm That Turns Crickets Into Suicidal Maniacs." Wired, 2014. - "Grasshoppers brainwashed into suicide by a worm." New Scientist, 2005.- "Behavioral manipulation in a grasshopper harboring hairworm: a proteomics approach." PMC, 2005.- "The brain worm that turns ants into zombies." Natural History Museum, London, 2018. - "Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk." Phys.org, 2023.- "3D virtual histology at the host/parasite interface: visualization of the master manipulator, Dicrocoelium dendriticum." Scientific Reports, 2018.- "How *Ophiocordyceps unilateralis* turns ants into 'zombies.'" National Geographic.- "The Zombie Fungus Takes Over Ants' Bodies to Control Their Minds." The Atlantic, 2017.- "Zombie ant brains left intact by fungal parasite." Penn State University, PNAS.- "Minakata Kumagusu and the Tale of the Mountain God." Library of Congress, 2018.- "The Multispecies Intellectual History of the Kumano Kodō: Minakata Kumagusu, Slime Moulds, and Shrine Merger, 1906–1914." Environment & Society Portal.- "Japan's Wild Scientific Genius: Minakata Kumagusu." Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.- "Science Heroes: Minakata Kumagusu." The Ethogram, 2021.- "Minakata Kumagusu: The Meiji Polymath Who Broke the Mold." Nippon.com.- "Minakata Kumagusu: The first Japanese environmentalist." History of Education Quarterly, Taylor & Francis.- "Attuning to the webs of en: Ontography, Japanese spirit worlds, and the 'tact' of Minakata Kumagusu." HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, University of Chicago Press.- "How brainless slime molds redefine intelligence." Nature, 2012.- "Collective behavior and swarm intelligence in slime moulds." FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Oxford Academic.- "Hyphal and mycelial consciousness: the concept of the fungal mind." ScienceDirect, 2021.- "Thinking while Brainless: Slime Mold Gives Insight into the Intelligence of Neuron-Less Organisms." NJIT News.- "Paramecium Learning: New Insights and Modifications." bioRxiv- "Integrative Neuroscience of Paramecium, a 'Swimming Neuron.'" eNeuro & PMC- "Meet The Mushroom That Makes People Have The Exact Same Hallucination." Vice- "'It sounds so impossible': Student studying fungus that makes users hallucinate tiny people may be on the verge of a scientific breakthrough." Live Science, 2025.- "'They saw them on their dishes when eating': The mushroom making people hallucinate dozens of tiny humans." BBC Future, 2026.- "Hallucinogenic bolete mushroom." Wikipedia- "This Is Awkward: Mushrooms That Cause 'Tiny Human' Hallucinations Don't Contain Psychedelics." ScienceAlert- "A Mushroom Is Sending Hundreds of People to the Hospital. They're All Sharing the Same Bizarre Hallucination." Popular Mechanics, 2025.- "Little people hallucinations: 5 Questions with mushroom researcher Colin Domnauer." The Microdose, Substack.- "Edible mushroom in China causes consistent hallucinations of tiny marching figures." OregonLive, 2026.- "The parasite's long arm: a tapeworm parasite induces behavioral changes in uninfected group members of its social host." PMC, 2015. - "Tapeworm infection affects sleep-like behavior in three-spined sticklebacks." Scientific Reports, 2024.There's more but this is all I can fit. Boo.

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  KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

  CHARLES FORT - "DAMNED! DAMNED! DAMNED!"

  Aug 14, 202643 min

  SUP YOU BEAUTIFUL KOOOOOOOOOOKS! While I'm still on the mend from being beat with the shitty stick, please accept this introductory examination of one CHARLES HOY FORT! The original high strangeness investigator, or as I like to call him, "THE ANOMALIST!" Check it out and put it in yo' brains baby! ALSO! Stay tuned to the very end so that YOU! Yes, YOU! THE LISTENER! will have a chance to vote for which topic is covered in the next episode(s)! We be gettin' interactive up in the maw! PLEASE TO ENJOY!Email us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.comAll music is license/copyright free via Pixaby.com.SOURCES:Fort, Charles. The Complete Books of Charles Fort (Includes complete, unabridged texts of "The Book of the Damned," "New Lands," "Lo!", and "Wild Talents.") The International Fortean Organization (INFO) / Resologist Archives: Online public-domain transcripts of Fort's original four books (available via Project Gutenberg and sacred-texts.com). Knight, Damon. Charles Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained, 1970. Sconce, Jeffrey. Haunted Media: Electronic Presence from Telegraphy to Television, 2000. Steinmeyer, Jim. Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural Fortean Times Magazine (forteantimes.com): Founded in 1973 Skeptical Inquirer / CSICOP Archives (csicop.org) If you are struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, please dial 988 for help.

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  KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

  THE COPENHAGEN HYPNOSIS MURDERS - "HYPNO-ROPE-A-DOPE!"

  Aug 11, 202614 min

  SUP YOU BEAUTIFUL KOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS! Here's a mini-episode on the Copenhagen "Hypnosis Murders"! I feel like runover dogshit right now, so this is it, as far as show notes goes.Email us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.comAll music is license/copyright free from Pixaby.com.SOURCES:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_hypnosis_murders If you are struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, you're not alone. For immediate assistance, please dial 988.

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  KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

  TRUCKER LORE - "PORKCHOP EXPRESS!"

  Aug 5, 20261h 6m

  SUP KOOOOOOKS! Here's a little taste of the road, from me to you! PLEASE TO ENJOY!Email us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.comAll music is license/copyright free from Pixaby.comSOURCES:*"Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers" by Frank Figliuzzi: This 2024 true-crime book by former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi serves as a primary source for the modern analysis of highway predators, the psychology of the transient killer, and the operational statistics of the FBI's tracking initiatives. *The Guardian Article: “‘They’re a mystery’: inside the deadly world of serial killer truckers” (Published June 3, 2024). This specific piece serves as a foundational review of Figliuzzi's investigative work and summarizes the core statistics regarding active suspects and victims. *The FBI's Highway Serial Killings (HSK) Initiative: Launched in 2009 by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The HSK national database compiles timelines, victim identities, and suspect profiles (tracking over 850 victims and hundreds of potential suspect drivers) to bridge cross-jurisdictional dumping gaps. *State & Local Judicial Archives: Public criminal court records, arrest logs, and DNA database matching archives from Ohio, Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois, and Arizona provide the concrete historical timelines for the specific cases featured:-Robert Ben Rhoades (The Truck Stop Killer): Arrested by Arizona State Troopers in 1990.-Dellmus Colvin (The Interstate Strangler): Convicted in Ohio in 2005.-Bruce Mendenhall: Arrested at a Nashville truck stop in 2007.-Samuel Legg III: Arrested in 2019 via familial DNA matching.-Clark Perry Baldwin: Arrested in Iowa in 2020 using modern genetic genealogy. *MUFON (Mutual UFO Network) Case Files: The historical database for the "I-40 Abduction" case and localized regional high-strangeness reports along the Southwest interstate corridors. *The National Highway System Designation Act of 1995: The official legislative source for the formal designation of Nevada State Route 375 as the "Extraterrestrial Highway" by the Nevada Department of Transportation. *Southwestern Folklore Anthologies & Oral Histories: Documented collections of Navajo and regional traditions regarding the original Route 666 (now U.S. Route 491), capturing the intersection of modern logistics with skinwalker legends, localized phantom vehicles, and ambient anomalies. *Coast to Coast AM: The late-night syndicated radio show frequently cited as a primary broadcasting platform where long-haul drivers call in to share firsthand, unverified accounts of highway high-strangeness, such as the "child on the shoulder" lure archetype. *The r/Truckers Community (Reddit): The online aggregate forum where modern drivers discuss real-time road conditions alongside digital folklore trends like "shadow people" encounters, overpass watchers, electronic cabin static, and specific anomalous turnout events. *Trucker TikTok & Digital Forums: Modern digital transmission networks (including "The Truckers Report" and "TruckingTruth") that serve as the contemporary equivalent of the old truck-stop counter, driving the rapid evolution of viral folklore like dashcam apparitions and GPS navigation anomalies. *The Rand McNally Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas: Universally known as the "Trucker's Bible," this essential regulatory and physical route-mapping tool serves as the basis for geographic traditions and landmark-based rituals. *Citizens Band (CB) Radio Historical Records: The linguistic and operational history of Channel 19, tracking the mid-20th-century evolution of specialized jargon (e.g., "Smokey", "Bear in the air", "Chicken coop"). *"The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Archives:" Mid-century historical records documenting the intersection of organized crime, logistics corridors, and union leadership patterns (most notably surrounding Jimmy Hoffa). Call 988. You know you need to.

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