Dead Kids Club

Today the Dead Kids come to you from our brand new home in the Rare FM studios, where we can hear the thunderous footsteps of the students upstairs (but hopefully you can’t). In this episode, Lisa, Marie and Aaron talk about all sorts of ancient replacement body parts and the people they belonged to. There are fake toeses and fake noses! There’s even a prosthetic golden eyeball that maybe inspired the name of a beloved N64 classic first person shooter (hint: it definitely didn’t). The kids also talk about the construction of these replacement parts, as well as some of the functional, aesthetic and spiritual reasoning behind their creation. On a far more important note. This episode comes out on election day in America, so if you’re listening, make sure you go cast a ballot if you haven’t already done so! Give us a rate/review/subscribe on iTunes and we will give you a shout out on the show! Don’t forget we have stickers now to sweeten the deal! As always, you can follow us on Twitter (@deadkidsclubpod) or Instagram (@deadkidsclubpodcast) for more stuff about death and archaeology content! On a far more important note. This episode comes out on election day in America, so if you’re listening, make sure you go cast a ballot if you haven’t already done so! Give us a rate/review/subscribe on iTunes and we will give you a shout out on the show! Don’t forget we have stickers now to sweeten the deal! As always, you can follow us on Twitter (@deadkidsclubpod) or Instagram (@deadkidsclubpodcast) for more stuff about death and archaeology content!

Happy Halloween! This week on Dead Kids Club we have a very very special guest for a ver very special episode. We invited our mentor, supervisor, and all around inspiration, Dr Carolyn Rando to teach us her favourite facts about ZOMBIES! Are you dying to find out what is the difference between slow zombies and fast zombies? What weapon works best? Is mathematical modelling against or in favour of humans? What’s hands down the best zombie film? What zombie film is funny? What’s really so scary about zombies? And what do racoons have to do with it? There are so many question but luckily this time we brought along somebody who can actually answer all of them. Tune in to our halloween special, listen to the dead kids be amazed, and maybe you’ll be amazed too. And if you are, leave us a review and we’ll send you a fun Dead Kids Club sticker. We also post visual accompaniments on twitter @deadkidsclubpod and instagram @deadkidsclubpodcast.

This week, the ladies of the Dead Kids Club are straight from their local cemetery with tales of curious burials excavated in London. Sometime around the year 1250, thousands of Londoners were dying. The dead kids sort through the evidence and find out whodunnit! Actually, Don Walker, lead osteologist for Museum of London Archaeology finds out whodunnit. And it was more of a whatdunnit situation than a whodunnit… but it’s mysterious nonetheless. Was it the Plague? Was it famine? Was it war!? Was it a SUPER COLLOSAL VOLCANO NOWHERE NEAR LONDON?! Tune in to find out! Follow along this week to learn about Marie’s side-hustle skincare podcast, boring (boring) machines, and how Matthew the Monk’s diary pretty much saved the day. We have a big announcement in this episode… subscribe to hear us with a new and improved sound starting November. Want a Dead Kids Club sticker? Write us a review! Want to hear more from us? Follow us on twitter @deadkidsclubpod Visual accompaniments posted on instragram @deadkidsclubpodcast

Taking a break from his vow of silence, Aaron rejoins Lisa and Marie live via satellite to spend an hour talking about all things tech! Gone are the days of your favourite bumbling PhD students bringing you stories about skeletons, holy relics and bog people - now it’s all about tech... But actually, today’s episode is a rather sombre one talking about mass graves. The Dead Kids talk about what exactly mass graves are, how decomposition processes can differ from burials containing only one individual as well as the various contexts in which mass graves might be found. The Kids also discuss how graves are excavated and some of the ways forensic investigators go about trying to determine the identity of the people in the graves. A lot of forensics in this one, but we stay true to our archaeological roots and also give a few examples of mass burials from past battles. Something for everyone! Give us a review on iTunes and we will give you a shout out on the show! Also I think there are stickers now maybe? I don’t know, I’ve been at the monastery for a while, so I am unaware what kind of shenanigans the girls get up to back at the clubhouse. Follow us on Twitter (@deadkidsclubpod) or Instagram (@deadkidsclubpodcast) too for more stuff about death and archaeology content! ALSO, if you like the stuff we’re doing, then maybe you’ll also like some friends of ours over at Southern Spirits Podcast! They drink liquor and talk about ghosts and ghouls and stuff. Perfect for the Halloween season!

This week join the Dead Kids as they ride that pyroclastic flow down into the uncanny valley that is POMPEII: a city frozen in time! While Aaron continues his vacation in plague-ridden Medieval Italy, Lisa and Marie travel further back in time to discuss the age-old question: is Pompeii real?! Yes, the answer is yes… While the two dead kids battle with mysterious one-way soundproofing, you’ll learn about how Pompeii looked before the devastating eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Hear what it’s like to excavate in the ancient city and find out if the floor really is lava. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about those suggestive-looking plaster casts of victims of the eruption too. We even reference real academic papers in this one, but you don’t need to take notes as there won’t be an exam. There will, however, be a very intellectual Q&A session based on auto-fill prompts on Google. What more could you ask for? If you liked this episode, tell us why in a review! Share our podcast with your friends and follow us on social media! Twitter @deadkidsclubpod and Instagram @deadkidsclubpodcast

While Aaron practices his vow of silence far away in monastic seclusion, two dead kids delve into squishy baby heads and look at all the ways we humans modify the shape of our skulls and teeth. After some wholesome chat about barnyard animals and prison wine, we’ll cover the history of cranial and dental modification and the racist armchair ethnographers that misinterpreted it. You’ll hear about the potential dangers and botch jobs of dental modification as well as the shiny, beautiful results when everything goes right. Settle in for Pringle-thick baby bones and accidental baby head flattening (don’t worry, it’s reversible). Be prepared, because some serious controversies will be covered, such as those surrounding the existence of aliens, the theory of evolution, and whether or not babies like sleeping on their bellies. Our favourite boy king Tut makes a reappearance as well! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram so you can follow along visually @deadkidsclubpodcast. We’re also on twitter! @deadkidsclubpod

This week the Dead Kids are back and are takin’ care of business to bring you this fun episode about bog bodies. We put our scientist caps on to talk a bit about the chemistry behind how bogs preserve bodies and then switch to our dunce caps (our usual headwear) to talk about Tollund man’s cute little toque. It’s a very hat-centric part of the episode. We also discuss a few different interpretations of why people might have been buried in bogs, some of the things the bodies can tell us about the past and a few famous bog people. Far fewer Randy Bachman(bogman)/Wade Boggs jokes were made than I would have liked… tune in anyways! Because we are all PhD students and have the fun deadlines associated with that, we decided the episodes were gonna be a little bit shorter sometimes. This is one of those times. If you want to email and yell about it: deadkidsclubpodcast@gmail.com Please rate, review and subscribe on iTunes! We’d love to hear from you!

FINALLY, THE DAY OF RECKONING HAS COME – all three Dead Kids have returned to broadcast radio! An auspicious day indeed. In honour of this momentous occasion, the Kids bring you a special episode about our good friend, Jeremy Bentham. Who’s that you may ask? Well, pal, have we got an episode for you. We talk a bit about Bentham’s forward-thinking political career and his views on church and state, but mostly we talk about how our boy Jezza really wanted his body preserved for science and so now our school has his mortal remains on display in a box. As one can imagine, that process came with some hitches, so tune in to find out! Also, Aaron REALLY misuses the term ‘tallywacker’ in this episode, so that’s fun... Give us a review on iTunes and we will read it out on the show! Also give our pals, The Pre-Dead Boys, a listen! They’re kind of the spiritual conjoined twin of our podcast. Which twin is the evil one??

Well the Dead Kids are back! This time Marie is away, so Lisa and Aaron are left to their own devices (and to fill airtime). Surprise, surprise they talk about deli shit for a good portion of the episode and Lisa comes up with yet another hustle to get out of doing a PhD. When the two Dead Kids actually get into it, we discuss about our beloved golden boy - King Tutankhamun! We hit the highlights - the mask, the myths, the mummy - and of course, the wicked tiny tomb containing the legendary teen king! We also discuss political intrigue, archaeology in the desert and old timey archaeology fashions. Also, if you ever wanted to hear Aaron tut-tut (ugh, terrible) a man for riding a ridiculous chariot in a particularly dangerous fashion, then tune in! Want to see pics associated with the episodes? Follow us on instagram (@deadkidsclubpod)! Want to have intermittent communication with us, sometimes? Then follow us on Twitter! (@deadkidsclubpodcast)

Two of the Dead Kids are back with a small episode for your weekend enjoyment! It’s ostensibly a continuation of the episode about trauma, but the girls spend half the ep talking about bitcoins, the benefits of artificial intelligence and also plan to quit their PhDs for lucrative careers doing stuff on the dark web. Marie compliments my radio-voice, but then Lisa kicks me out of the Dead Kids Club, so I don’t really know where I stand? Should I keep writing this description? Anyways… learn about blunt force fractures to the cranium and other flat bones in this exciting mini episode! As always, give us a rate/review/subscribe on iTunes if you feel like it!

Aaron is still in the underworld, so Lisa and Marie went and recorded an episode without him. This week 2 out of 3 Dead Kids are back with a (bong) rip roaring episode about BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA!! Honestly I know they didn’t make that many weed jokes, but that was what I had planned to do when we talked about this topic because I am a juvenile idiot, so it’s like I’m there in spirit. Anyways… this week the girls sat down and discussed dry bone versus fresh bone breaks, some biomechanical factors influencing fracture patterns, blunt force to different parts of the body and a few different examples of blunt force trauma. Apparently coconuts are a leading cause of blunt force trauma on tropical beaches - allegedly. There are a lot of cool factoids in this one, folks! If you feel like it, you can follow us on instagram (@deadkidsclubpodcast) and twitter (@deadkidsclubpod).

Have you ever wondered what to do with that bunch of bones sitting in your charnel house or catacombs? Are you glum because they’re just going to waste? Well Turin those Shrownds (frowns) upside down because this is the episode for you! In a very special multi-continental episode of the Dead Kids Club, the kids talk about different types of relics, lavishly decorated skeletons, Jesus’ blanket and a witch who just wanted to make their bones by dealing bones. If you’re worried that sounds like too much high-brow learning for you - fear not - Jesus’ middle name and his penis and balls are also topics that we talk about. Sorry if the sound sucks, the internet in the underworld is kinda bad. Remember to rate/review/subscribe on iTunes and follow us on Twitter: @deadkidsclubpod

Squeaky clean and bubo-free after our baths, the Dead Kids are back with a second installment about the Black Death! This time we talk about some of the social ramifications of the disease, underqualified monks, as well as a quaint little English village where people have an annual plague parade. Mostly we are just fixated on the whole bathing in pisswater thing. If any of these things strike your fancy, tune in to hear the exciting conclusion to our exploration of the plague! This week’s episode brought to you by Giovanni’s Medieval Piss Emporium - your one stop shop for artisanal plague remedies. Hop in your time machine and travel to medieval Italy where you can use promo-code deadkidsclubpod to get 25% off your first purchase of a skein of pee. We have a twitter now too if that’s a thing you’re interested in: @deadkidsclubpod

I know what you’re thinking and no this isn’t another penis-centric episode! All three Dead Kids are back in town to tell you about the Black Plague - one of history’s most famous killers! This week we detail the origins of the plague, all the different varieties of the disease and how it spread across Eurasia so quickly. We also discuss how ridiculous names for sores sound kind of like Disney characters, biological warfare (both early and modern), shitty architecture and a man who was bitten by a cat with the plague. Fun facts for the whole family in this rambling adventure! As always, rate/review/subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud!

Settle down, grab a popcorn, and listen to the dead kids tell you all about how nature recycles bodies. In this episode, Lisa and Marie take a detailed route through the process of decomposition from stiffness, through balloon penises, to the purge. It’s a load of smells, fluids, and macabre imagery so you’ll definitely love this one. To lighten the mood the girls also discuss how awfully stereotypically European Marie is. So let us know how much you enjoyed this episode of disgusting content and don’t forget to rate and review!

This week, the Dead Kids discuss art and objects made from human remains. We’ll cover witch nests, stolen bones, and face masks made from other people’s face skin. Listen along for tales of blindness-curing bone pyramids, atrocious war crimes, ashy art pieces and more. Join the Dead Kids on their exploration of the final resting places of our fellow humans, whether it be in a seaside antique shop or the basement of a spooky cocktail bar. Just remember, when considering your next human remains purchase: provenance is key!(or just don’t do it) And rate, review, and subscribe!

For our 10th episode we have a special treat for you! We persuaded our good friend and colleague Jose Garay to educate us on his homeland of Puerto Rico. Join Lisa and Marie on this emotional rollercoaster about death in Puerto Rico, from the tragic aftermath of hurricane Maria to the brilliant and hilarious new trends in Puerto Rican funerary practices. This one will make you a whole lot smarter (well definitely made us). If you want to know more about the issues discussed in the episode, here are some link: Harvard study on the mortality in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of hurricane Maria https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1803972 Vice documentary on the the underworld of Puerto Rico https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47gxjk6U5CQ&t=1042s

HA! GET IT? Donner DONAIR?? Yeah you’re smart, you get it. Today we talk about eating people. Some people do it for necessity, some do it for cultural reasons and others do it just for the hell of it! We cover the Donners, actually horrifying criminals eating people, cannibalism in archaeology and anthropology and Kinky Kannibalism. So grab a snack from your favourite meat-on-a-spit place, slather it in donair sauce and join as as we tuck into this meaty second helping of cannibalism talk. Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud!

Today we talk about eating people. Some people do it for necessity, some do it for cultural reasons and others do it just for the hell of it! We cover dinner party disasters, actually horrifying criminals eating people, the history of cannibalism, and whether or not the Dead Kids would ever eat a person. So grab your favourite ASS (after school snack, of course) and have a listen. (Note: we accidentally made a 2 hour episode this time, so we’re breaking it up over two weeks to keep you hungry for more!)

The Dead Kids put our press tickets in our pork-pie hats and do some classic shoe-leather reporting as we go on location to give our review of not one, but TWO museum exhibitions. There are tons of cool grave goods and skellies to see in the first exhibit and a lot of fascinating dental accoutrements (ancient and modern) in the second. I didn’t totally pay attention at the dental exhibition, so the girls remind me of all the cool stuff I missed. I think we went a whole episode without talking about dicks too? We’re maturing as broadcasters, guys. Teeth is on at The Wellcome Collection until 16 September 2018. Roman Dead: Piecing together burials and beliefs in Roman London is on at Museum of London Docklands until 28 October 2018. Both exhibitions are great and they’re free so you’d be a fool not to go!