What It Was Like

Between 1992 and 1993, seven decomposing bodies were discovered in bushland south of Sydney. The ensuing media storm prompted the state to hastily assemble a police taskforce. Our guest, former-homicide detective Stuart Wilkins, explains how this task force sifted through hundreds of suspects to arrest a road worker named Ivan Milat.TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2022, we interviewed a Hollywood producer who predicted that unknown actress Rain Spencer would be the next big thing. Back then, Rain was in an indie film and had 100k followers. Now, she's on her third season of a streaming hit and has nearly a million followers. Today, we ask Rain what it's like slowly becoming a celebrity.TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2015, Hurricane Joaquin roared over the Bahamas and sank a cargo ship called the El Faro, drowning all 33 people onboard. It was a mystery how a modern US-flagged ship could sail into a hurricane until its black box was found. In this episode, Julian examines the black box transcript to discover a crew that ignored all their own instincts.Transcript from the El Faro's black box is here.The US Coast Guard's report is here.And here is an article and a book that was hugely helpful in researching this case:“The Clock Is Ticking”: Inside the Worst U.S. Maritime Disaster in Decades by William LangewiescheInto the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro by Rachel SladeTikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1985, a 17-year-old girl named Shari Smith was abducted from her own driveway and the family's phone started to ring. It was the kidnapper, his voice electronically distorted. He called repeatedly and it fell on Shari's 21-year-old sister Dawn to answer. In this episode, Dawn Smith Jordan recalls what she learned that week about her parents, her sister and her own resilience.TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When someone in the Saudi royal family buys a private plane, they usually want someone to photograph their new toy. And that's where Nick Gleis comes in. For over 40 years he's been photographing private jets for the world's richest people. On today's ep, Nick shares some stories about his clients and talks about the time he accidentally flew into a tornado.Check out Nick's photos of obscene luxury on his site, here.TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On April 28, 1996, a man named Martin Bryant fatally shot 35 people at the Port Arthur historical site in Tasmania. For siblings Lorraine and Mick Davies, who had grown up next-door to Bryant, the massacre was not entirely surprising. In this episode, they recount the tragedy's long build-up.Mick Davies is also an actor and comedian. You can follow his work on Instagram.TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1991, Ida Sabelis and her partner had sex in an MRI tube, yielding an image that showcased the internal mechanics of copulation and gained global press coverage. Today, we delve into their experience and learnings. What's it like, exactly, to have sex inside a piece of medical equipment?TikTok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to Hollywood, most of us have some idea of how it looked to live in the past. But historical recreation is a delicate dance. As part of our partnership with Paramount+ for the release of A Gentleman In Moscow, we're unpacking the art of time travel. The show's production designer, Víctor Molero, describes how he couldn't find a historical hotel to film in, so he built one from the ground up. And the hotel they built was a medley of fact and fiction.A Gentleman In Moscow is Now Streaming only on Paramount+ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim and Amanda came home to find their place had been trashed. Someone had broken in, but that's just the beginning. Join us on this very bizarre yet surprisingly funny story of a home invasion.Tiktok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Psychopaths are famous for not caring about anyone. But Julian Morgans, host of this show, tries to please everyone. It's a losing battle, so in this episode he asks a psychopath for advice. M.E. Thomas is a lawyer and diagnosed psychopath. She shares her story of losing friends and jobs due to a lack of people pleasing, and shares her tips for caring less.Tiktok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Marie Monville married her high school sweetheart, Charlie, she believed it would be forever. But on October 2, 2006, Charlie committed one of America's worst mass shootings before taking his own life. Today, we ask Marie the big question: what were the signs? Her answers might surprise you.Tiktok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 2000s, Matt Bowden spearheaded drug law reform in NZ by selling safer alternatives to meth. His "party pills" made millions, and Matt spent his money shooting steampunk video clips as his rocker alter-ego, Star Boy. On this ep, we hear how Matt set out to make positive change, but inadvertently pioneered a market of synthetic drugs.Tiktok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's how old Steve Carter was when he stumbled upon a photo of himself on a missing person website. Raised in a Hawaiian orphanage and adopted at age four, Steve's biological roots were always a mystery. On today's episode, he tells the story of his own disappearance.Tiktok YoutubeHosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1994, a cancer patient named Gloria Ramirez was wheeled into a Californian hospital, where medical staff began passing out while treating her. Our guest, Dr. Julie Gorchynski, tells us what really happened that night.Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1980, an Australian gold prospector named Kevin Hillier dreamed of finding gold. The dream was so vivid he sketched the nugget's shape on paper. Then, 12 days later, he and his wife Bep unearthed a record-breaking nugget with the same shape. Was this luck, a hoax or divine intervention?Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1999 the world was captivated by 'The Blair Witch Project,' a low-budget horror film that broke profit-to-cost records. On this week’s episode, co-director Daniel Myrick describes how it felt being at the centre of a cultural phenomenon, and what he learned about achieving dreams.Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carl Williams is Australia's most famous drug kingpin. In the early 2000s he made untold millions trafficking party drugs while having his rivals murdered. But to his wife Roberta, he was a loving husband. In this special episode for Valentine's, Roberta Williams talks love and loss. Here's what it's really like to be a mob boss wife. Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July of 2000, a young man named Steven Goldsmith withdrew money from an ATM in Brisbane and vanished. Julian Morgans, host of What it Was Like, investigates the case in an effort to understand the broader phenomenon of people going missing, leading to an unsettling discovery.Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On August 9, 1996, the cast and crew of Titanic ended a big day of shooting with a seafood dinner. An hour later, around 40 people started feeling queasy, including director James Cameron. Later, it would turn out that somebody had spiked the clam chowder with a hallucinogenic drug called PCP or 'angel dust'. In this episode, assistant camera operator Jamie Barber tells us how the crew ended up in hospital, dancing in a conga line.Hosted by Julian MorgansA Superreal Production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jillian Lauren was working as a New York escort when she was invited to a mysterious audition. The job? Fly to the Southeast Asian nation of Brunei and live in a harem run by Prince Jefri, who was the playboy brother of the richest sultan on Earth. Jillian took the gig, and on this episode, she walks us through her three years of hedonism, cruelty, and opulence on a scale few of us ever witness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.