What It Was Like Superreal
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- Society & Culture
Conversations with people who have lived through extreme events. Some stories are dark and twisted, others are light and funny. In all cases, we get an intimate portrait of 'what it was like' to be there.
Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal Production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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My Life in Australia's Most Infamous Cult: The Family
Ben Shenton grew up in a religious sect in central Victoria called 'The Family'. The children were told that their leader, Anne Hamilton-Byrne, was a reincarnation of Jesus Christ and were made to dress alike and bleach their hair. This continued until Ben was 15, when police raided the compound. Ben tells us about his life before and after that raid.
You can buy Ben Shenton's autobiography 'Life Behind the Wire' here.
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
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I Rescue People From Scammer Farms (Part 2)
Last week, we covered the story of a woman sold into slavery to run scams. This week, we meet the man who rescued her. We're speaking with Judah Tana, who runs the NGO Global Advance Projects. He explains how he ended up at the epicenter of the world's scams industry and how the business is expanding.
Global Advance Projects website is here
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
I Was Sold Into Slavery to Run Scams (Part 1)
When Miriam boarded a plane to Thailand, she thought she was starting her dream job. Instead, she was drugged upon arrival and woke up in a nightmare. This is her story of survival in a 'scammer farm,' a hidden compound where thousands are forced to run scams. Miriam describes how she endured and eventually escaped.
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
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I Caught Serial Killer Ivan Milat
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.
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
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Rain Spencer Will Probably Be Extremely Famous
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.
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. -
The Hurricane That Swallowed a Cargo Ship
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 Langewiesche
Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro by Rachel Slade
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Hosted by Julian Morgans
A Superreal production
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.