The Secret Life of Death Podcast

Gail Golec
  • 4.9 (37)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
The Secret Life of Death Podcast

The Secret Life of Death is a podcast which explores the stories of ordinary people, starting with their gravestone and placing them into the context of the history of their life and times. The show primarily is based in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, but it stories reach throughout New England and beyond. Local historian and archaeologist Gail Golec researches, writes, hosts and produces this podcast.

  1. TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 6

    06/25/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 6

    In the final installment of the “Identity” series, we move the story of the first LGBTQ+ bar in Vermont, Andrews Inn, into the present day. Though the bar closed its doors in 1984, its legacy was broad and deep for the community of Bellows Falls, affecting lives in the village today and in ways many of us may not even be aware of.

    46 min

  2. 06/03/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 5

    At the end of 1982, Andrews Inn had been sent reeling from the set-up and raid by authorities and their business struggled in its aftermath. But 1982 was also the year that AIDS broke into the public consciousness, also affecting business. Not much has been said about both topics in the last 40 years, which makes you think about what stories get told and what stories do not - and why that might be.

    57 min

  3. 06/03/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 4

    After the sale of Andrews Inn to gay couple, Thom Herman and Jeremy Youst (1979) went through and some of the fervor of the anti-gay protest march that took place in its wake had died down, life got on in Bellows Falls. The Inn, its owners, staff and patrons had forged a mostly civil and at times, fruitful and supportive relationship with the town. But in 1982 - things began to change.

    1h 6m

  4. 06/03/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 3

    By 1979, Andrews Inn, now operating as a “gay nightclub” as well as a sit down restaurant and bar was doing well and though locals didn’t always understand and weren’t always happy about the LGBTQ+ crowd it attracted, they were inclined to leave well enough alone. That year, the Moisis family were looking for buyers and found some: Thom Herman and Jeremy Youst, an openly gay couple. Openly gay business owners was a first for this town and it wasn’t clear how people would respond.

    1h 10m

  5. 06/02/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 2

    In 1973, the Moisis Family of Bellows Falls, VT bought the historic Hotel Windham building in the downtown, cleaned it up, refurbished it and opened a nice, sit down restaurant with the look and feel of the town’s former 19th century glory. But this fine dining experience didn’t seem to fly in this burned out, blue collar old mill town. So the family found a clientele that would be interested in the good food, dancing and socializing they were offering - THE GAYS!!!

    54 min

  6. 06/01/2023

    TSLOD Episode 8: Identity, Part 1

    Part 1 of 6, the "Identity" series explores the history of Andrews Inn, the first and at the time, the only gay bar in the state of Vermont (1973-1984). We begin with a discussion about , why is knowing this little slice of gay history so important.

    33 min

  7. 06/14/2022

    TSLOD Presents: True Crimes from Olden Times Episode 1

    Here at TSLOD, we are excited to announce a new podcast collaboration with Caitlin Abrams (of TikTok cemetery fame with her fantastic gravestone cleaning/story telling videos as Manicpixiemom). I interviewed Caitlin last summer (Episode 9: Taphosphere) and frankly, we hit it off! Caitlin and I both cover cemeteries but in different ways, so we had the idea to join forces (like Superman and Batman in the Justice League) and do a little spin-off show of our own (like Joanie Loves Cha-chi spun off of Happy Days - except our show would be good …woof!) Caitlin and I will be discussing some of the stories about historic crime and such that we’ve come across while doing our respective research projects in this new series we’re calling TSLOD Presents: True Crimes from Olden Times. In this first episode, we’ll be talking about the 1913 double murder of Walter and Katherine Nichols in West Guilford, VT. We’ll get into the details about the crime, its effect on the local community and of course, we’ll be talking about cemeteries and the gravestones of the Nichols and that of the person who murdered them.

    49 min

  8. 04/19/2022

    The Secret Life of Death Podcast: Episode 10: Neighborhood

    Taphophiles are a niche group of enthusiasts and so too, it would follow, are the podcasts that cater to them. What follows is an interview with another neat and nichey cemetery podcaster, Liz Clappin - host of the Tomb With A View Podcast. From her perspective as an urban planner in Atlanta, GA, Liz has some very interesting ideas for the future of historic cemeteries. I love it!

    1h 6m
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4.9
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

The Secret Life of Death is a podcast which explores the stories of ordinary people, starting with their gravestone and placing them into the context of the history of their life and times. The show primarily is based in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, but it stories reach throughout New England and beyond. Local historian and archaeologist Gail Golec researches, writes, hosts and produces this podcast.

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