Journey to the Fringe

Journey to the Fringe

Thanks for checking out our podcast! We look at fringe topics often neglected, or ill discussed, in a light hearted and open manner. These topics run the gambit from the mundane water pollution, recycling, and tax evasion to the fantastical moth persons, time travellers, and paranormal. For us there’s no cryptid too creepy, topic too trivial, or djinn to dreary. Also we like to do exposes on assholes of the UFO community. To keep things fresh (and also because we aren’t really sure how to start podcasts) we start every week off with a Fringey Mini recent news article and discussion (It’s the podcast equivalent of not knowing what to do with your hands). And as we say in our intro from the unexplained to the mundane, join us on our journey to the fringe.

  1. 7h ago

    Halloween Origins

    A deep‑dive mini into the real origins of Halloween, tracing the holiday back to the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, a liminal, ghost‑friendly, bonfire‑heavy celebration marking the shift into winter. Taylor and Chelsea explore fairies, divination rituals, mumming, guising, and how these traditions evolved into modern Halloween customs like costumes and trick‑or‑treating. In this episode, Taylor and Chelsie take a surprisingly rich detour into the roots of Halloween far beyond candy aisles and plastic skeletons. Drawing from the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain, they unpack how the end of the harvest season and the “darker half of the year” shaped beliefs about thinning veils, visiting spirits, and protective rituals. The conversation moves through centuries of tradition: communal bonfires meant to mimic the sun, offerings left for fairies, divination rituals involving hazelnuts and egg whites, and the early forms of mumming and guising that eventually became trick‑or‑treating. Chelsea reacts to the wilder historical costumes, including the Welsh horse‑skull “white mare”, while Taylor traces how these practices survived through oral tradition, Christian reinterpretation, and immigration to North America. It’s a folklore‑rich, surprisingly cozy exploration of how a festival for the dead became one of the most beloved holidays of the living. Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Halloween Origins

  2. 2d ago

    Fringey Mini: From 23andMe to Sasquatch TV: A Very Weird Double Feature

    A whistleblower claims the CIA secretly accessed consumer DNA databases like 23andMe and Ancestry to hunt for alleged alien–human hybrids linked to the so‑called Nordic extraterrestrials — tall, blond beings supposedly hiding in small Colorado towns. Meanwhile, a Canadian filmmaker has officially set a Guinness World Record for producing the most live‑action Bigfoot movies, highlighting the global spread of Sasquatch lore. We break down both stories, from government secrecy to cryptid cinema’s booming cultural footprint. In this episode, we dive into two wildly different but strangely complementary corners of the fringe world. First, we unpack the viral claims that the CIA has been quietly accessing consumer DNA databases, including 23andMe and Ancestry, through alleged “backdoor” channels to identify people with supposed extraterrestrial ancestry. Philosopher Jason Reza Jorjani says retired Army remote viewer Lyn Buchanan told him the agency was screening for a mysterious genetic variance tied to the “Nordics,” a long‑standing UFO‑lore species described as tall, blond, blue‑eyed beings living incognito in small American towns. Despite the sensational nature of the allegations, no public evidence supports the idea that the CIA ever searched for alien‑human hybrids, and experts emphasize the scientific implausibility of such DNA markers. Still, the story taps into ongoing public fascination with UAPs, remote viewing history, and privacy concerns around genetic testing. Then we shift to Canada, where filmmaker Elliott Scott has officially entered the Guinness Book of World Records for producing the most live‑action Bigfoot films. Announced at Winnipeg’s Horror Con, the record highlights both Scott’s prolific output and the global diversity of Bigfoot traditions — from Pacific Northwest Sasquatch to Japanese variants he plans to explore in his next film. The achievement underscores how cryptid cinema continues to thrive, fueled by cultural storytelling, regional folklore, and a dedicated fan base. Together, these stories reveal how myths, conspiracies, and creative passion keep the fringe world very much alive. https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-whistleblower-claims-the-cia-is-searching-dna-sites-for-alien-human-hybrids/ https://globalnews.ca/news/12056886/canadian-filmmaker-sets-record-for-most-bigfoot-live-action-movies/ Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Fringey Mini: From 23andMe to Sasquatch TV: A Very Weird Double Feature

  3. Oct 16

    Ghoul Trotters

    Buckle up, Fringe travelers — Chelsie’s flying you (telepathically, which may somehow have an even higher carbon‑footprint) through some of the world’s most haunted places, from Chile’s perfectly preserved ghost towns to Peru’s subterranean torture chambers, London’s royal specters, and a Czech castle allegedly built over a literal gateway to hell. We wander Africa’s spiritually charged Ouidah, where Vodun and ancestral memory blur the line between haunting and living tradition, dip into India’s legally‑forbidden-after-dark cursed fort, and meet headless monks in a Philippine hotel. Australia’s Black Mountain breathes, Antarctica’s Shackleton’s Hut remembers, and Canada’s Banff Springs keeps its ghosts close behind sealed doors. It’s a global sampler of hauntings, folklore, trauma, and lingering energy — a cozy Halloween passport stamp collection for anyone who loves a good ghost story and a thinner veil. Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Ghoul Trotters

  4. Oct 14

    Fringey Mini: House of a Thousand Toothpicks

    In this Fringey Mini, we're diging into a new spin on rich people's EMOceans in an NPR piece about North Carolina’s stilt houses literally giving up and dropping into the Atlantic. Thanks to FEMA’s backwards insurance rules, homeowners are financially rewarded for letting their doomed beach houses collapse instead of removing them safely — leaving behind mountains of debris, polluted beaches, and a whole lot of rich‑people denial. It’s climate change, bad policy, and wooden toothpick stilts all coming together in an absolutley mind numbing disaster. https://www.npr.org/2026/09/17/nx-s1-5844642/fema-homes-collapse-ocean-climate-north-carolina-maine Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Fringey Mini: House of a Thousand Toothpicks

  5. Oct 9

    Arachnids of Unusual Size

    This Halloween, Journey to the Fringe creeps into the shadows to uncover the world’s largest spiders, and the chilling legends that make them more than just creatures of nature. The veil between science and nightmare is thin this Halloween. In this episode of Journey to the Fringe, we descend into the lairs of the world’s biggest spiders, the Goliath birdeater and the giant huntsman, and trace their web of myths across continents. From the jungles of South America to the catacombs beneath Paris, we explore the “Spider Monster” mystery of 1894 and the unsettling truth behind the legends that still crawl through our collective imagination. Expect goosebumps, folklore, and a few eight‑legged surprises as we spin a web of fear and fascination that only Journey to the Fringe can weave. Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Arachnids of Unusual Size

  6. Oct 7

    Fringey Mini - Defecation in the time of magnets

    Humans might secretly sense Earth’s magnetic field, but probably not enough to orient their poop or unlock fringe superpowers. We explore the strange science behind magnetoreception, why some brains react to magnetic shifts, and what it means for our place in the planet’s invisible forces. In this episode, we dive into the curious question raised by recent research: can humans actually detect Earth’s magnetic field? A Caltech experiment found that some people’s alpha brain waves subtly shift when exposed to rotating magnetic fields, hinting at a quiet, unconscious sensory response. But does that mean we’re walking around with dormant compass abilities? Not quite. We break down how the study worked, why scientists disagree about what the results really mean, and how animals like birds and turtles use magnetoreception far more effectively than we ever could. Along the way, we explore the implications, the skepticism, and the wonderfully weird possibilities that arise when you tell people they might have a magnetic sense — even if it’s not strong enough to help them navigate, predict danger, or, yes, orient their defecation. It’s fringe science, real biology, and just enough absurdity to keep things grounded. News Article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-humans-detect-magnetic-fields-180971760/ Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Fringey Mini - Defecation in the time of magnets

  7. Oct 2

    Colonialism’s Other Monster

    We're kicking off spooky season with a bang, by digging up the real origin of the zombie. In this episode we're on a wild ride starting with the Vodu soul‑theft of the Haitian Zombie, colonial nightmares, and the very real fear of becoming an eternally enslaved in the afterlife. From bottled souls to coma poisons to America’s first “wait, that’s not how zombies work” retellings, this episode unearths how a fate worse than death became a horror icon. Grab your pumpkin lights, hold onto your Ti bon ange, and remember: This October, beware: the scariest monster isn’t the zombie — it’s us. As always. Here are some links for you to check out; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrRtjJd9gxk&t=397s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGmsxBMnjA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sC_5SsMI8A&t=12s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqPvWdX4ICE Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Colonialism’s Other Monster

  8. Sep 30

    Fringey Mini: Whats the street outside of Nicholas Cage's house in Malibu up to?

    A sinkhole opens in front of Nicolas Cage’s Malibu home and somehow the real story is the emotional fallout among the ultra‑wealthy. In this mini‑sode, we unpack the LA Times report on oceanfront mansions shaking like tuning forks, cliff‑top residents feeling smugly untouchable, and the strange social hierarchy of who’s in the ocean versus who merely gazes down upon it. It’s climate chaos, coastal drama, and premium‑grade rich‑people delusion — Malibu edition. Source; https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-11/at-nicolas-cage-sinkhole-in-malibu-el-nino-fears-alter-good-vibes Have an idea for an episode or a question? You can now leave us a voicemail! Click here!

    Fringey Mini: Whats the street outside of Nicholas Cage's house in Malibu up to?
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About

Thanks for checking out our podcast! We look at fringe topics often neglected, or ill discussed, in a light hearted and open manner. These topics run the gambit from the mundane water pollution, recycling, and tax evasion to the fantastical moth persons, time travellers, and paranormal. For us there’s no cryptid too creepy, topic too trivial, or djinn to dreary. Also we like to do exposes on assholes of the UFO community. To keep things fresh (and also because we aren’t really sure how to start podcasts) we start every week off with a Fringey Mini recent news article and discussion (It’s the podcast equivalent of not knowing what to do with your hands). And as we say in our intro from the unexplained to the mundane, join us on our journey to the fringe.

Information

  • Creator
    Journey to the Fringe
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    467
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Journey to the Fringe 2021
  • Show Website
    Journey to the Fringe