Human F*ckery
If you waited by the TV for new episodes of “Are You Afraid of the Dark” each weekend or wasted study hall reading the weird parts of the encyclopedia, this one’s for you SPECIFICALLY. “Human F*ckery” pits a doctor of psychology and an investigative journalist against one another in a battle of wits, research, and creative storytelling. Each episode the curious pair get assigned a topic. Then, they go spelunking through history’s colon in an effort to find the most jaw-dropping, unbelievable, and utterly bonkers examples of that topic buried in the dark history deposited by our collective ancestors. What’s the point? To captivate, occasionally horrify, and accidentally educate a rotating panel of judges—including you, the listener—into crowning one of our hosts the winner. This irreverent showcase for darker narratives buried in the historic trash heap was the winner of 2021’s Best of the Beat Award here in New Orleans, which means it’s enjoyed by people besides the hosts’ parents.
Human F*ckery
"Joe Exotic"
Full disclosure: When Edward proposed this interview back in March, Kimberly’s immediate response was “Why the fuck would we talk to Joe Exotic?” (She’s a delicate flower like that.) And it’s a fair question. While Tiger King was a savagely addictive and jaw-dropping series, it was also rife with animal abuse, unchecked misogyny, predatory sexual behavior, and Adults Behaving Like Children—all things neither of our hosts are fans of.
As our resident philosopher, Edward quickly pointed out how prison has palpably changed the manic antihero the world first met back in 2020. Once singularly focused on self-promotion, the Joe Exotic of 2023 has been campaigning heavily for prison reform over the last 18 months…something Human Fuckery can very much get behind. Mr. Exotic was placed in solitary confinement “for his own protection” under suspicious circumstances and held for roughly 18 months in an Atlanta-based federal penitentiary now under investigation for human rights violations, including breaches of the 6th (right to effective legal counsel) and 8th (freedom from cruel and unusual punishment) constitutional amendments.
Edward’s also a passionate advocate for the idea that people fundamentally NEED a “path to redemption” in order for life to be worth living and that giving each other the opportunity to express remorse and grow is part of “doing the work.” Since HF’s ultimate goal is to guide people toward more human decency, conversing with a man learning to advocate for others at age 60 to see how he’s grown seemed a potentially good learning experience.
So Gary set up a call to Butler Federal Medical Center, a prison for inmates with complex health issues, in North Carolina, where Joe Exotic is being evaluated for his second cancer diagnosis in as many years while serving his 21-year sentence.
Love him or hate him, there’s no question that Joe’s one of the breakout storytellers and characters of the last decade. Whether he’s achieved a full redemption arc yet is up to you to decide for yourself.