Bittersweet Infamy

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Remember that notorious person? That unbelievable case? That shocking event? Josie Mitchell and Taylor Basso remember. Here's the story.

Taylor Basso, Josie Mitchell


    • Jun 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 29m AVG DURATION
    • 125 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Bittersweet Infamy podcast is a refreshing break from the true crime genre, offering a diverse range of topics that are both intriguing and entertaining. Hosted by Josie and Taylor, their effortless kindness, humor, and intelligence shines through each episode without any cringeworthy moments. One of the best aspects of this podcast is the wide span and obscurity of the topics covered, which are always well-researched and enhanced by the hosts' witty banter. Whether it's Josie or Taylor telling the story, listeners can always expect a great experience. In fact, this podcast has become so interesting that some listeners actually look forward to their tedious work tasks just so they can listen to it.

    Josie and Taylor's dynamic is one of the key highlights of The Bittersweet Infamy podcast. Their chemistry feels natural and inviting, making it feel as if you're sitting at a brewery with your two most charming friends who are sharing wild anecdotes. Additionally, their laughs are infectious and unique in their own way. Taylor's classic baritone laugh brings a smile to your face every time, while Josie's giggle-laughs belong in classic Hannah Barbara cartoons. This dynamic duo keeps listeners engaged throughout every episode.

    As for downsides, it is difficult to pinpoint any major flaws within this podcast. However, some listeners may prefer more consistency in terms of content format or topics covered. While the variety is appreciated by many, others may find it slightly overwhelming or inconsistent in terms of their personal interests.

    In conclusion, The Bittersweet Infamy podcast has awakened a newfound love for podcasts in many listeners. It offers a perfect blend of interesting stories brought to life by Josie and Taylor's excellent storytelling abilities and rapport with each other. With its diverse range of topics covered and their humorous yet tasteful engagement with each story, this podcast is guaranteed to keep your existential dread at bay for 90 minutes per episode. Whether you're a true crime enthusiast or simply enjoy human interest stories, The Bittersweet Infamy podcast is a must-listen that will leave you eagerly awaiting each new episode.



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    Latest episodes from Bittersweet Infamy

    #125 - The White Witch of Rose Hall

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2025 98:32


    Josie tells Taylor about Annie Palmer, the legendary murderous vodou matron whose ghost is said to haunt her Montego Bay plantation—and how her story wrestles with the true spectre of slavery in Jamaica. Plus: learn about Lapu-Lapu, the hero of Philippine resistance who crushed Ferdinand Magellan's dreams of circumnavigating the globe.

    #124 - My X Father

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2025 75:19


    Guest host Kai Cheng Thom tells Josie and Taylor about the turbulent relationship between terminally online rich guy Elon Musk and his transgender daughter Vivian Wilson. Plus: look to the heavens as we memorialize the ill-fated Laika, the first dog in space.

    #123 - The Wreck of the Titan

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2025 98:42


    In the finale of our Titanic April series, Taylor tells Josie about the discovery and exploration of the Titanic's wreck, and the deadly 2023 implosion of the OceanGate Titan submersible. Plus: learn about Charles Joughin, the infamous "drunken baker" who seemingly survived the sinking of the Titanic with a bit of liquid courage.

    #122 - Women and Children First

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 98:06


    As part of our Titanic April series, Josie tells Taylor about the history of the disaster evacuation rule "women and children first," and how the gender roles of 1912 impacted the victims and survivors of the Titanic's sinking. Plus: history repeats itself as we check out the ambitious (or unrealistic?) plans for three modern Titanic replicas.

    #121 - Nazi Titanic (and Other Films in Which Ships Sink)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2025 76:41


    As part of our Titanic April series, Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about the film adaptations of the Titanic story, including Saved from the Titanic, the lost 1912 film that starred an actual survivor, and 1943's Titanic, the Nazi propaganda flick whose turbulent production was connected to an even more deadly maritime tragedy. Plus: was world-famous boxer Jack Johnson really turned away from the Titanic because of the colour of his skin?

    #120 - The Sinking of the RMS Titanic

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 133:46


    To launch our Titanic April series, Josie tells Taylor about the most infamous maritime disaster in history: the sinking of the largest ocean liner in the world, the RMS Titanic, after hitting an iceberg on her 1912 maiden voyage.

    #119 - In the Garden of the Emperor

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2025 138:06


    Taylor tells Josie about France's disastrous attempt to overthrow the Mexican government in the 1860s, and the unwise rise and catastrophic fall of the last emperor of Mexico, Maximilian I. Plus: Taylor unpacks his trip to Cuernavaca, Mexico, including a tour of Jardín Borda, Emperor Maximilian's lavish personal garden.

    #118 - How the West Was Sold

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2025 107:51


    Josie tells Taylor how our modern cultural image of the Wild West was constructed by one man: soldier and showman "Buffalo" Bill Cody. Plus: unravelling the mystery of the Persian Princess, the mummy whose royal trappings disguised a heartbreaking hoax.

    #117 - My Perfect Socialist Daughter Must Die

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2025 101:20


    Taylor tells Josie about the toxic, possessive, and deadly mother-daughter relationship between 1930s Spanish political activists Aurora and Hildegart Rodríguez Carballeira. Plus: unearthing the legend of the green children of Woolpit, the green-skinned changelings who've mystified the world since the 12th century CE.

    #116 - A Most Unusual Proposal

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2025 113:56


    Josie tells Taylor about the unconventional art project that saw American artist Jill Magid propose to Italian archivist Federica Zanco with a diamond made from the physical remains of prominent Mexican architect Luis Barragán. Plus: head up to Dawson City, Yukon, and join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club—by drinking a cocktail made with a severed human toe!

    #115 - This Bud's Not for You

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2025 109:17


    Taylor tells Josie the stories of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, whose TikTok ad for Bud Light kicked off a right-wing beer boycott, and January Marie Lapuz, the beloved social butterfly whose 2012 killing shocked Vancouver's LGBTQ+ community.

    #114 - The Terrorist Heiress

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2025 175:43


    Season five premiere! Josie tells Taylor about heiress turned abductee turned revolutionary Patricia Hearst, and her explosive odyssey with the militia that kidnapped her, the Symbionese Liberation Army. Plus: the tragic saga of the animal outlaws who became MAGA martyrs, Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon.

    #113 - The Twelve Days of Infamy

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 126:22


    Holiday special! Taylor tells Josie one infamous story for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas—from the drummer the Beatles drummed out of the band, to a Partridge naked on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

    #112 - A Spirited Tour of Spiritualism

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2024 126:27


    Halloween special + season finale! Josie tells Taylor about the haunting history of the modern Spiritualist movement—from the crafty teen sisters who brought it to life, to the high-profile feud between Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that nearly caused its demise. Plus: get dressed up for Jimi (地味) Halloween, Japan's costumed celebration of the mundane and everyday; and walk with us amongst the dead at Old City Cemetery in Galveston, Texas.

    #111 - The War of the Worlds

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2024 103:07


    Halloween special! Taylor tells Josie about the 1938 Orson Welles radio play about a Martian invasion that allegedly caused a mass hysteria, and the 1949 Ecuadorean remake that went even further. Plus: flesh out your fall reading list with the world's largest collection of books bound in human skin!

    #110 - The Killers of Eden

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2024 102:20


    Guest host Peter Chiykowski tells Josie and Taylor about the pod of orcas who hunted in harmony with humans until a brutal betrayal ended it all. Plus: catch up with Darwin the Ikea Monkey, the stylish snow macaque whose fetching winter coat kept him warm through a chilly legal battle.

    killers peter chiykowski
    #109 - Night at the Dick Museum

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2024 98:22


    Josie tells Taylor about the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which contains the world's largest display of phalluses, and curator Sigurður Hjartarson's quest for the collection's crown jewel: a human penis. Plus: listen to "Amelia's Song," the mysterious melody that reunited a family across cultures, continents, and centuries.

    song museum sigur hjartarson icelandic phallological museum
    #108 - Satan's Last Stronghold

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2024 89:10


    Guest host Erika Jo Brown tells Josie and Taylor about the evangelical Christian fervour that led American missionary John Chau to contact the voluntarily isolated people of North Sentinel Island—with deadly results. Plus: get to know Erika Jo with a harvest-fresh game of Bitter or Sweet?

    #107 - The Tower

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 98:33


    Taylor tells Josie about Alicia Esteve “Tania” Head, the prominent 9/11 survivor who was exposed as a fraud. Plus: a deep dive into the centuries-old history of the ama, Japan's legendary pearl divers.

    #106 - The Party Bus Omnibus

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2024 112:36


    Josie celebrates Taylor's birthday with a series of infamous party stories, featuring guests of honour from Kim Kardashian to Kim Jong-il. Plus: step into the ring with the Fighting Cholitas, the professional wrestlers crushing stereotypes of Indigenous women in Bolivia.

    #105 - I Hate Brenda

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2024 110:04


    Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about '90s nighttime soap queen and tabloid bad girl Shannen Doherty. Plus: a closer listen to hit em, the new musical genre that came to its creator in a dream.

    #104 - Artifact or Fiction?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2024 102:29


    Josie tells Taylor about the muddy line between forgery and art, and how Mexican ceramicist Brígido Lara made it even muddier. Plus: 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern, his VP pick Thomas Eagleton, and the electroshock controversy that killed their campaign in only 18 days.

    #103 - Mine, All Mine

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 91:08


    Taylor tells Josie about the legend of Slumach's gold, and the curses, killings, and calamity surrounding the mythical lost mine of Pitt Lake, British Columbia. Plus: Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander and the controversial sculpture that lost its head in the culture wars.

    #102 - Waste 'n' Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2024 99:29


    Josie tells Taylor about humankind's attempts to communicate the dangers of nuclear waste to our descendants in the very distant future. Plus: the declassified truth about Acoustic Kitty, the CIA's ill-fated attempt to engineer a feline spy.

    #101 - Hachikō, Stay

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2024 87:53


    Taylor tells Josie about Hachikō, the Japanese dog who became a national icon by loyally waiting for his long-dead master, and other very good boys of note. Plus: the long, curly tale of the feral hogs of Ossabaw Island, and the unusual attempts to preserve and study them.

    japanese hachik ossabaw island
    #100 - One Hundred Gumballs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 65:11


    Josie and Taylor present the Melties, celebrating your choices for the best moments of 100 episodes of Bittersweet Infamy. Josie chews so much gum that she becomes unstuck in the multiverse. Taylor's vendetta with an old foe has deadly consequences.

    #99 - Country Lessons

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2024 113:37


    Josie tells Taylor about the controversial 2016 CMA Awards performance by Beyoncé and The Chicks, and how it inspired Beyoncé's 2024 album, Cowboy Carter. Plus: it's full speed ahead on the Road to the Melties as Taylor and Josie prepare their ballots for episode 100 of Bittersweet Infamy!

    #98 - I Beg That I Have Not Intruded

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2024 100:56


    Taylor tells Josie about activist Sacheen Littlefeather, her protest on behalf of actor Marlon Brando at the 1973 Academy Awards, the disputes around her claims to Indigeneity, and the history of Indigenous identity fraud. Plus: does Denver's infamous haunted horse statue, Blucifer, have a cousin? Did the Wicked Witch of the West really ruin an episode of Sesame Street? Josie puts her undefeated streak on the line in the April Fools' Fact or Fiction Minfamous!

    #97 - URGENT! Exclusive Opportunity

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2024 90:34


    Josie tells Taylor about the history of the Nigerian prince email scam, and the rise and fall of influencer/fraudster Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, a.k.a. Hushpuppi the Billionaire Gucci Master. Plus: a chess-playing robot attacks a child? A viral chess trend makes it to outer space? The truth isn't black and white in the April Fools' Fact or Fiction Minfamous!

    #96 - All 33 of Us Are Safe in the Shelter

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2024 97:20


    Taylor tells Josie about the 2010 San José mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, and the 33 miners whose rescue captivated viewers around the world. Plus: the fatal 2009 accident at Utah's Nutty Putty Cave.

    #95 - Florida Man

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2024 95:37


    Josie tells Taylor about Florida Man, the memetic everyman whose chaotic antics dominate the headlines of the Sunshine State. Plus: a shambolic AI-generated Willy Wonka live experience leaves parents and kids in a world of pure infuriation.

    #94 - Dulce Amor (Sweet Love)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2024 59:38


    Bittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart “CUTIE,” Taylor tells Josie about “Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu,” the viral TikTok anthem based on Peruvian ex-president Martín Vizcarra's alleged salacious WhatsApp messages. Plus: Josie and Taylor indulge in a racy game of F, Marry, Kill!

    #93 - The Tree Huggers

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2024 72:32


    Bittersweet Romance - Candy Hearts edition! Inspired by the randomly chosen candy heart "HUG ME," Josie tells Taylor about the Chipko movement of 1970s Northern India, where villagers hugged trees to save the endangered Himalayan forests. Plus: learn about the infamous reality TV show, "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" Are you sure "I do" is your final answer? 

    #92 - No Other Love

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2024 85:21


    Bittersweet Romance! Taylor tells Josie about the turbulent marriage between R&B icon Faith Evans and rap legend The Notorious B.I.G., and the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop feud that ended in two of music's most infamous assassinations. Plus: meet the Egyptologist influencer couple whose controversial cosplay is making waves up and down the Nile River.

    #91 - Driven

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2024 95:22


    Bittersweet Romance! Josie tells Taylor about astronaut Lisa Nowak and her most dangerous mission: an overnight drive from Houston to Orlando to eliminate a romantic rival. Plus: Jack and Meg White of award-winning rock band The White Stripes—brother and sister? Married? Neither? Both?

    #90 - I'd Like to Phone a Friend

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2024 118:45


    In this special episode, Taylor surprises Josie with Bittersweet Ambush, a guerrilla game show with a devious twist, before telling her about the history of game show cheating scandals, including: the quiz show fixing trials of the 1950s; the ultra-gamers that broke Press Your Luck and The Price is Right; and the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? scammers who coughed their way to the million.

    #89 - To the Island

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2024 97:58


    Josie tells Taylor about the life and letters of New Zealand writer Janet Frame, who was scheduled for a lobotomy when her debut book won a national prize. Plus: keeping it Kiwi with a report back from Josie and Mitchell's van life honeymoon on New Zealand's South Island.

    #88 - The Final Countdown

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2023 102:11


    New Year's Eve special! Taylor tells Josie about the computer glitch turned doomsday spectacle: the millennium bug, Y2K. Plus: as Steamboat Willie lapses into the public domain, we look back at the colourful history of Disney's Mickey Mouse copyright. 

    #87 - SantaCon is Coming to Town

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2023 89:19


    Holiday special! Josie tells Taylor about the anarchic origins of the rowdy annual Santa celebration, SantaCon. Plus: on Christmas Day 1914, a heartwarming moment of peace emerges from the icy trenches of war.

    #86 - Self-Insert

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2023 96:50


    Guest host Amanda Ortiz tells Josie and Taylor about the web of fate connecting the September 11 terrorist attacks, My Chemical Romance, Twilight, and 50 Shades of Grey. Plus: the local legend of Jim McIngvale a.k.a. Mattress Mack, Houston's best known gambler, philanthropist, and furniture baron.

    #85 - Rand Larceny

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2023 98:08


    Josie tells Taylor about South Africa's crooked cop turned brazen bank robber, the infamous André Stander. Plus: the stone cold truth about the most iconic novelty gift of the 1970s—the Pet Rock.

    #84 - Gotta Get Down On Friday

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2023 87:04


    Season premiere! Taylor tells Josie about the viral anthem of 2011, "Friday," and the sudden infamy of singer Rebecca Black. Plus: all the gossip from Josie and Mitchell's wedding, including the haunting in hotel room #309!

    #83 - A House That Eats Girls

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2023 120:09


    Halloween special + season finale! Taylor tells Josie and guest host Mitchell Collins about the scary movie co-written by a child: Nobuhiko Obayashi's infamously eccentric experimental horror comedy, House (1977). Plus: Josie and Mitchell trap Taylor in a fiendish and frightening choose-your-own-adventure story!

    #82 - Get the Hell Out

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2023 95:27


    Halloween special! Josie tells Taylor about three infamous exorcisms, including a convent of hell-raising nuns in 17th century France, a passel of seemingly possessed Pueblo women in the Spanish colony of New Mexico, and the mid-century possession that inspired the classic horror flick The Exorcist. Plus: unearthing the shadowy secret behind Powers of Darkness, the Icelandic translation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

    #81 - The Flying Tailor

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2023 82:02


    Taylor tells Josie about garment-maker/inventor Franz Reichelt and his fateful 1912 flight from the Eiffel Tower. Plus: unmasking Saúl Armendáriz, a.k.a. Cassandro, an iconic and exotic figure in the world of lucha libre (Mexican professional wrestling).

    #80 - The Mysterious Affair at Harrogate

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2023 99:46


    Josie tells Taylor about the infamous 1926 disappearance of mystery icon Agatha Christie. Plus: the shocking lost Sesame Street episode that traumatized child audiences, "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce."

    #79 - The Empress of Canada

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2023 91:56


    In the final episode of our special British Columbia-centric Bittersweet 604 series, guest host The Established, Shanda Leer tells Josie and Taylor about legendary Vancouver drag queen and activist ted northe, the Imperial Court System, and the Dogwood Monarchist Society. Plus: the real story of professional wrestling's Fake Razor Ramon, BC's own Rick Bognar.

    #78 - Brother XII of the Great White Lodge

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2023 97:47


    In this road trip special recorded inside a 1970 Volkswagen bus in Jordan River, BC, Taylor tells Josie about spiritualist Edward Arthur Wilson, a.k.a. Brother XII, and the Aquarian Foundation, Vancouver Island's mystical doomsday cult. Plus: the sweetest protest in Canadian history—the Ladysmith chocolate bar strike of 1947.

    #77 - The Right Side of the Tracks

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2023 94:22


    In this road trip special recorded in the forests of Jordan River, BC, Josie tells Taylor about the Militant Mothers of Raymur, who stood in front of speeding trains to make a better world for their children. Plus: a blurry glimpse of two of British Columbia's most elusive residents—the serpentine marine monsters, Cadborosaurus and Ogopogo.

    #76 - One Book, Two Books, Banned Books, Blue Books

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2023 95:31


    In this 604 studio special, Taylor tells Josie about children's educator and LGBTQ+ activist James Chamberlain, and his fight against Surrey School District 36 to teach kids that parents come in every colour of the rainbow—featuring an original interview with James himself. Plus: W̱SÁNEĆ elder Dave Elliott Sr., and the thrift store typewriter he used to save the SENĆOŦEN language from extinction.

    #75 - From the Andes to Israel With Love

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2023 94:40


    Taylor tells Josie about "En Tus Tierras Bailaré", a musical love ode to Israel performed by three of Latin America's most infamous YouTube stars—Delfín "Hasta el Fin" Quishpe, La Tigresa del Oriente, and "La Pequeña" Wendy Sulca. Plus: Tonka the celebrity chimp, his allegedly fake death, and Scottish actor Alan Cumming's quest to bring the sordid truth to light.

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