Zealot

So long, and thanks for all the cults.

Jo Thornely talks to Matt Bevan about a guy who shares a load of characteristics with cult leaders, if he could only just get organised: Donald Trump.

Jo Thornely talks to Josh Dean about a guy who did more damage to the Hare Krishna reputation than repetitive airport chanting: Keith Ham.

Jo Thornely talks to Paul Verhoeven about a man who made everyone who watched Tiger King say hmmmm: Doc Antle.

Jo Thornely talks to Rhys Nicholson about a man who made a college dorm look even more like a cult than usual: Lawrence Ray.

Jo Thornely talks to Marieke Hardy about a cult led by a man skilled in the arts of manipulation, push-ups, and Speedo-wearing: The Buddhafield.

Jo Thornely talks to Cal Wilson about a Kiwi cult that she visited as a child, remembering the headscarves and gardening, but not the huge cache of weapons: Camp David.

Jo Thornely talks to Courtney Fry about a rugged Aussie cult leader who likes perfect nectarines and being called Taipan: James Salerno and the Ideal Human Environment.

Jo Thornely talks to Yvie Jones about a big-haired lady who’ll tell you Jesus wants you to be skinny and fat people go to hell: Gwen Shamblin.

Jo Thornely talks to Lauren Bonner about a guy who took a short break from being a prison inmate to develop his skills as a songwriter and cult leader: Charles Manson.

Jo Thornely talks to Rose Callaghan about an actor whose most convincing roles are as a rock star and a cult leader: Jared Leto.

Jo Thornely talks to Brianna Williams about a woman who has made sure you’ll find her if you Google how to kill yourself: Teal Swan.

Jo Thornely talks to Alex Jae about a family that hates you, pancakes and nerds, but LOVES bedroom murals and knock-off Ed Hardy: Westboro Baptist Church.

Jo Thornely talks to Gary Smith about a clever trust fund brat with an unhygienic attitude towards canapés: Aleister Crowley.

Jo Thornely talks to Rob Stott about a cult that slaps the demons out of you and serves pizza afterwards: Grace Road Church.

Jo Thornely talks to Lucas Brown about a cult that loved communism, forks and fornicating: The Oneida Community.

Jo Thornely talks to Alison Piotrowski about a cult that loves the twin themes of reincarnation and boobs: Universal Medicine.

Jo Thornely talks to Jeremy Davidson about a murderous cult leader whose only assets were fake nuns and sartorial style : DeVernon LeGrand.

Jo Thornely talks to Natalie Norman live at the Toronto True Crime Film Festival about a guy who balances on the twin pillars of okayness and staring: John De Ruiter.

Jo Thornely talks to Simone Holtznagel about (probably) the only cult that started with health food and ended with hang gliding: The Source Family.

Jo Thornely talks to Chris Deal about a guy accused of both running a sex cult and dropping killer jams: R Kelly.

Jo Thornely talks to Brock Wilbur about a cult-slash-multi-level-marketing organisation inspired by Scientology, Amway, and deep misogyny: NXIVM.

Jo Thornely talks to Dan Ilic about a cult led by a guy who calls himself “The Little Pebble” but who others call “a convicted paedophile”: The Order of St Charbel.

Jo Thornely talks to Alex Monnig about a cult full of grown up child celebrities and bad financial management: Full Circle.

Jo Thornely talks to Myf Warhurst about a cult full of dope fiends and squares, visited by jazz cats and celebrities: Synanon.

Jo Thornely talks to Bec Charlwood about a café-operating cult that makes veggie burgers out of tofu, sprouts, and relentless corporal punishment: Twelve Tribes

Jo Thornely talks to Bec Shaw about a cult that shows giving medieval re-enactment nerds capes and power is never a good idea: The Order of the Solar Temple.

Jo Thornely talks to Patrick Lenton about a cult that really knows their way around a spaceship and a box of coloured pencils: Universe People.

Jo Thornely talks to Adam Richard about a cult famous for bedazzled denim and tax evasion: Tony Alamo and his Christian Ministries.

Jo Thornely talks to Colin Delaney about a cult synonymous with hair, balls, and syncopated rhythm: House Of David.

Jo Thornely talks to Jan Fran about a cult that puts the prayer into prairie dresses but otherwise makes you feel a bit sick: The FLDS.

Jo Thornely talks to Shelley Stocken about a cult that hits its lows in the twin categories of child-rearing and hairdressing: The Family.

Jo Thornely talks to Mat Whitehead about a cult that blames minor ailments on past lives and heals via improv and costuming: Unarius.

Jo Thornely talks to Dan Barrett about a drunk sadist who enjoys a bit of experimental surgery but also bakes a mean baguette: Roch Theriault.

Jo Thornely talks to Michael Beveridge about a cult that dresses like an army but makes Youtube videos like a teenage boy: The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps.

Jo Thornely talks to Rowdie Walden about a cult on a remote volcanic island that has a doddering old racist as its deity: The Prince Philip Movement.

Jo Thornely talks to Dan Debuf about the possible cult leader who’s blowing the cover of reptilian shapeshifters worldwide: Sherry Shriner.

Jo Thornely talks to Andrew P Street about the cult that ruined train travel and hair tea for everyone: Aum Shinrikyo.

Jo Thornely talks to Greg Morrow about the cult that was good news for fire but bad news for Vernons: The Branch Davidians.

Jo Thornely talks to Lorin Pickup about the cult that started with a Brylcreem messiah and ended with one of the biggest mass suicides of all time: Jonestown.

Jo Thornely talks to Russ Tainton about the cult that stopped a sneaker line and abandoned its testes: Heaven's Gate.

Jo Thornely talks to Nadine Von Cohen about an evil Chilean Nazi torture cult so heinous they made a bad movie about it: Colonia Dignidad

Jo Thornely talks to Kerri Sackville about the cult well known for mass weddings and less well known for disgusting sex handkerchiefs: The Moonies.

Jo Thornely talks to Rachael Mogan McIntosh about the cult that inspired luxury car ownership, salad bar terrorism, and tough titties: The Rajneeshees.

Do we live inside the Earth or is it full of racists and waterfalls? Are they the same thing? Jo Thornely wonders with Eddie Sharp

Jo Thornely talks to Katie Jamieson about the go-to cult for man-buns and active wear: The Raelians

Jo Thornely talks to Tristan Lutze about Children of God, a cult responsible for the world's creepiest boob comics.

Jo Thornely talks to Jacqui Kassulke about everybody's favourite cult for short people and aliens: Scientology,