Crimes, Killers, Cults and Beer: A True Crime Podcast · Dark Pass Productions

153 Botched Executions Through History: With History Goon and Murder Coaster

·1 hr 27 min·5 clips

Margaret Pole’s execution took 11 axe strokes, and the crowd watched the blunt-force killing unfold.

The show opens with a crossover-style hangout and spends most of its time letting the hosts and guests talk through execution history in plain language. Kevin from History Goon joins the conversation first, and the episode quickly settles into the show's usual mix of introductions, corrections, jokes, and digressions. The discussion focuses on how executions were carried out, including the idea of a firing squad with one blank round so nobody knows who fired the killing shot. That detail leads into the broader logic of plausible deniability, which the episode treats as both grimly practical and a little absurd. The conversation also touches on the old origin of "x marks the spot," tied here to pirate executions and marked targets on the body. From there it veers into pirate history, Treasure Island, and a side note about Black Sails. Murder Matt from the Mighty Murder Coaster stays in the mix as the discussion bounces between history, crime, and pop-culture references. The hosts keep the pace loose and conversational. They interrupt themselves, laugh at their own asides, and keep coming back to the main topic without trying to clean it up too much. The episode is built around shared enthusiasm more than formal structure. The tone stays casual even when the subject matter turns ugly. There is no effort to make the material feel sanitized. Instead, the episode leans into the show's rough-edged personality and uses that energy to keep a heavy topic moving. Listeners get a clear sense of how the show likes to work: prepared notes are there, but the conversation is allowed to wander. The result is less lecture than table talk. That makes the episode feel immediate and human, even when the subject is centuries-old violence. It also means the episode rewards listeners who enjoy personality as much as information. The hosts clearly know their material, but they care just as much about the rhythm of the conversation as the facts themselves. By the end, the episode has covered execution methods, historical trivia, and a few sideways recommendations without ever pretending to be neat.

As heard by us

A loose history hangout that turns execution trivia into funny, easygoing banter.

Crimes, Killers, Cults, and Beer plays like a loose history hangout, with Kevin Carlton of History Goon and Murder Matt Brockmeyer of Murder Coaster steering the talk.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want history, jokes, and guest banter with no museum tone.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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