Tooth-regrowth science, dark history, and offhand banter keep this episode moving.
The Absurd starts with a detour into tooth-regrowth research in Japan, then settles into a long, grim account of Madame LaLaurie and the damage around her house.

Odd stories, dry reactions, familiar chaos.
The Absurd is a casual two-voice trip through strange news, dark history, medical oddities, disasters, and baffling human behavior. Rod and Mel move from everyday catch-up into stories about chimp conflict, Madame LaLaurie, impossible survival, bizarre bodies, and old mysteries.
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The Absurd is a loose, darkly funny oddities show where Rod and Mel turn everyday conversation into a runway for strange stories. It usually begins casually. A cold, a weekend, a hat, a meal, a question, or a small correction can lead into something far less ordinary. The subjects range widely: Madame LaLaurie, chimpanzee group violence, the 1972 Iran blizzard, double arm transplant surgery, unusual medical cases, illegal baby names, ant smuggling, skeletons in Dijon, Jonestown, and survival at sea. The show is comfortable with whiplash. One minute sounds domestic, the next is a grim historical account or a bodily detail that makes the room go quiet. Rod often carries the researched story forward while Mel reacts, challenges, guesses, or redirects the conversation. Their dynamic gives the show its shape. It feels less like a scripted tour of the bizarre and more like two familiar people reading the world's strangest file folder aloud. The research is often specific enough to give weight to the story. The banter keeps it from becoming solemn for too long. A disaster can prompt serious attention, then a practical question. A medical ordeal can be horrifying, then oddly human. The humor is dry, blunt, and sometimes crude in spirit, though the best moments come from disbelief rather than punchlines. Listener questions and comments also appear, especially around milestone and bonus episodes. The show returns often to bodies, death, animals, true crime, impossible accidents, old newspaper strangeness, and the kind of news item that seems fake until the details pile up. It is not trying to sound clinical. It is not trying to sound refined. The charm is in the digressions, the half-chaotic pacing, and the way Rod and Mel keep pulling ordinary life back into stories that are anything but ordinary.
Made for: For listeners who like strange-history and weird-news podcasts with casual banter, dark humor, and room for tangents. It suits people who can handle grim material when it is softened by conversational warmth.
What sets it apart: The Absurd stands out by letting researched oddities collide with ordinary life instead of sanding the conversation into a tight narrative package. Rod and Mel make the grotesque feel oddly companionable without pretending it is harmless.
Welcome friends to The Absurd. A podcast about things absurd. News, histories, mysteries, and strange goings-on. Our stories are freaky, funny, and sometimes frightening. So sit back, get comfy, and get ready for The Absurd.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Rod and Mel find comedy in the stubbornly illogical details hiding inside strange news, grim history, and extraordinary human experiences.
The Absurd turns strange news and unsettling history into conversational comedy, with Rod presenting the details and Mel interrupting with guesses, questions, and dry reactions. Their exchanges make dense material approachable without sanding off its oddness.
A stolen car earns a seatbelt fine; Rod and Mel invite your disbelief.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Tooth-regrowth science, dark history, and offhand banter keep this episode moving.
The Absurd starts with a detour into tooth-regrowth research in Japan, then settles into a long, grim account of Madame LaLaurie and the damage around her house.
A 100th-episode hangout that slides from banter into a grim chimp conflict story.
The show marks its 100th regular episode with a mix of celebratory banter, long-haul jokes, and the kind of mild exasperation that comes with reaching a milestone by accident as much as by design.
Loose banter gives way to a brutal blizzard story that hits hard.
This episode starts in an ordinary register, with a chest cold, a windy day, and two hosts talking around the edges before the story moves into the Iran blizzard of 1972.
A chatty runway into a grim, memorable survival story.
The episode starts with weather talk and buns, then pivots hard into a survival story, and that tonal snap is the hook. The hosts stay conversational and matter-of-fact as Felix's shark attack, the hospital stay, and the repeated surgeries come into view, which keeps the medical…
A dumb theft, a worse fine, and enough seatbelt talk to keep the rant grounded.
A stolen SUV, a seatbelt infringement, and a police response that never quite shows up give this one its shape. The conversation keeps circling the same odd real-world mess until it opens into seatbelt history, plain public-safety logic, and the irritation of cameras flagging a…


Sports talk with family room heat.




The episode opens with a warning about mature subject matter, adult themes, and profanity, then moves into an update on experimental tooth-regrowth research in Japan.
The hosts mark the show's 100th regular episode.
This episode explores bizarre and dark historical stories including Mexican Corpse Bride, Jonestown, and Lobster Boy, with a warning about mature content.
This episode opens with a sponsorship for Mood.com's cannabis delivery service, followed by a casual introduction and warning about mature content.
The hosts introduce their podcast 'The Absurd,' which covers bizarre histories, mysteries, and news, while casually discussing art and scrapbooking.
This episode of The Absurd podcast explores absurd news stories including ant smuggling, a Maltese mystery, and the sad case of Rahma Haruna, featuring casual banter between hosts.
The Absurd opens on a windy day and a stubborn chest cold.
It begins with banter.
The hosts open with a casual catch-up, a snide mention of a tenants association meeting, and the kind of easy banter that warms the room before the bad news shows up.
Hosts Rod and Mel read four odd news stories, led by a Yunnan, China mushroom that triggers "Lilliputian" hallucinations of tiny people unless cooked for 15 minutes.
This episode celebrates Canada Day with lighthearted banter about holiday traditions, community events, and humorous political commentary on current Canadian identity.
This episode opens with an ad for Keraloha bamboo sheets promoting cooler sleep, followed by a humorous warning about mature content and a casual mention of Harvey's poutine.
The hosts of The Absurd podcast introduce their show about absurd, freaky, and funny stories, then engage in casual banter about weather and window cleaning.
This episode of The Absurd podcast explores absurd, funny, freaky, and frightening topics, including old histories, mysteries, and strange occurrences, with a warning about mature content.