This Is A Disaster

A podcast about disasters and the music they make us listen to.

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111 episodes
Updated Nov 12, 2025
Explicit

Episodes111

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Apr 15, 2020 · 52 min
Episode 26: The Tunguska Explosion
Did you know that June 30th is International Asteroid Day? Possibly because of a massive explosion in Siberia on that day in 1908. While Russia was revolting (the first time), the Tungusic people of Eastern Siberia watched as the sky was torn in half by a column of fire. Celestial police, this history of asteroid spotting, meteors on their way to meet us, and a nuclear solution. Leigh's song pick:: The Last Act of Defiance by Exodus https://open.spotify.com/track/0T4d6Pn20ar2JB1jI4MVKs Peter's song pick:: SacrotecH by Substep Infrabass https://open.spotify.com/track/0CiaYBwLKjjACQ8aoYqdSK If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Want some words of woe? Check out our new bookshelf! https://www.thisdisasterpod.com/bookshelf/ Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Apr 7, 2020 · 28 min
Episode 25.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Blowing Smoke Up Your Ass
There is a long history behind the idea of resuscitating a seemingly dead person... but it's not all chest compressions and assisted-breathing. There was a time when someone blowing smoke up your ass was a bit more literal. The road to modern CPR is paved with heart massage, a drunken sailor, and tobacco smoke enemas. Peter's song pick:: You Can Cry by Dreamshell https://open.spotify.com/track/5MddP1AcmElXJwzMSkNAuj?si=dksNY-nQTyCAQWQtOvEk1Q If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Apr 1, 2020 · 38 min
Episode 25: New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot
On February 2nd, 1980, tensions came to a breaking point at the New Mexico State Penitentiary. "But wait" you cry, "you said you don't cover acts of malice!" Trust us, the disaster here is the bungling before, during, and after the riot. Mistreat your prisoners long enough, and what do you get? Axe handles, blowtorches, snitches getting way more than stitches, and a hundred hand-written pages going up in flames. Leigh's song pick:: The Last Act of Defiance by Exodus https://open.spotify.com/track/1Gf6khfcaosSuhikXtuySj If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Mar 24, 2020 · 34 min
Episode 24.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Heron Road Bridge Collapse
In the summer of 1966, the construction of the Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa didn't go exactly to plan. A cautionary tale about listening to the groaning woodwork, and for one worker about maybe staying away from construction sites... for the rest of his life. The National Capital, the Heron Road Workers Memorial Bridge, and a man pinned by a police car. Leigh's song pick:: Summer In The City by The Lovin' Spoonful https://open.spotify.com/track/7AzFID6u1b3zIWbd9pb8Dk If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Mar 18, 2020 · 36 min
Episode 24: The Frank Slide (feat. Canadian History Ehx)
In 1903, the Turtle walked. An ancient mountain that the indigenous people of the area knew not to mess with... what better place to build a town? Better tuck it into the very base of a mine where gargantuan ancient forces spontaneously squeeze coal out. A mountain, a slide, a horse that made it through, and a reason to Stay In the Hotel. Craig's song picks:: How The Mountain Came Down by Stompin' Tom Connors https://open.spotify.com/track/6RKW1xfA6SruZO259wRnSz Frank, AB by The Rural Alberta Advantage https://open.spotify.com/track/7rzszKF334uKyvS0dGhVeV Leigh's song pick:: Moustache Rock by Shallow North Dakota https://shallownorthdakota.bandcamp.com/track/moustache-rock Peter's song pick:: Reservoir by PUP https://open.spotify.com/track/2eRp0YmxsZ4V6OsQHPhwbU Check out Canadian History Ehx (the podcast) wherever you listen! Read the amazing blog: http://canadaehx.blogspot.com/ Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigBaird If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Mar 17, 2020 · 14 min
COVID-19: State of This Disaster
Peter and Leigh check in for a "Hey, howya doin'?" A few tips for staying safe and protecting the most vulnerable, and our plan for self-isolation while keeping the disaster burning! 1) Avoid groups of people, cut any non-essential travel. 2) Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (sing the ABC song). 3) Resist the urge to hoard, someone needs one of the thing you just bought eleven of. Flattening the Curve: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/ Try-All & Error (featuring Leigh and Andy): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhwcMcXVHnDwGjYnxaJkOg If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Check out our Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jWZJEYyTXeA9EqhECjxja?si=2gDVB2GSRgidCT0gyAnUrg Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Mar 10, 2020 · 23 min
Episode 23.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Hartford Circus Fire
In 1805, a man bought an elephant in a bar. Little did he know, this would lead to a legacy alongside the Greatest Show on Earth... and also one of the most devastating fires the big top would ever see. Exotic animals, gasoline-soaked tarp, an inferno, and a reason to always carry a pocket knife. Peter's song pick:: Let Go by Frou Frou https://open.spotify.com/track/3xKTpGCsafXzV4muM1Hpl3 If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Mar 4, 2020 · 58 min
Episode 23: Typhoid Mary
In the early 19th century, family after family around New York City was contracting Typhoid Fever. The only common denominator was a soft-spoken Irish cook named Mary. Her temperament would be tested by an uncouth investigator and his persistence in collecting certain... specimens. Tinctures, bacilli, hygiene, and a fork-wielding cook in a rage. Gerri's song pick:: The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel https://open.spotify.com/track/3YfS47QufnLDFA71FUsgCM?si=KM7MXhaaSBOpjvC0PJ1K7Q Leigh's song pick:: Dogshit by Skinny Puppy https://open.spotify.com/track/2uq9oIy3Qsai8fzQ2eBG3Y?si=X3yraPTdRreICzTchXxhHg Peter's song pick:: Death To The Metal by Shitwife https://open.spotify.com/track/0voWQaTypwUB6EscH7CQTK?si=pW7LuabgS-ei-O6HAZyhug If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Feb 25, 2020 · 25 min
Episode 22.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Jim Sullivan vs The UFO
Tell us if this sounds familiar: Popular in highschool, folk musician, disastrous ending. The 1960s weren't kind to aspiring acoustic artists, and Jim Sullivan was no exception. Nashville, pornography, and alien abduction. Leigh's song pick:: Tea Leaves by Jim Sullivan https://open.spotify.com/track/3lHNjrnjc6B752A1xmy8dG If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Feb 19, 2020 · 47 min
Episode 22: Great Blizzard of 1888
Next time the weather is getting you down, think back to the time New York City was almost pulverized by the relentless Great White Hurricane. Join us as we tell the story of a particularly bad winter day in 1888 NYC. Aristotle, polar fronts, the Greely Expedition, and a new record for number of sidebars in a single episode. Leigh's song pick:: Interferon by Thomas Leer & Robert Rental https://open.spotify.com/track/0ZzIsNLOiEkkPJ6oL8MxzP Peter's song pick:: Valhalla Rising by Nytt Land https://nyttland.bandcamp.com/album/valhalla-rising-single If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Feb 11, 2020 · 50 min
Episode 21.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Chernobyl's Mental Health Fallout
Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the threat of radiation was ubiquitous. While radiation took its toll physically, it took an arguably heavier toll on the minds of those that lived near the nuclear plant... and even the world at large. A psychology professor joins us to talk about the long-term mental health effects of the Reactor Number Four meltdown in 1986. Gerri's song pick:: Recoil Ignite by Mono https://monoofjapan.bandcamp.com/track/recoil-ignite If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Feb 5, 2020 · 1 hr 43 min
Episode 21: Chernobyl - Part 2
With the echoes of the Atomic Age fading, the USSR undertook an ambitious plan to build a huge number of massive reactors all along its western border. Viktor Brukhanov was tasked with building the first four reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear generating station, as well a city nearby called Pripyat. Instead of generations of clean energy, the Soviets served up the worst nuclear accident in human history. Shoddy construction, underqualified operators, and the Soviet mentality. Chernobyl, April 26, 1986: Hell on earth. Norm's song pick:: New Noise by Refused https://open.spotify.com/track/35iLpqqQg4KrfYAzbvN1vH Leigh's song pick:: Killing Technology by Voivod https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TuEAuCH6ng Peter's song pick:: High Fells by Full Of Hell https://fullofhell.bandcamp.com/track/high-fells If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Become a patron, help us make some exciting new content! www.patreon.com/thisdisasterpod Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Jan 28, 2020 · 37 min
Episode 20.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Three Mile Island
In 1979 Jane Fonda starred in the China Syndrome, a movie about a nuclear meltdown. Twelve days later, reactor 2 at Three Mile Island melted down. Our special guest Norm tells us the story of what can go wrong at a nuclear power station and the actual consequences of the meltdown at TMI 2. Pesky post-its, stubborn valves, and a whole lotta steam. Norm's song pick:: Welcome Home Armageddon by Funeral for a Friend https://open.spotify.com/track/1B1UbbHfAXglHAV7LqfzoM If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Check out the sweet new merch in our brand new shop! Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Jan 22, 2020 · 1 hr 19 min
Episode 20: Chernobyl - Part 1
Every story needs context. In part one of our two-part series on the Chernobyl disaster, we start at the dawn of the atomic age. Our special guest Nuclear Norm gives us a "nuclear physics for dummies" introduction to the history of nuclear power. Little Boy, Fat Man, uranium, plutonium, and the shocking death of a nuclear physicist in a very non-laboratory accident. Join us as we tee up the events to come in 1986 Soviet Ukraine. Norm's song pick:: Decay by HOME https://open.spotify.com/track/5XfoqJevsj1fDLOtd5bKQg Leigh's song pick:: Hallogallo by Neu! https://open.spotify.com/track/03vZjTWmX1Bk57DIrYADdM Peter's song pick:: Soviet Anthem by The Red Army Choir https://open.spotify.com/track/0JRoo5kkeboyTWVdMEU3pw?si=avlrZ1-LT3qlj09wqueQWQ If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Jan 14, 2020 · 30 min
Episode 19.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] Le Mans 1955
The pinnacle of endurance motorsport is the 24 hours of Le Mans. In 1955, Mercedez had an excellent shot at taking the crown. Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan for Pierre Levegh, their number two driver. A tale of speed, split-second decisions, and the chemical properties of magnesium. Peter's song pick:: Rampage by Kavinsky https://open.spotify.com/track/2L229dt48Ged4SdbenZrd7 If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Check out the sweet new merch in our brand new shop! Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Jan 8, 2020 · 1 hr 13 min
Episode 19: [Film Fiasco] The Last Men On Earth
In 1954, the book "I Am Legend" envisioned a future where a sole human survivor struggled against a legion of zombie vampires. Three movies retold this story, "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price, "Omega Man" with Charlton Heston, and "I Am Legend" with Will Smith. A special guest joins us as we discuss these three versions of the End Times. Vampire zombies, lone survivors, underground societies, and a dog. Andy's song pick:: Acolytes by Horrendous https://open.spotify.com/track/3YMHTMRUSeGMfSAH8dfmok Peter's song pick:: Aura by Omega Massif https://open.spotify.com/track/2vL2BRUFGwiBSse7UGwlQt Leigh's song pick:: Porno Holocaust by Mike Patton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b32aPshWbhw If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Dec 31, 2019 · 33 min
Episode 18.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] GG Allin
Leigh tells us about a man named Jesus and raised under threat of death, with the graves dug in the basement to prove it. The music was good... at first... but then came the bodily fluids and other excretions. Typically you want the crowd to flock INTO the venue, not out of it. Punk rock, blood, poo, and a bloated corpse. GG Allin. Leigh's song pick:: Bored to Death by GG Allin & The Jabbers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPWI0CMwbfA If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! https://ratethispodcast.com/thisdisasterpod Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Check out the sweet new merch in our brand new shop! Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Dec 25, 2019 · 49 min
Episode 18: Black Christmas
Ever regretting your choice to travel by air during the holiday season? I bet it doesn't stack up to the passengers on the four aeroplanes waylaid in the Shanghai fog in Christmas 1946. In an age before GPS, where modern guidance meant an AM radio with no redundancies, attempting a landing in heavy fog was harrowing, to say the least. Merry Christmas, never fly! Leigh's song pick:: Vandal by Designer Peter's song pick:: First Breath After Coma by Explosions In The Sky https://open.spotify.com/track/619bPJZXSzqYi5vysR51Sa If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Dec 17, 2019 · 22 min
Episode 17.5: [Tragedy Tuesday] The Centralia Mine Fire
What's a decision that you've made that had the worst consequences? Maybe when Pennsylvania enacted laws against burning garbage in landfills, they knew what they were doing? Molly Maguires, abandoned mines, fighting fire with garbage, and the worst kind of eternal flame. Welcome to Centralia, home of fire. Peter's song pick:: Duhicebdo ed varicecag parvabiguf by Keygen Curch https://keygenchurch.bandcamp.com/track/duhicebdo-ed-varicecag-parvabiguf If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Check out the sweet new merch in our brand new shop! Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com
Dec 11, 2019 · 1 hr 22 min
Episode 17: We Are Alone
Christmas came early! In this bonus content companion to "Cosmic Terror (at the End of the Universe)" (Episode 11), our special guest Norm returns to discuss the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Galactic sweet spots, exobiology, little green men, and what makes us so "special". Aliens exist... or do they? Norm's song pick:: Firebeather by Thrice https://open.spotify.com/track/5mUgocO3Ob6fz1n7QYvhL9 If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a review! Also, tell your friends! Tell your enemies too, we're not picky. Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @thisdisasterpod www.thisdisasterpod.com Theme song by Blank Sun: https://blanksun.bandcamp.com