KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS! cover art

KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

KOOKS, CRANKS, AND ICONOCLASTS!

By: Michael Lucht Spencer Lowery Chris Wells Jonas Lucht Jason Lloyd
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Summary

Greetings & Salutations! We're here to cover various interesting/infamous/inexplicable living enigmas & anomalies from across all of time, space, maybe even beyond, & from history BOTH ANCIENT & RECENT! Basically it's "BIOGRAPHY!" but focused solely on WEIRDOS! Listen then repeat what you hear to sound smart at parties! STOP being MYOPIC! START being ESOTERIC! (Mmm! Yum!) Stay tuned True Believers! Clear The Hump w/us as we provide Weekly Bios on strange/insane/shameful/lost/forgotten Misfits of History! Comedy/Conspiracy/True Crime/High Strangeness!Michael Lucht, Spencer Lowery, Chris Wells, Jonas Lucht, Jason Lloyd
Episodes
  • BLACK MAGIC ACADEMIES pt.3: DOMDANIEL/THE BIZANGO - "JINN & TONIC, WHISKEY TENGU FOXTROT"
    May 8 2026

    Hidey-hidey-hidey-HOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAH! Sup you beautiful kooks! Here it is, the finale of the "Black Magic Academies" world tour! This episode covers: "DOMDANIEL", Mt. Longhu and the "Fangshi" ritual masters, Mt. Kurama and it's Tengu teachers, another (almost obligatory at this point) dip into "Gu/Kodoku Magic", the Azande witches of central Africa, the Siddhas and Nagas of MT. (mufuggin') KAILASH! (not to mention all the other various weird shit going on around that place!), and finally we end our journey in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti where we'll examine the voodoo secret society known as THE BIZANGO! All of this merely just sets the stage for the mindbending deep weirdness coming around the corner next episode so get your mind-holes ready! PLEASE TO ENJOY!

    Email us: kooksandcranks@gmail.com

    SOURCES: holy shit...here goes...

    The Discoverie of Witchcraft — Reginald Scot

    The History of Magic — Éliphas Lévi

    The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft — Rosemary Ellen Guiley

    To Live as Long as Heaven and Earth — Robert Ford Campany

    Daoism and Chinese Culture — Livia Kohn

    Celestial Masters — Terry Kleeman

    https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/jiangxi/yingtan/longhu-mountain.htm

    The Tengu: Demon Warriors of Japan — Stephen Turnbull

    Japanese Demon Lore — Noriko T. Reider

    https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3903.html

    Civilized Shamans — Geoffrey Samuel

    The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep — Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

    The Serpent Power — Arthur Avalon

    Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic Among the Azande — E. E. Evans-Pritchard

    The Serpent and the Rainbow — Wade Davis

    Earth Lights — Paul Devereux

    Passport to Magonia — Jacques Vallée

    The Trickster and the Paranormal — George P. Hansen

    A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult by Suzannah Lipscomb

    https://www.sapienceinstitute.org/jinn-hypothesis/?scfm-mobile=1&b=1775520000000&b=1777944873297 [NOTE: Check this shit out, it's pretty awesome!]

    Vallee, J. (1991). Revelations

    Keel, J. A. (1970). UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse

    Farah, D. (2026). The scariest UFO theory yet: They live underwater - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-F7aoChVKw

    r/HighStrangeness

    The Oriental Magical Practice of Onmyōdō and Its Checkered History - www.ancient-origins.net

    The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC

    Sorcery and Sovereignty: The Rise of a Local Religious Tradition in 16th-17th Century China by Kenneth Dean

    The Cult of the Fox: Power, Gender, and Popular Religion in Modern China by Xiaofei Kang

    The Chinese Ghost Festival by Te-ch'ao Mu and Stephen Little

    Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi)

    Daoist Master Zhuang: Chapter Three by Kristofer Schipper

    The Taoist Body by Kristofer Schipper

    Millenarian Rebellion in China: A Study of Secret Societies and Religious Movements by Chesneau and Blanc

    White Lotus Teachings in Chinese Religious History by B. J. ter Haar

    Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Resumes: 5 unsolved mysteries of Mount Kailash - timesofindia.indiatimes.com

    Mount Kailash Mystery: 20 Shocking Unknown Facts of Kailash - himalayantrekking.com

    The Unsolved Mysteries Of Mount Kailash - www.nativeplanet.com

    r/AlternativeHistory on Reddit: Mount Kailash: The Forbidden Mountain of Myths and Conspiracy

    The Unsolved Mysteries of Mount Kailash: Facts, Legends, and Theories - nepalboundarytrekking.com

    Mount Kailash, Tibet: The Mysterious Abode of the Gods - www.mystreal.com

    Secret Societies - link.springer.com

    Haiti: Passage of Darkness - faculty.webster.edu

    Africa Museum - the Bizango - theonearmedcrab.com

    Bizango - www.monstropedia.org

    Guardians of the Spirit World — www.houseofgoodfortune.org

    Gang violence killed more than 5,600 people in Haiti in 2024: UN | United Nations News - www.aljazeera.com

    Criminal Violence in Haiti - www.cfr.org


    If you are currently struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, please dial 988.

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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • ALGOL, THE DEMON STAR! - "DECAPASTROLOGY"
    May 4 2026

    Sup KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS! As I'm still working on the final episode of the "Black Magic Academies" series, in order to maintain a (somewhat) consistent, coherent release schedule, here's a BONUS(-ish) episode on ALGOL..."THE DEMON STAR!" PLEASE TO ENJOY!

    Email us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.com

    SOURCES:

    Domains of life sciences in spacefaring: what, where, and how to get involved | npj Microgravity - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-024-00354-y

    https://cosmicinsights.org/impact-of-star-systems-on-human-consciousness-and-spiritual-evolution/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrology_and_science

    https://phys.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Astronomy__Cosmology/Astronomy_2e_(OpenStax)/02:_Observing_the_Sky_-_The_Birth_of_Astronomy/2.04:_Astrology_and_Astronomy

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_of_light

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algol

    "Variable Stars" by John Percy (Cambridge University Press) - provides detailed information on eclipsing binary systems like Algol

    NASA's Exoplanet Exploration website (exoplanets.nasa.gov) - contains accessible data on the Algol system and its properties

    "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Stars" by James Kaler - offers comprehensive information on notable stars including Algol

    "Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning" by Richard Hinckley Allen (Dover Publications) - the classic reference for the etymology and mythology of star names across cultures

    "The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology" by Vivian E. Robson - a comprehensive compilation of traditional astrological interpretations of fixed stars

    "Hamlet's Mill" by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend - explores astronomical knowledge encoded in mythological traditions worldwide

    "The History of Astronomy: A Very Short Introduction" by Michael Hoskin (Oxford University Press) - provides context for how different cultures observed and interpreted celestial phenomena

    Journal articles in the "Journal for the History of Astronomy" - contains scholarly research on specific cultural interpretations of celestial objects

    "Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy" edited by Helaine Selin - examines astronomical knowledge in non-Western traditions

    "Brady's Book of Fixed Stars" by Bernadette Brady - offers modern interpretations of fixed stars in astrological practice

    "Fixed Stars and Judicial Astrology" by George C. Noonan - examines the historical use of fixed stars in astrological prediction

    "The Fated Sky: Astrology in History" by Benson Bobrick - explores how astrology has influenced historical events and cultural development

    "Astrobiology: A Brief Introduction" by Kevin W. Plaxco and Michael Gross - examines potential biological effects of cosmic phenomena

    Journal articles in "Astrobiology" and "Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada" - contain peer-reviewed research on potential biological effects of stellar emissions

    NASA's Astrobiology Program website (astrobiology.nasa.gov) - provides accessible information on research into biological effects of cosmic phenomena

    Fixed Star Algol – astrologyking.com

    Algol's Use in Fixed Star Astrology | PDF | Young Adult - www.scribd.com

    Algol the Demon Star, named for its strange behavior - earthsky.org

    Algol the Demon Star: Feminist Astrology of The Fixed Star of Transformation Empower Your Spiritual Journey - revolutionarymystic.com

    Fixed Star Algol, Medusa's Head ~ Birthdays May 15 To 19. A True Darkstar! - darkstarastrology.com

    33 Powerful Occult Symbols & Their Meanings- www.wikihow.com

    Symbols of the Occult - www.thamesandhudsonusa.com


    If you are currently struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse issues...holy shit, it's really goin' around, ain't it?! But if you require immediate assistance, please dial 988.

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    52 mins
  • BLACK MAGIC ACADEMIES pt.2-THE SALAMANCA/SCHOLOMANCE - "VALEDICTORIAN...OF EVIL!"
    May 2 2026

    SUP KOOOOOOOOOOOOKS! WOOOOOOO! Sorry, I know it's a little late....but it's a big'un! In this episode we travel to Europe and examine various traditions/anomalous phenomena hotspots throughout Spain. specifically "THE SALAMANCA", as well as the Spanish/French border, "The Clever Folk" of the U.K., "The Benandanti" of Italy, and the goddamn grandaddy of ALL so called "black magic academies"..."THE SCHOLOMANCE" of Transylvania/Romania! PLEASE TO ENJOY!

    Email us!: kooksandcranks@gmail.com

    SOURCES:

    The legend of the Cave of Salamanca - spanishinspain.blogspot.com


    Cave of Salamanca in Salamanca - www.atlasobscura.com


    The Enchanted Cave of Salamanca - europeanfolktales.com


    The cave of Salamanca - www.livetheworld.com


    The Cave of Salamanca – mythics.eu


    salamanca-spain.info


    The Miseducation of a Solomonar: Learning the Dark Arts at Scholomance – esoterX.com


    www.boneandsickle.com


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cando%2C_Spain


    https://occult-world.com/galicia-ufo-wave-1995-1996


    About Hoia Baciu Forest - hoiabaciunight.run


    Romania’s Bermuda Triangle: The Creepy Hoia Forest - www.ancient-origins.net


    Hoia Baciu Forest — astonishinglegends.com


    r/UrbanMyths


    Hoia Baciu Forest: The World's Most Haunted Forest - thedarkatlas.com


    Hoia Baciu Forest – leifericksonwriting.com


    Hoia-Baciu Forest: History, Legends, and Reported Phenomena - Astronomer.pro


    Hoia Baciu Forest: Full Guide to Romania’s Haunted Forest - rolling-in-romania.com


    Hoia Baciu forest - romaniatourstore.com


    Hoia-Baciu Forest: Why It’s the Most Haunted and Dangerous Place on Earth - vocal.media


    Gerard, Emily. "Transylvanian Superstitions." The Nineteenth Century, 1885.


    Stoker, Bram. Dracula, 1897.


    Miller, Elizabeth. "Dracula: Sense & Nonsense." Desert Island Books, 2000.


    Kremnitzer, Iulia. "The Romanian Folkloric Vampire." Journal of Folklore Research, vol. 46, no. 2, 2009, pp. 173-190.


    Pătruț, Adrian. Misterele Carpaților: O incursiune în lumea fenomenelor neexplicate. Editura Litera, 2011.


    Romanian Monsters and Undead Myths – hora-mn.org


    Albert Rosales - www.coasttocoastam.com


    Humanoid Sighting Reports 1000 BC - 2007 by Albert Rosales - studylib.net


    r/HighStrangeness on Reddit: Albert Rosales' Humanoid Encounters compendium 1000bc to 2007


    www.phantomsandmonsters.com


    r/cryptids on Reddit: Latest Mothman sightings?


    Edgar Cayce Was Right: The HALL OF RECORDS is the Single Most Important Discovery of the Millennium - cosmicconvergence.org


    r/conspiracy_commons on Reddit: The Bucegi Mountain


    Mystery of Bucegi Mountains - Hidden Alien Base? - lorelibrarymyth.com


    FOUND…THE ROMANIAN HOLOGRAPHIC HALL OF RECORDS : DISCLOSURE - planetearthvortex.wordpress.com


    Just Enough Radu Cinamar Bucegi Validation Testimony 2024 : Dr. Marvin Atudorei, Dr. Micheal Salla, Elena Danaan, Corina Pataki - archive.org


    The Bucegi Mountain Secrets & Evidence - cuthelain.wordpress.com


    The Mystery of the Romanian Hall of Records: Fact, Fiction, and Speculation - www.muthemotherland.com


    Has a holographic library been found in tunnels under the Bucegi mountains? - skeptics.stackexchange.com


    r/AskHistorians on Reddit: Is there any truth as to the findings in the Bucegi Mountains in Romania, i.e. The Hall of Records? Bucegi Sphinx?


    All music is non-copyrighted/license free, courtesy of: https://www.youtube.com/@co.agmusic and/or https://pixabay.com



    If you are struggling with mental health and/or substance abuse issues, that makes two of us. But if you need immediate help, please dial 988.

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    2 hrs and 19 mins
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