Valentine's Day Special

Taboo Treasures Executions: From Cruel to Unusual This week, the guys take on one of humanity’s oldest, darkest institutions — and examine it the only way Taboo Treasures can: historically accurate, deeply researched… and just irreverent enough to make you question everything. From ancient empires to modern governments, execution has been used as punishment, spectacle, deterrent, political theater, and sometimes, public entertainment. But behind every method lies a bigger story — about power, fear, control, and the uncomfortable truth that societies often reveal their values in the way they choose to end a life. In this episode, the hosts trace the evolution of execution across centuries, exploring the innovations, the controversies, and the strange moments when efficiency, morality, and public perception collided. Because nothing says “civilization” quite like constantly redesigning the machinery of death. In this episode:     •    Ancient execution methods and their role as public spectacle     •    The guillotine and the illusion of “humane” death     •    Hangings, firing squads, and the engineering of efficiency     •    The rise of the electric chair, gas chamber, and lethal injection     •    How politics, public opinion, and optics have shaped modern execution practices     •    The strange intersection of technology, ethics, and state power Along the way, the guys unpack the uncomfortable reality that every generation believes it has finally discovered the most humane way to do something fundamentally inhumane. It’s history. It’s disturbing. And yes — there are moments where you’ll laugh and immediately feel a little guilty about it. Because sometimes the most taboo treasures aren’t objects at all. Sometimes they’re the systems we built — and the stories we told ourselves to live with them. If today’s episode stayed with you: ⭐ Follow and subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes 📝 Leave a review or comment — it helps others discover the show 📲 Share this episode with someone who enjoys history with a sharp edge 🎙️ And remember: history doesn’t just tell us what happened — it shows us what people were willing to justify at the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Taboo Treasures Bruce and Jef are back — and this time, they’re digging into the jobs that history forgot to warn us about. In this episode, the guys explore some of the most dangerous occupations ever recorded, from the distant past to the modern day. And while some of these roles sound like they belong in another century, others might surprise you — because the risk of life and limb isn’t always where you’d expect it. They uncover the brutal realities behind historical work that pushed the limits of human endurance and survival — jobs so hazardous it’s hard to believe anyone agreed to do them. Then they fast-forward to the present, revealing modern professions that may seem routine on the surface but carry shocking levels of danger. From ancient hazards to contemporary risks, this episode shines a light on the hidden cost of the work that keeps society moving — and the people who take those risks every day. Because sometimes the most dangerous jobs aren’t the ones that look extreme… They’re the ones we think are ordinary. 🎧 Call to Action If today’s episode surprised you: ⭐ Follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode 📝 Leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners discover the show 📲 Share this episode with someone who loves strange history and surprising facts 🎙️ And remember: the stories behind everyday life are often more extraordinary than we realize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bruce and Jeff are BACK to shine their weird and crazy light on the loveliest of all our made up holidays... Valentine's Day. We hope you're spending today with someone who understands what today truly represents: it's just another Saturday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

⭐ TABOO TREASURES — “Visionaries or Inventors?” On Taboo Treasures this week, Bruce and Jeff take a victory lap through the minds of history’s most chaotic geniuses and ask the question nobody ever wants to say out loud: What exactly separates a visionary from a madman with a soldering iron? We kick things off with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison — two men who built the modern world while aggressively pretending the other one didn’t exist. Then we reach back to Leonardo da Vinci, the patron saint of “my notebook is full of stuff that could definitely get meinstitutionalized.” From there, Bruce dives headfirst into the holy tech wars of Jobs vs. Woz — the mystic and the mechanic — the guy who wore black turtlenecks and spoke in riddles versus the guy who quietly invented half the modern world between Diet Cokes. Hedy Lamarr makes an appearance too, because Hollywood’s most glamorous actress also invented the foundation of modern Wi-Fi while bored at a cocktail party. And of course Elon Musk shows up — not because Bruce invited him, but because he tends to appear wherever someone says the words “innovation,” “ego,” or “I could do that better.” But the crown jewel this week? The unicorn in the vault? Nikola Tesla — the gold standard of brilliant, eccentric, possibly extraterrestrial inventors — and the infamous “death ray” he swore he perfected before the U.S. government allegedly swooped in, confiscated his papers, and filed them under Absolutely Not, We’re Not Declassifying That. The missing files. The disappearing notebooks. The unanswered questions. Did Tesla actually create a directed-energy weapon… or did the government just want to make sure nobody else did? Bruce and Jeff don’t claim to have the answers — but they absolutely have the receipts. CALL TO ACTION If this series stayed with you, follow Taboo Treasures on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Leave a rating and review to help others discover the show. Explore more stories at eviocreative.com and follow us on Instagram at @taboo_treasures, @eviocreative, and email us at [email protected] SPONSORS Quince Luxury without the luxury price tag. Visit quince.com/DEVILWITHIN for free shipping and a full year of returns. Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill today. Visit mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN to get premium wireless for only $15/mo. ExpressVPN Online privacy made simple. Visit expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN for three months free. MOOD Legal THC and CBD. Visit mood.com and use code DEVILWITHIN for discounted gummies shipped to your door. CREDITS Taboo Treasures is written and hosted by Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine. Produced by Evio Creative in partnership with Bellaire Studios. Executive produced by Branden Morgan. Visit eviocreative.com for more shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

💎 Taboo Treasures Atomic Toys & Candy Cigarettes: How Marketing Made Us This week on Taboo Treasures, Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine rewind the tape on the most powerful machine ever built — not a weapon, not a computer — but advertising. From the birth of American marketing to the jingles that rewired childhood, we pull the curtain back on how entire generations were engineered one Saturday-morning commercial at a time. We start where innocence met profit: the era of sugar-drunk cartoons, candy cigarettes, and cereal mascots specifically designed to hook kids before they could spell “cholesterol.” Then we move into the shadow economy behind those smiles — ✅ Big Tobacco funding “harmless fun” ✅ Toy companies teaming up with the U.S. Army ✅ G.I. Joe as both patriot and product pipeline ✅ “Be All You Can Be” — and the marketing budgets behind it And finally — the crown jewel of dangerous nostalgia — the most hazardous toy ever sold to American children: the one that literally contained radioactive material. A glowing plaything so surreal it feels like satire… but it was real, it was marketed, and it made kids feel like tiny gods of the atomic age. This isn’t just nostalgia — it’s a forensic dive into the commercials that built America’s childhood… and the industries that cashed the checks. Funny, unsettling, and eye-opening — because the most dangerous toys weren’t always the ones in our hands. Sometimes they were the ideas in our heads. 🎧 Listen to Taboo Treasures For forbidden history, cultural rabbit holes, and the artifacts society tries to forget. New episodes every week from the Evio Creative Podcast Network. 🌒 Evio Network Also this week:     •    The Devil Within — The Sean Sellers case     •    The Ides of April — The Dagger & The Crown     •    Criminal Mischief — TBA true crime     •    The Devil’s Ledger — Haunted highways & Thanksgiving spirits 🛠️ Support Our Sponsors Keep our storytellers fed and caffeinated: 🧥 Quince — timeless essentials 👉 http://www.quince.com/IDES — free shipping & 365-day returns 📱 Mint Mobile — premium wireless, $15/month 👉 http://www.mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN 🕵🏻‍♂️ ExpressVPN — keep your data private 👉 http://www.expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN — up to 4 months free 🌿 MOOD — legal THC & CBD gummies 👉 http://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN — 20% off first order 🐾 Ollie — fresh food for your dog 👉 http://www.ollie.com/IDES — 60% off first box 💼 Monarch — the only financial dashboard that matters 👉 http://www.monarch.com/IDES — 50% off first year 🎙️ Follow Evio Creative Behind-the-scenes, deep cuts, and future lore: @eviocreative · @thedevilwithinpod · @idesofaprilpod · @taboo_treasures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

💎 Taboo Treasures Smart Phones, Dumb People This week on Taboo Treasures, Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine dial up a blisteringly funny — and painfully accurate — look at humanity’s long, messy love affair with communication technology. We begin with the humble telephone: a marvel that once required etiquette, patience, and a chair in the hallway. Then: the age of spy-gadget glamour — the Bat-Phone, Get Smart’s shoe phone, Cold-War covert comms and pulp-era futurism. But somewhere along the way, the dream curdled… and now billions of us walk the Earth clutching glowing rectangles that track our steps, curate our thoughts, and occasionally zombify us into traffic. It’s witty. It’s weird. It’s a cultural X-ray with jokes sharp enough to sting. And the central question cuts deeper than Wi-Fi: If the machines are getting smarter — why aren’t we? 🔍 What’s Inside     •    Why Alexander Graham Bell might throw his headset off a bridge     •    The absurd genius of early screen technology in pop culture     •    How a “phone” became a wallet, a map, a therapist, and a hypnotist     •    The 21st-century epidemic of attention bankruptcy     •    Why “always connected” somehow made us worse at connecting 🎧 Listen to Taboo Treasures For cultural deep-dives, historical oddities, and the artifacts that shaped — and sometimes warped — our world. New episodes weekly on: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • YouTube • Everywhere else you listen 🕯️ Sponsor Shout-Outs Support the partners who support Evio storytelling:     •    Quince — luxury basics without luxury prices 👉 quince.com/IDES for free shipping & 365-day returns     •    Mint Mobile — premium wireless for $15/month 👉 mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN     •    ExpressVPN — shield your digital life 👉 expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN for up to 4 months free     •    MOOD — legal THC & CBD delivered nationwide 👉 mood.com/DEVILWITHIN for 20% off your first order     •    Ollie — fresh, human-grade dog food 👉 ollie.com/IDES for 60% off your first box     •    Monarch — master your money, build real financial clarity 👉 monarch.com/IDES for 50% off your first year 🎙️ More From Evio Creative     •    The Devil Within — true crime, possession, and the shadows we carry     •    The Devil’s Ledger — the strangest story you’ll hear this week     •    The Ides of April — immersive history, told by candlelight     •    Criminal Mischief — real cases, honest reporting, Carolyn Ossorio Follow for drops & behind-the-scenes: @eviocreative • @thedevilwithinpod • @idesofaprilpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🎃 Taboo Treasures — “Halloween in Hollywood” Presented by the Evio Creative Podcast Network This week on Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine trade ancient relics for cinematic ones — exploring the forbidden, blood-stained origins of Halloween in Hollywood. From the grindhouse basements of the 1970s to the studio backlots that birthed the modern slasher, this episode traces how low-budget fear became one of America’s most lucrative exports. You’ll hear how the genre evolved from Hitchcock’s Psycho to Carpenter’s Halloween, and how that one small-town nightmare in Haddonfield forever changed the way Hollywood sold terror. Bruce and Jeff also spotlight the surprising A-listers who got their start screaming in the shadows — from Johnny Deppand Jamie Lee Curtis to Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Aniston — proof that before you can win an Oscar, sometimes you have to survive a knife fight. And in true Taboo Treasures fashion, they dig into the artifacts that made the genre iconic: the mask, the score, the kitchen knife, and the mythology that turned a $300,000 indie into one of the most enduring franchises in film history. 🎬 In This Episode     •    The accidental birth of the slasher film     •    How Halloween (1978) reshaped indie cinema     •    The secret spiritual lineage of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Black Christmas, and Friday the 13th     •    The “final girl” as America’s last moral compass     •    What horror says about guilt, voyeurism, and pleasure 💀 Credits Hosted by Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine Produced by Evio Creative Original score and mix by Bruce Witkin For media and partnerships, visit eviocreative.com 🕯️ Sponsor Shoutouts Support Taboo Treasures and all Evio Creative shows by visiting our partners: 🧥 Quince — timeless essentials at honest prices. Visit https://www.quince.com/DEVILWITHIN for free shipping and 365-day returns. 📱 Mint Mobile — premium wireless for just $15 a month. Visit mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN for unlimited talk and text. 🕵️ ExpressVPN — protect your data everywhere. Visit https://www.expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN for up to four months free. 🌿 MOOD — legal THC and CBD gummies shipped nationwide. Visit https://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN for 20% off your first order. 🐾 Ollie Dog Food — fresh, human-grade meals for your dog. Visit https://www.ollie.com/IDES for 60% off your welcome kit. 💰 Monarch — take control of your finances at https://www.monarch.com/IDES for 50% off your first year. 📣 About the Network Taboo Treasures is part of the Evio Creative Podcast Network, home to The Devil Within, The Ides of April, Criminal Mischief, and The Devil’s Ledger. Follow @taboo_treasures and @eviocreative on Instagram for upcoming episodes, behind-the-scenes photos, and new announcements. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🎙️ TABOO TREASURES — “Halloween: The Good, The Bad, and The Dead” This week on Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine dig into the strange, spooky, and surprisingly historic side of Halloween — a holiday where trick-or-treat meets truth and tragedy. From Andrew Jackson’s dirty 1828 campaign, to the Great Depression’s “Black Halloween”, to the radio panic of War of the Worlds, Bruce and Jeff trace how All Hallows’ Eve became one of America’s most iconic nights of chaos and creativity. They also dive into the darker corners of history — the Monmouth steamboat disaster, Mussolini’s rise, and the eerie coincidences of those who died on Halloween, from Harry Houdini to River Phoenix. And finally, it wouldn’t be Taboo Treasures without music: a countdown of the five most unforgettable Halloween songs — from Monster Mash to Thriller — and the wild stories behind them. 🕯️ In This Episode     •    The 1828 election that redefined American politics — and gave birth to smear campaigns.     •    The Comstock Lode and how silver made Nevada a state on Halloween.     •    The last great cavalry charge and the eerie symmetry of war and memory.     •    The birth of modern Halloween after the chaos of 1933’s “Black Halloween.”     •    War of the Worlds, the radio hoax that terrified millions.     •    The tragic deaths of Houdini, River Phoenix, and Indira Gandhi — all on October 31.     •    The ultimate Halloween soundtrack — from Werewolves of London to Ghostbusters. 💀 Sponsors & Offers     •    Mint Mobile — Unlimited talk and text for just $15/month. Visit http://www.mintmobil.com/DEVILWITHIN and switch today.     •    MOOD Cannabis Gummies — Go to http://www.mood.com/DEVILWITHIN for 20% off your first order.     •    Quince — Luxury essentials without luxury prices. Visit http://www.quince.com/DEVILWITHIN for free shipping and 365-day returns. 🩸 From the Evio Creative Network Check out other Evio Creative originals:     •    The Devil Within — streaming now and the inspiration behind MGM+’s hit series Let the Devil In.     •    The Ides of April — history retold through the eyes of those who lived it. Follow @thedevilwithinpod, @idesofaprilpod, and @taboo_treasures for new episodes, behind-the-scenes clips, and weekly releases. For media or sponsor inquiries, contact [email protected]. 🎧 Taboo Treasures is a production of Evio Creative. Hosted by Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine. Produced by Bellaire Studios. © 2025 Evio Creative. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

🎙️ TABOO TREASURES “Trick, Treat, and Terror: The Strange History of Halloween” Before the candy and the costumes, before the porch lights and plastic skeletons — there was Samhain, a pagan fire festival marking the end of harvest and the return of the dead. In this week’s episode of Taboo Treasures, hosts Bruce and Jeff trace the dark, fascinating history of Halloween — from its ancient Celtic origins and Druidic rituals to its transformation through Christianity, immigration, pop culture, and good old-fashioned American marketing. How did a night of bonfires and superstition become a billion-dollar industry of sugar, sequins, and nostalgia? What parts of the original festival still linger — buried beneath the masks? And why do we keep seeking thrills in the things that once terrified us? From Samhain to Snickers, from ritual to retail, this episode is a deep dive into how one night of fear became a celebration of fun — and what that says about us all. 🕯️ In This Episode     •    The pagan roots of Samhain and early harvest rituals     •    How All Hallows’ Eve reshaped ancient superstition     •    The rise of American trick-or-treating and commercialized fear     •    Why Halloween endures as our most beloved night of the macabre 💼 Support Our Sponsors 🐾 Ollie — Fresh, human-grade food for your dog. Take the quiz at www.ollie.com/ides for 60% off your first box. 💰 Monarch Money — Smart, simple budgeting tools built for real people. Use code IDES at www.monarchmoney.com (https://www.monarchmoney.com/) for 50% off your first year. 🖤 Quince — Luxury without the markup. Go to https://www.quince.com/devilwithin for free shipping and 365-day returns. 🌿 MOOD — For the days when you need to take the edge off your demons. Visit www.mood.com/devilwithin for 20% off your first order with code DEVILWITHIN. 📱 Mint Mobile — Premium wireless for people who hate overpaying. Go to www.mintmobile.com and use promo code DEVILWITHIN for unlimited talk and text for just $15 a month. 📣 Follow the Mystery     •    Taboo Treasures → @taboo_treasures (https://www.instagram.com/taboo_treasures)     •    The Devil Within → @thedevilwithinpod (https://www.instagram.com/thedevilwithinpod)     •    The Ides of April → @idesofaprilpod (https://www.instagram.com/idesofaprilpod)     •    Criminal Mischief → @criminalmischiefpod (https://www.instagram.com/criminalmischiefpod)     •    For updates and press: www.eviocreative.com (https://www.eviocreative.com/) | [email protected] 🎃 Taboo Treasures — because sometimes the scariest thing about Halloween… is how much it says about us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the first sharpened stone to jeweled swords worth millions, humanity’s story has always been written in steel. In this episode of Taboo Treasures, we trace the long, bloody, and fascinating history of edged weapons. From Stone Age tools, to Bronze Age daggers, to Iron Age swords that shaped empires, and into the modern era of ceremonial blades, these weapons were never just for survival—they were symbols of power, artistry, and fear. And for collectors, they remain priceless. We’ll also count down the top ten most valuable edged weapons ever sold at auction—where craftsmanship, history, and bloodlines collide in staggering sums. Follow & Connect     •    For press & inquiries: [email protected]     •    Follow us on Instagram: @taboo_treasures (https://instagram.com/taboo_treasures)     •    Don’t forget to rate, review, and follow Taboo Treasures wherever you get your podcasts. 🔥 Taboo Treasures. The stories we’re not supposed to tell—but can’t stop uncovering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices