Drink up this podcast featuring true crime

Whether the topic is the most famous suicide in history or the haunted Whaley House of San Diego, the weekly podcast, “And That’s Why We Drink,” discusses the facts and foibles of paranormal and true crime stories. Hosted by Em Schulz and Christine Schiefer, this series covers all of the things that make the world a scary place, so Schulz and Schiefer suggest that you grab a milkshake before you tune in. I would just suggest you tune in for a good time.

The first episode of the podcast was posted on Feb. 9, 2017, and was called, “Francis Ford ‘Cupola’ and the Off-Brand Kool-Aid.” This episode’s criminal story focuses on the Jonestown mass suicide of 900 people including more than 300 of them children, where it reveals that it wasn’t actually Kool-Aid that was used to mix in the cyanide that would poison them, but Fla-Vor-Aid instead. This blows my mind because the phrase, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid,” is a sentence that came from this incident urging people to not follow someone blindly, yet it wasn’t even Kool-Aid! I guess, “Don’t drink the Fla-Vor-Aid!” doesn’t sound as good.

Schulz shares a paranormal story about the Winchester Mystery House, one of the most haunted places in America. Sarah Winchester began building this house after a medium told her that the spirits that were killed by Winchester weapons would only be appeased if she built a house and continued building it until she died, which she did. This dynamic is repeated in all of their podcasts, focusing on one true crime story and one paranormal. 

Listeners are encouraged to share their experiences. Multiple experiences are combined into an episode where Schultz and Schiefer share the emailed stories. With more than 150 podcasts published, Schulz and Schiefer have shared a lot of paranormal and true crime stories.

By following the podcast, it becomes apparent to me that there is a Team Milkshake or Team Wine friendly competition happening among the hosts. With Schulz’s love of milkshakes and Schiefer’s love of wine, fans of the podcast can post their favorite part of an episode by declaring themselves either Team Milkshake or Team Wine. I am apparently a Team Wine as the true crime stories really hold my attention long after the podcast is finished.

This podcast is for anyone who is curious about either paranormal activity or true crime stories. The hosts are best friends, which allows the audience to be a part of their dynamic. They mix in facts with their feelings about what is happening and add humor to keep it all interesting. I think this is an enjoyable podcast. You should check it out, but don’t forget your drink.