Doing It to Death is a sometimes irreverent, sometimes quirky but always informative dive into various aspects of death and dying through the lens of myth, storytelling and pop culture and how they shape our attitudes and beliefs around those issues.
The trial of female serial killers such as Lucy Letby are shocking and confronting because of the longstanding myth that women are incapable of committing such crimes against others.
In this episode, we delve further into some of the female serial killers throughout history and how they've been depicted in stories and pop culture.
7 May 2023
Messages From Beyond the Grave
If you had the chance, would you use a wind phone to call your dead friends or family members and speak your messages to them into the wind?
Would you like to continue to receive voice or text messages from your loved ones after their death?
These questions and more are explored in this episode.
4 Feb 2023
The Tyranny of Time
The themes of mortality and time are crucial to the human experience of trying to understand and come to terms with death.
Why are we so obsessed with time and, when it comes to death, why do we feel as though there's never enough time?
Come on a journey with me as we explore the tyranny of time.
4 Dec 2022
Harbingers: Friend or Foe?
A harbinger is defined as a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another, or a forerunner of something.
Just like psychopomps, it's generally believed that harbingers don't actually cause people to die, although if they do appear, death is pretty much a given.
The belief that harbingers are terrifying or something to be feared has resulted more from their depiction in pop culture than from their original meaning in folklore and myths.
5 Nov 2022
Dia de Muertos and Halloween
Two celebrations with a rich, colourful history going back thousands of years. Two celebrations that began with an intention of honouring, celebrating and reconnecting with those who've died.
What's happened since then? Are they still relevant today? Does anyone even know or care where or how they originated and how has pop culture added to (or taken away from) these celebrations and our understanding and appreciation of their origins?
2 Oct 2022
Dia de Muertos - The Mexican Day of the Dead
This month I'm joined by Karem and Diego from Frida Cacao to talk about the origins of this celebration, the rituals that make it so special and how participating in this celebration of the dead reflects the belief that death is not the end, merely a transition and transcendence.
For more information about The Day of the Dead celebration taking place in Sydney on Saturday 29 October 2022, contact Karem and Diego at hello@fridacacao.com.
3 Sept 2022
Psychopomps: are they as much fun as they sound?
What do Peter Pan and bees have in common?
They're both thought of as possible psychopomps - guides who accompany souls to the afterlife and bring hope, solace and comfort to the dying.
This episode explores the concept of psychopomps and their various iterations across a number of cultures and religions, while hopefully encouraging listeners to consider the idea of other forms of psychopomps they may have encountered or heard about.
7 Aug 2022
The Quest for Immortality
Why are we as a species so consumed with living abnormally long lives and wanting to prolong, or even try and cheat, death?
The concept of immortality has been a common theme in literature for thousands of years and continues to appear across a number of genres.
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