False Walls
Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait Welcome to part two of our search for hidden statues, figurative memorial symbols of power or commemoration that have fallen from favor, pulled from their pedestals and have been defaced, destroyed, decapitated and/or hidden away in secret locations as shameful totems of the past. In our last episode, I brought to you my adventures in statue hunting in Albania, a beautiful place with a dark past that is physically impossible to ignore. I found a small but potent gang of dictators lurking behind the local art museum, a graven...
info_outline EP 008 - Severed Heads Of State Part 1 - Uncle Joe and FriendsFalse Walls
If there exists a moment in time in which the powers that be go through the machinations to create and erect a figurative memorial statue, the powers that be may eventually fall from favor, the moment in time the statue represents may eventually be seen as a less than ideal moment of history, and these symbolic construction may be pulled from their pedestal, dragged through the streets, and thrown into the river. Or worse.
info_outline EP 007 - The Women of Whitechapel and the Long Shadow of Leather Apron - LondonFalse Walls
This story involves murder, mystery, cryptic clues, hidden identities, and ulterior motives, all wrapped around one the best known tales in what we now call the True Crime genre. But we’ll look beyond the usual voyeuristic parlor games and shine a little light on the real people, and the real circumstances, that lead to the horrific real life killing of several women in Victorian London, as well as the strange secret that some feel the museum itself is built upon.
info_outline EP 006 - The Many Lives and Times of Alcatraz - Part 2 - San Francisco, CaliforniaFalse Walls
Over 1500 prisoners made their way to Alcatraz federal Penitentiary during the 33 years it was operational. Those individuals who caused the most trouble at their respective home prisons were carefully evaluated and sent to Alcatraz. But make no mistake, prison behavior aside, the walls of this prison were filled with murderers and thieves. Let’s get to know some of them.
info_outline EP 005 - The Many Lives and Times of Alcatraz - Part 1 - San Francisco, CaliforniaFalse Walls
The isolation is eerie and palpable, and insult is even more injurious as the glittering lights of downtown San Francisco and all of it’s wanton freedoms are within plain sight, only 1.25 miles away. And as far as we know, though there is some margin for debate that we shall explore, there’s no solid evidence that anyone who has attempted to escape from Alcatraz ever survived. Or did they?
info_outline EP 004 - The Crypt and The Wizard - LondonFalse Walls
It is Friday the 13th, 1973
info_outline EP 003 - Haw Par Villa - A Journey Through Hell - SingaporeFalse Walls
“The Ten Courts Of Hell are contained in a large, snake shaped mountain of crumbling plaster, which at one point was in the form of a large dragon. Small severed heads adorn the outside, with an inscription in Chinese that I would later learn translates to “The sea of bitterness has no boundaries, turn back and you will find shore”. I suppose this was meant as a warning, a portent of what lay waiting for me inside, but I ignored the heads and ominous writing and headed toward the opening…”
info_outline EP 002 - The Strange Life and Death Of Graceland Too - Holly Springs, MississippiFalse Walls
"Graceland Too is a garish, decaying colonial home in Holly Springs, Mississippi, the world’s most insane fire hazard of an Elvis museum, a decrepit doppelganger, alternate universe facsimile of the real thing. Every single inch of the home is covered in multiple layers of Presley memorabilia, an impenetrable strata of priceless junk, a hoarder’s heaven. It’s a handmade shrine to the King, the dream of a man who exhibited signs of utter dedication and, in retrospect, serious issues..."
info_outline EP 001 - Mr Islam Meets The Camelbot - Doha, QatarFalse Walls
“Traveling around the Middle East, sometimes I was able to find a guy with a car who I could convince to be as excited about as I am about discovering hidden local gems, people that were up for a little adventure. Mr Islam, though polite, was not one of them. It took a little extra persuasion, and a couple extra bucks, but eventually we headed out of Doha proper in search of camelbots…”
info_outline“Traveling around the Middle East, sometimes I was able to find a guy with a car who I could convince to be as excited about as I am about discovering hidden local gems, people that were up for a little adventure.
Mr Islam, though polite, was not one of them.
It took a little extra persuasion, and a couple extra bucks, but eventually we headed out of Doha proper in search of camelbots…”