If you're into true crime, cryptids, UFOs, and everything spooky then you will have heard of Last Podcast on the Left.
The popular American podcast pulls in millions of listeners every year as it dives into all things horror with a generous sprinkling of comedy. Now hosts Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski are set to make Dublin laugh and gasp as part of their world tour this October.
We caught up with two of the lads ahead of their first Irish show in three years. Marcus, 39, told Dublin Live: "We played Dublin in 2019 and it was one of my favourite live show experiences that I’ve ever had.
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"The crowds in Dublin are just rowdy enough. Certain crowds know how to drink and have a good time, certain crowds can go a little too far but for some reason, Dublin knows how to do both almost like a fourth cast member."
Henry, 38, added: "Honestly, it was really fun. I remember we got chased down by a group of people yelling, ‘Hey, yankee! Hey, yankee!’ I didn’t know we were that obviously American!"
When asked about the upcoming Irish show, Marcus said it will be "the best show we've ever done".
Henry laughed and said: "You can tell your readers that we have not gotten better as performers but we have also gotten worse as men. The show’s really fun.
"We’re doing cryptids, conspiracy theories, aliens. It’s a real gross, crass comedy show."
Marcus added: "We have to cut a couple of American-specific things. We’re gonna have to make up Irish references on the fly."
Staying true to their brand, Henry and Marcus reminisced about a Ghost Bus tour they took the last time they were in Dublin. Henry said: "It was silly but it was a lot of fun. We literally went around three blocks and [the tour guide] was like, ‘Do you have any idea how many people were murdered here?’ and we were like, ‘Noooo!’
"And then I won a horror movie trivia contest and he gave me Dracula." Marcus added: "We ended up at the Gravediggers Pub and there were other people coming from their ghost tour and we were like, ‘Aw man, that ghost tour looks more fun than our ghost tour'."
This time, Henry said he wants to visit Montpelier Hill — a sinister home to what used to be a meeting place for the Irish Hellfire Club. Henry said: "I didn’t have the chance to go see it the last time so I’m hoping I’ll get to see it this time."
On the other hand, Marcus has some less eerie sightseeing ideas for this year. "The Ghost Bus tour was the only thing I got to do the last time because I was finishing up the book but the one thing I want to see is the Phil Lynott statue. I’m a big Thin Lizzy fan so I might go out and check that one."
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From ruthless killers like Denis Nilson to horrific cults like Jonestown, from haunting UFO sightings to terrifying conspiracy theories, the trio never shy away from getting down and dirty with the details. Marcus explained: "Sometimes if you don’t cover all the details, that’s how serial killers get romanticised and that’s how these things get swept under the rug.
"That’s how Ted Bundy gets romanticised because people don’t talk about him having sex with severed heads in the woods. They talk about this ‘dashing, debonair man who used trickery to kidnap women and murder them’."
The trio don't shirk difficult conversations around mental illness either. "The conversation about serial killers has been wrong the whole time", Marcus added.
"People talk about them being monsters, they talk about them being otherworldly and they’re really not. They’re just disgusting human beings."
Henry explained: "The less it’s stigmatised to talk about mental health, the more we create opportunities to stop these types of crimes before they happen."
Last Podcast On The Left will be performing at Vicar Street on October 13.
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