“I know who the Zodiac Killer is!”
Spoilers: no I didn’t. I was 16 and didn’t know much of anything but two books and about five minutes of “sloothing” had me convinced I’d solved one of the world’s greatest mysteries. That acne faced, tattered Guns N’ Roses t-shirt wearing kid was ready to set up his detective agency next to the boiler and boxes in the basement and move on to naming Jack the Ripper, discovering the whereabouts of Amelia Earhart and unlocking the Caramilk secret.
That first book was found in my father’s end table library which, admittedly, was mainly was filled with the finest of literature pertaining to alien abduction, big foot and Elvis. It was Vincent Bugliosi’s seminal true crime text on the Manson murders, Helter Skelter, however, that interested me the most. The second was discovered at my small town library on a dusty shelf where, judging from the cobwebs, only spiders dared to tread. Torn and dog-eared, the now famous logo of one of America’s most notorious killers had me quickly snatching it up and hungrily turning the pages. It was, of course, Zodiac by Robert Graysmith.
Reading both back to back, not to mention being fed on a healthy diet of X Files conspiracy theories, lead me to the obvious conclusion that Charles Manson was the Zodiac. My evidence? Manson was on the same side of the planet when the killings took place. Case closed!
Though my detective career was off to a rocky start, those books began my, until now, hidden obsession with true crime. I mean, let’s be honest, how do you tell your peers and loved ones that your nights are spent reading about the vilest of people or watching gruesome documentaries detailing the grisliest of crimes? The lives of Dahmer, Bundy, Gacy and Gein don’t exactly make for appetizing diner table conversation….especially Dhamer! Oy!
“…and then he dissolved them in a vat of acid! He also kept severed heads in his refrigerator. Hey, Ma, can ya’ pass the salt?”
In the days before the internet, there really wasn’t a place to discuss these things with people who had their own wacky theories and interests in serial killers, unsolved mysteries and missing people. Finding a kinship with strangers online showed me I wasn’t alone and perhaps not as morbid and strange as I thought I was. There was a clan for everything in cyber land! People who thought JonBenét was killed by her brother, people discussing whether E.T. and Alf ever shared a Happy Meal …people who thought Warrant was the best band ever!
As message boards filled with lengthy banter and debate, along came podcasting to give another outlet for anyone to voice anything about everything. Though pods about murder, mysteries and mayhem started popping up on a regular basis as the medium gained popularity, it was Sarah Koenig’s Serial that arguable launched the current podcasting true crime wave. When her addictive look at the murder of Hae Min Lee end people wanted more of the same. Listenership for True crime pods that existed before Serial started to dramatically increase as did the number of listening options.
“Sarah Koenig had worked for years on This American Life before doing Serial. They already had a team of professionals that knew how to put out a polished podcast. They are very good storytellers as well. Once the media let the public know of Serial and it exploded it didn't surprise me. They may have gotten more listeners than I would have predicted, but I knew that people would connect with it,” says Aaron Habel, one of the hosts of Generation Why.
Alongside friend Justin Evans, Generation Why launched two years before Serial and is considered one of the genres podcasting pioneers. While Evans’ stint being on the jury for a murder case would ultimate spark the pod, Habel explains that his interest in true crime, like mine, began in his teens with The Zodiac killer.
“I read the book at age 14 and that really got me hooked,” he says, going on to add that his first taste of the genre came from the show In Search Of. “It was an old TV series from decades ago was hosted by Leonard Nimoy and they covered Jack the Ripper.”
While the hosts of Generation Why put forth theories and opinions on popular and lesser known cases, it’s the camaraderie between the friends the especially make some of those (no pun intended) done to death cases seem fresh. This well researched show covers a lot of ground with the two bringing on guests from time to time in an effort to flush out a topic. The show isn’t weighed down with outlandish ideas, either. Aaron and Justin simply lay out the facts in a straight forward way that allows listeners to draw their own conclusions while keeping the mood light, not always easy considering the subjects being discussed.
In this the first of a five article series of Q&As with those behind some of the web’s most popular podcasts, I chat more with Habel about how the show gets put together and how the topics they talk about on a weekly basis affects him.
Generation Why Hosts: Aaron Habel and Justin Evans # of Episodes: 288 Favourite Episodes: 141 - The White House Farm Murders / 157 - Lululemon Murder / 267 - Circleville Letter Writer / 24 – Kansas City Firefights
How you can help: Support the shows sponsors like Madison Reed, Third Love and ZipRecruiter. You can also help out at Generation Why’s patreon page. Finally, Habel asks to support End The Backlog, a “national non-profit organization founded by actress and activist Mariska Hargitay with the mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.”
Andre Gagne: How did you and Justin first meet and what do you feel really draws you two together as friends off the show?
Aaron Habel: We met at a restaurant. He was washing dishes and I had been hired to do the same work. We have very different personalities but share a number of the same interests.
How did Justin serving on a the murder case jury become the start of Generation Why?
Having learned so much about how the system works and being surprised by the evidence in the case he felt compelled to talk about it. Recording a podcast became the best way to let him tell of his experience.
Were you both interested in true crime prior to the podcast or was it something that really developed over the course of the show?
Both, really. We had discussed true crime before we ever started, but as the show went on we had many more people requesting that we cover true crime cases.
I really find you two have a camaraderie that plays well off one another. How did you find that developing during your early recordings?
We have good camaraderie off the show. So when we record we naturally play well off one another. It helps a lot as we aren't scripted.
Can you share how you choose a topic and what goes into the research of it before the show is recorded and released?
Between the cases we are aware of and those that are sent in as suggestions we have a lot of material to cover. Research is something that we get help with to cut down on the time that we spend working but we still do additional research and just both come prepared to talk when it comes time to record.
You cover a lot of exceptionally disturbing material. What affect do you feel talking about these things has had on you?
It can get to me, of course. After covering so many disturbing cases we sometimes need a break. Whether that's a day or a few days we try to make sure that we switch gears so as not to get dragged down too much....especially when it comes to cases that involve children. There comes a point when we need to think about other things.
Researching and recording has to take up a lot of your time. How do you balance possible other jobs, family and personal time with the responsibilities of the show?
For me, it's not about balance. It's about just getting everything done. I enjoy spending time with my family so I take advantage when I can and otherwise I just work, work, and work. Having a smartphone helps, too.
One of the things I most enjoy about your pod is how you don't just focus on, say, a serial killer or criminal but really strive to talk about the victims, something that a lot of mainstream media doesn't always do. Why do you think this is and why has it become important for you to keep the names of the victims of crimes out in the social consciousness?
Justin recently answered this question at a meetup. He said that we care. That we are good people. I think that must be it. I do know that victim impact statements affect us. We want to talk about them. There are real people involved and that only brings us closer to their stories.
What do you feel you both have most learned from doing this podcast?
We have learned how important being positive and not spreading negativity is. We have also learned that no matter what happens that it pays to stay focused. Getting distracted doesn't help anything and we have episodes to make. The audience is amazing, too. They are what truly keeps us going.
Finally, the recent capture of The Original Night Stalker was an incredible turn of events that seemed would never happen. Is there any particular case out there you hope to have solved in your lifetime?
I'd like to see real answers come to light in Kyron Horman's case. His mother believes that she knows who took her son, but the police have yet to make an arrest. I would also add the Delphi Murders to the list. Two young girls were senselessly killed and one of them recorded their killer with her phone. The authorities have yet to crack the case. These are two cases that I believe are solvable, but they each need one more piece or so to get them to a resolution, I think. Knowing how they captured a previously unidentified serial killer gives everyone some hope that the cases that keep them up at night might one day be solved.