Over the summer, I was introduced to my favourite podcast: My Favorite Murder, created and starring Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. MFM (My Favorite Murder) contains everything I did not know I needed from a podcast. I have told almost everyone I know to give it a listen, and now I’m going to share with you five reasons you, too, should join in my obsession.
(Disclaimer: I must give my sister credit for introducing me to this obsession so she does not murder me. Thanks, Em!)
1. The dark theme
Let’s be honest: we all have an obsession with dark true crimes. This is evident by the popularity of such Netflix shows as Making a Murderer, The Staircase, and Evil Genius (if you haven’t binged these yet, what are you waiting for?). This podcast is perfect for true crime fanatics who are in desperate need for more crime stories and want the ability to listen anywhere.
The MFM structure is pretty simple: Karen and Georgia come together each week to tell each other a murder story of their choosing. They cover a range of true crime murders, from the infamous John Wayne Gacy to lesser-known criminals, such as the Amish Serial Killer, Eli Stutzman.
2. Humour
Murder/true crime and humour are not known to work well together, but Karen and Georgia have taken dark subject matter and turned it into one of the top comedy podcasts around. The key to their success has been that the humour stems not from the subject matter, but from the casual conversation taking place between two friends. But I shall warn you: their humour is not for everyone, though it has made me laugh at loud on many occasions.
3. Mental health advocacy
Karen and Georgia have unintentionally become mental health advocates. They discuss stigmatized topics such as depression, addiction, and therapy, having both gone through these situations themselves. As their listenership has increased, they have begun to recommend resources, change their language when dealing with serious topics, and advocate therapy.
To counter covering such heavy topics, they also set aside time at the end of episodes to talk about the positives happening in their lives. This light at the end of the tunnel helps the stars and their audience to come back to their realities and look for positives in their own lives.
4. Badass women
In short, these women are badass. They speak their minds and do not conform to the idea that women should be subdued and ladylike. Their humour and subject matter do not fit the social norms that women are expected to adhere to, and they do not care.
They inspire their female listeners to “f*ck politeness” and apologize later when it comes to dealing with strangers who make them uncomfortable. Many listeners have emailed to thank them for their empowering advice and shared stories of how it has helped them escape threatening situations.
Not only do they inspire women through example, but they often feature stories of fellow badass women, such as survivors, detectives, and crime reporters, who often do not get the spotlight or recognition.
5. The community
When you become a committed listener to MFM, you become part of the murderino community. The MFM Murderinos have come together to form groups all over the world, such as Clean and Soberinos, My Favorite Murder Memes, and Vancouver Murderinos. These groups not only help to connect fellow true crime lovers: many have also come together to raise money for nonprofits. An example of this is the Denver Murderinos, who raised money to End the Backlog of untested rape kits.
You can listen to MFM on many streaming formats, such as Spotify and iTunes.
I shall end this as every episode is ended: STAY SEXY AND DON’T GET MURDERED! BYEEEE!