A knock at the door after dark should be ordinary. But what if it isn’t? For decades, people all over the world have told the same unnerving story: pale, monotone children with jet-black eyes asking to be let inside. Some call them Black Eyed Kids. Some say they vanish when refused. Others whisper that letting them in leads to sickness… or worse.

From Brian Bethel’s late-night encounter in a Texas parking lot, to a 1923 Louisiana farm where a woman was haunted nightly by a black-eyed boy, these stories blur the line between internet legend, folklore, and something far more sinister.

This week, we’ll hear:

• Brian Bethel’s infamous 1996 story that ignited the legend.

• Martin York’s strange illness after his encounter in rural West Virginia.

• The eerie 1923 “Jane” case—decades before the internet gave the kids their name.

• Modern variants: hotel window knocks, shopping mall stalkings, and Cannock Chase sightings in the UK.

• Police and military encounters that suggest this isn’t just an urban legend.

We’ll explore:

• Why the “invitation rule” runs through vampire, demon, djinn, and fairy folklore.

• How Black Eyed Kids echo changelings, shadow people, and other age-old monsters.

• And why the sight of a child—something meant to be innocent—hits our deepest fears when it’s wrong.

Join us as we open the door (carefully) to the chilling phenomenon of the Black Eyed Kids—equal parts ghost story, folklore, and modern nightmare.

Stay strange. Be Rad.
Got a theory or creepy kid story of your own? Send it our way—we’d love to feature it.

If you loved this:

• Share the episode with a friend who loves urban legends.

• Follow/Subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s October Spooktacular.

• • Drop us a 5★ rating and a one-sentence review on Apple/Spotify—huge help.

  
  

• CONNECT WITH US:

  📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberad — Tag us, DM us, or share your strange stories.

  🎙 Share a story / send a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✉️ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  SHOW INFO:

  Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence

  Recorded At: Midnight Radio Studios

  Sound Wizardry: Woody Brown (Sound Design, Editing, & Music) & Tyler Bence (Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design)

  Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

  
  

  RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

  🎧 JOIN OUR PATREON: Unlock exclusive content and help us keep the weirdness coming at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  ☕️ BUY US A COFFEE: Fuel our late-night research at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  🛍 CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: Snag official RAD gear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com⁠

• 
  

The air around us hums with voices we’re not meant to hear. For decades, strange radio signals have slipped through the static—buzzing tones, eerie music, and robotic voices reciting endless strings of numbers. They’re called numbers stations, and they may be the creepiest reminder that the Cold War never really ended.

From Russia’s infamous UVB-76 “Buzzer” to the haunting Swedish Rhapsody music box, from Cuba’s Atención broadcast that landed spies in a U.S. courtroom, to an unplugged RAF radio that still plays Winston Churchill speeches—these transmissions blur the line between espionage, folklore, and the paranormal.

This week, we’ll tune in to:

• The relentless drone of UVB-76, the Russian “doomsday buzzer.”

• The Lincolnshire Poacher and its cheery folk song masking coded messages.

• The nightmare fuel of Swedish Rhapsody and its childlike voice.

• The bizarre Yosemite Sam broadcast from the New Mexico desert.

• Atención—a numbers station that became hard evidence in a federal espionage trial.

• Old Tape and other hijacks that feel more urban legend than spycraft.

• The haunted radio of RAF Montrose, still whispering from beyond the grave.

• The Russian Woodpecker, a Cold War radar array that spawned mind-control conspiracies.

We’ll explore:

• Why spies still use shortwave radio in the internet age.

• How secret codes become modern folklore.

• And why listeners can’t shake the feeling that someone, somewhere, is on the other end.

Join us as we dive into the secret world of numbers stations—equal parts spy story, ghost story, and conspiracy theory.

Stay strange. Be Rad.

Got a theory or spooky radio story of your own? Send it our way—we’d love to feature it.

If you loved this:

• Share the episode with a friend who loves weird history.

• Follow/Subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s October Spooktacular kickoff.

• Drop us a 5★ rating and a one-sentence review on Apple/Spotify—huge help.

  CONNECT WITH US:

  📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberad — Tag us, DM us, or share your strange stories.

  🎙 Share a story / send a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✉️ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

  SHOW INFO:

  Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence

  Recorded At: Midnight Radio Studios

  Sound Wizardry: Woody Brown (Sound Design, Editing, & Music) & Tyler Bence (Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design)

  Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

  
  

  RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

  🎧 JOIN OUR PATREON: Unlock exclusive content and help us keep the weirdness coming at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  ☕️ BUY US A COFFEE: Fuel our late-night research at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  🛍 CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: Snag official RAD gear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com

• 
  

The story of Garth Brooks should be one of pure country music legend: a small-town Oklahoma kid who rose to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, breaking records and redefining stadium shows forever.
But lurking in the darker corners of the internet is a bizarre and unsettling theory: what if Garth Brooks isn’t just a country superstar… what if he’s secretly a serial killer?

From comedian Tom Segura’s offhand joke about Garth’s “serial killer smile” to internet sleuths mapping his tour dates against missing persons reports, the conspiracy has grown from a meme into a full-blown internet legend.
And with Garth himself never publicly addressing the rumors, fans are left to wonder: is the silence suspicious — or just smart PR?

This week, we dive headfirst into the strangest (and most fringe) celebrity conspiracy out there. You’ll hear about:

• The infamous “tour date overlaps” with missing person cases.

• The bizarre rise and fall of Garth’s moody alter ego, Chris Gaines.

• The offhand 1989 quote that conspiracy theorists cling to as “proof.”

• Why his giant, toothy grin has been branded as unsettling.

• The eerie internet silence that fans read as guilt.

• And how a simple comedy bit snowballed into one of the weirdest cultural rumors of the last decade.

We’ll explore:

• Why our brains are wired to find patterns — even when none exist.

• How memes and modern internet culture give conspiracies new life.

• The psychology of why we want to believe outlandish stories about celebrities.

• And what this whole saga says about the way folklore, humor, and paranoia intersect in the digital age.

Join us as we unpack the Garth Brooks conspiracy — part internet joke, part urban legend, and part cautionary tale about how the weirdest ideas catch fire.
Stay strange. Be Rad.
Got a theory or story of your own? We’d love to hear it — send us your experience (anonymous is fine).

CONNECT WITH US:

📲 Instagram: @thatwouldberad — Tag us, DM us, or share your strange stories.

🎙 Share a story / send a voice message: ⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✉️ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberadpod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

SHOW INFO:

Hosts & Producers: Woody Brown & Tyler Bence

Recorded At: Midnight Radio Studios

Sound Wizardry: Woody Brown (Sound Design, Editing, & Music) & Tyler Bence (Mixing, Mastering, & Art Design)

Outro Jam: “Ghost Story” by The Modern Society

RAD WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR SHOW:

🎧 JOIN OUR PATREON: Unlock exclusive content and help us keep the weirdness coming at ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠

☕️ BUY US A COFFEE: Fuel our late-night research at ⁠⁠⁠⁠buymeacoffee.com/thatwouldberad⁠⁠⁠⁠

🛍 CHECK OUT OUR MERCH: Snag official RAD gear at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thatwouldberad.myspreadshop.com