Scary’s Voices – Spotlight
Don’t Fuck With The Orginal
Podcasts are great for a variety of reasons. You can learn new skills, find great recommendations for books and movies, and even catch up on the latest trends in subjects you’re interested in. But one thing that I’ve found, which I think a lot of people could use right now, is podcasts allow you to find a sense of community.
Since 2003 I’ve worked from home, which suits me fine, but one thing I miss are the little chats I’d have with coworkers on breaks. With the circumstances of lockdown across the globe this year, maybe you can relate. Fortunately, when I discovered podcasts, I was able to fill a bit of that void of social interaction. Of course, it’s not the same as talking to someone in person, but when you find a show that shares your interests and become involved with the hosts on social media, the world feels a little less lonely. And the first place I found that sort of connection was with Don’t Fuck With The Original.
Listening to hosts Casper and Becky Gremlin, I felt like I was catching up with friends. And more than that, when I started interacting with their accounts on social media, I found a bunch of other people all with the same interests, which grew into a sense of belonging to a community. A weird community mind you, but I’ve always found strange people have the best conversations.
So, what’s Don’t Fuck With The Original (DFWTO) all about? It’s a show covering three of my favourite subjects: true crimes, horror movies, and paranormal encounters. Every Wednesday this delightful duo provides new content, focused on one topic, with discussions ranging from an hour to two and a half hours. Much like a normal conversation, it’s the topic that dictates the episode length rather than a set microphone time, which adds a layer of natural flow to the discussion.
Within their true-crime episodes, Casper and Becky delve into both infamous and lesser-known serial killers. Using Wikipedia as a guide through basic facts, as well as often discussing documentaries and fictional movies based on the crimes, the conversations also include the hosts’ opinions on aspects of the cases. For example, one of my favourite true crime episodes focused on Aileen Wournos and included personal reflections on the impact child abuse, misdiagnosis of mental illness, and how the judicial system often lets people down who need help the most. These side chats are what I most look forward to and sets DFWTO apart from other podcasts. There are innumerable sources for information on serial killers focused on what they did but exploring the why behind the crimes is more fascinating to me.
If the podcast was devoted entirely to true crime, I think the hosts and listeners would enjoy it, but would become rather depressed, and since that’s no fun, DFWTO buffers these deep discussions with episodes on lighter topics, such as movie reviews. These episodes remind me of going out with friends after watching something scary at the cinema. You grab a drink, relive scenes that made you jump, vent about parts you hated, and share a few laughs. To get the most out of these conversations and to avoid spoilers, I highly recommend watching these films before listening to them.
Recently, there have been some episodes with guests to discuss movies as well, such as Jed Shepherd and Haley Bishop to talk about their movie Host, and Henk Pretorius and Llewelynn Greeff for their film The Unfamiliar. The addition of these interviews has been fantastic, and I hope there will be more of them in the future.
The last topic Don’t Fuck With The Original spends time with is paranormal encounters. With episodes ranging from the urban legend of Bloody Mary, to examining the differences between wendigos and skinwalkers, if you’re into the paranormal you’ll love these discussions.
Since Halloween season is fast approaching, and you may not be able to enjoy annual traditions like ghost walks, I highly recommend scrolling back to DFWTO’s episodes from June 2019 to hear about the hosts’ visit to the Lizzie Borden house in Fall River, Massachusetts, as well as nearby Salem. Casper and Becky had some hair-raising experiences staying overnight in the Borden house, and uncovered some little-known facts about Salem when they conducted an interview with Dr. Vitka from Spellbound Tours. Spread across four episodes (“Salem/Lizzie Borden Adventure”, “Salem Discussion with Dr. Vitka”, “Lizzie Borden History with Tour Guide Danielle”, and “Borden Murders/Current Horror Events”; Episodes 22-25) the adventures from their trip are sure to put you in a spooky mood.
What I enjoy most about Don’t Fuck With The Original is the light and conversational tone Casper and Becky maintain, even when the topics stray into very dark territory. Telling a joke or being silly is a coping mechanism many of us have when faced with real-life horrors, and these hosts know exactly when and when not to throw in a few giggles. I truly feel in the company of friends when I listen to them and hope you will check them out.
Scary’s Voices: Spotlight Interview
J.A. Sullivan talks to Don’t Fuck With The Original
And being friendly people, these lovely hosts graciously agreed to an interview, to give you a closer look behind this fantastic podcast.
J.A. Sullivan: How did you two meet and what inspired you to start a podcast?
Don’t Fuck With The Original: A horror convention called Horrorhound in 2014 when we were in line to meet Scott Wilson.
Becky watched Casper’s nephews and recognized her brother-in-law. We have been close ever since and both love horror so much. We talk about it constantly and just thought “Why don’t we record ourselves talking about it since we are so passionate about it?” We also wanted to be different, so we decided to cover all the things that horror encompasses.
JAS: I love your podcast name and must ask, how did you come up with it?
DFWTO: We have a very good friend named Ky who is also Captain Dangerous. We were discussing the new Child’s Play and how we did not want a remake. Ky spoke up and said, “Why can’t they just leave horror movies alone. Just don’t fuck with the original.” We fell in love with the name and also loved the ode to Scream 4.
JAS: Why did you choose Wednesdays to release new episodes?
DFWTO: Most podcasts come out on Mondays and Fridays. We figured Wednesday would be a nice halfway point of the week and it would be different than most other podcasts so people would have more time to listen Wednesday night or even Thursday mornings.
JAS: Your episodes offer a wide variety of content, covering paranormal incidents, true crimes, and horror movie reviews. How did you decide these topics would be the focus of your podcast?
DFWTO: Like we said before, we wanted to be different and have something for everyone. Some people don’t like only true crime, some people don’t like only movie reviews, so we wanted to have a little something for everyone. We have people that really like the diversity!
JAS: Of all the haunted locations you’ve visited together, which has been your favourite? Where do you want to go next?
DFWTO: The Borden House. Not only did we have a great tour guide who is now a really good friend of ours, but we also had our first real paranormal ‘investigation’ and first real paranormal experiences together. It was very emotional for both of us and when we weigh out everything from everywhere we’ve been, it just doesn’t compare. We are looking to go to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia next year! Fingers crossed 🙂
JAS: How do you pick your next episode topics and how far ahead of time do you schedule them?
DFWTO: Honestly, they are pretty off the cuff. We look at what we have already done and try to come up with things we haven’t. Also, sometimes we try to coordinate with dates and holidays relevant to the subject matter.
JAS: Do any conflicts arise between you two on choosing the topics? And, if so, how do you resolve them?
DFWTO: We have never had any issues with this. We are legit best friends and are very easy going with each other in figuring out what to do. Most of the time when one has an idea the other goes along with it and thinks it is a good idea.
JAS: Since starting your podcast, what’s been your biggest challenge? Any advice for others just starting out?
DFWTO: There was one time our podcast laptop completely crashed. Everything was gone and we had to get it all back. That was a very trying time. We are still learning quite a bit, but the journey has been great. We just got on iTunes and Google and that was a huge milestone for us. We are looking to do merch, have a website, and a Patreon at some point. Baby steps but it’s all coming together nicely.
JAS: What subjects are you most excited to explore next?
DFWTO: We have some great interviews lined up. We have some movie reviews coming up where we are excited to re-watch the films. Otherwise, we are always excited for each episode to research and learn more about the subject at hand. Whether we are familiar with it or not. 🙂
JAS: I’d sincerely like to thank Casper and Becky for taking the time to speak with me.
Casper & Becky
Apple Podcasts: Don’t Fuck With The Orginal
Podbean: www.dfwto.podbean.com
Spotify: Don’t Fuck With The Orginal
Google: Don’t Fuck With The Original
Twitter: @DFWTO8811 & Casper: @ChuckysSideGirl
Facebook: Don’t Fuck With The Original
J.A. Sullivan
J. A. Sullivan is a horror writer and paranormal enthusiast, based in Brantford, ON, Canada. Attracted to everything non-horror folks consider strange, she’s spent years as a paranormal investigator, has an insatiable appetite for serial killer information, and would live inside a library if she could.
Her latest short story can be found in Don’t Open the Door: A Horror Anthology, and other spooky tales can be found on her blog. She’s currently writing more short stories, a novel, and reading as many dark works as she can find.
You can follow J.A. on Twitter @ScaryJASullivan
Check out her blog wwwwritingscaredblog.wordpress.com
Find her on Instagram @j.a_sullivan
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