AI Summary
5 min read"Worried to death by a wig" — that was the headline of an 1895 obituary that hosts Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes read on this episode of OBITCHUARY. The story was about an 18-year-old cabinet maker in Shoreditch whose hair fell out, and who became so self-conscious about the wig his mother bought him that he took his own life. The newspaper reported that the jury found he was "laboring under temporary insanity" — he was, as the headline put it, "worried to death by a wig." It's a dark but fitting entry for an episode that weaves together the history of wig snatching, the evolution of the toe tag, and listener questions about funerals and family estrangement.
Wig snatching and the underground hair trade
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:02) **Welcome and Weekend Recap** - Spencer and Madison open the show, discuss helping set up a funeral after-party and surviving a weekend with toddlers.
- 2 (05:35) **Personal Updates: Botox, Jaw Clenching & Pillows** - Madison shares her experience with masseter Botox for jaw clenching, and Spencer recommends a pillow for neck pain.
- 3 (08:57) **Nashville Adventures & a Zoo Cemetery** - Spencer describes fun outings with his family, including a zoo with a historic cemetery on its grounds.
- 4 (11:50) **Listener Email: Empowering a Parent's End-of-Life Decisions** - A listener named Riley writes in about helping her mother make an informed decision about body donation.
- 5 (16:55) **The Importance of Having Affairs in Order** - Spencer and Madison discuss why wills, living wills, and end-of-life wishes should be clearly documented.
- 6 (20:10) **Influencer Culture & Dream Brand Collabs** - A brief tangent about brand partnerships, leading to a silly wishlist of dream collaborations.
- 7 (23:34) **Am I The Asshole? Funeral Attendance Edition** - The hosts read and respond to two listener "Am I The Asshole?" questions about skipping funerals.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Hold onto your wigs Geoffs because this week Spencer had us wiggin’ out with the history of wig-snatching and then Madison is getting all Tarantino with things as she tells us the history of toe tags! We’ve got an obituary for a gal bringing allll the jelly, and two more that are very on theme. Oh….and don’t you worry we’re topping it all off with some dumb.ass.criminalllllls!
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_tag
https://www.civilwarmed.org/the-nameless-grave-identifying-civil-war-dead/