Tag: books

American Psyop – 90s Edition (The Long Island Lolita Hoax)

I’ve decided to post summaries on what I consider to be the Top 10 hoaxes of the 90s. This absurd and lurid tale came in at #10. The follow-up at #9 will be the Olympic Park Bombing.

In the summer of 1992, Long Island – a land known for big hair and even bigger attitudes – became ground zero for a love triangle so absurd it felt like an R-rated after-school special gone wrong – an intricate mix of media hysteria, suburban drama, and one too many perms.  Enter Amy Fisher, a semi-fictional 17-year-old femme fatale/high schooler whose hobbies included wielding a .25-caliber handgun and teasing middle-aged men – when she wasn’t busy teasing her hair. 

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Deserve’s Got Nothing to Do with It

The title comes from a memorable line in Unforgiven, spoken by Clint Eastwood’s character in response to Gene Hackman’s Little Bill, who, in his final moments, protests, “I don’t deserve this. To die like this.”

In a tragic real-life parallel, Hackman’s lifeless body was discovered in the foyer of his home, partially decomposed. Data from his pacemaker revealed that his heart had stopped nine days earlier. At 95 years old, there was no question of a staged disappearance—only the stark reality of time catching up. Yet, no one deserves to be left undiscovered for weeks, a poignant reminder of life’s quiet, often unceremonious endings.

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Puff the Magic Pardon

You might only recognize one face in this trio of photos: a young girl named Barbara Winter from the 1960s, Peter Yarrow of the iconic folk group Peter, Paul & Mary, and former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on December 29, coincidentally just a week before Yarrow’s death on January 7. The connection between them is not immediately obvious, but their shared history reveals a disturbing and largely forgotten story.

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Immaculate Deception?

So, I recently dove into the rabbit hole of a Pittsburgh sporting event so drenched in numerology it practically came with a conspiracy theorist starter kit. The saga starts with the suspiciously early death of Bob Moose, the “goat” of the infamous Pirates game on 10/11/72. Flip that date around and—voilà—you’ve got 9/11/01. Coincidence? Maybe. Suspicious? Definitely.

Fast forward two months to 12/23/72, and the city of Pittsburgh seemingly cashes in its cosmic chips for what NFL Films would later anoint as “The Immaculate Reception.” This wasn’t just a football play; it was a miracle with cleats—a Hail Mary that flipped the Steelers’ fortunes faster than you can say “sports dynasty.” After four decades of mediocrity, Pittsburgh snagged its first-ever playoff win, setting the stage for four Super Bowl titles before the decade’s end.

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“Notable Death” Watch – (Earl Holliman)

Earl Holliman, a name every film buff should recognize, was one of those actors who seemed to pop up everywhere—movies, television, you name it. Born on September 11 (yep, even back then, the date existed), Earl’s biological father, William A. Frost, was a farmer. Now, here’s where it gets interesting—or awkward. Earl’s mom, Mary Smith (honestly, could her name sound any more like an alias?), already had six kids under her belt when Farmer Frost strolled into the picture.

But plot twist! Mary wasn’t married, and Frost apparently thought, “You know what this struggling, impoverished woman really needs? More drama!” According to Wikipedia, Mary had no choice but to give baby Earl up for adoption because, well, poverty and solo parenting don’t exactly scream “happily ever after.”

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