Mystery on the Rocks

Our trawl through the CIA's appalling MK Ultra project takes in the stories of two men - bacteriologist Frank Olson and professional tennis player Harold Blauer. Both men were born in 1910 and both died in 1953.But how and why?And what are their links to our ongoing story?______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 15 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things including the worst meals we have ever cooked for ourselves plus loads more can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky and Instagram too!

This week we chart the shifting from Project Artichoke to MK Ultra following the appointment of Allen Dulles to Director of Central Intelligence and his hiring of Sidney Gottlieb to bring da scienz to Project Artichoke.Alongside these two rotten eggs, we discuss the very tangible link from the Nazis' horrific experiments and what MK Ultra would ultimately be responsible for in two equally rotten eggs - Nazi scientist Kurt Plötner and American intelligence officer Boris Pash...______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 15 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things including EVEN MORE about 1990s sci fi police procedural Space Precinct plus loads more can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky and Instagram too!

This week we begin a brand new series looking at something we've been wanting to cover on the show for a long, long time... Project MK Ultra!One of the most heinous operations the CIA ever did... THAT WE KNOW OF, RIGHT GUYS?We lay out a broad overview of what MK Ultra actually was, discuss the nature of conspiracy theories and what the existence of MK Ultra has meant for them going forward plus take a brief look at the project's precursor, Project Artichoke.______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 15 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things including how long it's been since The Lord of the Ring, how Jurassic Park engineers made the prehistoric leaves and unveiling Sooz's new character, Bonnie Poo, plus loads more can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!

This week we're looking at the creepy story of schoolteacher Emilie Sagee who, while teaching in a school in what is now Latvia in the mid-19th century, became the centre of a terrifying ghost story. Seemingly able to be in two different places at once, stories of Emilie soon spread around the school, ultimately culminating in two of her being seen in the same place at the same time...But what really happened?And is the story even true?______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 30 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things including Chris' middle-aged health concerns, a story about a time Sooz was on a bus 8 years ago and quite possibly the funniest story we've ever heard on the podcast can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!

Happy New Year you filthy animals! Have the best day, the best year and what better way to see in 2026 than by listening to us play what could be argued to be the toughest bundle of VHSes Sooz has ever tasked us with guessing!______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 2-3 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!

It's the Mystery on the Rocks Christmas Special and Sooz is back with a festive edition of her occasional One Hit Wonders series, this time looking at the Christmas No. 1 of 1980 - There's No One Quite Like Grandma by St. Winifred's School Choir.And along the way we learn about how the Christmas Number One even became a thing in the UK.Merry Christmas all!______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with 15 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 2-3 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!

In 1983, 5 KFC employees in Kilgore, Texas were abducted by armed robbers and executed in a truly horrific crime. A crime which went unsolved for over 2 decades, before 2 arrests were made. However, the case continued to confound investigators with DNA evidence of a third perpetrator they could not identify...And the latest development is startingly recent.______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 40 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things including school playground game naming conventions, the 1968 film 'Greetings' and dog diarrhoea can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!

On November 17th 1978 something horrific happened to 4 employees finishing their shift at the Burger Chef restaurant in Speedway, Indiana.A robbery or pre-meditated murder? And just how badly did the police screw up this time?______An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 20 minutes of bonus extra chat about all manner of things can be found over at our Patreon!Extended episodes drop over there usually 3-7 days early and with zero ads so if you enjoy Mystery on the Rocks then please consider heading over there to support us, where there is already a huge backlog of exclusive extras such as extended episodes, bonus episodes, minisodes, outtakes, cocktail recipes and more!Hosted by Masud Milas, Chris Stokes, and Sooz Kempner Mystery on the Rocks is a high concept comedy and true crime/unexplained phenomena podcast set in a fictional mystery-solving bar with real cocktails!. The focus of the show is to attempt to crack a real, unsolved mystery from history – true crime and bizarre occurrences, all with a whodunnit or WTF happened question hanging over them. The format's malleable though and occasionally we deep-dive into a One Hit Wonder or play a game we invented called VHGuess...You can follow us on Bluesky, X and Instagram too!