Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"It's like, you know, the big thing, especially in the Heights, was about keeping an air of normalcy in order to be... As long as you don't have a beard or like hippie glasses or wear hippie clothes, you were totally ignored in these towns." — Ben Kissel
"He was a regular pod popper. Everybody told him to stop, but he wouldn't stop. The principal even called and said, 'Please don't encourage the kids, they're crossing the street to get the candy. The parents are complaining.' But Dean, he would just still give it out, man." — Ruby Jenkins (as recounted by host)
"He was a very solitary child, didn't like to hang out with other kids. But Mary said that this all went back to an incident at a birthday party in which all the other kids got prizes, but Dean didn't get any prize." — Marcus Parks
The episode begins with hosts Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski discussing the early life of Dean Corll. They touch upon personal anecdotes before delving into Corll's childhood, emphasizing his isolated nature and his mother Mary's overly protective and enabling behavior. The discussion highlights how Mary seemingly disregarded or rationalized Dean's emerging aberrant behaviors. The narrative then shifts to Corll's move to Vidor, Texas, a notorious "sundown town," where the hosts discuss the town's atmosphere of hate and its potential influence on the developing minds of its residents. Corll's early, peculiar behaviors, such as collecting and wearing flying squirrels, are explored as unusual but also as indicators of a broader detachment from social norms.
The conversation progresses to Corll's involvement with his mother's candy business, the "Coral Candy Company." The hosts describe how Dean became deeply involved, running operations and delivering products, which limited his social life. His peculiar comments about "yodels" (referring to young boys) and his unusual interest in digging in his "pouting room" are highlighted as disturbing premonitions. The episode also touches upon his military service as a radio repairman, noting a pattern of serial killers not seeing combat, and his eventual return to Houston after his mother relocated.
The latter part of the episode focuses on Corll's return to Houston and the establishment of his candy factory near an elementary school, a move that facilitated his grooming of future victims. The hosts discuss his "vanilla" facade, contrasting it with his underlying sadistic tendencies and pedophilic desires, which they suggest were masked by a carefully constructed image of normalcy. His mother's continued denial of his homosexuality and the factory workers' general acceptance of his behavior, despite knowing about his interest in young boys, are examined as contributing factors to his ability to operate undetected. The episode concludes by setting the stage for future installments to delve into the abductions and murders.