Last Podcast On The Left
Last Podcast On The Left
"And in 1969, the first lobster of that generation, Kathy, was born, but it wouldn't be enough to keep Teresa around who left Grady soon after. Teresa had caught the attention of Harry Glenn Newman, aka Midgetman." — Marcus Parks
"Grady charged with first-degree murder, facing the electric chair, and obviously extremely guilty, hired a slick lawyer named Anthony Decello as his attorney. Decello planned to try a self-defense case and played up Grady's disability, painting him as a poor, downtrodden soul who was baited into murder by an uncaring future son-in-law who was going to take his innocent 15-year-old daughter away from him." — Ben Kisel
"And so the family was back together again with Donna married Theresa living with Grady and no booze inside. Wait till I said about three months. It lasted three months." — Henry Zebrowski
This episode chronicles the dark history of Grady Franklin Styles Jr., known as "Lobster Boy," whose life was defined by ectrodactyly, a congenital condition causing fused fingers and toes resembling lobster claws. Born into a family that embraced the carnival circuit, Grady Jr. was pushed into sideshow performances from a young age. The podcast details the harsh realities of his upbringing, his father's business acumen in exploiting deformities, and the societal treatment of individuals like Grady. Despite his physical limitations, Grady Jr. was known for his strength and violent temper, exacerbated by alcoholism and resentment stemming from his childhood.
The narrative traces Grady Jr.'s tumultuous personal life, including his marriage to Mary Teresa Herzog, who also had a background in the carnival. Their relationship was fraught with abuse, addiction, and the loss of two children. After Teresa left Grady, a custody battle ensued, highlighting Grady's manipulative tactics. The episode also touches upon other figures within the carnival world, such as "Midgetman," and the general harshness and often desperate circumstances of those involved in the sideshow industry. The story progresses through Grady's subsequent marriages and the birth of other children with the lobster condition.
The culmination of Grady's destructive behavior led to his murder. The podcast details a plot orchestrated by his wife, Teresa, and son, Glenny, who hired a young man named Chris Wyatt to carry out the assassination. The motive appears to be a complex mix of resentment, a desire for escape, and financial gain, all unfolding within the close-knit and often insular world of the carnival. The episode concludes by discussing the legal aftermath, the sentences received by those involved, and broader reflections on the cyclical nature of abuse, the exploitation of vulnerability, and the enduring, often grim, aspects of American subcultures.