Trust the Process

Summary

Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities: "Trust the Process" - Detailed Summary

Release Date: June 5, 2025

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Trust the Process" from Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities, listeners are taken on a fascinating journey through two extraordinary historical figures whose unconventional methods and eccentricities led to remarkable outcomes. Hosted by Aaron Mahnke and produced by iHeartPodcasts in collaboration with Grim & Mild, this episode delves deep into the lives of Arthur Craven, a pioneering performance artist in boxing, and Victor Hugo, the literary giant known for masterpieces like Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

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Arthur Craven: The First Professional Boxing Troll

Timestamp: [01:10] - [05:32]

Aaron Mahnke opens the first tale by introducing Arthur Craven, a multifaceted individual born in 1887. Craven is depicted as a man of many titles, humorously listing himself as "the world's shortest-haired poet, boxer, hotel rat, muleteer, snake charmer, chauffeur, ailurophile, gold prospector, grandson of the queen's chancellor, nephew of Oscar Wilde." Mahnke quips, “Yeah, put that one on a tombstone. Oh, and if you're wondering what an ailurophile is, it's someone who loves cats.”

Key Highlights:

• Early Life and Boxing Career: Craven grew up in Switzerland but found it stifling, leading him to travel Europe and take up boxing. His large stature suited the sport, but it was his flair for the dramatic that set him apart.

• Performance Art in the Ring: Beyond trading punches, Craven infused his matches with theatrical elements—delivering impassioned speeches on art, trash-talking opponents, threatening suicide, firing guns into the air, and even throwing his briefcase into the audience. Mahnke notes, “He liked to troll the crowd. It's like he only ever felt alive if everyone in the room hated him.”

• The Infamous Match with Jack Johnson: Craven's bout against the world champion Jack Johnson ended controversially in the sixth round with Craven's knockout. The aftermath was chaotic, resulting in a riot that forced Craven to flee to New York.

• Life in New York and Relationship with Mina Loy: In New York, Craven shifted his focus from boxing to performance art, continuing his antagonistic antics by writing insulting articles and making provocative speeches. Despite his abrasive exterior, he developed a soft spot for the poet Mina Loy. Their relationship led them to Mexico in 1917 to escape the Great War, marry, and plan a family.

• Mysterious Disappearance: Struggling financially in Mexico, the couple moved to Buenos Aires. In a perplexing act that Mahnke describes as possibly another performance stunt, Craven attempted to sail South America in a small rowboat, disappearing after Mina saw him off. Theories about his fate range from drowning to starting a new life elsewhere. Mina remained fond of him, stating, “her happiest years were the ones she spent with him,” despite his vanishing act.

Notable Quotes:

• “He liked to troll the crowd. It's like he only ever felt alive if everyone in the room hated him.” — Aaron Mahnke [02:30]
• “As despicable as he could be at times, he set a bold example of living life to the fullest and refusing to bow to the expectations of others.” — Aaron Mahnke [05:00]

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Victor Hugo: Stripping Away Distractions

Timestamp: [06:39] - [11:10]

Transitioning from the theatrical to the literary, Mahnke narrates the story of Victor Hugo, a titan of French literature, and his unique approach to overcoming procrastination.

Key Highlights:

• Early Success and Social Life: Born in 1802, Hugo quickly gained recognition for his poetic talents. By 1831, he was a prominent figure in Parisian high society, frequenting parties, balls, and operas. This vibrant social life, however, began to impede his writing productivity.

• The Shawl Strategy: Facing a looming deadline for his novel, Hugo devised an extreme method to curb his social distractions. He purchased a large gray shawl, had his clothes locked away by a servant, and effectively immobilized himself. “He made it so that he could never leave,” Mahnke explains.

• A Period of Intense Creativity: Wrapped in his shawl and unable to attend social gatherings, Hugo immersed himself in writing. This period of enforced seclusion led to the creation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Mahnke remarks, “They say great work requires stripping away the distractions, and it seems in the case of Victor Hugo, he took that quite literally.”

• Legacy and Later Years: Hugo's innovative approach not only produced literary masterpieces but also spurred him into political activism. His works such as Les Misérables highlighted social inequalities and human struggles. After opposing Napoleon III, Hugo was exiled to Guernsey for 15 years, during which he continued his prolific writing, likely still employing his unique methods.

Notable Quotes:

• “They say great work requires stripping away the distractions, and it seems in the case of Victor Hugo, he took that quite literally.” — Aaron Mahnke [09:45]
• “Victor Hugo had a huge impact on French culture... embracing social reforms like free education, universal suffrage, and an end to the death penalty.” — Aaron Mahnke [10:30]

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Conclusion

In "Trust the Process," Aaron Mahnke masterfully intertwines the lives of two enigmatic figures who employed unorthodox methods to navigate their personal and professional challenges. Arthur Craven's blend of performance art and boxing, though controversial, left a lasting impression on the world of sports and entertainment. Meanwhile, Victor Hugo's literal stripping away of distractions serves as a testament to the lengths one might go to achieve creative greatness.

The episode not only entertains with its rich storytelling but also inspires listeners to consider the diverse ways individuals overcome obstacles and pursue their passions with relentless curiosity.

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Additional Information

For those captivated by the tales in this episode, Aaron Mahnke invites you to explore further by ordering the official Cabinet of Curiosities book here. Dive deeper into history’s most unbelievable, unsettling, and bizarre stories, and join the community of curious minds eager to uncover the hidden corners of our world.

Subscribe to Cabinet of Curiosities on Apple Podcasts or visit curiositiespodcast.com to stay updated with the latest episodes and exclusive content.

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Note: This summary excludes all advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections to focus solely on the enlightening narratives presented in the episode.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. For more information, visit americanexpress.com withamx welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a.

[Aaron Manke]

Production of iHeartRadio and Grim and mild.

[Narrator]

Our world is full of the unexplainable. And if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

[Aaron Manke]

Boxing has always attracted big and strange personalities who use the sport as performance art, becoming what we might call professional trolls. Comedian Andy Kaufman used to challenge random women to box with him in the ring before pro wrestler Jerry Lawler put him in a neck brace. But all these modern performance artist boxers were preceded by an even stranger character, one who may have just been the first professional boxing troll. Born in 1887, Arthur Craven liked to introduce himself as, and this is the quote, the world's shortest haired poet, boxer, hotel rat, muleteer, snake charmer, chauffeur, ailurophile, gold prospector, grandson of the queen's chancellor, nephew of Oscar Wilde. Yeah, put that one on a tombstone. Oh, and if you're wondering what an ailurophile is, it's someone who loves cats. Arthur grew up in Switzerland, but always found life there to be a little too constricting. He traveled around Europe and became a boxer. He was always a big man, and so the sport suited him. But even trading blows in the ring wasn't exciting enough for him. He liked to add a bit of theater to his matches by giving speeches on art, trash talking the other boxers and threatening suicide, firing a gun into the air and throwing his briefcase at the audience. In other words, he liked to troll the crowd. It's like he only ever felt alive if everyone in the room hated him. He took this to a new extreme once he arrived in Spain, where he arranged a match with world champion boxer Jack Johnson. Some claim the match was rigged from the start to earn both boxers a bunch of money, and others claim that Arthur was just out of his depth. Either way, the match ultimately resulted in Arthur being knocked out in the sixth round. This caused such an Uproar that the crowd rioted and Arthur had to escape out the side of the venue. He fled to New York, where he seemed to step away from boxing, instead focusing on his performance art. He continued to troll, writing articles and making speeches where he insulted just about every other artist he could think of, whether they were a poet, painter, actor or otherwise. He was even arrested once for exposing himself on stage again, anything to get a rise out of people. But as much as Arthur seemed to like to antagonize his fellow human beings, he did have a soft spot for the poet Mina Loy. She too had left Europe after being dissatisfied with life there. And although she didn't like Arthur when they first met, she soon fell for him. He had a passion for life and a fearlessness that endeared him to her. They decided to move to Mexico in late 1917, as Arthur was always worried that one allied country or another would try to draft him into the Great War. The boxer, poet, troll seemed to finally calm down, content to teach boxing lessons and pass his days with Mina. They got married, and soon she became pregnant with a daughter. But life in Mexico was hard, and the couple struggled to make ends meet. They heard that they could live more affordably in Buenos Aires, but they could only afford to buy passage there for Mina. So going, that's what they did. And in late 1918, Arthur decided to go there ahead of her by traveling with a friend in an old rowboat. It's maybe not the best plan to try to sail the length of South America in such a small vessel. And maybe this was yet another one of Arthur's strange performance art stunts. It turned out to be his last too, because after Mina waved goodbye to him on the dock, she never saw him again. Now, conventional wisdom would say that he drowned, right? Although there have been theories over the years that he was merely escaping responsibility and started a new life elsewhere. If Mina believed this, she didn't hold it against him, though. Even after his disappearance, she claimed that her happiest years were the ones she spent with him. She gave birth to their daughter the following year. In 1919. Arthur left behind a curious legacy of trolling audiences with a body of work that mostly consisted of insulting diatribes against other artists. And as despicable as he could be at times, he set a bold example of living life to the fullest and refusing to bow to the expectations of others. He had no fear. An endless curiosity.

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[Aaron Manke]

For some of us, it's easy to lose focus. We use coping mechanisms to fight distractions, like keeping a strict work schedule, meditating, finding a quiet place to concentrate, or even locking our phones. But what do you do when it feels like nothing you try helps? Sometimes you have to go to extremes. Like how in the 19th century, one man used an unorthodox method to lay his procrastination habit bare. Victor had a problem. You see. To put it simply, he was just too popular. Born in 1802 to an upper class family, he had shown a special talent for words. At an early age, he became obsessed with romantic writers, devouring works about passion, beauty and heroes with rich emotional lives. By 1817, he'd written a poem for a French Academy competition which was so mature, the judges refused to believe a 15 year old could have written it. By 1831, 29 year old, Victor's career was rising to new heights. He'd been working for the past few years as a novelist and a playwright, and was even starting to get some acclaim for it. In fact, the collection of poems that he published at the age of 20 was so well received, the French king granted him a royal pension. With royal recognition came royal innovations. And soon Victor found himself at the center of Paris high society. Every night was a party or a ball or a night at the opera. The evenings with no invitations, Victor amused himself by hosting nearly 30 guests for dinner. And most nights, Victor would stay out late, roaming the streets of Paris, visiting bars and brothels. But as his social life soared his writing suffered. The life of a writer has to be, in some respects, a solitary one. To craft poems or pen novels, you need long stretches of uninterrupted time alone. As long as Victor was the life of the party, it would be the death of his career. So one day in 1831, with a deadline for his latest novel looming, Victor took a new approach. He knew if he had the free will to leave his house and party, he would never stay home long enough to finish the book. So he made it so that he could never leave. First, he purchased a large gray shawl. Next, he summoned a servant to his chambers and had them gather up all of his clothes. And then he had the servant take the clothes, lock them away, and hide the key from him. Now, when invitations to the palace or the opera came, Victor had to refuse. He literally had nothing to wear. He couldn't even leave to go to the bar, lest he be arrested for public indecency. For months, Victor worked like this, wrapped in nothing but the gray shawl. And perhaps it was the influence of that shawl that led Victor to start thinking about social inequality. He'd grown up rich and never gone cold or hungry. But every day in Paris, people were forced to get by on not much more than his gray shawl. And as the months passed by with no clothes, a story took shape in Victor's mind. One about people at both ends of society. About a powerful archdeacon, a poor Roma girl, and a physically disabled man hidden away from the rest of the world in a gothic tower. In 1831, French literary hero Victor Hugo emerged from his clothes free cell with the manuscript for the Hunchback of Notre Dame, written almost entirely in the buff. Throughout the rest of his career, Victor Hugo had a huge impact on French culture. He published more novels and got involved in politics, becoming a champion of social reforms like free education, universal suffrage, and an end to the death penalty. After speaking out against Emperor Napoleon III's seizure of the French government, he went into exile for 15 years on the Channel island of Guernsey. And it was during this time, over a period of nearly 17 years, that Victor wrote his masterpiece, Les Miserables. A sweeping epic novel, the story follows rich and poor French people in a time of great social upheaval. Victoria. At the center is Jean Valjean, an ex convict who becomes a good man even as his past, in the form of Inspector Javert, catches up to him. As far as we know, Victor Hugo never gave up his habit of writing sans clothing. So it's more than likely that he spent a good chunk of those 17 years wrapped up in his handy shawl. They say great work requires stripping away the distractions, and it seems in the case of Victor Hugo, he took that quite literally.

[Narrator]

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting curiositiespodcast.com the show was created by me, Aaron Manke in partnership with HowStuffWorks. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show and you can learn all about it [e-mail] and until next time, stay curious.

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