And That's Why We Drink – Episode 447:

"Home Appliance Hauntings and Narcissists in White"

Release Date: August 31, 2025

Hosts: Christine Schiefer & Em Schulz

Episode Overview

This episode blends classic And That's Why We Drink energy: lighthearted banter, personal stories of anxiety and pets, and, as always, a duo of chilling tales—one paranormal and one true crime. Em covers the baffling "Emilchin UFO Abduction" of 1978 in Poland, involving a farmer's wild encounter with green-skinned beings, while Christine tells the tragic, winding story of the Bishop family murders, a notorious unsolved family annihilator case. Expect insight, gallows humor, self-deprecation, and just enough paranormal and true crime to warrant your favorite beverage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Chatter: Air Hunger, Anxiety, and Candy (03:25–16:00)

• Christine discusses her experience with "air hunger," a sensation of being unable to take a deep breath, which leads to anxiety spirals:

  "There's a word for it, and it's ridiculous, but it's what it is. It's called air hunger. And it sounds so... disturbing.” — Christine (04:49)

• Personal anecdotes about how this manifests and disrupts daily life and sleep, the feeling that anxiety or stress amplifies the issue, and shared experiences of medical anxiety and seeking reassurance from friends and partners.

• Christine admits finding expired strawberry candies in her closet—“apparently, at one point in my life, I bought 130 strawberry candies" (10:14)—and makes jokes about chaotic snacking.

• Notable Moment: A digressive riff about mysterious pet disappearances leads to Em speculating about portals and bizarre home appliance malfunctions (dishwasher, oven, and WiFi all going haywire at once).

  "Maybe he went through the portal and set off the dishwasher, and everything went to hell." — Christine (15:42)

2. The Hannah Montana Tangent (16:59–20:31)

A classic pop culture detour, with Em excitedly forecasting possible Hannah Montana 20th anniversary plans:

"If it's a Hannah Montana tour, I will scream. I don't care if it's a million dollars. I will find the money. This is my ERAS tour." — Em (17:22)

They reminisce about childhood shows and concerts, poke fun at themselves for being "behind" current events due to advanced recording schedules, and discuss the generational touchstones that set their friendship's tone.

3. Em’s Paranormal Story: The Emilchin UFO Abduction (23:13–74:46)

Story Summary (with Timestamps and Quotes):

• Setting: Emilchin, Poland, 1978.
• Victim: Jan Volsky, a 71-year-old respected farmer.

The Encounter (23:28–42:35)

• Jan is driving his horse-drawn cart when he encounters two green-skinned, oddly built beings walking on the road. They slow down to let him catch up, then silently board his cart and sit behind him.
• Description: Five feet tall, green skin, webbed hands, "slanted and completely dark eyes", "no nose, but a small bump with nostril openings", and seamless black hooded suits. (34:05–34:50)
• The beings appear to "disarm" his fear and communicate in a fast, incomprehensible language.

"He remembers not feeling any fear, but still feeling a sense of being hypnotized into obeying." — Em (42:35)

• They ride together into a clearing, where a seamless metallic UFO is hovering. (35:05–36:39)
• Jan is gestured onboard via a platform. While on the craft, he notices a plain black room with glass-like walls, benches, a polished floor, and several paralyzed birds on the floor. (45:57–47:49)

The "Examination" (49:45–52:14)

• Jan is asked (gestured) to undress and is briefly scanned by vibrating, disc-like tools.

• The aliens are particularly fascinated with his belt:

  "They kept undoing it and then redoing it and then commenting to each other about it." — Em (53:11)

• Jan is offered an "icicle"-like snack, which he refuses, then released after a summary "mouth check."

• He bows to the aliens as he departs—awkward social anxiety transcending even interplanetary etiquette.

  "He didn't know what to do, so he bowed. And they matched his social anxiety because they bowed back." — Em (58:23–58:31)

Aftermath & Investigation (59:06–74:28)

• Jan returns home and, after sleeping for hours, tells his family. When he shows the supposed site to neighbors and sons, they find rectangular footprints, possible signs of soil disruption, and feathers (no birds).
• The horse had been grazing for 2 hours, suggesting possible time distortion (61:32).
• Police (still loyal to Soviet authorities) dismiss the story as a hoax/drunkenness, but most of the local community believes Jan wholeheartedly.
• Subsequent ufologists investigate, with Dr. Blania eventually becoming the main advocate of the story—until, in 2013, a researcher uncovers old notes suggesting the whole event may have been an inspired hypnotic prank conducted by feuding ufologists (70:05–72:59).

Theories & Cultural Legacy

• Was Jan hypnotized into a detailed false memory as part of an inter-ufologist rivalry?

• The incident remains Poland’s most famous UFO abduction, subject to documentaries and memorialized by a monument that declares:

  “A UFO object landed, and the truth will astonish us in the future.” (74:46)

• Memorable descriptions:

  • The seamless craft: “...as if the whole thing was made of one piece of metal.”
  • The aliens' attire: “tight yet seamless black hooded rubber suits.”
  • The bizarre paralyzed birds, which both hosts found super unsettling.

4. Christine’s True Crime Story: The Bishop Family Murders (82:11–119:56)

Story Summary (with Timestamps and Quotes):

• Setting: Bethesda, Maryland, and North Carolina, 1976.
• Victims: Annette Bishop, her three sons (William, Brenton, and Jeffrey), and mother-in-law (Lobelia).

Discovery (82:48–90:07)

• Forest ranger finds a shallow grave in rural North Carolina: two women and three children (boys, in pajamas), all bludgeoned and covered by sheets and a tarp. A bloody gas can and shovel with Maryland store labels are found at the scene.

The Investigation (86:00–98:25)

• It takes a week for officials to link them to the Bishop family, missing from Maryland. Father William Bradford Bishop is notably absent.
• The crime scene at their Bethesda home is described as "a slasher film gone wrong"—blood everywhere, but no bodies.
• A set of forensic links:
  • Shovel from a Maryland hardware store.
  • Bloody fingerprint on the gas can matches Bradford's military records.
  • Witnesses saw Bradford buying a gas can and hammer at Sears, and his behavior suggested premeditation.

"He had the odds stacked in his favor... fluent in multiple languages, diplomatic passport, and a licensed pilot." — Christine (99:32)

The Manhunt (99:32–107:49)

• Bradford is believed to have driven the bodies to North Carolina for disposal, then ditched the car in Tennessee. Witnesses spot him buying new shoes in Jacksonville, NC (credit card evidence).
• He may have transferred to another vehicle—a possible accomplice?
• He absconds with the family dog, Leo ("He couldn't bear to hurt his own dog. But his children and wife and mother were fair game, I guess." — Christine, 105:14).
• Bradford’s diplomatic passport and knowledge of international travel give him a tremendous advantage, and authorities suspect he may have faked his own suicide (missing medicine, abandoned vehicle).

Cold Trails and DNA Surprises (107:49–113:50)

• For decades, "Bradford Bishop" sightings are reported worldwide, including France (1993) and a John Doe DNA exhumation in 2014—both false leads.
• In 2017, retired teacher Kathy Gilchrist submits her DNA and discovers that her birth father, whom she never met, was Bradford Bishop.

  "Unfortunately, your father is Bradford Bishop, a man who is wanted for the murder of his entire family, AKA your entire family." — Christine quoting Susan, the genealogist (110:59)

• Gilchrist processes this, connecting with her murdered half-siblings' story and reflecting on survivor’s guilt—a poignant subplot.

Motive and Legacy (113:50–119:56)

• Background: Bishop was a high-achieving, status-conscious government worker who lived abroad and resented his “boring” U.S. office life.
• On March 1, 1976, after missing out on a coveted promotion, he likely snapped.

  "He killed his family because he wanted to leave behind and start a new life... this selfish move of 'my dog and I want to go start over. Bye.’" — Christine (116:23)

• Despite being placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, Bishop is never caught and his fate remains unknown (would be nearly 90 if alive at time of recording). The case remains open and infamous, a textbook study in narcissistic rage and family annihilation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Air Hunger and Anxiety:

  "It's called air hunger... It really is this idea of, like, you’re so focused on trying to get a breath because you can’t... and the more you think about it, like, the worse it gets." — Christine (04:49)

• On the UFO Encounter:

  "He remembers not feeling any fear, but still feeling a sense of being hypnotized into obeying." — Em (42:35)
  "He didn't know what to do, so he bowed. And they matched his social anxiety because they bowed back." — Em (58:23–58:31)

• On the Alien’s Attitude Toward Human Technology

  "They kept undoing [the belt] and then redoing it and then commenting to each other about it." — Em (53:11)
  "It's like in The Good Place when Michael's fascinated by paper clips... If you think about it, yeah, it's pretty interesting, a belt, how that works if you've never seen it." — Christine (53:27)

• The Bishop Case’s Grim Irony:

  "He couldn't bear to hurt his own dog. But his children and wife and mother were fair game, I guess." — Christine (105:14)
  "In his twisted mind, he felt as if he deserved better. And doesn't that just..." — Christine (117:27)

• On Storytelling Styles:

  "If there's ever an And That's Why I Drink bingo card, I think the free spot should be narcissist / lady in white." — Em (121:03)

Timestamps for Main Segments

• Chit-chat, anxiety, pet stories: 03:25–16:00
• Hannah Montana, pop culture digression: 16:59–20:31
• Emilchin UFO Abduction (Em): 23:13–74:46
• Bishop Family Murders (Christine): 82:11–119:56

Closing Notes

• The episode's tone alternates between humorous self-disclosure, awe at the weirdness of the universe (both paranormal and criminal), and genuine empathy for crime victims.
• Listeners are reminded that even the wildest stories—alien abductions or the darkest true crime—are always filtered through skepticism, humor, and humanity.

For full, immersive context and the hosts’ delightful repartee (plus bonus content like quizzes and mini-episodes), check out their Patreon or streaming platforms.

Why Do They Drink?

Christine: "Because I can't breathe, apparently!"
Em: "Because if the Hannah Montana tour is real, everyone's going to be so annoyed with me."

And that's why we drink.