Last Podcast On The Left: Side Stories – The Piggyback Bandit

Release Date: January 21, 2026
Hosts: Henry Zebrowski, Marcus Parks, Ed Larson
Podcast Network: The Last Podcast Network

Main Theme & Episode Overview

This episode of Side Stories is a rollicking journey through darkly comic news, eccentric crimes, and personal reflections—anchored by the bizarre saga of "The Piggyback Bandit," a notorious serial offender who quests for piggyback rides from high school athletes. The crew also celebrates major show news, discusses grave robbing, the ethics of medical oddity collections, weaponized sound, and two truly grisly workplace mishaps.

The spirited episode is classic LPOTL: equal parts macabre, anarchic, and deeply human, while diving headfirst into the absurd and messed-up corners of current events and listener stories.

Announcements & Show Updates

Partnership with Netflix & New Content ([01:12]–[06:26])

• Big News:
  • Marcus Parks: “Last Podcast on the Left is announcing a partnership with Netflix for our video rights to the show.” [01:44]
  • Clarifies it's a partnership, not a sale. The podcast remains free everywhere; only video content is moving to Netflix.
• YouTube/Patreon Change:
  • Video podcasts will be exclusive to Netflix going forward; backlog remains accessible elsewhere.
• New Shows:
  • Last Letterboxd on the Left: (Movie reviews starring Ed and Henry, videos on Patreon)
  • The Miseducation of Ed Larson, I’m an Idiot: (Ed learns a new topic each time, refusing to read and instead watching documentaries)
  • Last Stream on the Left After Dark: (Patreon-exclusive 20-min user-submitted video commentaries)
• Patreon Stays the Same:
  • “All of the last stream on the left is staying exactly the same. Our deal with Patreon is exactly the same… except for the video podcast.” [02:21]
• Netflix Perks:
  • No more YouTube language policing: “We could say kill and suicide. Like, we can say all the things… We’re free on there to actually say all the words we’d like to say.” — Henry [05:13]
• Emphasis:
  • “Nothing essentially is changing except for things that we like.” — Henry [01:38]

Light Banter & Live Show Chatter

Interview with the Vampire: Missed Opportunity ([07:39]–[10:47])

• Henry recounts (humorously) being invited and then passed over for moderating an Interview with the Vampire talkback, riffing on his unsuitability (“I think it was all of me.” [10:00]), and dreaming up “Fat Vampire.”
• “All I wanted to do was to be in the room with the nice smelling people.” — Henry [11:26]
• Announcement: Side Stories live show at Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Avalon in Hollywood, May 7 at 9:45pm. [11:44–12:02]

Listener Updates & Macabre News

Grave Robbing & Medical Ethics ([13:21]–[18:31])

• Follow-up about Jonathan Gerlach, accused grave robber:
  • “He is getting the book thrown at him for countless different burglary accounts… robbing graves, especially those of little babies.” — Henry [13:46]
  • Discusses ethical quandaries of the Mütter Museum’s human remains. Only about 10% of specimens were acquired with modern definitions of consent. [14:36]
• Quote:
  “It’s not so much that someone owns the human remains after death, they are considered quasi property. But there’s a person… that has the legal authority to direct what happens…” [16:02]
• Philosophical take on desecrating graves:
  “Graves are an extension of the soul… a pseudo-architectural concept.” — Henry [17:14]

The Real Crime: Gerlach’s Pretentious Music ([18:33]–[21:13])

• Henry & Ed play Gerlach’s old YouTube music:
  • “He should have been arrested for this.” [19:13]
  • Song titles like “Beautiful Womb.”
  • “It is worse than the bones.” — Ed [19:58]
  • “You’re one blind bird who can’t see what’s coming.” — Ed [21:18]
  • Finding a comment: “Crazy that this dude robs graves.” — YouTube user, read by Henry [21:23]

Main Story: The Piggyback Bandit

Background & Recent Sightings ([32:13]–[43:03])

• Emailed story from a Chicago-area high school athletic trainer:
  • Student reports receiving a massage from a “male athletic trainer” who didn’t actually exist; mysterious man not affiliated with the school.
• Henry introduces “The Piggyback Bandit” — a man, Sherman Shayegan, who since 2012 has:
  • Been banned from school athletics in five states [33:29]
  • Known to jump on student athletes’ backs for piggyback rides, offer massages, or give money for being allowed to touch/massage kids.
  • “He is allegedly a person with special needs, as reported by his mother, trying to get in with teams to be their waterboy manager. He’s known to jump on athletes backs for piggyback rides.” [33:29]
• Physical Description: 240-pound, 6'2" man, often dresses like he’s on a basketball team. [34:01]
• Readings of his actual notes:
  • “This is $10 for you letting me give you a massage. Thank you for letting me give you a massage. Use this money wisely. Also, I want to tell you, you have a nice ass with those pants on. Use your ass wisely to fart and poop.” [39:27]
• Been active for 14 years, even going so far as to join traveling teams — learning to blend in, offering money to kids, and using cover stories.
• “He’s been stealing piggyback rides for 14 years.” — Henry [34:43]
• ESPN and national media have covered him; he’s considered both a bizarre criminal and an odd curiosity.

Discussion:

• The hosts express mixed feelings—disgust, dark amusement, incredulity at his success at evading authorities, and the peculiar cunning involved.

Protest, Government Tech & Weaponized Sound

Government Weaponry: Updates & Protest Tactics ([25:49]–[31:05])

• Follow-up: US Department of Homeland Security bought a device from Russia capable of delivering “Havana Syndrome”-style sound as a crowd dispersal tool. [27:58]
  • “It’s out there. They’re using sound weaponry.” — Henry [29:03]
• Discussion of protest:
  • Henry: “I don’t think it means that you can’t protest anymore. I think that you should absolutely protest… Just understand the government has super secret tech.” [29:03]
  • Marcus encourages creative protest tactics, referencing Minneapolis’ “ICE agent” routine: “It’s so cool… making them all fight each other and then run away.” — Marcus [27:00]
  • Rousing call for a “general strike.”
• Playful banter about what a general strike would mean for entertainers, with no real resolution.

Macabre Workplace Accidents

Fatal Wingsuit Jump ([47:30]–[52:47])

• Story of experienced American wingsuit diver Brendan Weinstein who died in Cape Town, South Africa, after failing to pivot at the correct moment, landing fatally in front of a family on a hiking trail.
  • “They heard… the thrill seeker’s cries as he became aware of his impending fate…” [48:17]
  • Gory aftermath recounted in graphic, comic fashion.
  • Discussion of the appeal/danger of extreme sports, with the theory that the threat of death is part of the thrill.

Pastry Chef Killed by Bread Mixer ([54:25]–[57:22])

• A Florida kosher bakery accident: chef is killed after being caught in a bread mixing machine.
  • “That is bad.” — Ed [54:38]
  • They watch a video of a similar accident, react in horror
    • “That is horrific. Do not show that. Do not make a clip of that.” — Ed [57:36]
  • Speculate about causes (untied apron?), riff on the terrifying nature of commercial kitchen machinery.

Listener Interactions

Legendary Mail & RAV4 vs. CRV ([58:14]–[61:18])

• Reading a passionate listener email, defending the Toyota RAV4 after previous episode criticisms.
  • “RAV4 is a far superior automobile than a CRV in every way and is certainly not not a CRV… The RAV4 is a car for true adventurers.” [59:19]
  • The hosts maintain gentle mockery while expressing thanks for listener engagement:
    “I allowed you to have a platform. That’s what I did.” — Henry [60:47]

Other Notable Riffs & Recurring Jokes

• On Netflix’s New Podcast Push: The hosts express pride in joining as an independent show.

  • “This is a thing that we got to negotiate. This is a thing that directly helps us here at the network.” — Henry [06:40]

• Language Freedom on Netflix:

  • “Are you telling me I don’t have to unalive myself anymore?” — Marcus [05:34]
  • “Not anymore.” — Henry [05:37]

• Invitations to Listener Stories: Multiple reminders for fans to continue emailing wild stories and updates (SideStoriesLpotl@gmail.com).

Noteworthy Quotes

• “Last Podcast on the Left is announcing a partnership with Netflix for our video rights to the show.” — Marcus Parks [01:44]
• “We are literally just leasing our bodies physically to Netflix to be seen by you.” — Henry Zebrowski [01:53]
• “We’re free on there to actually say all the words we’d like to say.” — Henry Zebrowski [05:13]
• “He has been going at it since 2012 and he is banned from high school athletics in five states.” — Henry Zebrowski [33:29]
• "Use your ass wisely to fart and poop." — Sherman Shayegan note, read by Henry [39:27]
• “It is worse than the bones.” — Ed, after hearing Gerlach’s music [19:58]
• "Nothing essentially is changing except for things that we like." — Henry [01:38]
• “It’s like if young blood was dried blood.” — Ed, on Jonathan Gerlach’s pretentious music [20:09]

Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |--------------|------------------------------------------------| | 01:12–06:26 | Netflix announcement, new content, video/podcast changes | | 07:39–12:55 | “Interview with the Vampire” talk, live show plugs | | 13:21–18:31 | Grave robbing, Mütter Museum, ethics of medical exhibits | | 18:33–21:13 | Jonathan Gerlach’s music (mocked mercilessly) | | 25:49–31:05 | Protest advice, government weapon tech, creative civil action | | 32:13–43:03 | The Piggyback Bandit: profile, history, incidents | | 47:30–52:47 | Fatal wingsuit jump, discussion of extreme sports | | 54:25–57:22 | Florida bakery accident (bread mixer death) | | 58:14–61:18 | Listener mail: RAV4 vs. CRV |

Episode Tone

• Darkly comic, self-aware, and unfiltered. The trio riff irreverently on bizarre crimes, tragic accidents, and grotesque news, punctuating the bleakness with jokes, friendly mockery, and pro-listener engagement. Their edge is balanced by genuine affection for their fans and each other.

Conclusion & This Episode’s Takeaway

“Side Stories: The Piggyback Bandit” exemplifies the Last Podcast’s approach: confronting the weird, the tragic, and the hilarious head-on. After major show news (their Netflix deal), the hosts gleefully explore the world’s oddities—from a long-running serial piggyback predator to musings on body ownership, protest tactics, and the perils of kitchen machinery—with wit, skepticism, and signature gallows humor.

For new and returning listeners:
This episode encapsulates the best of Side Stories' format: updates on the show, odd news, deep dives into freakish anecdotes, and the freewheeling banter that defines LPOTL.

For More / Action Items

• Email your side stories: SideStoriesLpotl@gmail.com
• Upcoming live shows: Avalon Hollywood (May 7, “Netflix is a Joke”), Fairbanks AK (Feb 21), and more.
• Netflix Video Launch: New video episodes on all Netflix tiers soon. (Check show’s feed/social for schedule.)