Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast

Episode 605 - Arctic Cannibalism (feat. Buddy Levy)

Date: March 25, 2026
Hosts: Matt McCusker & Shane Gillis
Guest: Buddy Levy (author, historian, adventurer)

Episode Overview

In this adventurous and darkly humorous episode, Matt and Shane are joined by author and historian Buddy Levy, whose gripping books bring historic expeditions—often fraught with cannibalism, hardship, and cultural collision—to life. They dive deep into tales from the conquest of the Americas, river and jungle journeys, Arctic perils, and the real-life research and risks Buddy undertakes. The conversation veers from brutal historical realities (including slavery, ritual sacrifice, and cannibalism) to the stranger-than-fiction moments of exploration, with heavy doses of the show’s signature irreverent banter.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Art of Writing (00:03–07:25)

• Buddy’s Background as a Writer:
  Buddy shares how he began publishing stories at age 14, grew up near Hemingway’s haunts, and was drawn to creative writing and storytelling in history.
• Writing Engaging History:
  Buddy’s books focus on narrative over excessive facts. Matt appreciates how Buddy makes even dark subjects readable and sometimes darkly funny.
• Quote:
  “When I’m writing it, I’m thinking, you know, this isn’t really comedy, but you guys crush it.” — Buddy (01:52)
• Balancing Fact and Story:
  The group discusses how history often requires sifting through conflicting primary sources and being mindful of who’s telling the story (“history is pretty dynamic and malleable”—08:40).

2. The Brutality of the Conquistadors & Survival (02:08–08:40)

• Human Sacrifice, Cannibalism, and Culture Clash:
  Matt and Shane riff on the jarring differences between Spanish conquistadors and the Aztecs, especially around ritual sacrifice and food culture.
• Slavery in Expeditions:
  The practical (though horrific) role of slaves, including the uncomfortable historical euphemisms used to describe them.
• Food Scarcity on Expeditions:
  Survival often meant raiding, slavery, or near-starvation diets.
• Quote:
  “You’re rolling around with, you know, quote, quote, unquote, three women who make tortillas for 600 guys—they’re obviously sex slaves.” — Shane (06:45)
• Historians’ Challenge:
  Buddy talks about the research process and how immersing himself through both reading and travel helps bring these events to life (07:25).

3. Real-Life Expeditions: The Amazon (11:15–21:12)

• Following in the Footsteps:
  Buddy recounts his attempt to replicate conquistador journeys, including crossing the Andes and navigating the Amazon by dugout canoe.
• Amazon Hazards:
  Stories of vampire bats, massive insects, pink dolphins (as a spirit animal on ayahuasca), piranhas, swimming with manatees, and anacondas.
• Ayahuasca Journey:
  A humorous account of taking ayahuasca with local guides and hallucinating a pink dolphin rather than a "cool" spirit animal (15:21).
• Quote:
  “I was hoping for this amazing spiritual journey... and I get a pink dolphin for my spirit animal.” — Buddy (15:54)
• Survival Details:
  Encountering caimans and coping with the ever-present threat of poisonous animals.
• Travel Philosophy:
  Buddy always brings primary texts on his journeys, trying to merge firsthand experiences with historical accounts.

4. Shifting Focus: Arctic Exploration (21:12–33:04)

• From Jungle to the Arctic:
  Buddy discusses the extremes of polar expeditions—writing multiple Arctic books and enduring Svalbard, Greenland, and journeys inspired by early airship attempts to reach the North Pole.
• Polar Bears & Camp Dangers:
  Staying in Svalbard’s only campground, learning about the death of a worker from a polar bear attack (24:07), and the futility of electric fences against apex predators.
• Life Above the Arctic Circle:
  Local resilience, 24-hour daylight or darkness, and how indigenous practices endure.
• Quote:
  “They cruise around on dog sled and snow machines in the winter... It has like, you know, a three day growing season. Really.” — Buddy (25:41)
• Extreme Survival:
  Comparing the desirability of dying from jungle diseases vs. freezing in the Arctic (“I’m going to take the north”—27:08).
• Deadly Waters:
  Life jackets discouraged by local seal hunters to ensure quick death in freezing water (28:14).

5. Myths of the North & Early Exploration Tales (31:18–37:49)

• Cartographic Mysteries:
  Explorers believed in a temperate oasis inside the icy shell of the Arctic; realities proved far grimmer.
• Role of Indigenous Knowledge:
  Survival often depended on learning from Inuit and other northern peoples, using technologies like seal-skin kayaks (30:24).
• The Fatal Flaws:
  European explorers frequently underestimated conditions, disregarding the clues found in local customs and attire.
• Quote:
  “They should have figured it out by noting what the indigenous people were wearing.” — Buddy (32:59)

6. Amazonian Myths & Uncontacted Tribes (42:36–46:55)

• Amazon Women Warriors:
  The persistent myth (and possibly real encounters) with tribes of warrior women in the Amazon.
  “There is a kernel of truth to this... if there remain uncontacted tribes, it’s possible.” — Buddy (45:29)
• Expedition Encounters:
  Stories of bizarre tribes, pituitary giants, and the often brutal consequences of first contact, including slavery, abductions, and disturbing violence.

7. Cannibalism: Arctic vs. Amazon (50:52–56:14)

• Food in Extremis:
  Discussion on the difference between ceremonial and survival cannibalism.
• Notable Quote:
  “Would you eat human flesh? ...I say, would you?” — Buddy (52:11)
• Arctic Cannibalism:
  True tales from Buddy’s books—men sneaking out to feed on corpses, the moral line between scavenging the dead and murder.
• Execution for Betrayal:
  Recounting the true story of an expedition member executed by his starving companions because he was secretly consuming the dead and stealing rations.

8. Other Noteworthy Expeditions: Borneo & Adventure Races (56:32–62:30)

• Experience in Borneo:
  Following Mark Burnett’s adventure racers, dealing with sea kraits, monitor lizards, bat-filled caves, and headhunter legends.
• “Jurassic Park” Reality:
  The intensity (and absurdity) of real wild encounters, like being spooned by a snake-phobic crewmate and confronting massive lizards by day.
• Connection to TV:
  The roots of “Survivor” in these adventure races.
• Physical Dangers:
  Risks from toxic animal encounters and pathogens in tropical environments.

9. Ongoing Projects and Historical Fascinations (63:10–69:10)

• Buddy’s Next Book:
  Working on his fourth Arctic volume, this one about the first Franklin expedition—an epic overland search for the Northwest Passage, plagued by disaster.
• The Obsession with Discovery:
  Many Arctic and Amazonian expeditions driven by myths (El Dorado, the Northwest Passage) that cost countless lives.
• Reflections on Hubris:
  Explorers often failed disastrously on second journeys, even after success (compared with Columbus’s unusual repeat luck).
• Irreverent Aside:
  Christopher Columbus’s supposed habit of riding indigenous people piggy-back (66:03).
• Final Thoughts:
  The scale and peril of historic exploration, from honeymooning with a child bride in the Amazon to fighting rivers named "the Mouth of the Dragon."

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the tension between history and comedy (01:52):
  “I’ve really enjoyed listening to you guys make things like human ritual sacrifice and smallpox funny.” — Buddy
• On historical research (07:25):
  “For me, it’s fun to immerse in that. It’s kind of like doing a mini-master’s or PhD for every book.”
• On ayahuasca in the Amazon (15:54):
  “I get a pink dolphin for my spirit animal.... It wasn’t what I had hoped for.”
• On survival logic in the Arctic (28:14):
  “If we fall in the water, we don’t want it to take that long to die.” — Local Inuit to Buddy
• On historical cannibalism (52:11):
  “Would you eat human flesh? ...I say, would you?” — Buddy
• On hopeless expeditions (54:03):
  “Next person starts lagging, like, we can just eat this guy now and get a better meal out of it.” — Shane
• On endless adventure writing (68:55):
  “I’m going to keep writing these things until I’m weak and infirm and need to feed on a friend.” — Buddy

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Buddy’s approach to historical storytelling – 00:18–01:48
• Conquistador brutality, slavery, and food – 03:26–07:03
• Immersing in research & expeditions – 07:25–09:42
• Amazon journeys & ayahuasca stories – 11:15–16:12
• Survival & animal encounters in the Amazon – 17:05–21:12
• Adapting to the Arctic, polar bears, Svalbard – 21:12–25:19
• Life in Arctic communities, midnight sun – 25:19–27:00
• Do you prefer to freeze or waste away in the jungle? – 27:08
• The realities of indigenous survival in the Arctic – 33:00–35:11
• Discussion on Amazonian warrior women/myths – 42:38–45:29
• Cannibalism, survival ethics & dark histories – 50:52–56:14
• Adventure races and crazy animal encounters in Borneo – 56:32–62:30
• Buddy’s next book: Franklin Expedition, Northwest Passage – 63:10–65:28
• Conclusion & reflections on perpetual adventure – 68:55

Final Thoughts

This episode is a blend of history, gallows humor, and awe at the wits—and failures—of humanity at the edges of survival. Buddy Levy delivers hair-raising first- and secondhand accounts, while Matt and Shane provide comic relief and probing questions. Listeners are left both entertained and unsettled by tales of edible expedition mates and the indifference of jungles and ice.

Further Information

Buddy Levy’s latest books and Arctic/expedition stories:
[Buddy Levy's Author Page or Website]

Follow Matt and Shane on Spotify for more episodes.