Otherworld – Episode 137: The Devil's Errand
Release Date: October 6, 2025
Host: Jack Wagner
Guest: Danny Harunji
Episode Overview
In this captivating installment of Otherworld, host Jack Wagner sits down with Danny Harunji, owner of Cafe Tropical in Los Angeles, to unravel a bizarre, chilling encounter from Danny's youth that flirts with the borders of the unexplained. The tale—equal parts urban legend, supernatural possibility, and cautionary drug narrative—centers on an unnerving day in LA’s infamous MacArthur Park, a sharp-suited stranger claiming to be Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, and a series of decisions that would forever alter Danny's life.
Wagner approaches the account not simply as a paranormal or supernatural story, but as a modern American myth that echoes both personal and societal shadows.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Danny’s Background and Youth in LA
- [04:43] Danny recounts emigrating from Kiev to West Hollywood after Chernobyl, the struggles of being an outsider, and finding belonging as a troublemaker and graffiti kid.
- He describes a longing to fit in, which leads to “class clown” antics and risky adolescent behavior.
- Notable quote: “The way that I got to make friends was by being like the class clown and by messing around, by getting in trouble, you know... When you could get in trouble and you can make poke fun of yourself… you get other kids hanging out with you.” — Danny Harunji [05:56]
2. Setup: Ditching School and Meeting the Stranger
- [09:53] As a teenager at Fairfax High, Danny and two new acquaintances plot to skip school, buy weed, and return before lunch—a routine departure that becomes anything but.
- At Hollywood & Highland station, they meet a conspicuous, well-dressed, slightly bloodied man who claims to be Anton LaVey and offers them $100 each for every kind of drug they procure.
- The stranger displays bizarre confidence (“I don’t need a ticket. They can’t see me.” [13:55]) and seems uncannily invisible to authorities even when breaking obvious rules, e.g. smoking on the platform in front of police.
3. The “Trust Ritual” on the Train
- [15:37] In a surreal exchange, the stranger hands Danny his overflowing wallet, instructs him to try running—then presses a knife to his neck, repeating the ritual with the other boys.
- He then has Danny hold the knife to his own neck. This moment cements a disturbing “bond of trust.”
- Danny notes the social invisibility that cocooned them: “It was almost like nobody could see that this was happening to us, which looking back at was very strange.” [18:44]
4. MacArthur Park: The Devil’s Errand Unfolds
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[21:04] They follow “Anton LaVey” to MacArthur Park, famous for its rampant open-air drug market. The stranger gives precise shopping orders: crack, black (heroin), speed, and cocaine—$100 per score.
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He insists the kids buy and deliver (not him), pays generously, and compels them to partake, starting with smoking crack. Each new drug forms a ritualistic trust.
- Memorable: “He smoked it. And then he goes, and you need to take a hit too... at this point, this is the same guy that put a knife to our throat...” — Danny Harunji [24:40]
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After multiple rounds (crack, heroin—where he simply gives each boy a “balloon” to keep—meth), Danny describes a sense of being compelled, rather than choosing: “It was almost like I couldn’t not do it.” [25:44]
5. Escape and Aftermath
- [31:10] When a deal for cocaine enables separation, Danny and friends bolt, finally able to talk about the surreal, threatening experience.
- The return to school is marked by confusion, shame, and relaying the story—met with disbelief and concern from peers and his girlfriend.
6. Long-Term Consequences: The Life-Altering Echo
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[33:03] Danny reflects on how this “ordeal” opened a door. As a teen, he prided himself on resilience to drugs, yet “years later… I got into doing hard drugs and did some of the stuff this guy had introduced me to five years earlier.”
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He recounts a spiral into substance abuse—opiates for 7-8 years, progressing to IV heroin and meth following his father’s death—before ultimately finding recovery.
- “You draw these invisible lines and say, ‘I’m never going to cross that line’... then right when you’re on the other side of it, you’re like, ‘Oh, well, I’m already here.’” — Danny Harunji [36:47]
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He attributes the start of this trajectory to the “devil’s errand”—the day with LaVey as a catalyzing curse that took a decade to escape.
7. Twist: The Impossible Identity
- [42:00] Years after the event, Danny finally Googles Anton LaVey. The photos match—unmistakably the man he met. The bombshell: by the time Danny started high school (2001), LaVey had already been dead for years.
- “Now, where the story really takes a twist is... he would have been dead for a year. He was dead for years.” — Danny Harunji [42:19]
8. Interpreting the Supernatural Elements
- Both Jack and Danny wrestle with rational and irrational explanations:
- Could it have been a copycat? Why couldn’t he get his own drugs? What about the eerie invisibility to law enforcement?
- Danny: “I don’t think it was a human... I think it was some kind of dark lower power that... appeared for us on that morning and put me on this trajectory.” [42:27]
- Jack: “People seem to not be able to see this guy in the train, including police. I mean, this guy is holding a knife to teenagers’ throats... The whole thing is just so strange.” [48:05]
9. Regret, Acceptance, and Meaning
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Danny expresses both shame and a strange gratitude for survival, suggesting that his story and recovery may help others.
- “Would I take it back... if I was able to see where my life is today and be like, do I want to undo that? I don’t know. I don’t think I would. Because I am who I am today because of that.” [46:32]
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He wonders about the fate of his companions, whom he never saw again—"I don’t even know how I would be able to go back...” [46:17]
10. Classical Allusions & Mythic Resonance
- Jack likens the story to legends such as Robert Johnson’s meeting with the Devil at the crossroads: “…to me, this story is like a modern American myth.” [48:05]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On the stranger’s supernatural claims:
“They can’t see me… I don’t need a ticket.” — The Stranger / “Anton LaVey” [13:55] -
On the knife “trust ritual”:
“He takes out a switchblade knife and holds it to my neck and he goes, ‘But if you try to run off with it, I could slit your neck.’…Then you take the knife and put it to my neck.” — Danny Harunji [16:21] -
On the eerie invisibility and fear:
“…it was like we were in our own little bubble…nobody could see that this was happening to us.” — Danny Harunji [18:44] -
On regret and fate:
“I don’t know... Could it be that that was what, like, opened up this door for this life of drug addiction for me?” — Danny Harunji [47:37]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Danny’s Childhood & Teen Troubles: [04:43] – [12:29]
- Meeting the Stranger: [12:29] – [15:30]
- The Knife “Trust Ritual”: [15:37] – [18:44]
- The MacArthur Park Drug Hunt: [21:04] – [28:03]
- Escape and School Aftermath: [31:10] – [33:03]
- Long-term Addiction & Recovery: [33:03] – [40:04]
- Supernatural Realization (LaVey’s Identity): [42:00] – [42:21]
- Reflection, Fate, and Myth: [44:22] – [48:05]
Tone & Style
The tone is candid, often raw, with both Danny and Jack shifting between self-deprecating humor, awe, and genuine distress. Danny’s retelling is confessional and unvarnished, frequently punctuated by feelings of shame, disbelief, and survivor’s wisdom. Jack maintains a tone of journalistic curiosity, skepticism, and empathy throughout.
Concluding Thoughts
This episode stands out as a chilling trip through a liminal space—blurring lines between urban reality, addiction, and possible supernatural intervention. It’s a myth for modern Los Angeles: grief, addiction, and the inexplicably diabolical all meet at a crossroads in a city park. Ultimately, the story’s power lies less in literal belief than in how utterly it changed a life, and how darkness sometimes takes the shape we least expect.
“Those are more the questions that I ask myself. But I’m, as sure as I am that I'm sitting here with you today, I’m as sure as that I met Anton LaVey that day and spent those few hours with him…”
— Danny Harunji [45:51]
If this episode affected you or if you've experienced something strange, you can submit your story at stories@otherworldpod.com. For further resources on addiction and recovery, reach out to local support groups or medical professionals.