Listener Tales 109: 80's Tales!

Episode of Morbid · April 30, 2026 · 49 min

Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart dress in 1980s outfits and read four listener tales set in the 1980s, including hauntings and a Richard Ramirez encounter.

Summary

In this installment of Morbid's monthly Listener Tales series, hosts Alaina Urquhart and Ash Kelley dressed in 1980s fashion, joked about teased hair and Aquanet, and read four listener-submitted stories themed around the decade.

The first tale, from a listener named Brian, described his father's childhood home on the New Jersey shore, reportedly haunted by the ghost of a former owner, a blacksmith nicknamed Old Joe, whose activity ended after a Baptist pastor blessed the house. The second, from Erica, recounted how her parents in Los Angeles twice saw a black-haired man climbing a tree outside their second-story window, a man they later believed was Richard Ramirez; the hosts discussed Ramirez's lack of limits and his eventual capture by a neighborhood mob.

The third tale described a 1982 nighttime intrusion into a rented college farmhouse in central Illinois, which the residents feared was an attack but which turned out to be two drunk former tenants who stole tater tots and lasagna. The final story, from Rob, told of a ghostly woman seen in the reflection of his aunt's 1980s beauty salon; as an adult he sat under a dryer beside her spot with his hair in rollers, an act the hosts called one of their favorite tales ever received.

Chapters

  1. 0:00

    1980s dress-up intro

    The hosts open the episode in 1980s outfits, joking about their birth years, teased hair, Aquanet and 80s slang.

  2. 5:44

    Old Joe the blacksmith ghost

    Brian's tale of his grandmother's haunted New Jersey house, a vortex in the basement, and a pervy ghost eventually quieted by a pastor's blessing.

  3. 18:49

    Richard Ramirez in the tree

    Erica's parents in Los Angeles twice fended off a man climbing toward their window, whom they later recognized as Richard Ramirez.

  4. 25:45

    The tater tot intruders

    A 1982 home intrusion at a college rental house turns out to be drunk former tenants raiding the freezer.

  5. 39:36

    Spirit at the salon

    Rob recounts seeing a ghostly woman under a salon dryer and later keeping her company in rollers of his own.

  6. Linked moment · 46:17Skip to 46:17 using a listen link in the info box.

    46:17

    Wrap-up and submission info

    The hosts recap the tales, explain how to submit listener tales, and sign off with 80s slang.

People

In the conversation

  • Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels
  • Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid

Discussed

  • Richard RamirezAmerican serial killer known as the Night Stalker, active in Los Angeles in the 1980s and captured in 1985

Topics

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From the publisher

Guys! It's that special time of the month! You know... the one that's brought to you By you FOR you and ALL ABOUT YOU! This month we're getting our bangs sky high to honor a batch of tales from the eighties! Want to see the fits? Check out the YOUTUBE version is packed with extra Nicholas footage! If you’ve got a listener tale please send it to Deb by emailing us at Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line, and if you share pictures, please let us know if we can share them with fellow weirdos! :)

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime·Spirituality