John Murray Spear's Excellent Adventure Part I (Premium E343)
This week, Jack begins the strange saga of John Murray Spear: Universalist preacher, abolitionist, prison reformer, anti-death-penalty agitator, spiritual medium, and eventual would-be midwife to a “mechanical messiah.”
Before Spear tried to build the “New Motor” (a living machine meant to channel divine electricity and inaugurate a new age) he spent decades pursuing radical reform in 19th-century New England. Jack traces Spear’s working-class childhood, his years in the Universalist movement, his “missions of love” to prisoners and the poor, his work against capital punishment, his involvement with abolitionism and the Underground Railroad, and the mob beating that nearly killed him in Portland.
Then things get weirder. Enter the unfortunately-named Andrew Jackson Davis, Emanuel Swedenborg, the Fox Sisters, mesmeric trances, automatic writing, spirit healing, Benjamin Franklin from beyond the grave, psychometry, sulfur springs, and the “Association of Electricizers.” By the end of Part 1 of our story, Spear has been selected by a committee of dead reformers, scientists, and Founding Fathers to help remake the world through electricity, spirit communication, and one very important machine in a tower in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Next week: Jack tells the tale of Spear’s mechanical messiah.
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QAA was known as the QAnon Anonymous podcast.
Comments (39)
Guy was trying to speedrun the Machine God ending from Fear and Hunger.
I grew up in a town that still has a Swedenborgian (New Church) community and had several friends in high school who lived in the New Church
OMG Cake Farts mentioned in 2026 CE!?!?!? JACK YOU MAGNIFICENT SOB OF A BITCH!
The Dollop did an ep about this guy years ago and it may be the craziest funniest episode of that show I’ve ever heard. There is so much going on. So excited for the QAA take 💕
This was amazing. A deeper dive into the historical context and intricacies of his beliefs than the Dollop ep, although that ep will still always be my favorite and Gar’s reactions are priceless. Part 2 LFG
New Bedford mentioned!! I work a couple blocks from that Church!
I really enjoy hearing about people waay ahead of the times. Sucks about his pivot but he did a lot of good
I would love to hear more of these antiquated shit poster episodes. Julian and Jack, gimme some research into the OG shit poster, Diogenes, or maybe some old cults like pythagoras and the murder of cult mathemeticians over the existence of an irrational number plz.
This ep had the highest concentration of WKUK style bits in awhile
This is so sad. Spears' story should be included in all Psychology classes, as to how a person can develop, step-by-step, a debilitating thought disorder.
awesome episode, never heard of this dude but he strongly reminds me of Reverend Smith from Deadwood
Holy shit, I went to Moravian Academy and we learned about Count Von Zinzendorf and Countess Benigna in elementary school!
Absolutely love hearing stories like this. Far too often the evils of the past are brushed away in bad faith because "People didn't know any better" and it's just never, ever true!
Re: horniness. Bronson Alcott, father of Louisa May Alcott, was a proponent of trancendentalism and founded Fruitlands, a utopian society that practiced free love. He was acquainted with Emerson and Thoreau.
"the son's name was john"
Will Dearborn camera op…?
Back In the saddle again!
Incredible episode Jack!
Abington is only about 30 miles from Boston
Jesus I wasn’t ready for the description of death by boulder
What’s crazy was that John was doing what Jesus would do, I mean even Jesus was friends with a prostitute.
I’ve been on this ride since the early days and have loved or happily adjusted to every new host/iteration of the show so it pains me to say I just can not get behind Jack. It’s like someone I don’t particularly care for just sat down at the table and started reading a Wikipedia article. It’s my least favorite type of podcasting and it makes it hard to recommend the show (which I love doing) because I don’t want people to think that I think that they are good podcasting. I know, I know it feels mean but please, please please less Jack episodes.
Hi David. These kinds of ‘history episodes’ have been part of the podcast since it’s early days and every host has contributed at least one such episode. What is about Jack’s approach that’s different?
I’m so excited you’re covering one of my absolute favorite weird guys!
Much Ballou about nothing.
Suggesting that a clergy member preaching pacifism should be beaten into a plowshare is high comedy, and I’m definitely inspired to learn more about this Thoreau guy.
Lynn Mass! My home for six years.
I love hearing about these hidden gems of history. Love Jack. Next time I’m at a bar I will order a Dirty Betsy and see what happens.
I'm distantly related to a Spear family from New England so I wonder if there's a connection.
Where the heck did this jack person come from they’re boring and not funny. I miss the old eps
Leave.
Dirty Betsy killed me. I had a dirty cousin Betsy.
I just had a shit day, so this is a good happy ending.
Hah, I started to tell the story of Spear to my son as we passed High Rock on the train this evening. Was shushed by my wife for sounding like a crazy person BUT WHOS CRAZY NOW DARLING WHOS CRAZY NOW
Hell yeah just got back from the lake and had a few drinks let's gooo
My favorite way to listen to these episodes 😆
Oh thank god. Sick at home on the 4th of July - this ep will sustain me
Came here to say the exact same thing! I’m convalescing and it’s excruciatingly boring save the pain meds. I can’t wait to listen to this twice!
Oh shit Jack attack