Nighttime podcast recap: Dark side of the glove

In this episode of the Nighttime podcast, “The Dark Side of the Glove,” host Jordan Bonaparte continues his exploration of the strange story of Halifax’s “Glove Guy” and finds something darker and more troubling than originally expected.

You can listen to Part 2 of the Nighttime podcast series on Glove Guy above or scroll down to catch Part 1 of the series below.

According to rumour, Glove Guy makes a hobby of offering young men in Halifax rides late at night, only to reveal a bizarre leather glove fetish after they’ve entered his vehicle.

Throughout history, there are examples of allegedly true stories being put to use as cautionary tales, often with the goal of reinforcing the morality of the era.

Many assume these stories to be somewhere between pure fiction and exaggeration, and that’s what makes them so effective. A good urban legend plays directly to the fears of the society in which it is being spread.

These urban legends may appear to be leftover artifacts from a simpler, more naive time, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, urban legends are thriving, perhaps more popular than ever, thanks to the internet.

As Bloody Mary and a killer hidden in the backseat of a car limp away into retirement, modern legends like Momo and Slender Man have stepped into the spotlight.

In Halifax, N.S., there is no shortage of tall tales, folklore and urban legends. But our topic is stranger than all of them.

Like many urban legends, this is a story about a friend of a friend who was said to have had an encounter with a man who shared details of his glove fetish with the young men he drove around the city.

This seemed far-fetched, and Bonaparte immediately dismissed it as untrue or an exaggeration. Perhaps he’s become too skeptical, but it had all the trappings of an urban legend dreamed up to scare university students into being cautious in the big city.

But his initial conclusion couldn’t have been more wrong.

Bonaparte changed his mind about the possible existence of the Glove Guy when a local man shared the details of a strange late-night encounter with a glove salesman on a local online discussion group. This man’s story obviously hit a nerve as, within a matter of hours, a chorus of others joined the discussion to share their similar stories. Many of them included photos and, in some cases, secretly filmed video of the interactions.

Immediately, Bonaparte was faced with the realization that the story he had assumed too bizarre to be true was, in fact, real. And it wasn’t a few isolated events. This glove fetishistic, ride-offering mystery man seemed to have picked up — and freaked out — at least one friend of a friend, no matter who you asked.

Listen to Part 1 of Nighttime‘s series on Glove Guy below:

The views, information and opinions expressed during Nighttime podcast are solely those of the producer and/or the individuals involved in the production of Nighttime podcast and do not necessarily represent those of Curiouscast, its affiliate Global News nor their parent company Corus Entertainment. Curiouscast is not responsible and does not verify the accuracy of any statement made during Nighttime podcast. The producers and Curiouscast assume no liability for any statement or service made in connection with this podcast.

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