Image: Pfister Hotel - thepfisterhotel.com
Hotel Pfister vintage ad
Sinisterhood is a podcast that focuses on true crime, cults, and the paranormal, hosted by Dallas-based friends and comedians Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney. They’re currently on the road recording podcast episodes in front of a live audience and will be stopping in Milwaukee July 1 to discuss what is probably our city’s most well-known ghost story.
Wallace and McKinney both say they’ve had an interest in these topics since they were young. Both cite the OJ Simpson case as an early interest in true crime, as well as shows like “Unsolved Mysteries.”
Sinisterhood Keeping in Creepy Tour 2022
“Ever since I was little, I’ve had an interest in creepy and macabre things, my dad also had an interest in that stuff, too, so we had books on Charles Manson and the Bermuda Triangle around the house,” Wallace says. “I remember doing a book report in elementary school on a book about the Bermuda Triangle we had, so it’s always been an interest and now we’ve been able to make a career of it, which has been amazing.”
Wallace and McKinney had crossed paths at a Dallas comedy club, but their podcast collaboration began when Wallace, who had been binging true crime shows, was inspired to start a book club dedicated to talking about true crime and cults. She posted a message on a comedy page on Facebook and Heather responded. They began recording their conversations and that evolved into their Sinisterhood podcast.
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Now Sinisterhood’s “Keeping it Creepy” tour is taking them around the Midwest and east coast in search of eerie and macabre stories, including a stop in Milwaukee on July 1. In each city they’ve searched for a local story to dig into. For Milwaukee they plan on talking about the ghost stories of the Pfister Hotel, which has frightened many people, including a steady stream of Major League Baseball players over the years. A Milwaukeean on vacation gave the podcast hosts the tip.
Photo: Pfister Hotel - thepfisterhotel.com
Pfister Hotel Room
A room at the Pfister Hotel
“We were at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge across from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville because allegedly Hank William Sr.’s ghost likes to walk between the Ryman and this bar right across the alley, so we had to visit,” McKinney says. While waiting for her drink, McKinney struck up a conversation with a woman named Judy. After describing the podcast and their planned trip to Judy’s hometown, Judy told them they “needed to talk about the Pfister Hotel.”
The story impressed Wallace and McKinney because the ghost witnesses–professional ball players–don’t seem to be motivated by a desire for money or fame, as is the case with some claims of hauntings.
“They got nothing to gain, they maybe have something to lose.” McKinney says. “They don’t need to say they saw a ghost to be interviewed by a magazine.”
While in town, Wallace and McKinney say they plan to check out the Pfister Hotel themselves. If they see a ghost, it’ll be good material for the podcast.
Sinisterhood podcast’s “Keeping it Creepy Tour” stops at The Back Room @ Colectivo 8 p.m. Friday, July 1. Ticket info can be found here: pabsttheatergroup.com/events/detail/sinisterhood-2022.
A link to the Milwaukee episode of Sinsterhood will be available after their show at sinisterhood.com.
