"S-Town" Podcast Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alabama

John did not have anything flattering to say about his home town in Alabama. He felt the limited view of his fellow citizens was a depressing outlook for the future, and believed it was possible that the local law enforcement had covered up a crime.

Answer: Murder

John thought that Kabram Burt, an affluent man in his twenties, had gotten away with the beating death of another young man named Dillon Nichols. This turned out to be false. It's possible and probable that John used this tiny bit of rumor to bring Brian into his world, as John was a very lonely genius.

When they investigated together, John seemed disinterested in finding the truth, and more interested in discussing his dismal world views with Brian. John may have been a man that was a little too smart for his own mental health.

He knew too much to stay blissfully unaware.

Answer: Boozer

Boozer Downs was the local lawyer in the small town of Woodstock, and was John's personal lawyer as well. John's friends claimed that John's genius had earned him a lot of money over the years, but he never left a will. Boozer confirmed both that John left no will and was "unbanked", as John had also claimed to Brian. If Boozer had a different first name, it was never mentioned. Unbanked meant that John's wealth was not stored in any banking institution.

It was speculated, surmised, and confirmed that John had stored away his wealth in various secret ways.

Answer: Brooks

Friends called him John B or John Brooks, as can be common in the south. It's been fairly usual to hear people in the south referred to by both first and middle names, as though they were just one name.

Answer: New York

Brian lived in New York and traveled to Alabama to interview John in person. He also looked into the alleged murder of Dillon Nichols. The real Dillon who was in a fight with Kabram Burt did not have the last name of Nichols, and was not even badly injured in the fight. During his trips there, Brian interviewed many people who had known John.

Answer: True

Kendall Burt bought John's property (aprox 140 acres) after his death from John's cousin Rita. Kendall's son was the one accused of the murder of Dillon Nichols, but it was not true. The Burt family owned a successful business in Woodstock called K3. John found the world a bleak place, and after interviews with many people, Brian found out that John "may" have suffered from mercury poisoning.

The term "mad as a hatter" refers to the paranoia and inability to feel happiness that could come with mercury poisoning. John talked about suicide with Brian many times, and later Brian found out that John had talked about it with many people over the years. John used cyanide to kill himself.

Answer: Hedge maze

There were 64 possible solutions and one configuration that had no solution/way out. Brian received several emails from John before he called him on the phone. During their phone calls, John gave Brian the coordinates of his home, and described the hedge maze he'd created. Brian was able to see the maze through the Google Earth view. Brian was even more wowed in person, when John changed the gates and locked them inside the maze.

The maze was not tall enough to actually trap anyone inside yet, as it was only about knee high.

Answer: Bibb

Bibb County Alabama was described as having a poorly educated population of less than 30,000 people. John's own brilliant mind seemed a rare commodity in Bibb County, and left him feeling very alone. John, in his late forties, did try and help his friend Tyler Goodson, a young many with several children, rise above his own tragic upbringing. John also allowed friends to tattoo and pierce his body so he could pay them money they desperately needed. John hated body art of any kind, and looked down on people with it, but he wanted to help his friends without seeming like it was charity.

Bibb County was founded in the early 1800s.

Answer: Tyler

John created an adult sized swing set on his property for his friend Tyler Goodson, which Tyler helped him build. John also cared for many stray dogs, knew the names of most all of the plants on the property, and was an amazing clock restorer. After his death, John intended Tyler and his brother to inherit some of his wealth, but he left no will. So, Tyler stole quite a bit of stuff off of the property.

Answer: Woodstock

Woodstock is in mid-Alabama. It's just south of I-20 between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. John's mother Mary Grace raised him in Woodstock, and he lived there with her until his death. After his death, John's Floridian cousins Rita and Michael came to town and took control of the property. They also gained custody of Mary Grace, who suffered from dementia. Rita sold the property to the Burts, which may have made John very unhappy. But, Brian thought John's hard atheism probably meant that John wouldn't have cared at all.

There are also towns called Woodstock in New York, Georgia, Illinois, and Vermont.