{"podcast":{"title":"Proof Positive","slug":"proof-positive-7769387","podcast_index_feed_id":7769387,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1376325340","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/888b1f84-0357-11f1-befc-ab71d1d198c5/image/70b2158e31ae217cacd060fb38c52caa.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Daniel Torres","episode_count":108,"summary":"What happens when the official story doesn't add up? Join Daniel Torres as he picks apart the cases, scandals, and mysteries that everyone else stopped asking questions about. This isn't your typical true crime podcast — it's investigative documentary work that digs into current events, historical cover-ups, and social issues that deserve a second look. Daniel spent eight years as a freelance journalist chasing down everything from small-town corruption to corporate whistleblowers. He started this podcast because the best stories always had too many layers for a newspaper article. Now he's using that same dogged reporting to unpack the investigations that matter, the ones that got buried, and the ones that are still happening right now. Each episode is a deep dive into real documentation — court filings, leaked memos, forgotten archives. You'll hear the actual evidence, not just opinions about it. Daniel breaks down complex cases so you can understand what really went down and why it matters today. Sometimes he even convinces his neighbors to share their weird hobbies, which honestly makes for surprisingly good radio. Ready to question everything you thought you knew? Follow Proof…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-27T18:19:49.347648+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/proof-positive-7769387"},"episode":{"title":"How Stolen Taco Bell Art Became a $10,000 Underground Market","slug":"how-stolen-taco-bell-art-became-a-10-000-underground-market","published_at":"2026-07-17T15:03:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/proof-positive-7769387/how-stolen-taco-bell-art-became-a-10-000-underground-market","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/proof-positive-7769387","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9467754210.mp3?updated=1776260302","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN9467754210.mp3?updated=1776260302","summary":"You know those generic art prints in fast food restaurants? Turns out the ones from Taco Bell weren't generic at all. Daniel Torres discovered that stolen Taco Bell artwork is now selling for up to $10,000 on underground markets, creating a bizarre collector economy around corporate fast food decor. The twist? This wasn't mass-produced poster art. Between 1995 and 2012, Taco Bell commissioned hundreds of original paintings specifically designed to mimic Jean-Michel Basquiat's style. When locations closed or got remodeled, most of these pieces just disappeared. Now they're resurfacing in private sales, and collectors are paying serious money. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • How Taco Bell's secret art program commissioned $2 million worth of original paintings • Why pieces designed to look like $100 million Basquiat works are selling for thousands • The underground networks where stolen corporate art gets bought and sold • Which Taco Bell locations still have original pieces hanging on their walls 👤 Perfect for: anyone who's ever wondered what happens to all that corporate decor when businesses shut down (spoiler: it gets way weirder than you think). 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Daniel Torres introduces the $10k taco art mystery [01:45] Inside Taco Bell's secret Basquiat copycat program [04:30] How corporate art becomes underground treasure [07:15] The collectors paying thousands for fast food paintings [09:30] Where the missing artwork actually ended up [11:00] Why this matters for corporate art everywhere This investigation reveals how something as mundane as restaurant decor can become a legitimate art market. Daniel breaks down the court documents, sales records, and collector interviews that show how corporate America accidentally created its own underground art scene. 🔔 Never miss a…","meta_description":"You know those generic art prints in fast food restaurants? Turns out the ones from Taco Bell weren't generic at all. Daniel Torres discovered that stolen…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":896,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/proof-positive-7769387/episodes/how-stolen-taco-bell-art-became-a-10-000-underground-market/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/proof-positive-7769387/how-stolen-taco-bell-art-became-a-10-000-underground-market.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}