Fascinating Nouns

Almost every culture on the planet has stories of some sort of “Wild Man” creature, whether it is Sasquatch, Yeti, Skunk Apes, Yowie, Wendigo, Yeren, etc.  Here in The States we call this creature “Bigfoot”, and proof of their existence is elusive at best.  Almost as elusive as John O'Connor, who's book “The Secret History […]

The way we live with dogs has change significantly over the past few decades.  Our pets are a part of the family, and as such, we want to give them every advantage possible, including a great education.  Dr. Brian Hare has been studying dog cognition for years, and his recent project involves monitoring the cognitive […]

The election has come and gone here is the states, and while we don't get political on this show, we do love movies, so I decided to have Tea Krulos back on the show to discuss his research tying popular cinematic monsters to the political party who wins the White House. Democrats are tied to […]

As promised, Noah and I discuss the “Three Goddesses” story, one of them being the Baba Yaga, who is the prototype for our modern conception of the witch.  She has a big nose, long chin, a house on chicken lags, and for some reason there is a focus on her saggy breasts.  On, and she […]

It is Halloween again, and what is more iconic at this time of year than vampires, werewolves, and witches?  I thought it was about time we dedicate a whole episode to them, so Noah Charney is back on the show to discuss their origins.  It turns out that these creatures first appear in Slavic myths […]

With a few more minutes I talk to Jeff about Gigolos, Showgirls, and the man behind The Waffle King.

Los Angeles should be known as “Celebrity City”, since this is where so many live.  If you are an everyday person, and you happen to also live in Los Angeles, there is a small chance that you could run into one of these larger-than-life personalities and get sucked into their orbit.  You see, once you […]

Project Blue Book was supposed to be the U.S. Government's official investigation into UFO's.  The science advisor was a man named J. Allen Hynek.  He was the one responsible for the infamous “Swamp Gas” Explanation.  Well Blue Book was really a disinformation campaign, and Hynek went from professional debunker to believer.  He scientifically analyzed all […]

Let's be serious:  The Gong Show was a national phenomenon!  Unfortunately like a lot of things in the 70's, once a movie was made, the fad was over.  This is true of The Gong Show Movie which was really a therapy session for creator and host Chuck Barris.  So was his book “Confessions of a […]

If you didn't grow up in the 70's,  you have no concept of just how popular “The Gong Show” was.   This was a daytime show that destroyed the ratings, and was unlike anything on television.  It was basically a reverse talent show where the draw was a parade of terrible acts.  They had some […]

Sir Ian Livingstone is a real knight, known as the “Knight of the Nerds”.  Never has a moniker been more apt.  Ian and his partner Steve Jackson were early fanatics of various complex strategy games.  They turned this love into a paradigm changing company called “Games Workshop”.  Thanks to an exclusive deal with Dungeons & […]

How many people reading this have attempted to learn a new language?  I know that I have stopped and restarted Spanish lessons twice in the past 3 years.  The grammar rules are what kills it.  How about a completely unique language, that is almost indistinguishable from English, but uses the exact same rules and even […]

One of the lucky breaks Eastman & Laird received was that Nintendo and Konami were looking for a new kind of game and the turtles came around at the perfect time.  Not only was the NES game successful, but the sequel changed the way arcade games operated for a five year period.  Listen as we […]

1984 was a big year.  Ghostbusters and Terminator were released, the events of George Orwell's novel take place, and in a Massachusetts suburb, two comic artists accidentally created one of the biggest pop culture events in human history:  the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  What started as a joke between friends has spawned numerous TV shows, […]

1984 was a big year.  Ghostbusters and Terminator were released, the events of George Orwell's novel take place, and in a Massachusetts suburb, two comic artists accidentally created one of the biggest pop culture events in human history:  the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  What started as a joke between friends has spawned numerous TV shows, […]

You may not think so, but the formula created by The Bad News Bears is still in use today!  A rag tag group of kids, lead by an incompetent and troubled adult somehow manage to overcome their differences and beat the better funded team at whatever sport they are competing in.  It is a tale […]

Nothing says spring like the smell of freshly cut grass on a baseball diamond, and in my opinion, nothing says America quite like the baseball movie. Sure the sport gets credit as the national past time, but Hollywood is uniquely American. This week film critic Noah Gittell discusses the history of baseball movies, which starts […]

Nothing says spring like the smell of freshly cut grass on a baseball diamond, and in my opinion, nothing says America quite like the baseball movie. Sure the sport gets credit as the national past time, but Hollywood is uniquely American. This week film critic Noah Gittell discusses the history of baseball movies, which starts […]

Since the 50's, no woman has captured the attention of little girls everywhere quite like Barbie.  Sure she is only 11 inches tall and made of plastic, but influence is global.  This week I talk with M. G. Lord, one of the foremost experts on his iconic fashion doll.  When it comes to her history, […]

Since the 50's, no woman has captured the attention of little girls everywhere quite like Barbie.  Sure she is only 11 inches tall and made of plastic, but influence is global.  This week I talk with M. G. Lord, one of the foremost experts on his iconic fashion doll.  When it comes to her history, […]

In America, one organization has seemingly been in control of every industry we have at some point and time in our history.  That group is known collectively as The Mob.  From prostitution, to running unions, to funding government officials, some form of organized crime has been in control since the Mayflower.  We are going to […]

In America, one organization has seemingly been in control of every industry we have at some point and time in our history.  That group is known collectively as The Mob.  From prostitution, to running unions, to funding government officials, some form of organized crime has been in control since the Mayflower.  We are going to […]

The U.S. government has a pretty straight-laced reputation, but did you know that in the 60's and 70's, the CIA and Army Intelligence funded research into psychic phenomena?  They sure did, and it was approved because the belief was that the Soviets were also doing it.  Then the Soviets started doing it because they heard […]

The U.S. government has a pretty straight-laced reputation, but did you know that in the 60's and 70's, the CIA and Army Intelligence funded research into psychic phenomena?  They sure did, and it was approved because the belief was that the Soviets were also doing it.  Then the Soviets started doing it because they heard […]

Before we finish, Russell lets me ask one final question about how Psychic Phenomenon works.

The U.S. government has a pretty straight-laced reputation, but did you know that in the 60's and 70's, the CIA and Army Intelligence funded research into psychic phenomena?  They sure did, and it was approved because the belief was that the Soviets were also doing it.  Then the Soviets started doing it because they heard […]

The U.S. government has a pretty straight-laced reputation, but did you know that in the 60's and 70's, the CIA and Army Intelligence funded research into psychic phenomena?  They sure did, and it was approved because the belief was that the Soviets were also doing it.  Then the Soviets started doing it because they heard […]

Lemuria.  If you are familiar with this place, you probably know it as a lost continent (akin to Atlantis), that was inhabited by higher beings who not live in the hollow Earth under Mt. Shasta in California.  You may also believe that extraterrestrials seeded this continent with crystals before it sank to the bottom of […]

Lemuria.  If you are familiar with this place, you probably know it as a lost continent (akin to Atlantis), that was inhabited by higher beings who not live in the hollow Earth under Mt. Shasta in California.  You may also believe that extraterrestrials seeded this continent with crystals before it sank to the bottom of […]

Science Fiction has had a prolific run on television.  I bet some of your favorite shows have elements of Sci-Fi in them whether you know it or not. Westworld, The Mandalorian, and Stranger Things are just a few of the blockbuster shows driving you to your tv set.  If you go way back, before Lost, […]

Science Fiction has had a prolific run on television.  I bet some of your favorite shows have elements of Sci-Fi in them whether you know it or not. Westworld, The Mandalorian, and Stranger Things are just a few of the blockbuster shows driving you to your tv set.  If you go way back, before Lost, […]

An extraordinarily rare event is going to happen in 2024:  Two periodical cicada broods will be emerging at the same time, covering both the South and the Midwest in large, droning insects for six weeks this summer.  How rare are we talking here?  How about once every 221 years level of rare?  The last time […]

An extraordinarily rare event is going to happen in 2024:  Two periodical cicada broods will be emerging at the same time, covering both the South and the Midwest in large, droning insects for six weeks this summer.  How rare are we talking here?  How about once every 221 years level of rare?  The last time […]

Edgar Allan Poe was the original Gloomy Gus right?  Writing horror stories alone, in a dilapidated mansion, with only the company of a red-eyed raven to keep him sane.  Most people probably believe his life was actually in black and white.  Turns out this is NOT the case!  He played flutes at parties, solved ciphers […]

Edgar Allan Poe was the original Gloomy Gus right?  Writing horror stories alone, in a dilapidated mansion, with only the company of a red-eyed raven to keep him sane.  Most people probably believe his life was actually in black and white.  Turns out this is NOT the case!  He played flutes at parties, solved ciphers […]

Contrary to popular movies, most art crime is NOT perpetrate by some private art collector in order to enhance their collection.  Oh well there is one notable exception:  Pablo Picasso!  Check out this bonus episode and learn how Picasso got wrapped up in the Mona Lisa caper, and what he actually had stolen.

Just the mention of the name “Mona Lisa” sparks images of a cherub faced woman, half-smiling, hanging on a wall at the Louvre.  This is true of almost EVERYONE on the planet, but that was not always the case.  As a matter of fact, the Mona Lisa is kind of famous for being famous, and […]

Just the mention of the name “Mona Lisa” sparks images of a cherub faced woman, half-smiling, hanging on a wall at the Louvre.  This is true of almost EVERYONE on the planet, but that was not always the case.  As a matter of fact, the Mona Lisa is kind of famous for being famous, and […]

As humans continue to sprawl into every known corner of the world, reproducing at a unsustainable rate, more and more we are invading on turf currently occupied by wild animals.  You may encounter these guys while walking to the garbage, or may even see them IN your garbage, depending on the time of day.  I […]

I don't know about you, but I enjoy the outdoors.  Hiking can be a fun past time, but depending on where you go there is always a chance that you could run into a dangerous animal.  So what do you do?  Are you supposed to look intimidating or play dead?  Do you run to climb […]

I don't know about you, but I enjoy the outdoors.  Hiking can be a fun past time, but depending on where you go there is always a chance that you could run into a dangerous animal.  So what do you do?  Are you supposed to look intimidating or play dead?  Do you run to climb […]

No one knows how it all will end.  Will we blow ourselves up in a fiery nuclear explosion?  Will an asteroid smash into the Earth giving us the dinosaur treatment?  Will some new virus wipe out humanity before we have a chance to counter its spread?  While we can't see the future, we can chronicle […]

No one knows how it all will end.  Will we blow ourselves up in a fiery nuclear explosion?  Will an asteroid smash into the Earth giving us the dinosaur treatment?  Will some new virus wipe out humanity before we have a chance to counter its spread?  While we can't see the future, we can chronicle […]

As the center of the hippie movement, California has a long history of cults and communes.  In this bones episode, we tell the story of how religious groups helped popularize the modern Vegetarian movement, as well as the sordid background of the beloved Kettle Chips.

When it comes to spiritual belief, the United States is very unique.  Since religion is protected by the first amendment, the country has been fertile ground to many spiritual groups, cults, communes, and other religious groups.  Some have taken an isolation approach, and if your group is remote, you will have to grow and make […]

When it comes to spiritual belief, the United States is very unique.  Since religion is protected by the first amendment, the country has been fertile ground to many spiritual groups, cults, communes, and other religious groups.  Some have taken an isolation approach, and if your group is remote, you will have to grow and make […]

When it comes to the UFO phenomenon, we have discussed a lot of it on this show, including The Battle of Los Angeles, Betty & Barney Hill, Roswell, the Jackie Gleason/Richard Nixon alien encounter, and John Dover's experiences on the Navajo Nation.  This is a lot, but can you believe there's more?!  This week I […]

When it comes to the UFO phenomenon, we have discussed a lot of it on this show, including The Battle of Los Angeles, Betty & Barney Hill, Roswell, the Jackie Gleason/Richard Nixon alien encounter, and John Dover's experiences on the Navajo Nation.  This is a lot, but can you believe there's more?!  This week I […]

After the Civil War, people came out west for many reasons:  Gold, work on the railroads, religious freedom, saloon poker, or to rob banks just to name a few.  Some of these people would end up in boom towns, which exploded in population very quickly then died off to nothing in a few years.  If […]

After the Civil War, people came out west for many reasons:  Gold, work on the railroads, religious freedom, saloon poker, or to rob banks just to name a few.  Some of these people would end up in boom towns, which exploded in population very quickly then died off to nothing in a few years.  If […]

In the name of research, Dr. Meals attended a bodybuilding contest to learn more about the inner workings.  It takes a lot to get muscles to look that big.  We even get into its history, first discussing the original weightlifter, who carried an ox calf every day until it was fully grown, to the originator […]