The Weirdest Thing

In this first episode of 2025, Scotty and Amelia speak briefly about the personal losses that kept them away from the podcast for the past few months, before paying tribute to the lives and bodies of work of two fallen icons of both Hollywood and New Mexico--Gene Hackman and Val Kilmer.

From the feminist horror of films like Zoe Kravitz' "Blink Twice" and Anna Kendrick's "Woman of the Hour," to the Brat-era "girl pop" of Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter, Amelia and Scotty talk about some of the prevailing pop-culture trends they observed in 2024. WARNING: Spoilers for "Blink Twice" and "Woman of the Hour."

Flames! Flames on the side of my face! From online drama to grabby doorknobs, Scotty and Amelia go through just a few of the things that set their emotional pots to a boil.

This year was...well, it sure was something, wasn't it? This week, Scotty and Amelia decided to focus on the positive and talk about what they loved from this epic brick-to-the-face of a year. From gigantic, empire-destroying sandworms to massive, genre-busting albums, they take you through some of their very favorite pop-cultural artifacts of 2024.

November was an upsetting month for most of us (for obvious reasons), so Amelia and Scotty decided to offer up a few of their favorite pop-cultural security blankets for your listening pleasure. Do you like watching burly dudes (and more than a few ladies) pound hot metal into swords then smack them into things to see if they'll break? Or maybe you'd rather laugh along with the trials and tribulations of a small-town parks and recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana? Yes... these are their favorite comfort watches. And prepare yourself for a very important The Weirdest Thing Podcast BREAKING NEWS update: THE MOST MYSTERIOUS SONG ON THE INTERNET HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED!!!! Click here to listen to the original TWT episode about The Most Mysterious Song on the Internet: "Take My to the Pleasure Zoom!" Click here to listen to the newly identified Most Mysterious Song on YouTube!: Most Mysterious Song REVEALED!!!

In this not-so-pocket-sized Pocket Size episode, Scotty and Amelia break down a few of their favorite TV pilots of all time. These shows exposed us all to the terrifying mysteries of a distant island in the South Pacific and the uncanny creepiness of a logging town in the Pacific Northwest, took us into the hallowed hallways of the White House and an advertising firm in 1960s Manhattan, and more. And these are those initial episodes that hooked us and made us come back for more. NOTE: Due to ... well, gestures broadly at the world ... Scotty and Amelia are going to take a little break for the rest of November. There will be this this and one more Pocket Size episode, but the next full-sized episode will come in December. Happy(ish) Holidays!

Scotty takes us back a full hundred years to introduce Amelia and the listeners to a true North American icon. That's right... we're finally meeting the big hairy lunk himself--Bigfoot--with the story of the Ape Canyon Incident of 1924. Don't tell Mothman, lest he get jealous...

A particle accelerator haunted by the ghost of a pioneer woman...train tracks protected by the spirits of dead children...Amelia and Scotty close out spooky season with this Pocket Size episode about just a few of their favorite haunted places.

We're coming up on the end of spooky season (technically, at least; Scotty might argue the point), and so Amelia is taking us out onto the high seas with a few harrowing tales of ghost ships. From a flash-frozen crew drifting through the arctic ice to a spectral South American party boat, this episode has it all...including perhaps the most famous confirmed ghost ship of all time.

Creepy literary houses, terrifying true(ish) crimes, and one infamous Hollywood myth... Scotty and Amelia take you into a few of their favorite urban legends for this latest Pocket Size spooky season entry.

Scotty FAMOUSLY hates Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980). He hates it so much, in fact, that he's never even bothered to ask Amelia what she thinks about it. This week they rewatch and discuss the filmmaker's take on the classic Stephen King novel, talk about how it works as a horror movie and as a film in general, and then tackle Mike Flanagan's divisive 2019 adaptation of King's bizarro sequel, "Doctor Sleep." Will Scotty change his mind? Will Amelia add this film to her recent Favorite Scary Movies list? Will anyone ever come up with a better screen name than Scatman Crothers? Listen to find out. WARNING: This episode contains COPIOUS spoilers.

Spooky season continues with this Pocket Size breakdown of a few of our more peculiar irrational fears, from submerged manmade objects to artifically dyed cake frosting.

Spooky season continues on The Weirdest Thing. This week Scotty delivers four tales of uncanny automotive accursedness from around the world--from ghostly headlights signalling the presence of an undiscovered roadside fatality in the UK, to a malevolent VW Beetle haunting a famously deadly Malaysian highway. But the primary focus is the Black Volga, a (possibly?) demonic luxury car stalking various nations of the former Soviet Union and stealing away their children for unknowable and diabolic purposes. CONTENT WARNING: This episode talks about various road disasters, and touches briefly upon sexual assault.

In our second Pocket Size episode, Amelia continues to celebrate spooky season with her list of her top 5 scary movies. These are all such bonafide, indisputable classics that even a horror dork like Scotty can brook no argument here. WARNING: Again...these are all CLASSICS. So don't come complaining to us about spoilers.

Amelia kicks off Fall--and spooky season--with the story of the wild life, tragic death, and VERY strange after-death of Argentina's famed first lady Eva Perón. Evita's corpse was "missing" for nearly two decades, and Amelia unpacks the bizarre myths, outlandish rumors, and macabre urban legends that surround its extraordinary journey to its final resting place. CONTENT WARNING: This story discusses terminal illness, abusive medical practices, and disturbing allegations of violations committed upon Perón's remains. Listener discretion advised. Eva Perón died of cervical cancer at the age of 33. The Weirdest Thing Podcast wants to remind our listeners of all genders that September is Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month (GCAM). Please get your HPV vaccine! For more information, visit the following sites: https://foundationforwomenscancer.org https://www.ashasexualhealth.org/gynecological-cancer-awareness-month/ https://igcs.org/gynecologic-cancer-awareness-month/ https://www.cdc.gov/gynecologic-cancer/index.html https://www.aacr.org

Wait, what's happening? An episode on an off week? And on a WEDNESDAY?!? It's fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes! Volcanoes! The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...MASS HYSTERIA! Actually, Scotty and Amelia have just decided they can't get enough of talking to each other on microphone...and that means talking to y'all, of course. So on the weeks where they're not doing a main episode, they've decided to keep the conversation going. About what, they don't exactly know. Trust them; they'll figure it out. Probably. So welcome to the first episode of The Weirdest Thing...POCKET SIZE! Consider these episodes a little research-lite pop-culture nugget to help get you through the rest of your week. Movies, music, TV, trivia, whatever subject they'll feel like yakking about on any given Wednesday, they'll be bringing it right to your earholes. This week, Scotty's here to tell you about his top 5 favorite romantic comedies. See? It's not all murders and monsters with that guy (all right, all right..."The Princess Bride" DOES have the Rats of Unusual Size). Enjoy!

Scotty goes scatalogically nostalgic this week with the story of the rise and fall of one of the 1980s' most notorious pop-cultural phenomena: the Garbage Pail Kids (and, of course, their dark doppelgängers, the Cabbage Patch Kids). Do you like all things phlegmy, pukey, poopy, and designed to piss off your parents? Then this is the episode for you!

Amelia takes us back to the tragic and infamous 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese and explains how it contributed to the development of the emergency "911" telephone system--but she also talks about how the bureaucratic bullsh*ttery of this episode's title has lead to flaws which continue to plague that system to this very day. Plus, Scotty and Amelia spend a few minutes at the top of the episode talking about Aaron Sorkin's sometimes brilliant but often frustrating 2012 "West Wing"-followup "The Newsroom" (available to stream on Max). And Amelia gets Scotty excited about the upcoming Jason Reitman film "Saturday Night," about Saturday Night Live's debut episode. The watch the "Saturday Night" trailer, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ9O_tl5Npk

This week Scotty and Amelia discuss two deeply beloved films...well, beloved by them, at least. These are movies that received a shocking amount of (at best) apathy or (at worst) hatred from fans and critics at the time of their release. But your cohosts have taken them into their homes and hearts like abandoned puppies in a snowstorm. Scotty's pick is the 1997 film "The Rainmaker," based on the novel by John Grisham, starring a fresh-off-the-apple-truck Matt Damon, and co-written and directed by a then down-on-his-luck Francis Ford Coppola. Critics didn't hate the movie, but audiences largely didn't care. Scotty, however, has seen it at least fifteen times. Amelia's pick is the 2004 film "The Village," written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Joaquin Phoenix--and widely seen as the movie where fans began to turn on the auteur director who had been so praised just a few years before for his smash hit "The Sixth Sense" (1999). Many people will tell you this film is a pretentious mess. Amelia is prepared to fight those people. SPOILER WARNING: We go deep into the plots of these movies--so if you haven't seen them in awhile, fair warning.

Scotty pays tribute to one of his favorite actors -- the recently departed Donald Sutherland -- with this episode's story about the making of the 1973 horror classic "Don't Look Now," along with his review of the film and Sutherland's performance (spoiler: he's a pretty big fan). And Amelia kicks things off with an impromptu endorsement of her new favorite brand of kombucha! SPOILER WARNING: Scotty tries to avoid major plot details for "Don't Look Now," but there are a few minor reveals along the way. CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses the death of a child.

This week Amelia takes us through the always fascinating, sometimes bizarre, and occasionally even bloody history of a few of history's most famous dresses. From Queen Victoria's wedding dress in 1840 through the baffling internet phenomenon of "The Dress" in 2015, this episode explores how these dresses became not just fashion sensations, but generational icons destined to be remembered for decades--or even centuries--beyond their time.

We've got another short episode this week. Scotty brings you the tale of an Edwardian-era Clash of the Titans, when the burgeoning legend of escape artist and illusionist Harry Houdini was very nearly undone by an eager young gym owner--and future horror writer--named William Hope Hodgson. Plus Scotty and Amelia UNAPOLOGETICALLY discuss the recent casting announcement for season three of The Traitors.

This week Amelia takes us through the ups and downs and jaw-dropping drama (and, man, do we mean DRAMA) behind the creation of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album "Rumours." You want breakups? Epic temper tantrums? Brutal lyrical takedowns disguised as love songs about dogs? How about literal MILES of cocaine? We've got all that for you, and more. So how did a band going through such catastrophic turmoil create such an enduring--and undeniably awesome--classic? You've got the questions, and Amelia has the answers.

This week Scotty does a deep dive into the history of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and describes how it went from smash stage hit to cinematic flop to perhaps the most beloved cult film of all time. He and Amelia conclude with a conversation about the more positive aspects of fan culture, and how it can provide a refuge for folks who've been otherwise excluded from the mainstream.

This week Amelia presents a bit of an amuse-bouche of an episode, with her story about the history of "the Wilhelm scream" and how it became perhaps the most recognizable sound effect in movie history. Scotty and Amelia also reminisce fondly about a few of their not-so-glamorous experiences on movie sets over the years. To watch a compilation of clips of the Wilhelm scream, click here: https://youtu.be/Zf8aBFTVNEU?si=G0nt1Jzr6vPhtwzd To hear the full original recording of the scream, click here: https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515

HELLO, boils and ghouls! We made it to 100 episodes! And in celebration, we've got yet another WEEEIRD story for you this week! Your GhouLunatic host Scotty takes his partner Amelia deep into the rat-infested catacombs of 1950s horror comics, where rotting corpses rise from the grave and the putrid stench of pearl-clutching U.S. Senators threatens to bring down an entire industry of writers, artists, and misfit FREAKS! Would you like us to stick around for another 100 episodes? Well, kiddies...be careful what you AX for...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

This week Amelia talks about the concept of generations--from Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway's storied "Lost Generation," all the way up through today's "Zoomers" and Generation Alpha. And she and Scotty use irrefutable science and logic to determine which of the previous century's many generations is, in fact, the best (spoiler alert: it's obviously Generation X).

Don't adjust that dial (actually do, because Scotty kind of screwed up the level on his audio track )...this week's episode is about an alien invasion. Or so Orson Welles would have you believe. That's right; Scotty is bringing you the story of Mercury Theatre on the Air's infamous 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds," the "panic" it created, the headlines it generated, and he finally answers the eternal question: was Welles a total genius, a massive douchebag, or maybe both at the same time? WARNING: Scotty really did kind of mess up his audio track. It's not terrible, but his voice is a teensy bit distorted. So maybe don't turn your headphones up to 11.

In the first episode of our new one-story-a-week format, Amelia takes us on an exploration of Tiki culture--from its well-meaning (if questionable) origins to its more dubious evolution over time. And she poses the ever-important question: is it possible to responsibly Tiki in this day and age?

Break out your popcorn buckets, because Scotty and Amelia are going back to the movies this week with a special Oscars episode. They start off with some strong opinions about two of this year's big Best Picture contenders: Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" and Cord Jefferson's "American Fiction." They follow that up with some, er, maybe less strong opinions about Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" and Celine Song's "Past Lives." They close out with a few thoughts on "Godzilla Minus One" and "Saltburn," two films that got some serious Oscar buzz but came up short on nominations. SPOILER WARNING: There are moderate spoilers in this episode, particularly for "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Saltburn." This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Scotty reviews a pair of documentaries about two seminal bands who coincidentally share the same morbid name, while Amelia relates the story of the inspiring life and work--and the infuriating death--of Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta. They conclude with some more Oscar talk; Scotty finally shares his thoughts on "Barbie" and talks about "The Zone of Interest," while they both rave about "Society of the Snow." CONTENT WARNING: Amelia's story discusses sexual assault, violence against women, murder, and suicide. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy 2024, everyone! For our first show of the new year, we have a couple wildly different stories for you. Amelia tells the tale of how one guy stole an idea and turned it into one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world. Meanwhile, Scotty details the sad life and strange death of Edgar Allan Poe. Since we're coming into Awards Season, we also spend a few minutes at the beginning talking about the movies "Oppenheimer" and "The Iron Claw." This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy holiday season, everybody! We've got a couple wildly divergent stories for our final episode of 2023. Scotty talks about the strange--and disturbing--rise of Andrew Dice Clay, and how the comedian became trapped within the ugly confines of his own character. Amelia provides a refreshing glass of egg nog, however, with her discussion of the origins of some popular Christmas traditions. We also spend a few minutes at the end talking about our favorite Christmas songs. CONTENT WARNING: Scotty's story deals with racism, misogyny, and homophobia, and features language the listeners may find objectionable. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Scotty and Amelia welcome author/longtime friend Shannon C.F. Rogers onto the pod to discuss her new novel "I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom" (2023, Feiwel & Friends), named one of the "20 Best Books to Read in July" by Kirkus Reviews and one of "The Best New YA Books of July 2023" by Paste Magazine. We also talk about fan fiction,"The Animorphs," grief, growing up in New Mexico, the teenage mind, "Breaking Bad," and more. And Shannon even brought the WEIRD with the story of a terrifying creature from Filipino folklore. This was a fun, wide-ranging conversation, and we hope you enjoy it! You can find Shannon online at: https://www.shannoncfrogers.com https://www.instagram.com/shannon.cf.rogers/ https://twitter.com/shannoncfrogers You can order your copy of "I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom" at: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-d-rather-burn-than-bloom-shannon-c-f-rogers/18675104?ean=9781250845665 You can pre-order her next novel "Eighteen Roses" (July 2024) here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/eighteen-roses-shannon-c-f-rogers/20209385?ean=9781250845733 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We're closing out spooky season with a couple spooky-adjacent stories this week. Scotty talks about the bizarre and ultimately deadly story of the "Hammersmith Ghost," and Amelia takes us through the history of one of Disney's most popular rides: the Haunted Mansion. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Spooky spooky! We're back with some more Halloween-month content for you. This week we dive into two movies, "When a Stranger Calls" (1979) and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997). We talk about the urban legends that inspired them (the-call-is-coming-from-inside-the-house and the tale of the Hookman, respectively), along with their possible connections to true stories. SPOILER WARNING: We don't hold anything back on either film, so might want to watch them before listening to this episode. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We're leaning hard into spooky season this week. Amelia talks about the grisly origins of the infamous "The Girl with the Green Ribbon" story, while Scotty takes us through the making and ignominious release of the "cursed" horror movie "Incubus," the first film ever made in the constructed Esperanto language. CONTENT WARNING: Our stories this week touch on murder, execution, and suicide. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

To really kick off the start of spooky season, we're easing in and going only lightly creepy this week with the histories of two murdery/eerie board games. Scotty kicks things off with the creation of the Ouija Board, and Amelia takes us back into the billiard room with a candlestick and the origin story of the game "Clue." We also spend a few moments at the beginning talking about the documentary series "Shiny Happy People," and we have a ton of fun at the end dream-casting our perfect "Clue" movie remake. CONTENT WARNING: The "Shiny Happy People" discussion touches on misogyny and child abuse. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In an interesting role reversal, Amelia is the one who goes super dark this week with her story about the enduring mystery of the "Atlanta Blood House." Meanwhile, Scotty takes us back to Seattle with the infamous "Lexicon of Grunge" hoax. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This week Scotty talks about how a down-on-his-luck Detroit musician became a cultural icon on another continent without him even knowing about it, and Amelia explores the very strange and twisty tale of "Miranda Grosvenor," the "Sweet Talker to the Stars." This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Welcome to another episode that only makes sense in the land of The Weirdest Thing. This week Amelia talks about the history of some of our very favorite cocktails... which she'll need to combat the stress dreams caused by Scotty's story about the Tsar Bomba, the largest nuclear weapon ever created. Mix yourself a drink and join us to watch the world burn! This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Scotty's got family in town this week, so Amelia brought in actor/screenwriter and longtime friend Elizabeth Dwyer to guest host. They talk about the movies "Striptease" (1996) and "Hustlers" (2019), and how the cinematic depiction of sex work has evolved over time. And is it true that all you youngs have decided you don't want sex scenes at all anymore, period? Amelia and Elizabeth have thoughts. CONTENT WARNING: Lots of sex talk this week. If you've got kids in the car with you...earmuffs! To order Shannon C.F. Rogers' acclaimed new YA novel "I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom," click the link: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-d-rather-burn-than-bloom-shannon-c-f-rogers/18675104?ean=9781250845665 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

We're back with another yin-yang episode this week. Scotty goes grim with the story of South Africa's Boesmansgat sinkhole and the tragic death of cave diver Dave Shaw, and Amelia lightens(??) things up with an examination of changing beauty standards of the industrial era and how Coco Chanel and Josephine Baker turned tanning into a thing. CONTENT WARNING: Scotty's story deals with drowning and all sorts of underwater unpleasantness. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy (continued) Pride Month! This week Amelia talks about the importance of "Bob Damron's Address Book" to pre-Stonewall gay culture, and Scotty continues his exploration of the life and work of author, filmmaker, queer icon, and shameless Hollywood gossip-monger Kenneth Anger. To read Anger and filmmaker Stan Brakhage's cuckoo-bananas correspondence, go to: https://www.desistfilm.com. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Happy Pride, everyone! This week Scotty presents Part 1 of his exploration of the life and career of author, filmmaker, and queer icon Kenneth Anger. Meanwhile, Amelia invites us all to experience the disaster bisexual dumpster fire that was Hans Christian Andersen. To watch Kenneth Anger's "Fireworks" (1947) in its entirety, go to: https://vimeo.com/425202939 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In one of the stranger episodes we've done, Amelia talks about erotic performance artist, sex columnist, and celebrated burlesque dancer Honeysuckle Divine, while Scotty goes full tinfoil hat with the Nibiru Cataclysm Hypothesis and the very real possibility that there's a ninth planet lurking somewhere at the far reaches of the solar system. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Welcome to the very first (and maybe only) Weirdest Thing ask-me-(us)-anything! After soliciting questions from our listeners, Scotty and Amelia talk about the genesis of their friendship, how the podcast got started, why softball is (maybe) a sexist sport, and the most embarrassing thing Scotty ever saw Amelia do. Nothing was off limits! Link to watch "SEND" (2010), the first short film Scotty and Amelia worked on together: https://vimeo.com/16763539 Link to the "Horror from the High Desert," Scotty's new horror podcast: https://linktr.ee/horrorfromthehighdesert Link to tickets for Duke City Repertory Theatre's "Bard Crawl: A Midsummer Night's Dream": https://www.dukecityrep.com/shows This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Amelia is out of town this week, so horror writer and editor Rebecca Rowland is back for another impromptu edition of A Weirdest Thing! This week she and Scotty talk about some of their earliest influences–from the movie "Time Bandits" (1981), to the darkest episode of The Smurfs and the grislier work of Clive Barker–and how it all informed their development as horror writers. To buy Rebecca's novella "Shagging the Boss," go to https://www.filthyloot.com/product/shagging-the-boss-rebecca-rowland/ To pick up her new anthology "American Cannibal," go to https://rowlandbooks.com/american-cannibal To pre-order the upcoming "Table for 3" anthology anthology and help support the Houston Food Bank, go to https://www.amazon.com/Table-Anthology-Holly-Rae-Garcia-ebook/dp/B0C2QKDZ68/

Scotty's here to bum everyone out this week with the story of the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 and the enduring mystery of "Little Miss 1565." Luckily Amelia is on hand to cheer us all up with a deep dive into the history of Barbie, one of the most revolutionary and iconic toys of all time. Plus, the inevitable spoiler-free discussion of the second season of Showtime's "Yellowjackets." CONTENT WARNING: Scotty's story covers a LOT of death, including that of children. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

RIOT!! This week we delve into two of the dumbest music-inspired free-for-alls in recent history. Amelia details the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" at Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1979, and Scotty goes into the story of the Metallica/Guns 'N' Roses Stadium Tour of 1992 and its resulting "Battle of Montreal." CONTENT WARNING: This week we talk about racism, sexism, and homophobia, and there are a few brief mentions of child abuse. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Plans changed at the very last minute and we decided to do another impromptu movie episode, inspired by our viewing of "Cocaine Bear." This week we compare that film to last year's "The Menu" and talk about horror comedies in general. Also: a classic Amelia Ampuero Weirdest Thing rant! WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS!! If you have not seen either "Cocaine Bear" or "The Menu," you should wait until you get a chance to catch up with them before listening to this episode. CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes some discussion of suicide. This podcast is powered by Pinecast.