UnFictional

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This season, unbelievably true stories of perception and what it’s like to experience the world the way someone else does. An experimental treatment that works all too well. A man selling get rich schemes until he unleashes a part of himself he...

KCRW


    • Nov 18, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 29m AVG DURATION
    • 256 EPISODES

    4.1 from 877 ratings Listeners of UnFictional that love the show mention: joe frank, unfictional, thank you kcrw, rothschild, kcrw's, autopsy, storytelling podcasts, possession, it's well produced, snap judgement, frank's, moth, often funny, american life, radiolab, imaginative, true stories, holly, happy to hear, garage.


    Ivy Insights

    The UnFictional podcast is an absolute gem in the sea of podcasts. As someone who listens to 14 podcasts a day during my warehouse job, I can confidently say that this one stands out as my favorite. With its variety of engaging topics and its ability to delve into different cultures and current events, it has become a constant source of entertainment and learning for me.

    What sets The UnFictional podcast apart from others is its exceptional production quality and thought-provoking storytelling. Having listened to countless podcasts, very few can tell a story like they do here. The narratives are well-researched, well-produced, and delivered with a high level of craftsmanship that leaves a lasting impact on the listener. There are episodes from their catalog that have stuck with me for years, which is a testament to the quality of their storytelling.

    However, there is one minor downside to The UnFictional podcast that I have encountered. There seems to be a gap in new content produced since March 2018. While they did run a repeat for Halloween, there has been no news or updates about when new episodes will be released. This lack of communication leaves fans like myself wondering if the podcast is now defunct or if we can expect fresh content in the future.

    In conclusion, despite the slight setback regarding new episodes, The UnFictional podcast remains an absolute must-listen for anyone seeking great stories with impeccable production value. It offers a range of entertaining and sometimes dramatic stories that leave you wanting more. If you enjoy thought-provoking narratives mixed with expert production, then this podcast will not disappoint. Give it a listen and let yourself be transported into the world of captivating storytelling at its finest.



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    Latest episodes from UnFictional

    Fútbol Confidential: Soccer City

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 14:13


    Fútbol Confidential looks at AYSO, American homegrown soccer culture.

    Fútbol Confidential:The Soccer Store

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 8:10


    Fútbol Confidential looks at Niky's Sports, the biggest family-run chain of soccer stores in LA.

    Fútbol Confidential: Fútbol

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 14:21


    Two Mexican-American fans talk about rooting for more than one hometown team in Los Angeles and in Mexico.

    Fútbol Confidential: Hollywood United

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2022 13:47


    Fútbol Confidential looks at the legendary LA city league soccer team formed over beers in a Santa Monica pub by British expatriates.

    El Pueblo

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2022 25:03


    In ‘El Pueblo,' producer Mike Schilitt explores the surprising history of Olvera Street – an idealized fantasy of Mexico created in downtown Los Angeles that has supported generations of Agelenos. 

    The Cabin Notebook

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 26:59


    When Aric Allen was 21, he lived in a desolate mountain cabin for 10 weeks. There he planned to write a novel, but instead he learned how to be alone.

    Lowrider

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2022 23:09


    Producer Jaime Roque takes a ride with Ernie Moran in his 1965 Chevy Impala to explore the history and culture of the lowrider community of East Los Angeles. 

    nisha

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2022 17:28


    In the U.S., nisha venkat feels safe and relieved to identify as queer and non-binary. But in their home country Dubai, nisha's gender identity is illegal, and they can be deported or convicted of homexuality, or “cross-dressing.” 

    Los Emprendedores

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2022 21:57


    Street vendors are an essential part of Los Angeles' history and its economy. You can find vendors with mobile carts and food trucks on street corners, outside concert venues, and sporting events selling hot dogs, tacos, burritos, churros, fruit, t-shirts, souvenirs, and just about anything else you can imagine. For decades, this activity was illegal. And even though vending was somewhat decriminalized in 2018, the line between legal and illegal is not always clear. Producer James Roque follows the stories of a few of these entrepreneurs, finding out why they started vending, the challenges they encounter on a daily basis, and how they fared during the last few years.

    The Transmogrifier

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2022 20:22


    Imagine entering a giant machine that sucks you in one end, and spits you out the other side as something completely different. That describes the transmogrifier — a fantastical device from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. Over the last couple of years, it feels like everyone has been through the transmogrifier in one way or another. In this episode, stories of the transmogrified. Unfictional producer Bob Carlson watches his two children go through the transmogrifier and come out unexpectedly as grown-ups. Meanwhile, almost every element of producer Jaime Roque's life was upended by the transmorgrifier: new job, marriage, and prospective fatherhood.

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    Music could be your whole life

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 32:03


    KCRW's Bob Carlson talks to some of Deirdre O'Donoghue's friends and gets further inside her world away from the microphone.

    This is SNAP!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2021 34:17


    Bent By Nature Episode 1 introduces KCRW DJ Deirdre O'Donoghue, host of "SNAP!," a freeform alternative and independent music and culture program in Los Angeles in the '80s — and goes inside the community she cultivated, her passion for music, and the problems she had with KCRW's management and staff.  Featuring archival live performances by Camper Van Beethoven, the Meat Puppets, Glass Eye, Jazz Butcher, the Dream Syndicate, and more.

    The Man Inside the Radio

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2020 26:26


    UnFictional host Bob Carlson’s journey on the inside of rock and roll radio.

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    Rolling Thunder

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2020 19:27


    Mary Lorson explores scenes from her childhood in a personal memoir musical documentary. Featuring an elusive father, A Dancerina doll, a Polaroid Swinger, and a camel hair coat from Saks, all in constant motion.

    The Rescue

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2020 34:47


    A promising job drew Fedelina Lugasan to the U.S. from the Philippines, she’d start her new life with a family she trusted. But the picture they painted for her was not what her life turned out to be.  

    The Philosophy of the Flying Saucers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2020 23:44


    A man finds an old reel to reel tape that reveals much more than just flying saucers and alien conspiracy theories.

    The Rowing Man

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2020 42:11


    Ove the rowing man. A stranger who came by way of the ocean, and was soon no longer a stranger.  

    Mauricio Across the Border - Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2020 33:43


    Maurcio, star of a hit Mexican television show, is abandoned in the desert while trying to cross the border.  

    Mauricio Across the Border - Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2020 30:57


    Mauricio leaves Mexico City for Los Angeles, and his dreams of television come true in a very unlikely way.

    The Dream is Over

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2019 34:08


    One man’s treasure is another man’s Olympic gold medal.

    Denial

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2019 30:43


    It never occurred to Janey that he would put something in her drink. Never in a million years.

    Friends in Juggalo Places

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2019 30:39


    Take a three-day bus trip across the country with a juggalo, and you’ll learn some things.

    1-800-KISS-MY-ASS

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2019 22:31


    Aric Allen spent much of the early 2000s on the phone – selling get-rich-quick schemes and rapidly turning into a person he didn’t recognize.

    Vampire of Barcelona

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2019 23:36


    Enriqueta Marti was a real-life monster who roamed the streets of 20th Century Barcelona  collecting bones and kidnapping children. Except, of course, she wasn’t.

    Strangers in a Good Way

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2019 29:40


    One woman discovers that her childhood crush has grown up into someone she doesn’t recognize.

    Purple Rain

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2019 17:46


    A romantic daytime drive becomes a nightmare when Mihai’s mind betrays him – and he turns on the person he loves.

    My Foolish Illusion

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2019 28:01


    When John Elder Robison gets an experimental treatment for Asperger’s, he feels like he’s suddenly seeing the world in technicolor. But that doesn’t mean he likes what he sees.

    Stories of Perception

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2019 1:44


    This season on UnFictional, we’re looking at how we come to know the unknown parts of ourselves. Get the first episode January 31st.

    Halloween 2018

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2018 22:01


    It’s a bonus episode! We’ll be back in January, but we’ve got two spooky stories to tide you over – a Halloween classic, and a brand-new, never-before-heard story of a haunted house gone terribly wrong.

    Punk Jubilee

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2018 36:42


    A girl gang goes on a rampage of sex, larceny and murder. But what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling? Go behind the scenes of a riotous ‘70s punk film.

    Haunted

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2018 18:54


    Tara has always believed in ghosts, so she wasn’t surprised when a ghost starting haunting her Los Feliz apartment. That is, until she found out that the ghost was actually something far more frightening.

    Her Name is Ember

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2018 17:04


    Ember has pretty much always known who she truly was. But it was a long, obstacle-ridden path to live that true life – as a woman.

    Big Sur: The Secret Road

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2018 29:19


    A secret road leads to a marooned community and an ocean paradise – along the coast of California.

    Bay of Smokes: The Day Smog Showed Up In LA

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2018 25:26


    When you think of Los Angeles, you think of smog. But have you ever heard about the day when smog just showed up in Los Angeles? An impressionistic trip the hazy history of the skies over Los Angeles.

    Man Choubam (I am good)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2018 43:12


    After years of living in the space between who she really is, and who her mother wants her to be, Sharon decides she’s finally going to confront her mother – on a cruise with a famous Iranian talk show psychiatrist.

    The Outsider

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2018 38:07


    A young movie nerd from Los Angeles finds himself in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s redemption film, “The Outsiders,” thanks to a strange cosmic twist of fate (and a pair of mail-order shoes).

    UnFictional returns!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2018 1:44


    The new season of UnFictional is right around the corner. Unbelievably true stories of chance encounters that changed everything. A pair of mail-order shoes that led to “The Outsiders.” A secret road to a California paradise. The day Los Angeles and smog first met. Stories that will stick in your head like a memory. Coming on February 22nd, hosted by Bob Carlson.

    The Past Can Hold a Terrible Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2017 29:30


    The past can warp a person in mysterious ways. Sometimes we can figure out what's eating at us, but sometimes, we just have to push forward – into the darkness.

    Because It's There

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2017 29:30


    A former mountaineer returns to the Himalayas for one last climb – to bury his long lost friend. A story from KCRW's newest podcast: The Document.

    Father's Day 2017

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2017 29:30


    There comes a time in every child's life when they realize they can strike their own path. But often, that path leads straight back to their parents. This week, three stories of fathers and their children.

    Lost Bird

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2017 29:30


    A bird and a cat are saved, and so – somehow – are their saviors.

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    Sister Aimee

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2017 29:30


    Sister Aimee combined faith and fame in 1920s Los Angeles. She was the most popular woman in the country. Then she disappeared. 

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