What's Shakin with Shaner

Join Shaner and Bob as they discuss Poverty Point in northeastern Louisiana. Many archaeologists and scientists consider it as North America's First City. It lies 15 miles west of the Mississippi River. At 1500 BCE, everywhere else in North America had small villages of about 100 residents, however, Poverty Point had between 4000 and 5000 residents. This was unprecedented at time. To check out maps of the site, Maps and Images of Poverty Point (shakinshaner.com)

Join Bobber and Shaner as they discuss Shawn Inmon's book, Kradak the Champion. Kradak the Champion's first appearance is standing atop a mound of bodies; some of which are not quite dead. In his arm is a chubby child he's rescued, who is destined to become a leader. Kardak is not just a hero. He's a warrior.This image is captured in a film that, in the real world, features Steve, an actor who plays Kradak in a series of B-films. Unfortunately, the film attracts the wrong kind of viewer when Rista and Grint come through a portal from Arkana, view the film portrait of this hero's exploits, and decide that Steve is just the person to save their world. It isn't until they kidnap him and bring him to Arkana, the portal closed behind them, that they discover that Steve is anything but a hero. 

In the past few months, the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights have been visible by so many people, other than those in the extreme north. A member of the Nerd Herd, Scott from South Dakota, asked what did ancient civilizations think the northern lights meant? That got me thinking and researching…. Join Psycho Bob and Shakin Shaner as they dive into ancient cultures and their beliefs on the Northern Lights. They explore the myths of the Norse, Chinese, Japanese, first nations of North America and even Europe! 

Stew from the Stew World Order podcast, joins Shaner as they discuss the 1993 Mel Brooks movie, Robin Hood Men in Tights. Find out why Shaner has a special spot for this movies and Stew's cross-country trip that led to an insane number of viewings of this movie.Not only do they share their original joy for this 30-year-old classic, but some behind the scenes information and a wee bit of insight. 

Join Bobber and Shaner as they discuss that after the 1st Edition of their fairy tales, the Grimm Brothers  had several of the stories altered such as Snow White's biological mother became her step-mother and Rapunzel was not pregnant.  However, certain tales could not just be edited or altered to a fit a less gruesome standard, because they were completely horrific. One such story was “How Some Children Played at Slaughtering.” These were removed after the 1st edition and never published again. 

Another installment of Psycho Bob Says is here and Bobber asks, what is the Antikythera Mechanism? For more than 100 years, scholars have struggled with defining it, determining its origin and replicating it. ​After decades of study, it has been determined that the Antikythera mechanism is an Ancient Greek hand-powered mechanical model of the of the solar system. It was a mechanical computer of bronze gears that used ground-breaking technology to make astronomical predictions, by mechanizing astronomical cycles and theories.

Another 10-minute installment of Psycho Bob Says...Join him and Shaner as they try to answer 3 questions:Who was Johan Konrad Dipple?Was he the inspiration for Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein?Was he the real-life Dr. Frankenstein?He was born August 25, 1673, in Castle Frankenstein near Darmstadt Germany. He studied theology, philosophy and alchemy at the University of Giessen, obtaining a master's degree in theology in 1693. Dippel claimed to discover alchemy's elixir of life and that he could exercise demons and even killed a man in duel. Join Bobber and Shaner as they attempt to answer the questions above!

Join Will and Shaner as they discuss the single season of MTV Spider-Man, a fully CGI animated series, solely on MTV. MTV Spider-Man lasted only one season but addressed more mature themes following Peter, Harry and Mary Jane at Empire State University. Will and Shaner address the darker tones, the villains and voice actors that made this an award winning animated series. It is currently streaming on Disney Plus, so check it out and join Will and Shaner as they geek out! 

Join Psycho Bob and Shaner as they geek-out over Marvel's GI Joe issue #21, the Silent Interlude. The issue has no dialogue, word bubbles, or onomatopoeia and was published in March 1984 the Writer and Penciller was Larry Hama. It stars Snake Eyes, one of GI Joes most iconic bad asses, who is mute.  This is the introduction of the Cobra assassin, Storm Shadow. He kidnaps a member of GI Joe; Scarlett and takes her to the Balkans to Destro's castle.  Tune in to hear how seeing this issue at age 12 left an impression on Shaner and also on the comics book industry. 

Join Psycho Bob and Shaner as they discover the real meaning and origination of the word Yule! They jump into 5th and 6th century references as well as Norse history and sagas to discover that Yule is a reference to a pagan celebration of Odin and the Wild Hunt. Hear how the King of Norway made the significant changes to Yule and why we say it today. 

Join Shakin Shaner and Psycho Bob as they explore some horrible shows from the 80's, some of Shaner's favorite shows that were cancelled and one diamond in the rough of sucktastic 80's shows. Have you heard of the shows, B.A.D. CATS or Wizards and Warriors? No, well there is a reason why. The discussion goes back to the 80's and they even discuss the show that is panned by most everyone as the worst sitcom ever. Shaner goes into detail on Automan, Manimal and the Tales of the Gold Monkey. These were some of his favorite 80's shows that were all cancelled, but one actually made it a full season.  Tune in to find out which one. 

Crystal skulls have been a popular subject appearing in numerous TV shows, novels, and video games. Popular references are the movie, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and the video game Assassin Creed Series.Join Bobber & Shaner as they discusses the Crystal Skulls and their legacies. There are 4 skulls he will cover and specifically the Mitchell-Hedges Skull.  Is it a real Mesoamerican artifact that can cause visions, cure cancer and take the life of human beings?

Join Shaner as he celebrates the Marine Corps Birthday, honors Veterans Day and discusses one of the most iconic Marines ever, Dan Daly, a legendary badass.Daniel Joseph Daly was born on November 11, 1873 in Glen Cove, New York. By size, he was 5 ft 6 in and weighed 132 lbs but established himself as an amateurboxer. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on January 10, 1899. Daly joined the Marine Corps hoping to fight in the Spanish-American War however, the war ended while he was going through training at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.Although he missed the Spanish-American War, he saw combat in China, Haiti and in France during WWI. Daly was one of two Marines to receive the Medal of Honor for two separate combat engagements. The other Marine was Major General Smedley Butler, whom we highlighted in our 5th episode. They served together in a few locations and Butler described Daly as "The fightin'est Marine I ever knew!" Daly was reportedly offered an officer's commission twice to which he responded that he would rather be "an outstanding sergeant than just another officer." 

Join Shaner as he dives head-first into a new rabbit hole and discovers Icelandic Sorcery. He discusses the historical background of Iceland as a nation, the introduction of Christianity, the uniqueness of Iceland magic. He really fell deep into this one as he also explains three different Icelandic black books, sorcerers and the execution of witches. One of the bizarre discoveries is the necropants. Yeah, you gotta hear this. 

Another 10-minute installment of Psycho Bob Says...Join him and Shakin Shaner while they try to determine how bad are these ads? In “Whats Shakin with Shaner's” episode 13, “The Crash at Crush” we explored failed marketing and publicity stunts such as Pepsi's failed Numbers Fever in the Philippines and the colossal failure of the head on train crash at Crush TX. Recently, we discovered some additional failures that just got be talked about.

Join Shaner as he dives down the rabbit hole of the French fairy tale Blue Beard. This is a new one for him. He reads the fairy tale, explores the analytical takes and the influence of the tale. Kevin and Jeremy join him at the end to try and figure out, is this fairy tale or a horror story.

Another installment of Psycho Bob Says...Join him and Shakin Shaner while they try to determine Whose Booty Is It? In “Whats Shakin with Shaner's” episode of “Cryptographs, Lost Treasure and the Beale Papers” we discussed several lost treasures to include that of the pirate Captain Kidd. During research, they came across the largest sunken treasure ever found, in other words the largest booty ever found. Learn about the Black Swan Project that resulted in the recovery of an estimated $500 million worth of silver and gold coins from the ocean floor.

Join Shakin Shaner as he discusses his love for cryptographs and lost treasure. It all started with the 1980 ABC Weekend Series, The Gold Bug, an adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's short story of the same name.Join the adventure of looking for Captain Kidd's treasure. Shaner also talks about John Dillinger's lost case of cash, the $375,000 in gold on the Big Horn River and gets deep into the infamous Beale Papers. Is there $43 million hidden in a vault in Virginia?

Shakin Shaner has assembled an expert panel to discuss why we do not yet have jetpacks. He is joined by Jim, Raye from the podcast, Being Bookish, Matt from the podcast, Don't Wreck Yourself, and Mike from the podcast, Multiverse of Badness. ​Why don't we have jetpacks? Are the airline unions behind it, is the government testing them but allowing us to think they are UFOs, is there problem with fuel, or is this all part of the ball bearing matrix? You need to listen to this to believe it! Being BookishDon't Wreck Yourself The Multiverse of Badness

In this 10-minute installment, Psycho Bob the Cat & Shakin Shaner explore the films and legacy of special effects and animator Ray Harryhausen. Join them as they discuss "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", "Jason and Argonauts" and "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad."  In “Whats Shakin with Shaner's” recent episode of Hercules v Heracles, our good friend Randy mentioned that he first got interested in Greek Mythology from watching the 1963 movie, “Jason and Argonauts.” The special effects were provided by Ray Harryhausen.Ray Harryhausen was an American-British animator and special effects creator who developed the technique of rear and front projecting footage one frame at a time while animating to do stop-motion on a budget. This technique, which he named Dynamation, is still used by stop-motion animators today.

Join Randy and Shakin Shaner as they discuss the 1997 Disney movie Hercules and geek out over Greek mythology. They explore the differences between the movie versions of Hercules, Zeus, Hera and Pegasus and the actual Greek myths. Check out their favorite stories from the 12 labors of Heracles.  

Psycho Bob the Cat is the co-host, producer and engineer of “What's Shakin With Shaner” and he usually has a lot to say. To give him a bigger voice, we will be releasing 10 minute episodes in between our larger episodes. These installments will be based on topics picked and written by Psycho Bob. Psycho Bob says “what's the deal with the half-naked statute of George Washington?” The seated and sandal wearing Washington gazes sternly ahead. He is bare-chested and his right arm and hand gesture with upraised index finger toward Heaven. His left palm and forearm cradle a sheathed sword, hilt forward, symbolizing Washington turning over power to the people at the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War. George is in a toga and yes he is naked to the waist. 

Shakin Shaner is joined by Kevin and Jeremy, two fellow veterans on a complete geek out on the book, Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia. Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a fourteenth story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer.  It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Officially secret, some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. On the other side are the people who kill monsters for a living. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.It's actually a pretty sweet gig, except for one little problem. An ancient entity known as the Cursed One has returned to settle a centuries old vendetta. Should the Cursed One succeed, it means the end of the world, and MHI is the only thing standing in his way. With the clock ticking towards Armageddon, Owen finds himself trapped between legions of undead minions, belligerent federal agents, a cryptic ghost who has taken up residence inside his head, and the cursed family of the woman he loves.Business is good . . . Welcome to Monster Hunter International.

Join Shakin Shaner in a celebration of the long lasting legacy of the Brothers Grimm. Jacob and Wilhelm, were German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore and fairy tales. Less well known is the their pioneering scholarly work on a German dictionary, which they began in 1838. Shakin Shaner discusses that their tales were not originally intended for children and goes into detail on a lesser known tale, the Girl without Hands.  You can follow us on Twitter @shakinshaner and visit our website

Shakin Shaner has a complete nerd-fest in this homage to the original Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories. He relates several noteworthy items, such as Sherlock Holmes, as a fictional character has been featured in more movies than any other character in the history of cinema and that the phrase, "Elementary my dear Watson," is not found in any of the novels or short stories. 

Shakin Shaner is joined by Marquis and Tony, fellow sandwich connoisseurs, as they discuss bread and its secret code, the namesake of sandwiches, the first sandwich recipe in America and the great debate of what is and is not a sandwich.

Shakin Shaner and Psycho Bob the Cat explore failed marketing and publicity stunts while contemplating ways to promote "What's Shakin With Shaner". Learn about the TV show WKRP in Cincinnati's turkeys away episode in 1978 and  McDonalds millions lost in the 1984 Olympics give away. Then it takes a sharp turn to the tragic with Pepsi's failed marketing campaign in the Philippines that lead to death threats, riots and death due to the firebombing a delivery truck. Then meet Mr. William Crush and his idea to crash two 35 ton steam engines in a head-on train collision!

Join Shakin Shaner as he discusses mirrors in mythology and attempts to determine who's soul is trapped in the magic mirror in Snow White, the Grimm Brothers story. Charlemagne, Windikund, and the Irminsul from the 8th century all play a role in Shakin Shaner's wild-ass assumptions with no proof.  You know you are curious so check it out. The 1856 publication of the 7th edition of the Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales is the reference for this episode and can be found on our website. 

Join Shakin Shaner as he explores fun words to say, words we do not use often, 80's slang, military terminology and the crazy shit his dad says. His is join by Matt, co-host of the Don't Wreck Yourself podcast. Listen in while they debate which is colder....

Join Shakin Shaner as he discusses the gate control theory of pain and how we instinctively sucked a burned finger. He then heads on a rabbit hole to discuss two mythical heroes and  how they gain their power from sucking a burned finger...does this open a mystical gateway?  Discover the absurdity of this episode. Finn McCool (Fionn MacCumhaill) was a 3rd Century AD warrior chieftain in medieval Ireland. He led a clan of warriors called the Fianna, and his adventures are documented in the Fenian Cycle.  Sigurðr, Siegfried (Middle High German: Sîvrit) or Sigurd is a legendary hero of Norse mythology, as well as the central character in the Vǫlsunga saga. The earliest extant representations for his legend come in pictorial form from seven runestones in Sweden and most notably the Ramsund carving (c. 1000) and the Gök Runestone (11th century).​

Join Shakin Shaner and Jeff as they pay homage to Sean Connery and learn how he defined James Bond and helped create the blockbuster and an enduring franchise. Sean Connery was the first to portray James Bond in the movies, but did you know he was not the first to play Bond?  A great tribute to the legacy of Sean Connery as Bond....James Bond!

In this episode, Shakin Shaner is joined by three expert panelists to create a new superhero team....The Fictitious Five.  For some context--this is all in the spirit of the comic books Flaming Carrot and the Mystery Men. They must create their superheroes from a list of 15 absurd super powers, a name and an origin story.  Our team also discovers that they are missing the Fictitious Five leader, the Night Manager. Then they must discuss interviewing new members.  Full of jackassery, you do not want to miss this!  Visit shakinshaner.com http://www.shakinshaner.com and Follow us on Twitter

Shakin Shaner and Jeremy discuss how they discovered this New York Times Bestseller from Dean Koontz.  WARNING--Listen at your own peril, as the Bodachs have sabotaged Jeremy's audio to prevent him from advising this realm of their existence. We tried to salvage his comments even after the Bodachs' otherworldly attacks. ​Odd Thomas sees dead people. However, that is not the strangest or most interesting thing about him. Dead people seek Thomas out. They do not speak, but they communicate with Odd telepathically, frequently leading Odd to their killers. Shakin Shaner discuss this refreshing character and explore the world of Pico Mundo and they cast of characters to include the Fungus Man and Odd's destiny, Stormy.Visit our webpage for this episode with additional content on Odd Thomas, click here! Follow us on Twitter

Shakin Shaner and Mike from Comics in the Golden Age (@ComicsintheGA) let their geek flags fly on the original Adventures of Jonny Quest which aired in 1964!​They discuss the uniqueness of the show when it first aired, starting with the original artwork from Doug Wildey, the influence from the comic strip Terry and the Pirates, and even James Bond.  The show only lasted one season, but churned out 26 episodes of action adventure gold. For additional content and all episodes, on Shakin Shaner's website, Click Here!Share your comments with Shakin Shaner on Twitter,  or Facebook.

Shakin Shaner explores the life and legacy of Major General Smedley Butler, AKA, Old Gimlet Eye, who received two Congressional Medals of Honor.  He dives into his life after the Marine Corps and touch on his participation in the March of the Bonus Army, the Business Plot and his book, "War is a Racket".  This is truly a great story about honorable service, giving back and standing up for veterans, derailing a plot against the American Government and being true to oneself.  A great way to celebrate Veterans Day.

Shakin Shaner and his friend and cinema enthusiast, Jeff, discuss some of the reasons why we like scary/horror movies. They discuss several of the subcategories including the monster movies of the 1930s and 40s, Hitchcock, the 80's slasher movies, alien movies, vampire, zombie, and several other movies that they find scary or disturbing. Also check out the new sponsor, WTF Films and their movie trailer.  Guaranteed to make you cringe and smile all at once.  Happy Halloween.

In this episode, Shakin Shaner is joined by four expert panelists to debate the complex issue of the Jetson Transport Tube Thingies: Why don't we have them and who dropped the ball.  Apparently companies in the 1960s were working on the technology to transport humans in pneumatic tubes just like in the Jetsons. However, we never got the technology so Shakin Shaner and Lisa, Ashleigh, Jim and Randy join him to debate the reasons why!  This....you don't wanna miss! 

Shakin Shaner and his friend Randy, a fellow book worm, embark on an enthusiastic nerd-in on Ivanhoe. They explore this 200 year old novel, how they discovered it by the same means and the positive impact it had on both of them. With Randy's background in history and time spent as an educator, they dig deep into some of the background, discuss the historical significance of King Richard, Prince John and even Robin Hood. Check out their passion when they discuss the two main characters of Wilfrid of Ivanhoe and Brian DuBois Gilbert.  Ivanhoe addresses many themes relevant today such as, racism, division of society classes, and haves versus the have nots. The differences between the ending in the book, versus the 1952 movie and the 1982 movie is another fine point of their nerd-in. If you are a fan of Ivanhoe or new to the book, check out this great conversation on this literary classic.   

Shakin Shaner hosts Mike from Comics in the Golden Age (@ComicsintheGA) in a geek out on the 1981 Saturday morning cartoon, Spider Man & His Amazing Friends. Both first watched this show as children in the early 80's and share their fondness and joy of the superhero series. They dive into the episodes and discuss the premise of the series and all of the world building Marvel was doing early on in the 80's animated series.