Podcast appearances and mentions of David Farrier

Blaðamaðurinn David Farrier rakst á undarlega facebook síðu sem varpaði ljósi á heim atvinnukitlara. Þú ert bundinn fastur á meðan ungir karlmenn klæddir í Adidas galla kitla þig. Passaðu þig samt af því að manneskjan sem er á bak við þetta allt saman er ekki sú sem að hún reynist vera. Tékkið á Jane O‘brian media á Facebook, skráið ykkur í Competitive Endurance Tickling og okurþéniði. Viðskiptadíll ársins. #tickling #ticklish #tickle #struggle #restrict #laughter #ticklishlaughter.    Instagram: jaelskan less   Þessi þáttur var gefinn út: 7. september 2020

In “Tickled”, a story stranger than fiction, journalist David Farrier and filmmaker Dylan Reeve uncover a strange tickling subculture. Delving deeper into the dark world of a tickling competition, they are with fierce resistance as they uncover a dark empire ensnaring and exploiting vulnerable young men. Dylan shares with Tiller how he and his co-director David Farrier blindly stumbled into this story (1:00), why they had to reshoot virtually everything (11:00, getting threats the deeper they went down the rabbit hole (18:30), the lies and bravery of his main characters (30:00), when they realized the film had transitioned from silly to dark and investigative (34:00), and the enduring legacy of making a film like this (41:00). Produced by: Jacob Miller Executive Producer: Tiller Russell Music by: James Carroll, Graham Tracey & Zydepunk Distributed by: Jake Brennan & Brady Sadler, Double Elvis Productions

David Farrier examines how “wild clocks”—the biological and ecological rhythms that living beings use to coordinate their lives with the greater cycles of the Earth—are falling out of synch with each other in our age of ecological crisis. Traversing the Future Library in Norway, Sami reindeer herds in Scandinavia, and oyster colonies in Scotland's Firth of Forth, David considers the different ways time is made between people, more-than-human beings, and place—and wonders if the disordering of our wild clocks offers an opportunity to understand anew how time can be an expression of kinship. Read the essay.  Discover more stories from our latest print edition, Volume 5: Time.  Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At least sixteen people are dead and over 12,000 buildings have burnt down from the deadly fires burning Los Angeles. Journalist David Farrier spoke to Paddy Gower.

One of the great modern documentarians, David Farrier explores factual storytelling through his films TICKLED and MR ORGAN, the Netflix series DARK TOURIST and now weekly on his must listen podcast FLIGHTLESS BIRD. If there was no TICKLED, there’d be no FINDING DRAGO, FINDING DESPERADO or FINDING YEEZUS so you can imagine it was truly an honour for Alexei to host David Farrier at the Last Video Store. Follow ALEXEI TOLIOPOULOS on Letterboxd for all the rental combo lists. Here’s David’s list and his actual profile on LB.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand OnlyFans, which while based in the UK boasts a mostly US based audience. David talks to Sara (@pockowokosara) who we first met on Flights of Fancy, an OnlyFans creator based in the USA. She talks about her experiences making content and what it's like managing and catering to a paying audience. David then explores the world of male only fans creators, talking to Jakk Maddox about some of his stranger experiences on the platform. David ends his journey by talking to someone who used to work for creators as an OnlyFans “chatter,” essentially pretending to be someone else! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier discovers that Rhode Island is not in fact an island. If not an island - what is it? Farrier talks to linguist Kate who has a true love for Rhode Island - and she educates David about the vampire buried there, the food Rhode Island loves, and its place in pop culture. Along the way Farrier discovers Rhode Island has a lot in common with his favourite place, New Zealand - which, arguable, is an island. Subscribe to the Flightless Bird feed at https://linktr.ee/flightlessbirdpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nestled within the eerie confines of Highgate Cemetery lies the genesis of a chilling tale that has captivated the imaginations of enthusiasts and sceptics alike.Join us as we journey through the mist-laden pathways of history, tracing the origins of this enigmatic legend. From whispers of a malevolent spectre haunting the tombstones to reports of bizarre occult activity, the legend of 'The Highgate Vampire' has cast a long shadow over the collective consciousness of Londoners for decades. From alleged sightings of a cloaked figure gliding through the cemetery's hallowed grounds to claims of ritualistic practices invoking the undead, the Highgate Vampire embodies the intersection of superstition and modern mythology.Text Me (this is 3rd party & I cannot respond, but I see all messages)Support the Show.If you have more information or a correction on something mentioned in this chapter, email us at luke@lukemordue.com. For more information on the show, to find all our social accounts and to ensure you are up to date on all we do, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.urbanlegendsfolklore.com

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates why American opossums are so different to New Zealand possums. Speaking of which - why does one have an “O” in front of them? To find answers, David meets up with a possum called Horace, and learns that contrary to popular opinion possums are not related to rats. In fact possums have many amazing traits including being pretty much immune to rabies, being living fossils, and masters at playing dead. While New Zealand possums are terrible for the environment, the possums Farrier discovers in LA are very different beasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for another exciting episode of Pop Culture Weekly with Kyle McMahon, featuring the return of Amanda Baez as a guest host, an interview with Supacell's Rapman & a deep dive into David Farrier's unbelievable documentary, Tickled.  We kick things off with What We Watched This Week, discussing the creepy "Long Legs" & "Twisters".  They also dive into the nostalgic and fresh soundtrack of "Twisters," spotlighting tracks by Luke Combs, Kane Brown, and Shania Twain. Amanda's hilarious revelation of her unfamiliarity with Twain's hits adds a humorous touch. This episode is packed with takes on reality TV and movie recommendations too, as they indulge in reality TV obsessions like "90 Day Fiancé" and "I Love a Mama's Boy," discussing the drama-filled narratives and complex relationships portrayed. Then Kyle talks with Rapman, the creator and visionairy behind Netflix's #1 series, Supacell.  They discuss the meticulous approach to capturing black skin on camera and Rapman's storytelling journey from music to Netflix stardom.For the Feature Presentation, join them as they explore the strange world of competitive tickling, highlighted in the absolutely bizarre documentary "Tickled."  The episode also uncovers the dark underbelly of competitive tickling videos and the eccentric life of David D'Amato, whose bizarre activities are further unveiled in "The Tickle King." Wrapping up with the intriguing story of "Grey Gardens," we highlight how documentaries reveal extraordinary realities. Don't miss this jam-packed episode full of pop culture highlights and riveting discussions.Check out Tickled here!Kyle McMahon's Death, Grief & Other Sh*t We Don't Discuss is now streaming: https://www.deathandgrief.show/Chapter-One-The-Diagnosis-AKA-WTF/---------------Get all the Pop Culture Weekly podcast info you could want including extra content, uncut interviews, photos, videos & transcripts at: https://podcast.popcultureweekly.comWatch celebrity interviews at: https://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahon/videosor Kyle McMahon YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/officialkylemcmahonRead the latest at http://www.PopCultureWeekly.comFollow Kyle on:Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/realkylemcmahonInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/kmacmusicYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@popcultureweeklyWebsite: http://www.kylemcmahon.me

NZ journalist David Farrier's back on our shores from his LA base for a trip down memory lane with a pop up screening of his 2016 documentary 'Tickled'. We catch up with him to talk about his other projects he has on the go.

Christian - or worship - music is probably bigger than you think, and its appeal to the young and isolated is undeniable 

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates why American chocolate tastes so different to New Zealand chocolate and more specifically, why Hershey's chocolate allegedly smells a little bit like vomit. Farrier talks to a former Hershey's worker to try and get to the truth, learning about various theories, and stumbling on an old rivalry between Hershey's and Mars. David finds himself talking to flavour expert Barb Stuckey, author of TASTE: Surprising Stories & Science About Why Food Tastes Good. Does he find the answer? Perhaps you need to let your tastebuds decide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Newshub enters its final week, reporter Adam Hollingworth talks to current and former staff about the new division's early days and key events in its 35 year history  

This episode originally aired in January 2021 and was episode 38! Awww baby TSFU!Ashley and Cam talk about the dark underbelly of Competitive Endurance Tickling. Jeepers Creepers!⁠⁠In this week's episode, Ashley goes over the origins of Competitive Endurance Tickling, the woman who started it, and the events leading up to the making of Tickled, a critically acclaimed documentary by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve that aired on HBO in 2016. Cam covers the wild events that took place after the airing of the documentary and the confrontation that happened at the LA premier. She also talks about the 2017 sequel to the movie, The Tickle King.⁠The gals also had the immense pleasure of speaking with co-director Dylan Reeve for this month's Patreon exclusive! Find Dylan on his website and on twitter!✨Check out our Patreon for the sweetest swag around, 450+ ad free episodes (including 200 that aren't on the regular feed), monthly new bonus episodes (like Ash Learns the Bible and TSFU Presents) and access to all of our old bonus episodes, and SO much more! We really do pride ourselves on having one of the absolute best Patreons in the game!✨

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier goes to his first Monster Truck Jam to try and understand why Americans love big vehicles so much. There he meets Krysten Anderson, who drives Grave Digger - and tells David what it's like to be a female driver in a male-dominated sport. David then joins Dax Shepard who explains why Americans like big wheels and big power, before the two of them watch the Monster Jam World Finals go down. Slowly Farrier begins to understand these oversized vehicles, realizing that to become truly American he must love a 12 thousand pound truck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets off to understand America's frozen food obsession. Each year Over 80% of American households will eat frozen dinners this year - making the frozen food market worth over $65 billion dollars. Monica Padman takes Farrier frozen food shopping, introducing him to her favorite frozen foods. They then put on a fancy dinner for their friends featuring nothing but frozen foods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Farrier from 'Tickled' joins us to discuss 'Life' (1999) in the final installment of Martin May.

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier goes to eat at iconic American restaurant chain the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Back in 1994, Forest Gump was box office gold - the highest grossing film in America that year. Forrest Gump also did something not many films have ever done - something truly magical - it leapt out into real life. Because on any day of the week in America, you can stroll directly into a restaurant that wouldn't exist without Forrest Gump: The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. To learn about all things Gump, Farrier talks with David Chen from decodingeverything.com who breaks down the significance of the film. He then takes producer Rob to dine in style at Bubba Gumps, before talking to the Vice President & COO of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Jenny Scharbrough. That's right, Jenny! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier throws himself back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth during the 1500s. Why? Because Americans love Renaissance Fairs. The whole idea of the Renaissance Fair started back in 1963 - when teacher Phyllis Patterson held an event for her students in her backyard. A few months later her and her husband Ron put on a bigger one - hosting about 8000 people. It kept growing - and in 1966 the official “Renaissance Pleasure Faire of Southern California” was launched. Farrier decides to head along to that very fair see what all the fuss is about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're trying something a little different today - something we're calling “Flights of Fancy.” Now awhile back, if you follow David Farrier on Instagram, you would have seen a prompt where he wanted you to pitch a deeply American topic YOU could speak on. Maybe it was a job you had, or some other personal insight you could give into something AMERICAN. Maybe you worked at Buckees, or in the depths of the White House. We heard from so many of you - like hundreds - with so many ideas. Rob made a fancy spreadsheet to collate all your responses, and we picked a bunch we liked. Then we zoomed with those people - getting them to explain their area of expertise. We met a true cross section of America - and some of the topics you're about to learn about - some of them we're gonna dive deeper later in the year. But for now, this is Flights of Fancy - where we talk Flightless Bird listeners about the what they want to see on Flightless Bird. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier talks to the author of 50 Pies 50 States, Stacey Mei Yan Fong. Farrier sets out to discover why Americans love pie so much, declaring January 23rd National Pie Day back in 1986. Farrier and Fong discuss what makes the pie so American, before looking at Stacey's top 3 American pies - which David, Monica and Rob then sample. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier looks at the process of gaining American Citizenship, and what it means to become truly American. Why over the last decade did over seven million non-Americans choose to become American? And what does this process look like? David talks to a New Zealander who chose to Naturalise before looking at some Americans who've chosen to do the exact opposite. Why would someone choose to become American and why would someone choose to give it up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier looks at how America surveils its own citizens and asks why America is a “spying superpower.” In 2022 alone, 145,000 Facebook users and 100,000 Gmail accounts were rifled through by the US government's spy agencies. How come? Farrier delves into America's Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and “Section 702" and talks with journalist Byron Tau, author of “Means of Control: How The Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier starts to ponder his own mortality and why, despite America spending more on healthcare than any other nation on earth, it's only 59th on the life expectancy list. To find some answers, he heads to Loma Linda: population 9000, an average life expectancy 10 years longer than the average American. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier talks to Terra Newell, who you may well know from the Dirty John podcast. We look at what makes the True Crime genre such a big deal, and some of the ethical questions it raises. David also shares his favourite 10 True Crime bits of media with Monica and Rob - which are: Dear Zachary (2008): A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. Blackfish (2013) / The Cove (2009): A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015): Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes. The Staircase (2004): The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001. Last Call (2023): As the AIDS crisis intensifies in the early 1990s, homophobia and hate crimes increase, and a serial killer preys on gay men in New York City by infiltrating the queer nightlife to identify his victims. 6 The Thin Blue Line - 1988 (Errol Morris): A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas. Paradise Lost (1996): A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence. Capturing the Friedmans (2003): Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes. The Imposter (2012): A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years. In The Dark Season 2: The second season of In the Dark explored the legal odyssey surrounding Curtis Flowers, who was accused of shooting four people to death inside Tardy Furniture, a Winona, Mississippi store, in July 1996 Honorable mentions: A Very Fatal Murder, American Vandal Other OGs: Helter Skelter (1974), In Cold Blood (1966), Making a Murderer (2018), Serial (2014) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier looks at why so many Americans don't take their shoes off indoors. A poll by CBS last year found “the majority of Americans don't ask their guests to remove their shoes when they come to visit, and this is particularly true of older Americans.” David wants to find out why, so meets with etiquette coach Elaine Swann, founder of The Swann School of Protocol. The pair talk about the correct thing to do with your shoes, before moving their attention to road etiquette, airplane etiquette, and Zoom etiquette in the USA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Please enjoy this victory lap of Season One episodes as we celebrate 10 years of The Worst Idea of All Time. New episodes posting on our Substack.Original Description:Guy and Tim are joined by beloved kiwi journalist David Farrier. This week: Tim has to buy a $250 T-shirt; enthusiastic letters from fans, some Insane Clown Posse, rampant capitalism and more Paddy Shwartz! Also, physics, CGI animals, #instagramchat, more defence of David Spade and what's the deal with cross-desolves? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier still finds himself stranded back in New Zealand, waiting for his new Visa to be issued so he can make more American Flightless Birds. Cut off from America, he decides to do one of the most touristy things he can imagine: he sets off for Matamata and the tiny sleepy village of Hobbiton. Left over from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, he goes to meet Hobbiton general manager Shayne Forrest, who takes Farrier around the most incredibly detailed living film set he's ever seen. Farrier discovers that Hobbiton has recently opened up a Hobbit house, so Farrier goes inside to experience it with an American man called Matt. Outside, Farrier is lucky enough to meet Pickles, Hobbiton's one and only rescue cat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier finds himself stranded back in New Zealand, waiting for his new American Visa to be issued. He decides to investigate New Zealand's most famous fruit - not the kiwifruit, but the feijoa. They're an icon in New Zealand, put in everything from chocolate to vodka. Farrier then sets out to understand why the feijoa has never taken off in America - and is shocked to find an underground network of feijoa lovers throughout California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand the origins of Smokey Bear, an educational mascot who's turned into the longest-running PSA in American history. Farrier then gets a tip that there is a real Smokey Bear, so travels to the sleepy town of Capitan, New Mexico. Farrier searches for Smokey's alleged gravesite, meeting with park ranger “Max” to understand the secrets of Smokey, a bear that ended up with their own Zip Code. Along the way, Farrier learns about another local legend, Billy the Kid - leading to the question: Who is the most famous local? Smokey Bear, or Billy the Kid? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand Costco, the giant membership warehouse club loved by millions of Americans, a store that now pulls in $64 billion in revenue each year. Farrier meets up with a friend of the show Andy, who takes David inside Costco for his first shopping trip. David is so impressed he signs up as a card-carrying Costco member, before returning with a former staff member to get the goss. Finally, Farrier talks to a staff member who's been at Costco for a quarter of a century, meeting his wife at Costo, buying his engagement ring at Costco, and naming their dog after the iconic Costco brand, Kirkland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to the town of Roswell, New Mexico - home of the 1947 UFO crash that ignited the imagination of the entire planet. After visiting the Roswell UFO Museum, Farrier sets out to see what makes Roswell, well, Roswell. He meets up with artist Michael Beitz who runs the Meow Cat Sanctuary, before getting some Mexican food with local cowboy “Spider Dailey”, who fills Farrier in on the local military academy… and how to be an anarchist. He also goes to see Nancy Fleming who runs the Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum, and stops by Roswell's UFO-themed McDonalds where he meets a man who's had a close encounter of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand why Americans guzzle down over 10 billion donuts every year. He sets off with his friends Andrew and Lauren to sample some Californian donuts, before meeting up with Emily Taing. Tang is behind Pink Box Stories (@pinkboxstories) on Instagram and educates David about the origins of the donut's famous pink boxes, and the importance of America's mom-and-pop donuts stores. David then sets his sights on the big East Coast chain - Dunkin' - meeting with their president Scott Murphy, and one of their franchisees Sue Andrade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier tries to understand why his entire street smells like semen. He finds himself in the world of the Callery Pear Tree - also known as the Linden Tree or the Bradford - AKA “the cum tree”. David talks with Theresa Culley, a professor at the University of Cincinnati - who knows a lot about this particular foul-smelling tree. The plant biologist teaches David why the trees smell like that, before diving into an analysis of how American these trees really are. David is shocked to find out one of these trees survived 9/11, and is now found at the 9/11 memorial site. He also discovers the tree - once the darling of US landscapers and gardeners - is now considered an invasive species. With this in mind, David visits LA's Natural History Museum to meet herpetologist Greg Pauly, who educates David about some of America's other invasive species, including one particularly loud and annoying frog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier dives headfirst into one of America's favorite foods, the humble hot dog. He learns that Americans eat around 20 billion hot dogs a year, which means the average American eats about 70 hot dogs per year. Why? How did this simple food get so popular here? To understand, Farrier decides to talk to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. Eric Mittenthal picks up and answers some of Farrier's burning questions. David then takes foodie and Flightless Bird producer Rob Holysz out to eat some hot dogs - first at the iconic LA joint Pinks, and then to the very niche Wurstküche in the Arts District. There David and Rob dine on rabbit, buffalo, and rattlesnake. They also set out to answer the burning question: “Is a hotdog a sandwich?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier takes Monica's advice from an earlier episode and investigates America's obsession with quilts. He begins his journey by interviewing quilting podcaster Ashelyn Downs of “The Grateful Thread”. Farrier discovers that quilting is not just oldies sitting by the fire, but that there's a new movement of younger, more diverse quilters taking over America. He sets off to meet Latifah Saafir, an engineer who now makes some of the most amazing quilts you'll see, incorporating bits of her culture and life into the quilts she makes. David then stops in on another young quilter, Luke Haines, who has some of his quilts hanging on gallery walls. Luke insists on making a quilt featuring the one and only Monica Padman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier seeks to be better understood by his co-hosts by diving headfirst into the American accent. He meets with dialect coach Joel Goldes, who's helped coach actors like Viola Davis through her various accent roles. As “The Dialect Coach” (www.thedialectcoach.com), Joel teaches David how to place his tongue to sound more American, and takes Farrier through what he's been doing wrong. Monica, Rob, and David also take an accent quiz to see how good they are at picking American accents (which you can try at home too: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliafurlan/pahk-the-cah-nomaaaaaah) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates America's extreme love of cereal. He sets out to answer why America needs over 5000 different types of cereal, and why some of the most popular cereals have been discontinued. He meets with YouTube cereal reviewer Thomas Hicks, AKA The Cereal Snob (https://www.youtube.com/c/CerealSnob), to get the lowdown on how much milk should be used in cereal, and what types of cereal are the best. David also discovers that cereal was invented by John Harvey Kellogg in the 1890s, who created the humble cornflake. David finds that Kellogg was trying to create something so bland it would stop people masturbating or having sex!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier begins to notice how much America loves cars. Why do 92% of American households have at least one vehicle? That's so many cars! The country's love of cars has transformed it, with not only roads - but with millions and millions of parking spaces. David becomes obsessed with all of America's parked cars, sitting down with Henry Grabar - a staff writer at Slate who writes about cars and transportation, urban policy, and housing. Grabar has also been thinking a lot about how much of America is taken up by cars. Why in America, on average, are there up to 6 parking spaces for every car? Why does NY make more money off parking tickets than parking fees?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand America's obsession with pinball. He heads to Long Beach California for a meeting of the Long Beach Pinball League, headed by passionate pinball man Tom Walker. His league is part of the International Flipper Pinball Association which is made up of 96,000 players from 45 countries. David then meets Tom Radar, a man who has been obsessively collecting pinball machines for years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand the mysterious world of fantasy football. He joins a group of manly men as they do a fantasy football draft in a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, trying to understand the appeal of a game played by 50 million Americans. David then meets sports reporter and ESPN correspondent Mina Kimes who drills down into the finer details of fantasy football, even offering some expert tips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier takes Monica to a haunted house to celebrate Halloween. And not just any haunted house! Each year Universal Studios puts on its Halloween Horror Nights, using its Hollywood tricks to create some of the scariest haunted houses in America. David and Monica meet with John Murdy, the creative director behind the haunted houses. Monica then comes face to face with her ultimate fear: Chucky. And not just one Chucky: Hundreds of Chucky's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week Dave Anthony picks a paper from a day in history and reads it to co-host Gareth Reynolds and guest journalist and documentarian David Farrier. Redbubble Merch

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates pizza, one of America's favorite foods. He discovers that around 76,000 pizza joints bring in $44 billion dollars each year in the US - where every day 13% of the population will eat a slice of pizza. David begins his journey in Los Angeles, as Rob takes him and Monica to a fancy pop-up called “Chain”. Here, chefs riff on chain food but with their own upgraded twists - and tonight it's Pizza Hut! Next, David heads to New York to eat a variety of NY pizzas, from the cheap slices of Joe's, to Pauly Gee's famous Hellboy pizza. What makes a good pizza? There is no clear answer, but Farrier attempts to find out, before going to one last joint - Ops - an upmarket take on what a pizza should be. Along the way, Farrier meets some of those eating the pizza - New Yorkers - who truly love their city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier investigates America's obsession with ice. From excessive ice in drinks to the joy of frozen food, Farrier finds that ice is deeply American. Meeting with Reid Mitenbuler, the author of Bourbon Empire, David discovers the story of Frederic “the Ice King” Tudor, who dug up ice from the lakes of New England and got America, and the world, hooked on ice in the 1800s. Farrier then heads to New York to meet writer and academic Heidi Julavits, who muses about the significance of ice in American culture and tells David about her icy memories from Maine… and 2023's Coachella. Farrier discovers how the Holiday Inn made ice machines mandatory in American hotels before he considers the fact Americans want to cryogenically freeze themselves to live forever. There is no denying it: Americans love ice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier goes behind the scenes of the food that's dished up to 30 million American kids at the school cafeteria. Back in New Zealand, they don't have school cafeterias, so all he knows is what he's learned from Euphoria and Saved By The Bell. In Hemet, Farrier meets Kate Kloet, assistant director of nutrition services for Hemet Unified School District. Donning a hairnet, she takes Farrier into the industrial kitchen where food is made for 23,000 kids in the area before the pair drive to a local high school to experience the cafeteria. What do the kids think of the food and what do they think of the American high school experience? Farrier goes back to school to learn all he can about the American high school cafeteria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to investigate what the heck is going on with Independence Day, one of America's 11 officially mandated holidays. What makes this day so American and how is he meant to spend it? To learn about Independence Day the day, Farrier turns to Independence Day the movie. Farrier talks to film critic David Chen of DecodingEverything.com to find out what made this film so patriotic it was literally named after the 4th of July. Farrier then tracks down Phil Grucci, President and CEO of “Fireworks by Grucci” - America's so-called “First Family of Fireworks”. Grucci's company holds the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Fireworks Display" ever recorded and he educates David about why fireworks are practically baked into the Declaration of Independence.

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier realizes that New Zealand doesn't have attics or basements, so sets out to discover why so many of America's 333 million homes do. David talks to Stephen Fox, an architectural historian and a lecturer at the Rice School of Architecture in Houston, who explains the practical reasons for these spaces, as well as why they've turned into habitable spaces. David then talks to filmmaker and architect Giorgio Angelini about what these spaces mean culturally to Americans, as paradoxically a place of safety and warmth but also of mystery and horror. The two of them discuss various formative experiences to be found in the attic, before David turns back to the egg episode, attempting to get closure with his best friend Rosabel following an incident where he cracked an egg over her head.

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to discover why America is yet to fully embrace the electric kettle. Why does America insist on the stovetop kettle when it could be boiling its water so much faster? To find out, David talks to Bruce Richardson, a tea master who founded Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in Kentucky, and wrote a book called “The New Tea Companion.” Bruce is a man obsessed with the correct boiling point of water, whose worst enemy is the microwave. Richardson teaches David about the shady events of 1773, in which a bunch of costumed protestors threw British tea into the ocean in a case of tea treason. Could these events still be felt today in America's rejection of the British invention of the electric kettle? Or is it a voltage issue? Tony Gebely, author of “The Philosophy of Tea: A User's Guide” has some of his own theories - theories which lead the creator of America's premiere electric kettle brand, Fellow. Jake Miller prefers his boiling water on coffee, not tea - and he argues (somewhat in jest) that the electric kettle could have a massive impact on America's GDP.