Fascinating Nouns

How far back do your memories go? Do you remember your kiss with little Susie in second grade? Can you remember your Kindergarten teacher’s name? What do you remember about the day you were born? My guess is, even if you CAN remember any of these things, the details are pretty fuzzy. Not so for […]

Italian mobsters were not the only ones who wanted to control an entire musical genre. Rap Mogul Suge Knight followed the formula of the Mafia by controlling the lives of up-and-coming rappers, and beating/killing the competition. Just ask Vanilla Ice.

Today, it is a given that Rock ‘N Roll is still one of the most popular and lucrative music genres in the world, but this was not always the case. In the 1950’s, it was an upstart musical movement that was nothing like the contemporary songs of the day. It needed a push, and that […]

There is nothing more ubiquitous in human existence than waste. To live is to produce refuse. And there are so many kinds of waste: Human, household, digital to name a few. But what is waste really? Turns out, the definition is pretty fluid. In this episode I talk to John Scanlan, author of “The Idea […]

Initially I wanted this episode to come out during spring training this year, but now that the Cubs have clinched a playoff spot, this is a much better time to discuss Al Yellon’s new book “Chicago Cubs Firsts”. We discuss the great players like Ernie Banks and Ryne Sandberg, as well as broadcasters Harry Caray […]

Henry and I talked for an hour about how the downfall of the human race was not only inevitable, but imminent. Or is it? In this bonus episode, Henry breaks down his plans for saving the human race.

Way back in the bonus episode to ep. 201, Henry Gee and I discuss his article on how the human race is in decline. A better term would be free fall. Well, he expanded that article into an entire book, and we finally get to discuss it! It turns out, as soon as Homo sapiens […]

In a quiet theater, you sit and stare at a scene unfolding before your eyes, the participants unaware of your presence. This excites you, and you just can’t seem to pull your eyes away. That is because you, like everyone else who watches movies, is a voyeur, someone who loves to watch when others can’t […]

No matter what movie you are watching, there is a high likelihood that some form of mental illness will be presented there. Whether it is a masked psychopath in the latest horror movie, or an OCD partner in the new buddy cop film, humans seem to be unable to look away from crazy. But how […]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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