Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast

What gives art its value? Is it beauty? Is it history? The artist’s signature? The fact that the piece is housed in a prestigious institution? Maybe it’s the story of the work of art and it’s creator. Maybe the legend of the art is as important as the work itself. Join us this week for the tales of art heists, forgeries, and true masters of their craft as we ask what makes a pretty painting, into art. Special Guest Story Teller: The Lonely Palette Podcast: http://www.thelonelypalette.com

Sometimes the character of a place is so apparent that one can help but feel the stories that formed it. Natchez, Mississippi is one of those places. History has always brought conflicted, complicated characters to this city on the bluffs, and it seems that those characters and the spaces that he inhabited are still around. Natchez held on tight to its history, and today, legends abound. Join us this week as we discuss the southern character itself, focusing on stories from this sleepy...

There is a time honored tradition in America of elevating the heroes amongst us, who are willing to take matters into their own hands. They quickly become legends. We seem to love an antihero, and at no time was this more apparent than in the 1970s. The heyday of the vigilante film, saw such classics as Shaft, Taxi Driver, Foxy Brown, and Dirty Harry hit screens for the first time. So, what does this tell us (other than that Tarantino was a child of this era)? What can we learn by looking at...

Rock and roll is here to stay, and that’s why some truly enduring urban legends have sprung up around the landmark hits and the bands that performed them. Before there was Instagram, or even MySpace; before AOL instant messenger, before MTV, or John Hughes; before arcades and shopping malls; before all that: there was rock and roll. For teenagers, by teenagers, about teenagers; rock was going to be a voice of its generation for generations to come. Music journalism, festivals and concerts...

Shadow People are an international phenomenon. As far as paranormal experiences go, seeing a fleeting dark figure in you peripheral vision, or waking up to a sensation of being unable to move as a dark figure stares at you, or seeing a dark silhouette in a spooky building; are very common happenings. However there is definitely more to these mysterious entities than meets the eye. Join us this week as we discuss the particulars of shadow people. From the Dark Watchers of Big Sur, to the Hat...

So often when we picture an enemy, a true threat; they become bigger, stronger, faster, or smarter in our mind’s eye. So it’s only natural that for thousands of years, the terrifying ‘other’ has been painted as more than a man, and the warrior on the opposing side has been given super powers, if only in the imagination of those opposing him. Super soldiers are as natural a feature in stories as conflict, or war itself. Join us this week as we begin by discussing the star spangled poster...

First of all, spoiler alert... content warning ... ick alert, we are actually going to be discussing necrophilia and its many forms on this charming episode of Just A Story. So, yeah. Join us as we discuss the historical accounts, legal statutes, and cultural interpretations of necrophilia. From Carl Tanzler to Karen Greenlee and beyond, we’ll mention all the unmentionables. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod Instagram: justastorypod...

Okay. We’ve finally done it. It’s Nessie’s turn for the Just A Story treatment. The Loch Ness Monster is said to occupy the vast expanse of water in Scotland, but alas, our dear lake monster remains in the realm of myth to this day. Of course there are numerous sightings each year, but there are not so much in the way of proof. This raises obvious questions, like: when and how did these sightings start; what evidence has accumulated; and just what the loch is going on in that lake? Join us...

Have you heard of that abandoned town in Ohio where absolutely every urban legend ever happened? No seriously. According to lore, Boston, Ohio (or Hell Town, if we are going with the lore) is home to all manner of phenomena and conspiracies. But what really happened there? And what happens when people on power act for the good of all, at the expense of the few? Join us as we explore the origins of helltown, the Osage reign of terror, and the time that the Bronx was burning.

What happened to Olivia Mabel? The internet wants to know. Could grief and longing have created an entity that took on thoughts all its own; after the death of her son? Why would anyone believe that could happen? Well, as you might have expected, it’s kind of a long story. Join us this week as we explore the roots of Theosophy and its founder Madame Blavatsky. We will discuss where the belief system drew on Tibetan ideas emanations and where the concept of the tulpa drifted into uncharted...

When we close our eyes at night, we all become mysteries. Dreaming is one of the most miraculous and least understood things humans can do. It seems that many miraculous, misunderstood dreams have been spent on this man. Who is this man? Join us this week as we do our best to answer that question. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod Instagram: justastorypod Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375 Help support...

So, how do we go from seeing disc in the sky (I hear it was all the rage in 1947); to spending time with aliens on their crafts and being probed? Seems quite a leap, no? Well brothers, sisters and gentle people of earth, it was a long strange trip. Join us this week as we talk about some truly historic abduction stories, like the one that started it all: the Betty & Barney Hill case. We’ll also discuss whether this type of story is a new imagining of the future, or a deeply hidden memory of...

When looking back to the Roswell Incident, it isn’t hard to imagine a cowboy with a thousand yard stare sitting next to his old friend with wraparound eyes surveying a southwestern scene, and saying, ‘So, this is where it all started.’. You see, once upon a time, in the lonely New Mexico desert all those years ago back in 1947, a flying saucer crash landed on a ranch. At least that is what the ARMY press release stated. It’s easy to see the how a UFO incident outed by the military would...

American tall tales are an odd branch of the folkloric family tree. Younger than fairy tales, but older than urban legends; they seem to have descended into a kind of awkward adolescence around the end of WWII. Yes, they’re stuck at the kids’ table within the collective unconscious, and they totally don’t get their younger cousins’ pop culture references. How did this happen? Who decided we needed tall tales in the first place? What has become of American Mythology today? Join us this week...

Everything you’ve ever heard about New Orleans Mardi Gras is true. The floats, the beads, the craven apocalypse party - that is all there. What’s more surprising, is that there are parts of Mardi Gras that you haven’t heard of. Join us this week as we explore the secretive culture of the Mardi Gras Indians, and their role in creating the unique character of the city.

Most of the authors we meet in school don’t stick with us as personalities. We remember the stories they create more than we remember them. That’s not true for dear Edgar. In fact the lines between fact and fiction become so blurry when he’s nearby that it’s no small task to keep the man and his work separate. And that’s just the way he wanted it. Join us this week as we discuss a plethora of Poe urban legends. From his persona, to his death to the Poe toaster; to all the true stories he...

Why do we like to imagine that the world was once full of giants? All cultures seem to have a version of a myth or legend that mentions that how much bigger our ancestors were once upon a time. Is it the idea that our human history was once part of something bigger and more fantastic? Sure, that is basically all nostalgia is, when you put it like that. But why have people believed it? Why have generations of people in every region of the globe, at some point in time *believed* that there...

This week we put together some new stories that tie to some of our early episodes. We really just wanted to send the year out by looking back at what we’ve put together so far, and finding even more to explore. Maybe we all just want to catch our breath before we dive headlong into a whole new year. So we’ve taken the opportunity to revisit the stories we missed and the things that have changed since we finished these episodes. We also wanted to thank our listeners, so we’ve included some...

No one in the history of Christmas has ever truly wanted nothing from Santa but their two front teeth. No, no, no, kids want toys. The modern contract between parents, children, Santa, and his army of elves is centered on this basic truth. But which toys? Should kids get only wholesome, politically correct playthings? Should boys and girls receive different toys? Do they want different toys? Join us this week as we try to get to the bottom of the gendering of children’s toys. Using Barbie as...

Playing detective is all fun and games until you uncover a real clue. Story-lovers have few universal traits. But for the most part, we love a mystery. We love to see disjointed snippets of information begin to form a meaningful picture, so of course we love to think we could solve a real case. And sometimes we get so carried away with that idea that we end up creating a brand new fiction. Join us this week as we discuss what went wrong with ‘Hi, Walter’ and decrypt some mysteries...