Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep 30: Electric Koolaid Blue Star Acid Test Jun 12, 2016

Show notes

A lot of conspiracy theorists see connections that others cannot; connections most people cannot fathom, or believe to be real. You know who else sees connections like this? People on acid. So what could make for a twisty-er, turny-er kaleidoscopic circus of crazy than conspiracy theories about acid?!? Join us as we seek out the truth behind the 'Blue Star (or Mickey Mouse, or Bart Simpson, etc) Acid' urban legend. This week we explore all things psychedelic and top secret from Project MK Ultra to the origins of the Unabomber. As well as diving in to the lighter side of hallucinogens with top literary talent, like Allen Ginsberg and Ken Kesey It's going to be a long, strange trip, man.

Ep 29: Blue Beards, Gas Lights, and Other Red Flags Jun 05, 2016

Show notes

Once upon a time there was a man who was anything but a Prince Charming. From Narcissus, to Bluebeard, to Henri Landrieu history is peppered with tales of guys who are really bad at relationships, and really, really bad for their partners' health. What inspired stories of such toxic lovers? Join us this week as we take a look at the relationship cycles of narcissists, the myth that helped define a disorder, the roots of a fairy tale with a truly terrifying bad guy, and the origins of the term, 'gaslighting'.

Ep 28: You Have But Slumbered Here, While These Visions Did Appear May 29, 2016

Show notes

You should be safe in your own bed. It should be a place that allows you take refuge, recharge, and find peace. But nightmares, bad dreams and old hags can ruin that for anyone. These self-generated specters can make a prison of a bed, a place that generates anxiety and represents anything but peace. Now take the fear one step further, imagine that not only is your bedroom a place that traps you inside with all the things that go bump in the night, but your body rebels and the trap becomes more menacing. You can't move. You're wide awake, but you can't move. Maybe there's something in the corner of the room, or pressing on your chest. Maybe you're only aware of the feeling that you are not alone. This is sleep paralysis and it's been happening at least as long as people have been recording history. But what is it? Join us this week as we explore the mystery of sleep paralysis and ask whether or not bad dreams are really nothing to be afraid of. Special Guest Story Teller: Dan Foytik of 9th Story Studios, Checkout one of his many great podcasts including 9th Story https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/9th-story-podcast/id707360356?mt=2

Ep 27: Campfire Tales: Are You Afraid Of The Dark May 22, 2016

Show notes

How do you remember summer camp? What stands out most for you? Is it the memory of mosquito bites? Winning that year's capture the flag? Promising to write new friends, or your first love (and meaning letters with stamps, and only until school starts again)? Or do you remember the spooky stories told around the campfire, the camp ghosts, and fear of Jason Voorhees? What if those stories told in the dark weren't just imagined to frighten new campers? What if there really was some psychopath hiding in the woods? And what if said psychopath had magical powers? Join us this week as we explore the reasons we go into the woods for 'Lord of the Flies' style fun in the summer, and if there really is anything lurking in the woods right behind your cabin

Ep 26: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Gay Mafia? May 15, 2016

Show notes

Have you heard that the gay mafia is running Hollywood? Well any disenfranchised straight guy in the entertainment industry will tell you about it. Hyperbole aside, the gay mafia is a running joke/ urban legend that keeps popping up in pop culture. Where is this idea coming from? As much fun as it is to imagine a West Side Story-esque take on The Godfather, there's actually a historical source for this idea that is less than humorous. Everyone knows about the Red Scare, but two shades lighter and just a hair more to the left there was a scare of equal importance. Join us this week as we examine the true story of the Lavender Scare; and explore the ways in which high-powered historical figures like J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy left lasting scars on the LGBTQ Rights cause in America.

Ep 25.2: Modern Folklore or Public Menace: Creepy Pasta May 11, 2016

Show notes

SPECIAL 2 PART 25th EPISODE PARTY: PART 2 The website Creepy Pasta has become a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon. This site offers users a chance to share short fiction in a variety of media. The stories are generally scary, but they range in genre from classic horror to speculative fiction to political thriller. It's safe to say that among a subset of Internet users, a few of these stories have become legendary. Have the lines between written stories and oral tradition been blurred by the online community? Is this folklore? Are these stories urban legends? They've certainly left a mark, perhaps most infamously inspiring one attempted murder involving three 12-year-old girls. Join us this week as we celebrate our 25th episode, and explore the Creepy Pasta greatest hits from "The Russian Sleep Experiment" to "Slender Man", and ask what this new form of story swapping means for modern culture.

Ep 25.1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Urban Legends: Creepy Pasta May 08, 2016

Show notes

SPECIAL 2 PART 25th EPISODE PARTY: PART 1 The website Creepy Pasta has become a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon. This site offers users a chance to share short fiction in a variety of media. The stories are generally scary, but they range in genre from classic horror to speculative fiction to political thriller. It's safe to say that among a subset of Internet users, a few of these stories have become legendary. Have the lines between written stories and oral tradition been blurred by the online community? Is this folklore? Are these stories urban legends? They've certainly left a mark, perhaps most infamously inspiring one attempted murder involving three 12-year-old girls. Join us this week as we celebrate our 25th episode, and explore the Creepy Pasta greatest hits from "The Russian Sleep Experiment" to "Slender Man", and ask what this new form of story swapping means for modern culture. To Check out Audio Dime Museum: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum/id1096211271?mt=2

Ep 24: Bystanders Affected May 01, 2016

Show notes

Every year anxious freshmen shuffle into lecture halls for intro to psychology courses, they'll learn names like Freud, Jung, Skinner, James and Piaget. Without a doubt, they'll learn the name Kitty Genovese along with those. Unlike the others on that list, Kitty never planned on being incorporated in the textbooks and PowerPoint presentations (had any of them known what PowerPoint was). She was murdered in New York City in 1964 by a violent serial offender. Her story is robbed of its complexity and reduced to a parable, used to illustrate the perils of urban apathy. The concept is largely responsible for pioneering the study of the bystander effect. There were real-word, long lasting, far-reaching consequences, as well. The idea that 38 of Kitty's neighbors watched from their windows as she was attacked without bothering to phone for help haunted policy makers and scholars of human behavior, as well as people who read about in it newspapers all across the country for decades. But is it just a story? This week we take a look at the legend of urban apathy and get to know the dynamic, brave woman behind the notes in your psych 101 notebook. Join us as we explore the urban legend of the murder of Kitty Genovese. To check out Audio Dime Museum: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum/id1096211271?mt=2

Ep 23: The Perverse & The Preserved: Mummies in Unexpected Places Apr 24, 2016

Show notes

Remember how you begged to go in the haunted house at the Halloween carnival when you were a kid? You know, right before you promptly freaked out and realized you were not as tough and grown up as you'd hoped and began begging your mom, dad, uncle who thought it was hilarious, etc. to leave? What did they all say to calm you down? 'Don't worry it's all pretend?' Right? Well, what if they were wrong? Once upon a time, not so long ago, they were. The body of Elmer McCurdy was discovered in a California fun house over fifty years after his death. We'll tell his incredible story in this episode before examining other preserved bodies found throughout the world. From bog people to incorrupt saints we explore the world of mortal remains that remain long after their owners have made their exits, and how they effect the living. Join us this week as we analyze the urban legend of the funhouse mummy and other unsettling finds. To enter the Audio Dime Museum: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum/id1096211271?mt=2

Extra! The Devil's Music Apr 22, 2016

Show notes

Extra! Sam had the chance to speak with Shelley Ritter, the Director of the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi about the blues, Robert Johnson, and the origin of "The Devil's Music" Learn more about the Delta Blues Museum: http://www.deltabluesmuseum.org/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected