Episode 101: Live show advertisement + The Willows by Algernon Blackwood May 09, 2024

Doing the live show that goes with this podcast this Saturday @ 3:30pm @ Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia.
Ticket link below.
https://philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com/shows/255401
Also, The Willows by Algernon Blackwood is the movie Deliverance but in Europe and instead of mountain people on blew chews our boys get mobbed by forest demons.

Episode 100 - Live show advertisement + Frankenstein May 06, 2024

Live show that goes with this podcast is this Saturday @ 3:30pm @ Helium Comedy Club in Philadelphia.
Ticket link below.
https://philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com/shows/255401
Also, the story of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein choking people out.

Episode 99 - LOTF by WG (part 3) Oct 21, 2022

Full collapse on deck and I blow through Piggy's Indiana Jones death to try and hide how much I don't like that part.

Episode 98 - Lord of the Flies by William Golding (part 2) Oct 21, 2022

Ralph musters his public speaking chops in hopes of restoring order and things get worse.

Episode 97 - No way this many kids would have even survived a plane crash: Lord of the Flies by William Golding (Part 1) Oct 21, 2022

Part 1 from this year's Father's Day series on Patreon.

Episode 96 - Put a Hemi in it: Wright Brothers Part 3 Jun 03, 2022

We rejoin the Brothers from Dayton as excellent bike shop employee Charlie Taylor jumps in to help with the mechanical work, the Smithsonian team has a rough run of it, and I forget how to say Potomac maybe 4 separate times.

Episode 95 - Guy stole my blanket: Wright Brothers Part 2 Jun 03, 2022

Kitty Hawk North Carolina plays host to the Brothers from Dayton for three rounds of testing and Wilber is pressured into headlining a science show in Chicago on ladies night.

Episode 94 - Serial Killer on Tooth Medicine: Wright Brothers Part 1 Jun 03, 2022

Main characters and setting are discussed, also a serial killer knocks out Wilber’s lower teeth.

Episode 93 - Bad Luck Captain Phillips in a Sundress: The Sole Survivor from Rod Serling's Night Gallery Jan 07, 2022

Starting off 2022 w/ a Rod Serling Deep Cut.

Episode 92 - The Most Dangerous Game Nov 11, 2021

This was Patreon #8, it's from early pandemic, like 3 weeks into the lockdown. Was into cookie bites at the time.

Episode 91: Twilight Zone Double Feature Oct 30, 2021

//FIRST UP//

The Howling Man AKA Wait, is narrow face Peter Pan The Devil or what?

Follows a man named David Ellington as he blacks out on the floor twice as a guest at a castle in Europe.

and

//Closing the Show//

Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up AKA Who the fuck walked outta Tracy's lake?

Is a Clue board game style murder mystery episode about a Diner, and somebody in there possibly being a secret alien.

Episode 90 - Dracula goes to World War 2: Christopher Lee Oct 21, 2021

Information comes from the first 100 pages of Christopher Lee’s Autobiography, “Tall, Dark, and Gruesome.”
Forgot to emphasize how much he got his ass beat by teachers as a boy for disciplinary reasons. "There was the Black Book," where misdeeds were recorded and canceled out with the cane at the end of the week."
Also on the back on some positive medical news, we went no notes allowed while recording for this.

Episode 89 - TMZ Edgar Allan Poe and The Cask of Amontillado Oct 13, 2021

The character Fortunato, who gets buried alive by the narrator, represents a person the author knew in real life. The guy beat Poe up in the street the year prior over an argument about a girl's brother and wanting a gun.

Episode 88 - Dude you don't even notice it, you look good: Hammerhead Sharks Oct 01, 2021

These things swim around self hypnotized all day but I can't prove it. Hammerhead Sharks are discussed in detail.

Episode 87 - I Think It's Lombard: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None Part 3 Sep 23, 2021

Our remaining 4 pack of players get, shot, hung, drowned, and head crushed by a large white marble bear clock, then a short musical interlude, then we figure out what went on out there.

Staying Alive: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, (Part 2.) Sep 17, 2021

We recap our first three ghosts from part 1, then narrow the field from 7 down to 4 with help from an axe, hypodermic syringe, and revolver.

Episode 85 - Out Here Looking For Clues: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. (Part 1) Sep 06, 2021

Curl up with your feet on the couch and a box of Laura's Fudge at the beach, it's world's best selling murder mystery book time.

How did these things get back in the house oh my god SCORPIONS 2 Jul 22, 2021

After using them as cover last week, a debt is paid as the Scorp facts runneth over in this nat geo departure.

Episode 83 - Crawling in my skinnn, these wounds they will not heallllll: SCORPIONS Jul 15, 2021

The title of this episode is a decoy.

This episode is not about Scorpions.

The actual episode is about what I leaned about how to travel to Europe with your girlfriend in your mid 20’s.

I have a good friend who’s a little younger than me and is going to Italy to meet his girl’s family soon, so I made him a travel guide with what I learned from doing a similar thing in my 20’s with this episode.

I used a decoy title because if I named the episode about what it is actually about, his girl may see it and I want him to take full credit if he actually uses any of the ideas on his trip if he wants to.

Episode 82 - ***Fourth of July Special*** Yo dude, we're serious, you need to get all the way naked right now: The American Revolution Jul 02, 2021

Pack up your folders and put on your construction paper tri-corner hats, it’s time for the American Revolution!

In this episode we take a look at how the relationship between the American Colonies and the British Empire broke up. Even though they both really really liked certain parts of each other’s personalities, it was just tough to make it work after a certain amount of time.

Ancient Greek Theatre Comprehension Test: Oedipus Rex Jun 25, 2021

// Time for some Guess and Check //
Given the film version of the Canadian Stratford Festival Version of the William Butler Yeats adaptation of the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the goal was to try and understand the story of the play as completely as possible according to the following rules:
- I was only allowed to watch the full play one time.
- During that one time, I was only allowed to hit pause two times, but was allowed to use those two pauses whenever.
- I was not allowed to rewind or rewatch any part of the play.
- I was allowed to take all the notes I could while the play was running.
The first half of the episode is my best guess at understanding the plot from the play, the second part is an actual plot summary of Oedipus Rex to check and see how we did.

Episode 80 - This Guy Got Hosed: Nikola Tesla Jun 11, 2021

Off a recommendation from an electrician named Ant from the last Patreon faculty meeting, we take a look at a visionary thinker who changed humanity forever however was also not the best with money.

Episode 79 - Broken Zoltar: Hannibal Lecter's Favorite Bands Jun 04, 2021

This is a Broken Zoltar Format Patreon Episode about Classical Composers. A Broken Zoltar episode is a handful of loosely related topics done in smaller bursts and then strung together to make a larger episode, I try to do at least one a month on the Patreon. This one covers Frederic Chopin, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Ludwig Van Beethoven. Also RIP to one of the Patreon's class pets, Rose the Koala.

Episode 78: Memorial Day Special: The Battle of the Bulge May 28, 2021

We take a break from books and science to enjoy some good old fashioned European theater World War 2 on a Friday.

Episode 77 - Goodbye Stranger: Albert Camus' The Stranger Part 2 May 19, 2021

We wrap up L'Étranger, (Found out that's what they call, "The Stranger," in French,) by following nutbar Meursault. He gets thrown in jail for shooting that dude one time, and then four more times, and goes on trial.

Episode 76 - French Psycho: Albert Camus’ The Stranger Part 1 May 17, 2021

Albert Camus' The Stranger was named one of the the top 100 books of the last century and it's also a frequent pick for high school reading lists. Turns out, the main character is a space cadet who talks like Patrick Bateman from the movie American Psycho. Part 2 later this week.

Episode 75 - Eyes Wide Shut Empire: Venice, Italy May 10, 2021

Was supposed to be a mother's day special, then I found out those sex party masks from Eyes Wide Shut are from this place. So although no longer appropriate as a mother's day special due to orgy mask related subject matter, the seabirds were still a cool group of people to learn about.

Episode 74 - IKEA Cheat Codes Apr 30, 2021

There are ten thousand different ways people try to explain this on the internet, so I contacted an old friend who has been in the interior design business his whole life, and asked if I could pick his brain. After a four hour conversation I still don't understand it, but I did learn about the lost city of Pompeii, along the way, so that's cool.

Episode 73 - 4/20 Special: Caught Sleeping on the Job w/ Edgar Cayce Apr 20, 2021

A Teachers lounge episode where we all get stoned and talk about a Psychic from 1920's for 45 minutes.
Rising to fame as a clairvoyant healer and controversial figure of the occult, Edgar Cayce has been called, "The Sleeping Profit," "An American Mystic," and "A Total fuckn Liar," by people who have interpreted his work in different ways over the years.
Claiming access to a universal hive subconscious mind which allows him to access hidden levels of human consciousness and ancient knowledge, and with a dedicated team behind him, Cayce looks to make a statement tonight in this, his debut, in the UFC Octagon.

Episode 72 - If Genies and the Hope Diamond had a Baby: Ernest Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises Apr 16, 2021

This recommendation came from an ER nurse and I wanted to like the book so bad. I could not find a way to like this book. I quit after chapter 7.
It's about bunch of rich people getting hammered in Paris 24/7 while acting like they're friends. They are complete garbage to each other.

Episode 71 - TRBOC: The Red Badge of Courage Apr 05, 2021

Much like coming back after other short term breakups, it’s time to not even ask any questions about anything, act like nothing happened, and enjoy a piece of classic American fiction together.

Episode 70 - The Theory of Flight Feb 17, 2021

A genuine attempt to explain how flight works including the concept of lift, mostly with toucan based examples.

Episode 69 - Sixty-Nineeeeeeeee: The Ministry of Love: George Orwell's 1984 Part 3/3 Feb 09, 2021

We get onboard r/Partystreetbets and Prolo to the Moon at the Ministry of Love in the exciting conclusion of George Orwell’s 1984.

Episode 68 - Prolin' on a River: George Orwell's 1984 Part 2/3 Feb 04, 2021

Fresh off a walk to clear his head after hearing about the neighbor's kids lighting a lady on fire, we rejoin our hero Winston back at his job.
// How does this girl at work thing continue play out?
// Is O'Brien actually cool or naw?
// Is the relationship with that sad Antique Store owner too weird to ever shop there again?!?
All these questions and more answered in this exciting part 2 of George Orwell's 1984!

Episode 67 - Everybody Get Your Prole On: George Orwell's 1984 Part 1/3 Feb 03, 2021

I was assigned to read this in high school and honestly can not remember if I did.
Part 1 goes up to the end of Chapter 8, we meet out main character Winston and see how he's living. (not the best)

Episode 66 - How to Bust Up Chip's Card Game by Doyle Brunson Jan 27, 2021

A Texas Hold'em cram session
If I ever would have gotten into Chip's game, this is what I would have liked to have recorded and then played for myself on the drive over immediately before the game to try and remember how to play cards.
I would then deny making and listening to a home made strategy guide to prepare for that game.
All poker information comes from Doyle Brunson's book The Super System from 1978.

Episode 65 - Total Side Piece Energy: Dante's Inferno Jan 20, 2021

A literary classic which is also pretty much one long Kevin Sorbo Hercules episode.

Episode 64 - The Oregon Trail and Lithuanian Mysticism Jan 13, 2021

***Things I forgot:

Gun accidents were responsible for a bunch of KO’s on the Oregon Trail. A lot of first time firearm owners had a similar attitude as my 6th grade self when hitting the General Store and bought way too many guns before they set out. Because of this, by the end in 1869 it was not uncommon to find firearms discarded along the trail.

Also The Oregon Trail did end in 1869, the Transcontinental railroad was completed. This linked East to West by rail so nobody was walking that ~3219K anymore.

Episode 63: American Hero Astrochimpanzee: HAM Jan 05, 2021

Sick Week 2: 2/2
Patreon Episode from last early Spring. This one centers around how many animals people were chucking up into space during the Cold War, and the story of one Brave Little Toaster in particular.

Episode 62 - Grigori Rasputin: How about you take care of your kids Greg? Jan 05, 2021

Sick Week 2: 1/2
Patreon ep from February 2020. I still believe Stinky Greg knew when he was with those goobers doing summersaults in the mud for two years, he was going to use it as marketing for his David Blaine shit once he hit Moscow.

Episode 61: Joan of Arc: A French Army of Tebows hopped up on TBE Dec 30, 2020

Calling in Sick part 2/2
This was Patreon Episode 16. It's pretty much the 50 Cent song Many Men but in 1400's France.

Episode 60: Philip K Dick: Do Alcoholics Dream of Electric Tweets? Dec 30, 2020

Calling in Sick Part 1/2
This was Patreon Episode #15, and maybe the only one I've felt genuinely lost lost on.

Episode 59 - Christmas Special: The Hockey Helmet Rule Dec 22, 2020

Keeping in tradition with the King Tut Christmas Special last year, this topic has almost nothing to do with Christmas and I also ruined the first recording of it due to either technical issues or ghosts.
(1) Lady who looked like an ex's mom yells at me about Honda Fits
(2) Helmet Rule
(3) Types of Checks
(4) Fighting in Hockey
(5) The Code
(6) If you find yourself in an Ice Hockey Fight, Two Proven Strategies used by Enforcers.

58 - Christmas in a Pandemic? Lemme get some John Candy. Dec 14, 2020

John Candy counts as holiday tradition so in an effort to enjoy watching his movies more this year, I wanted to find out how he came up.

Episode 57 - Mortal Kombat of Pastry: THE MOF Dec 07, 2020

Remember when Christian Bale goes to that mountain in the first Batman movie and then they put him on mushrooms and kick him for awhile but he doesn't die so he becomes Batman? The MOF is that but in France and about dessert.

Episode 56 - Kramptown Ladies Sing This Song and other Winter Demons Nov 30, 2020

The holiday season begins as we suss out Krampus and say hi to an an immortal sad Japanese ghost lady who can't stop murdering dudes in the woods.

Episode 55 - The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria: The Story of the First Thanksgiving Nov 23, 2020

Place your hand palm down on the paper bag and then trace around it with marker because it's hand turkey time.

Episode 54 - Studio 54: IS MY WIFE IN THERE!?! Nov 17, 2020

As rumors of a second impending lock down swirl, we take a look back at parties of yesteryear.
From April 1977 to Feb 1980, Studio 54 gets credit for starting that trend where a doorman tells you to fuck off and go home for no reason and for giving away a trip to the Caribbean based upon ejack distance. It was a lot like World War One.

Episode 53 - Rob Ford: Take'n Care of Business Nov 10, 2020

The Canadian Whirlwind himself. I read his brother's book about him and smashed that together with his known arrests.

Episode 52 - The Dutch Masters: The Art Movement Behind the Cigars Everybody Smokes Weed Out Of. Nov 01, 2020

NOVEMBER // WE SOLVE A MYSTERY
Out the gate, who are the dudes on the Dutch Masters wrapper // Why the pick // Dutch Golden Age of Painting // DEIC INC LOL GTFO // Hierarchy of Genres // Flex Based Gig Economy.

Episode 51 - H.H. Holmes: If Charles Ponzi killed people Oct 26, 2020

Told a girlfriend 9 years ago I was gonna read The Devil In The White City, "Soon," just under a decade later I audio booked it for an electronic book report about just the serial killer parts.

Episode 50 - Rod Serling - Chain Smoking Cigarettes and thinking about the Philippines Oct 18, 2020

An HBO 24/7 on the creator of The Twilight Zone.

Episode 49 - THE CURSE OF THE OMEN: My Closet Collapsed Oct 12, 2020

OCTOBER // CURSE CITY
Recap Plot of the Omen // Zeus plays for the Underworld // A Sad Chinese Business Trip // A Tiger Crane Games a Guy // The IRA shows up // Somebody gets their head cut off in Holland.

Episode 48 - THE WAR: Marvelous Marvin Hagler VS Thomas 'The Hitman' Hearns Oct 05, 2020

Alright, it is October, and I am supposed to be doing spooky creepy shit all month, but somebody reco'd this one in an itunes review and there's no rules so I snuck it in.
SYLLABUS
Get to know the fighters + A look at some stylistic differences + Intangibles leading into the fight = How it shook out.

Episode 47 - The Worst Year to be Alive: 536 AD Sep 28, 2020

The Roman Empire falls and becomes the Byzantine Empire. But it's ok, things are still looking up. Then the Byzantine Empire is humming along nicely and VOLCANO VOLCANO BLACK PLAGUE.

Episode 46 - Tijuanan Comeuppance: Antonio Margarito Sep 21, 2020

Mexican Boxing Style // Early Days in Tijuana // A Boxer's Pedigree + Slow Teach // Kermit the Cintron // Miguel Cotto + Dream Fulfilled // Ultimate Heel Turn + Things Go Bad.

Episode 45 - Octopus: Worst Roommates of the Aquarium World Sep 14, 2020

Marine Biology but as you walk into class you catch the substitute sneaking half a cigarette in the closet where they keep the triple beam balances and he tries to hide it.
Octo Anatomy // Octo Behavior // Octo Intelligence + They die when they bang.

Episode 44 - *Field Research Special* Bring 'em Out: The Card Game Spades Sep 07, 2020

TOOK A LONG LUNCH, GOOD TO BE BACK, also I hope you had a nice Labor Day man. I lucked into the opportunity of learning the card game Spades from 3 different expert level players over the break. This was some of the most fun learning I've done, also there's a story about the hardest laugh I've had in a minute in this one.

Episode 43 - Steggos Gettin Preggos: The Cretaceous Period Aug 18, 2020

Dino faxxx on a Tuesday // Where the fuck did dinosaurs even come from? // Pangaea busting itself up all over the place // Warm blooded vs Cold Blooded Thermoregulation // The Cretaceous Red Carpet // Water Dinos // BOOM

Episode 42 - John Fairfax: "I swear to god I'll kill myself with a jungle cat." Aug 10, 2020

An absolute king. Shawty on a Monday but this dude's life was pure 1997 Wild On! E.

Episode 41 - Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Remember When This Guy's House Burnt Down Like Two Years Ago? Aug 03, 2020

Victor Hugo made this story up after he saw an ugly guy working on the restoration of a cathedral. That is actually cited as being his inspiration for the character. He wrote a 940 page book because of how ugly he thought a construction worker was.
The book was written over 3 years and published in 1831. This means there is a chance the construction worker who inspired the book was still alive when it came out, and may have read it without knowing the whole thing was secretly based on how ugly some other guy thought he was.

Episode 40 - Pentagon's Got Aliens Jul 27, 2020

How and why the Pentagon said that shit // Possible evolutionary paths for aliens to have taken aka what they may look like // Earth's plan in the event of invasion // Pleading with the brothers of my hypothetical future fiance not to show their Dad this shit // Possible Alien Races.

Episode 39 - The Curse of the Exorcist Jul 20, 2020

(Demon Info // Plot Summary) + 1 motorcycle accident - 1 carpenters thumb + 6 dead guys + 2 broken backs + a possible serial killer.
Not a whole lot of science on this one but I thought it was a good, 'lean in and talk shit at work,' topic.

Episode 38 - The Mothman - Bridges are Gonna Hate This One Jul 13, 2020

Hello // Thank you for the week off // Back to the Future 3 // Tiger Army // Mothman Faxxx // Pervert Crane // Kill Count // I tried to Learn Algebra // Why the Silver Bridge Actually Collapsed // Baldwin's Book Barn // Ocarina of Time // Gary Glitter // Aliens who hit a Boscov's // Gary Glitter

Episode 37 - Bridges - The Mothman is Gonna Hate This One Jun 29, 2020

Almost Rug Doctor Kevorkian'd myself on Friday -> Honda Fit Panic Attack Saved by the Morristown Mall -> The Mothman Prophecies -> Genuine attempt to explain basic structural engineering w/ Goro -> Alley opp pass from Indiana Jones for simple suspension bridge mechanics -> Why in reality the Walt Whitman Bridge could probably eat a dropkick from the Colverfield monster no problem.

Episode 36 - E! True Hollywood Stories: Colonel Sanders Jun 26, 2020

Most fun thing I've recorded in awhile. This is the middle piece of this week's Patreon Episode. I wanted an excuse to switch back to a Monday/Wednesday split and this is a nice work around. When I listened back it sounded a lot like the Ponzi Episode and I hope you get a laugh out of it. New public episode this Monday and moving forward this'll be how it stays 'till we run out the hundred.

Episode 35 - Indoor Plumbing - Alright, How am I taking a hot shower everyday? Jun 19, 2020

Was planning to cover where the water comes from when you take a hot shower in both South Jersey and West Philly, but I nerded out so hard once I found out how a water tower works that when I sat down to record just the South Jersey part and it ended up being like 45 minutes long so we just went with that. At the end the West Philly difference is grazed over, but honestly not in great detail. Low level science got me charged up on this one.

Episode 34 - Automotive Manual Transmission - The Altavista translate of how your car's engine talks to it's Colombian girlfriend, (the wheels.) Jun 12, 2020

I had no idea how this actually works so I wanted to see if I could understand it. Visual aids would have been helpful for explaining torque transfer between big and little gears and how the counter shaft gets involved, but hey we live and we learn. I thought finding out what "overdrive," actually means was pretty cool.

Episode 33 - The French Revolution - Have we gone to Dippy's Ice Cream in South Jersey? Jun 05, 2020

Turns out I didn't know what actually happened here. Also nobody gets their head cut off until 20 minutes in, but much like the French in the 18th century and Josh Hartnett when he hunts vampires in Alaska, one we get a taste for it the numbers start to pile up.

Episode 32: MEMORIAL DAY SPECIAL - Operation Overlord May 25, 2020

Look, I did this podcast to make myself learn new shit but it's Memorial Day and I'm taking one for me, Ike was the man, s/o Jaromir Jagr s/o Rob Ford RIP.

Episode 31: Vampires 4 Chip May 18, 2020

~2 years ago I asked my old boss Chip, "If I ever did a podcast, what would you want it to be about?" and he said, "Vampires," and he was the man so, EPISODE 31 = VAMPIRES 4 CHIP.

Episode 30: Mother's Day Special: Fleetwood Mac + Famous Librarians May 11, 2020

For my Mom about her favorite band with some famous librarians thrown into the mix. Also turns out if you were in the band Fleetwood Mac in 1977, it may have been both the best and worst time of your life.

Episode 29: The Lewis and Clark Expedition, How far left we gotta go? May 04, 2020

A Magnitogorsk of a cross country trip.

Episode 28 - The American Stock Market (1918 - 1930) Apr 27, 2020

Guy on coke doing knuckle push-ups -> Kelly Pavlik had a rough night in 2008 -> Why the stock market appealed to the average American at the start of the 1920's -> How that went for awhile -> Economic Implosion.

Episode 27 - Are Aliens Still Suckn People Up or What? Apr 20, 2020

Recess episode: Extraterrestrials + The Abduction of Barney and Betty Hill (1961)

Episode 26 - Magnetism Part 2 - A Genuine Attempt to Explain How Magnetism Works Apr 14, 2020

How I Miss Riding the Bus in 7th Grade -> Bar Magnets -> Electromagnetism -> Right Hand Rule -> Alternating Current Generator -> Wind Turbine.

Episode 25 - Magnetism Part 1 - An Overview and History Of Magnetism Apr 13, 2020

Unless you're a Scientist, I feel like you gotta walk away with at least something from this one.

Episode-24 - A Three Pack of Murderers Apr 06, 2020

An around the world Disney's Epcot tour of Murderers.

Episode 23 - The Philadelphia Flyers vs HC CSKA Moscow - The Red Army Game Mar 30, 2020

In 1976, during the Cold War, the Philadelphia Flyers played an exhibition game against the Soviet Union's national hockey team. This episode looks at both team's unique play style, where it came from, and what happened when they met to compete on January 11th 1976.

Episode 22 - The Black Plague Mar 23, 2020

Europe from 1346-1351 was tough sledding.