Tag: Urban Legend

Once upon a time, armored knights searched the world for sacred relics, and stories of their quests became legend and lore. Centuries later, noble scholars would follow in the footsteps of these most romantic heroes. Though, any Spielberg and Lucas collaboration would probably bust enough blocks to annihilate a game of Tetris, the pair of pop culture juggernauts found a truly  magical formula with the titular character, Indiana Jones and the films based on his adventures. By combining classical errant knight plots with the all-American swagger of a bad boy academic who hated Nazis, they ensured that no one would be able to resists the charms of their hero, and maybe, just maybe, they granted this fictional character the immortality promised by the relics he pursued. But there aren’t really badass archeologists trotting the globe and shooting up bandits, right? The Nazis didn’t give a hoot about the holy grail, did they? Join us this week, as we track down the surprising true stories behind the Indiana Jones franchise Read More …

Once upon a time, armored knights searched the world for sacred relics, and stories of their quests became legend and lore. Centuries later, noble scholars would follow in the footsteps of these most romantic heroes. Though, any Spielberg and Lucas col… Read More …

Music doesn’t make sense. We, as humans, respond to the essential emotion in notes and melodies without analysis or forethought. It’s a natural, innate language that we all seem to speak. Or is it? Only humans seem to possess this natural affinity for … Read More …

Music doesn’t make sense. We, as humans, respond to the essential emotion in notes and melodies without analysis or forethought. It’s a natural, innate language that we all seem to speak. Or is it? Only humans seem to possess this natural affinity for … Read More …

Weight loss schemes and health trends seem to dominate our social media feeds. Pictures of food are second only to cat videos and inflammatory political rants. Whether you’re trying to do battle with the scale, purify your digestive track and character through abstaining from (or introducing) certain types of food, or just trying to find the secret to that elusive idea of a healthy lifestyle, there’s a plan being peddled to suit your needs. Fad diets aren’t new. No, in fact, it seems that as soon as people weren’t producing their own food, advice on what to eat began to flow freely and persistently. Some of the suggestions became so prevalent, despite their outlandish nature, that they can only be called, ‘urban legends’. This week we focus on extreme diets, colorful charlatans and despicable dietitians as we dive into the wonderful world of weight loss. We’ll meet the man behind the breakfast cereal, Dr. Kellogg; check into Starvation Heights under the care of Linda Hazzard; and see what happens when unrealistic standards of thinness and beauty effect susceptible populations. Join us as we look at everything from outlandish dieting advice, to the real and serious effects of eating disorders

Also, check out our historical storytelling podcast Audio Dime Museum: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum/id1096211271?mt=2 Read More …

Weight loss schemes and health trends seem to dominate our social media feeds. Pictures of food are second only to cat videos and inflammatory political rants. Whether you’re trying to do battle with the scale, purify your digestive track and character… Read More …

Curiouser and Curiouser 
It is American tradition, but what is it? Before the three ring circus, before the 1932 cult classic “Freaks”, before American Horror Story … There was the dime museum. Join us this week, as we explore the storied history of… Read More …

Curiouser and Curiouser 
It is American tradition, but what is it? Before the three ring circus, before the 1932 cult classic “Freaks”, before American Horror Story … There was the dime museum. Join us this week, as we explore the storied history of these compendiums of curiosity and ask what legacy they’ve left behind. Step right up for a grand tour of the birthplace of innumerable urban legends.
As we begin our new experimental, historical storytelling podcast, Audio Dime Museum, we invite you all to learn why we find these palaces of the bizarre so fascinating, and why we just can’t look away. 

To Step Inside the Audio Dime Museum: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum/id1096211271?mt=2 Read More …

You can’t go home again.
From Dorothy to Odysseus to the guy scream-singing “One of Us” in the car next to you during your hour long commute, people spend a lot of time and effort trying to make their way home.
The idea of being stopped mid-journey, … Read More …

You can’t go home again.
From Dorothy to Odysseus to the guy scream-singing “One of Us” in the car next to you during your hour long commute, people spend a lot of time and effort trying to make their way home.
The idea of being stopped mid-journey, of never making it home, seems to have had a very long history in fables. One could argue, this is evidence that that fear has had an equally lengthy history in our collective consciousness. That’s exactly what we argue in this episode. Examining the urban legend, ‘The Vanishing Hitchhiker’ we dig in to the fear of never making it home, and the many ways this has been expressed over time.
From people who have made hitchhikers vanish, like Edmund Kemper, to mysterious unsolved cases like the orange sock murders, to the historical legends associated with roadside phantoms around the country; we look at the many and varied roots and the constant evolution of this modern myth

Special Guest Story Teller: Erik Rivenes of the Most Notorious! Podcast 

Check out his amazing true crime podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/most-notorious!-true-crime/id1055044256?mt=2 Read More …

Whether wishing we could un-say that thing, or contemplating theoretical physics; we can’t help but be fascinated by the notion of time travel. Inspiring such iconic pop culture franchises as Back To the Future, Planet of the Apes, Doctor Who, Quantum … Read More …

Whether wishing we could un-say that thing, or contemplating theoretical physics; we can’t help but be fascinated by the notion of time travel. Inspiring such iconic pop culture franchises as Back To the Future, Planet of the Apes, Doctor Who, Quantum Leap, and Star Trek, the idea of visiting the future or the past seems to present limitless possibilities for storytelling. This week we take a look at the scientific theories that fuel these flights of fancy. Join us as we do our best to find the roots of our desires for, or fears of, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey adventure  Oh Boy! Read More …

Rock and roll. The devil’s music. Destroyer of youth and molder of the juvenile delinquents. From hip-cropping television appearances to record burning protests, the good people (whoever that’s supposed to be) have been trying to censor the attitudes a… Read More …