Fascinating Nouns

*Bonus* Jesus Christ – Comedian Comedy in its written form can be a very subtle art form.  Wordplay, sentence structure, and even punctuation are vitally important to get the message across.  If someone’s comedy act was translated several times over two thousand years, chances are, the jokes won’t exactly pop off the page.  That is precisely what Gary believes happened to Jesus. ...

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War The Art of War is a centuries old manuscript that explains exactly how to succeed at any competitive situation.  It has almost nothing to do with war itself, as a matter of fact, outright conflict is a failure of strategy.  Listen  as master translator Gary Gagliardi adapts these universal truths to any competitive environment, be it winning at basketball, besting yo...

*Bonus* Extravagant Colt Accessories Much like Hip-Hop stars and Instagram influencers of today, personalities of the Wild West liked to personalize their free, promotional guns with lots of gaudy accessories.  From Tiffany Grips and ivory handles, to gold inlay and personal engravings, everyone with money could own a unique gun that expressed their personal flair.  We even talk about the origin o...

The Colt Revolver One can not consider themselves a fan of the Wild West without taking a look at the Colt Revolver, specifically the Single Action Army model.  This is the gun you see in shootouts and showdowns in every western ever made.  It is the culmination of several years of innovations, the first being the revolving mechanism itself.  Having a gun that could shoot multiple bullets before n...

The Fraggle Wrangler and the White House In this bonus episode, Guy and I talk about how he was almost detained indefinitely over a Fraggle wrangler, his time developing minor league baseball logos, his country music career, and how First Lady Nancy Reagan declared him a national treasure. A Guy Gilchrist Production Website Guy Gilchrist on Facebook Twitter Instagram Fascinating Nouns on Social Me...

Illustrating The Muppets The name Guy Gilchrist is synonymous with The Muppets.  He was Jim Henson’s official cartoonist, and he helped develop The Muppet Babies, all starting at the age of 24!  On top of that, he has professional drawn Tom & Jerry, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Looney Tunes.  We discuss all of this, as well as how to reverse engineer a drawing, 100 year-old...

The Many Molds of Mold-A-Rama Besides being an amateur historian, Paul is also a collector.  He has hundreds of molds from historic cars, to busts of presidents.  We discuss his collection, as well as the process of commissioning new molds for a demanding public. Mold-A-Rama, Inc. website Mold-A-Rama on Facebook Fascinating Nouns on Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube

Mold-A-Rama Mold-A-Rama, instantaneous, on-demand, plastic souvenirs, have been a vending machine staple in Chicago for over 50 years.   I remember being a kid at Brookfield Zoo and watching a black gorilla being made right in front of me.  Warm to the touch, and smelling like melted crayons, these retro relics remind me of being in the city.  The man in charge:  second generation owner Paul Jones...

Howard Hughes and RKO Studios Hughes long-lasting impact was most prominently felt after he purchased one of the 5 major productions studios RKO.  It was here that Hughes toppled the studio system, and leveled the playing field for independent film producers.  It was also during this time that Hughes championed the use of controversy to inflate ticket sales, ruining Hollywood careers in the proces...

Howard Hughes in Hollywood Howard Hughes was one of the most influential men of the 20th century.  He was the first official billionaire in American history, and he was declared a national hero due to his record-setting aviation exploits.  Towards the end of his life, he became infamous as an eccentric recluse, and at one time bought up so many Las Vegas casinos that he was Nevada’s largest...

The Scientific Formula for Free Will Dr. Michael Dennin is known for his scientific work with foam, superheros, and aliens.  What’s next you ask?  How about answering one of mankind’s oldest questions:  “Do We Have Free Will”?  In this episode not only does he lay out a humanity altering model for Free Will, but we discuss Terminator 2 & 3, my philosophy 101 teacher&#82...

The Art of Traveling Lightly Airline travel is a hassle.  Everyone knows this.  I have great news for you:  It doesn’t have to be.  What’s the secret?  “The Go-Light Guru” Doug Dyment can go anywhere, for an indefinite amount of time, needing only one carry-on bag.  How is this possible without using a magical bag of holding?  Doug claims that not only is it possible, anyon...

In this bonus episode, Lisa and I discuss The Day of the Dead, which is a Halloween-esue holiday celebrated in Mexico, as well as Central and Southern America.  We discuss pan de muertos, sugar skulls, dancing skeletons, and The Temple of Doom!

The Haunted History of Halloween Halloween is clearly one of my favorite holidays.  It is also one of the most complex holidays to trace the origins of!  Luckily I have Lisa Morton, Halloween historian, to guide me along this dimly lit path. We string together all the random stuff that makes up Halloween, including ghosts, the dead rising from the grave, witches, the Devil, black cats, bats, vampi...

In this bonus episode, Roger and I take a look at how the zombie has changes in pop culture, from the single captive, mesmerized by the voodoo priest, to the hordes of undead chasing people through the streets.  We also take a look at How Frankenstein’s Monster factors into the zombie mythos, as well as the inevitable flu pandemic that will destroy us all!

The Creepy History of the Common Corridor Why do dark corridors fill us with a sense of unease?  Why was The Shining so successful at creating an escalating sense of dread as Danny Torence explored the haunted corridors of The Overlook?  I have an eye-opening conversation with the the worlds foremost expert on corridors Roger Luckhurst.  We discuss the history of how corridors became the most fear...

Just like every superhero has an origin story, so do all the super toys you remember as a kid.  In this bonus episode, we discuss how Lizzy McGee’s ‘Landlord’ game became monopoly, the inspiration behind Viewmaster, how Silly Putty is used by NASA, and how NASA inspired the Super Soaker water gun.

Classic Toys Whether it’s your Big Wheel, Crayola crayons, a Barbie doll, or your G.I. Joes, nothing conjures up your childhood like seeing your favorite toy again.  Toy historian Tim Walsh knows all about this.  Not only has he documented their amazing history, but he has invented several toys of his own, including Tribond and Blurt!, which have sold millions of copies worldwide! Listen as...

Creating a Neon Sign *Bonus* – Creating a Neon Sign The actual process of crafting a neon sign was a lost art for decades.  The only record of their creation was chronicled in a trade magazine entitled “Signs of the Times”.  To master his craft, Todd tracked down hundreds of these publications.  In a nod to his predecessors, Todd’s process is very analogue.  Listen as he de...

The Art of Neon Signs What is not to love about neon signs?  These buzzing beauties have become synonymous with the open road.  From their invention in the 30’s, to their downfall in the 50’s, to their modern resurgence, neon signs have directed us to the most delicious places to eat, the most comfortable place to sleep, and the most entertaining places to frequent. One man believes th...

The Billy Mitchell Situation Recently, the legendary arcade player Billy Mitchell had all of his scores removed from Twin Galaxies, including his perfect game of Pac-Man, because he cheated when submitting the infamous “King of Kong” score.  I ask Walter his thoughts. Walter Day on Social Media Facebook Twitter Websites The Walter Day Collection Fascinating Nouns on Social Media Facebo...

The Father of Esports Walter Day is best known for his work as founder/head referee of Twin Galaxies, the official video game scorekeeper for Guinness.  In the early days of arcades, Walter (an early world record holder himself) helped establish a system for tracking the top video game scores in the world.  That competition for world records evolved into what is now called Esports. That may be eno...

Rare Video Game Artifacts What do The Power Glove, Sega Neptune, Atari Mindlink and Barbie Gameboy all have in common?  Sean Kelly owns the original prototypes for all of those items!  Listen as Sean walks me through his incredible collection of rare and one-of-a-kind video game artifacts which includes the first military training video game, and a sewing machine add-on for the Nintendo Gameboy! T...

A Brief History of Video Games When it comes to video games, no one has amassed a more impressive collection of rare and historically significant items than Sean Kelly, co-founder of the National Video Game Museum in Frisco Texas.  Not only is he a world class collector, but he is a walking encyclopedia of video game knowledge!  We try to cover the important moments in video game history, includin...

The Magnificence of Mustard While Barry may be a food law aficionado, his true passion will always be mustard.  In 1986, after a devastating World Series, Barry was looking for a purpose, and he found it during a routine shopping trip.  How did a wrong turn down the condiment aisle turn into The National Mustard Museum?  How did the humble mustard seed become the most elegant condiment in the worl...