Fascinating Nouns

John Lybrand is the latest in a long line of Rubel Castle Blacksmiths. He sat down with me to talk about about blacksmithing merit badges, a secret blacksmith society, and how to make a dagger out of old railroad spikes.

In this modern age, there are a few places filled with wonder and magic. There are even fewer castles. In Glendora, California there is a place with both. Michael started his construction career at nine years old when he would build three story forts out of stuff he found from the local junkyard. All of this practice culminated into the creation of his masterpiece: Rubel Castle. With a lot of help...

In a city like Los Angeles, it is hard to stand out, although everyone is desperately trying to. The easyish way to do that is to be the first to do something culturally relevant; first viral star, first one to discover blogging, or the first person to walk across the continent. Charles Lummis was all of those things, and possibly one other: The first celebrity in LA! Lummis was a real character....

BONUS EPISODE! Sara dares to discuss the very scary Femme Fatale of the firefly world: Photuris, AKA The Vampire Firefly.

For me, the nostalgic draw of fireflies (which I call lightening bugs) is overwhelming. I remember waiting until dusk to see these amazing creatures take flight, tangible and twinkling, as if the night sky had come down to earth. Their bioluminescence has always captivated me. Luckily Dr. Sara Lewis, the world's foremost firefly expert, is here to explain these very curious creatures. As larva, th...

BONUS EPISODE! Carla sticks around to talk about some specific pieces in her collection, including grave wax, items extracted from a human butt, and a teratoma the size of a human head!

Carla Valentine is trailblazer in the Death Industry. She is an author (Past Mortems), blogger, creator of the only Death Industry networking/dating website Dead Meet, former pathologist, and current Technical Curator of the most famous Pathology Museum in the world: St. Batholomew's! There she is in charge of preserving and categorizing 5,000 specimens of human remains, some of which are over 200...

BONUS EPISODE! Stanton sticks around to discuss a second concurrent crash, one that backs up his theory, and describes a scene involving possible extraterrestrial bodies.

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of what is commonly referred to as "The Roswell Crash", I was incredibly honored to sit down with none other than Stanton Friedman, the godfather of Ufology. He was the first civilian to seriously investigate the crash. In this interview, we discuss his tenacious research skills, his falling bass ackwards into an interview that changed his life, and a his new...

What images are conjured when one utters the word "hermit"? An unshaved guru who resides in the wilderness? A Luddite who fears and shuns society? A fancy way of saying homeless? We explore this concept in depth as Michael walks us through his latest book "A Stranger in the Woods: The Story of the Last True Hermit. Not only that, we learn about the highly useful, although extraordinarily complex "...

When it comes to jerky, most people are familiar with the traditional forms: Beef, turkey, and if you live further out in the country, then venison. If you are REALLY rural, then squirrel and racoon. But what do you do if you are a recovering carnivore, looking to take to the vegan life? Well, I have the pioneer for you. Meet Paul Sprangers, founder and CEO of Power Plant Foods, which specializes...

Like most things, I became slightly obsessed with LaVar Ball and his company Big Baller Brand despite every instinct in my body telling me otherwise. LaVar started the company to promote his basketball playing sons, the eldest of which (Lonzo) is a top NBA prospect this draft. He caught a lot of flack in the media lately for his incredibly arrogant belief that his sons are a billion dollar brand,...

In the world of paranormal investigations, AKA stories of High Strangeness, credibility can be hard to come by. With all the skeptics, hoaxers, and frauds, it is nearly impossible to provide enough proof and plausibility to convince people of what is happening. Enter Linda Moulton Howe. With over 40 years of impeccable journalism behind her, as well as a trophy case of awards (including a local Em...

When it comes to Absolute Zero, Dr. Anita Sengupta is a total tease. Her new project, The Cold Atom Laboratory, cools atoms down to a fraction of a degree above Absolute Zero in order to create and verify a new state of matter first postulated by Einstein. Attaining Absolute Zero is impossible, as it would create a waveform that would take over the universe. We get into that, as well as cooling th...

BONUS EPISODE! Jason and I discuss Victorian Era Eyeglass Innovations! We talk about the difference between a monocle and a quizzing glass, as well as President Teddy Roosevelt's pince-nez.

Jason Merrill is a connoisseur of a bygone era. If you want to know proper formal attire from 1837 until 1920, Jason is your guy. We discuss all sorts of ways to improve your fashion. Do you know the difference between shirt studs and cuff links? Are you aware that the so-called fedora you are wearing is probably a trilby? How can you tell an ascot from a cravat? What is the proper dress code for...

The British are known for their incredible politeness and impeccable manners. This is fertile ground to produce a world renown etiquette expert. That expert is William Hanson. Besides writing the book on the subject, he also is a Guinness World record holder! The longest curtsy relay, if you must know. We get into the do's and don't of social decorum surely, but we also expand my vocabulary! I was...

Ben Harrison is the author of the book Undying Love, which tells the story of Karl Tanzler, AKA Count Carl von Cosel. In brief: Karl Tanzler, a German immigrant, makes his way to Key West Florida by way of Havana Cuba. Once there, he sets himself up as an x-ray technician at the local hospital. About a year later, a beautiful Cuban girl named Elena Hoyos comes in to get checked for tuberculosis. V...

I have often pondered which is better: Dolls or Teddy Bears. Luckily one woman has designed the perfect museum to answer this question: The Susan Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library has hundreds of examples of dolls & teddy bears, as well as the world's largest research library on that same subject. *Spoiler Alert* Turns out the answer is Teddy Bears, based on their extremely high cuddle-fa...

In celebration of the diamond anniversary of The Battle of Los Angeles, I sit down with one of the most respected men in the UFO field Dr. William J. Birnes, esq. He holds a PhD, a law degree, and is an author. You may have also seen him on History channel's UFO Files, Ancient Aliens (With friend of the show Dr. Michael Dennin) and UFO Hunters. One of the most mysterious times in United States his...

The USS Iowa is one of the largest, most imposing forces in naval history. Originally commissioned to support land invasions (amphibious assaults) in WWII, this devastating behemoth was also a force to be reckoned with during the Korean War. It was decommissioned in the 50's. but then recommissioned in the 80's during the Regan administration in support of his "600 ship" navy initiative. Finally d...

This episode is going to blow your mind. Famed occult researcher and Nazi expert Peter Levenda walks us through his book Ratline, the story of the secret "Underground Railroad" in Europe, set up by a Vatican priest, used to get high ranking Nazi's and SS officers out of Germany and into various parts of the world. The most famous of these escapees, according to his research, is none other that Ado...

Kenny Irwin Jr. is an artist who's true style is hard to nail down in contemporary words. He may be the mastermind behind Griswold-esque Robo Lights, but like most famous artists, he exists in two worlds, both literally and figuratively. There is the world of imagination that Kenny inhabits in his dreaming state, and it is from there that most of his artistic inspiration generates. He takes that i...

The original Roller Coaster pioneers! Jim Futrell and I discuss the two most influential coaster designers in history: John Miller and Harry Baker.

From his website: Jim Futrell became involved with the National Amusement Park Historical Association in 1980, and was named the organization’s Historian in 1984, a position he continues to hold. As Historian, Jim has authored numerous articles for the organization’s magazine, NAPHA News, and in 1992, started publishing NAPHA NewsFLASH!!!, the organization’s monthly newsletter. Jim has served as a...