What About Weird

Another old episode cleaned up for you guys! The weekly weirdos of What About Weird scare us all with some lightning facts and then enlighten us with the tale of a park ranger who holds the record for being struck by lightning the most. If you have any topic suggestions or personal weird stories, please DM us on Instagram or BlueSky or email us at whataboutweirdpod@gmail.com Don't forget to lo...

This week we are joined by Hampton Smith to talk about some of the stranger sides of religion. We discuss growing up religious in the south and questioning it, eastern religion and creativity, and the many characters that can be found in religion. We try to figure out if Jesus is a cryptid and what was mentioned by Bible verses. Did people of old see UFOs and turn them into gods? What happens when...

In our second episode of Specialist September we have a divine treat for you. Today, we are joined by the wonderful Brennan Storr and Paul Bestall of The Ghost Story Guys to delve into what makes a good ghost story. Join us for many laughs, some personal history, a bit of frustration over conspiracies, and stick around to find out what we're all doing when we become ghosts. Don't forget to...

Welcome to the first installment of our Specialist September series! This week we are thrilled to bring you all things Archaeology as good friend of the pod, Alex Haven, answers all of your Archaeology questions. We discuss everything from historic preservation to what its like to get into Archaeology as a profession. What is the most interesting item to find in a dig? Will the structures of New Y...

Why do people believe in conspiracies? In this episode, we get down to the root of this question through a social and psychological lens. We play a round of hoax or believe the folks with a few popular conspiracy theories, and we even create a few of our own conspiracies for fun. Have fun with this episode and make up your own fake conspiracy theory as a thought experiment, then send us your crazy...

Deep in the depths of the original Pokémon video game is a spooky little town. In this town you will be haunted by ghosts... but what if those ghosts could come to life in a song and cause harm in real life? Learn with us about the interesting internet conspiracy of Lavender Town. If you have a topic suggestion or personal weird story, please DM us on Instagram or Bluesky or send us an email at wh...

Thank goodness for modern medicine because in this episode we investigate what it was like to live in the times before vaccinations. Spoiler alert: It was really bad! August is national immunization awareness month and we bring to you several awful diseases that vaccines can now prevent and dispel some of the negative beliefs surrounding vaccines. This isn't just about vaccines though, we also...

A long long time ago (but not all that far away) there were beasts of great sizes that roamed the earth, skies, and seas. Today, joined by a grumpy old dog and a group of very happy birds, we discuss some of these marvelous extinct beings. We bring you the hell pig who once terrorized the land, a real life kraken deep in the depths of the ocean, and a massive aerial insect who came long before bir...

This week we're serving up a re-release of three extinct creatures: a massive ancient shark, a sloth as big as an elephant, and an eagle that could (and likely used to) hunt humans. If you have a topic suggestion or personal weird story please DM us on Instagram or BlueSky or email us at whataboutweirdpod@gmail.com Don't forget to follow us on social media and wherever you listen to podcasts Thank...

This week we talk about one our our favorite creatures from southern folklore, the Boohag. But the twist is, we have no notes! We talk about the Gullah people, cultural exchange and southern food. We once again bring up haint blue but this time we talk about the cultural origins of it. And we cant forget talking about how history overlooks and rewrites the power of people who are not in control. I...

You asked and we delivered! Welcome to real weird government projects Pt 2 where we stress over the wacky and problematic past of the US government. Does the US government have the power to change your sexuality? Have they been using the birds and the bees to spy on everyone? Learn with us as we explore 4 government projects of the past that raise the question "what the heck?!" If you ha...

(Re-Release!) Your two favorite hosts take turns laughing hysterically at some weird laws in their home states, as well exploring a few strange laws in other US states. Update on the dog catcher law in CO, they don't actually serve the notice to the dog, they just have to post a notice of their intent to impound the dog including a picture at the animal shelter for at least 3 days before they...

Happy Pride month to all of our favorite weirdos! Today we are discussing the influential and inspiring life of Dr. Alan Hart, an inspiring American physician and radiologist who shaped the medical community forever. Dr. Hart experienced an immense amount of discrimination for his identity, but he never gave up on his goals and never compromised who he was. We hope his ferocity and determination m...

You better go knock on wood and hope we don't jinx you because this week we are talking about superstitions. Our lovely friends of the podcast Greg's Cryptid Corner join us for a fascinating discussion about the deeper meaning behind superstitions. We play a round of hoax or believe the folks, discuss some personal superstitions, and talk a fair amount about mental health and how it relate...

This week we go back in time to discuss the case of the green children of Woolpit. We learn about the town, wolf pits, medical history, and two kids who really love beans. Was it just a folk story? Or is it a historic event explained by medical science? Could they have been fae? Or maybe they were beings from a Christian town in Hollow Earth... Take a shot every time we say crotch goblin in the fi...

This week is the (sort of) part 2 to last weeks episode. This episode is for scientific curiosity. This time we talk all about animals with poison and venom that affect the brain in weird and wacky ways. We learn the difference between poison and venom. We talk about the effects of them on humans and learn about one of the worst dads in science. If you have a topic suggestion or a personal weird s...

An episode for the scientifically curious (or maybe the slightly devious). Today we dive into psychoactive plants! We discover many of the compounds that make these plants psychoactive and how they function in the body. Then we dive into two specific psychoactive plants and get a little goofy as we read a "bad trip" story from a an unfortunate person who decided to eat the wrong kind of...

Buckle up, this weeks episode is a doozie! We are joined by Dave and Sarge from Cryptid Cocktail Party to discuss Ed and Lorraine Warren, possibly the two most known paranormal investigators. We learn who they were, how they got their start, what they believed in and how they conducted their investigations. We discuss their controversies, get mad and share our thoughts on their work and denial of...

This week we talk sports! Kind of... We learn how the Notre Dame football team got its name. We discuss a brief history of Notre Dame University, the Klan presence in Indiana in the early 1900s, local politics at the time and the 1924 student riot that led to the school's nickname. We also find out how cute the original Fighting Irish mascot was. If you have a personal weird story or a topic s...

This week we have a drink or two and read 1 star reviews of paranormal/occult related tools, supplies and services. We learn about why you shouldn't drink holy water, that healing crystals don't work on men and Jesus hates the Ouija board.  If you have a personal weird story or a topic suggestion, please DM us on Instagram or Bluesky or send us an email at whataboutweirdpod@gmail.com Thank...

Today we shoot for the stars, or rather, we talk about all the people who have and the after effects of launching satellites, rockets, and other manmade objects into space. What happens when lower Earth orbit fills up with all of our space junk? And how do we clean it all up? These are just a few of the key questions we discuss in today's episode. Thank you to listener Amy who suggested this t...

What's this? Another weird talk? We haven't had one of those in  while! This week we discuss the concept of thresholds; door related spiritual experiences, mirrors, historic houses and we once again bring up haint blue. We learn why some people believe in carrying the bride over the threshold, portals and much more. If you have a topic suggestion or personal weird story, please DM us on In...

This week we dig into the science behind some of things your granny used to say. How can bad joints predict the weather? Are red skies at night really a sailors delight? Should you paint your whole house haint blue? We answer these and a few more in our cap off episode of women's history month. Also, sorry the audio quality on this one isn't as good. Between internet issues and our regular...

Welcome to part two of the Bridget Cleary series where we descend into dark to find out what happened to Bridget Cleary after she fell ill and was accused of being fairy by her own family. In this episode, many people shake hands with unfortunate circumstances and the consequences of a belief. Warning: This episode contains talk of violence against woman, death, and other topics that are heavy on...

Welcome to part one of a two part series on the life and death of Bridget Cleary. This week we explore the early life of a strong, accomplished Irish woman named Bridget Cleary and how a simple illness changed her life forever. Who knew catching a cold up near the fairy fort would inspire such tales of deception, changelings, and convince her husband she had gone away with the fairy folk. And enjo...