Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite episodes about some of our favorite rock musicians. In this episode from January 2021, we remember the time in the 90s that Pat Boone - the pop and gospel singer - made a record where he sang Hendrix, AC/DC, Deep Purple and Metallica. How did he, of all people, end up "In A Metal Mood"? Plus: heavy metal is so popular in Finland that there&#...

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite episodes about some of our favorite rock musicians. In this episode from November 2020, we look back at the time the Who's drummer, Keith Moon, collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. Amazingly, the band chose a 19 year old from the crowd, Scot Halpin, to fill in for the rest of the show. Plus: the 2020 Pasadena Doo Dah Parade isn't jus...

This week we’re replaying some of our favorite episodes about some of our favorite rock musicians. In this episode from August 2019, the story of Dee Gallant. When a cougar started walking toward her on a logging trail in British Columbia, she used the power of rock to protect herself. Plus: in a move that might make heavy metal even heavier, guitarist Takamizawa Toshihiko designs a guitar shaped...

This week We’re replaying some of our favorite episodes about some of our favorite rock musicians. In this episode from October 2020, we remember guitar great Eddie Van Halen. His band won millions of fans on record and offstage, and won a reputation for offstage excess. But one of their most infamous stories - that they banned brown M&Ms from backstage - wasn't quite what it seemed. Plus:...

This is one of the great technological and social breakthroughs of our time: scientists have figured out how parrots can do video calls with each other, and they love it! Plus: today in West Frankfort, Illinois, it’s day two of the Old King Coal Festival.   Parrots Taught to Video Call Each Other Show Increased Happiness According to New Study (My Modern Met)   2023 Old King Coal Festival (Enjoy I...

Today in 1858 Minnesota became the 32nd state in the Union. There's a part of the state that's on the other side of a lake from the rest, which means anyone who wants to drive from the Northwest Angle to the rest of Minnesota has to drive through Canada. Plus: there's a Minnesota-shaped forest on the other side of that same lake. Minnesota's Northwest Angle, an American geographic...

National Train Day is coming up this weekend, so we'll take a look at a railroad that doesn't get a lot of attention, the one NASA has used to move parts and supplies to and from Kennedy Space Center. Plus: today in 1806, the birthday of James Shields, the only person who's served as US Senator from three different states. Critical to the Countdown: The NASA Railroad (Southeastern Rail...

We’ve talked a lot on the show about the many different skills robots are learning. Now we can tell you about Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot, which is learning to play tennis. Plus: the startup GaeaStar is 3D printing disposable coffee cups made of clay. When you're finished, you can just toss it on the ground and it'll turn back into dirt. Tennis Robot Could Pave Way for Advan...

Today in 2006, IT job candidate Guy Goma rose to the occasion when a BBC TV producer mistakenly brought him onto a live show to talk about the internet, even though they were actually supposed to interview a different Guy on the air. Plus: the website Brilliant Maps used AI to make 19 world maps as if they’d been drawn by famous artists.  It's Been 10 Years Since the Wrong Guy Analyzed the Int...

Today in 1965 the launch of what is the oldest functioning object in Earth orbit, Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1. To say it's "functioning" might be overstating things, since all it does it sit up there, but it's still had a big impact on science. Plus: tomorrow in Burlington, North Carolina, the start of the annual Carousel Festival. The Oldest Functioning Satellite  (Amusing Plan...

Today in 2021, the BBC reported on a very unusual happening: a farmer in Belgium accidentally redrew the country’s border with France. Plus: it’s National Orange Juice Day, and fans may head to Houston, Texas to hang out at the folk art space known as The Orange Show. Belgian farmer accidentally moves French border (BBC) The Orange Show is a folk art installation dedicated to a beloved citrus frui...

Today in 1966, NBC’s “The Tonight Show” turned Twister, a board game that might have fallen through the cracks, into a big hit. Plus: the new photo book “Most Touched” features the unique and sometimes striking designs of door handles. How Johnny Carson Saved Twister (History.com) 'most touched' photo book gathers more than 1,000 door handles from around the world (designboom) This show is...

It's our 1000th episode! To celebrate, here's the story of a guy this month in 1929 who won a bet by proving he could push a peanut all the way up Pikes Peak with his nose. Plus: a prisoner tries a novel way to get out from behind bars. Colorado Springs man hopes to be the fourth person to push a peanut up Pikes Peak with his nose (Colorado Public Radio) MISCELLANY: Miscellany, may 2, 1960...

In the 12th and 13th Centuries, monks were tracking the looks of the moon, including lunar eclipses. Modern-day researchers took another look to see if some of those eclipses were actually volcanic eruptions. Plus: for Butter Day, a visit to the Butter Museum in Cork, Ireland. Medieval monks accidentally recorded some of history’s biggest volcanic eruptions (University of Cambridge) Cork Butter Mu...

Today in 2011, UK politician Ed Balls sent a tweet that just said "Ed Balls." He was trying to search for his name, not post it, but the inadvertent self-rep turned into a meme and a wonderfully weird annual tradition. Plus: for Arbor Day, the story of a guy from Quebec who set the world record for most trees planted in a single day. (It's a lot.) Ed Balls Day Is Upon Us! Here Are th...

Forty years ago today, the first ever Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon began. Five days later, the first guy to cross the finish line was a 61 year old farmer with arthritis in both legs. Here's how self-described "old turtle" Cliff Young pulled off such an unexpected win. Plus: tomorrow in Wilmington, Delaware, it’s day one of the Wilmington Coffee Fest. When age and modesty won t...

Today in 1884, A.A. Adams of Kansas took what is the earliest-known photo of a tornado. Early storm photos are pretty remarkable, for a lot of reasons. Plus: this weekend, the incomparable cellist Yo-Yo Ma is set to play a one of a kind concert. TORNADO PHOTO FROM AUGUST 1884 ON DISPLAY AT CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER (South Dakota Historical Society Foundation) World's Earliest Tornado Photos (We...

Today in 1947, the start of a big moment in the history of sweets: kids in Canada protested a hike in chocolate bar prices with what would eventually become known as the Candy Strike. Plus: for National Poetry Month, a look at the math-based form known as Fibonacci Poetry. Historicist: The Candy Bar Strike (Torontoist) Fibonacci Poetry (or The Fib): Poetic Forms (Writers Digest) Our Patreon backer...

It’s National Library Week, so let’s pay a visit to a couple very unusual libraries in Portugal where some of those who help protect the books are bats. Plus: the Brautigan Library in Vancouver, Washington is a physical and online library that collects unpublished manuscripts. These Portuguese Libraries Are Infested With Bats — and They Like It That Way (Travel + Leisure via Yahoo!) The Brautigan...

Today in 1972, astronauts John Young and Charles Duke stepped on the Moon during the Apollo 16 mission. Along the way, one of the moonwalkers revealed to the world, without meaning to, that orange juice had made him gassy. Plus: today in St. George, South Carolina, the start of the World Grits Festival. The time an Apollo 16 astronaut swore about farting on the moon (Gizmodo) World Grits Festival...

In extremely cold Antarctic weather, some of the researchers and staff have come up with an unusual way to pass the time: rushing from an extremely hot sauna to the extremely cold conditions around the South Pole, in extremely light outfits (if any!). Plus: every year on April 20th, it’s… National Lima Bean Respect Day? South Pole's 300 Club not for the cold-blooded (Reuters) On Getting Naked...

It's National Banana Day, so we've got the story of people in the UK who went to great lengths to simulate having bananas when the real deal was off limits during World War II. Plus: today in 1988, the Oklahoma State House approved a resolution describing the official state meal, which was kind of enormous. To Cope With a Wartime Banana Ban, British Home Cooks Made ‘Mock Bananas’ (Atlas Ob...

He called it just another day of skydiving, but today in 1987, Gregory Robertson saved a fellow skydiver’s life with a high-speed free fall of more than a mile. Plus: on the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride, the story of the expense account he sent for reimbursement to colonial officials. Man rescues fellow skydiver seconds before impact (UPI) Revere's expense account revealed (Bangor Dai...

The NHL postseason is getting underway, but once the Stanley Cup has been won, what do hockey fans watch? Here's one idea: underwater hockey, which is a growing sport set to make a splash. Plus: April 17 in Japan is known as Queen Day, where rock lovers celebrate the band's first appearance in their country. Deep dive into the world of underwater hockey (ESPN) The Pandemic Hasn’t Dulled Ja...

For National Dolphin Day, the story of a dolphin called Pelorus Jack who was famous for allegedly escorting ships off the coast of New Zealand. Plus: in Louisiana, it’s day one of the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival. The Truth About the Legend of Pelorus Jack (Today I Found Out) The story of Pelorus Jack  (Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand) Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival We're guided t...