Fascinating Nouns

In my humble opinion, I believe that author Joe Dever's world of Magnamund is better than Westeros, better than Hogwarts, even better than Middle Earth! Even if you don't agree with that assessment, what you can't deny is the fortuitous time period in which Joe started writing gamebooks. Novels in which YOU got to chose your own story were all the rage, and Joe had found the perfect medium to writ...

In the fingerboarding circles, this man is a legend. He is to to the sport, what Tony Hawk and Shaun White (The Flying Tomato) are to skateboarding. Stories of his superhuman feats are told on hushed tones. Simply his presence at a competition is enough to put fear into the hearts of men who are like a year or two younger than him. His name is Taylor Rosenbauer, and he is the best in the world. Li...

If I was a more daring kid, this place would have been for me. In a very Disney presents: Lord Of The Flies way, Action Park taught a generation of kids how to be men. Operating on the fringes of the law, Action Park's thrust was for each individual to control their own experiences, experiences that involved barely legal rides, and death inducing adventures. These included the Skin Shredding Alpin...

eyephotohi *From his website* 'Adam Gertsacov is the most educated clown in America (barring certain elected officials.) He wears many hats, including those of a professional clown, an author and publisher, a P.T. Barnum impersonator, a flea circus impresario,and the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland. He has been performing as Professor A.G. Gertsacov, flea trainer extraord...

The history of the Morango Basin is an incredible one. This story has it all: UFO's Tesla Technology, Howard Hughes, The largest free-standing boulder in the world, visitors from Venus, and Interplanetary Spaceship Conventions. This is the history of George Van Tassel told by Barbara Harris Barbara Harris, is a local historian living in the area around Joshua Tree National Park. She shares the loc...

In the time since I first broadcast this episode, Siike has reclaimed his World Record, survived 11 more brain aneurisms, helped co-host an awesome T.V. show with me, and finally put out the definitive edition of his awesome comic book Solestar. Not only all that, but this is one of the most interesting interviews I have done to date. From My First Intro: "What do auras, aneurisms, incessant name...

In this supplementary episode, Jim and Glen talk to me about the merits of Zombie insurance, including accidental maim and dismemberment, Cryogenic Intervention, and bite prevention.

Have you ever wondered about basic economics principles, only to be bored by their lack of grave-fresh examples? Well rejoice! Glen Whitman and James Dow, two California State University Northridge economics professors, have complied a wonderful piece of literature doing just that: Economics of the Undead! We cover such amazing topics as "Reservation Level of Romantic Satisfaction" as it relates t...

When it comes to Red Harvester ants, Dr. Gordon is the world's foremost expert on these little guys. Unlike me, she never had an ant farm as a kid, nor did she really have an interest in their superhuman strength. Her interest came almost as a side project, as she used the ant's interaction algorithms to explain how Stem cells know what cells to become. Today, she has a 30 year research legacy stu...

In this bonus episode, Richard Allen Wagner talks about the masonic connections to Oak Island, what could possibly be buried there, and who put it there. It turns out, Sir Francis Bacon was the island's original owner.

Richard Allan Wagner Sir Francis Bacon   William Shakespeare My second interview with Richard Allen Wagner, continuing the story of Sir Francis Bacon.   In this episode, Richard gives compelling proof that not only was William Shakespeare actually Sir Francis Bacon, but that he was an invented persona, loosely based on the William Shaksper of Stratford. From his Website: “Educated at t...

David Blankenship and Rick Lagina are real life treasure hunters, unraveling the greatest enigma of our time:  The Mysterious Oak Island.   What is Oak Island?   Legend has it that a great wealth of some kind was buried here, and over the past 300 years six men have lost their lives and fortunes trying to figure out what secrets this small chunk of land holds.   Oh, but the land comes with a c...

A Fascinating Nouns exclusive: Dark Adventure Radio theater's radio drama: Herbert West - Reanimator

Andrew Leman (sounds like demon) and Sean Branney (sounds like granny) run a company called The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society. What is that? Basically they bring the works of H. P. Lovecraft to life. They have an entire line of awesome stuff. I say stuff, because there is just so many cool things. Movies, radio dramas, live music, sweaters, mugs, Musical Theater, props, miniatures, books, etc...

S. T Joshi is the world's foremost expert on the life, times, and writings of the cult favorite sci-fi/horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Being as I am a newcomer to the world of Lovecraft, we covered a wide range of topics including H. P.'s massive use of tentacles, his fear of seafood, and the proper pronunciation of many of the names that are purposefully unpronounceable.

I love pinball. I always have. Even when I was would go to arcades as a kid, I was always drawn to pinball. Recently, when I heard about the strange and sorted history of Pinball, I decided it was time to do an episode on the older, more cerebral brother of video games. I found THE pinball historian, Seth Porges, as we talked about how pinball destroyed a generation of young children (supposedly),...

When I first met Argena while working on The Stelle Experience, I realized she was something special. I am a skeptic by nature. Sure I have an intense interest in the paranormal, but that is because (to quote Fox Mulder) 'I want to believe', not because I do. I have met lots of self-proclaimed psychics, intuitives, sensitives, etc. Argena is the only one who I have ever been blown away by. For the...

Richard Wuydts is the mad scientist behind World's Rare Plants, and is a leading cultivator of rare and carnivorous plants. He has been growing, breeding, and collecting carnivorous plants for 50+ years in his state of the art greenhouse. Today this is a 7 day a week greenhouse, with several hundreds of species for purchase. Richard and his wife Mary built this incredible greenhouse from the groun...

Wendy Piatek describes herself as "Just a mom from Indiana". She is anything but. Over the past 4 years, she has been a witness to absolutely crazy, unidentified objects in the sky. Her experiences have been the genesis for a nation wide search for people like her, others who have had similar experiences. Are the things she is seeing alien in nature? Are they governmental? Are they something else?...

Alex Kwechansky is a Forensic Accountant, which I think is about as sexy as accounting gets. After large amounts of money have been stolen from large companies, Alex recreates the events that lead up to the theft. He interviews witnesses, he analyses financial anomalies in the data, and he follows his gut. You need three things: Motivation, credibility, and an opportunity. This is just like invest...

Have you ever secretly wanted to play make believe, but you thought you were too old to do so? Well lament no longer! Aaron talks about the health benefits of LARPing, or Live Action Role Playing. It turns out, it's not all orcs, foam swords, and lightening bolts. We talk about our first LARPing experiences, his LARP centered charity, and the M.I.L.E.S. system, which stands for Multiple Integrated...

What do auras, aneurisms, incessant name dropping, a dog saliva allergy, being a criminal informant, former Guinness world record holder, The Hollywood Reporter, and asexuality have in common? One man: Siike Donnelly. What I was looking for was a comic book historian for my first live show. What I found was the most interesting man in the world (better than the beer guy). That's about as accurate...

Kristin and Andy Looney: The NASA scientists behind the incredible game company Looney Labs. Think of them as the Ben and Jerry's (Or Ben and Jenny's) of the board/card game world. Sure they are the guys behind the incredibly successful 'Fluxx' series of card games, and 'Chrononauts', which is hands down the most brilliant game design I have ever seen. You play time travelers, and you have to desi...

Adam Nedeff (Pronounced Knee-Deaf) has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of game shows. As am matter of fact, he has written a 4 volume set entitled "This Day in Game Show History" Volumes 1-4. He also wrote the book "Quizmaster" which is about Superstar Game Show Host Bill Cullen. He has appeared as a contestant on several game shows, Trivial Pursuit: America Plays, Catch-21, and Who's Still Stand...

Michael Paul Smith is a guy who has found his niche. He has turned his model collecting/making hobby into incredible photographic works of art. Here it is in a nutshell: He takes die cast model cars, couples them with model buildings (which he creates down to the last detail), and then photographs them against real backgrounds. Sounds incredibly tedious, but the results are mind-blowing. The key t...