Fascinating Nouns

Not only is Jamie DeWolf a multi-faceted performer, but his partner Iara Mandyn is as well.  She is an underwater model, stunt performer, and mermaid.  Listen as Jamie recounts their deep sea filming exploits, including a terrifying trip into an underwater abyss. Iara Mandyn on Social Media Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Fascinating Nouns on Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube

Jamie DeWolf is a multi-talented performer, who has mastered both stage and screen.  He is the ring master of the long running variety show ‘Tourettes Without Regrets’, which has been renamed ‘The Ruckus and Rumpus Revival’.  It has been dubbed ‘The Fight Club of Underground Art’ because the show is raw, totally eclectic, and involves participants from the audie...

During her time aboard the craft, Betty’s dress had been ripped in several place by her captors.  When she got home, she put it in her closet, where it remained untouched for 3 years.  When she later came across it, the dress was covered in a strange pink powder.  In this bonus episode, we continue the story and discuss the results of all the scientific testing on this important artifact. Ka...

In the wee hours of Sept. 19th – 20th, 1961 Betty and Barney Hill were abducted by a UFO and later returned to their car in a rural part of New Hampshire.  This abduction has been the subject of many official investigations and scientific explorations.  It widely considered the first scientifically analyzed UFO abduction in human history.  Betty’s Niece, Kathleen Marden, has been inves...

In this bonus episode, Bob tells me the story of the kidnapping of Brooke Hart, which was not only dubbed the ‘Stupidest Crime in California History”, but is also credited as the last lynching in California. Bob Calhoun on Social Media YouTube Twitter Fascinating Nouns on Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube

No one would argue that San Fransisco is a city like none other, so it should come as no surprise that its evolution is as unique as its culture.  In his new book ‘The Murders That Made Us’, Bob Calhoun tells the story of San Fransisco through the lens of all the murder, mystery, and infamous events that have transpired throughout the Bay Area.  In our conversation, he starts with his...

The 90’s were Blockbuster’s heyday.  Back then, flobby drives ruled, HDMI didn’t exist, and movie rentals were ninety-nine cents.  There is one place on the planet where that is still the case:  The Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon.  Listen as Sandi Harding tells me about her room full of antique IBM computers, the analog video system that is only compatible with first generation Blu-...

In 2011, Blockbuster went bankrupt.  So how is there is a Blockbuster operating in Bend, Oregon in 2021?  The answer to that is complicated, but I attempt to untangle it by talking to Sandi Harding, the current manager of the last Blockbuster on the Planet.  We discuss the rise and fall of video rentals, the documentary chronicling their unlikely fate, and how taking up knitting to relieve anxiety...

The Right to Die is a controversial topic in many countries, and a company called EXIT is capitalizing on that uncertainty.  Their CEO is creating a DIY death coffin that can be 3D printed in a matter of weeks.  Requiring only nitrogen, it may provide an alternative for those looking to skirt the law.  We discuss this killer contraption on this bonus episode.

As technology marches forward, humans are achieving things that were thought to exist only in science fiction.  In her new book ‘Sex Robots and Vegan Meat’, Jenny Kleeman looks at four such innovations, and explores how they are poised to fundamentally change the pillars of humanity.  We discuss these advancements, which include robotic companions, artificial wombs, lab-grown meat, and...

My first introduction to Skid Row was the catchy little number in the musical “Little Shop of Horrors”.  I had no idea that is was referring to the largest recognized homeless encampment in the country, and the only such community legally defined by a court of law.  The Skid Row in the movie was in New York, but the official one is in Los Angeles.  Homelessness expert and Skid Row hist...

Due to the popularity of both the look and gadgetry of the 1966 Batmobile,  it became a signature staple of the Batman mythos.  Prior to the TV series, the Batmobile was hardly mentioned in the comic books, and it definitely wasn’t a sports car.  Bob and I discuss how this icon version was crafted from an experimental car called the Lincoln Futura, and whether it was nuclear or not.

The original Batman television show may not be treated with much respect today, but it was an absolute trailblazer in terms of getting superheroes respect in pop culture.  The success of Marvel movies today owe a debt of gratitude to this much maligned series.  Not only that, but this show introduced many things that we consider Batman staples, including Bruce Wayne’s Butler Alfred Pennywort...

Last week, I interviewed Bob Calhoun who called him self ‘Count Dante’ in the underground wrestling outfit Incredibly Strange Wrestling.  This week I talk to documentary filmmaker Floyd Webb about John Keehan, the man who originated the Count Dante moniker.  To most, Count Dante was a fixture of the comic book advertisements, offering ‘The World’s Deadliest Fighting Secrets...

Nothing is more weird than the world of professional wrestling.  So what happens when you take wrestling and add a punk rock act, a man dressed up as Bigfoot, and throw a bunch of corn tortillas into the air?  You have the San Fransisco based, indie federation Incredibly Strange Wrestling.  Former wrestler/announcer Count Dante AKA Bob Calhoun, walks me through the rise and fall of this very uniqu...

I have always believe that art theft was a crime reserved for sophisticated criminals of the silver screen.  I had no idea that art theft is a very common crime until I spoke with Anthony Amore, who is a historian an author of art theft, as well as the director of security for the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston.  This is the site of one of the most famous art heists in U.S. history, and...

In this bonus episode, Catherine and I finish our conversation about the worst fashion in trends in history, including wearing overalls without a shirt, PVC clothing, and 80’s shoulder pads. Fascinating Nouns on Social Media Facebook Twitter YouTube

We humans have been trying to tame the outdoors since we were first started living in caves.  For thousands of years we only used plants for cooking or medicine, but all of that changed as soon as Europeans started colonizing the world.  Among other things, the first explorers brought back exotic plants that no one back home had ever seen before!  This led to huge booms in both the raping and pill...

Rocket science and brain surgery have become almost cliche’ when describing someone as being tremendously smart, but what about someone who has done both?  Ben Siepser has helped put rockets into space, and is now working on devices that can read your brain.  If that wasn’t impressive enough, you can find him co-hosting the science/tech podcast FGGGbT with me every week!  Ben and I sit...

Trader Joe’s may be one of the most forward thinking grocery chains that ever existed.  They sell more per square inch than every store in existence with the exception of Apple and Tiffany’s.  They reinvented the wine market in California, perfected cheese, and invented Almond Butter.  Listen as Benjamin tells me about his personal interview with Trader Joe himself, Joe Coulombe. Fasci...

I am sure that everyone reading this has spent a significant amount of their life inside a grocery store.  So much so, that I bet you already take it for granted.  Take a second and consider the sheer abundance that exists within the four walls of your local supermarket.  How do they get a seemingly endless supply of shrimp, mayonnaise, cabbage, or ANY other random item that you can think of?  It...

Archbishop Ron Feyl-Enright has been an exorcist for 40+ years.  In that time, he has seen and heard some crazy stuff.  Levitation, skin changing color, unearthly screams, diabolical voices are just a few of the phenomena he has encountered.  Due to an increasing amount of requests for exorcisms in 1981, Archbishop Enright decided to form The Order of Exorcists, which is a group of clergymen who a...

If it turns out that robots do become both independently intelligent and ubiquitous, they may want the same rights as humans.  This is not without precedent, as certain rivers and even corporations have legal standings as people.  What would this mean for robot kind?  Could they be held responsible for harm dealt to a human?  Listen as David Gunkel and I discuss this intriguing topic. Fascinating...

If science fiction has taught us anything, it’s that robots are coming for us.  They will invade every part of our society, become self-aware, then enslave the human race.  I call this The Robacalypse.  How accurate is this bleak vision of the future?  According to AI and Robotics expert David Gunkel, this is not very likely at all.  His belief is that robots will slowly replace tasks that w...

In this day and age, a president’s sex life is an open book.  The press loves exposing mistresses, love children, and wild sexual escapades.  Believe it or not, this was not always the case.  From about 1900 until the mid 1980’s, a president’s personal life was kept private.  This is what allowed JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and Warren G. Harding to philander without public knowledge.  J...