SmartDrivel

When Jon and Kurt were sharing befuddlement (something they often do) about the fact that a banana duct taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at auction a year ago, they decided to explore it more. In so doing, they found some bizarre items that have caused raucous bidding wars– as in people fought to pay more for them: a piece of  cake from Queen Elizabeth's and Philip's wedding, Elvis Pres...

Ah, the wonder of comforting childhood rhymes–such sweet innocent word play to amuse, soothe, and educate young children. At least that is what we all thought until Jon and Kurt did some digging, some intensive research, some literary forensic analysis. What they found is unsettling to say the least. Turns out, some of our most beloved nursery rhymes have morbid, lascivious, and/or creepy origins....

People have used their final words, before passing onto the next adventure in the sky, to truly make a statement. Funny, emotional, insulting, self-deprecating, you name it. With the chance for one final opportunity to communicate without any pushback, there have been some amazing quips and insights that have lasted through the years. Jon and Kurt take a look at some of the most endearing, satiric...

Jon and Kurt decide to get patriotic, historic, and caloric–ok, not caloric, but it did fit the rhyme scheme–as they share unique, surprising stories about our 46 U.S. Presidents. From the scientifically interesting (which is the only President to hold a patent) to the physically interesting (who was the shortest President) to the curiously interesting (who was the only President to kill someone i...

Kurt and Jon celebrate their milestone 150th episode by trying to spit out the the word sesquicentennial with mixed results. With that out of the way, the boys take a look back at...and then build on...some of their favorite topics from previous podcasts. In this episode, they pay homage and add new entries to their lists of fun phrases, God's Mistakes, misunderstood song lyrics, and much, mu...

We have emerged out of a precedent-setting pandemic where all bets were off as to how we behaved,  presented ourselves, and interacted with others. Add to this dynamic that there is now a new generation in the workspace, there is new technology to harness, and there are a ton of new ways to behave. Thankfully, the fine folks at New York Magazine have developed a list of the new rules governing tod...

Our homes are veritable Swiss army knives of contraptions, inventions, and solutions. Everyday household items found in drawers, cabinets, and refrigerators can be used for solving many common issues. Jon and Kurt get in on the current “hack” game and share some great hacks to help you unstick a zipper, fill holes in walls, replace a lost earring back, pull out a splinter without needling into you...

Jon and Kurt each found some random questions they wanted to ask each other to try and establish a trivia knowledge hierarchy in the Smart Drivel organization. Of course, this being Smart Drivel, the answers are never straight-forward nor are they on topic. Test yourself versus the hosts and see what you know. Maybe you will qualify to be a guest host one of these days.

Ever get that sneaking suspicion that there is something out there to be afraid of? In other words, do you have a phobia about phobias? Well, there is a name for that: Phobophobia is a fear of being afraid. If there is a phobia about phobias, then there must be some doozies out there. Jon and Kurt spooked themselves by uncovering lots of different phobias, what they are, and what they are called....

Jon and Kurt take a look through history at great business inventions. They apply their own filters as to what makes a great invention and bring in personal experiences in the business world to list, debate, admire, and laugh at these innovations. You will be surprised at what makes their list...

Every great movie has an iconic line that, when uttered, immediately generates a response from those in your conversation pod. “It’s all ball bearings these days.” “Play it, Sam.” “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Jon and Kurt choose a few of the most iconic, funny, classic, and misunderstood of them all and discuss. “Badges? Badges? We don’t need any stinkin’ badges.”

In every category, there always seems to be one product, one event, one person, one object that defines the list, that comes out on the very top and is the first listed. This element is the example of the topic of discussion..it reflects, resembles, and reinforces the characteristics of the category. In this episode of Smart Drivel, Jon and Kurt discuss the quintessential  cocktail, road trip song...

Jon and Kurt invite you to peek in on their conversation about Homophones which will hopefully pique your interest and make you think they have reached the peak of podcasting. You guessed it, you are the guest of the episode. So contemplate your navel or run off and engage in naval warfare, this discussion won't be a bore if you listen while eating some boar .

We have all been there…you are on the couch flipping channels and you come across a movie that stops you in your tracks. No matter how many times you have seen it, you HAVE to watch it again. The same is true for songs on the radio. Passed hors d'oeuvres. Fast Food restaurants. TV shows. Well, you get the idea. We all have those favorites that just suck us into their vortex. Jon and Kurt expl...

Ever get confused when you are watching an Auburn football game and they are referred to as the Tigers but then their fans all cheer for the War Eagles? Or want the backstory on the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs? Then you go down the mascot rabbit hole and try to figure out why Alabama is called the Crimson Tide yet their mascot is an Elephant? Ya. Well, so did Jon and Kurt. They take a crack at tryi...

The 1970s saw the advent of bell bottoms, the rise of Donny Osmond, and the proliferation of new chain restaurants across the country. The affordability of these new “casual dining” experiences coupled with some of their themes and hooks, got the American family to venture out of the home kitchen more often. Sadly, these iconic restaurants of our youth–the Hojos, the Bennigans, the Pizza & Bre...

Most folks know by now that Viagra was not originally intended to solve a sexual issue, but they’d be amazed how Lysol was first marketed. In this episode, Jon and Kurt investigate products that became accidental commercial successes in different ways than initially contemplated. Listerine was supposed to cure gonorrhea? Oh boy.

The boys were in a conversation the other day when they both started using common  phrases in a nerdy “one-upsmanship” kind of way. It started innocently enough with Jon mentioning something about being “called on the carpet” and then Kurt mentioning how excited he was for the upcoming slate of “white elephant” parties. And it ended with them thinking it would make a good episode to dig into the o...

Did you know that the words written on Twitter every single day would fill a book of ten million pages? Did you know that “buttload” is an actual measurement? Jon and Kurt have fun in this episode doling out seemingly ridiculous statements that are actually true. They sound faker than Kurt’s french accent, but are 100% correct.

In an episode that quickly diverted from the chosen topic--really stupid questions people ask-- and never returned to it (luckily, this is a weekly podcast so there is always another opportunity),  Kurt discusses how he can immediately spot someone not to be trusted. Jon, sometimes incredulously, tries to understand Kurt’s logic. Apparently, according to Kurt, there are three traits that, if posse...

What is a contronym you ask? The definition is “a word with two opposite meanings.” Huh? You mean to tell me that you can use a word, feeling good about it, and then all of a sudden that same exact word can be taken as the complete opposite? Holy cow, this is confusing. So, Jon and Kurt decide to dive into it head on and–buckle up–you need to fasten your seat belt, er, um or will you unfasten and–...

It happens all the time–at least to Kurt it does–there you are, sitting at a dinner regaling everyone with curious and interesting facts. Like where f.u.c.# comes from. Or the length of Twinkies half-life. Or the toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper. You know, the great stories that people love to hear. The problem is, what happens all the time is some kill joy of a person decides to tell the cro...

We’ve all been there: you are having a really good time at the party and imbibe just a wee bit too much. Enough too much that the following morning you feel like crap. So you try all sorts of things to mitigate the pain. To no avail. The hangover persists. Humankind has been searching for a solution to this for 10,000 years–ever since that first accidental beer was brewed. In this episode, join Jo...

Episode 131: The Mirror is Wrong Jon and Kurt delve back into words in this episode. Seems they are super nerds about words. Here they look at word couples that look the same, yet have different meanings. Like insensible and nonsensical. Or disused vs unused. Or, oral arguments vs. Orel Hershiser’s pitching stats. Ok, that last one doesn’t fit, but they boys do discuss it in classic Smart Drivel f...

As a companion to last week’s episode on new words being added to the dictionary, this week Jon and Kurt explore the word’s that get kicked out. Yup, with new words being added, there are those few who get the boot. Deemed no longer up to snuff (maybe snuff will be out next year), these words are dictionary-worthy no longer. The boys brabble a bit, but they do agree on the need to bring back aerod...