SmartDrivel

So, the dictionary people get together on an annual basis and vote/decide on new words to formally enter into their reference books. Jon and Kurt have a great time dissecting and laughing at these new entries. The episode? It’s adorkable.

In this episode, Jon and Kurt have fun explaining, finding, and debating interesting acronyms that are used in everyday conversation. Redux.

Bell bottoms, high heels, cod pieces, popped collars, dickies...yup, once upon a time all of these, and other like-minded trends, were all the rage. Jon and Kurt try to unravel the history of these odd bursts of fashion to better understand what the hell people were thinking when they wore these oddities.

The boys just needed to get some stuff off their chests. They have had some new pet peeves building up and the desire to share these with their listeners was too strong to ignore any longer. From sidewalk walking etiquette to the whipping of cream cheese to cheap toilet paper to tip screens and many more, Jon and Kurt unburden their souls of their latest pet peeves.

Kleenex. Scotch Tape. Liquid Paper. Xerox. There are many products where the marketing folks did such a great job that the brand names they built came to represent the entire category. A consumer can ask for the product by the brand name and end up buying a version made by a different company. From brand glory to generic. Jon and Kurt dig into this topic and surprise each other with cool examples....

It is the “city that never sleeps” and the biggest metropolis in America. We all think we know New York, but there are a lot of really interesting stories and facts about the Big Apple that most people don’t know. In this episode, Jon and Kurt unearth some of the fun and cool and interesting and unique facts about the city “so big they had to name it twice.”

We get some amazing words from actual, real people. That’s right, real humans’ names  gave us some of our most common or descriptive words as a result of their actions, sayings, or rituals. Sadism? Boycott? Saxophone? Shrapnel? Yup, all were derived from specific people doing extraordinary things, inventing innovative products, or acting in certain ways. Come find out where some of the words come...

Under the safety net of “it’s not real”, Jon and Kurt discuss famous, classic, and great fictional deaths. In movies, books, fables, (not podcasts), etc., there have been no shortage of momentous passings. Some we cheer on, others we weep over, and others we laugh at. Come join the conversation and see if you agree with our hosts.

There is an actual “Museum of Failures” which memorializes products that were massive failures. Classics like “neon green Heinz Ketchup” and “Spray on Condoms” (yes, you read that correctly) are on exhibit as are countless others that, while born out of innovation, just never made it. Jon and Kurt highlight a few of the juiciest failures and have fun speculating as to why they never caught on.

In this episode, Jon and Kurt test each other and themselves on their knowledge of esoteric facts. They take actual Final Jeopardy questions that all contestants on the show got wrong and attempt to see if their Smart Drivel expertise can lead them to the right answers. What is ‘let’s stump Jon and Kurt’?

Ever wonder what the odds are in finding a 4 leaf clover? Or dying by a shark attack? Bowling a perfect game? Being illiterate? Well, Jon and Kurt wondered the same thing and decided to dedicate an episode to a few of the more interesting odds for things to happen. Odds are 1 in 17 that you will love this episode…

Humans have “borrowed” from both nature and our animal friends to create some of our best technological innovations; from animals to nature, the biomimicry is widespread. From airplanes to velcro to submarines, we can thank our surroundings for the inspiration. Jon and Kurt share some of the obvious and not so obvious examples of this biomimicry and have a little fun along the way deviating into s...

Jon and Kurt have a little forum about the most amazing couples ever. Those from fiction. From wars. From the bible. From the arts. From politics. From legend. Forged in love or in greed, these couples all have a fascinating story to tell.

Ever go into a doctor’s office and get treated for the wrong thing? Or have an embarrassing moment in front of your doctor because of your ailment, the procedure done, or the drugs that were administered? Jon and Kurt recall a few of these while also meandering into discussions on acting, travel, and life as we know it. In other words, some stereotypical Smart Drivel.

The earth, it’s inhabitants, and it’s natural resources are pretty amazing. Beautiful. Practical. Functional. And then there are the mistakes; things that are just not right...limburger cheese, oceans filled with water you can’t drink, first rows in movie theaters, Q-tips that you aren’t supposed to put in your ear.  Well, you get the idea. This episode showcases some of these “God’s Mistakes” in...

Jon and Kurt decide to throw another “dinner party for the ages''. This time it is to celebrate the podcast's 50th episode. So take a(nother) listen to see how they create the ultimate guest list for this exclusive affair. The party is limited to ten guests chosen from anywhere and anytime in history. The nominated diners can be living, dead, famous, unknown, or figures from fiction...

We all know these people. The ones who sing along with the radio at the top of their lungs, yet completely botch the lyrics. Jon and Kurt laugh at some classic misunderstood lyrics. Really...how can people blow the words that are in the title of the song? Crazy. But funny.

There are a lot of wonderful, poignant sayings that have, rightfully, gained fame over the years and have passed into everyday lore. Then there are others--like “here’s mud in your eye” or “slept like a baby”--that are completely inane and nonsensical. Jon and Kurt seek to uncover a bunch of these everyday sayings and expose them for the impostors they are.

Ahhh, cocktails. The beacon of light at the end of the day. The social equivalent of a group hug. We love our cocktails, but do we know their provenance? Ever wonder where the Bloody Mary was first concocted? How the martini gots its name? The story behind the Tom Collins? Why we call it a Negroni? What the difference is between a Boilermaker and an Irish Car Bomb? Well, Jon and Kurt are here to h...

The world has gone crazy for wordle. People set their alarms just to get up early enough to solve the wordle before their friends. There is a “sharing” er “competing” culture of proving one’s intelligence by getting the word in fewer guesses than others. And, with the boom, it has spawned quordle, octurdle, worldle, hurdle, nerdle, etc. Jon and Kurt delve into this phenomenon and try to explain or...

Following up on last week's "Underrated Inventions Part 1" comes the expected "part 2". In this classic episode, Jon and Kurt continue waxing poetic about seemingly mundane inventions that have had outsized impact on society. Some you would expect, some are interesting interpretations by our opinionated co-hosts. 

Dipping into the vast repository of Smart Drivel content, Jon and Kurt offer up a classic two part series. From toilet paper to Neil Diamond and lots in between, they discuss the advances in civilization we can’t live without. They may not get the headlines as say the wheel or penicillin, but these underrated inventions punch way above their weight.

Tune in to another classic episode as Jon and Kurt spend a full episode discussing fun phrases and how they came to be. “Mind your Bees Wax,” “One for the road”, and “Freezing the balls off a brass monkey” are just a few sayings they take on, masticate over, and share.

Enjoy a classic Smart Drivel episode as Jon and Kurt set out to find the truth behind certain “givens” that we have always been told: is it safe to swim right after eating? Is the earth round? Did Vikings have horns on their helmets? Was there an apple in the Garden of Eden? Were the pyramids of Egypt built by slaves? Is Everest the tallest mountain on earth? And what the hell does Chuck Yeager ha...

Stretching their word retrieval abilities, Jon and Kurt have fun in this episode by coming up with words that have ‘art’ embedded within them. Art means one thing on its own (the beautiful category of expressionism–be it paintings, sculptures, poetry, novels, music, dance, etc.), but take that word and stuff it into another, and it takes on a whole new life.