SmartDrivel

Finding humor, joy, and moral intrigue in select words, Jon and Kurt play a little game. One of the co-hosts comes up with a favorite or interesting word and explains the reasoning behind his choice. The other co-host then has to come up with a compelling entry of his own – but it has to start with the last letter of the other’s word. Of course, this being Smart Drivel, they seldom stay on task or...

You are moving to a foreign country. You don’t know where. You don’t know for how long. All you are told is that you can bring 5 things with you. Jon and Kurt share what they would take along as they go far afield from home. Not surprisingly, they have quite different answers and rationales for their choices. Which leads to some fun back and forth. What would you bring?

Jon and Kurt re-release an all-time favorite as they wax poetic about places they would love to visit for vacation. However, the twist is that they can go anywhere in any time in history. They discuss being in ancient Greece for the invention of the shower, ancient Alexandria for the books, England during King Arthur’s reign, seeing Jackie Robinson score his first MLB run, and other smart-drivelly...

Throughout history, humankind’s competitive spirit has led to inventing and mastering a wide array of sports. Basketball, Soccer, Football, Baseball, Hockey, Tennis, etc. get all the air time and all the headlines, but what about the outrageous and bizarre sports? The ones like toe wrestling or bog snorkeling or eel peeling or….yup, Jon & Kurt in their 101st episode explore some of the more ri...

That’s right, a milestone in smart drivelry has been attained…Jon and Kurt have recorded their 100th episode. That means they have given listeners over 40 hours of content over which to laugh, yell, sneer, learn, and, mostly, shake their heads at the ridiculous conversation they are hearing. The two hosts use the centennial episode to give us new thoughts on previous topics: they celebrate their 1...

The boys are at it for a second week in a row…they just can’t get enough of trying to stump one another with esoteric, tantalizing, and thought provoking facts. If you ever find yourself in the midst of boring folks with nothing to say, you will be happy you listened to this episode to give you conversation starters. You are welcome; we hope.

In this episode, Jon and Kurt try to stump one another with arcane, bizarre, weirdly fascinating trivia questions. Some are down right funny while others are great fodder for your next dinner conversation. Listen, remember, and then be seen as an icon of knowledge. 

We all did it. We all went to school with open minds, excited to learn new things. We, here in the U.S., learned a lot about our country’s history. Interestingly, with the lens of current knowledge, we now know that a lot of what we learned was not exactly correct. In this episode, Jon and Kurt unearth some of these discrepancies and attempt to set the record straight.

Office life has changed so much in the last thirty years–we saw the coming and going of the fax machine, the thumb drive, the inter-office memo, to name just a few–and now, with remote working, the office doesn’t even have people. In this episode, Jon and Kurt take a look at how the office has changed and they even wax poetic about some of the lost objects (name plates) and lost traditions (the of...

Ben Franklin is deeply embedded in the American ethos. He was a Founding Father, an inventor, a printer, an author, a diplomat, a man about town, to name just a few of his talents. He was prolific to say the least and was a true Renaissance man. In this episode, Jon and Kurt marvel at his successes and share some of his lesser known accomplishments.

Medicine and medical treatments have, thankfully, evolved over the years as these procedures and cures always aim to stay on the cutting edge. WIth the luxury of being able to look backwards in time, we can safely laugh at some of the more questionable healing practices of the past. From looking to tame the wandering womb to blistering the skull to farting in a jar and many others, Jon and Kurt op...

In the development of the English language, we have created some words that are just plain funny. A word, when heard, elicits snickers, laughter, and general bemusement. Jon and Kurt can’t contain themselves from their childish glee as they share some of the words they find most humorous. Most times, of course, these words are far more benign than they sound. But, oh man, there are many that will...

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...

If you think your job is a little bizarre sometimes, think again. There are people out there who have incredibly unique professions--human dog food taster, professional cuddler, worm collector, train pusher–-to name just a few. Jon and Kurt have fun unearthing some of the most bizarre of these jobs and sharing them with their listeners.

Over time, words take on new meanings. Interestingly, often the new definition is the exact opposite of where the word started off. This somewhat boggling phenomenon is the subject of this week’s Smart Drivel episode. Jon and Kurt share the current and then the original meanings of words and wonder at the journey these words have taken. It can be said that this episode is truly awful.

Ever have this happen to you…you are sitting at a beautiful table in a nice restaurant, you peruse the menu, you see something that sounds delicious even though you haven’t had it before, you feel bold, and you order it. Only to find that it is made of and tastes nothing at all like what it sounds? This happens way more than you would think. Leaving folks stunned, frustrated, and a bit queasy some...

You are on a great vacation. One you have saved up for and planned for years. You leave the friendly confines of the U.S. and head overseas. While in the MidEast, you wish to show your appreciation for good service and, since you don’t know the language, you give a hearty thumbs up to your waiter. Who promptly spits in your soup because you just gave him, what amounts to in his country, the middle...

The last 60 years have brought an onslaught of evolutionary and technological advances that have drastically re-shaped humanity. And speaking of re-shaping, boy these last six decades have had a huge impact on the shape of things--as in the body. In this episode, Jon and Kurt look at how the average American has changed since 1960. Height. Weight (spoiler alert--it’s not a pretty stat). Connubial...

Sayings have made their way into the vernacular that are just plain wrong. There are many common phrases that we mix up and mess up. When we proudly declare “that was a bold faced lie” or “it’s a doggy dog world” or “card shark” and many, many others, we are in fact saying them all wrong. In this episode, Jon and Kurt uncover many of these erroneous expressions and provide the actual correct versi...

The civilization of Ancient Greece emerged into the light of history in the 8th century BC. Normally it is regarded as coming to an end when Greece fell to the Romans, in 146 BC. What is amazing is that this long gone civilization has had an enduring impact on life throughout the centuries. Jon and Kurt investigate how the ancient Greeks still permeate our society. They discuss how we name our car...

Curses. Jinxes. Hexes. Call them what you want, it all boils down to the same thing...life is unpredictable at best, and worse when your fate is altered by forces out of your control. In this episode, Jon and Kurt look at the stories behind some famous curses in history. Spooky.  Ain’t it?

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do? From the existential to the mundane, Jon and Kurt examine different careers and adventures that they would try--knowing they were safe from failure.

The expensive, large purchases we make--like houses, cars, jewelry--get all the attention, but it is the little things that actually make the biggest differences. In this episode, Jon and Kurt pay tribute to those small purchases with outsized impact.

Smells can put you in a great mood, can be offensive to your innards, can be meditative, and can conjure up nostalgia. How is it that this one sense impacts so much of our psyche and emotional well being? Well, Jon and Kurt chat about the good, the bad, and the just plain ol’ smelly aromas out there. Take a whiff for yourself.

The boys struck out on a path this episode to talk about board games. The classic games found in most homes that engendered laughter, cheating, family bonding, family arguing, and all around great memories. Come have a listen and pull up a chair at the Smart Drivel kitchen table as we set out to play some Monopoly, Clue, Life, Stratego, Chess...well, you get the idea.