What's Shakin with Shaner

Send us Fan Mail The Battle of Attu was one of the most brutal and overlooked campaigns of World War II. Fought from May 11–30, 1943, it was the only land battle of the war fought on American soil. U.S. forces faced Japanese defenders across the frozen mountains, snow, bogs, and dense fog of Alaska's remote Aleutian Islands. After Japan occupied Attu in June 1942, American forces spent nearly...

Send us Fan Mail Long before Halloween became a celebration of costumes and candy, the ancient Scottish imagination filled the darkness with witches, spirits, fairies, and supernatural riders. Among the most mysterious of these figures was Nicnevin, a shadowy witch-queen associated with Hallowe'en, supernatural gatherings, and the eerie traditions surrounding the Otherworld. Was she a powerfu...

Send us Fan Mail What if the U.S. Navy had discovered a way to make a warship disappear? In this episode of What’s Shakin With Shaner, we dive into one of the most enduring mysteries and conspiracy legends of World War II—the infamous Philadelphia Experiment. According to the legend, sometime in 1943, the USS Eldridge became the subject of a top-secret Navy experiment designed to make ships invisi...

Send us Fan Mail If you grew up watching Scooby-Doo , The Jetsons , Yogi Bear , Jonny Quest , Wacky Races , or The Smurfs , chances are you already knew Don Messick—you just didn't know his name. One of animation's most talented and prolific voice actors, Messick brought an astonishing variety of characters to life, including Scooby-Doo, Astro, Boo-Boo Bear, Ranger Smith, Muttley, Dr. Be...

Send us Fan Mail For nearly 500 years, the tomb of Polish King Casimir IV Jagiellon remained sealed beneath Wawel Cathedral. When the royal tomb was opened in 1973 for conservation work, no one expected the discovery to become one of history's strangest "curse" stories. Within the following years, members of the 12-person restoration team died prematurely, leading to rumors of a Jag...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode of Psycho Bob Says… , Shakin Shaner and Psycho Bob dive into one of the strangest and most unsettling gadgets of the Cold War: the CIA’s infamous “heart attack gun.” Discover how this bizarre assassination device worked, why saxitoxin was involved, and how the weapon came to public attention during the 1975 Church Committee hearings. We also separate the documente...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Shakin Shaner Psycho Bob and returning guest Jody revisit one of the most underrated action films of the 1990s—The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996). Starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, this cult classic blends explosive action, razor-sharp dialogue, and a gripping tale of espionage into one unforgettable movie. Join us as we break down the film's unforgetta...

Send us Fan Mail Psycho Bob the Cat dives into one of America's most enduring culinary debates: ketchup versus catsup.  From ancient Southeast Asian fish sauces to the rise of Heinz and the standardization of "ketchup," discover the surprisingly rich history behind the famous tomato condiment. Packed with humor, historical trivia, and Psycho Bob's trademark feline wisdom, this...

Send us Fan Mail Long before superheroes, fantasy warriors, and legendary kings filled the pages of literature, there was Gilgamesh—the world's first literary hero. In this episode, Psycho Bob and Shaner  explore the enduring significance of The Epic of Gilgamesh , humanity's oldest surviving epic poem, and examine how its themes of friendship, grief, mortality, and the search for meanin...

Send us Fan Mail Most werewolf legends are tales of curses, monsters, and terror lurking in the shadows. But what if one of history's most famous werewolves claimed to be a servant of God? In this episode of Psycho Bob Says… , Psycho Bob the Cat sends Shakin Shaner down a fascinating rabbit hole into the strange case of Thiess of Kaltenbrun , an 80-year-old man who appeared before a court in...

Send us Fan Mail Grab a snack and join Shakin Shaner, Psycho Bob the Cat, and special guest Scott as they dive headfirst into the sweet battlefield of candy bars. From the ancient origins of cacao in Mesoamerica to the rise of modern chocolate empires, this episode unwraps the surprising history behind one of the world’s favorite guilty pleasures. Along the way, the crew takes a nostalgic trip bac...

Send us Fan Mail Psycho Bob was left unsupervised with energy drinks, internet rabbit holes, and entirely too much free time—which can only lead to chaos. In this episode of Psycho Bob Says , Bob drags Shaner and the Nerd Herd through a collection of strange, surprising, and downright bizarre facts that sound completely made up... but somehow aren’t. Discover the goldfish that lived for 43 years,...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Shakin Shaner and Psycho Bob dive headfirst into one of history’s strangest and most unsettling phenomena: mass sociogenic illness—better known as mass hysteria.  What happens when entire communities experience real symptoms… with no clear physical cause? From the bizarre Dancing Plague of 1518, where hundreds danced themselves to exhaustion, to the eerie Tanganyi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Psycho Bob Says , we ride deep into the lawless frontier to uncover the story of Bass Reeves —one of the most legendary lawmen the Wild West ever produced… and one history nearly overlooked. Born into slavery and forged in the chaos of the Civil War, Reeves escaped into Indian Territory and built a life defined by survival, skill, and unshakable resolve. What fo...

Send us Fan Mail  In this nostalgia-fueled episode of What’s Shakin With Shaner, Shaner and his whiskered co-host Psycho Bob the Cat dive headfirst into one of the most joyful accidents in Saturday morning cartoon history: the psychedelic, pop-rock chase songs of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You. This a cross over event with Matt Spectro's podcast episode.  To listen to that episode clickhere To vis...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Psycho Bob Says…, host Shakin Shaner—joined by his ever-judgmental feline co‑host Psycho Bob—dives into the extraordinary life of Grace O’Malley, the 16th‑century Irish sea captain, clan leader, and pirate queen who defied both tradition and an empire. Told with wit, atmosphere, and sharp historical insight, this episode reframes piracy not as chaos, but as orga...

Send us Fan Mail  Sparked by a suggestion from Dave in Texas (Nerd Herd represent!), this episode explores the 2,000-year reign of a practice once considered cutting-edge medicine. From the ancient theory of the four humors to the “heroic medicine” of the 18th century, we trace how physicians across civilizations believed that draining blood could cure nearly everything — from fevers and pneumonia...

Send us Fan Mail  Traveling to the Northwoods near Rhinelander, Wisconsin, this episode unpacks how isolation, lumberjack life, and tall-tale culture gave birth to a spiny, red-eyed nightmare said to stalk the forests and howl just beyond the firelight. From its exaggerated anatomy and bizarre taste for bulldogs to the infamous hoaxes that helped cement its legend, the Hodag is revealed as more th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of What’s Shakin’ With Shaner , Shakin Shaner and his chaotic co-host Psycho Bob the Cat dive headfirst into the gloriously odd 1990s cult classic So I Married an Axe Murderer. From beat poetry and butcher shops to conspiracy-obsessed Scottish dads, the conversation celebrates everything that makes this film endlessly quotable and lovingly bizarre.  Joined by first...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of “Psycho Bob Says…” , Shakin Shaner & Psycho Bob explore the astonishing true story of the Lykov family—Siberia’s legendary hermits. Fleeing religious persecution in 1936, the Lykovs vanished into the Siberian taiga, surviving in complete isolation for over 40 years. With no electricity, running water, or contact with the outside world, they built a life from...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into the chilling true story explored in the latest episode of What’s Shakin With Shaner . Host Shakin Shaner and sidekick Psycho Bob the Cat unravel the infamous murder of Bridget Cleary—a case that blends Irish folklore, superstition, and tragedy. Set in rural Ireland in 1895, the episode recounts how Michael Cleary, convinced his wife Bridget was a fairy changeling, subjec...

Send us Fan Mail In this bite-sized episode, Shakin Shaner and the ever-curious Psycho Bob the Cat explore the mysteries of Rujm el Hiri, a megalithic monument in the Golan Heights often called the “Stonehenge of the East.”  The site, also known as the “Wheel of Ghosts,” is made up of over 42,000 basalt stones arranged in five concentric circles with a central cairn, dating back to the Early Bronz...

Send us Fan Mail In this nostalgic episode of “What’s Shakin With Shaner,” host Shakin Shaner and sidekick Psycho Bob the Cat invite listeners to relive the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons with a deep dive into the classic animated series, “Underdog.”  Joined by special guest Will, a returning friend and U.S. Navy veteran, the conversation explores the origins and cultural impact of “Under...

Send us Fan Mail In this lively episode of “Psycho Bob Says…” from What’s Shakin With Shaner , co-host Psycho Bob the Cat and Shakin Shaner dive into the quirky world of the Dunning–Kruger Effect—a psychological phenomenon where people with limited skills or knowledge overestimate their competence. The episode opens with Bob’s comical attempt at audio engineering, which leads to a discussion about...

Send us Fan Mail Psycho Bob and Shakin Shaner dive into the story of Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, the Red Baron. They cover his early life as an aristocratic adrenaline junkie, his transition to the German Air Service, and his impressive record of 80 confirmed victories. Additionally, they explore the Red Baron's lasting legacy and his surprising presence in pop culture, includin...