Whims of Resistance

Season 2, Episode 33:  Billabongs, didgeridoos, and kangaroos, oh my! G'day, mate! This episode takes a look back at some favorite high spots of Australian pop culture, including a chart-topping hit song, "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" -- which originally came out in the mid-1960s, and then, 37 years later, had an unexpected revival when it was re-recorded for The Wiggles' TV sh...

Season 2, Episode 32:  Continuing our winter holiday theme, we look at New Year's Eve memories from Guy Lombardo to Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.  Includes audio of Dick Clark reporting on the Times Square ball drop, as well as a snippet from a phone interview on the subject of success in the mid 1970s.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories,...

Season 2, Episode 31:  A few holiday memories of Christmases long ago, including Mom's bread and pastry Bake-a-thon, and Dad's equivalent, the house decorating marathon, complete with outdoor holiday lights and life-size cutout figures.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experiences, ch...

Season 2, Episode 30:  A quick tour of some of the rock concerts attended over the years, including the Four Seasons, Jay and the Americans, Tommy James, The Rolling Stones, Jonathan Edwards, 1910 Fruitgum Company, the Buckinghams, Peter Noone, Southside Johnny, and Bruce Springsteen.  Names have been changed to protect the innocent.  Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsi...

Season 2, Episode 29:  Coincidences and synchronicity are everyday mysteries that somehow show up in our lives at the most unexpected times.  In this episode, we share some of the odd coincidences that have happened in our life, from a childhood amusement park experience in Point Pleasant NJ to an adult restaurant encounter to a Disneyland meetup that defied all the odds of probability.  Names hav...

Season 2, Episode 28:  Ever get nervous going into a job interview? This episode delves into a few scenarios we've faced in our own employment seeking adventures, like the insecure interviewer who monopolizes the conversation, the sweatshop workplace, unforeseen financial landmines, and the "spec" free labor sometimes requested of candidates.  Names have been changed to protect the...

Season 2, Episode 27:  Just in time for Halloween, we have three little tales to get you in the mood:  "The Cookie Man," about a scary urban myth heard in our small town NJ  neighborhood; "The Pelican Club," a story of misguided  adventure, exploring an abandoned building that once housed a night club; and finally, "The Haunted Tunnel of Morris County," offering a bri...

Season 2, Episode 26:  From the long-lost Boardwalk of Linden, NJ, to Revolutionary War sites in Morristown, to New York City art museums, to the monuments of Washington, DC, our school trips were a wild and crazy assortment of adventures that lived on in our memories for years afterwards.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted ta...

Season 2, Episode 25: A fond look back at a few of the popular radio stations and some of the famous DJs  in the New York City area catering to teenagers in the 1950s-1970s, such as WABC, WINS, and WMCA. Featuring on-air sound bites from the Dan Ingram, Murray the K, and Gary Stevens programs, as well as a special music montage of hits from that era.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stor...

Season 2, Episode 24:  From tales of catching lightning bugs and fireflies to serving as the unofficial "bug man" saving his family from creepy-crawly critters, this episode delves into the many ways that insect friends have intersected with our lives -- including the story of a pest control brochure written for an Ohio ad agency.  As always, names have been changed to protect the innoce...

Season 2, Episode 23:  A few summer sagas of memorable jobs from long ago, including grocery store clerk/cashier; gas pump attendant; mailroom clerk; newsletter editor at a Navy base; and security guard for a coffee factory/warehouse.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the styl...

Season 2, Episode 22:  A fond look back at our first days of kindergarten -- including a  "magic" act with crayons that astounded our classmates and got us in hot water with the teacher.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor,...

Season 2, Episode 21:  From downtown shopping to huge mega-malls, we've done it all... and have a few stories to tell in the bargain.  Our shopping journeys have taken us all over the country, including some stops at retailers very close to home in New Jersey, like the JCPenney store where one kid brother shocked the family with an unexpected prank.   In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells...

Season 2, Episode 20: A lifetime of traveling via buses, cable cars, subways, and similar mass transit vehicles brings with it a whole carload of poignant memories, with musical accompaniment by Charlie and the MTA, the Wheels on the Bus, the Trolley Song, and more.  Tickets, get your tickets ready!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-...

Season 2, Episode 19:  Recalling birthday bashes from long ago can be fun, maybe even touching.  Then add a little bit of magic, some Groucho Marx, plus the provocative fad of streaking in your birthday suit, and the episode takes off from there!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, channel...

Season 2, Episode 18: Popular Science magazine had an amazing knack for predicting the future. This episode looks back at some of the new technology it touted back in the 1980s, which is now in common use in our 21st century world. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of...

Season 2, Episode 17:  A special episode, just in time for National Dairy Month!  We celebrate those fond ice cream memories of long ago, including Breyer's, Carvel, Good Humor, Mister Softee, Smith's Dairy of Ohio, and a local neighborhood ice cream parlor at Lampert's Dairy Farm in Linden, NJ.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsi...

Season 2, Episode 16:  Remember those toys from your baby boomer childhood? This episode looks back at a few of those youthful faves, including building blocks, Davy Crockett coonskin caps, Etch-a-Sketch, Mickey Mouse Club ukuleles, toy soldiers, Jon Gnagy paint-by-numbers, magic sets, Howdy Doody puppets, and more.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts...

Season 2, Episode 15:  A brief visit to the land of comic art, comic strips, and comic books, including mentions of Mad Magazine, the Saturday Evening Post cartoons, Classics Illustrated, and other faves from childhood onwards.   In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of J...

Season 2, Episode 14:  Baby Boomer car nuts will enjoy this little detour.  What is it about old cars that excites the typical red-blooded American male? Our latest episode takes a stroll through memory lane, from 1953 Buicks to present-day hybrid electric vehicles.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life...

Season 2, Episode 13: Monkeys, chimps, and apes, oh my!  Our latest episode features a short history of apes in media, including the now-viral social media sensation, "Trunk Monkey." We even created our own Trunk Monkey TV spot, "Disco Trunk Monkey," which you can view on Youtube at bit.ly/DiscoMonkey .  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and co...

Season 2, Episode 12:  Mushrooms - friend or foe?  That all depends on whether you've read Ray Bradbury's classic sci-fi thriller "Come Into My Cellar," or you're simply a mushroom foodie who enjoys fresh mushrooms on pizza or in casseroles or some fancy cuisine.  This episode is about the time we visited a real mushroom farm in western Pennsylvania, and lived to tell abou...

Season 2, Episode 11:  When a health crisis hits, where do you go? The Emergency Room, of course! Tom shares his experience getting a gall bladder removed at the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Rahway, NJ... just a short hop away from Rahway Prison.   In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures, cha...

Season 2, Episode 10: Collectors, hoarders, dumpster divers -- we all know one, or have those tendencies ourselves. This episode focuses on the Old Man's unrivaled cellar treasure trove, with a side journey to Tom's own short-lived collecting days, when Mother Nature threw a monkey wrench into the works.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts wh...

Season 2, Episode 9:  Perfectionism has a price. But there's another side to this coin, and it ain't pretty. This episode takes us back to some early experiences that shaped our young lives, for better or worse, including a stint as classical music DJ and a newscaster wannabe.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales...