Whims of Resistance

Season 2, Episode 8:  Which is better -- down the shore vs. up to the lake?  This episode delves into the eternal debate over which are the preferred New Jersey beach destinations, including Asbury Park and Lake Hopatcong.  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 Sh...

Season 2, Episode 7:  When five rowdy high school buddies get together for a night of cruising, which they called a "Bus Tour," anything can happen -- and it did!  This episode describes their journey on New Jersey's famous Route 22, including dealing with a failed muffler, dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and their attempt to return home.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells s...

Season 2, Episode 6:  A long, long time ago in Cleveland, Ohio, a very young, inexperienced politician took the helm at City Hall.  To mark the occasion, a political satire radio series about his escapades was produced, in hopes of getting onto a local radio station. We dug up three of these old episodes from our files, to entertain our present day podcast listeners.  In this podcast series, Tom N...

Season 2, Episode 5:  Too many holidays, too little time?  This podcast episode offers a wild, wacky solution: combine them all into one gigantic holiday called Hallowethankrisukkah.  We revisit the subject of holiday consolidation, first proposed in a high school newspaper article back in the late 1960s.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical,...

Season 2, Episode 4:  Jean Shepherd fans will appreciate this brief review and mini-tribute on the occasion of "A Christmas Story Christmas" making its debut on HBO Max.  This episode hits some of the highlights of the new sequel, without giving away too many spoilers -- including a short discussion of "Easter eggs" to be found in the movie, and a mention of the shooting locati...

Season 2, Episode 3:  In the 1960s, going out to watch submarine races was a clever euphemism or polite term for "making out." New York City disk jockeys like Murray the K and Cousin Bruce Morrow promoted it on their radio shows, and area teenagers eagerly took the bait. This episode offers a short history of "submarine races," featuring a few personal recollections of the spor...

Season 2, Episode 2:  Our conversation with former high school classmate Don Krueger continues. Don was Student Council president during our senior year, and so was privy to many interesting, behind-the-scenes encounters with administrators, teachers, students, and community residents.  Today's concluding episode delves into topics like diversity in the student population, censorship of stude...

Season 2, Episode 1:  We check in with a former high school classmate, Don Krueger, who was Student Council president during our Senior Year. In part one of the conversation, Don talks about dress codes, student protests, and other aspects of high school life in the 1960s-70s.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired...

Episode 52: It's funny how names - real, made-up, or falsely assumed - have played such a big part in movies, radio, and TV through the years. This episode features a few such examples, including Romper Room, Shirley Ellis' Name Game, and Spartacus, which all served as formative influences growing up...even in high school gym class! In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shar...

Episode 51: Crashing the NBC Radio studios at Rockefeller Center to visit the legendary DJ Wolfman Jack in his NYC lair in the early 1970s.  A tale of bravado, b.s., and broadcast baloney.  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, Mark Twa...

Episode 50: Take yourself out to the ballgame, and hear some stories about the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees, and an ill-fated, calamitous softball game in middle school -- which explains why Tom Nielson avoids baseball games to this very day.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures,...

Episode 49:  Remember the days when fireworks were the big climax of the summer? This belated story about July 4th, illicit fireworks, cap pistols, punks, cattails, and other home-made flammables is a good way to finish out this summer season with a bang. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his life adventures,...

Episode 48: Transplant the humor of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In to a high school in northern New Jersey, and what do you get? Maybe a "Senior Follies" stage production that socks it to teachers, classmates, and administration in a zany parody of the original NBC TV series? You bet your sweet bippy!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts w...

Episode 47: What do The Sweathogs and Ben Franklin have in common? How about a middle school field trip to see Ben Franklin on Broadway? A rowdy 7th grade class learns history in an unconventional setting, thanks to a singing and dancing Founding Father.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, chan...

Episode 46: Once upon a time, in the days before internet, online gaming, and other high tech activities, kids used to entertain themselves with whatever was available. So to aid in role-playing games, we scrounged for materials in the old man's workshop in order to make the experience even more authentic. Staging a pretend space launch was no exception. And one time, having a Frankenstein la...

Episode 45: When high school pals start their own history club and begin collecting World War II artifacts to validate their town's heritage, trouble ensues in the classroom as the wild kingdom of Mother Nature asserts itself.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of Jea...

Episode 44: All aboard! In this episode, we take you on a nostalgic tour of youthful model railroading, with stops along the way for tales of trackside pennies and donuts in the small northeastern town of Linden, NJ. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of Jean Shepherd, Garr...

Episode 43: A quick tour of comic book fandom from kiddie comics through adult-themed and satirical works. Featuring a description of the time a Cleveland TV station held open auditions for the hosting role of a new Howard The Duck late night program. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales  inspired by his life adventures, channel...

Episode 42: Who was your TV hero, growing up? Ours was Superman -- the original B&W George Reeves version! Our latest podcast episode features a few memories from those Super years of childhood cos-play and pretend-adventures, including some trivia from the TV show. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life a...

Episode 41: Small town radio can be a real hoot -- both on and off the air. Here are a few memories from WJDM-Radio in Elizabeth, NJ, which wasn't all that different from the craziness at WKRP in Cincinnati. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Ra...

Episode 40: Discovering our unique ethnic heritage, growing up in Linden, NJ, known as a major hub for Polish immigration on the East Coast. Includes a tribute to the now-defunct Big Stash's restaurant, the site of many apres-bowling feasts where we consumed mass quantities of beer, piroghis, stuffed cabbages & more.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and...

Episode 39: Both professional and amateur kazoo performers will enjoy this brief story of where it all begins -- the Kazoobie Kazoo Museum and Factory in Beaufort, South Carolina. Fans of Jean Shepherd of WOR Radio in New York will also appreciate this kazoo connection, since Shep was a well-known kazoo connoisseur who often accompanied his nightly monologues with wild and wacky kazoo music (which...

Episode 38: What's your most unusual food encounter? In our latest episode, hear about a few experiences we've had, including frogs legs, escargot, deep-fried crawdaddies, and the pièce de résistance, a green onion sandwich. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling the style of J...

Episode 37: Tales of unusual artwork, from Florida's famous whimsy museum, to an odd metallic object seen on Interstate 95, to tweaking the nose of the fine arts establishment  through entries in a local art competition that were made half in jest.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, chann...

Episode 36: Stories of alligator encounters, from Wally Gator animated cartoons to a possibly apocryphal tale of an alligator experience in the Florida Everglades with the Bus Tour boys. Includes mention of Jean Shepherd's home on Sanibel Island, plus Shep's Bahn Frei theme music. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales i...