Whims of Resistance

Episode 35: Recalling those favorite amusement parks of long ago, including Palisades Park, Olympic Park, Chippewa Lake, and others, plus the story of an embarrassing incident when a young, ambitious, game show host wannabe gets his comeuppance at an amusement park outing.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his li...

Episode 34: Remember when bicycling gave you your first taste of freedom and mobility -- before you got your learner's permit to drive a car?  A Look Behind in Rewind shares a few tales of teenage biking, including venturing into dangerous, unknown territory.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life advent...

Episode 33:  What happens when a movie classic like Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds bombs at the box office during a fundraising event? A Look Behind in Rewind shares the memory of a fateful night when the birds came home to roost at a booby-trapped dorm room.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventur...

Episode 32: From War of the Worlds to Star Trek, Star Wars, Don't Look Up, and more! A Look Behind in Rewind transports you to galaxies yet undiscovered, plus a childhood star-gazing tale that anyone in the New York metro area can relate to.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, channeling t...

Episode 31: With so many old TV shows being rebooted, why not a Three Stooges revival? A Look Behind in Rewind shares memories of an unforgettable live appearance by the Three Stooges at the DeWitt Theatre in Bayonne, NJ, as well as the report of a modern-day Stooge following in his grandfather's footsteps.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whim...

Episode 30: A trip back in time to those fun days of sledding down snowy neighborhood streets on a Flexible Flyer, as reported by A Look Behind in Rewind spy, Ray from Colorado. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio.    Want to chat? Click he...

Episode 29: Taking a family trip to Hershey can be fun, if you stay on course. But if you miss the turn, be prepared to improvise. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio.  Want to chat? Click here to text us. If you enjoyed this podcast, you'r...

Episode 28:  A horse is a horse, of course, of course. Here are a few horse tales, both ancient and more recent, from our travels down some dusty trails.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio.   Want to chat? Click here to text us. If you en...

Episode 27:  Pirate passion on Cape Cod... a crooked river on fire in Ohio... Jersey Shore grammar... and more! This episode shares a few random tales of places and attractions near or on the water. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio.    W...

Episode 26: Just in time for holiday get-togethers -- a look back at those famous gags and novelty items advertised on the back covers of comic books in the 1960s, including hand buzzers, bald wigs, whoopee cushions, and more.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jea...

Episode 25: A couple of spooky tales from years ago, in the spirit of Halloween... including a scary "home alone" story involving a plastic Dracula model kit that seemingly conjured up demons and devils from the local graveyard.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life adventures, modeled on the monol...

Episode 24: What's happening to our culture? When has "being different" become such a badge of honor... or shame? Here's a lighthearted look at the evolution of how creative artists have been received, from caveman times to beatnik Maynard G. Krebs to the present.   In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspir...

Episode 23: Imitation is the best type of flattery - and we've seen our share of impersonators over the years, including Elvis, Spock, Snow White, and Groucho. Here's a brief account of some of the celebrity impressions we've witnessed in our travels. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his life advent...

Episode 22: A few fond memories of driving Route 22 in New Jersey -- the 180-mile mother lode of schmaltz, commercialism, and Americana...not to mention NASCAR crazies. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio.   Want to chat? Click...

Episode 21: James Bond, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and all the other spy stories of the 1960s were certainly formative influences for many of us Baby Boomers. Here are a few tales from that era of secret agents, including a wild car chase and an unexpected encounter following Senior Prom.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales insp...

Episode 20: Visiting big cities to "feel the concrete beneath your feet" definitely has its ups and downs. We look back at some great places we've visited, like New York City, Boston, and Hoboken. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, modeled on the monologues of Jean Sh...

Episode 19: Some areas boast featured creatures that have helped make their city or town famous. We take a fond, lighthearted look at a few of these, including the buzzards and woollybear caterpillars of Cleveland, Ohio and the pink flamingos of Leominster, Massachusetts. In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired by his trav...

Episode 18: What do hurricanes and last days at work have in common? Beware, trouble lurks at every turn. Tom recalls a few experiences coping with hurricanes and workplace near-disasters. For this podcast series, modeled on the monologues of Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, comedic tales inspired by his travels and life adventures.  W...

Episode 17: Remembering those days from long ago when Amazon wasn't the only one in town doing home deliveries. A few humorous recollections about coal deliveries, Charles Chips, ice cream trucks, Avon, Fuller Brush, milkmen, newspapers, and others.  For this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, comedic tales inspired by his travels and life adve...

Episode #16: Mother Nature pulls a fast one on normally sunny, mild New Mexico, and disaster awaits! A deep freeze brings dangerous icy conditions, making for treacherous roads and imperiled prairie dogs. Tom recounts his experiences in the Land of Enchantment on that fateful day. For this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, humorous tales inspired b...

Episode #15: New Jersey's Garden State Parkway is renaming its service areas to honor big-name celebrities. But the big questions are: who made the decisions, and why weren't other prominent Jerseyans of even bigger fame chosen instead?  So Tom shares a made-up Hollywood-style award ceremony to console the runners-up. For this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, a...

Podcast # 14: When a group of young, overconfident guys go out bowling for the first time, little do they suspect that the girls in the next lane are, in reality, bowling sharks poised for the kill. This episode is set in a small town bowling alley in the state of New Jersey. Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, in th...

Podcast #5: Recalling the time when four young boys tried to form a Beatles-inspired band, along with a first trip to the record store. Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, reminiscent of the style of the late Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio in New York. Want to chat? Click here to text us. If you enjoyed this podcast, you...

Podcast #4: A story from college days, when we learned from experience that directing TV shows was not a viable career option for this Spielberg-wannabe. Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, reminiscent of the style of the late Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio in New York.  Want to chat? Click here to text us. If you enjoye...

Podcast #3 in our ongoing series, a "cow-tale" about the day the dairy cows got loose in our little New Jersey community. Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical tales inspired by his travels and life adventures, reminiscent of the style of the late humorist Jean Shepherd of WOR-Radio in New York City. Want to chat? Click here to text us. If you enjoyed this po...