Episodes

Since it’s October, we’re digging up one of our classic horror episodes for you here in the bar. Today we’re resurrecting a conversation about a couple of amazing horror movie posters for The Thing and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The stories that inspired them, the artists who created them (Reynold Brown and Drew Struzan) and what makes these posters great. Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of.

Today we continue our conversation about food products named for real people. First, we get a little saucy with our Italian buddy Chef Boyardee. Then we grab some popcorn to go with our pop culture as we get buttered-up with our old friend Orville Redenbacher. These two personalities have been part of our households for years living in our cupboards and on our kitchen tables, a couple faces grinning back at you representing the great American success story.

A lot of chain restaurants and widely-known food products have real names and personalities behind them. Some of these businesses put their founders front and center — a certain international chicken chain comes to mind — while others stick with founders’ names even when the motivations for starting the business get lost as the times and brand stories change. Today we discuss a couple of our favorites: Bob Evans and Nathan Handwerker (you know, the hot dog guy). So ask the bartender for a coup...

Postcards. Even in the age of instant communication, receiving a postcard in the mail is pretty fun. Friends checking-in from familiar haunts or destinations unknown with little pieces of mailed artwork. Today we’re discussing a couple of iconic types of postcards that have delivered surprise and delight to mailboxes for decades: QSL cards and the giant letter “Greetings From” souvenirs. So ask the bartender to mix a couple of Caribbean Postcards and grab a pen and a couple of stamps. We need ...

We're still on summer vacation, so we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Hey, Vern. In this episode we discuss how artwork advertising cigars became a cornerstone for kitsch and a character promoting local businesses became a movie star. What is the deal with dogs playing poker, anyway? And how did Ernest P. Worrell go from plugging local car lots in Nashville to saving Christmas in movie theaters across the country? We answer these questions and introduce you to what may be the coolest...

With news of Ken Kesey’s bus Further returning to San Francisco, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass. We return to our series kickoff on psychedelia by discussing its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its lasting effects. Psychedelia’s origins are messy, fascinating, and full of odd little historical crosscurrents. We discuss science, bicycle rides and the first official album of psychedelic music. So, ask the ...

There are signs that have symbolized professions for so long that their origin stories are unknown to the very customers served by them. Today we're discussing two of those symbols: barber poles and pawnbroker balls. Unless you’re truly in the middle of nowhere, you can find within minutes of where you live, work or both.

Today we’ve brought a couple of interesting products with us to the bar that were originally created for movies and television, and later made the leap into the real world once they became household names. We’re having dessert first as we sample a Wonka Bar and then we're wetting our whistles with a couple of Duff Beers.

In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. In 1976, our nation turned 200, KISS released “Rock and Roll Over” with Michael Doret’s amazing album art and the timeless bicentennial star logo from designer Bruce Blackburn was everywhere from postage stamps to NASA equipment.

Today we’re digging around in the backs of our minds and the pits of our stomachs to remember a couple of beloved food products. Ones that have cult followings and large groups of people who lament these products’ eventual demise. We’re talking about the origins of TaB Soda from Coke and the fried Apple Pie from McDonald’s. (Hey, we never said this was a health food podcast…) So ask the bartender to mix a Texas Tab for you – and maybe a couple for us. We’re hitting the drive thru and then roll...