I talk with a theatric percussionist who is from Australia, but is currently stuck in Singapore due to the coronavirus pandemic. We discuss audiobooks, Hallmark products, travel difficulties, quarantine, her life as a music student, the internet, Kanye West, accents, jet lag, missing her cats, feline obesity, overthinking, strategies for avoiding stage fright, feminism, empowerment, listening, giving advice, telling stories of sexual assault through percussion, conveying emotion with drums, brea...
Aug 21, 2020•1 hr 9 min
I talk with a home-based IT professional from Texas. We discuss his start in the industry, the Apple II, the struggle of locating replacement vintage computer parts, taking things apart, (not) putting things back together, creativity, the job market, the decline of broad knowledge, the value of experience, the skill of walking non-technically inclined people through troubleshooting, communication, patience, puzzles, IT through the lens of the pandemic, remote technology, mistrust of the cloud, m...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min
I talk with a sales manager, former professional poker player, and Tetris master from Illinois. We discuss gratefulness for quality interpersonal relationships, javelins, manufacturing guidelines, Olympic sponsorships, the differences in equipment for male and female athletes, the greatest sport in the world, internal and external battles, how he got into professional poker, how to stay awake at a casino table for 60 hours straight, Diet Coke habits, the hospitality industry, the importance of a...
Aug 07, 2020•59 min
**Now part of the Apocalypse Podcast Network! Find your next favorite podcast at Apocalypse PodcastNetwork.com** I talk to an improv comedian from Belgium. We discuss his art, comedic and dramatic improv, groupthink, the unusually confrontational nature of improv, the state of federal funding for artistic endeavors in Belgium, the difficulties of working in improv professionally, Whose Line Is It Anyway, the film Don't Think Twice, getting recognized on the street, shyness, being the front man, ...
Jul 31, 2020•1 hr 5 min
I talk to a night auditor and quiz master from Norway. We discuss feline affection, his pub quiz, how to write good trivia questions, the Norwegian competitive quizzing scene, Jeopardy, the lack of quiz bowl in Connecticut schools, our adventures as overnight hotel workers, logical reasoning, guest satisfaction, the time Norten reassembled a cat's jaw in the hotel lobby, the time I cleaned up an overflowing whirlpool tub with a vacuum cleaner, pet policies, Forbes, why I started this podcast, wh...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr
I talk to a flight attendant and former child actress from Los Angeles, California. We discuss technical issues, uniforms, the creeping desire to be famous, getting older, taking pride in adulthood, my game show career, the death of Phone-A-Friend, her experience as a contestant on Let's Make A Deal, receiving our prizes, broken sofas, my experience playing Hollywood Squares against someone who didn't know how to play tic-tac-toe, crying, Jeopardy, seeing The Daily Show live, Stephen Colbert, Al...
Jul 17, 2020•1 hr 15 min
I talk to an artificial intelligence expert from India. We discuss the fundamentals of machine learning, future applications of artificial intelligence, the Indian education system vs. the American education system, learning English, setting children up for success, our first computers, learning how to use the internet, the quarantine in India, the draw of tourists to Lancaster County, Indian snack foods, veganism, the team Akshay works with, the dangers of AI, surveillance, fear, the eventual i...
Jul 10, 2020•53 min
I talk to an Afro-Uruguayan foreign trade investigator and aspiring actress from Argentina. We discuss the stress of her job, her move from Uruguay to Argentina, my damn cat, breaking into the theater and television industries, Afro-Uruguayan representation in Argentinian media, racism in South America, racism in Connecticut, microaggressions, Tinder, my short-lived acting career, making people laugh, the time I was the President of the United States, loneliness, how she chose her current career...
Jul 04, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Angel is a self-made entrepreneur and beauty queen from the Philippines. We talk about our home studio setups, the struggles of growing up without much money, the love of learning, history class in the Philippines, preparing for a beauty pageant, competitive PowerPoint battles, my love of being embarrassed, how she started her own business, philanthropy, Filipino business role models, her podcast, Steve Jobs, asking permission, confidence, outsourcing, being a fun manager, the moment I realized ...
Jun 30, 2020•59 min
I talk to an unemployed beer deliveryman who moved from California to Florida a week ago. We discuss new changes of pace, minimalism, lack of respect for professional authority, taking pride in a job, buying electronics on Craigslist, stolen bikes, how to steal from Sunglass Hut, working in loss prevention, being homeless, drug addiction, sympathy, empathy, Dillon's childhood, how his mother saved his life at five days old, an accident which left his arm partially paralyzed, depression, suicide,...
Jun 26, 2020•1 hr 9 min
(NSFW) I talk with a sex worker and adult content creator from Sweden. We talk about porn-stardom, her exhibitionism, losing her virginity at 14, the myth of sexual liberation in Sweden, the stigma of sex work, the economics of making internet porn, avoiding the statistics, amateur porn vs. big-budget adult entertainment, representation, community, making fetish videos, crushing, mental health struggles, Twitter DMs, separating business and pleasure, drawing the line, Raspberry Pi, Nintendo, Pla...
Jun 19, 2020•53 min
I talk with a professor and fellow storyteller from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We discuss the social dynamic between John and his son, meeting his wife, Rocky Horror, neuromythology, teaching, storytelling, regretting the childhood view of reading as a chore, movies taking the place of literature, bad sequels, the gradual decline of The Simpsons, adventures in Las Vegas, Lancaster drivers, Boston drivers, LA drivers, what I originally wanted to do with my life, why I don't want to be a stand-up co...
Jun 14, 2020•1 hr 5 min
I talk with a wildlife biologist and bee researcher from Montana. We discuss weather patterns, macro-vertebrates, the difficulties of studying bees, snuggling, how and why she became a biologist, the concept of zero, parasitic bumblebees, the murder hornet in America, the love of birds, Connecticut's parakeet infestation, feline depression, whether honey is vegan, trickery, the transition from homeschooling to public school, religious doubt, true science, being friends with the popular kids, tro...
Jun 10, 2020•1 hr 5 min
I talk to a recent college graduate from Ohio. We discuss her podcast, the awkwardness of recording alone, adding the adobo, virtual graduation, the memories created during quarantine, limbo, rebelling against pop culture, How It's Made, Jeopardy, my game show career, the water cycle, buzzer strategies, pub trivia, Cory Anotado's Game Show Gauntlet, quiz culture, the first time meeting someone who matches your nerd energy, the ownership of video games as personal victory, Bratz, the Game Boy Mic...
Jun 05, 2020•1 hr 24 min
RIP George Floyd. I talk with a supermarket worker from Scotland. We discuss working during the pandemic, studying psychology, student debt, being a good listener, empathy in our childhood, the introduction of the internet to our households, post-Industrial Revolution optimism, the midnight Keystone to Lancaster, BBC Ceefax, the love of analog technology, growth in relationships and marriages, self-awareness, organized religion as control, the Catholic Church, "guarantee culture" in America, the...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 14 min
I talk to an actor, broadcaster and former game show host from Texas. We discuss technical difficulties, Celebrity Sweepstakes, drunk and indignant celebrities, getting slapped in the face by Joey Bishop, the disappearance of the master tapes of his most popular series, how to handle Tina Sinatra swearing at you on live TV, how he lucked into his first hosting gig, working with Burt Reynolds, being known as the patron saint of unsold game show pilots, my first interview ever, living with Parkins...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 8 min
I talk with a construction worker and coronavirus survivor from Florida. We discuss cliques in the workplace, moving from Florida to Idaho to North Dakota and back, podcasting during a pandemic, having a child at age 17, meeting his wife at Steak n Shake, self-tattooing, Adventure Time and 90s animation, making Molotov cocktails, setting the woods on fire, how I got fired from my first hotel job, doing donuts, how he contracted the virus, how he recovered, and cold showers.
May 26, 2020•1 hr 8 min
I talk with CeCe from Las Vegas. We discuss creativity, slot machine strategies, the urge to leave our hometowns, honesty in media, multi-instrumentalism, the underground mall in Atlanta, fried alligator, and me.
May 21, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Chris is a hotel revenue manager and cardistry aficionado from Virginia. We discuss unexpectedly landing careers in hospitality, the stress of working at the front desk, learning magic at a young age, being honest about mistakes, our first-ever computers, the golden age of the internet, cell phone addiction, the pursuit of validation, the lost art of conversation, and more. Also, somewhere in there, Chris teaches me how to do that thing where you shoot a deck of cards from one hand to the other.
May 15, 2019•1 hr 16 min
No agenda. No script. Listen as complete strangers become friends. strangerthanchristian.com
Apr 13, 2019•2 min
I talk with an artist and former teacher from Iowa. We discuss the merits of modern art, the challenges of grading student work, the realization of lifelong dreams, the saga of the false rape accusation that cost him his job, his subsequent suicide attempt, the value of a good wife, the podcast he does with his brothers, and compassion.
Apr 13, 2019•53 min
I make a new friend from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We talk about our mental health, supportive and unsupportive work environments, applying the rules of improv to everyday life, the Oscars, Canadian currency, cognitive dissonance, forced patriotism, and Conan O'Brien's Wild Desk Ride at the NBC Experience Store in New York City.
Apr 11, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Bobbie is a journalist, new mom, and ceramic artist from Kentucky. We talk during her morning walk.
Apr 10, 2019•52 min
Kevin is a fire-breathing, poly-amorous paralegal and community organizer from Virginia.
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 8 min
Darren is an English tutor from the Philippines. Recorded in a 1993 Saturn SC2 traveling down Interstate 95 in Connecticut.
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr 11 min
Lindsey is a theater enthusiast, former teacher, waking nightmare sufferer, Twin Peaks collector, recovering Tetris addict, and mayor's daughter from Indiana.
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr 7 min
