Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast

Each time a new media technology arises, people fear what it will mean for our culture. It’s as if the new platform threatens to melt away all our credulity and healthy skepticism melt away in the burning rapture of our wonderment. Whether it’s genre fiction, radio, television or social media - we were told to approach with caution when each arrived on the scene. But once in a generation a piece of fiction comes along that takes that apprehension, the unfamiliarity of a new medium, and clever storytelling and captures lightning in a bottle. Is this the case in the Twitter phenomenon known as Dear David? Join us this week as we explore the powerful ways media has blurred the lines between fantasy and reality throughout history.  For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod.     

Ever have a blemish that just seems ... weird? Worse than usual? Maybe it hurts or makes the entire area around it red, or it almost itches... whatever the case, once you’ve noticed it; you can’t forget it’s there. You know you shouldn’t pick, but you just can’t help yourself, and when you do ... OUT RUSH A HORDE OF BABY SPIDERS!!  OH MY GOD! NO! I LIKED THEM IN CHARLOTTE’S WEB, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH! AGH!!! - you might say.  ‘Can that really happen?’ you might be saying... Lucky for you, we’ve got the answer on this week’s episode, along with stories of Salvador Dali and his ill-fated pet bat, the care and keeping of lepers; and secret government experiments that you’ve probably been subjected to according to the only source you can trust, the internet. Join us as we discuss the creepy crawlies of the world, and why, how, and if, they get under our skin. Guest Story Teller:  Sarah Steele from Let's Talk About Sects. Check her podcast out: http://www.ltaspod.com For more on this week's episode, and every

Delivering mail is not exciting. It’s certainly not fascinating. No, It’s definitely not in the business of providing thrills and changing history. And while you may not have picked up on my tone, I am being sarcastic; surprisingly enough. The story of mail delivery is the story of ideas being shared. So, from the early days of colonial era, the post boys who ran along the post roads were essential to, well, uniting the states. It’s no wonder that those struck down on the job, not having fulfilled their all important mission were never able to Rest In Peace. Join us this week as we examine the legend of Ohio’s Post Boy Road and the way mail delivery evolved into the grand experiment that has become a Wild West icon, the Pony Express. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod.  

Once upon a time a very rich beer brewer had a son and locked him away in the tippy top floor of his mansion. He didn't let him play with other boys or girls. He didn't let him out into the sunlight. He didn't eve let him exist in any official records. No, this boy was a secret, but one day, he would make himself known. This is the story of the Monkey Faced Boy of Lemp Mansion, but it's not the only one of its kind. Join us this week as we explore the hidden history of hidden rooms and the unfortunate souls allegedly hidden within them. From Monster of Glamis Castle in Scotland; to the Chuas of Gujarat; the newly horrifying disappoint rooms of aristocratic America; we will explore hidden places and practices and the people for whom they were created.  For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod.  

Picture it. You come upon a vehicle, maybe a limo, marooned alongside the highway. You offer your assistance, just because you’re a nice person. Sometime later on you receive a letter saying that you’re mortgage has been paid off; or a check with your name on it is dropped off at your house; or you learn you’ve been named in the will years later. The person you helped was incredibly wealthy, and they were incredibly grateful. Sounds like an 80s movie, doesn’t it? Join us this week as we take a look at the MTV generation and their love affair with capitalism. We’ll also learn about Reagan’s use of Hollywood to amplify his messages to America. Of course, no story of eccentric tycoons is complete without Howard Hughes. We’ll discuss the rise and fall of the un-spruced goose, who defined the darkness of power in America. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375      

Can objects be cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Can they kill people just by being nearby?  Join us this week as we dive into two urban legends that begin in two very unlikely places. First, we’ll go back to a time when Jennifer Love Hewitt was America’s sweetheart and the biggest national debate we had going was over Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC, it was a kinder, gentler era. It was the internet infancy moment that allowed a spooky eBay listing to make the news, and spawned the legend of the Dybbuk Box. Then we will travel to mid century Kentucky, and speak to Mama about the history of some of the family antiques and gives a terribly verifiable list of people the curse has killed. This legend starts with a letter sent with a chest of drawers she ships to her daughter. We’ll finish up curse month with an announcement of our magical mystery winner. Happy Halloween! *Just a heads up, we’re going to discuss sexual abuse in this episode, near the end. After the Conjure Chest (about the last 15 min) is all you’ll need t

Is there more to the story of the Sacrifice Sect and Clementine Barnabet? Join us for this extra from our Patreon show where we dive into the story of the Axe Murder Jake Bird. Could he have been the Human Five? ***Please listen to episode 101 prior to this Extra****      

Somewhere between the bayou and the Bywater; somewhere between Congo Square and the Cathedral; somewhere between Bourbon Street brochures and Big Chief's secrets, between what you imagine the Crescent City to be and what you cannot even imagine, hiding in Pirate's Alley, or buried in St Louis No 1, through wrought iron and sweet jasmine, clinging to a long, low note from a clarinet... yes, somewhere down yonder in New Orleans, there is Marie Laveau, and she is somewhere between the lady and the legend. Join us this week as we discuss the history of Voodoo in Louisiana, its reputation and evolution, as well as crimes which have been erroneously linked to the practice. Of course, we could not talk about New Orleans Voodoo without mentioning Queen Marie Laveau, and her place in the history of the city. We are so excited to share a little of our local lore with you on this special episode of Just A Story! For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram:

As we celebrate a true milestone moment, our 100th episode, we would like to invite you all to join us in exploring a cultural crossroads that has inspired our love of stories from the beginning. Join us this week as we discuss Vodou, the lore and legend which surrounds it and it’s deep connections to the island of Haiti. Did the revolution truly begin with a blood sacrifice? Are zombies real? What’s a lwa? Was Duvalier a dictator or something more terrible still? Did Vodou have something to do with the 2010 earthquake? We can’t promise we’ll have all the answers, but we will certainly have some fantastic stories, and they’re certainly not Just A Story.  Guest Story Teller: The Curator of Audio Dime Museum https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/audio-dime-museum-carnivale/id1096211271?mt=2 For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https:/

It’s ‘I Put a Spell on You’ Month all October! Happy Halloween?? There is an ancient legend that proclaims: “Darkness falls across the land/ The midnight hour is close at hand/ And whosoever shall be found/ Without the soul for getting down/ Must stand and face the hounds of hell/ And rot inside a corpse’s shell/ The foulest stench is in the air/ The funk of forty thousand years/ And grizzly ghouls from every tomb/ Are closing in to share your doom/ And though you fight to stay alive/ Your body starts to shiver/ For no mere mortal can resist/ The evil of the thriller.” Or maybe that's a Michael Jackson song, I can never remember. At any rate, prepare to stand and face the hounds of hell, this week we are talking werewolves! That's right from Lycanthropy, to the Beast of Gevaudan, to Rabies and the scientific superhero Louis Pasteur; we will be asking if this legend's bark is as bad as its bite.  For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justa

  It’s ‘I Put a Spell on You’ Month all October! Happy Halloween?? When you really think about it, we all live in mystery houses. Secrets and blood are two things that really help shape our notions of ‘family’. Perhaps the most well known mystery house of all, that of Widow Winchester in San Jose, California had one more feature that helped define it, a family curse. Join us this week as we explore family curses throughout history. from the Hapsburgs and their ravens to Henry VII and his monks, a good curse seems to be almost status symbol for European royalty. We’ll discuss the machinations of general cursing and the curse of original sin before taking a look at one of America’s own cursed Colt family. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod

Whether it's a ghostly double staring at you from across the street, or a mirror image whose expression doesn't quite match your own; finding 'twins' in unexpected places is quite unsettling. Having an experience like this can make us confront aspects of ourselves we'd really like to ignore; unmoor relationships with reality; and send even the most self-assured into an identity crisis. Doppelgängers are haunting manifestations of the uncanny, a thing that is, or almost is, and yet cannot be. It is little wonder then that so many 19th century writers explored this territory as they searched for their own voice. Join us this week as we discuss the phenomena of doppelgängers and the ways they have haunted authors from Poe to Wilde; from Maupassant to Anderson. Can this all be explained away by Jung's theory of the shadow self? Or is there something more sinister, perhaps even supernatural behind these battles? For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Insta

How can the adoration of a traitorous act against the US sit side by side with American patriotism? What are the intentions behind the lofty monuments and wistful narratives constructed in the south after the American civil war. Join us this week as we dive into a land where cotton was king, the belles were pure, the bondsmen were happy, the yankees were agitators, and the truth didn't matter. That's right. We're tackling the myth of the Southern Lost Cause.

The secret to eternal life has long eluded all of us mortals. The secret to perpetual youth? Also a tricky thing to pin down. That has not stopped wild speculation about what these secrets might be, and who might know them. No, the gossip about immortals is as old as the fear of not being one of them. Lace up your best pair of wandering shoes, and join us as we try to locate the fountain of youth, and gaze at the many guises of the perpetual stranger cursed to roam the earth for eternity. Of course, any story of mysterious immortals that does not mention Count St. Germain is a story half told. We will spend some time unraveling his complicated pasts, and asking the questions no one has dared to ask, and forming some new theories you won't find anywhere else. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod

When someone says, 'what is an urban legend?' Which story do you reach for to illustrate the concept. If you said, 'I just text them a link to your show,' you get a prize; but thats not the point. The point is, you probably, at some point in this hypothetical discussion, bring up the story of alligators in the sewers. Yes, this is, in many ways, the quintessential urban legend. It is necessarily urban, sufficiently widespread, and despite its easily disproven premise, quite persistently shared. Join us this week as we discuss this iconic urban legend; the human relationship to the sewers and their history; and the persistent fears that threats to society lurk just beneath our feet. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod  

The boogeyman will get you if you don't mind your manners... or go to sleep... or listen to your parents. Everyone knows that. But who is he? Where did he come from? What does he want? This week we will look at the shadowy characters who keep children in line and seem to have a natural appetite for destruction. Join us as we discuss villains from El Hombre de Saco to the Beast of Jersey. We'll also discuss Goya's Saturn, and the ways in which it shows it's not only our kids who should fear these men.   For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod

The Mandela Effect is a modern discovery that explains everything about why our current world has stopped making sense. It's a pretty great get-out-of-jail-free-card for the year 2017, which really does owe us all an explanation. What is the Mandela effect? You will have to join us to learn the mind-bending secrets of mysteriously changing vowels and subtle shifts in historical memories when compared to the facts. This week we are exploring alternate universes and the humans who have slipped into them by accident. Don't worry, much like string theory this episode will either explain absolutely everything; or absolutely nothing. Also we will determine once and for all whether Schrödinger's cat is alive in a box, just waiting to be rescued. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod

It's that wonderful, whimsical twist you've been hoping for... Just A Story is once again becoming Just A Movie for one whole episode! This week we are taking a look at the spy who loved us all; drank martinis like it was January 28, 1919; and had license to both thrill and kill. We explore the legendary character James Bond and the man who dreamt him up, Ian Fleming. What makes us love Bond? Where did Fleming find his inspiration? And in the case of this bombastic, over-the-top series of stories; could the truth be stranger than fiction? Join us as we reveal the mysterious history of the English spy ring that inhabited Washington DC in the years preceding World War II. The Baker Street Irregulars, as they called themselves, included people like Ian Fleming and Roald Dahl, and they just might have helped inspire the most well known secret agent of all time.    For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the

What is it about ravens that captures the collective imagination? With their prominence in so many cultures, and importance in so many legends the raven is an iconic symbol, and revered, though sometimes feared, creature the world over. Join us this week as we search for answers to questions to the riddles of ravens? We'll ask; what happens if they leave the Tower of London? Is the raven a symbol of good, or evil? And, just how smart are they? For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagram: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod  

We all know that Lizzie Borden took an axe. We know she gave her father forty whacks; her mother forty-one; and that she got away with murder. Or do we? Her father received under twenty axe wounds, her STEPmother under ten. The murder weapon was probably a hatchet; not an axe, but nothing rhymes with 'hatchet' in the same catchy way. If we are honest about the number of whacks we lose that attractive assonance with 'Borden' and 'forty'. Do these poetic elements justify Lizzie's bad wrap? What really happened on  August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts? Join us this week as we take a look at the famous unsolved murders of Abby and Andrew Borden, and the things about their daughter Lizzie that made people believe she was just dangerous enough to be suspected. We will take a look at the cultural ideas of spinsters, and the rise of the independent women in America; as we try to separate fact from fiction. For more on this week's episode, and every episode: justastorypod.com Twitter: @justastorypod  Instagr