The Weirdest Thing

"The Sausalito Tapes."

This week Amelia takes us through the ups and downs and jaw-dropping drama (and, man, do we mean DRAMA) behind the creation of Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album "Rumours." You want breakups? Epic temper tantrums? Brutal lyrical takedowns disguised as love songs about dogs? How about literal MILES of cocaine? We've got all that for you, and more.

So how did a band going through such catastrophic turmoil create such an enduring--and undeniably awesome--classic? You've got the questions, and Amelia has the answers.

"Dedicated oddballs, glamazons, and creatures of the night..."

This week Scotty does a deep dive into the history of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and describes how it went from smash stage hit to cinematic flop to perhaps the most beloved cult film of all time. He and Amelia conclude with a conversation about the more positive aspects of fan culture, and how it can provide a refuge for folks who've been otherwise excluded from the mainstream.

"A golden ear."

This week Amelia presents a bit of an amuse-bouche of an episode, with her story about the history of "the Wilhelm scream" and how it became perhaps the most recognizable sound effect in movie history. Scotty and Amelia also reminisce fondly about a few of their not-so-glamorous experiences on movie sets over the years.

To watch a compilation of clips of the Wilhelm scream, click here: https://youtu.be/Zf8aBFTVNEU?si=G0nt1Jzr6vPhtwzd

To hear the full original recording of the scream, click here: https://blog.freesound.org/?p=1515

"Great Story! -- Our 100th Episode"

HELLO, boils and ghouls! We made it to 100 episodes! And in celebration, we've got yet another WEEEIRD story for you this week! Your GhouLunatic host Scotty takes his partner Amelia deep into the rat-infested catacombs of 1950s horror comics, where rotting corpses rise from the grave and the putrid stench of pearl-clutching U.S. Senators threatens to bring down an entire industry of writers, artists, and misfit FREAKS!

Would you like us to stick around for another 100 episodes? Well, kiddies...be careful what you AX for...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

"The Hipster Effect."

This week Amelia talks about the concept of generations--from Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway's storied "Lost Generation," all the way up through today's "Zoomers" and Generation Alpha. And she and Scotty use irrefutable science and logic to determine which of the previous century's many generations is, in fact, the best (spoiler alert: it's obviously Generation X).

"Ramon Raquello and His Orchestra..."

Don't adjust that dial (actually do, because Scotty kind of screwed up the level on his audio track )...this week's episode is about an alien invasion. Or so Orson Welles would have you believe. That's right; Scotty is bringing you the story of Mercury Theatre on the Air's infamous 1938 broadcast of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds," the "panic" it created, the headlines it generated, and he finally answers the eternal question: was Welles a total genius, a massive douchebag, or maybe both at the same time?

WARNING: Scotty really did kind of mess up his audio track. It's not terrible, but his voice is a teensy bit distorted. So maybe don't turn your headphones up to 11.

"Booze terrorism."

In the first episode of our new one-story-a-week format, Amelia takes us on an exploration of Tiki culture--from its well-meaning (if questionable) origins to its more dubious evolution over time. And she poses the ever-important question: is it possible to responsibly Tiki in this day and age?

"F.T.S.O.D."

Break out your popcorn buckets, because Scotty and Amelia are going back to the movies this week with a special Oscars episode. They start off with some strong opinions about two of this year's big Best Picture contenders: Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" and Cord Jefferson's "American Fiction." They follow that up with some, er, maybe less strong opinions about Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" and Celine Song's "Past Lives." They close out with a few thoughts on "Godzilla Minus One" and "Saltburn," two films that got some serious Oscar buzz but came up short on nominations.

SPOILER WARNING: There are moderate spoilers in this episode, particularly for "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Saltburn."

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"A threat to the patriarchy."

This week Scotty reviews a pair of documentaries about two seminal bands who coincidentally share the same morbid name, while Amelia relates the story of the inspiring life and work--and the infuriating death--of Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta. They conclude with some more Oscar talk; Scotty finally shares his thoughts on "Barbie" and talks about "The Zone of Interest," while they both rave about "Society of the Snow."

CONTENT WARNING: Amelia's story discusses sexual assault, violence against women, murder, and suicide.

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"Germanism and gloom..."

Happy 2024, everyone! For our first show of the new year, we have a couple wildly different stories for you. Amelia tells the tale of how one guy stole an idea and turned it into one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world. Meanwhile, Scotty details the sad life and strange death of Edgar Allan Poe. Since we're coming into Awards Season, we also spend a few minutes at the beginning talking about the movies "Oppenheimer" and "The Iron Claw."

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