Podcasts by Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast
A weekly podcast taking a look at the stories that we tell over and over again. What our myths and misdeeds, fears and fables say about us as humans.
Further podcasts by Just A Story Urban Legend Podcast
Podcast on the topic Gesellschaft und Kultur
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Ep 127: Ceci N'est Pas De L'art: Art Heists from 2018-08-31T22:00
What gives art its value? Is it beauty? Is it history? The artist’s signature? The fact that the piece is housed in a prestigious institution? Maybe it’s the story of the work of art and it’s creat...
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Ep 126: Southern Gothic AF: Ghosts of Natchez from 2018-08-20T01:30
Sometimes the character of a place is so apparent that one can help but feel the stories that formed it. Natchez, Mississippi is one of those places. History has always brought conflicted, complica...
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Ep 125: Deal with the Consequences Later: Vigilantes from 2018-07-28T20:30
There is a time honored tradition in America of elevating the heroes amongst us, who are willing to take matters into their own hands. They quickly become legends. We seem to love an antihero, and ...
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Ep 124: Can Music Save Your Mortal Soul? from 2018-07-09T01:30
Rock and roll is here to stay, and that’s why some truly enduring urban legends have sprung up around the landmark hits and the bands that performed them. Before there was Instagram, or even MySpa...
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Ep 123: Who Watches the Watchers: Shadow People from 2018-06-25T01:00
Shadow People are an international phenomenon. As far as paranormal experiences go, seeing a fleeting dark figure in you peripheral vision, or waking up to a sensation of being unable to move as a ...
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Ep 122: Gorilla Nazi Uber Assassin Super Soldiers Are Coming for Us All from 2018-06-17T04:00
So often when we picture an enemy, a true threat; they become bigger, stronger, faster, or smarter in our mind’s eye. So it’s only natural that for thousands of years, the terrifying ‘other’ has be...
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Ep 121: Death and Loving It: Necrophilia from 2018-06-03T00:30
First of all, spoiler alert... content warning ... ick alert, we are actually going to be discussing necrophilia and its many forms on this charming episode of Just A Story. So, yeah. Join us as we...
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Ep 120: The Ballad of Nessie: The Loch Ness Monster from 2018-05-20T02:30
Okay. We’ve finally done it. It’s Nessie’s turn for the Just A Story treatment. The Loch Ness Monster is said to occupy the vast expanse of water in Scotland, but alas, our dear lake monster remain...
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Ep 119: For The Good Of All: Hell Town from 2018-05-13T03:00
Have you heard of that abandoned town in Ohio where absolutely every urban legend ever happened? No seriously. According to lore, Boston, Ohio (or Hell Town, if we are going with the lore) is home ...
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Ep 118: Beyond Belief: Tulpas from 2018-05-07T00:00
What happened to Olivia Mabel? The internet wants to know. Could grief and longing have created an entity that took on thoughts all its own; after the death of her son? Why would anyone believe tha...
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Ep 117: What Dreams May Come: This Man from 2018-04-29T02:00
When we close our eyes at night, we all become mysteries. Dreaming is one of the most miraculous and least understood things humans can do. It seems that many miraculous, misunderstood dreams have ...
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Ep 116: I Want To Believe: Alien Abductions from 2018-04-22T01:30
So, how do we go from seeing disc in the sky (I hear it was all the rage in 1947); to spending time with aliens on their crafts and being probed? Seems quite a leap, no? Well brothers, sisters and ...
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Ep 115: Cosmic Watergate: The Roswell Incident from 2018-04-15T00:30
When looking back to the Roswell Incident, it isn’t hard to imagine a cowboy with a thousand yard stare sitting next to his old friend with wraparound eyes surveying a southwestern scene, and sa...
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Ep 114: Working Class Heroes: Paul Bunyan&Co from 2018-04-08T02:30
American tall tales are an odd branch of the folkloric family tree. Younger than fairy tales, but older than urban legends; they seem to have descended into a kind of awkward adolescence around the...
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Ep 113: I'm The Prettiest! Mardi Gras Indians from 2018-02-10T02:30
Everything you’ve ever heard about New Orleans Mardi Gras is true. The floats, the beads, the craven apocalypse party - that is all there. What’s more surprising, is that there are parts of Mardi G...
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Ep 112: Edgar Allan Poe, Evermore from 2018-01-28T03:30
Most of the authors we meet in school don’t stick with us as personalities. We remember the stories they create more than we remember them. That’s not true for dear Edgar. In fact the lines between...
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Ep 111: Larger Than Life: Giants from 2018-01-07T04:00
Why do we like to imagine that the world was once full of giants? All cultures seem to have a version of a myth or legend that mentions that how much bigger our ancestors were once upon a time. Is ...
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Ep 110: One More Story: It’s Not a Clip Show from 2017-12-24T03:30
This week we put together some new stories that tie to some of our early episodes. We really just wanted to send the year out by looking back at what we’ve put together so far, and finding even mor...
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Ep 109: Life In Plastic, It’s Fantastic: Toys&Gender from 2017-12-17T18:30
No one in the history of Christmas has ever truly wanted nothing from Santa but their two front teeth. No, no, no, kids want toys. The modern contract between parents, children, Santa, and his army...
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Ep 108: Hi Walter...It's The Zodiac Speaking from 2017-12-10T02:30
Playing detective is all fun and games until you uncover a real clue. Story-lovers have few universal traits. But for the most part, we love a mystery. We love to see disjointed snippets of informa...
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Ep 107: Warring Worlds of Media: Dear David from 2017-12-03T04:00
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 ...
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Ep 106: I Got You Under My Skin: The Spider Bite from 2017-11-26T03:00
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 f...
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Ep 105: Snow Nor Rain, Nor Gloom of Night: Post Boy Road and The Pony Express from 2017-11-19T03:30
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, ...
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Ep 104: A Light in the Attic: Lemp Mansion and Other Hidden Monsters from 2017-11-12T00:30
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 sunligh...
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Ep 103: Money For Nothin: Benevolent Billionaire from 2017-11-04T22:30
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 y...
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Ep 102: What’s in the BOX?! - Dybbuk Boxes&Conjured Chests from 2017-10-29T02:30
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 b...
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EXTRA!: The Hex of Axe Murderer Jake Bird from 2017-10-27T02:30
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 t...
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Ep 101: Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans from 2017-10-22T03:00
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 Cresc...
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Ep 100: Vodou Crossroads Our 100th Story from 2017-10-15T03:00
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. J...
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Ep 99: Like a Wolf, but Not a Wolf: The Loup Garou from 2017-10-08T02:00
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...
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Ep 98: All in the Family: Generational Curses and the Winchester Mystery House from 2017-10-01T02:00
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 notio...
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Ep 97: Finding Myself: Doppelgängers from 2017-09-24T02:00
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. Havin...
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Ep 96: Old Times There Are Not Forgotten: The Lost Cause from 2017-09-17T03:00
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 sout...
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Ep 95: The Man Who Never Dies&Knows Everything: Count St. Germain from 2017-09-10T03:30
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...
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Ep 94: Monsters Beneath Our Feet, Minds in the Gutter: Alligators in the Sewers from 2017-09-03T03:00
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. ...
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Ep 93: We'll Eat You Up We Love You So: The Boogeyman from 2017-08-27T02:00
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...
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Ep 92: Minutiae On Infinite Earths: Mandela Effect from 2017-08-20T01:30
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...
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Ep 91: From Fleming With Love: James Bond from 2017-08-13T02:00
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; dr...
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Ep 90: Thoughts and Memories of Ravens from 2017-08-06T00:30
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 som...
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Ep 89: Forty Whacks: Lizzie Borden from 2017-07-30T03:00
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,...
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Ep 88: The Mystery of the Hereafter: Black Aggie from 2017-07-23T02:30
Cemetery memorials are synonymous with gothic horror. Dark, haunting and beautiful they capture the imagination of those who wander in their midst. Chances are, though, if you are wandering through...
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Ep 87: It Was A Brilliant Cure, But We Lost The Patient: Asylums Part 2 from 2017-07-16T02:00
You may have noticed the irony that can be attached to the phrase, 'what do we have to lose?' So often things can go horribly wrong just after someone asks that fateful, seemingly rhetorical questi...
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Ep 86: We're All Mad Here: Asylums Part 1 from 2017-07-09T01:00
The Lunatic Asylum has loomed large in the public imagination since its very establishment as an institution. We have never been sure what to do with the mad, to use the vernacular of a bygone e...
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Ep 85: Gen. Zaroff, I Presume: Hunting Humans from 2017-07-02T01:30
We, as humans, enjoy our place atop the food chain. Whether it’s true or not, we’ve done a great job convincing ourselves we are basically invincible when it comes to predators. Lions, tigers, and ...
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Ep 84: Betcha on Land They Understand: Mermaids from 2017-06-25T02:00
Join us this week for a special broadcast from under the sea! We will be exploring the long history of people who live underwater and the various purported forms they've taken throughout history. F...
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Ep 83: Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair from 2017-06-17T23:30
In WWI an urban legend was born that has persisted for a century. Its parents? British intelligence officers. They spread a nasty story about the Germans turning their own war dead into soap. And i...
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Ep 82: What's So Funny?: Jokelore from 2017-06-11T02:30
Why do we tell jokes? They're sticky little stories with set-ups and punchlines, and they spread like wildfire. The epitome of the modern oral tradition, jokes have more to say than it might origin...
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Ep 81: Grave Concerns: Ancient Indian Burial Grounds from 2017-06-04T00:30
Do you know why that house, school, building, fairground, place, etc. is haunted? It's because it was built atop an ancient Indian burial ground. Or at least that is what popular culture would have...
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Ep 80: Ill Defined History: The F Word from 2017-05-28T01:30
It seems like the history of definitions and dictionaries might be a bone dry topic. However, things are seldom what they seem. Things are complex, and complicated, and dark and ill-defined. Until ...
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Ep 79: The Strange Case Of... from 2017-05-20T23:00
The monsters will get you, if you don't watch out. They're all around. They're just waiting for their chance to come out. Or are you waiting for yours? Join us this week for a series of strange cas...
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Ep 78: Illegitimate Concerns: Phantom Social Workers from 2017-05-14T02:00
What's more frightening than the idea of your own child being kidnapped or harmed? Nothing. Right. Now that we've established that, let's look at the legend of the phantom social worker with fresh ...
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Ep 77: Burns, Burns, Burns; The Ring of Fire from 2017-05-08T04:00
For years, decades, even centuries; the rumors of human beings bursting into flames of their own accord has been a rumor that no one can seem to put out. The phenomenon known as Spontaneous Human ...
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Ep 76: Taily Po' White Trash from 2017-04-30T00:00
The folk story Taily Po lurks in Appalachia righting what has been put wrong. He is a vengeful beast, but he might be more than just a monster. He may be a symbol of America's tradition of 'forgott...
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Ep 75: Phantasms of the Living: Messages from the Dead from 2017-04-23T01:00
From the dawn of time there have been reports about loved ones returning from the dead for one reason or another. They come to comfort us, or seek revenge, or keep a promise. In some cases these ne...
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Ep 74: Look Upon My Works, And Despair! Curse of the Pharaohs! from 2017-04-16T02:30
In the gilded age, the lore and lure of the mystical power of Egypt was a pervasive component of popular culture. Foremost in the imaginations of the public were the various curses associated with ...
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Ep 73: Down the Rabbit Hole from 2017-04-08T23:00
The metaphor of going down the rabbit hole is defined in the dictionary of idioms as: to enter into a situation or begin a process or journey that is particularly strange, problematic, difficult, c...
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Ep 72: Body Under The Bed, Skeleton In The Closet from 2017-04-02T01:00
There's something so haunting about the classic urban legend that describes the horror of discovering a body under your hotel bed. Well, maybe it's more haunting to imagine not discovering it. Is i...
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Ep 71: School Spirits: College Ghost Stories from 2017-03-25T22:00
There are some locations that just inspire spooky lore: old, decrepit houses; imposing buildings and campgrounds. Somehow, colleges and universities manage to combine the feel of all these places. ...
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Ep 70: The Enemy Within: CONSPIRACY THEORY 101 from 2017-03-18T22:00
Conspiracy theories are a mainstay of modern culture. Whether anchoring complex theatrical thrillers, or filling air time in the twenty-four hour news cycle, the complex shadow machinations of myst...
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Ep 69: Splendid Little Wars: False Flags from 2017-03-12T04:00
War, what is it good for? Apparently, 'absolutely nothing,' may have been a bit of an understatement. Teddy Roosevelt felt every generation of Americans needed its war to build its character. Ma...
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Ep 68: Changelings: Turn And Face The Strange from 2017-03-05T03:00
There are moments when stories transcend geographic and culturally borders, and touch on something fundamentally and universally human. The persistent idea of changelings across Europe, and the ogb...
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Ep 67: We'll Say I Do, And Never Be Lonely Anymore: The Lost Bride from 2017-02-26T00:30
The story of 'The Lost Bride', sometimes called 'The Mistletoe Bride', blurs the line between classic folklore and urban legend. It's one of the older stories that still finds relevancy and wide tr...
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Ep 66: Bigfoot: The Case for the Missing Link from 2017-02-19T01:00
Is there any more well known cryptid in modern lore than Bigfoot? The elusive forest dweller must have one incredible agent. Featured on multiple television programs, Internet channels, and countle...
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Ep 65: Bury Them Side by Side: It's Death for Bonnie and Clyde from 2017-02-12T02:00
What good is a love story without a little danger? Tales of star-crossed lovers do certainly seem to endure the tests of time, if they have a good dose of mortal peril in the mix. Romance means man...
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Ep 64: The Many Faces of the Antichrist: The Omen from 2017-02-04T22:00
This week, we're asking, is it just a movie? We will be taking a look at the 1976 horror classic, "The Omen." Like many movies in this genre, there is an incredible amount of lore about the making ...
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Ep 63: Better Angels of Our Nature from 2017-01-29T01:00
Angels are an intriguing idea. They're ethereal beings who are like us, but maybe, just a little better than we are. They have our best interests at heart, they have wings, and they have a direct l...
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Ep 62: The Uninvited Anesthetist: The Mad Gasser of Mattoon from 2017-01-21T23:00
In the Autumn of 1944, in the small town of Mattoon, Illinois, people were afraid. They weren't afraid of bombs falling from the night sky without warning, or losing loved ones and how they'd get b...
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Ep 61: Birth of a Notion: Needle Men, Night Doctors, and the KKK from 2017-01-14T20:30
Imagine realizing you are worth more dead than you are alive; that there was a market for your corpse; that you might never be allowed to rest in peace, even after death. These are the ideas that d...
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Ep 60: Baby, Baby It’s a Wild World from 2017-01-08T04:30
There is something infinitely fascinating about the idea of children who have grown up outside of the constructs of society. These individuals have taken on legendary status over the centuries, fro...
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Ep 59: You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone from 2017-01-01T02:30
Where do people go when they disappear? The idea that a person can just vanish is inarguably mysterious, and that element of mystery seems to capture the public imagination each time such an event ...
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Ep 58: Let It Go Ice Queen from 2016-12-25T00:00
Ice Queens are all the rage these days. Aside from the popularity of "Frozen", sarcasm, snark, and apathy are kind of the hallmark of our age. But whatever, like we care. This week we'll be taking ...
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Ep 57: Am I Pretty? The Slit Mouthed Woman from 2016-12-18T03:30
The legend of the Slit Mouth Woman has captured the imagination of people around the world. Many are surprised that the story only began circulating amongst the people of Japan in the 1970s. Why is...
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Ep 56: Snuff Films Do Not Exist! from 2016-12-11T00:30
We've all heard whispered rumors about snuff films, films so dark, so depraved, that real actors were actually killed on screen just for the sake of entertainment. We've also heard the resolute de...
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Ep 55: Fearful to Name: The Jersey Devil from 2016-12-03T21:00
The Jersey Devil is an enduring New England legend. Throughout the pine barrens of New Jersey, stories of the American chimera inspire fear and create borders between civilized people and the wilde...
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Ep 54: Welcome to Reality from 2016-11-27T17:30
This week we are taking a look at the classic legend of 'The Pin Prick Attack'. We'll also dive deep into the history of the AIDS epidemic in America, and examine the ways in which the cultural cli...
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Ep 53: All Beauty Must Die: Murder Ballads from 2016-11-20T03:30
Ballads are enduring relics of rich oral tradition. From literary epics like Beowulf, to the seedier broadside ballads sold at public executions; these story songs give us a glimpse at the practice...
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Ep 52.2 Blood Into Ink from 2016-11-16T22:00
1 Year Anniversary Special - Part 2 Who are we, really? Identity is an amorphous, malleable concept that haunts human consciousness at almost every moment. Whether telling a pushy sales person tha...
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Ep 52.1: Blood Into Ink from 2016-11-12T23:00
1 Year Anniversary Special - Part 1 Who are we, really? Identity is an amorphous, malleable concept that haunts human consciousness at almost every moment. Whether telling a pushy sales person tha...
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Ep 51: ...And Justice For All from 2016-11-05T23:00
There's no question that there have been incredible innovations in the ways in which scientists and law enforcement gather and present evidence for trial. Expert testimony has become an almost indi...
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Episode 50: A Monster So Hideous with Joshua Zeman from 2016-10-29T23:30
Whether our parents warned about strangers with candy in windowless vans, or creepy clown gangs, or a deranged loner hiding in the woods; we were all subjected to cautionary tales in one form or an...
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Ep 49: Death Becomes Her: Halloween, The Day of the Dead, and Santa Muerte from 2016-10-22T23:00
Halloween is often described as the one night of the year when spirits can return to the earth and interact with the living. That's a very simplified version of a vast, multicultural tradition that...
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Ep 48: Halloween Hanging: Can You Save Her from 2016-10-15T21:30
It's the time of year when well-meaning suburbanites stage miniature shock and awe campaigns on their front lawns. The sweet retirees on the corner are building a graveyard. Across the street, a so...
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Ep 47: He Mixes It With Love and Makes the World Taste Good; Halloween Spec 2 from 2016-10-08T18:30
Pull up a chair, x-Ray that Snickers bar, and pour yourself some wine; it's time to talk about poisoned candy. Trick or Treat. It didn't begin as a question. In the early days it was a threat, mo...
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Ep 46: You Can't Reason With A Headless Man: 1st Halloween Special from 2016-10-02T00:00
We are pleased to announce a month of spooky Halloween legends, here on Just A Story! We kick off the celebration of the month of hocus pocus and haunts by discussing the origin of the American g...
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Ep 45: A Bitter Pill from 2016-09-24T19:30
We may take its existence for granted today, but the birth of the birth control pill was a long labor of love, belief, and scientific ingenuity. It seems no matter what side of the argument you may...
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Ep 44: Riddle, Mystery, Enigma: Anastasia from 2016-09-17T21:00
Some historical events leave scars on the minds of contemporaries that last long enough to become legends. The execution of the family Romanov in a Siberian cellar under the cover of night and the ...
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Extra: You Can't Handle the Brogue from 2016-09-16T04:30
An Extra to go along with Ep 43: "I Shall Become the Bat" containing the expanded story of the Gorbals vampire hunt from writer John Lees and his discussion of local Scottish urban legends.
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Ep 43: I Shall Become The Bat from 2016-09-10T19:30
When someone says the word 'vampires' to you, what do you imagine? Do you imagine Bela Lugosi, pale and wan; swirling his impeccable cape like he's a matador? Are you lost in thoughts of sparkly, a...
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Ep 42: Jailhouse Rock from 2016-09-03T21:00
Prison is a place you're meant to go when you can no longer control your actions or conform to societal norms. Because prison is meant to house those who deviate from formally instituted rules, and...
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Ep 41: My Baby Takes the Mornin' Train from 2016-08-27T20:30
One of the best surviving examples of oral tradition, or passing cultural information by word of mouth, are jokes. The classic story of 'The Baby Train' is definitely an urban legend with a punchli...
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Ep 40: No One Gets Left Behind or Forgotten: The Night Marchers from 2016-08-21T03:00
When we think of Hawaii, here on the mainland, we might imagine hula dancers in grass skirts. We might think of movies like Lilo and Stitch or Jurassic Park (it was filmed there, look it up). We mi...
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Ep 39: She's a Bad Mother-Shut Your Mouth!: La Llorona from 2016-08-14T01:30
Mothers are meant to guide, nurture and protect their children. We look to their love as a model for selfless giving and unending devotion. But there are bad Mothers out there. There are women who...
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Ep 38: Running Away With (or From) the Circus from 2016-08-07T15:00
The circus is an American institution. It's a carnival of thrills and wonder that crisscrosses the country. The circus coming to town might be the highlight of the year. Breaking the monotony in ev...
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Ep 37: Rippin Up A Rag Doll from 2016-07-31T03:00
Dolls are symbols of childlike innocence; visions of idealized beauty suspended in time. They are treasured companions, well-loved playthings, sweet mementoes. Wait. No. What the hell am I saying...
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Ep 36: Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For? from 2016-07-23T23:00
The legend of "The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs" is one of the most widely circulated, well known urban legends in modern history. This week we ask why this story has such staying power and how ...
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Ep 35: Pants on Fire from 2016-07-16T22:30
From the classic pithy one-liners just before the gavel sting on Law & Order to the antics of Andy and Barney in Mayberry, it seems like we, as a culture, have agreed that even when dealing with so...
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Ep 34: Apocalypse ... Eventually! from 2016-07-10T01:30
Humanity has long been certain that the sky is falling. We've basically been predicting the end of the world since it began. From Nostradamus to Y2K, the doomsday predictions have been as varied as...
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Ep 33: They Must Be Invited from 2016-07-03T18:00
The bond between guest and host is ancient and sacred one. Hospitality has always been considered a virtuous undertaking, in fact, opening your home to travelers and friends was at one time expecte...
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Ep 32: On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts from 2016-06-25T23:30
Thomas DeQuincy first wrote this week's titular essay "On Murder Considered as one of the Fine Arts" in 1827 as satire, but after almost two centuries; it seems old Tom may have been the herald of ...
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Ep 31: Dog Is My Copilot from 2016-06-19T01:30
Charles de Gualle once said, “The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” He may have a point. We seem to love stories about dogs, but as we do here on this podcast, we have ...
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Ep 30: Electric Koolaid Blue Star Acid Test from 2016-06-12T02:30
A lot of conspiracy theorists see connections that others cannot; connections most people cannot fathom, or believe to be real. You know who else sees connections like this? People on acid. So what...
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Ep 29: Blue Beards, Gas Lights, and Other Red Flags from 2016-06-05T00:08:10
Once upon a time there was a man who was anything but a Prince Charming. From Narcissus, to Bluebeard, to Henri Landrieu history is peppered with tales of guys who are really bad at relationships, ...
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Ep 28: You Have But Slumbered Here, While These Visions Did Appear from 2016-05-29T05:06:26
You should be safe in your own bed. It should be a place that allows you take refuge, recharge, and find peace. But nightmares, bad dreams and old hags can ruin that for anyone. These self-generate...
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Ep 27: Campfire Tales: Are You Afraid Of The Dark from 2016-05-22T01:05:43
How do you remember summer camp? What stands out most for you? Is it the memory of mosquito bites? Winning that year's capture the flag? Promising to write new friends, or your first love (and mean...
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Ep 26: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Gay Mafia? from 2016-05-15T00:35:21
Have you heard that the gay mafia is running Hollywood? Well any disenfranchised straight guy in the entertainment industry will tell you about it. Hyperbole aside, the gay mafia is a running joke/...
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Ep 25.2: Modern Folklore or Public Menace: Creepy Pasta from 2016-05-11T22:47:30
SPECIAL 2 PART 25th EPISODE PARTY: PART 2 The website Creepy Pasta has become a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon. This site offers users a chance to share short fiction in a variety of medi...
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Ep 25.1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Urban Legends: Creepy Pasta from 2016-05-08T01:02:46
SPECIAL 2 PART 25th EPISODE PARTY: PART 1 The website Creepy Pasta has become a nearly ubiquitous cultural phenomenon. This site offers users a chance to share short fiction in a variety of medi...
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Ep 24: Bystanders Affected from 2016-05-01T00:01:24
Every year anxious freshmen shuffle into lecture halls for intro to psychology courses, they'll learn names like Freud, Jung, Skinner, James and Piaget. Without a doubt, they'll learn the name Kitt...
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Ep 23: The Perverse&The Preserved: Mummies in Unexpected Places from 2016-04-24T14:53:02
Remember how you begged to go in the haunted house at the Halloween carnival when you were a kid? You know, right before you promptly freaked out and realized you were not as tough and grown up as ...
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Extra! The Devil's Music from 2016-04-22T02:10:58
Extra! Sam had the chance to speak with Shelley Ritter, the Director of the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi about the blues, Robert Johnson, and the origin of "The Devil's Music" L...
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Ep 22: Nazis, I Hate Those Guys from 2016-04-18T02:57:36
Once upon a time, armored knights searched the world for sacred relics, and stories of their quests became legend and lore. Centuries later, noble scholars would follow in the footsteps of these mo...
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Ep 21: Deal With The Devil from 2016-04-10T05:49:40
Music doesn't make sense. We, as humans, respond to the essential emotion in notes and melodies without analysis or forethought. It's a natural, innate language that we all seem to speak. Or is it?...
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Ep 20: You Are What You Eat from 2016-04-02T23:46:01
Weight loss schemes and health trends seem to dominate our social media feeds. Pictures of food are second only to cat videos and inflammatory political rants. Whether you're trying to do battle wi...
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Ep 19: Step Right Up To The Audio Dime Museum from 2016-03-27T03:25:17
Curiouser and Curiouser It is American tradition, but what is it? Before the three ring circus, before the 1932 cult classic "Freaks", before American Horror Story ... There was the dime museum. J...
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Ep 18: You Can't Go Home Again: The Vanishing Hitchhiker from 2016-03-21T04:54:48
You can't go home again. From Dorothy to Odysseus to the guy scream-singing "One of Us" in the car next to you during your hour long commute, people spend a lot of time and effort trying to make th...
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Ep 17: Gotta Get Back In Time from 2016-03-12T22:47:49
Whether wishing we could un-say that thing, or contemplating theoretical physics; we can't help but be fascinated by the notion of time travel. Inspiring such iconic pop culture franchises as Back ...
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Ep 16: 27 Club: Burn Out Or Fade Away? from 2016-03-06T00:07:17
Rock and roll. The devil's music. Destroyer of youth and molder of the juvenile delinquents. From hip-cropping television appearances to record burning protests, the good people (whoever that's sup...
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Ep 15: Writing On The Wall from 2016-02-28T00:18:45
Remember your first night away from home? Not at camp, Not at a slumber party, but really on your own? What advice were you given about safety? How many times did you check the deadbolt? How long d...
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Ep 14: Ouija: What The Eyes See, The Mind Believes from 2016-02-21T00:38:12
Somewhere between the way things were, and the way they are, there was a hope; no, there is a hope, that there's more to life than meets the eye. But, long before news of scientific discoveries wer...
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Ep 13: A Psycho's Best Friend Is His Mother from 2016-02-13T23:24:29
Surely, yes, surely, Norman, Mother, and the horrors of the Bates Motel are merely eccentric imaginings of a darkly gifted mind, right? However unbelievable this Freudian field day seems, it's base...
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Ep 12: Courir de Mardi Gras: Whatever You Got To Do To Get That Chicken Tonight from 2016-02-06T00:43:35
What do you think of when you hear the phrase 'Mardi Gras'? It seems a safe wager to bet that most minds go to booze, boobs, Bourbon Street and beads, but there is another farewell to flesh, celebr...
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Ep 11: Suffer The Little Children from 2016-01-31T04:36:33
We all know children are the future, mostly because the song plays at local supermarkets and dentist's office in heavy rotation, but what if that sentiment isn't as comforting as soft rock would ha...
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Ep 10: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave from 2016-01-24T21:23:36
Hotels are a common fixture in almost any society. Since before the birth of Christ, and, come to think of it, even for the specific occasion of the birth of Christ, people have been hoping to find...
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Ep 9: Dude Looks Like An Avon Lady from 2016-01-16T18:58:57
As we unpack this legend about a cross dressing assailant attacking a woman in her home, issues surrounding gender, violence, and safe spaces are bound to come up. In this episode we take a look at...
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Ep 8: Deliver Her From Evil: The Exorcist from 2016-01-10T02:07:28
Just A Story: The Urban Legend Podcast In December of 1973, there was something wrong with Reagan MacNeil and audiences across the globe flocked to theaters to see just exactly what that 'someth...
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Ep 7: Hooking Up from 2016-01-03T00:16:55
**New and Improved Audio*** For years chaperones and parents did their best to hold onto the keys of their sons' and daughters' chastity belts. The rising car culture after WWII, however; saw mor...
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Ep 6: Dressed To Kill from 2015-12-28T04:28:07
The Poisoned Dress is one of the oldest urban legends in America. Is there any truth to this story? Today we are more concerned with fashion and self-image than ever before, or are we? We explore w...
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Extra!: Santa Claus: Naughty or Nice? from 2015-12-23T05:28:42
Just A Story: The Urban Legend Podcast Bonus Christmas Episode! He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, but he also delivers mountains of toys to the good girls and boys. S...
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Ep 5: Meat Is Murder from 2015-12-20T06:35:20
Food is a basic human need, but how can we be sure that the hand that feeds us is trustworthy? From a real life murder trial in 19th century Chicago to the recent peanut butter fatalities, we have ...
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Ep 4: You Will Believe in The Amityville Horror from 2015-12-13T03:55:09
Just A Story: The Urban Legend Podcast Controversial since its first public telling, the events that took place at 112 Ocean Avenue in December 1974 have literally become the stuff of legend. The ...
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Ep 3: Satanic Panic from 2015-12-07T03:22:58
In the 1980s a fear of all things occult and demonic swept America. Everything from role playing games to preschool was degraded and threatened by this phenomena. Where did these fears come from?
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Ep 2: Killer Clowns from 2015-12-07T03:19:35
Just A Story: The Urban Legend Podcast Today clowns are more synonymous with horror then the circus. Is it the fact that we can't see behind their smiling disguise, or their checkered past that sc...
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Ep 1: Call 911 If You Want to Live from 2015-12-07T03:16:29
Just a Story. The Urban Legend Podcast The question, "What's the worst that can happen?" Is answered once and for all with this urban legend of organ theft.
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