Episodes

Reading can be dangerous, what with all those evil forces out there trying to stymie the free transmission of liberating ideas. And now we have to worry about cholera?! This week, the guys turn the page to when the fear of these new things called germs caused people to think that library books could spread disease. Given that this episode is dropping on Thanksgiving, Kevin and Jason would also like to take a moment to thank you for listening, to this and all of our episodes. We appreciate you a...

Women didn't fare so well in last week's episode. To balance the scales a little bit, this week the guys take a deep dive into the life of Dr. Rosalind Franklin, the badass woman of science whose work directly led to the understanding of the structure ...

No, that’s not a new title for the show! It is, however, a pretty good description of the people featured in this week’s episode! Come get high with the guys as they expel gas and yank your chain with the tale of the Leicester Balloon Riot of 1864.

Norway, Jose! This week, the guys lube up their absolutely worst accents to take you, our loyal listener, to a magical place of fjords, riverboat cruises, wooden shoes (?) and the great Norwegian Butter Crisis of 2011.

What would life be without the ability to look down on other people? This week, the guys look down from a great height, high enough to see the curve of the earth, in order to delve into the Flat Earth Movement. We promise, it’s just as dumb as you’ve come to expect from us.

Are you blue? Now, is it just a feeling, or are you literally blue? This week, they guys set off into the wild blue yonder to learn about the Blue Fugates of Kentucky, a clan of people with a rare genetic condition that turned their skin blue for generations. If you’re not tired of hearing the word “blue” yet, stay tuned!

Pennsylvania is not really known for being the focal point for intense tragedies, but maybe we should reconsider that reputation. This week, the guys revisit the home of the Centralia Fire (featured on the show all the way back on Episode 9) to stare into the murky depths of the 1948 Death Fog of Donora, PA. Maybe try not to breathe too deep as you listen, just to be safe.

Exams aren't the only things you can cram for. This week, the guys get into the stuff of legends as they spelunk into the weird, brief fad of shoving as many college students into a phone booth as possible.

Romancelandia, the fellowship of romance authors and their readers, is a famously supportive and tight community. Until it isn’t. This week, the guys plunge into the #CockyGate scandal, wherein romance author Faleena Hopkins tried, rather cockily, to prevent other authors from placing a commonly-used word into any title of any published work, anywhere, anytime. As you might suspect, things didn’t go great for her.

Here at the Bright Side, we've always assumed that our listeners were just very special people. But this week, we explore the possibility that you all are actually genius reincarnations of an extinct Martian race,

In the latest episode of our Feral Animals Series, the guys say Aloha to the feral chickens of Kauai! In a rollicking adventure that spans the globe, we join these brave, seafaring chickens in their epic quest to find love, freedom, and someplace to gobble up the crumbs of tourists' lunches.

In honor of the Olympics, this week the guys tumble dishonorably into the exact opposite of them--namely, really stupid sports from around the globe. Warning: this episode may cause a case of the "Twisties," and you may want to take some time off afterwards for your mental health. We respect that decision.

Disneyland. The Happiest Place on Earth. Unless you're a rat who can't cook. This week, the guys go searching for the fabled Feral Cats of Disneyland, the storied rat-catchers that stalk the Magic Kingdom at night, yet are hardly ever seen during the day. Do they really exist? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out! Actually, you won't. They do. They exist. But still listen, please.

Ah, it's a lovely day in Central Park in 1901. Take a stroll, ride the carousel, escape the heat in a shaded rocking chair. Now pay that gray-suited goon a nickel, or Mr. Spate will have you arrested for theft! Wait, what? This week, the guys uncover the unhinged story of the Rocking Chair Riots, wherein the little guy stood up for his right to sit down!

Rain blobs keep falling on my head, And sadly, that means my eyes will soon be turning red, And they'll start to bleed, 'Cuz, these blobs are jellyfish or possibly aliens, Or space jelly. And they're worrying me!

No, we already did an episode on the Fyre Festival. This is different. This week, the guys dig up the truth about the cicada horde that lies in wait, only to emerge from the ground every 17 years, impossibly horny and improbably loud. Along the way, they learn that there's almost nothing that a month-long orgy can't cure. Plus recipes!

It should be no surprise that the marketer and inventor behind Sea Monkeys was a charming, whimsical rake. What should surprise you, however, is that he was also a fucking Nazi and weapons manufacturer. Yes, this week the guys dredge up the history of Harold von Braunhut, the huckster and con artist behind such innovations as the Invisible Fish and X-Ray Spex. None of it was real, none of it was true, but we'll be damned if it didn't make him a millionaire.

Say what you want about the Catholic Church, but at least they never exhumed a dead pope just to put him on trial. Wait, oops, nope, they totally did. Ok, just say what you want, then.

Everyone wants to win the lottery, but nobody thinks that the moment could curse their lives forever. Well, it could. In a classic "Be Careful What You Wish For" story, the guys this week scratch off the surface of the Curse of the Lottery Winner. Apologies for this week's sub-par audio. It's all Kevin's fault and he'll fix it for the next episode!

It was a dark time for America. A time when our future was uncertain, and a great war was threatening the very foundation of our nation. A war which pitted brother against brother, which separated the men from the other men (because women aren't dumb enough to engage in this). From our privileged vantage point now, it's hard to remember how close we came to annihilation, but we offer this requiem so that none may ever forget. This week, Kevin and Jason present: the War over Truck Nuts.

Avocado toast isn't the first hipster craze in the City By The Bay, oh no! This week, Kevin and Jason whip up the scrambled story of the Egg War of 1863, wherein a boatload of mercenary Florentines made a hash of a completely avoidable egg shortage in young San Francisco. Omelet the guys take it from here.

This week, the guys fondly remember the brief time in the 80s when Pepsi was the sixth-largest military power in the world. Don't worry, you read that correctly. Hear the wild tale as you enjoy this week's episode. Maybe sit back and crack open a bottle of the most delicious soda, Coke.

It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! It's our 100th episode! Now, here's a story about gnomes.

Ah, Florida, you've done it again. America's marshy haven for the socially-impaired has long had a reputation for producing weirdos with a penchant for headline-grabbing eccentricity, but Kevin and Jason simply had to know: what is the origin of Florida Man? Well, we found him, and his name is Carl Tansler. The OG Florida creep, this fake Count and quack doctor kept a corpse bride in his home for over seven years in the name of "True Love." Trigger warning: probably just don't listen to this one...