Just A Story: Urban Legend Podcast

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 Gras that you haven’t heard of. Join us this week as we explore the secretive culture of the Mardi Gras Indians, and their role in creating the unique character of the city.

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 fact and fiction become so blurry when he’s nearby that it’s no small task to keep the man and his work separate. And that’s just the way he wanted it. Join us this week as we discuss a plethora of Poe urban legends. From his persona, to his death to the Poe toaster; to all the true stories he molded into legends in his writing. Come on, let’s dive in before something starts rapping at your chamber door. Guest Story Teller courtesy of Libravox 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     

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 it the idea that our human history was once part of something bigger and more fantastic? Sure, that is basically all nostalgia is, when you put it like that. But why have people believed it? Why have generations of people in every region of the globe, at some point in time *believed* that there were giants upon the earth in those days? That’s what we will be exploring this week, the evidence of giants and what people believed about them. Join us as we discuss The Postdam Grenadiers, Greek hero cults, circus giants, a notorious discovery made in Cardiff, New York, and a real life love story of epic proportions. 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

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 more to explore. Maybe we all just want to catch our breath before we dive headlong into a whole new year. So we’ve taken the opportunity to revisit the stories we missed and the things that have changed since we finished these episodes. We also wanted to thank our listeners, so we’ve included some new stories from the episodes that you told us were your favorites. Join us as we re-explore the satanic panic, the sausage king of Chicago, hotel mysteries, Bluebeard. Killer clowns, organ theft and of course; Nazi cows.

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 of elves is centered on this basic truth. But which toys? Should kids get only wholesome, politically correct playthings? Should boys and girls receive different toys? Do they want different toys? Join us this week as we try to get to the bottom of the gendering of children’s toys. Using Barbie as a case study, we will discuss the way certain toys acquire a reputation for being bad for kids, and the common arguments for and against different types of play. We will explore her less than innocent origins and the years of controversy that she has left in her hot pink, glittery wake.  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.         

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 information begin to form a meaningful picture, so of course we love to think we could solve a real case. And sometimes we get so carried away with that idea that we end up creating a brand new fiction. Join us this week as we discuss what went wrong with ‘Hi, Walter’ and decrypt some mysteries surrounding other Youtube mysteries like ‘Deeper’. But really. Our main question, though, is: was the Zodiac Killer just a story?  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.  

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 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.         

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       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod.  

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 to skip if you’d like to avoid that discussion*  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.      

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: justastorypod  Leave a voicemail on the Urban Legend Hotline 1-(512)-222-3375       Help support the show: https://www.patreon.com/justastorypod.  

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://www.patreon.com/justastorypod