American Hysteria +

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Channel • 2 Shows

Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated Weekly

MAR 24

Burlesque This Mess with Comic Stripper Woody Shticks

Woody Shticks is a comic stripper and burlesque performer as well as the director, production manager, and co-star of our recent live stage show with You’re Wrong About. For this episode, Woody and I talk about our histories with and philosophies around modern burlesque, and I tell him about the drama surrounding the first burlesque troupe to make it big in the United States back in the 1860s. This sexier-than-usual episode will show that the radical joy of art forms like burlesque continue to speak hilarious truth to the boring ass powers that be. Check out Woody's website Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 24

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1h 21m
MAR 17

Thongs

Exposed thongs were all the rage in the early 2000s thanks to a handful of massive pop cultural moments, but as the craze reached the mainstream market and trickled down to teens and tweens, the skank-shaming heated up as did the moral panics and political backlash. Millennials, however, were far from the first generation to experience thong drama, and for this episode we will go back through the last ten decades to see how half of the time moral guardians have tried to legislate the thong out of existence and the other half of the time, the thong has been the thin black line that separated adventurous Americans from the long arm of the law. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at americanhysteria.com Sound Designer and Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Voice Actor: Will Rogers Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 17

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1h 15m
17H AGO

Hoax Spectacular! with You're Wrong About

This is a very special episode I did last year with the podcast You’re Wrong About in which Sarah Marshall and I swapped stories about some of our favorite historical hoaxes and pranks in honor of April Fools Day. Listen to You're Wrong About wherever you get your podcasts Become a Patron to support our show and get ad-free early episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline Carolyn Kendrick produced this episode for YWA Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17h ago

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1h 11m
JAN 13

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Many of you will remember the 1993 best-selling book of inspirational stories, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its bite-sized, sappy triumphs of the human spirit. But shining a modern light on this book today, the collection hits a little bit differently. For part one of this two-part series, I tell podcaster Sarah Marshall of You’re Wrong About the history of this iconic text and read her some of its most batshit stories, and together we discuss their confusing and downright damaging messages. In part two, I’ll tell Sarah about the two motivational wealth coaches behind Chicken Soup for the Soul and the shocking controversies facing the company today. Throughout, we’ll discuss neoliberal mysticism and the prosperity gospel manifestation mindset of not only Chicken Soup for the Soul, but our longterm American culture as well. Resources for LA residents affected by the fires Places to Donate and Ways to Help: LA Mutual Aid California Fire Foundation California Community Foundation Dream Center Canine Rescue Center Get tickets to our live show A Massive Seance with You're Wrong About Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 13

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1h 24m
JAN 20

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Sarah Marshall and I are back for a second helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, the 1993 best-selling collection of "inspirational" and "true" stories. In part two I tell Sarah about the pair of motivational wealth coaches who created the book and then explain what is currently happening at Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment as new leadership has led it down a dark and exploitative path (allegedly). We'll talk more about the book's messages of neoliberal mysticism and prosperity gospel manifestation and put it all in the context of what is currently happening with the Chicken Soup for the Soul company as well as American politics at large. Resources for LA residents affected by the fires Places to Donate and Ways to Help: LA Mutual Aid California Fire Foundation California Community Foundation Dream Center Canine Rescue Center Get tickets to our LA live show A Massive Seance with You're Wrong About Check out a main source for this episode: Soup to Nuts by Amanda Chicago Lewis for Business Insider Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 20

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1h 38m
MAR 10

Context Clues: Let Me See That Thong

Thongs and the battles waged on their backs will be the focus of our upcoming episode. This collection of excerpts from previous episodes will provide some extra context: Wardrobe Malfunction (2019), Teenage Sex (2019), and The Streaking Craze (2023). Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Sound design and Production by Riley Swedelius-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 10

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56 min
FEB 10

The Jersey Devil

This Urban Legends Hotline episode features listener Brandon's inquiry about the legend of the Jersey Devil, a cryptid that has haunted the Pine Barrens of New Jersey for three hundred years. We will explore the various historical events that produced this creature's folklore: a dime museum's elaborate hoax, a radical Puritan woman said to have birthed a monster, a bitchy Quaker feud rife with satanic accusations, and the impoverished people of the Pine Barrens who helped cultivate the tale as a mode of protection. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at americanhysteria.com Check out our main source for this episode: The Secret History of the Jersey Devil Sound Designer and Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Voice Actor: Will Rogers Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 10

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56 min
FEB 24

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive with 'You Are Good' Podcast

RIP David Lynch, beloved director and otherworldly weirdo. The You Are Good feelings podcast about movies graciously invited me to talk about one of the most influential films and artists of my lifetime. Talking all things Lynchian with Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed, I tried to summarize this famously baffling plot of this film, mused about the concept of Duende, and cried on mic about the Unified Field. Whether you are a fan of David Lynch or not, I hope you enjoy this conversation that was very meaningful to me. Listen to You Are Good Find Magpie Cinema Club's cover of Crying and their other music here Get a plot explanation for Mulholland Drive here Produced by Miranda Zickler Co-hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 24

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1h 32m
JAN 27

You Just Lost The Game with 'Spirits' Podcast

Julia Schifini and Amanda McLoughlin are the hosts of the podcast Spirits, a history and comedy show focused on mythology, folklore, and urban legends. Each week they pour a drink and deep dive into stories similar to the ones we cover here. On this episode, my new friends tell me the history of an early 2000s fad called The Game, one that you, dear listeners, have unfortunately already lost. Check out the Spirits podcast! Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline Producer and Editor: Miranda Zickler Associate Producer: Riley Swedelius-Smith Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 27

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1h 17m
FEB 3

Context Clues: The Devil Went Down to Jersey

The famous cryptid known as the Jersey Devil will be the focus of our upcoming Urban Legends Hotline investigation. This episode will provide some context using excerpts from previous topics we have covered. Full episodes to check out: The Cannibal Pig People of Pig Hill (2023) Fake News (2020) Urban Legends (2021) Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on Apple Podcasts Sound design and Production by Riley Swedelius-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 3

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54 min

American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.

4.3 (3084)

SOCIETY & CULTURE

Support American Hysteria with our new subscription. Access all episodes of American Hysteria from 2023 and onwards completely ad free and gain access to the Hysteria Home Companion talk show, where we share with you all the hottest gossip from the cutting room floor. American Hysteria is a podcast exploring the fantastical thinking and irrational fears of Americans through the lenses of moral panics, urban legends, conspiracy theories, and trends of wild thinking, how they shape our history and culture, and why we end up believing them.

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American Hysteria +

Ad free, exclusive episodes from American Hysteria

Top Shows

Burlesque This Mess with Comic Stripper Woody Shticks

Thongs

Hoax Spectacular! with You're Wrong About

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Context Clues: Let Me See That Thong

The Jersey Devil

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive with 'You Are Good' Podcast

You Just Lost The Game with 'Spirits' Podcast

Context Clues: The Devil Went Down to Jersey

Ad free, exclusive episodes from American Hysteria

Hysteria Home Companion: Butchers, Burnings, Bigger Than Jesus: The Beatles’ 1966 North American Tour with Riley Swedelius-Smith

Hysteria Home Companion: Spiders

Hysteria Home Companion: A Third Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Hysteria Home Companion: Hoax Master

Hysteria Home Companion: Celebrity Six with Sarah Marshall

EXT CUT ROUGH CUT: The Horror of Hallmark with Podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed of 'You Are Good'

Hysteria Home Companion: Jack's Conspiracies Really Hit Home

Hysteria Home Companion: An Heiress Buried Alive

Hysteria Home Companion: The Many Lives of a Carnival Corpse

Hysteria Home Companion: The Arcade Conspiracy

About

Content Restricted

American Hysteria +

Ad free, exclusive episodes from American Hysteria

Top Shows

Top Episodes

Burlesque This Mess with Comic Stripper Woody Shticks

Thongs

Hoax Spectacular! with You're Wrong About

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 1 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Chicken Soup for the Soul pt. 2 with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

Context Clues: Let Me See That Thong

The Jersey Devil

David Lynch's Mulholland Drive with 'You Are Good' Podcast

You Just Lost The Game with 'Spirits' Podcast

Context Clues: The Devil Went Down to Jersey