John Roderick is an accomplished musician, the front-man for indie-rock favorites The Long Winters, as well as a writer, politician, and podcaster. These two unlikely friends both live in Seattle, and consider themselves to be authorities on absolutely everything.
John Roderick has hosted 592 Episodes.
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Episode 374: Wuppertal Schwebebahn (Entry 1448.DE0227)
July 8th, 2021 | 1 hr 12 mins
In which a German industrial town builds a unique new type of suspension railway that fails to catch on worldwide, and Ken disses the Eiffel Tower. Certificate #36460.
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Episode 373: Goat Glands (Entry 536.AC0409)
July 6th, 2021 | 1 hr 4 mins
In which a Midwestern quack becomes a radio tycoon (and almost governor of Kansas) by extolling the virtues of animal testicles, and John eats cheese out of a pocket. Certificate #42674.
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Episode 372: Erdos-Bacon-Sabbath (Entry 423.JB3104)
July 1st, 2021 | 1 hr 19 mins
In which we are introduced to the most exclusive cinema-musico-academic club on earth, and Ken volunteers to provide a guest rap. Certificate #32655.
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Episode 371: The Zaire Space Program (Entry 1455.PS11516)
June 29th, 2021 | 1 hr 14 mins
In which a maverick German engineer tries to give an African dictator his very own space program, and John reminds us that astronauts are often quite short. Certificate #48059.
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Episode 370: The 1871 Whaling Disaster (Entry 399.1T0119)
June 24th, 2021 | 1 hr 19 mins
In which a city-sized segment of the world's whaling fleet is trapped together in Arctic ice off Alaska, and Ken blames the horrors of the industrial world on whale ghosts. Certificate #31403.
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Episode 369: James Frazier Reed (Entry 1044.EZ0510)
June 22nd, 2021 | 1 hr 10 mins
In which one pioneer's midlife crisis leads him to a brush with Donner Party death and then prosperity in gold rush California, and John is tempted to murder a bassist with a whip handle. Certificate #51638.
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Episode 368: The Erika Typewriter (Entry 424.JB0412)
June 17th, 2021 | 1 hr 18 mins
In which contraband East German equipment helps create an underground publishing movement in the Soviet Union, and Ken's favorite typeface is now tainted. Certificate #37914.
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Episode 367: Four-Leaf Clovers (Entry 495.JE3623)
June 15th, 2021 | 1 hr 5 mins
In which a rare recessive plant gene produces a persistent superstition and a cutthroat collectors' competition, and John will never mock Allah. Certificate #12598.
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Episode 366: The Panorama of the Monumental Grandeur of the Mississippi Valley (Entry 895.NU2406)
June 10th, 2021 | 1 hr 9 mins
In which very, very large oil paintings become the 19th-century precursor of the modern movie theater, and Ken has never seen the sun rise by choice. Certificate #14751.
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Episode 365: Left Behind (Entry 709.1T0416)
June 8th, 2021 | 1 hr 25 mins
In which some controversial Bible theology sells 65 million apocalypse thriller books and even shapes American foreign policy, and John can identify sinners on a plane. Certificate #40618.
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Episode 364: Nudie Suits (Entry 850.EX2631)
June 3rd, 2021 | 1 hr 5 mins
In which a Ukrainian-born tailor brings the first outrageous stage wear to the American music scene--but in country and western, not glam rock--and Ken is unsure about his sky-blue pants. Certificate #27201.
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Episode 363: Officials General (Entry 861.MK0640)
June 1st, 2021 | 1 hr 21 mins
In which English inherits some "postpositive adjectives" from the Norman Conquest that continue to confuse high-ranking federal officials to this day, and John thinks companies should have one vice president tops. Certificate #18999.