Cool Weird Awesome With Brady Carlson

Today in 2023, a news report on the end of an era: a pastry chef in Anchorage, Alaska was, for the last time, building his massive and renowned holiday village out of gingerbread. Also on this day in 2023: a diner in China posted a photo of their food on social media, and ended up with a lot more entrees than anybody could eat. ‘I had a good run’: Pastry Chef Joe Hickel on his final Hotel Captain Cook gingerbread village display (KTUU) After decades of sugary magic, Hotel Captain Cook pastry chef ices his final gingerbread village (Anchorage Daily News) Food faux pas: China diner shocked by US$60,000 bill for meal after accidentally posting photo of dish ordering QR code online (South China Morning Post) Join our village when you back our show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1976, Pink Floyd was trying to take a photo of an inflatable pig flying over a power plant for one of its iconic album covers… only the situation literally got out of hand. Plus: today in 1971, the release of the debut album by the Electric Light Orchestra, which accidentally got released with the wrong album title because of a phone call gone wrong. Pink Floyd's Pig Gets Loose (Songfacts) Electric Light Orchestra's No Answer  Don’t get dragged down by the stone, back our show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

During National Car Donation Month, some drivers may trade out gas-powered cars and trucks for electric ones. But EVs aren't the only alternative: for decades, people have built and driven cars powered by firewood. Plus: this Saturday in Milwaukee, it’s the Santa Cycle Rampage. Wood Gas Vehicles: Cars That Run on Firewood (Amusing Planet) Santa Cycle Rampage in Milwaukee (Wisconsin Bike Fed) Power our show as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2022, we look at how the sitcom "WKRP In Cincinnati" put together its absolutely legendary Thanksgiving episode. Turkeys Away: An Oral History (Classic TV History) We give thanks today (and every day) for our Patreon backers, and for all our listeners and fans!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2021, the story of the woman who accidentally invited a stranger to Thanksgiving, and then she and her new dinner guest became friends. Plus: in 1957, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade went ahead despite the rain, which led to an odd problem. Young man who was accidentally invited to ‘grandma’s’ Thanksgiving as a teen keeps tradition going (CNN) Pair that went viral for Thanksgiving dinner reuniting for sixth celebration (WWL) Most infamous balloon accidents from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (KOAM) We are very thankful for our Patreon backers today and every day!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2019, we look at how Thanksgiving leftovers once changed the entire way we eat. Plus: a big moment for (literally) underground music, the Holiday Cave Sing at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The Rise and Fall of the TV Dinner (Cheddar on YouTube) Mammoth Cave hosts 40th annual holiday cave sing Dec. 1  (WDRB) If you want to sing out, sing out, and if you want to back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon, back Cool Weird Awesome on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2019, we celebrate that for which we are all most grateful: the bewildering foods that inexplicably become part of our annual Thanksgiving dinners. Plus: at this time of year, enthusiasts who turn their houses into massive holiday light displays, like the one known as Peteyville in Hammond, Indiana. i cannot wait to hear about the recipes you’re all excited to make for thanksgiving (Maya Kosoff on Twitter) Instant Appetizer (Brady Carlson on Twitter) Peteyville: A Holiday Lights Tradition for 30+ Years (Visit Indiana) Photo by Marcia O’Connor via Flickr/Creative Commons --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

This week we’re replaying some of our past episodes about the holiday and its traditions. In this episode from November 2020, we remember the 2008 Macy’s parade, the only parade that’s ever been Rickrolled in real time, by Rick Astley himself. Plus: a dad in Thailand has started playing piano concerts for a group of wild macaques living in an abandoned theater. An Oral History of Rickrolling (Mel Magazine) History of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (I LOVE NY) Playing Piano for Macaques (Nag on the Lake) We’re extra thankful this year for our Patreon backers! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 2012, football fans got to see one of the most spectacularly wrong plays in NFL history, one known today simply as “the butt fumble.” Plus: today in 2017, a report on what could have been the greatest crossover event in movie history, with an icon of slasher movies facing off against two icons of stoner movies. A Decade of Butt Jokes and Misery, It’s the Butt Fumble’s Birthday (The Ringer)  ‘Friday the 13th’ Series Director Once Pitched ‘Cheech and Chong Meets Jason’ (The Wrap) Don’t fumble the chance to back our show today on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the US Constitution. In the central part of the state there's an unincorporated community that locals named Whynot for a pretty unusual reason. Plus: starting Saturday in Milwaukee, it’s Trainfest, which bills itself as the largest operating model railroad show in the US. Whynot, North Carolina Was Named Out of Sheer Boredom (Conde Nast Traveler) Trainfest 2024  Why not visit our Patreon site and support our show? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1969, at a session for soul and funk icon James Brown, drummer Clyde Stubblefield laid down what's probably the most sampled beat of all time. Plus: today in 2021, the premiere of "Sooyii," the first movie filmed entirely in the Blackfoot language. Funky Drummer — pop history was made when James Brown hollered ‘Hit it!’ (Financial Times)  Film shot entirely in Blackfoot language, on tribal land to premiere (The Missoulian) Make it funky when you support our show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For World Toilet Day, we turn our attention to a bathroom at California Polytechnic State University that's unusual even for that campus. Plus: it's National Play Monopoly Day. Do you know the full names of the game's mustachioed mascot and the police officer who sends people to Jail without passing Go? Cal Poly’s unconventional bathroom: A campus mystery revealed (KCPR)   Real names of 23 fictional characters (CNN via Archive.org) Make a splash as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1963, AT&T launched the first commercial telephone service where customers could use touch-tone devices instead of rotary dial. It started with just two communities in western Pennsylvania, but of course it spread, way way beyond that. Plus: a couple in southern Australia comes home to find a koala sitting on their floor. 50 years ago, touch-tone phones began a communication revolution (TribLive)   ‘Only in Australia’: Couple comes home to find koala in bed (CNN) Reach out and touch our Patreon page --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1920, the Royal Australian Navy added a woman to its ranks for the very first time. Her name was Nancy Bentley, she was six years old, and the Navy “enlisted” her in an effort to save her life. Plus: starting tomorrow in New Orleans, it’s Beignet Fest. Before her time – the tale of Navy’s first female sailor (NavyHistory.au) BEIGNET FEST  We’d like to enlist you to support our show on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1919 (or, by some accounts, 1922), the birthday of Veronica Lake, a movie star whose iconic hairstyle won over millions of fans, even when she gave up that trademark look to help the US win World War II. Plus: a design studio in Barcelona, Bel & Bel, is giving new life to the front panels of old Vespa scooters by turning them into stylish office chairs. The Peek-A-Boo Girl Gets Cut: In 1943 Veronica Lake Saved America And A Million Women’s Hair (Flashbak) Vespa Scooters Given New Life as Innovative Office Chairs (My Modern Met) No need to change your hairstyle to support our show, just contribute through our Patreon page --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1965, a landmark moment in the history of televised profanity: an f-bomb live on the BBC! We'll look back at some choice moments where people used choice words on the air. Plus: today in 1957, an article in the Guardian newspaper where a guy suggests bringing the world back toward faith by sending a bishop into space. Bleep This: A Brief History of Profanity on Television (Mental Floss) Bishop in Space (Weird Universe) Just (expletive) go to our (expletive) Patreon site and back our (expletive) podcast --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Tonight in 1833, the beginning of a bright show in the evening sky, one that was so bright and so busy, some people started to freak out about it. Plus: today in 2015, an NFL game featuring a special set of jerseys turns into a washout for colorblind football fans. November 12-13, 1833: The Night the Stars Fell (Newspapers.com) When Red (Bills) Met Green (Jets), Colorblind Fans Lost (New York Times) Be a star for our show as a backer on Patreon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

For Veterans Day, the story of Vietnam-era servicemember Douglas Hegdahl. He tricked his captors into thinking he was "the incredibly stupid one," but by using his incredibly sharp memory, he was able to memorize (and later share) information about hundreds of American POWs, in the hopes of keeping them safer and healthier until they could come home. Lest We Forget (US Naval Institute via Archive.org) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

Today in 1971, the release of the fourth Led Zeppelin album. The opening track, "Black Dog," still gets played and shared today, and it got its name from a very unusual visitor to the studio. Plus: in 2023, a researcher came across the original version of the photo on the Zeppelin album's cover, the one with the older man carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back. Headley Grange Led Zeppelin at Headley Grange (BBC) Lucky Find at Auction Identifies Man on Cover of ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ (New York Times) I don’t know, but I’ve been told, backing this show on Patreon never gets old --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support

On Election Day 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt won 56 percent of the popular vote, a huge majority in the Electoral College, and two ostriches. No, really. Plus: starting tomorrow near Haines, Alaska, it’s the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt Won a Presidential Election…And a Pair of Ostriches (Smithsonian) Alaska Bald Eagle Festival  Backing our show on Patreon is just bully! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/coolweirdawesome/support