Hey Weirdos!

Wow, six years huh?  That's a long time, a lot of episodes and a TON of topics.  In those six years new information has come to light, DNA evidence has given us some answers, robots have evolved and in some cases-- scary situations got even scarier.

This week Ashley and Lauren are revisiting six stories that they shared on past episodes that have NEW information!

We get to find the identity of multiple Jane Does AND the famous Somerton Man (Taman Shud case) we check in on SOPHIA the robot to see what the heck her android ass has been up to, we hear from scientists who prove that a very famous theory in the Dytlov Pass Incident COULD be possible and we check in to see if the United States military has started taking sexual assault cases a little more seriously (Spoiler alert: they haven't.)

This episode was a lot of fun, it was really cool to revisit old stories we shared on the show and finally get some answers... and in some cases... even more questions

Join us next week as we FALL into OCTOBER 

Let's all go to the lobby, weirdos!

This week is ALL ABOUT MOVIES!! A fun Crossover episode with our podcast from another broadcast- Movies that Made Us Gay!

Movies that Made Us Gay is ALL about the films we watched growing up that contributed to who we became as adults.  So it's only appropriate that we take the time to celebrate the movies that made us WEIRD!

This week Lauren is joined by Scott and Pete as they revisit three 80's movies that in some way contributed to the strange individuals they grew into.

Pete starts us off with 1989's UHF starring Weird Al Yankovich, Scott is bringing us 1981's Roar - a film that had more problems on set than you could possibly imagine, and Lauren is taking about Parents (1989) which marked possibly the first- but definitely not the last- time that Randy Quaid scared the crap out of us.

Grab your popcorn, put on your coziest socks and pop that tape into that old dusty VHS player- it's time to get WEIRD!

Grab your bamboo sticks, weirdos!

It's time for another episode for the LADIES!  This is part two of our WOMEN IN HISTORY series where we cover stories about women that we didn't hear about in our history or social studies courses that PROBABLY should have been covered.

Joined once again by Miss Patreon herself- Amy Hanselmann- this week Lauren is starting us off with some FEMALE VIGILANTES!  It's not often that you see women taking revenge on a large scale such as this and why we had never heard of these bad bitches is beyond me.  First up is Diana the Bus Driver Hunter out of Juarez Mexico and yes you did hear that right.  Sick and tired of all of the attacks on women in her city she took it upon herself to fight back in the deadliest way and made men on public transportation think twice about putting their hands on a woman. 

And we learn about the Gulabi Gang out of Northern India; a fierce group of women wearing HOT HOT PINK saris and carrying bamboo sticks (they hurt worse than they sound, just ask Ashley) to hunt down men who have participated in domestic abuse, child marriages, and ensuring that women and children's human rights are protected and provided.

And Ashley brings us home with the incredible story of Mileva Maric, a Serbian physicist and mathematician who you've never heard of-- but you've ABSOLUTELY heard of her work.  She was the first wife, and truly the other half, of Albert Einstein. She turned in the papers.. but why was it only her husband's name written at the top? 

Guten Tag, weirdos.  Are you ready to burn your bra and kill some Nazis?

This week we are revisiting our hit series from 2020 - the SNACK PACK IS BACK as we learn about some AMAZING WOMEN from history that our history books just forgot to mention.

Ashley and Lauren are joined by Keep It Beard host AMY HANSELMANN as we discover some ladies who changed the world.  This week we're focusing on some badass bitches from WWII- Truus and Freddie Oversteegen who, for lack of a better term, seduced Nazis and traitors to their death in the Netherlands.  They joined forces with the famous "girl with the red hair" Hannie Schaft- a skilled assassin who was brutally tortured and put to death after spending years on Hitlers "most wanted" list.

And Amy brings us the story of Irena Sendler-- who saved TWICE AS MANY jews from death than Oskar Schindler, and yet, has no mainstream movie.  Irena did whatever she had to do to protect Jewish people, and especially Jewish children, from the Nazi forces- saving over 2,500.

We hope this series educates you and INSPIRES you to be a troublemaker and do what is right, even in the face of certain death.  Raise badass women who all grow up to know Hannie Schaft's last words to her executioner: "I shoot better."

Everybody get off your feet!  Cause we got the Meat!

Anyway hey kids.  We've got the meats.  Welcome to part two of our EVOLUTION series!! There's less wackos, less drugs, and no Joe.  But wait-- let me tell you why you SHOULD listen!

This week Ashley starts us off by telling us where white people came from.  Ok... rough start... Lauren teaches us about a VERY plausible theory involving our evolving diets and what it may have done to our growing brains, we discuss the ways evolution can still be seen in the human body today, and we shed some light on what we may look like in the future.... See... I told you it was good.

Tune in to find out more about how we've changed in the last few MILLION years, why it's sillier to be racist than you initially thought, and why our grannies may have saved the human species.

DISCLAIMER: ARBYS DID NOT SPONSOR THIS EPISODE.  NEITHER DID THE GOGOS.  WE JUST ENJOY GOOD MUSIC AND ROAST BEEF.

Mmmmm Pudding Bones...

It's time to EVOLVE, weirdos!  This is part ONE of our series on evolution and naturally we had to invite Mr. Anthropology minor himself HANDSOME JOE on the show to come teach us about some of the things he learned when he was hard at work NOT earning a degree in anthropology.

This week Joe starts us off discussing a major SOCIAL evolution that made us the human beings we are today.  The AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION!  I know it sounds boring... and maybe it is... but not when Joe is teaching it.  How did we go from primitive humans to the Tesla driving, avocado toast munching, kama sutra reading beings we are today?

Ashley takes over to tell us her absolute FAVORITE theory of evolution- the grooviest theory we've got-- known as the Stoned Ape theory.  Scientists are still searching for the answers to what on Earth (or beyond) enabled our species to enhance our intelligence and consciousness further than any other species on the planet?  Could it be... DRUGS?!

And Lauren finishes the episode by teaching us some other totally plausible and not at all baseless theories on evolution that unfortunately come from our religious friends known as creationists.  Stay tuned for this section if you REALLY want to hear Joe lose his cool, just make sure you turn the volume down juuuuuuuust a skosh. 

Take me to your leader..

Oof, wrong time for that wouldn't you say?  Mmmm our leaders are busy can we take you to our favorite musical artist instead?  This week we are fired up for another EXTRATERRESTRIAL EXTRAVAGANZA as we continue our discussion on ALIEN INVASIONS!! 

Only this time around we are posing the question-- what if they are already here?  What if we're so busy looking for their ships in the sky that we don't even notice they've slipped in through the back door.  Or maybe through the ocean?

Ashley kicks us off this week by teaching us about STARSEEDS! Extraterrestrial SOULS that have incarnated on earth to help with mankind's spiritual evolution.  Lauren dives deep, DEEP into the depths of the ocean to look for secret alien bases.  The girls discuss what an alien would actually LOOK like if they were already here with us.  And we finish it off on a REAL BUMMER, as Lauren shares with us what some famous scientists, physicists, and of course- psychics- have to say about when and if the aliens are coming...

We come in peace, weirdos.

We're revisiting one of our all time favorite topics this week.  This is PART ONE of another two part EXTRATERRESTRIAL EXTRAVAGANZA. 

This time we are focusing on the idea of INVASION.  We've seen it in a hundred movies, presented in a hundred different ways-- are any of them accurate?  Will they show up guns-a-blazin' turning us individually into ash?  Will they sneak in in the middle of the night? Will they come with a message of peace and gifts of technology?  Or will they slowly take over our bodies one by one and by the time any of us realize something is very wrong its far too late and everywhere we turn will be infiltrated to the point where we are completely alone and left with no friends, no options, no hope.  Jeez, got a little dark there.

Lauren starts us off by touching on different sci-fi alien tropes as we discuss our opinions on their likelihood and Ashley takes the reigns to present a real life phenomenon that presents us with EVEN MORE QUESTIONS about their intentions.  Women and men being abducted all over the world and claiming that aliens took their DNA for experiments.  What are they doing with it? Are they creating alien-human hybrids?  Why?

Join us this week AND next as we try and find out what ET had to say when he phoned home.

This fall on House Haunters!

Ashley Casseday and Lauren Ogle are taking their talents to the HOME IMPROVEMENT realm and taking their SPIRITS with them!

Wouldnt that be a great show?  Hey kids, welcome to one of your all time favorite episodes LISTENER GHOST STORIES!! 

This week Ashley and Lauren are sharing EIGHT creepy tales sent in by YOU; we've got ghosts, bogeymen, alien abductions, strange creatures and SO many haunted houses.  Where are y'all FINDING these haunted homes?!

As usual with LGS episodes, they are best enjoyed with a set of headphones so you can hear ALL the creepy little details in the sound effects and scores.  The first four stories are scored by our usual composer Vivek Abishek.  Others include Fesliyan Studios and Megan McDuffee.

Alright, lock your doors, turn out your lights and make sure your feet are tucked in to your covers... it's time to get scared.

Hey Weirdos!

Welcome to our first full YouTube episode! (Only this is the audio version.  Hit up our YouTube channel if you'd rather WATCH this episode-- it's full of photos, clips, and most importantly- our faces!) And just as a treat for those of you who DID already watch the YouTube version-- this one includes ALL the clips that got cut.

This week we are answering YOUR questions for another edition of ASK A WEIRDO!! We're sharing our favorite Halloween memories, discussing what kind of ghost we would be, decide which millionaire we would eat, share what books we are reading and we even SWITCH BODIES. We don't switch bodies but we definitely talk about what we would do if we did.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the questions you sent in.  Now be prepared to get scared; next week we have LISTENER GHOST STORIES!! 

Hello, Dark Passengers,

Welcome to PART TWO of our defendable criminals series!  We've been taking a look at people who have committed crimes that are... totally understandable??

We are joined once again by the amazin TREVIN from SERIOUSLY SINISTER as we go a *tad* darker this week with Lauren at the helm.  Lauren tells us the tale of the Alaskan Avenger! Jason Vulkovich was a very angry man and had every right to be but was he justified in multiple assaults?  Do we think he's served enough time?  Does his case set a dangerous precedent for future men and women hellbent on revenge?

Dont worry, we lighten it up a bit after that as Trevin SLIDES into our DMs and Ashley sends a selfie to the police.

Tell us what you think about our six evil-doers.  Are they justified?  Do you understand them?  Or do you disagree with us completely?

Sometimes right and wrong isn't so cut and dry...

Hey kids,

welcome to a different kind of true crime episode!  Usually when we discuss true crime we think "HOW?! HOW could someone do this?" "WHY? WHY would someone do this?!!"  This week we think... "I mean... I kind of get it"

Join Ashley, Lauren and special guest TREVIN from Seriously Sinister: A True PETTY Crime Podcast" as they look into crimes with likable criminals and totally understandable actions.

Ashley starts this two part series off with the story of Clark Olofsson, Sweden's most successful bank robber and celebrity criminal???  This hottie was sentenced and escaped jail so many times we lost count and it leaves us questioning whether someone can be SO GOOD at crime we should just let them do it.

And Trevin is bringing us our only LADY of the series-- an Australian woman named Esra Ogru- a fantastic saleswoman, accomplished scientist, and MAJOR LEAGUE Scammer! Does she deserve to work in biotech again?  Are the lives she saved more important than the money she stole?  

Find out our thoughts and much more and stay tuned for part two next week where Lauren takes us down a much darker path....

M-O-O-N, that spells WEIRDO!

Beep Beep, Weirdos, it's finally time to head into the Dead Zone and talk about Stephen King!

This week Ashley & Lauren are joined by one of the hosts of "The Losers Club: A Stephen King Podcast" - RANDALL COLBURN!

In what is essentially a love letter from us to Stephen; this week we are discussing our favorite characters, stories and movies and trying to get to the bottom of why we love him so much, what makes him such a special writer and how the hell he's got so many different stories up in that brain of his.

From The Shining to Dreamcatcher & Derry to Castle Rock we're diving into the darkness and the creativity of the "shine"iest author of all time.

Blessed be, witches!

Welcome to our first official witchcraft AMA with our resident green witch Laura Lareau!

This week we are answering a ton of questions sent in by YOU the listener on how to be a better witch.  Ashley, Lauren and Laura cover several aspects of their craft, we find out how they became witches, how they feel about calling themselves witches, and even how to hide... or flaunt... your inner witch bitch.

If you want to know how to cook a witchy meal, how to cleanse or charge your crystals, how to set up a space for magic, or one ingredient you should NEVER.. EVER... use in a spell-- this episode has an answer for you!

If you have a question about the craft, what it means to be a witch or how you can make YOURSELF a force to be reckoned with - email keepitweirdpodcast @ gmail.com with the subject line WITCHCRAFT so we can save it for our next AMA

Call in the spirits, wherever they are at!

It's finally here!  Our paranormal investigation of the LEMP MANSION in St Louis MO!

Our lovely friend, past guest and deep sea expert MELANIE VARTABEDIAN accompanied me.. who are we kidding... TOOK me to stay at this historical landmark in Benton Park to see if we could speak to any ghosts.  And believe it or not... we did.

After listening to our Lemp Family history episode "The Burden of Brew" grab a set of headphones so you can hear all the creaks, mysterious sounds, creepy laughs and bumps in the night that we captured on audio from our two night stay in the "cursed" Lemp Mansion...

Come in, come in!

Welcome to LEMP MANSION!  Built in 1868 and still standing in St Louis MO only blocks away from what remains of the LEMP BREWERY.  Both buildings are rich with history, scandal, tragedy and secrets-- and we got to stay there.

This episode is ALL about the Lemp family.  William J. Lemp and his wife Julia, along with their eight children- Billy, Louis, Frederick, Charles, Hilda, Edwin and Elsa- deserve to be remembered for who they were- flawed people who loved each other, loved to party and loved their home.

"The curse of the Lemp Mansion" is something I'd heard about my whole life- but was there any truth to it?  Was the home, family or brewery really cursed?  Or is life just freaking hard sometimes?

Take a listen to this episode to get the WHOLE SCOOP on this family as well as some of the rumors (substantiated & unsubstantiated) surrounding them before you listen to "Spirits, Spectres & Solitude": our paranormal investigation that took place inside the home.

Hey kids,

I know this wasn't what you were expecting.  You were expecting me to introduce our latest paranormal investigation!  But it's not done... its SO CLOSE... but it's not ready.

SO, next week you'll be getting TWO long episodes all about the history, legends and lore of the Lemp family along with our investigation in the mansion.  But this week we're giving you Halloween in May!

Russian Forklore is one of our all time favorite bonus episodes.  We released it in October of 2020 and it features Ashley, your Keep It Beard host Amy, AND your Keep It WEIRD host Lauren!  And that Halloween was all about... Russia??

Amy brings us a spooky listener story that sparked her interest in what is known as a "house spirit" or DOMOVOY.  And Ashley got to research her favorite creepy grandma - BABA YAGA!

We laughed, we cringed, we went home fully vodka drunk.

ENJOY!

We're back with some more BURNING HOT biology questions and hopefully this time we don't have to talk about.... you know who.

This week Ashley and Lauren are joined once again by their good friend and future biologist RACHEL FULLER and they each get to bring one biology question that they just HAD to have the answer to.

Ashley starts us off this week pondering the similarities between the human body and the known universe.  Why do veins look like lightning?  Why do our irises look like nebula?  Is there a deeper meaning to this or are we just looking for there to be similarities?  The answer may surprise you!

Then Rachel asks a question mankind has been pondering since the beginning of time-- why do we age?  Why can't we just grow to adulthood and stay there the whole time, that sounds like a better deal if you ask me. 

And Lauren finishes the episode off and blows our mind with her burning bio question- why does music seem to have a special place in our soul?  Why do we remember music so well?  And why do we even remember music in instances where we don't even remember who we are?

This series was a BLAST and we can't wait to revisit it.  Make sure you donate to our PATREON this month if you want MORE crazy biology content!

No Heart?  NO BUTTHOLE?!  BIG PROBLEMS!

Hey weirdos, today we're going back to Biology 101 to be reminded of all the things we immediately forgot in high school and learning SO much more.  We are joined by our very first guest of the season RACHEL FULLER and each of us are asking a biology question we just HAD to have an answer to.

We ask pretty basic questions like "Why do we hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard?" "Do jellyfish have a brain?" and "Why do we have a dominant hand?" But the answers are SO much more complex and fascinating than you could ever imagine.

From the complex inner workings of our ears to the collaboration of the hemispheres of our brains to some of the strangest (and least trustworthy) creatures in the sea- this episode has something for everyone.

Go into the light!! 

Or stay away from the light?  Are we supposed to go towards the light or run away from it?  Welcome, weirdos to the second half of our NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES series!! 

This week we're trying to answer even more questions about elements of NDEs that have been experienced by millions of people all over the world.

Is there a scientific explanation for why dying people usually report seeing dead loved ones around them sometimes weeks before they pass?  Is it something psychological or are they actually coming around to help us transition?

What about people who claim to have met God?  Or seen what they can only describe as "heaven?"  How do they cope after coming back to reality after being in a place so perfect and peaceful?  Does that place even really exist?

Dying is the scariest thing we'll ever do and it's something EVERY single one of us will experience.  But hopefully we can make you feel a little bit better about what awaits you on the other side...

I'm gonna let it shine!!

This week Ashley and Lauren are asking the BIG question.  What happens when we die?  We want to know where that tunnel leads.  Should we go into that brilliant, bright, beautiful light?  And who the heck is this tall, dark, handsome drink of water calling himself Jesus?

This is the first part of a two part series where we examine the scientific and spiritual aspects of DYING.  Everybody dies and thousands of people have experienced what is known as an NDE and they've been able to tell us what it's like.  This week we are focusing on LIGHT, our relationship to it, and why so many dying people see it.

Hi Weirdos!

Welcome to a sneak peek into our fabulous PATREON!!  This week Lauren and I are swamped with work, potty training, day care and prepping for our Near Death Experience series starting next week.  So instead of leaving you BORED and LONELY we are releasing a previously released Patreon Bonus episode!

This episode is very special to me because it features not one, but TWO, of my best friends in the world.  My patreon cohost Amy Hanselmann surprised me with a special guest appearance by my other best friend LEAH CAMPBELL.

Leah is a former MORTICIAN (Muahaha) and she let us pick her brain and ask her all of our burning questions about what it's like to embalm a body (Spoiler alert: Tales from the Crypt lied to me) her strangest funeral stories,  the worst body mishap, and the politics and hopeful future of the death service industry.

And to round it all out I (Ashley) also get to talk about eels!  We hope you enjoy this look into our private world and that maybe it encourages you to finally join our patreon if you were on the fence before!  

Hi Weirdos!

Welcome to the jungle, weirdos!

This week we are leaving the human world and entering the ANIMAL KINGDOM!  It's been a while since we had an animal/nature focused episode and theres just TOO MUCH crazy going on out there for us to not bring it to your ears.

This week Ashley is joined by a very special cohost- his first appearance in season six- HANDSOME JOE!! 

Ashley and Joe share a myriad of animal studies, news, behaviors and discoveries that you may have never heard about!! From wolves to chimpanzees, whales with accents to blood spitting lizards, bugs, cats, shrimp and even rhinoceri - we leave no paw unturned!  Join us for a PANDEMONIUM of parrots, an ARMY of frogs and so much m-roar!   

H i  w e i r d o s,

you know that feeling when you get a rush of nostalgia but you're also creeped out?  When the hairs stand up on the back of your neck but you aren't in any danger?  Ever get goosebumps thinking about a dark school hallway lined with lockers?

YEAH SAME!! Today we're continuing our discussion on weirdly haunted locations and Ashley is starting us off with the concept of LIMINAL SPACES.  Hallways, rest stops, empty offices, abandoned malls, hell- even bathrooms.  Theres just something about them that feel off...

And Lauren takes over to share some more haunted places that just should NOT be haunted.  K-Marts, Toys R Us, skyscrapers, grocery stores and even malls filled with strange activity.. for.. some.. reason.

Get ready to feel creeped out every where you go!