Theres no business like show business, weirdos! Welcome to part two of our latest HOLLYWEIRD series and this week we're getting pretty dark.  We're going down the loneliest alleyways, the emptiest movie studios, and the seediest night clubs to talk about MURDER. Ashley and Lauren are once again joined by their great friend Mike Johnston as they research three cases that seem cut and dry... only to learn the truth was much more sinister. Lauren brings us the story of William Desmond Taylor whose life and death were the final straw to push Hollywood into forced wholesomeness.  Then as a bonus she also brings us Thelma Todd, a young starlet suicide much like so many others.... or was it? And Ashley is teaching us about the strange disappearance of Jean Spangler in 1949 and the list of suspects that includes one of Hollywood's most infamous madmen.   Enjoy this extra long episode that does include foul language, graphic descriptions of murder and discussions of suicide, incest, and sexual abuse.

Keep It Weird

Dial D for Drama

Lights, Camera, Action, Weirdos! Celebrities.... they're just like us!  They buy groceries, they brush their hair, they go to the eye doctor and yes they even have PARANORMAL EXPERIENCES!!  Welcome to our return to HOLLYWEIRD!  This week we are telling some extra spooky and strange celebrity ghost stories!  And we have our first guest of the season - all the way from NYC (and season one of our show) Mike Johnston is here!!  Mike shares stories from some of his favorite child stars- Tracey Gold from Growing Pains has a run in with a new soul, Corey Feldman from Stand By Me gets a shake down from a deceased family member, Joey Lawrence from Brotherly Love sleeps in a super haunted hotel, and Beverly Mitchell from 7th Heaven finds hell in an abandoned asylum. Lauren tells us about the time comedian Margaret Cho had to rent a house that came with some nasty spirits and RuPaul's Drag Race star Miz Cracker shared a house with an entity that drove everyone there crazy! And Ashley finishes off the episode with a story about Kurt Russell and his famous forgotten close encounter!    WARNING: This episode is seriously not as dark as the warning suggests BUT does contain MENTIONS of child sexual abuse, asylum abuse, abortion, suicide, and murder.  There is also MUSIC and SOUND EFFECTS that may cause a level of unease or discomfort for sensitive ears.  

Terror in Tinseltown

Fancy seeing you here, Weirdos! Welcome to part two of COINCIDENCES!  Last week we told you a collection of stories that people had about their own crazy coincidences and a couple of our own personal experiences. This week we're getting down to business.  Are coincidences real? We take a lot of sides in this one, trying to come at the material from different points of view.  Lauren starts us off by discussing a skeptical POV- we look at the math and probability of coincidences occurring and what it takes to determine if it was special or not.  Then we discuss the contradictions involved in fate and free will-- if our lives are predestined, if every decision we make was already decided by 'God' then... how can we have free will? Then Ashley comes in with a very popular theory called SYNCHRONICITY.  Are coincidences winks from the universe telling you you're on the right path?  Can the signs be positive and negative?  How do we start to experience more of them?  And finally, is there any science behind these winks?  Behind good and bad vibes? WHEW this episode is conversation heavy so put on your thinking cap and get ready to open your mind!   WARNING: This episode contains foul language and discussions about death and religion.  

I Saw the Sign

Hi Weirdos!! Welcome to part one of our series on COINCIDENCES! We experience coincidences all the time- whether it's running into the same friend twice in one day, hearing a song on the radio after you were JUST thinking about it, or even looking at the clock at the same time multiple times a week.  While these are all super fun experiences, a lot of the times they can be explained away by basic math and statistics. However, there are some coincidences that just seem... predetermined.  Sent from a higher power.  Or messages specifically for you from the universe. This week Lauren and Ashley are going to be telling some of these INSANE stories by sharing extremely personal experiences, stories sent in by YOU, and famous amazing coincidences throughout history that will make you say, "What are the odds?!"

Skidamarink Coinkydink

Say Ahh, weirdos! We're back in the dentist's chair this week with more TOOTH TALK!  This week does not have nearly as many redeeming qualities.... Lauren is teaching us about a KILLER DENTIST from St Louis named Glennon Engleman whose greed was stronger than his conscience and Ashley will be reading some listener stories sent in about their dental trips gone wrong. Other topics include a Tik Toker with a very strange habit, suicide rates among dentists, our personal tooth fears, and some strange facts about our mouths.   Warning: This episode contains foul language, discussions of suicide, and graphic descriptions of murder and dental procedures.

Root of All Evil

Open Wide, weirdos! This week is all about TEETH and boyyyyy do we have issues.  Teeth have been a recurring talking point in the last few months thanks to multiple mouth bone problems and numerous surgeries and that got us thinking.... I bet the history of teeth is weird.   Today Ashley is bringing you the history of dentistry- how far back does it actually go?  Who was the first dentist? What were some of the most barbaric dental practices?  How did our ancient ancestors deal with their chompers? And we even ask the question- why have people always collected baby teeth? Lauren is bringing us the story of a serial murderer who kept a pearly white collection that ultimately helped lead to his demise. This episode contains some foul language, graphic descriptions of violence and murder, and may be a little difficult for anyone who is squeamish about going to the dentist.

You Should See Me in a Crown

Welcome Back, Weirdos!! Season Five starts with a BANG as Lauren and Ashley sit down to tell each other some sPiNe TiNgLiNg LiStEnEr GhOsT sToRiEs!!  This week Lauren travels all over the world giving us a story about a pair of haunted homes in the UK, a budding psychic in Australia, some haunted antiques in Ireland, and a possible abduction in Mexico! Ashley is bringing us the tales of a mysterious phone call, a mommy doppelganger, a seance in Missouri, and a very angry ghost who wants to know.... Are you happy now?   As usual Listener Ghost Stories contain foul language, potentially jarring sound effects and music, and are best enjoyed in the dark with a set of headphones.   Music featured in this episode by Vivek Abhishek, Ross Budgen, CO AG Music, and the Hadwin Channel   This episode is dedicated to our friend Ryan Ditty

Are You Happy Now?

Am I in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come? We would answer you but traditionally this spirit is the strong, silent type. You've made it to your final ghost-- the scariest ghost of all.  BUT.. the good news, as I'm sure you know, is that all is not lost.  You decide what to do with your future and who better to help guide you than our favorite medium AMY GOLDENBERG!!  In this episode Ashley, Lauren and Amy chat about life. What to think about this crazy year and is there a big change on the horizon?  Or has it already happened?  How do I connect with my ancestors?  Do the dead really care about what happens to their body? Are TV mediums full of bologna? This spirit teaches us that in order to change the world you have to start by changing yourself. And with that our Christmas, and our season, comes to a close.  We hope we made you laugh, made you cry, and maybe even scared you a bit this year.  We will be back in a couple months to bring you more strangeness but until then... Merry Christmas!  And God bless us, everyone!  

The Hope of Christmas Future

Come in and know me better, man!  One ghost down and two to go, Ashley and Lauren now get to hang out with the ghost(s) of Christmas Present-- and boy is it a present, indeed. This episode we are joined by STEVE LACHIOMA (Hometown Haunts: New York, CollegeHumor) and MARIA LACHIOMA (Glitch in the Maria, The Young and the Restless) and they are bringing us some of their all time favorite topics. Steve, as you may remember, LOVES cryptids.  So he's bringing us a monster straight out of the Sierra Nevada mountains - The Lone Pine Mountain Devil!   Is it a bird?  Is it a dinosaur?  Is it a tall tale to keep people out of the pass?  Or is it just a drunk orgy hallucination?    And Maria is fascinated by demons so she brought us a different type of demon that we haven't talked about on the show yet - DYBBUKS! We learn about the first recorded "dybbuk box" - how it came to be, who created it, and who has it today!  Only one ghost to go and it's the scariest one of all, but you won't be going it alone - we'll be there with you!    (((This episode was recorded over ZOOM so the audio quality is a little different.  This episode will ALSO be featured on our YouTube channel as a video exclusive so if that interests you head over to www.youtube.com/keepitweirdpodcast)))

The Demons of Christmas Present

Weirdos... Tonight you will be visited by three ghosts No it isn't an undigested bit of beef that brought you here. Today your hosts Marley and Marley... ope.. I mean Ashley and Lauren... are going to teach you the true meaning of Christmas! This episode, the Ghost of Christmas Past - you can call her BLAIR GORMAN (Yaaachts, Queen - Robot Chicken) is going to be bringing us three unsolved mysteries! Blair is going to be teaching us about the case of the Monster with 21 Faces (EXCUSE ME!?) from Japan in the 1980s, a BRAND NEW unsolved mystery straight out of Peoria Illinois that involves the Cookie Monster and Russia?? And we're going to ask the question-- who drugged the entire cast and crew of Titanic with LSD? One ghost down but you've still got two to go... will you learn your lesson?  Or continue to be a scrooge?  

The Monsters of Christmas Past

Good Riddance, weirdos!!  At last this year is coming to an end.  We all vacillated between "Will 2020 ever be over?" and "DECEMBER?!?!?!" for at least 9 months and now it's time to remind ourselves that it wasn't all bad and that even the bad things were full of learning opportunities.  So lets spend the rest of this month focusing on the positives. We begin this episode with a rapid-fire recap of all the events that took place this year - from fires to floods, pandemics to presidential elections, and even from MURDER HORNETS to monoliths - we've got it all. Then we get to talk about our favorite 2020 addition: TIK TOK-- Lauren and I are going to share with you all of our FAVORITE things we learned on the app this year. And we finish out the episode with a conspiracy and a doomsday prophecy - as a treat. We wish we could express how grateful we are for how you've all inspired and motivated us this past year.  Next week we have a very special finale for you, and then we say goodbye- but only for a while. Have a very Merry Christmas, a lovely Hanukkah, the warmest holidays, and a Happy New (thank God) Year.  

The Good, the Bad & The Covid

Batter Up! Hear that Call!  The time has come! For one and all!  To play ball! Gosh A League of their Own is just... It's just the best movie.  Hi Weirdos, welcome to another HERSTORY lesson!  This is week two of women throughout history that you should know!  But probably don't... womp womp. This week our main focus is Betty Pack the WWII MI6 spy who foiled the Nazis, ensured that the Allied forces made safe passage into Hitler's territories, and even helped crack the enigma machine and she did it all with her BODY!  That's right, Pack was a SNACK and she did what we see men do in film and television all the time-- but are we taught about her in history class?  No.  Because what she didn't isn't "lady-like."  But she is a queen, she's my hero, and I can't wait for you to meet her! We're also going to sing our praises for Princess Diana, Sybil Ludington, Barbara Lee, Josephine Butler, Mary Edwards Walker, and NATURALLY Geena Davis and the entire cast and crew of A League of Their Own. This episode is FULL of women we adore... and one woman we just hate.  Stay tuned to the very end to find out who that is.   Warning: This episode contains foul language, descriptions of sexual acts, and brief mentions of HIV/AIDS, abusive relationships, and Nazis

The Snack Pack

WHO RUN THE WORLD Hi Weirdos, welcome to one of my favorite episodes of all time.  One: It's so much fun.  Two: It's all about the LADIES!!  This is definitely going to be a new thing for the show- talking about PEOPLE throughout history that did incredible, amazing, badass things and yet... you've probably never heard of them.  This week Lauren is starting us off with Fe Del Mundo; the cutest filipino woman of all time who is the founder of the very first pediatric hospital in the Philippines.  A pioneer of medicine and the first female president of the Philippine Pediatric society-- Fe... freaking... rules. And SURPRISE GUEST and cheerleader for strong women everywhere Amy Hanselmann is teaching us about Claudette Colvin.  Now a retired nurses aide; once a 15 year old girl who was arrested because she refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus.... 9 months before Rosa Parks protested in the exact same way.  So why don't you know her name?   Warning: This episode contains foul language, depictions of racism, and mention of rape. There is also some discussion that could be considered "political" in nature regarding gender and race.

Girl But Not Forgotten

Hi Ho Weirdos!!  Welcome to part two of our latest HELTER SKELTER episode!! Helter Skelters freakin' RULE because we get to talk about whatever the ding dang dong heck we want. This week Ashley is starting us off with some musings on the effects technology has on our psyche.  There are many different ways our bodies have not evolved to handle the world that we live in and there are many things we can do to help ourselves adapt to the technology we surround ourselves with! Lets talk about em'! And then Lauren comes in with a doozy as she tells us about a brand new true crime story that involves... eating... man... parts oh GOD.  It's rough but hey, we made it through so I think you can, too!   WARNING: This episode contains foul language, discussions about mental health, murder and cannibalism

Balls to the Wall

You may be a lover but you ain't no weirdo! We're back!! Welcome to another HELTER SKELTER episode! Helter Skelters are some of our all time favorites- these are the episodes that are made up of stories that got cut for time, topics that don't fit into any of our themed episodes, or interesting subjects that we bring up randomly and promise to talk about in the future!  This week Lauren is going to be covering the Jade Helm 15 conspiracy theory that took place towards the end of Barack Obama's presidency back in 2015 and we'll try to determine whether or not it was a military training exercise or if the US government was trying to overthrow Texas. Ashley is teaching us about transgenerational (or intergenerational) trauma.  Studies have been done and are currently taking place to find out if trauma can be imprinted on our DNA and then passed down to our children (and maybe even our grandchildren!)  Why is it that the children and grandchildren of holocaust survivors and POW veterans are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression and sometimes are even more likely to die of stress related diseases?   Warning: This episode contains foul language,references to traumatic life experiences, animal testing, and a conspiracy that includes politics.    

Jaded Genes

Keep it Weird is the Podcast for all things strange, unusual, paranormal, supernatural, scary, sticky, gross and everything in between! Join our hosts Lauren and Ashley and their guests as we talk about all things WEIRD!