 For auld lang syne, weirdos!   The time has come for our season five finale and if you think you are sadder than we are you are MISTAKEN.  Before you get to worryin', we will be back in a few months.  In the meantime, before we go we needed to wrap up the ol' 2021.  A shit-heap of a year that pulled no punches- it was FULL of murder, mischief and mayhem.     Ashley and Lauren are joined by VERY SPECIAL GUEST HANDSOME JOE as they cover the true crime, strange news, conspiracies, and all around weird stories that occurred in the last eleven months.  From Gabby Petito to Astroworld, learning a thing our two about your roots to cocaine hippos, and exciting science to hollow earths- this week we cover it all.   Thank you all so much for supporting us this year and all the years past.  We can't wait to see what 2022 brings us.  After all-- IT'S GOTTA BE OUR YEAR!  RIGHT?!  ARE YOU THERE GOD, IT'S ME YA GIRL?!   Have a fantastic holiday season and always Keep It Weird 

Keep It Weird

Twenty Twenty-Done

Frights! Camera! HACKtion Weirdos!!  We are once again covering HORROR MOVIES on this beloved, strange podcast of ours and this time we're doing it with a twist.  We're taking three horror movies we love and discussing real life true events that may have inspired them.   Ashley & Lauren are joined by horror movie director ISAAC RUTH as we dive into some very scary REAL events. Ashley starts us off with 2015's THE VVITCH and we discuss what exactly happened in Europe between the 1400s and the 1700's (and the infamous event in Salem, MA) when so many men and women were murdered for "witchcraft." Then Isaac takes over to discuss 1975's JAWS and why in the world so many of us are so, so scared of the oceans that cover most of our planet. And Lauren finishes us off with 2003's WRONG TURN and we talk about the real life terror that is incest and inbreeding. Grab your popcorn and your favorite pair of 3D glasses and meet us on the couch under the covers for some REEL HORROR.   This episode is sponsored by LIQUID DEATH!!! Murder your thirst and get FREE SHIPPING by heading to liquiddeath.com/keepitweird

Reel Horror

Hey Weirdos! It's time for another check-in don't ya think?  Last time we had one of our talks it was because I was feeling lost and hopeless after the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. This time I'm coming around because I've had friends from all walks of life coming to me in the last few weeks telling me that they are experiencing such debilitating anxiety (some for the first time in their lives) and they don't know how to deal with it and they need help.   I can only assume that if my inner circle is experiencing this... some of you have to be, too.  So this is just a simple reminder that you aren't the only one feeling this way and that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel.   Just be kind and hang on.  We love you.

Weirdo 2 Weirdo: You Ain't Alone

Don't let the bedbugs bite, Weirdos! Welcome to the long awaited DREAMS episode!! What the hell are dreams anyway?  Where do they come from?  What is happening to our bodies while we are dreaming?  Why do we dream at all?! We attempt to answer these questions and more as Ashley and Lauren sit down with the host of GOTH YEARBOOK Eric Wynn! Ashley starts us off with the science and history of dreams and we try and get to the bottom of why we go to strange places with strange people every night. Eric takes us through his journey with LUCID DREAMING and we discuss how to gain control while inside your dream and what benefits it could have for your waking life! And Lauren finishes it off by teaching us a bit about NIGHT TERRORS- how they are different from average run of the mill nightmares, where they come from and why they happen. This episode is sponsored by LIQUID DEATH!! If you want water that makes you look cool while also keeping you cool-- look no further.  Get free shipping on your orders by visiting liquiddeath.com/keepitweird 

Do Goths Dream of Electric Sheep?

Happy Halloween, Weirdos!! As usual, our Halloween special is a fan favorite- LISTENER GHOST STORIES!! This year we packed in NINE terrifying tales to give you goosebumps and a few nightmares to kick off your special, spooky weekend!  This episode is full of shadowy beings and close encounters.  And in the end we're left wondering who the hell they are.  Are they paranormal?  Supernatural?  Inter-dimensional? Or, possibly even worse... are they completely human?  And why the HELL are they in my house!? Turn off the lights, get under the covers, throw in a set of headphones and turn up the volume and get ready to get scared.   This story was sponsored by LIQUID DEATH!! The canned water that's here to MURDER your thirst and KILL plastic pollution! Visit liquiddeath.com/keepitweird to get FREE SHIPPING on your order! Music by Vivek Abishek & White Bat Audio Sound Effects from freesound.org

Where Did The Stars Go?

Good Evening, Veirdos. I vant to talk about vampires!! And vhat I vant I get, so come vith us into the night.  Continuing our SPOOKTACULAR October this week we are sitting down with return guest, fan favorite, the expert in all things hairy, scary and full of teeth-- the amazing BILLY ROACH!!  Billy is going to start us off by discussing the good old days when vampires were scary monsters who wanted nothing more than to hide in the shadows until they decided to rip out your throat.   Then what the hell happened?!  When did these monstrous creatures become total sex icons?  When did LOVE get involved?  Lauren is going to walk us through that transition, what caused it, and where vampires in film went from there. And then Ashley brings us a very special surprise at the end with a crossover of her other show ASK ME EVERYTHING!! And it's all about those fanged creatures we adore. This episode is sponsored by LIQUID DEATH!! Liquid Death is our absolute FAVORITE water-- so crisp and refreshing it MURDERS your thirst and is KILLING plastic pollution.  Head to liquiddeath.com/keepitweird to get free shipping on your orders!!

Chad the Impaler

Blessed Be, Weirdos! It's time to really get into spooky season, grab the broomsticks, gather 'round the cauldron, and cast a spell because we're talking WITCHCRAFT! Our very special guest today is a green witch who you've heard on the show before-- the amazing LAURA LAREAU from our reincarnation series is sitting down with us to discuss herbalism, foraging, candle magick, the power of crystals, smudging, voodoo, working on your craft, and we may even teach you a spell or two. (Spoiler Alert: We absolutely teach you a spell or two ;) ) Check out our new MERCH STORE here: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/keep-it-weird?ref_id=24795  

We Are the Tea

Laissez les bon temps rouler, weirdos!! Bounjou! Welcome to another Hometown Haunts- we've been here many times before- previously on Keep It Weird we've taught you about the Rougarou- a hairy wolflike beast that terrorizes children of the Bayou at Lent, Jacquez St Germain who never ate- he just drank red wine from a cup, and even Madame Delphine LaLaurie, a woman so evil her home is said to be haunted to this day, hundreds of years later.   But today we are joined by comedian and actress JEN KOBER (American Horror Story, The Purge, Dead To Me, Treme) and we are talking ALL ABOUT the Pelican state: Louisiana!! We cover slang and dialects, food and culture, haunted hotels and courthouses, a lake that swallowed a town and some seriously spooky abandoned locations.   (((Apologies in advance for the mic bumps in this episode!! We were recording in a different location with some different equipment.  I know its annoying and I did my best)))

Diff'rent Ghosts for Diff'rent Folks

Well Hello There, Kiddies Welcome to our annual tribute to horror writers!! It's another edition of SCARY STORIES TO TELL (JOE) IN THE DARK!! This time around we've got four delicious tales of terror ranging from the deadliest Christmas ever to first contact with extraterrestrials!  Ashley and Joe sit in their dark, creepy apartment and share the old fashioned past-time of telling spooky stories by candlelight. As usual music and sound effects have been added and could be jarring for some listeners.  This episode is best listened to with headphones. Stories: "Fake News" by Matthew Gall Buy his book Insomniac: Bite Sized Scary Stories on Amazon! "50,000" by reddit user jtb685 Check out their reddit sub at www.reddit.com/r/jtb685 "Distorted Warning Signals" by Ashley Rose Wellman Check out her website ashleyrosewellman.com and follow her on Instagram @ashleyrosewellman "The Meteor Generation" by Heather Flowers ALL MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY VIVEK ABISHEK  Hear more at www.youtube.com/c/VIVEKABHISHEK

Soul Sitters

No need for a magnifying glass weirdos, these mysteries are SOLVED!!  We've scratched our heads for LONG ENOUGH so welcome to the second part of our SOLVED MYSTERIES episode!   This week Ashley is detailing the investigation into the murder of William Sparkman Jr. in 2009.  How the detectives managed to go from mistaken hit job in the woods to something completely different in a matter of weeks thanks to strange confessions, brush stroke analysis, and good old fashioned non-lethal police work. Then Lauren wraps us up with a happy ending by telling us how the show Unsolved Mysteries went searching for one missing girl... and ended up finding a totally different one.   As usual, with all true crime episodes, this one contains some really dark material.  Including descriptions of dead bodies, mentions of suicide, pedophilia and kidnapping.  We are also total goobers, so we make jokes throughout.  But that DOES NOT MEAN there is anything funny or comical about these cases.  Just that we are children who can't control ourselves. 

Bad Dads & Beatlemania

Buckle your butts, weirdos.  This story gets dark.. and then darker... and then even darker. We've covered unsolved mysteries several times on this show but we thought it was HIGH TIME to dedicate a series to SOLVED mysteries!! No more frustrating unanswered questions... well.. maybe a few... This week our very special guest and beloved Patreon Keep It Beard cohost AMY HANSELMANN tells us the story of the disappearance of Steven Stayner.   Like I said, this story is DARK.  It involves kidnapping, murder, pedophilia, generational trauma, and too many monsters.  But stay tuned to the end, because I chime in just when our spirits are lowest to revive you with some of the BEST things happening in our world today!  

Tale of Many Monsters

Hey Ho, Lets Go! Hey weirdos! Welcome to a full episode dedicated to the biggest event in human history: World War 2!  We've covered stories from WWII on the show before- like Hitler's werewolf army and my home girl Betty Pack the snack!  But this week ALL of our stories are World War 2 stories and boy does it get WILD! Ashley is joined by special guest and fan favorite of the show JOE OCHS who is a self proclaimed "Slut" and "White Dad" for WWII. Joe is going to be introducing us to yet another amazing female spy named Virginia Hall as well as a special unit of the military that was kept a secret for over forty years known as the "ghost army."  Both of which combined saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Ashley is going to be teaching us about the origins of foo fighters (no, not Dave Grohl's band) and the many soldiers who reported seeing them over occupied Nazi territories as well as a theoretical super weapon known as "Die Glocke" or "The Bell" that may have made it's way into the United States military's hands and into a field in Kecksburg Pennsylvania in 1965... God Bless the Allied Forces and may we always remember that it's in service to our country that we punch nazis right in their f*cking face.

Blitzkrieg Bop

Welcome foolish mortals!! Welcome to the second part of our DISNEY SERIES!! Last week we talked about the films and this week we're talking about the parks!  And it is a very special episode for us, one we've been looking forward to for FIVE YEARS because today our guest is Lauren's amazing husband ALEX OGLE!!  Alex is going to be using his knowledge as an experiential media creative director to teach us about the origins of Disney's WEIRDEST rides and where they are today.  Dispersed between Ashley is going to be trying to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam off of the Disney Wonder cruise in 2011 and Lauren will be talking about some of Disney's most gruesome deaths and injuries!!    Rides included are Mr. Toads Wild Ride, ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter & of course, Disney's Haunted Mansion.

Goofster87's Wild Ride

A very merry unbirthday to you, weirdos!!  This week it's time to get magical because we're entering the wonderful world of DISNEY!!  Whether you're a Disney fan or as mad as Mad Madam Mim; there will be something for you in this series. We're joined by a very special guest, one of our all time faves SCOTT YOUNGBAUER from the hilarious podcast MOVIES THAT MADE US GAY!!  In Part one Lauren is going to go over some of Walt's less magical moments and we try to get to the bottom of the questions: Was Walt Disney an antisemite?  Racist? Sexist?? Or just a "man of his time?" Scott is going to be examining a very popular conspiracy theory regarding Walt's head, the movie Disney straight up STOLE, and the tragic life and death of one of our most beloved voices.  Join us next week as we move into the PARKS side of things!    Warning: This episode does have discussions of racism, sexism, antisemitism, death, drug addiction, and a few political quips.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Bummer

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!