HILF: History I'd Like to F**k
Host, comedian Dawn Brodey, takes you through the annals of history with a special guest and history subject each episode. From Dillinger to Frankenstein, from The Crusades to Freak Shows - Dawn brings her history degree and unfiltered sense of humor to deliver well-researched deep-dives that strip history naked and serve it up raw.
Wed, April 30, 2025
HILF 82 - The Lewis & Clark Expedition, Part 2 with Alex Malt
Welcome back! When last we met Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their Corps of Discovery, our heroes had navigated over 2,000 miles. Up and down rivers, across the Continental Divide, and all way to the Northern Pacific Coast. They saw a dead whale, it was nuts. In the conclusion, learn why those who first saw present-day Yellowstone Park thought it was literal hell on earth; hear how Sacegewea’s son finds himself in the royal court of Germany; and so much more! Along with Dawn on this historic journey, is comedian Alex Malt , whose first comedy album debuts this summer! Find Alex on Instagram! —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Lewis & Clark: An American Journey by Daniel B. Thorp. Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition - Amazing online educational resource. Project Gutenberg - The Journals of Lewis & Clark --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins HILF artwork by Joe Dressel .
Wed, April 16, 2025
HILF 81 - The Lewis & Clark Expedition with Alex Malt
Lewis & Clark were more than just two white guys in buckskins! Join Dawn and the “Corps of Discovery” as they venture into the wildest of the wild West. Meet Sacegawea, fight a grizzly, and find out what it takes to cross the Rocky Mountains in 1805. Along with Dawn on this historic journey, is comedian Alex Malt , whose first comedy album debuts this summer! —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Lewis & Clark: An American Journey by Daniel B. Thorp. Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition - Amazing online educational resource. Project Gutenberg - The Journals of Lewis & Clark --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins HILF artwork by Joe Dressel .
Wed, April 02, 2025
HILF 80 - The King of Spies with Blaine Harden
It’s the wild, true story of Donald Nichols, a seventh-grade drop-out who rises from Army Mechanic to Black Ops Phenomenon during the Korean War. Hear the whole twisted tale - from his unlikely rise, to his fall, to the weeks of electroshock therapy - and from Blaine Harden , the world’s leading expert on the subject. —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - The King of Spies: The Dark Reign of America’s Spymaster in Korea by Blaine Harden Book - The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot by Blaine Harden Book - Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins —-
Wed, March 19, 2025
HILF 79 - Waterloo with Jackie Kashian
Joining Napoleon on his journey to his now-famous defeat at Waterloo, is comedian, Jackie Kashian . She has several comedy albums, performs across the country, and on all your screens: Netflix, late show, Conan and so much more. You can also hear her on two great podcasts, The Dork Forest, which invites folks from a variety of backgrounds to come and share the stuff on which they are “dorks”, and the comedy podcast The Jackie and Laurie Show which pairs her with another great comedian, Laurie Kilmartin . —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles by Bernard Cornwell YOUTUBE - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Waterloo 1815 (Epic History: 14 min) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins —-
Bonus · Wed, March 19, 2025
BONE-US EP79 - Waterloo with Jackie Kashian
Re-join Dawn and her guest, comedian, Jackie Kashian (Netflix, late show, Comedy Central) for a few more tasty morsels from the history of Napoleon's doomed last stand. Listen to Jackie's two great podcasts: The Dork Forest, which invites folks from a variety of backgrounds to come and share the stuff on which they are “dorks”, and the comedy podcast The Jackie and Laurie Show which pairs her with another great comedian, Laurie Kilmartin . — SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies, and Three Battles by Bernard Cornwell YOUTUBE - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Waterloo 1815 (Epic History: 14 min) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins
Wed, March 05, 2025
HILF 78 - The Morale Corps with Robert B. O'Connor
“Entertainment Specialist” was the technical designation of what would later be known as The Morale Corps. This intrepid group of enlisted soldiers were responsible for finding joy in life’s darkest and most dangerous corners. To tell the story, Dawn is joined by author Robert B. O’Connor who wrote Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge . Hear how his novel weaves a lovely fiction among real history and makes the case for why we should all learn to play the spoons. —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - The Jeep Show by Robert B O’Connor - https://jeepshowbook.com/ Here is the US military’s look on the battle on the 80th anniversary. https://www.army.mil/botb/ Surprise! PBS has a kick-ass documentary of the battle - Go ahead and donate while you're there, why don’t cha? https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bulge/ More great images from The Battle of the Bulge - https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-the-bulge --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins
Bonus · Wed, March 05, 2025
BONE-US EP78 - The Morale Corps with Robert B O'Connor
In HILF EP78, you got to know the Jeep Show, a real-life WW2 unit of enlisted soldiers (including Mickey Rooney) who were on the front lines with nothing but an accordion, a Jeep full of wigs, and ORDERS to boost morale. Continue the conversation with Dawn and author Robert B. O’Connor who wrote Jeep Show: A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge . See video of the real Electro - The Westinghouse Robot that captured Robert's heart. —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - The Jeep Show by Robert B O’Connor - https://jeepshowbook.com/ Here is the US military’s look on the battle on the 80th anniversary. https://www.army.mil/botb/ Surprise! PBS has a kick-ass documentary of the battle - Go ahead and donate while you're there, why don’t cha? https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bulge/ More great images from The Battle of the Bulge - https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-the-bulge --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins
Thu, February 13, 2025
HILF 77 - The Grand Canyon with Andrew Melby
It’s a family affair as Dawn is joined by her husband, director Andrew Melby , to HILF this awe-inspiring natural wonder of the world. On a recent road-trip to Los Angeles from Minnesota, Dawn and Andrew stopped in the Grand Canyon. The beauty, wonder and mystery of the place inspired Dawn to take a deep dive into the history. …and who better to go down with? —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - It Happened in the Grand Canyon by Todd R. Berger Book - We are Going in The Story of the 1956 Grand Canyon Midair Collision by Mike Nelson Want more rock hard Geology? Wanna visit? Start here! --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients See more of Andrew's work: https://andrewmelby.com Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, February 05, 2025
HILF 76 - Jack Parsons with Cristina Van Epps
Join Dawn and guest, Cristina Van Epps , as they follow the dark and fascinating path of Jack Parsons - the rocket-loving occultist who helped man get to the moon. Cristina works as an engineer at The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is also a self-professed ‘sci-fi nerd’. Hear the incredible story of Jack Parsons whose fascination with science and outer space led him on a journey to the stars… and huge piles of drugs. Listen to Cristina’s Dungeon and Dragons podcast: I Seduce the Dragon Listen to Cristina’s podcast, Cults, Cryptids and Conspiracies Want more? Jump into HILF Episode 54 - Aleister Crowley with Hilah Johnson . —- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Strange Angel by George Pendle (2005) Book - Sex & Rockets by John Carter & Robert Anton Wilson (2005) The Collected Writings of Jack Parsons AKA: The Book of Babylon (the record of a magical experiment, 1946) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL - Crazy Rich Ancients Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee Find your next favorite podcast on BIG COMEDY NETWORK . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, January 22, 2025
HILF 75 - How to Steal a Fighter Jet with Andy Rider
Dawn's guest is comedian, Andy Rider, whose hit comedy album The Get Together has topped itunes and earned him increasing acclaim. Together they discuss the history of North Korea, the incredible story of No Kum Sok, and so much more! Learn more about HILF's new podcast family, The Big Comedy Network . Find Andy's podcast Fingering the Page SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - The Great Leader and The Fighter Pilot by Blaine Harden Book - A MiG-15 to Freedom by No Kum Sok (AKA: Kenneth Rowe) Watch an interview with Blaine Harden and No Kum Sok with Mimi Geerges . Article - Read more about how and why Korea was divided between North and South . Hear more about the devastating battle of Pork Chop Hill during the Korean War. Did you hear about the American GI's who defected TO North Korea ? More here ! --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- Want to help LA Fire Victims? Project HOPE - Project HOPE is on the ground in Los Angeles, actively distributing hygiene kits to displaced families and children. LA Food Bank - The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and our partner agencies provide food assistance to people throughout LA County in normal times and times of crisis. Pasadena Humane Society - They provide shelter, dedicated care and new beginnings for thousands of the community’s most vulnerable animals every year. --- WANNA TALK? Find us
Bonus · Wed, December 25, 2024
The Donner Party, Part Two with Andy Kraft [RE-RELEASE]
When last we met, Dawn and guest Andy Kraft were taking a shot of whiskey to prepare for the dark path ahead. Hear how it all ends up in the dark pages of history and why your high school teachers probably never told you the whole story. --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) See the map of the journey . Read the book - The History of The Donner Party by CF McGlashan --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Bonus · Wed, December 25, 2024
The Donner Party, Part One with Andy Kraft [RE-RELEASE]
This was no party... They were the group who got hopelessly stranded over a particularly harsh winter in the Sierra Nevadas - many of them starve to death and several of those who don’t starve to death, survived by resorting to cannibalism. Dawn's guest is actor and writer, Andy Kraft . He is a longtime friend and colleague - together they've done everything from romantic comedies on screen, to portraying water droplets on stage. Andy can be seen in countless commercials, episodes of television (including the final episode of Brooklyn nine-nine ) and is the hand up the bum of some of your favorite puppets! --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) See the map of the journey . Read the book - The History of The Donner Party by CF McGlashan --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Sun, December 15, 2024
HILF 74 - The Christmas Miracle of WWI (Recorded LIVE)
Dawn has the benefit of a live audience and visual aides as she tells the story of the remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914. From the streets of Sarajevo to the trenches of France, it's a story of humanity and joy in the darkest of times. Recorded LIVE in Burbank, California - December 11th, 2024 at Flappers Comedy Club . Watch the full video of the show when you subscribe on Patreon ! SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - Silent Night: The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914 by Stanley Weintraub Play/ Movie - The Big Picnic (1997) Book - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, November 27, 2024
HILF 73 - The Toast with Jules and Uncle Brad
Dawn's guests are two connoisseurs of drinking, Juliana McIntosh and Brad Sutton - the neice-and-uncle-team behind the hit podcast, The Art of Drinking . Jules is an influencer in the craft cocktail space (what?); and her real-life uncle Brad serves up classic cocktail recipes and history. Swoon! GET JULE'S BOOK - Pretty Simple Cocktails **During the episode, we make and drink 2 cocktails! Recipes and approximate time-code in the episode when we start making ours is below so you can toast along with us! COCKTAIL #1 - The View Carre. [00:13:00] 3/4 oz Rye whiskey (higher proof, like 100 proof but not more. Rittenhouse makes a good one) 3/4 oz Cognac (I like Pierre Ferrand Ambre but Remy Martin VSOP works well too) 3/4 oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth (or Dolin Rouge) 2 tsp Benedictine D.O.M. (make sure it's DOM and not B&B) 2 dash Peychaud's bitters (white label, red liquid) 1 dash Angostura bitters In mixing glass add all ingredients and fill the mixing glass with ice so you have more ice than liquid. Stir for 20 - 30 seconds. Using hawthorn strainer, strain into chilled rocks glass over large cube Garnish with lemon peel COCKTAIL #2 - The Black Manhattan [00:40:00] 2 oz Rye whiskey (use your favorite Rye. The Rittenhouse might work well here, but could get hot) 1 oz Averna Amaro 1 dash Angostura bitters 1 dash Orange bitters In mixing glass add all ingredients and fill the mixing glass with ice so you have more ice than liquid. Stir for 20 - 30 seconds. Using hawthorn strainer, strain into chilled coupe glass. Garnish with brandied cherry / luxardo cherry (or something similar) - just drop it in or put it on a pick if you're fancy --- Join us for HILF LIVE - Wednesday, Dec. 11th @8PM - Flappers Comedy Club. Burbank, CA --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Book - The Royal Toast Master: Containing many thousands of the best toasts old and new to give brilliancy to mirth and make the joys of the glass supremely agreeable. INCLUDES: The Seaman’s Bottle Companion: Being a selection of Exquisite Modern Sea Songs by J. Roach. *Yes this is real! --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on
Wed, November 13, 2024
HILF 72 - The Black Death, Part 2 with Mary Ramos
Hear about the places that managed to avoid the plague, at least for a little while, and what a medieval haz-mat suit looked like. Also, continue to roll the 'Death Dice' along with celebrated music supervisor, Mary Ramos , to see if any of the characters we meet along the way manage to avoid the sickness and death that overcame half of the global population. --- Join us for HILF LIVE - Wednesday, Dec. 11th @8PM - Flappers Comedy Club. Burbank, CA --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) The Great Courses - With Dorsey Armstrong, PhD . Got a library card? Find it via Hoopla or Libby ! Check out this great visual guide to understanding how The Black Death compares to other pandemics. Read an article about plague bodies being found outside London this decade! Read Mary Ramos's article in Variety breaking down the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, November13th, 2024 THE BLACK DEATH Part 2 - Plague Stories with Mary Ramos --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, October 30, 2024
HILF 71 - The Black Death with Mary Ramos
Dawn is joined by celebrated Music Supervisor, Mary Ramos , who has worked on some of the most incredible film scores in movie history! A close collaborator with Quentin Tarantino, she’s had a hand in everything from Pulp Fiction to Django Unchained - and a slew of other favorites in-between. Join us as we discuss the very beginning of The Black Death, starting with Patient Zero in Italy and then follow us… and the rats, and the fleas… around the world and right to our own back door. --- Join us for HILF LIVE - Wednesday, Dec. 11th @8PM - Flappers Comedy Club. Burbank, CA --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) The Great Courses - With Dorsey Armstrong, PhD . Got a library card? Find it via Hoopla or Libby ! Check out this great visual guide to understanding how The Black Death compares to other pandemics. Read an article about plague bodies being found outside London this decade! Read Mary Ramos's article in Variety breaking down the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) Check out HILF MERCH now available on Redbubble ! Stickers, t-shirts, bags and more! HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, November13th, 2024 THE BLACK DEATH Part 2 - Plague Stories with Mary Ramos --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by
Wed, October 16, 2024
HILF 70 - Vampires with Macy Issacs
Dawn is joined by comedian, Macy Issacs , to talk about the origin of Vampire folklore and what - from the many stories about them - is actually real! We’ll go around the world and see how vampires in Japan and Alaska differ from the ones in Transylvania. Take notes, because we also discuss the most effective ways to fight them off… unless you chose to invite them in. Find Macy on Instagram Hear Macy's Podcast, SSRI'M OK --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) Essay - The History and Folklore of Vampires - The Stories and Legends Behind The Mythical Beings: Charles River Editors. Book - The Secret History of Vampires - Their multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes by Claude LeCouteux . --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 THE BLACK DEATH with Mary Ramos --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Bonus · Thu, October 10, 2024
Horror Movies with Jose Barrientos [RE-RELEASE]
Originally released in October of 2022, revisit Dawn and her guest, Jose Barrientos , for a rundown of the history of horror movies! From silent dancing skeletons, to The Wolfman, and all the way past The Walking Dead - we're here to tell you what has scared us collectively the most... and why! Find Jose on Youtube! Find Jose on Instagram! --- SILF's (Sources I'd Like to F*ck) BOOK - Lost in the Dark by Brad Weismann DOCUMENTARY SERIES - The Movies That Made Us ESSAY - A Brief History of Horror Films (Albany County Public Library) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, October 16th, 2024 --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, October 01, 2024
HILF 69 - Benjamin Franklin with Bryan Austin
To help tell the story of the man behind our 100-dollar bill, Dawn is joined by Benjamin Franklin expert, Bryan Austin . He portrays James Madison and Ben Franklin in Colonial Williamsburg and has walked much more than a mile in their shoes... Pull up a chair and hear the stories of Benjamin Franklin’s wild childhood, his multitude of lovers, and the parties that were so good, they saved America. Listen to Bryan's podcast, LET'S BE FRANK Follow Bryan on Instagram! --- LEARN MORE about Benjamin Franklin! ARTICLE in ATLAS OBSCURA about Franklin's shocking electricity parties More about THE KEY AND KITE EXPERIMENT from The Franklin Institute. Read about Franklin's The Lightning Rod ... you heard me. Article specifically about Ben's years living in London before the Revolution . Read the SILENCE DOGOODE LETTERS . Learn more about Alexander Wedderburn, the guy who scolded Ben in London. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: VAMPIRES with comedian, Macy Issacs . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins </i
Tue, September 17, 2024
HILF 68 - Mozart's Sister with LAZOU
Nannerl Mozart, Wolfgang Amadaeus's intriguing older sister, is the HILF of Dawn's guest, LAZOU . She is an award-winning podcast host and composer with work featured in film, television and a gazillion other places! Hear about her childhood growing up on the tiny island of Mauritius (the only place the Dodo bird ever lived) and how moving to Canada and then the US shaped both her perspective and her music. --- SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) Book - Mozart's Women - His Family, His Friends, His Music by Jane Glover Podcast - You're Dead to Me (March, 2024) Podcast - Storical (S2, E52) Interview with author, Rita Charbonnier . (She wrote novel, MOZART'S SISTER which is fiction but like... very historically appropriate if not accurate.) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Benjamin Franklin with Benjamin Franklin (kinda). --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, September 03, 2024
HILF 67 - The Lost Island of Lemuria with Justin McHenry
Dawn's guest literally wrote the book on this mysterious and mythic place known by some as 'the Atlantis of the Pacific Ocean'. Historian and writer Justin McHenry joins her from his office in West Virginia to help tell this absolutely bananas tale of Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place. --- SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) Justin's Book: Lemuria: A True Story of a Fake Place Read more about scientists who say Lemuria might actually have existed afterall ? Think you had a past life on Lemuria ? I don't, but go down a rabbit hole, why don't ya? Want more about the Theosophists and Madame Blavatsky? Check out HILF Episode 36 - Fairies with Rhiannon Fiskradatz. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Mozart's Sister with musician and podcaster, LAZOU . --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, August 20, 2024
HILF 66 - Mount Rushmore with Christine Blackburn
While many of us can easily picture Mount Rushmore in our heads, few of us know much about it beyond the heads. Even if you CAN name all four presidents featured (and only 30% of Americans can) the story of how and why this enormous feat of engineering - and total fuck-job on the Native Americans - came to pass. Guest, Christine Blackburn , is a comedian and story-teller located in LA, and the host of several wildly successful shows. Story Worthy is an epic podcast now in it’s 14th season Story Smash is a live story-telling gameshow featuring an all-star celebrity panel of judges. My Life in Three Songs is her latest podcast where comedians, including Patton Oswald and Margaret Cho, sit down with her and discuss their lives through their favorite music. SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) VIDEO: Mount Rushmore & The Black Hills (YA/Tourism Video via Hoopla) PODCAST: American History Tellers (Podcast: Season 30, Episode 3) PODCAST: The Sculptor's Funeral. (Two parter: #73 and #74) Crazy Horse Memorial --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Lemuria with Justin McHenry, Wednesday, Sept 4th, 2024 --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Mon, August 05, 2024
HILF 65 - The Constitution with AJ Jacobs
AJ Jacobs is a writer and humorist known for his immersive dedication to a variety of subjects. He spent a year attempting to follow EVERY rule in the Bible and wrote a NY TIMES best-seller, The Year of Living Biblically ; and his latest book The Year of Living Constitutionally follows his journey through the lens of the 18th century. Join Dawn and AJ as they discuss what in the constitution they think is worth keeping, what could use some changes - and why 'cherry picking' isn't such a bad concept after all... SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) THE YEAR OF LIVING CONSTITUTIONALLY : *The audiobook is a joy to listen to! So you want to bake an election cake! Watch AJ on The Daily Show Watch AJ on CBS Sunday Morning Read the Constitution . (Go on... I dare ya!) --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Mount Rushmore with Christine Blackburn , Wednesday, August 21st, 2024 --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Bonus · Wed, July 17, 2024
The Whiskey Rebellion with Rashid Green [RE-RELEASE]
Originally recorded recorded in April, 2022 - over 50 episodes ago - Dawn revisits The Whiskey Rebellion with bartender, Rashid Green. Learn how to make some of the best 18th Century cocktails AND get a dose of some founding daddy realness. --- Get Rashid's recipe for THE SHERRY FLIP Get Rashid's recipe for CLARET'S PUNCH --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins . Show Less
Tue, June 18, 2024
HILF 64 - Doc Holliday with Brandon Gibson
Dawn is joined by actor and writer, Brandon Gibson (Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat, Spilled Paint ) who has long been fascinated by the the consumptive, former-dentist, with a southern drawl and a propensity for prostitutes… who isn't? SILF’s (Sources I’d Like to F*ck) Doc Holiday The Life and Legend by Gary L Roberts - Biography (2019) Tombstone, The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday and the Vendetta Ride From Hell by Tom Clavin (2020) Clara Brown - The reporting short-term resident of Tombstone Kate Elder - Doc’s ‘wife’. A highly unreliable (but entertaining) source. Wyatt Earp - He wrote a few books, this will take you to all of them. Court docs & News Papers GALORE. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! NEXT NEW EPISODE: Wednesday, August 7th, 2024 --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, June 04, 2024
HILF 63 - HILF YOU Audience Request Show
Join Dawn as she strips down YOUR HILF's in the first-ever audience-request show. [00:01:13] The Great Emu War of 1932 which pitted a bunch of WWI veterans against a mob of flightless birds. [00:08:37] The Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory. Was she the first documented serial killer AND an inspiration for Dracula? [00:19:42] Hedy Lamarr who went from dinner parties with Hilter to inventing weapons to go right up Germany's ass. --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, May 21, 2024
HILF 62 - How to Start a War with Michael Trapani
Maybe you think WW2 started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor... but that was just when America got involved. Maybe you think WW2 started when Germany invaded Poland... but that was just when England and France had finally had enough. To really understand how WW2 started, historian Michael Trapani has written and produced an audio-book - HOW TO START A WAR - that is a vivid guide through the lurid and surprising events of the rise of the Third Reich. Together, Dawn and Michael highlight some of the most hair-raising moments, while reminding the listener of how easily it could have gone differently... if only the people involved had recognized the power they had at the time. --- HEAR THE TRAILER for Michael's book! --- LILF's (Link's I'd Like to F*ck) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Buy Me a Coffee --- HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, May 07, 2024
HILF 61 - Jesse James with Ryan Keely
Dawn's guest is adult-film actress, Ryan Keely who takes no offense to the term 'porn star'. Ryan is also a book-worm and one of the cast of the sensational new Dungeons and Dragons podcast, I Seduce The Dragon . @ISTD Join Dawn and Ryan as two professional 'fuckers' in hot pursuit of history's hottest outlaw. Dawn's Sources Book - SHOT ALL TO HELL by Mark Lee Gardner Visit - Northfield, MN has an annual Jesse James Day Festival . It's fuckin' great. Podcast - LEGENDS OF THE OLD WEST: Season 7, Episode 2. --- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP62 - How to Start a War with Michael Trapani HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, April 23, 2024
HILF 60 - Amelia Earhart with Fallon Morey
Climbing into the cockpit with Amelia and Dawn is guest, Fallon Morey of That's So Fucked Up . Fallon's knowledge of history and love of bad-ass women makes her a perfect navigator for this incredible story. Dawn's Sources Book - Amelia Earhart A Biography by Doris L. Rich. (1989) Article - Read more about her surprise landing in Derry. BBC Maps - Maps and details about her almost Around the World flight. ---- Hear Dawn as a guest with Ashely on TSFU - Jonesin' for Jonestown See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! Watch Dawn HILF Amelia Earhart with Jim Jeffries , LIVE in Burbank. --- COMING UP: EP61 - Jesse James with Ryan Keeley HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, April 09, 2024
HILF 59 - Josephine Baker with Katy Hearne-Church
Dawn is joined by guest, Katy Hearne-Church one of the hosts of The Queens Podcast . Katy is not only a big fan of Josephine Baker, but she is whip-smart and enjoys a cocktail in the afternoon. Dawn's Sources Book - AGENT JOSEPHINE by Damien Lewis Podcast - YOU'RE DEAD TO ME Video - See her dance in 1927, some of the faces that made her famous Hear an interview with her in 1950 Watch this BBC Retrospective with one of her kids. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (multiple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP60 - AMELIA EARHART with Fallon Morey HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, March 26, 2024
HILF 58 - The Freedom Rides with Dave Reinitz
Dawn's Guest, Dave Reinitz is a stand-up comedian and stain-glass artist whose personal connection to this slice of History brings it alive for all of us. Hear about how his mother, Janet Braun-Reinitz, joined with the Freedom Riders in 1961 and endured and enlightened one of the darkest chapters of American History. --- Dawn's Sources Book - The Freedom Riders by Raymond Arsenault Podcast - Stuff you Missed in History Class (2011) (3-part series) Interview - Watch Janet's interview with The Library of Congress (2001) Summary of events from The Bill of Rights Institute Excellent sources here from The Civil Rights Trail Janet Braun-Reinitz's Artwork Dave's stain-glass page on Etsy - Boomdiggitty Glass ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (mulitple seasons) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP59 - JOSEPHINE BAKER with Katy (from The Queens Podcast ) HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, March 12, 2024
HILF 57 - The Conch Republic with Forrest Shaw
Joining Dawn for the HILF-ing of the Conch Republic is Florida native, comedian, and former Marine Biologist, Forrest Shaw . He currently performs stand-up around the world, and is the co-host of the podcast, I don’t Know About That with Jim Jeffries . You can also catch him on The Mermen Podcast with Dave Williamson . --- Dawn's Sources Book - The Two Mice that Roared , by Wayne Madsen (Author) Youtube - Founding of the Conch Republic by Key West's library historian. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP58 - The Freedom Rides with Dave Reinitz HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, February 27, 2024
HILF 56 - Mutiny on the Bounty, Part 2 with Scott Edwin Williams
Welcome back aboard the ill-fated Bounty with Dawn and guest, Scott Edwin Williams, school-teacher and author of the fantastic book series, LIGHTBULB MOMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY . Part one left the mutineers singing and dancing as they pushed Captain Bligh into the horizon. Rejoin them as they go in search of a new future among hostile territory, and while be hunted by an angry king. Dawn's Sources Book - The Truth About the Mutiny on the Bounty by Glynn Christian . *The author is a descendant of mutineer, Fletcher Christian! Genealogy Site - Essential if you want to keep track of who-was-who and where they went. Pitcairn Islands Study Center - Go here for details on each mutineer, specifically the ones who ended up on the island. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP57 - The Conch Republic with Forrest Shaw HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, February 13, 2024
HILF 55 - Mutiny on the Bounty with Scott Edwin Williams
Come aboard the ill-fated Bounty with Dawn and guest, Scott Edwin Williams . Scott is a school-teacher and author of the fantastic book series, LIGHTBULB MOMENTS IN HUMAN HISTORY which looks at history with a nod to both humor, and a hope for the future. Together they trace the origins and outcomes of not only the infamous Captain Bligh, but the mutineers, their Tahitian lovers, and even the blind fiddler... Dawn's Sources Book - The Truth About the Mutiny on the Bounty by Glynn Christian . *The author is a descendant of mutineer, Fletcher Christian! Genealogy Site - Essential if you want to keep track of who-was-who and where they went. Pitcairn Islands Study Center - Go here for details on each mutineer, specifically the ones who ended up on the island. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP56 - The Mutiny on the Bounty, Part 2 with author and historian, Scott Edwin Williams . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Tue, January 30, 2024
HILF 54 - Aleister Crowley with Hilah Johnson
Aleister Crowley is a sado-machoistic cult leader that Dawn frankly hates... but since when has hate ever made anyone less fuckable? Joining her on this journey into the darker pages of history, is celebrated chef, Hilah Johnson . She has hosted several cooking shows on Youtube and The Travel Channel and is also the author of several cookbooks. Dawn's Sources Book - Do What Thou Wilt - A Life of Aleister Crowley by Lawrence Sutin. (2000) Documentary - Aleister Crowley THE WICKEDEST MAN IN THE WORLD? [youtube] Poetry - Read all of Aleister's poetry... at your own risk. ---- Watch Dawn on Hilah's Cooking show make Beer Cheese Soup! See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP55 - The Mutiny on the Bounty with author and historian, Scott Edwin Williams . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, January 17, 2024
HILF 53 - The Boston Massacre with Sarah Retalic & Dave Houghton
Dawn's guests are sports podcasters (and native Bostonians) Sarah Retalic and Dave Houghton of IN A PICKLE RADIO . Find out how much they know regarding one of their city's defining events, and keep score along with Dawn all the way to the surprise ending. Dawn's Sources Book - THE BOSTON MASSACRE, A Family History by Serena Zabin Book - REPORTING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, by Todd Andrilik Doc - AN AMERICAN REVOLUTION BREWS IN BOSTON | (E1) - The History Channel Mini Series - JOHN ADAMS, HBO (2008) Podcast - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S WORLD (3-PART SERIES) ---- [ @IAPradio on Instagram ] See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP54 - ALIESTER CROWLEY with chef and writer, Hilah Johnson. HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, January 03, 2024
HILF 52 - The Montreal Screwjob with Bacon is my Podcast (BIMP)
Dawn's guests are Jimmy G and Mike Wehmann who love the world of wrestling - and the world of rock bands, and whiskey, and podcasting, and bacon. They are the co-hosts of the hit podcast ‘ Bacon is my Podcast ’ and that makes this episode a three-way, baby. Hear Dawn on BIMP - Part 1 and Part 2 are available now! Dawn's Sources The Comic Book Story of Professional Wrestling by Aubrey Sitterson and Chris Moreno Documentary: Wrestling with Shadows Documentary Series: Dark Side of the Ring by VICE Podcast: Behind the Bastards (series on Vince McMahon) ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: EP53 - The Boston Massacre with Dave Houghton and Sarah Retalic from IN A PICKLE RADIO . [ @IAPradio on Instagram ] HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Bonus · Wed, December 20, 2023
HOLIDAY BONE-US - The Holiday Breakdown with Leah Bonnema
Love 'em or hate 'em, rom coms have been an established genre for centuries and Holiday Rom-Coms are their modern-day beating heart. Dawn is something of a convert, having spent most of her life considering them thin, uninteresting trash... which they are sometimes. BUT THAT'S WHY THEY'RE GREAT! Leah Bonnema is not only a longtime fan of the genre, she has contributed to it as the author of THE HOLIDAY BREAKDOWN, a Christmas rom-com novel. --- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- Coming up: More 'stocking stuffers' throughout December; next regular episode: January 5th: EP52 - The Montreal Screwjob with Mike and Jimmy from Bacon is my Podcast [BIMP] HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! HILF is now on Patreon! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com
Bonus · Wed, December 13, 2023
HOLIDAY BONE-US - Krampus with Dawn's Husband
In December 2021 - almost 50 episodes ago - Dawn sat down with her husband, director, Andrew Melby . Together they discussed the origin and history of the dark, Yuletide figure of Krampus... and debate whether he may be a welcome addition to their family. The Krampus and the old Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch Krampusnacht - Twelve Nights of Krampus edited by Kate Wolford --- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- Coming up: More 'stocking stuffers' throughout December; next regular episode: January 5th: EP52 - The Montreal Screwjob with Mike and Jimmy from Bacon is my Podcast [BIMP] HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! HILF is now on Patreon! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com
Bonus · Wed, December 06, 2023
HOLIDAY BONE-US - Dawn's Mom and Sisters
On March 29th, 2023 I released EP#34 - The Vibrator, with my mom and two older sisters as my guests. It went bananas - broke the podcast's download record and yielded a slew of comments from listers telling me they felt like they knew us. And those who actually do know us, said they felt like we were all back around the Thanksgiving table just like the old days. What happened to us when we sat down together, I think, is what happens to all friends and family who are fortunate enough to reconnect - you naturally reminisce. Tell old stories. And when you do, you're sharing your own HILFs. The history that you want to go back to, highlight, cement, celebrate, mourn, clarify. I think we revisit our own personal history for the same reason we do humanity’s - because it brings us closer to each other, it reveals things about ourselves and helps us navigate this complicated journey of life on earth. Thanks for sharing this little slice with me. --- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- Coming up: More 'stocking stuffers' throughout December; next regular episode: January 5th: EP52 - The Montreal Screwjob with Mike and Jimmy from Bacon is my Podcast [BIMP] HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! HILF is now on Patreon! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com
Wed, November 29, 2023
HILF 51 - Cleopatra (and Mark Antony) with Kiki Andersen
Dawn's guest is stand-up comedian (and former award-winning journalist) Kiki Andersen . Kiki aces Dawn's spontaneous quiz on the last Queen of Egypt as the two traverse the second chapter of her little black book. Dawn's Sources Book - CLEOPATRA - A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of Egypt and her Relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. (2021) Doc - QUEEN CLEOPATRA on Netflix Podcast - History Extra BBC: Cleopatra: Unpicking Myth from Reality with Egyptologist, Joyce Tyldesley. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- COMING UP: Watch for weekly audio gifts in your RSS throughout the month of December! The next NEW Episode will drop Wednesday, Jan. 3rd: EP52 - The Montreal Screwjob with Mike & Jimmy [from Bacon is my Podcast ]. HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, November 22, 2023
HILF 50 - Cleopatra (and Julius Caesar) with Kiki Andersen
Dawn's guest is stand-up comedian (and former award-winning journalist) Kiki Andersen . Kiki aces Dawn's spontaneous quiz on the last Queen of Egypt as the two traverse the first chapter of her little black book. Dawn's Sources Book - CLEOPATRA - A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of Egypt and her Relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. (2021) Doc - QUEEN CLEOPATRA on Netflix Podcast - History Extra BBC: Cleopatra: Unpicking Myth from Reality with Egyptologist, Joyce Tyldesley. ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Nov. 29th, 2023 - Cleopatra, Part 2, with comedian Kiki Andersen . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, November 08, 2023
HILF 49 - Alan Turing with Heidi Mavir
Dawn's guest is the hilarious author of the book, Your Child is Not Broken - How to Parent Your Neurodivergent Child Without Losing Your Marbles . Find her and the organization she runs in the UK for other parents of neurodivergent children who struggle in school, EOTAS Matters . Dawn's Sources Book - Alan Turing, ENIGMA by Anna Revell (2017) Doc - Alan Turing: The Scientist who Saved the Allies Essay - Turing and Autism [Autism Parent Magazine] ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Nov. 22nd, 2023 - Cleopatra, Part 1, with comedian Kiki Andersen . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Bonus · Thu, October 26, 2023
HALLOWEEN BONE-US - Dawn reads, Edgar Allan Poe's: THE RAVEN
Just in time for Halloween, but good for any time you're feeling like you need a spooky kick in the literary brainpan. The Raven was first published in January, 1845 by the dark and troubled poet, Edgar Allan Poe . He would die, a mysterious death, four short years later and leave generations of to wonder about him. Makes you kinda' want a whole HILF episode about him, don't it? ...stay tuned. The haunting music that underscores is by Lucas King . Read the full poem here. [The Poetry Foundation] --- HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon!
Wed, October 25, 2023
HILF 48 - The Battle of Blair Mountain with Peter Breitmayer
Join Dawn and guest, actor Peter Breitmayer , as they discuss this little known story from American History. Meet heroes like Sid Hatfield and Mother Jones, and villains like Albert Felts and that murderous cunt, CE Lively. It's a tragic story of labor unions and the powerful monopolists who dropped literal bombs on them - in a page that was missing from all our history books. Dawn's Sources Book - The Battle of Blair Mountain by Robert Shogan (2004) PBS Documentary - The Mine Wars (2016) Podcast - Wondery American Story Tellers: Coal Wars - 4 Episodes ---- See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Nov. 8th, 2023 - Alan Turing with Heidi Mavir . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, October 11, 2023
HILF 47 - The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, Part 2 with Adam Andreasen
From the aftermath of the Challenger Disaster, to the rollercoaster investigation, get ready for the Ride of your life. Dawn is rejoined by her guest Adam Andreasen , an artist in central Wisconsin and her friend since childhood, indeed he was sitting next to her the day the disaster unfolded on TV. --- LISTEN TO EP46 - CHALLENGER DISASTER, PART 1 --- LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Dawn's Sources BOOK: The Burning Blue by Kevin Cook (2021) : The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA’s Challenger Disaster. DOC: Challenger: The Final Flight - Netflix (2020) NASA (these nerds love data - dig in.) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Oct. 25th, 2023 - EP48: The Battle of Blair Mountain with Peter Brietmayer . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, September 27, 2023
HILF 46 - The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster with Adam Andreasen
When Challenger broke apart shortly after launch over Cape Canaveral, seven people died. The most well-known to the American public was Christa McAuliffe, a school teacher. She had won a well-publicized national search, making her something of an American Celebrity - especially among school children, many of whom watched the tragic launch from their classrooms. Join Dawn and her guest Adam Andreasen , an artist in central Wisconsin (and her first kiss oh-my-god-oh-my-god-oh-my-god.) --- LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Dawn's Sources BOOK: The Burning Blue by Kevin Cook (2021) : The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA’s Challenger Disaster. DOC: Challenger: The Final Flight - Netflix (2020) NASA (these nerds love data - dig in.) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Oct. 11th, 2023 - EP47: The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - PART 2 with Adam Andreasen . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, September 13, 2023
HILF 45 - The Clinton/Lewinsky Sex Scandal with Kelly Blackheart
If you lived through this event from 25 years ago, you'll find it's a complicated walk down memory lane: The blue dress, The Cigar, and that back-stabbing bitch, Linda Tripp. If you're new to this one, come learn how talk of pink thongs and blow jobs were suddenly brought into America’s living-rooms NOT by the demon MTV or Playboy… but by the nightly news. The 90’s man… Dawn's guest is Kelly Blackheart , producer and co-host of I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT [IDKAT] with Jim Jeffries. --- LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Check out podcast I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT with Jim Jeffries [ Kelly Blackheart , Forrest Shaw and Jack Hackett .] Hear Dawn as Jim's guest: Frankenstein (Originally aired: March 28th, 2023) The Vibrator (Originally aired: June 20th, 2023) The Titanic (coming soon) Dawn's Sources Book - Monica's Story - By Andrew Morton Ken Starr Report Podcast - Slow Burn (Great interview with Linda Tripp from 2018) See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Sept. 27th, 2023 - EP46: The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster with Adam Andreasen . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, August 30, 2023
HILF 44 - Oscar Wilde with Clarione Gutierrez-Owens
Dawn's guest, Clarione, is an artist who has been something of a secret admirer of Oscar Wilde since his days visiting the OW Bar in NYC. Together he and Dawn start with Wilde's birth and follow his story through the extraordinary peaks and valleys of his remarkable life. LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Get the children's book Clarione illustrated, A PEACOCK AMONG PIGEONS (now banned in Florida... can you even?) Dawn's Sources Book - The Invention of Oscar Wilde by Nicholas De Profundis by Oscar WIlde Oscar's visit to America, 1882 British Library - Oscar Wilde . See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: Sept 13th - EP45: Clinton-Lewinsky Sex Scandal with Kelly Blackheart. HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, August 16, 2023
HILF 43 - Anne Boleyn with Enkrypt
In the hot-seat with Anne is Dawn's guest, Enkrypt (Rocio Paredes) who grew up in LA's Highland Park 'before gentrification'. She took her deep love of the neighborhood and the people she grew up with to her work as a photographer and director... but first she was a hacker's worst nightmare. Join Dawn and Enkrypt for the sad and sordid tale of the Tudor King and just one of his doomed wives. LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Dawn's Sources Book - The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir Podcast - Royals Rebels and Romantics - Anne Boleyn’s Final Year, Natalie Grueninger UK Historic Places - Anne in the Tower of London See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: August 30th - EP44 - Oscar Wilde with Clarione Gutierrez-Owens HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, August 02, 2023
HILF 42 - Coco Chanel with Amanda Michelle
The life of Coco Chanel is one of an extraordinary person living through extraordinary times. Born into poverty she rises not only to revolutionize the fashion industry, but to become so wealthy she can throw a giant diamond into the sea to piss off her boyfriend. Buckle up for the bad bitch, Coco Chanel. Dawn is joined in this HILF-ing by Amanda Michelle, a comedian, film-maker and fashion connoisseur. Hear why Amanda has always been fascinated by Coco Chanel and how she got the tattoo before she knew about the Nazi stuff... LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Dawn's Sources Book - COCO CHANEL The Legend and The Life by Justine Picardie (2010) Book - Sleeping with the Enemy Coco Chanel’s Secret War by Hal Vaughn (2011) Podcast - Behind the Bastards, hosted by Robert Evans Video - See how fucking long it took to get dressed before Coco Chanel. Video - See Coco in action in a video shot in the 1960's. Do you think she was cool? See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) HILF is now on Patreon! YOU HEARD AN AD FOR - Tree Haus LA --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: August 16th - Anne Boleyn with artist, Enkrypt . HILF is part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by <a href="https://www.katperkin
Wed, June 28, 2023
HILF 41 - Titanic, Part 2 with Ashley Richards
If you think five lil' ol' billionaires in a submarine caused a big reaction... wait til you hear what happened with the Original! Dawn and guest, Ashely Richards - That’s So Fucked Up - return for the conclusion of the HILF-ing of Titanic. From the retrieval of the bodies by the intrepid crew of the MacKay Bennett, to the re-discovery of Titanic herself in 1985. LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) 1912 Book: Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster at Sea by Logan Marshall. SINKABLE: Obsession, The Deep Sea, and The Shipwreck of The Titanic by Daniel Stone Encyclopedia Titanica - An unsinkable amount of information, photographs and video. Wear protection, go deep. UNSINKABLE - The Titanic Podcast hosted by L.A. Beedles HILF is now on Patreon! Hear Dawn as a guest with Ashely on TSFU - Jonesin' for Jonestown See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: August 2nd - Coco Chanel with comedian, Amanda Michelle . HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, June 21, 2023
HILF 40 - Titanic with Ashley Richards
Titanic. The infamous passenger ship that struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, and slowly sank. About 2,200 people aboard, but only enough lifeboats to hold half of them - and that was if every lifeboat had been filled to capacity... which they weren’t. Whether you’re new to this story or can recite every word of dialogue from the 1997 film, we’re all getting wet with this one. Guest, Ashely Richards - That’s So Fucked Up - @TSFUthepodcast LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) 1912 Book: Sinking of the Titanic: The Greatest Disaster at Sea by Logan Marshall. SINKABLE: Obsession, The Deep Sea, and The Shipwreck of The Titanic by Daniel Stone Encyclopedia Titanica - An unsinkable amount of information, photographs and video. Wear protection, go deep. UNSINKABLE - The Titanic Podcast hosted by L.A. Beedles HILF is now on Patreon! Hear Dawn as a guest with Ashely on TSFU - Jonesin' for Jonestown See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: July 6th - TITANIC Part 2, with Ashley Richards of That's So Fucked Up Podcast. HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by <a href="https://www.katper
Wed, June 07, 2023
HILF 39 - Nazi Killers with Michelle Mosher
Dawn is joined by guest, Michelle Mosher for this batshit story of War, Resistance and Survival. You will thoroughlly enjoy being HILF'd by Hannie, Truus and Freddie - the Dutch Resistance Heroines of World War Two. LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Book: Seducing and Killing Nazi's by Sophie Poldermans Sophie Polderman's Ted Talk. (She's a fox, by the way.) HILF is now on Patreon! See Dawn on THE HISTORY CHANNEL! Crazy Rich Ancients Histories Greatest Mysteries (several coming next season) --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: June 21st - TITANIC Part 1, with Ashley Richards of That's So Fucked Up Podcast. HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, May 24, 2023
HILF 38 - Area 51, Part 2 with Lainie Pahos
Even if they aren't dissecting alien bodies and reverse-engineering alien spaceships, what they ARE doing at Area 51 is still pretty fuckable. Dawn unfolds even more panty-dropping stories from the top-secret airbase in Nevada, including the beginning and end of the U2 - a super-secret spyplane. You will be on the edge of your seat... right before you're erected. I mean ejected. LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Area 51: An Uncensored History of Americas Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen Check out Lainie Pahos Etsy Shop (She has awesome ornaments for nerds!) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: May 24th - AREA 51, Part 2 with guest, Lainie Pahos . HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, May 10, 2023
HILF 37 - Area 51 with Lainie Pahos
Many of the government documents on Area 51 were declassified starting in 2011. It still leaves behind a web of mystery and intrigue, but many long-elusive questions are finally answered and some crazy-fuckin' stories are revealed. Dawn is joined by actress ( and craft-ress ) Lainie Pahos for some top-secret fuckary that will have you hiding in a bunker before you can say "Roswell". --- LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) Area 51: An Uncensored History of Americas Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen Listen to the entire, original broadcast of The War of the Worlds Radio Play, 1938 Check out Lainie Pahos Etsy Shop (She has awesome ornaments for nerds!) HILF is now on Patreon! --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: May 24th - AREA 51, Part 2 with guest, Lainie Pahos . HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, April 26, 2023
HILF 36 - Fairies with Rhiannon Fiskradatz
They’re in children’s books, Shakespeare, they frequent dreams, nightmares, porn... and their tiny footprints can be found in virtually every culture on earth. In this episode we discuss all the various theories about Fairy-origins, their appearance, the things they can supposedly do - and why many, many people around the world believe they are real. With Dawn in these enchanted woods is her best friend of over 25 years, Rhiannon Fiskradatz . Rhiannon is a singer/songwriter, artist, and fairy-enthusiast. Pull up a chair with us and get cozy, friend - we saved you a spot and made you a Bloody Mary. Let’s get started. --- LILFS: (Links I'd Like to Follow) The Fairy Podcast - Fiona Maher and Dan Bain es Watch Elsie and Frances confess to their hoax as old ladies in the 1980's Read more about Dan Baynes Mummified Fairy Hoax . --- NEXT NEW EPISODE: May 10th - AREA 51 with guest, actress, Lainie Pahos . HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! --- WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, April 12, 2023
HILF 35 - Tennis with Jeff Zenisek
Join Dawn and guest, comedian, Jeff Zenisek for some of the best stories from the history of Tennis. Hear how the birth of tennis coincided with the death of a king, and about legendary rivalries between tennis greats - all fought while wearing itty-bitty shorts. Hear Jeff's hit podcast TWO WOKE BOYS . You can also find him on Youtube , Instagram and Tik-tok . LINKS I'D LIKE TO F*CK Watch the 1973 live television broadcast of the Battle of the Sexes , between Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King. This video will help you understand scoring in tennis ... if such a thing is possible. More information regarding the current efforts to ban grunting during competitive play. You heard an ad from BARREL AGED FLICKS. Another great pod on the DELUXE EDITION NETWORK . NEXT NEW EPISODE: April 26th - FAIRIES with guest, singer-songwriter (and BFF), Rhiannon Fiskradatz. HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, March 29, 2023
HILF 34 - The Vibrator with Dawn's mom and sisters
Dawn's Mom (Lana) and two big sisters (Anne & Lisa) recently came for a visit to Los Angeles and were lured with whiskey to sit down and HILF the surprising history of The Vibrator. It is today a well-known sexual device, however, when it was first invented it was used medically to loosen tight muscles... around the vagina. Its primary application was to cure women of the ancient malady of Hysteria. Maybe not the most sound medical idea, but it sure beat a lobotomy. Play along as Dawn quizzes her family on the historic applications and misunderstandings of The Vibrator throughout history. Hear them puzzle out what 'pegging' is and learn in what US State The Vibrator is still banned. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT - EP34 - >> --- SOURCES & LINKS--- The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel Maines provides the bulk of the modern understanding of the History of The Vibrator. It is a great read, and so often citied by the creators of fiction - that it has been challenged by several subsequent researchers. The play, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl is a great show and regularly performed around the world. The Movie, Hysteria (2011) starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy tells the story of Dr. Granville and his spectacular hammer... --- You heard a promotions for: The Love Shop - Get 20% by using discount code HILFPODCAST. --- NEXT EPISODE - April 12th - Tennis with guest, comedian, Jeff Zenisek. HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com Theme song: Composed and performed by Kat Perkins .
Wed, March 15, 2023
HILF 33 - Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Jason Ryan
Jason Ryan is an actor and comedian based in Los Angeles. He assigned Dawn the history of AA , in part because his own journey with the organization was complicated and he didn't leave feeling particularly good about it. Together we dissect not only the origin of Alcoholics Anonymous, but the individuals at it's core, and how it has evolved over the last 88 years to become what it is today. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT - EP33 - >> --- SOURCES & LINKS--- Here is the zoom lecture I mention (I watched it twice). Professor Tolly Merrick is a babe . SOURCE: The Center at Belvedere - Charlottsville, VA. This is a lovely documentary about one of the founders of AA, Bill Wilson . It includes a lot of anonymous members of AA, many of whom knew him personally. My Name is Bill W. - A 1989 feature fIlm starring James Woods and James Garner as Bill and Dr. Bob. --- You heard promotions for: The Barrel Aged Chicks Podcast That's So F*cked Up Podcast --- NEXT EPISODE - March 29th - The Vibrator with special guests: My two big sisters and my mom... Buckle up. HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com
Wed, March 01, 2023
HILF 32 - Dooms Day with James Connolly
James Connolly is a stand-up comedian and former marine who attended Harvard. He and Dawn have a remarkably jovial time HILF-ing the history of Dooms Day. Because we have been predicting the End of the World for time immemorial, Dawn breaks it down into: The Faith-based Theories on the end of the world. The Science-based Theories The Great Take-Backs - Not only those very specific predictions through history (IE: Y2K, Mayan Calendar) but the stories of those who pin-pointed a specific date for the End, and then ventured second, third and even more guesses when existence stubbornly persists. (There are more than you think.) ---SOURCES & LINKS--- Read more about ancient cuneiform tablets . See what they look like and how we were able to read them. This will tell you more about human's endless obsession with the apocalypse. This will tell you more about The Millerites and The Great Disappointment . FULL TRANSCRIPT -- EP32: Dooms Day with James Connolly. --- NEXT EPISODE - March 15th - Alcoholics Anonymous, AA with comedian - Jason Ryan HILF is now part of The DEN - Deluxe Edition Network . Go there to find your NEXT favorite podcast! WANNA TALK? Find us on Instagram or email us hilfpodcast@gmail.com
Wed, February 15, 2023
HILF 31 - Jack the Ripper with Peter Vogt
Dawn and guest, Peter Vogt , have a bloody good time revisiting the mysterious series of unsolved murders in Whitechapel, 1888. They cover the "canonical five" victims attributed to the unknown killer known as 'Jack the Ripper' - as well as the many theories from both then and now. [ Episode transcript ] 00:00:00 - An introduction of Peter and the general history surrounding Whitechapel, a poor slum where many were regularly resorting to desperate measures to survive. We discuss the five murders attributed to Jack, and his letters taunting the police, and the problem with sussing out the "truths" of the case. 00:47:00 - Break - HILF is now part of THE DEN, The Deluxe Edition Network . Check out another podcast in The Den: World's True Crime Podcast. 00:48:36 - Part 2 is a journey through a few of the hundreds of suspects that have emerged in the case over the past 135 years. Hear about who are the most likely, the most bizarre - and which ones are our personal favorites. 01:21:12 - Check out The Secret Police Podcast ---SOURCES--- The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden Documentaries: The Enduring Mystery of Jack the Ripper (LEMMiNO. Published, 2021) It has a dynamic VO and some great overhead map graphics that give a comparatively emotion-less and conspiracy-less version of events. Nothing graphic of the murders - a play-by-play. Entertains 4 suspects: Charles Cross, Joseph Barnett, Aaron Kosinski and Francis Tumblety. UNMASKING JACK the RIPPER (electrictheaterco. Published, 2020 ) This one has some great period photography and less-cringy re-enactments. They interview several experts and discuss some of the favored suspects - including Kosinski. They interview one of his elderly surviving descendants. The Missing Evidence: Jack the Ripper (Smithsonian Channel. Published 2018) What really compelled me about this one is that it purports just one suspect and certainly makes a convincing case by the end. In fact, since watching this one and then encountering the story repeated times since - I wonder how no one else sees it… Charles Cross. The investigator is Swedish Journalist Christer Holmgren. This comprehensive site is for the die-hard Ripperologists... you know who you are. --- <a href="https://otter.ai/u/CGEkm-lIIbgLtg
Wed, February 01, 2023
HILF 30 - Nikola Tesla with Renee Percy
Dawn welcome's Canadian-born, LA-based comedian - Renee Percy. Together, they have an electrifying conversation about the scientist, Nikola Tesla, who is to thank for so much of our technological advances today... no matter what you drive. 00:06:37 - Renee tells Dawn about why she doesn't "know history" and how the subject of Nikola Tesla occurred to her and he-hem sparked her curiosity. 00:11:40 - Dawn lays out some of the sources of her research and lays out her plan for HILF-ing Tesla. She's going to layout the story behind some of Tesla's biggest and most influential inventions - and then fill us in on all the bat-shit speculation and conspiracy theories that surrounded him after his death. SOURCES: MY IINVENTIONS - The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla PRODIGAL GENIUS - The Extraordinary Life of Nikola Tesla by John J O'Neill The Genius That Lit the World (Documentary) The Forgotten Inventor (Documentary) The History Channel (The Tesla Files) The Secret Life of Nikola Tesla ( 1980 Movie, Starring Orson Wells as JP Morgan!) 00:13:48 - Dawn jumps into the story of how Tesla first conceived of the idea of AC Power and how it led first to a humiliating moment in front of his college classmates - to an epiphany while watching a sunset. 00:18:42 - Nikola Tesla leaves Europe for New York City and after a harrowing journey (he is pick-pocketed and finds himself in the middle of a violent mutiny...) he arrives in the middle of The Gilded Age. It's a booming era when the pillars of wealth and industry really come into their own: JP Morgan, Rockefeller, Canegie - and they're all looking for the next big thing. 00:25:30 - After a disappointing six months with Thomas Edison (spit) Tesla quits after feeling unappreciated and insulted. He first digs ditches and then goes into business with some enterprising guys who help him show his genius to money men who would actually support him. Westinghouse buys into AC Power and Tesla starts to come into his own. 00:30:50 - The introduction of AC Power was a huge threat to Edison who had invested not only in DC Power, but in all of the supportive infrastructure around it. If AC were to replace his systems, he'd be ruined - and as soon as people saw how much demonstrably better it was, they would choose it every time. A war ensues. THE CURRENT WAR . Edision first tries to scare people away from AC
Wed, December 28, 2022
HILF 29 - The Donner Party, Part 2 with Andy Kraft
In the previous episode [The Donner Party Part 1] Dawn and her guest, Andy Kraft climbed aboard with The Donner Party wagon-train as they begin their ill-fated journey West. We met some of the most prominent individuals including George Donner - after whom the sad collective is named. Also James Reed, who tragically murdered his friend, John Snyder and was subsequently banished. He left, promising his wife and children he would do everything he could to be reunited and save them. 00:05:30 - When we left off, The Donner Party had just reunited with the hero, C.T. Stanton - a single, childless man who had ridden ahead of the party months earlier to get help and supplies. His return provided much needed food and comfort, but it proved to be yet another nail in the coffin as it delayed their attempt to cross the summit before a huge snow storm. 00:11:07 - After several attempts to cross the summit with the mules, the Party realizes that they simply cannot make the passing the snow. Instead, they will be slaughtered in the morning, the meat prepared - and then they're all going out on foot before the snow comes... but that very night a snow storm begins that lasts 8 days. The animals are dead and lost beneath the snow and everyone is suddenly oh-so-much more desperate. They're divided into two camps about seven miles apart from one another. Sixty are at Truckee Lake - nine men over eighteen, twelve women, and twenty-nine were children, six of whom were toddlers or younger. The other camp, at Alder Creek, has twenty-one people: six men, three women, and twelve children in all. 00:17:38 - Realizing that the situation was going to lead to inevitable starvation, they decided that the strongest individuals among them would make snowshoes, and attempt to walk to Sutter's Fort in California. If they could make it, they would raise the alarm and return with help. Some call them "The Snowshoe Party", others "The Forlorn Hope". There were fifteen of them: five women, nine men and one twelve-year old boy. 00:29:52 - It has been mutually determined among the members of The Forlorn Hope that starvation was imminent and that 'should one of them die, the others might live.' They were the first among The Donner Party to resort to cannibalism when: "“The men finally mustered up the courage to approach the dead”. 00:37:07 - BREAK - Check out the podcast Story Worthy by Christine Blackburn . 00:38:20 - The First Relief Party arrives at Donner Lake on February 1847. It’s bad. Of the sixty-five people who were left there when The Forlorn Hope left (two months prior), thirteen people have died, leaving about thirty survivors. They have not *apparently* started eating each other yet. Twenty-one leave with the rescuers: six adults, six children under te
Wed, December 14, 2022
HILF 28 - The Donner Party with Andy Kraft
Dawn's guest is actor and writer, Andy Kraft . He is a longtime friend and colleague - together they've done everything from romantic comedies on screen, to portraying water droplets on stage. Andy can be seen in countless commercials, episodes of television (including the final episode of Brooklyn nine-nine ) and is the hand up the bum of some of your favorite puppets! 00:07:44 - Andy explains why he chose the subject of The Donner Party.His total ignorance of the subject (is it NOT the Dahmer Party?) ultimately made it the HILF of the day and, of course, Dawn loves a History Virgin. 00:13:36 - The Donner Party began, as almost all wagon trains going West did at the time - on the Oregon Trail. This infamous trail inspired a similarly infamous game that was very popular in the mid 80's... if you didn't die, you won! But you probably died... There is a new version of the game for Switch , if you can believe it. 00:18:53 - The Who-is-who of The Donner Party: We are introduced to the people who begin with the wagon train in Missouri, what brought them there, and what there expectations were going forward. Everything starts out fairly well with Mrs. Donner even writing a letter home that says, "“Indeed, if I do not experience something far worse than I have yet done, I shall say the trouble is all in getting started.” 00:23:50 - Because things are going so well as they set out, the Donner Party begins to take interest in a rumor of a shortcut. The so-called Hastings Cut-off, purported by legendary frontiersman, Lansford Hastings , proves a tempting option. Ultimately they take a vote and about 90 of the party take the road oh-so-much less traveled. BREAK 00:32:07 - In October of 1846, The Donner Party finds themselves weeks behind schedule and with an increasingly hazardous route unfolding before them. After cutting paths through thick brush and hard terrain, they then face the crossing of The Great Salt Dessert - and they already are running out of food and water. See the map! 00:37:04 - In light of how FUCKING BAD things are going, the group selects two individuals, Stanton and McCutchen, to ride ahead to California to alert them to their plight and possibly bring back help and supplies. Shortly after they leave, things progressively get worse for everybody - and then there is the first murder. 00:39
Wed, November 30, 2022
HILF 27 - The Three Musketeers with Kristal Adams
Dawn usually records around her kitchen table, but as guest, Kristal Adams , recently had her cars stolen, she instead packed up the recording equipment and headed to Kristal's place near downtown Los Angeles. As it turns out, the quietest and most comfortable place to record was smack in the middle of Kristals bed. Tres bien. 00:03:55 - Dawn goes through Kristal's most exciting credits including as a writer on Legomasters , and The Circle on Netflix , and she promotes her hilarious comedy album Aint I A Wombat . 00:05:12 - Kristal explains to Dawn that her lack of car has been part of the decision to move to New York City - where you don't need one! Dawn likes the idea but gives her some food for thought as she heads into living in her first 'winter climate' state. 00:09:42 - We learn a little bit more about Kristal's French husband, Fabrice, and how he has spurred both her interest in French Literature and her desire to ask ANYONE BUT HIM to tell her about it. Voila! Moi! Dawn explains that since 'French Literature' is such a huge subject, she focused her attention on The Three Musketeers and it's author Alexander Dumas ... but of course it all begins with The French Revolution. 00:12:46 - The French Revolution has to precede any in-depth conversation about French Literature because for so much of our most-loved figures it was a central event. From Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette , through the Reign of Terror and past the execution of Robespierre - we give Kristal a lot to chew on around the ol' Fromage Tray. 00:22:52 - Lots of sources generally say the French Revolution ended with the execution of Robespierre in 1794 but in fact there were several more revolutions and, of course, the Emperor Napoleon . 00:30:00 - With some general French History and some specific French Revolution History in our back pocket, we move on to the author of The Three Musketeers, Alexander Dumas... well, we begin with his grandparents actually: A rich white nobleman living in Haiti and an enslaved woman, named Marie-Cesette. Alexander Duma's half-black father has a incredible story of his own - one that led him to glory fighting for France aboard during the Revolution, and earned the ire of none other than Napoleon. 00:37:04 - Always feeling in the shadow of his father's greatness, and enduring the rampant racism in Paris himself, Alexander Dumas strived always to be remembered and be loved. Perhaps this is why he had no less than 4 illegitimate childre
Wed, November 16, 2022
HILF 26 - The Radium Girls with Lana Adams
Dawn's mom, Lana Adams, was roped into recording with her while on a visit to Los Angeles from the small town of Wisconsin Rapids - in central Wisconsin. We learn that Lana is a little shy, but very smart, well-traveled - and wise in the ways of packing 'a roadie.' 00:09:13 - Dawn asks Lana why she chose The Radium Girls as her HILF and she gives her primary sources and plan for the episode: BOOK: The Radium Girls by Kate Moore MOVIE: The Radium Girls (2020 - Starring Joey King, Mixed Reviews...) 00:16:13 - To grasp the setting and time of this story, Dawn begins with the history of the Industrial Revolution which was introduced the factories in which such stories were even possible. 00:21:16 - A little about the history of the element, Radium , itself. It was discovered by Marie Curie and before she knew how dangerous it was (spoiler alert, it would kill her) she called it 'my beautiful Radium' because it glowed in the dark. As factories were working out how it could be used and more importantly marketed, WWI gave them a perfect use: watch faces for our guys in the trenches. 00:25:46 - The first signs that the women who worked as painters for the various Radium Corporations, was jaw and tooth pain. It was so extreme and debilitating that one woman died shortly after her entire jaw fell off. Miscarriages, still births and cancers were rampant and the women began to ask for answers from the factory heads... which when things got really scary. --BREAK-- Listen to MAY IT DISPLEASE THE COURT hosted by Attorney, Mary Whiteside. 00:36:00 - Dawn checks in with Mom to see how she's feeling about her first-ever podcast experience and she's doing great, sober an' everything! 00:38:33 - The Radium Girls' story inspired Dawn to go down some rabbit holes in history to discuss some of the other worst work-place malfeasance of the past and woof... buckle up. We start with The Breaker Boys whose case was brought to (literal) light by the intrepid photographer, Lewis Hine . 00:45:24 - Dawn asks Lana what was the worst job she's ever had. She confesses she's always been really lucky and has truly enjoyed her work... but she's never worked retail so... 00:48:27 - Next is the story from 1897 in Pennslyvania: The Lattimer Massacre . Unarmed men, shot in the back by deputized posse. All but one of them were Slavic, German immigrants. Many of them had been scabs during a previous strike by the “English-speaking” miners but then joined forces as a large miner collective
Wed, November 02, 2022
HILF 25 - The Supreme Court with Mary Whiteside
Dawn met guest, Mary Whiteside , while they were both backlot tour guides at Universal Studios, Hollywood. When Mary suggested the HILF subject of the Supreme Court, Dawn was a bit stymied. The legal system can feel a little dark, a little depressing, and just too damn hard to understand sometimes - with the dates and the names and the precedents and -- what's an amicus? Which is why Dawn immediately said yes, because Mary is not just a guest with a HILFY curiosity, she's a real lawyer, and a mom, and funny and cool and ready to go down on Justice... 00:02:13 - Dawn introduces Mary with a question of how a lawyer found herself being a movie studio tour guide to begin with. Mary explains that she was always interested in being a performer but that being a lawyer gave her (and her mom) the security she was looking for. ...And performing for the jury is like a little play. 00:08:22 - Along with the subject, Mary assigned Dawn the book INJUSTICES by Ian Millhiser . 'The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted.' It is a dark path through some dark history which, as Mary says, gives you lots stuff to get pissed off about it. 00:12:40 - Dawn begins with a quick overview of your middle school social studies , and the origin of the Supreme Court in the constitution. As one of the three branches of government, the purpose is to create reasonable checks and balances on the Executive and the Legislative... That's it's purpose, but certainly not always it's function. 00:19:14 - Mary gives the HILF on the individual that she thinks is the 'best' justice to have ever served on the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor . 00:29:17 - Dawn and Mary discuss the history of the changing number of justices on the Supreme Court from 5 in the very beginning, to as many as 10 after the Civil War. FDR briefly discussed raising the number to 15 but was quickly shot down politically for even suggesting it. Today, the subject has come up again and is no less controversial. BREAK 00:37:18 - Dawn and Mary resume with a conversation about what it's like to be a Judge and how they are the closest thing to Royalty we have in America, given their lifetime appointments. 00:40:25 - After discussing the 'best' Justice ever to have been on the court, Mary now gives us the 'worst'... and what do you know, it's another one who is sitting there currently, Clarence Thomas . In addition to questioning the constitutionality of his decisions, Mary takes issue wit
Wed, October 19, 2022
HILF 24: Horror Movies with Jose Barrientos
Guest, Jose Barrientos is a stand-up comedian and professional hacker - who also happens to love Horror Movies. He begins by telling Dawn what a 'professional hacker' does - and yes, it is a bit more like Jason Bourne than you may be prepared for. 00:08:15 - Dawn and Jose discuss their favorite horror movies and why. Inevitably, part of the reason any given movie scares us more than another has a lot to do with when and where we first saw it. Jose saw his while alone in a war zone, Dawn saw hers while at a slumber party. Harrowing, both... 00:10:50 - Dawn lays out her sources of research for this episode: BOOK - Lost in the Dark by Brad Weismann DOCUMENTARY SERIES - The Movies That Made Us ESSAY - A Brief History of Horror Films (Albany County Public Library) 00:12:28 - Dawn lays out her plan for the episode: We are going decade-by-decade from the first 'scary movie' in 1896 all the way to NOPE with is in theaters as we record. As we go, we'll discuss what events in history and other elements of the zeitgeist inform the way movies are made and seen. 00:20:12 - After a discussion of our favorite horror films, we get to THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1896) and how this French film laid the way for the horror movies to come. 00:20:45 - The 1920's kick us off in the silent era with NOSFURATU (1922) and THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1920) . 00:22:29 - The 1930's introduce the big Universal Monsters, FRANKENSTEIN (1931) , DRACULA (1931) , THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) and THE MUMMY (1932) . Coming out of World War I and entering a period of facism and another global war, what scared us had to level up a little... and it did. Too much, apparently for some because it is also when we introduce the crippling, Hays Code. This new set of rules drastically restricted what films were allowed to portray, including anything "gruesome." 00:25:50 - The 1940's, thanks to The Code and (and another World War) many people consider it something of a drought of Horror Film. Dawn discusses THE WOLFMAN (1941) which came out the weekend after Pearl Harbor was bombed and was written by a Curt Siodmak, a Jew who had escaped Germany as Hitler rose to power. Siodmak was unambiguous about where the monsters he wrote about came from. "...the moon represents the swastika..." 00:28:03 - After Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) our horror films from the 1950's are as atomic as our night
Wed, October 05, 2022
HILF 23: Pompeii with Andrew Melby
In August of 2022 my husband Andrew Melby (everyone, including me, calls him Melby) and my 4 year old daughter, Beatrice went on a 16 day trip through Italy. It was a first visit for all of us and we had spectacular visits planned from Venice to Amalfi - but I had only one Can-Not-Miss on my list: Pompeii. The Ancient City destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. One of my all-time HILF’s - I was so fucking excited to see it. On they day we got there, it was over 98 degrees but still packed - because, it turned out, it was the one day a month it is free to the public… It had been over 100 degrees almost every day we had been in Italy - all of Europe was enduring an increasingly common record-setting summer. We had taken a train, then a taxi to get there, had checked our two-weeks-worth of luggage in a temporary locker - and tried to explain to our daughter that this was NOT just a hot dust field full of broken buildings… there were also dead people. It was great. Hot, sad and surreal - and so great. --- EPISODE BREAKDOWN--- 00:03:32 - Melby may be familiar to HILF die-hard fans as he was a guest in Season one - EP:05 - Krampus . We discuss Melby's background an the tries to introduce himself despite "hating to do that stuff." 00:09:56 - My primary source of information was the book: The Complete Pompeii by Joanne Berry . 00:12:20 - The HILF-ing begins with 'what is Pompeii' and a quick and dirty on the what-where-and-when's of it all. 00:14:33 - Dawn gives a play-by-play of what happened on the day Vesuvius erupted - and how it may have looked and felt to those who experienced it. It's not all guess-work either; there were a couple of eye-witnesses whose accounts survived - including Pliney the Younger . 00:21:40 - After the destroyed towns and people were covered in many feet of ash and debris, history marched on above them - century after century until in 1709, a guy digs a well and brings up some ancient marble. The site sparks the curiosity and treasure-lust of people immediately - and the control of the site changed and was contested for decades. 00:23:37 - Eventually, an Italian named Giuseppe Fiorelli was put in charge of the site and not only did he organize and preserve the artifacts in a useful way (at last) but he also was the one who innovated the Plaster Casts. For years excavators had been discovering frequent hollow spaces that were believed to have once been enca
Wed, September 21, 2022
HILF 22: Baseball with Joe Dungun
Dawn welcomes Joe Dungan a guy who likes HILF and Baseball so much he asked to be drafted as a guest. Together Dawn and Joe cover the origins of the game, as well as Dawn's top 3 HILFs from baseball's history: Shoeless Joe Jackson, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. Play ball! 00:06:30 - Dawn starts with the mythical origin of Baseball: Cooperstown and Abner Doubleday. A lovable story that, perhaps was an attempt to obscure the more elite, urban and gentrified beginning to America's Pastime. The real beginning of baseball came from the marbled halls of the Knickerbocker Club in New York City - a club so elite they wouldn't (for awhile) even admit a Rockefeller. 00:17:32 - It wasn't long after the beginning of organized baseball leagues and the rift between Owners and Players that cheating scandals began. The 1919 World Series wasn't the first, but it was the biggest to date - and it ended the career of the sad case of Shoeless Joe Jackson. PART 2 00:34:28 - After the break, Joe and Dawn discuss their favorite baseball movies. League of Their Own, The Natural, Major League - it's a long list. Dawn confesses that her top five includes The Sandlot - which was where she first learned about the legendary status of The Bambino, Babe Ruth . 00:53:33 - Jackie Robinson , the first black player in Major League Baseball, has an incredible story. Not only are the events of his life incredible, but the impact he had on the game - and therefore American Culture - is immeasurable. Hear about his early days, his height of fame, and his graceful exit from the game. --- See more and keep up with us on: INSTAGRAM FACEBOOK Among my best sources for this episode was the AMAZING Ken Burns Documentary on PBS . Support your local station and watch it. 19 hours of baseball history, baby... oh yeah.
Wed, September 07, 2022
HILF 21: Houdini with Joe Brogie
Dawn's guest, Joe Brogie , began performing magic around his home town in Nebraska until he moved to LA in 2018 to start a career in Voice Over (you can hear him as Matty in Nickelodean's "The Beatbuds - Let's Jam!" ). Joe is also a comedian, actor and has appeared on Jimmy Fallon . 00:00:00 - Joe discusses his track from Nebraska to Los Angeles and the similarities he has found between performing magic and performing stand-up comedy. They are more connected than some may have guessed. 00:06:37 - Dawn asks Joe why he assigned her the subject of Harry Houdini. Joe explains that Houdini is, as most people know, one of the godfathers of magic. As a magician himself Joe has always felt a little under informed about his life and has always wanted to know more about him. Dawn discusses the sources she went to to gather the H for this F-ing: BOOK: HOUDINI!!! The Career of Erik Weiss by Kenneth Silverman PODCAST - Stuff You Should Know - Oct. 21, 2021 (Josh & Chuck, 2008 almost 2,000 episodes) DOCUMENTARY - The Life And Magic Of The Real Harry Houdini | The Magic Of Houdini | Timeline with Alan Davis. (3.2021) DOCUMENTARY - (1999) - The Greatest, Houdini WEBSITE - Wild About Houdini 00:10:23 - The two things that people seem to know about Houdini is that he was a great magician, and he died after being punched in the stomach. Dawn begins with this element of Houdini's story - his untimely death - and discusses what actually happened with that punch. Who did it - and why many dispute that it was, in fact, responsible for killing him. 00:18:53 - As Houdini's death leave questions, the HILF now goes back to his childhood and origin story. From his arrival in the USA as a child from Hungary, to his rise to fame as a magician first in Vaudeville, and eventually to the big time - and even to to Europe. Dawn discusses his most famous tricks, his knack for self-promotion and how he found himself being the first person to fly a plane in Australia. BREAK 00:36:17 - Coming out of the break, Joe finishes one of the few card tricks he performed to Dawn's toe-curling delight. He goes on to explain how long it takes to perfect a
Wed, July 20, 2022
HILF 20: The Orgy with All Previous Guests
Dawn recorded her first episode of HILF in June of 2021 and- as a podcaster - came in rather cold. Microphones, editing and distribution were new, but a love of History and way with people were very familiar territory. What follows are short clips from each guest, in the order they were originally released... but with no other order whatsoever. Welcome to the HILF ORGY. --- 00:02:20 - EP01: FRANKENSTEIN with Helen Shephard - The two discuss Dawn’s possible merch line that could come from long-standing bickering over the nature of Frankenstein. ...and we do it all with little (to no) Opium. 00:03:05 - EP02: JOHN DILLINGER with Kat Perkins - Dawn asks if Kat has ever had sex with someone BECAUSE they were a criminal and her answer is illuminating. 00:03:49 - EP03: DB COOPER with Maile Flanagan - Maile gives Dawn good advice on how to cast the inevitable DB Cooper Road Movie. 00:04:30 - EP04: PRESIDENT POLK with Meryl Klemow - Dawn discusses how our historical transgressions can be viewed with more clarity from the present if we try to recognize how our great-grandchildren will view our current misdeeds. 00:06:40 - EP05: KRAMPUS with Andrew Melby - Enjoy this intimate chit-chat between husband and wife. 00:07:40 - EP06: THE F-WORD with Ryan Ripple [2-parter] - Ryan tells the story of how he accidentally came out to his parents in a too-raunchy note he wrote to a high school friend. 00:08:19 - EP08: CINNAMON with Wayne Wilderson - It’s a burping, giggling path through Scientology and more. 00:09:25 - EP09: PIRATES with Shelby Young [2-parter] - Tattoos and how one's ‘Arh!’ Is like their thumbprint, all your own. 00:10:09 - EP11: STAND UP COMEDY with Wayne Federman - Wayne tells Dawn about the bitter pill that is growing up in a place called ‘Plantation'. 00.11:00 - EP12: FREAKS with Christine Blackburn - Dawn
Wed, July 06, 2022
HILF 19: Lesbians with Rachel Scanlon (Recorded LIVE)
About 40 people joined Dawn and special guest, Rachel Scanlon in The Glendale Room for a night of comedy, history and Lesbians! Not included in the recording, was the first part of the live show which featured stand-up comedy from Ryan Ripple [ Guest from 'THE F WORD - EP. 6 &7 ] and Rachel Scanlon. We learned a lot about Rachel during her set, including that she has hit some impressive weight-loss milestones over the past year. Listeners join the live audience as Dawn and Rachel sit down together on a lush love-seat, surrounded by books and prepare themselves for the HILF-ing ahead: ---EPISODE BREAKDOWN--- 00:04:00 - Dawn brings everyone up to speed on how the two first met - and why it felt like love at first sight. Rachel tells us about a recent adventure she had with her mom - during which they ate cannabis and talked about sex! Dawn discusses her relationship with homosexuality, and when she realized she was straight. 00:13:14 - Dawn lays out her plan for the HILF-ing of Lesbians: to begin with the first historical reference and then a few of her favorite moments that bring us right up to today. 00:14:04 - CHAPTER ONE: The OG Lesbian, Sappho of Lesbos. We hear the tale of this ancient, Pagen poetess who was world-famous but whose sexuality was only a 'big deal' long after her death. A string of leaders within the growing Christian movement aspired to burn Sappho and all of her poetry from the historical record. They largely succeeded, unfortunately, a few poems and a few portions of other poems have survived. Dawn reads a brief portion of one and it gets steamy! 00:25:18 - CHAPTER TWO: The Lesbian Sex Wars. Dawn brings us forward in time several hundred years to America in 1970's and the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. As several varying groups of minorities are organizing and fighting for freedom and representation, a bizarre rift developed among the Women's Right's Movement. On the one side were the Radical Feminists like Catharine A MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin who are anti-porn and anti-kink. On the other, a group of BDSM-leather-loving women who called themselves the Lesbian Sex Mafia. They squared off in 1982 at the Barnard College Conference on Sexuality ... I know, to be a fly on the wall, right 00:38:04 - CHAPTER THREE: Dykes on Bikes. After some 'cunt-a-linquistics' of the ori
Wed, June 22, 2022
HILF 18: The Iranian Revolution with Zari Faripour
For over a year during the Covid Lockdown, Zari was the only person outside of Dawn's house that she spoke to in person. Chats in doorway turned to coffee on the patio - turned to tea at her kitchen table - which eventually became whiskey on the couch. More than once she found myself at 1o’clock in the morning awash - not just in the Makers Mark Zari pours so generously - but in her captivating tales of her life in Iran. Dawn recorded with Zari for a few sessions over two days and what is compiled here focuses primarily on the history of the Iranian Revolution and how it wove through the events of Zari’s life to this point. ---EPISODE BREAKDOWN--- 00:10:00 - After Dawn and Zari bring the listeners up to speed on how they met and grew so close - Dawn begins to give the very early broad strokes of the seeds of the Iranian Revolution, and where Zari was at the time. In 1961, for example, in an unlikely turn of events, Zari finds herself at 15 entering a Catholic School in London - she is Muslim, speaks no English and has never seen a nun. 00:16:30 - At the same time that Zari is in London, the Shah Pahlavi - the divisive and socially progressive King of Iran - is advancing what is known as the White Revolution. This is generally an investment in a modernizing - and particularly Westernizing and secularizing - of Iranian culture. Its most vocal critic is the Ruhollah Khomeini (later the Ayatollah Khomeini) who is eventually sent into exile in Iraq, but continues to remain very present in Iranian dissent. 00:25:24 - When Zari graduates and returns to Iran in 1968, she gets married and has a son - later divorces, amicably- and is beginning her career in education. Not long after, the real build of the revolution begins: The Cinema Rex Fire as well as other violent and deadly events are happening with more regularity and the tide of revolution is beginning to become clearer. 00:44:37 - By November, 1978, the Revolution is building and increasing numbers of people are taking to the streets every week. The Shah makes a series of televised concessions and capitulations which only seem embolden his critics and weaken his position. As allies also begin to falter in their support of the Shah, many begin to see how the return of Khomeini would mean violence and chose to flee. Zari, her parents, and her 7 year-old son got on a crowded flight on Dec. 7th, 1978 and go to London. It is from London that they witness the Revolution take a dark turn. --BREAK-- 00:52:51 - Dawn and Zari begin Part 2 with a clink of whiskey glasses and jumping into some of the ugliest days of the return of the Ayatollah to Iran. Dawn references the story of author, Shirin Ebadi in her book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=i
Wed, June 08, 2022
HILF 17: Joan of Arc with Lauren Pritchard
Lauren Prichard is a renowned actress and improviser whose credits include Disney, Upright Citizens Brigade and MADtv. She and Dawn work together as street improvisors in the New York Window element at Universal Studios, Hollywood - and they're mutual fans of one another. Lauren's knowledge of the life of Joan of Arc is limited to her appearance in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - and as the namesake of canned beans . Dawn delights in delivering not only the amazing story of this 15th C. heroine, but some of the top-shelf drama that precipitated her appearance in our history books. --- 00:03:52 - After some initial jib-jab and mutual adoration, Lauren tells the story of how she got the job on MADtv. An incredible rats-to-(comparative) riches story. 00:10:28 - Dawn discusses her lack of prior knowledge about Joan and - as usual - sharing her primary source of research: Joan of Arc, A History by Helen Castor. Among the reasons Dawn chose this book is because it gives a great foundation for the lay of the land before Joan's incredible appearance. 00:13:37 - The HILF of Joan of Arc officially begins in the 92nd year of the 100-Year War , and everyone is fucking exhausted. The fight between the French and the English is further complicated by a Civil War within France between the Burgundies and the Armagnacs. Fractured and on their heels, it appears to many that the English may finally prove victorious and sieze the French throne. 00:23:28 - It is from this depth of despair that the would-be king of France gets news that a girl is there to see him. A girl dressed as a boy who says she is there to do three things at God's command: 1) She is to personally lead his Army, 2) She will get him coronated as the rightful King, 3) She will expel the English from all French lands. Individually, these are preposterous ideas - taken together they are virtually impossible without a miracle... Which Joan assures will materialize. 00:34:50 - After incredibly accomplishing the first two items on her list, Joan begins to suffer defeats and set-backs and loses the confidence of the King. She is soon captured by the Burgundies who instead of turning her over to the Armagnacs as a military prisoner, they hand her over to the English to be tried for heresy. After two escape attempts, her trial begins in 1431 when she is 19. --BREAK-- 00:38:52 - We pick up with Joan at the beginning of her trial for heresy. The English can not abide the idea that the God they share with France would have told anyone they would lose... Her conviction was a foregone conclusion, but more than that the court wanted Joan to bre
Wed, May 25, 2022
HILF 16: Great Mistakes with Brian Kiley
Dawn and guest, Brian Kiley , were backstage at a comedy show when they first realized their shared love for History. In this episode, the two get to really let their nerd-flag fly and take turns sharing their favorite LOL moments from a wide variety of people, places and timelines. Prepare to feel (comparatively) less stupid in this episode devoted to History's Great Mistakes: 00:04:40 - Before we dig deep in annals of history, we learn about Brian Kiley. How he first came to comedy, his Emmy nominations and wins for Conan O'Brien and Ellen - and how one prepares to make a 'last minute' appearance on Letterman. 00:10:43 - In addition to being a comedy writer, Brian Kiley is also a fiction-writer with two novels: The Astounding Misadventures of Rory Collins and Maybe Kevin . 00:16:11 - Dawn finds herself in "nerd Paradise" as they prepare to jump in and swim around in the HILF of Great Mistakes. 00:18:17 - Brian kicks things off with a hilarious and are-you-kidding-me nugget from our friends, the Pilgrims, and a certain 7' Native American. 00:20:54 - Dawn tells the story of The Children's Crusade - a tragically face-palming blip in the holy wars of Middle Ages in which a 12 year-old boy led over 30,000 children, on foot, across Europe to reclaim Jerusalem by slaying the enemy with their innocence... I know, right? 00:25:38 - It's Brian's turn and he brings us a moment featured in the movie THE RIGHT STUFF, in which astronaut John Glenn is temporarily mesmerized by brilliant otherworld particles in space... that turned out to be anything but. 00:27:33 - Dawn illustrates the ridiculous story of TULIP MANIA, when the Netherlands found themselves in the midst of the first economic bubble... but it was so pretty! BREAK 00:33:22 - Before we jump back in, Dawn asks Brian if there is a comedian he can trace back to the origin of his interest in comedy, and he can: Dick Gregory . 00:35:13 - Brian delivers the next LOL-HILF on his list, the hilarious story of the first hot-air ballon in France and the bizarre and yet totally predictable way that the people who see it react. 00:38:27 - In a one-two punch, Brian then tells the story of bright, yet unfortunate President Jimmy Carter and why his 2nd term seemed doomed to failure from the launch. 00:43:13 - It's Dawn's turn with a HILF of the worst building in London 'The Fryscraper' - and good/bad news - you can visit it to this day.
Wed, May 11, 2022
HILF 15: Salem Witch Trials with Alex Malt
It is one of the darkest, yet most alluring parts of early American History, and although it only lasted for one year [1692-1693] the Salem Witch Trials spellbind us to this day. Dawn sits down with guest, Alex Malt , who is eager to get into this bewitching history and go visit his hometown sites with more authority next time. 00:07:42 - After some catching up and chit-chat, Dawn gets into her sources, 2 Books: Death in Salem - Diane E Foulds The Salem Witch Trials. A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a city under siege - by Marilynne K Roach. But first, just the general stats on The Salem Witch Trials: 200 people were accused 30 found guilty 20 executed 19 hanged 1 pressed to death 7 died in jail 00:13:27 - Dawn lays out her plan for the episode: First to tell the general story of the Salem Witch Trials, the HILFY-est Who's-what's of the story. Then, after the break, we will dive into the WHY and the HOW - which has been the focus of study in the 330-ish years since the Salem Witch Trials took place. 00:14:58 - We begin in January, 1692 in the cold, cold house of the cold, cold man, Rev. Samuel Parris . His daughter Betty and his niece Abigail have been trying their hand and fortune telling when all shit breaks loose. 00:22:50 - Fortune Telling? Witch Cakes? THE DEVIL... There is no redder meat for a Puritan Village and the accusations begin to spread like wildfire. 00:31:25 - The executions took place in Salem and they were all, except one, done by hanging. Giles Corey was pressed to death in a method considered archaic even by these animals. 00:36:25 - All of the so-called judges were - to put it bluntly - cunts. But one of them was particularly cunty and his name is John Hawthorne. His descendant, Nathanial Hawthorne, would go on to apologize for his ancestor - and to write the novel The Scarlet Letter . PART 2 00:42:28 - We know that Salem didn't invent the idea of Witch Craft. Dawn goes back to English Witch Trials and how their laws and courts set a precedent for Salem - but it was, of course, horri
Wed, April 27, 2022
HILF 14: Prohibition with Beau Hufford
It may seem unthinkable now - people considered it unthinkable at the time - but for about 13 years in America, alcohol was constitutionally banned. The 18th Amendment made criminal the distillation, transportation and distribution of alcohol. It was never, however, illegal to drink it. Ah-ha. An American-sized loop-hole. Prohibition was a dark and exciting time - the birth of jazz clubs, speak-easies, and organized crime. A time none of us would return to, yet it remains in the top five party-themes of all time. Oh really? You don’t have some photo-booth picture of you in pearls, holding a Tommy gun? Really? And speaking of pearls… My guest for this episode is Beau Hufford . He is at the helm of 3 different podcasts and so we begin our conversation talking a little “podcast shop” and playing with my sound effects. Welcome. Pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of hooch as we begin the HILF of Prohibition. ---EPISODE NOTES/LINKS--- 00:00:00 - Dawn and Beau discuss the podcasting sound board as well as Beau’s other podcasting exploits: Campfire Shtshow Movie Cinema Film Club Things You Can’t Tell Your Parents He is also a visual artist who performs and travels around the world . 00:08:57 - The subject at hand is, Prohibition. Beau explains that his fascination all began when he built a small Tiki Bar hidden in his apartment called “The Sneaky Crow”. Dawn presents her sources of research: ‘Prohibition’ - Documentary by Ken Burns on PBS LAST CALL: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition - By Daniel Okrent 00:13:54 - Dawn explains that one of the lessons of Prohibition is this: For a bad idea to succeed, it needs a good intention and a committee of assholes . The good intention was to do something about the very real and very growing problem of alcoholism in America. Most families could trace some terrible situation to a man and a bottle. The assholes include some classic ones like the KKK, but also some more likeable-assholes like The Suffragettes. 00:24:30 - In December of 1917 congress passes Prohibition… They fucking pass it. Then, in January of 1919, it is ratified by 36 states and the one-year countdown begins to January 17th, 2020 when it's all illegal baby. Almost immediately the many loopholes were exploited. For example, beer and fermented cider you made at home was le
Wed, April 13, 2022
HILF 13: Whiskey Rebellion with Rashid Green
Rashid and his wife Kasey started the social channel THE BARLESS TENDER during covid for all of us boozehounds who found ourselves suddenly bar-less - but no less-thirsty. Not only do they demonstrate how to make bitchin’ cocktails - but he serves up each one with an accompanying dose of history. I KNOW! So I invited Rashid over and in he came with a little cooler filled with fragrant and intoxicating delights from America’s Colonial Past. Drink along with us, if you can! Recipes and directions for each cocktail can be found on our instagram @hilfpodcast . 04:05 - After some introductory chit-chat, Dawn explains how she became aware of Rashid and his wife Kasey. Bartenders, and so much more! Rashid is in awe of his wife in all areas of her life and discusses not only their social channel - but life as a father of two small children. 08:12 - Dawn asks Rashid if he was a history student and he tells her about his history with... History. Rashid's family’s history is traced back to Sparta, which was an early tickle to open a history book and learn more. Yes, even if it's complicated. 12:45 - Rashid makes, explains and serves the “Almost Classic Sherry Flip”. Fun to hear... even more fun to drink. Make one for yourself by finding the recipe and pictures on our instagram . 16:55 - Drink in hand, Dawn begins with a general overview of drinking in America. The fact is, Americans have been heavy drinkers - even by comparison of other similar people in similar times - since our beginning. PART 2 27:52 - Rashid creates cocktail #2: Claret's Punch. 34:15 - Two historic cocktails deep proves to be the perfect foundation for the pair to start with this history of the Whiskey Rebellion. Rashid is unfamiliar with the history and Dawn delights in telling it. 53:48 - With the story complete, Rashid compares Jedis to tax collectors and the two enjoy some talents and Q & A. --- THANK YOU - listener - for tuning in and reading this far. We appreciate you and thank you and can't wait to see you next time. When we do it will be for PROHIBITION with guest, Beau Hufford . In the meantime... Please leave us a review! And follow us on Instagram!
Wed, March 30, 2022
HILF 12: Freaks with Christine Blackburn
Christine Blackburn is not only the guest for this episode, but also the gracious host as we recorded at her kitchen table in Los Feliz, California. Christine is the host of the long-running and much-loved podcast, Story Worthy - and it's live show counterpart, Story Smash . 00:01:53 - Thanks for being here. We’ve shared a joint… you’re holding a cat. No two women have been more prepared. Dawn introduces Christine. Her podcast, Story Worthy has had over 725 episodes, running 12 years. 00:04:04 - Dawn and Christine commence fucking the history of FREAKS! Dawn asks Christine why the subject interests her and she said that it is the combination from the performers themselves of joy and laughter (sometimes) along with their deformities and apparent suffering. 00:06:04 - Dawn presents her primary source of information regarding Joseph Merrick and much of the Freak Show culture in Europe in the 1880's. The True History of the Elephant Man by Michael Howells and Peter Ford 00:06:43 - We take a moment to discuss the word, “Freak”. It's modern usage appears to arise in 1847 in reference to a ‘freak of nature’ a malformed member of a species. Annie Jones - an early and famous 'bearded lady' - did take vocal objection to the word but seems to be an outlier. 00:08:32 - Dawn commences The Story of The Elephant man, Joseph Merrick. How he came to meet Dr. Treeves and how he became more than just a 'freak' but a cultural icon featured in theater, film, and music over many decades. 00:13:57 - Dawn asks Christine: Do you think Freak Shows are good or bad? Dawn compares it as 'a living' to sex work and child labor (in so far as we discuss it today with minor athletes and artists). We can't really evaluate how 'good or bad' it is until we know how emancipated the individual who is doing it is. Are they empowered or exploited? Are they making this choice freely and being compensated fairly? ...then we may not need to worry how 'happy' they are with their work any more than we do with anyone else. 00:19:13 - There were several so-called 'freaks' who made good as freak show performers over the years leading up to Joseph Merrick, and he would have been aware that displaying himself was a fair alternative to poverty. For example: 00:19:40 - Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo : Conjoined twins from 17th Century Europe. 00:21:21 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias
Wed, March 16, 2022
HILF 11: Stand-Up Comedy with Wayne Federman
Wayne Federman , author of The History of Stand-Up , makes it clear early in his book - and in our conversation - that this is not the history of Comedy in general. We are not necessarily concerned with when the first cave-man made a fart joke. We get into how the modern day performance style, 'STAND-UP' came to be. We learn who were the originators, how it evolved, and where might it be going next. Thanks for joining us - lets get started! PART 1 00:02:35 - Wayne is also a professor at the University of Southern California (USC) and discusses his course there and how he approaches teaching comedy to his students. 00:04:46 - Wayne co-hosts his own podcast: The History of Stand-up with Andrew Stephen . 00:08:24 - How did this specific kind of performance style get the name 'Stand-Up'. There are two theories, that it came from bookers, and that it came from the mob. Dawn prefers the later. 00:12:20 - We get into The 4 Forefathers - according to Wayne - of stand-up. The first is Artemus Ward aka: Charles Brown. 00:17:04 - The next forefather is Mark Twain who Dawn has always had a crush on because he touches so many of her interests from boats to electricity to comedy. Wayne details how Mark Twain went from writing to the stage, and how he won (and made back) all his money. 00:20:53 - The third forefather we discuss is Bert Williams , a black performer who made his debut in blackface. He went on to be among the most successful performers of his time - including being the one of the first voices ever put on a record. 00:23:04 - Will Rogers is the 4th forefather and was inspired by Bert Williams - performing with him in the Ziegfield Follies. Often called “The Father of Political Comedy” Will Rogers might be considered America's first rockstar - he even hosted the Oscars and tragically died in a plane crash. 00:26:38 - Dawn and Wayne discuss the differences between minstrel show, Vaudeville, Revues and Burlesque. We also talk about the origin of the phrase 'Going Blue'. 00:32:12 - The Women! We talk about women in comedy like the icon, Fanny Brice (AKA: Funny Girl) and the hilarious and overlooked Elsie Janis . BREAK PART 2 00:35:10 - Technology, of course, changed the course of stand-up comedy and one of the first thing it yielded was The Record. The first one to sell over a million copies and become a phenomenon was ' Cohen on the
Wed, March 02, 2022
HILF 10: Pirates Part 2 with Shelby Young
As Shelby and Dawn resume the tale of Mary Read and Anne Bonny from PART 1 , they begin with a discussion of how they themselves earn their loot - not as pirates, but even more notorious - as entertainers in Los Angeles. 00:00:00 - Shelby asks Dawn how she began doing stand-up comedy and Dawn explains how the path from being a Theater Major led her here. Dawn also explains why she loves comedy and how she considers the art of making others laugh to be a sacred one. 00:04:15 - Dawn asks Shelby how she got into voice work. Shelby explains how she began acting on stage and on camera rather young and when she discovered voice acting she was hooked. Among other things, it was nice to be able to focus on something other than her physical appearance. 00:07:15 - Shelby tells us about how she got the job of being the voice of Princess Leia and how it fells to be a part of the 'Star Wars Family'. 00:08:10 - Shelby demonstrates some of her voices and characters (Including PIRATES!) 00:09:40 - Dawn talks about a job she had at The Science Museum of Minnesota representing both Mary Read and Anne Bonny among the artifacts of an actual pirate shipwreck, The Whydah . 00:12:33 - Shelby has an impressive following on all social media - especially Tiktok . Dawn laments her own wayward use of the app... 00:14:03 - WHEN LAST WE MET: We set sail again and catch up with where we left our story in Part 1 . 00:15:00 - Fact or Fiction: Peg Leg/ Hook Hand? FACT: Pirates were comparatively good about keeping a hurt or disabled cremate aboard, assigning them tasks that could accommodate their limitations. Thus the one-legged cook of lore. 00:16:25 - Shelby asks Dawn: Would you have been a pirate? Of course she would. Shelby's answer is more complex. 00:18:20 - How did Mary meet Anne? Not entirely sure but Dawn relays her top theories. Were they lovers? Best friends? Both? History has no definitive answer. 00:20:54 - Of the many incredible adventures had with Mary, Anne and Calico Jack - Dawn selects her three favorite tales. 00:21:19 - Mutiny in the Woodes - Mary Read leads a fantastic mutiny aboard the ship of Privateer Woodes Rogers. 00:23:16 - James Bonny successfully kidnaps Anne and drags her before a judge. It does not end well for him. 00:25:58 - The arrest and trial of the merry band - all the way to their individual ends. BREAK 00:31:59 - Fact/Fiction: Buried Treasure: Mostly Fiction in the way it has been portrayed. 'Buried Treasure' more likely was shipwrecks among which loot was known to be recoverable. 00:34:18 - The Skull & Crossbones Flag, like so much of the Pirates possessions, was stolen. It wa
Wed, February 16, 2022
HILF 09: Pirates with Shelby Young
00:01:56 - Actor, Shelby Young , a fun and funny FORCE to be reckoned with. Leia - Star Wars Forces of Destiny Rayna - Baby Shark’s Big Show 00:03:15 - Also, Shelby is a babe. Top shelf mega babe. What else on camera? Everybody Hates Chris Criminal Minds American Horror Story Wild Child 00:04:15 - Stay-Puft Marshmallow man, ‘uncredited ’. What is this? 00:05:14 - They discuss where Shelby grew up, why and when she came to LA and why she and Dawn both hate earthquakes and love Palm Springs. The Big One Podcast that Dawn mentions - it is a great resource for folks living in LA. 00:08:30 - Dawn is very excited about this episode. It's not just a book... it's a stack of books! 00:08:47 - But first a Pirate Story: The Trial of Calico Jack Rackham, Mary Read and Anne Bonny. 00:14:49 - Dawn's sources: The General History of The Pirates by Captain Johnson (aka: Daniel Defoe) Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly Women Pirates by Ulrike Klausmann (Author), Marion Meinzerin (Author) 00:16:57 - LETS FUCK - What is a Pirate? What is a Corsair, Buccaneeer, Privateer? 00:18:20 - The Golden Age of Piracy: 1650-1725: A great and terrible time to be afloat. 00:18:36 - The Triangle of Trade: What it was and why it spurred the pirate age. 00:20:08 - The Slave Trade and how it related to piracy. 00:21:30 - Global War and how it made pirates. Honorable people do it for ‘their country.’ Always have an eager buyer. Sailors in short supply. 00:22:10 - How a unique and terrible 'recruiting' technique contributed to piracy. 00:22:45 - What is 'The Cat O’ Nine Tails' and why was it an invention of HMS Navy.
Wed, February 02, 2022
HILF 08: The Spice Trade with Wayne Wilderson
Welcome to a particularly delicious romp through the history of the Spice trade with my guest, 'television's own' Wayne Wilderson . His IMDB Credits read like a CVS receipt and you'll find he is as effortless on the microphone as he is on camera. 00:04:55 - After telling you a little bit about where we are (and why I'm wearing my daughter's Hello Kitty Headphones) Wayne tells us a little bit about when he came to Hollywood and some of his favorite jobs... and there have been so many. Among his gigs was a 12-year run as the purple grapes in the Fruit of the Loom campaign . 00:07:52 - Wayne and Dawn get into the HILF. 00:08:51 - Dawn Lays out her sources and research: Book: Spice - The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner. Documentary: Absolute History with Kate Humble - Where Peppercorn and Cinnamon come from. Great Article about Magellan: by Steven Robert Carlson 00:11:10 - The plan for this episode is to cover not only the history of cinnamon and the other spices that originated in the same time and place - but also why humanity has been so intrigued by them for so long. 00:14:40 - Let's fuck. 00:16:23 - Columbus sails the ocean blue in search of India and her elusive spices and accidentally bumps into the Bahamas. He has a bad reputation now, but it wasn't much better in his lifetime on account of the total lack of familiar spices in the 'New World.' 00:20:25 - The Pope, in an effort to cool tensions between Spain and Portugal, divides the world between them. The Treaty of Tordesillas established that everything 'non-christian' discovered West belonged to Spain and everything East belonged to Portugal. And thus began the race to see how far East was West and who - in the end - would claim the Spice Islands. 00:21:20 - The Portuguese sailor, Vasco da Gama sets sail South around the Cape of Good Hope and successfully crosses the Indian ocean to arrive in Calcut, India. It's an extraordinary encounter. 00:25:58 - The Portuguese in an effort to establish domination over the islands, leave Francisco Serrao as a representative to await their return. He has a string of wild adventures, eventually becoming BFF's and advisor to an Island sultan. He marries and never returns to Portugal... He does however, write a few letters to a guy named Ferdinand Magellan.
Wed, January 19, 2022
HILF 07: The F-Word, Part 2 with Ryan Ripple
Dawn and Ryan continue their conversation (and open another bottle of wine) as they jump right back into the history of profanity, beginning with Ryan's favorite swear word, 'shit.' PART 1 00:03:30 - Dawn begins with the fun (but likely false) theory that the word 'shit' originated with the shipping of manure - and the necessity for it to be stamped with the instructions to Ship High In Transit. 00:06:50 - More likely the root of the english word 'shit' is from German/Ukranian roots: Scheisse and skei. Could it be the word comes from 'to cut off' - as in 'to pinch a loaf'. 00:10:48 - Dawn discusses the journey from being an adult, accustomed to being very far removed from your own excrement and the excrement of others, to being a parent suddenly thrust tits-first back into shitsville. 00:12:28 - The word 'shit' was considered so forbidden, it wasn't included in the dictionary until 1970. Up until (and after) that time, however, it was liberally written on toilet stalls in what has been coined 'Latrine Poetry'. 00:13:46 - Dawn covers the 4 metaphorical uses of the word 'shit' as outlined by John McWhorter in the book Nine Nasty Words. 00:21:34 - Dawn and Ryan discuss, with care and respect, the third tier of cursing: Slurs against groups of people. Dawn discusses the N-word (without saying it) and how it's modern use has changed and sharpened since the 1990's. PART II 00:32:05 - The next slur we discuss is the other F-Word (derogatory term for a gay man). How did it go from being used casually in PG-rated 80's teen movies to being so hot it got Isiah Washington fired from Grey's Anatomy ? 00:37:57 - What does the other F-word mean? How did a 'bundle of sticks' and 'a cigarette' come to share the word? How are they related? 00:41:00 - Most derogatory terms for gay men begin as belittling words for women or women's genitalia. The exception, is 'cocksucker' which from its inception has been leveraged almost exclusively against men. 00:44:03 - Why does it sound strange when people don't swear? Adamant non-cursers like Ned Flanders and Mitt Romney also catch our ear's attention. 00:46:48 - Speaking of women's genitalia: we discuss the nuanced difference in the use of Pussy and Cunt and how a one-syllable word that ends in a consonant will ultimately always win the profanity game. 00:50:07 - We bid farewell to special guest Ryan Ripple and he also gives us his review of this fucking amazing journey. --- <a href="https://www.instagra
Wed, January 05, 2022
HILF 06: The F-Word with Ryan Ripple
The name of this podcast includes profanity, so it may not be terribly surprising that Dawn was delighted to embrace the subject of the next episode: The F-Word Her guest is the delightful and hilarious, Ryan Ripple , and together they discuss not only the origin and creative utilization of our favorite curse word - but the history of cursing in general. We also get into the science of swearing and how it functions within our brain. Why for example, does your pain tolerance demonstrably increase when you yell FUCK but not when you yell TOMATO. It’s a hell of a good time - gosh darn glad you're here! PART 1 00:02:15 - Not only do we meet our guest, Ryan Ripple, but the off-mic master that is my little dog, Yogurt. 00:03:20 - The History of Dawn and Ryan from their meeting as backlot tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood (the entertainment capital of LA.) 00:06:25 - Ryan and Dawn reveal their favorite swears and why they love them so. 00:12:37 - Dawn discusses why she chose to include the F-word in the title of the podcast despite some real and technical liabilities to doing so. 00:15:58 - Dawn quizzes Ryan on his ability to remember George Carlin's famous list of the 7 Words You Can't Say on Television. 00:18:17 - Dawn's research includes: Nine Nasty Words by James McWhorter , What The F by Benjamin K Bergen 00:19:10 - How George Carlin and Lenny Bruce changed history and US Law with their profane comedy. PART II 00:30:16 - Profanity and your brain: why does a different part of our brain light up when we say tomato versus fuck. How does it effect our ability to tolerate pain? 00:35:00 - The 3 Kinds of cursing: Offensive to God, offensive to the Body, Offensive to a Group of People. 00:38:00 - The OG of cursing and why 'swearing upon God' is still a mightily profane to many people. 00:42:05 - The Birth of 'FUCK' - when we first saw it in writing and how it evolved. 00:48:52 - Dawn lays out a long, but hardly complete, list of the varying ways that we use 'fuck' in contemporary American English. 00:55:30 - What is expletive infixation and why you should abso-fucking-lutely use it. 00:59:37 - If you think english-speaking Americans love 'fuck' wait til you hear how much the Russians love 'dick.' 01:06:00 - End of show credits and introduction to the next episode - a continuation of this conversation and even more profanity to come! The next episode [Jan. 19th] with cover Shit, the other F-word, and even a word so hot and sharp, Dawn won't even say it! --- HILF Podcast on
Wed, December 22, 2021
HILF 05: Krampus with Andrew Melby
When my husband, Andrew Melby , suggested that Krampus would be a good HILF subject to do for our first Holiday episode, he unwittingly stepped into the guest seat. Krampus - the pagen-era Yuletide devil that predates the Baby Jesus - is an awesome and intriguing subject to delve into; proving that the only thing that surpasses Melby's taste in podcasts, is his taste in women. PART 1 Welcome and a little chit-chat on the insightful and hard-hitting subjects like The Spice Girls and pros and cons of nose rings. 00:06:58 - Melby explains why he assigned Krampus and wherein lies the intrigue. 00:10:00 - Dawn's primary research sources includes: The Krampus and the old Dark Christmas by Al Ridenour The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch Krampusnacht - Twelve Nights of Krampus edited by Kate Wolford 00:12:08 - Dawn begins with Krampus's origin - where and when we find him... and with a preemptive apology to our German audience. 00:13:45 - It all began with a witch named Perchta. 00:16:16 - The Home Visit. ...or when Krampus comes into your living room and all hell breaks loose. 00:19:04 - Deep, dark winter and how those who know It, know Krampus better than most. 00:27:00 - Greetings from Krampus, and the greeting cards that started a craze. 00:30:21 - So you wanna start your own Krampus? Good idea, here's where to start: 00:31:50 - When the Catholic Church meets Krampus; and how a ban becomes a BAND! 00:37:16 - You think Karens are bad? Meet the Wild Barbaras and Dark Lucys. PART II 00:42:45 - St. Nicholas the Star saint of Christmas. 00:48:14 - Naughty n' Nice list, Jingle Bells, Leaving Milk & Cookies: How your favorite Christmas traditions started with Krampus. 00:50:30 - Filling out your Krampus with the spicy details: The Rempler, Venusberg and some big-ass hats. 00:56:45 - Why do we have Krampus? Dawn's take: Fun is life. 01:01:00 - Sign off and introduction to next episode [new every other Wednesday - next Jan. 5th] The History of the F-word! --- HILF Podcast on Instagram -Go here to see lots of photos and updates on guests and research. HILF Podcast on Facebook HILF Podcast on Youtube **We are a new
Wed, December 08, 2021
HILF 04: President Polk with Meryl Klemow
No one expected James K Polk to be president. He was a quiet, frail, Tennessee Democrat with no military record who had just lost his governor's seat... again. But history is a party my friends, and the fascinating and winding road that leads him into the White House in 1844 is wild ride. Thanks for coming along! My guest is the hilarious Meryl Klemow - she is a comedian, podcaster , and impossible-to-cancel . Together we tell the tale of some of the most gob-smacking moments of Polk's life (seriously WHY do we keep talking about his scrotum) and unfold the personalities and mysteries that surrounded him. How did this Dark Horse even get nominated to be president? How is he responsible for the US 'acquiring' both Texas and California? ...and what the heck was in that mysteries box delivered to him on the eve of his exit from office? Settle in and find out. --- PART 1 00:05:20 - Meryl explains why she is so drawn to President Polk and what has brought us to this particular F-ing. 00:07:13 - Dawn explains some of the landmines of this episode, including the subjects of slavery, the Trail of Tears, and the Mexican-American War. Buckle up. 00:09:00 - Dawn lays out her sources and research. Primarily the biography, POLK: The Man who Transformed the Presidency and America. by Walter R. Borneman. Polk's America - Podcast 00:12:00 - This Guy's Got Stones. THIS is why we keep talking about his scrotum. 00:16:49 - James K Polk was known as 'Young Hickory' because of his closeness to previous president, Andrew Jackson aka 'Old Hickory'. Jackson was much-loved by some, but so hated by others that whole party coalesced around their disdain for him - The Whigs. 00:20:16 - Meet President Tyler, another one-term president we usually forget. He is the man who proved that sometimes the Whig wears you... 00:25:38 - President Tyler and his Secretary of the Navy take most of the cabinet out for a cruise aboard a warship called The Princeton and things get... explosive. 00:29:50 - Everything is bigger in Texas - including its origin story as a state! The US had it, sold it, stole it back, and then ultimately bought it. Remember the Alamo? 00:32:55 - Certainly a HILF in his own right, Dawn touches briefly on the man Sam Houston. He was the president of the Independent Republic of Texas before it was annexed by the United States. 00:38:24 - How a boring-ass vote for a 2/3 majority to win the nomination leads a dark horse into the white house. 00:40:00 - The 1844 nominations are in it's Clay vs Polk and HO
Wed, November 24, 2021
HILF 03: DB Cooper with Maile Flanagan
It was the day before Thanksgiving, 1971, when the last passenger boarded a short flight from Portland to Seattle. With no ID's required to fly at the time, he paid for his ticket with cash ($20) and signed in as 'Dan Cooper'. He then sat alone in the back row drinking bourbon and smoking cigarettes. Later that night, he would parachute out of that plane with $200,000 ransom and never be heard from again. His name was probably not 'Dan Cooper' - but it certainly wasn't 'DB Cooper', the alias almost everyone refers to him by today. His name, however, is only the beginning of what we do not know about the person who pulled off the only unsolved skyjacking in American History. Dawn's special guest, Maile Flanagan , assigned her this subject because - like many others - she had a vague memory of hearing the general story and was eager for all the F-able details. In this episode, Dawn delivers. Not only a detailed play-by-play of what happened that fateful night, but a dive into some of the most interesting suspects to have emerged from the 50 year old investigation. PART 1 00:02:15 - The History of my guest, Maile Flanagan: Voice of Naruto and Terry Perry on Lab Rats (among many other credits.) 00:05:05 - Today's HILF: DB Cooper. Who is he and what happened? 00:13:01 - The evidence and what we know. 00:14:50 - The Mystery creates an immediate Legend. 00:22:00 - Introduction to Florence Schaffner & Tina Mucklow - the flight attendants who interacted with Cooper. 00:32:00 - Dawn's Favorite Suspects! The FBI identified over 1,000 "viable" suspects - here are 4 of them: 00:33:08 - Suspect #1 - Richard McCoy: A copycat who almost got away with it. 00:36:47 - Suspect #2 - Duane Weber: A deathbed confession and an angry widow. PART 2 00:42:55 - Suspect #3 - Walter Reca: His recorded confession to a best friend has a lot of people convinced. 00:47:12 - Suspect #4 - Barbara Dayton: Born 'Robert Dayton' she had a grudge and the expertise to pull it off. 00:52:22 - Some honorable mentions including Kenny Christiansen, LD Cooper and Robert Rackstraw. 00:58:58 - Ending credits, thank you's and announcement of next episode: President James K Polk with guest, Meryl Klemow . SOURCES AND LINKS : **NOTE: If you don't see links to the sources below, go to our page on Simplecast [https://hilf-history-id-like-to-f-k.simplecast.com]. You can also message us on Instagram with any questions or corrections. [@HILFPodcast, https://www.instagram.com/hilfpodcast] or [hilfpodcast@gmail.com] Book: 'SKYJACK' The Hunt for DB Cooper by Geoffrey Gray HBO Documentary: The Mystery of DB Cooper (2020) [
Wed, November 10, 2021
HILF 02: John Dillinger with Kat Perkins
John Dillinger’s career was short. The time between his first bank robbery and his killing by the FBI on the streets of Chicago, was just under 21 months. His impact on American culture, however, is immeasurable. He was especially handsome, conspicuously charming and ever-bold in his actions. As the Great Depression worsened - as far as the general American was concerned - a polite gun-slinger who was always kind to ladies, just didn’t look that bad compared to the banks he was robbing. Guest, Kat Perkins , is a prolific singer-songwriter out of the Twin Cities and also a top-five finalist on The Voice. Kat chose Dillinger because as a Midwest girl born-and-bred she has always heard stories of the various outlaws that roamed her familiar streets. Together, old friends Dawn and Kat, enjoy a sexy jaunt into some of the sexiest episodes surrounding his life and death… and have a few beers doin’ it. PART 1 - Wherein we travel from a Speak Easy to a sad little BOI 00:00:00 - Greetings and introductions. 00:02:08 - The History of Kat Perkins! From her time on The Voice, to her the summer camp for kids she started, to her many tours with the USO. 00:07:03 - Introduction to our HILF subject, John H. Dillinger. 00:07:55 - Dawn lays out her research and sources. [See below for links.] 00:11:40 - Let’s Fuck John Dillinger! 00:13:03 - Who were the gangsters of the 1930’s? Prohibition, Speak-easies, Cars, Guns and a little ol’ government agency called BOI. 00:19:00 - Of all the fascinating characters of this time, why do we remain so obsessed with Dillinger, specifically? 00:21:20 - John Dillinger’s Childhood antics lead him to a stiff prison sentence and a whole new career. 00:25:51 - Dillinger helps break his friends out of Indiana, just in time for them to break him out of Lima, Ohio. 00:30:00 - John Dillinger is taken to prison in Crown Point, Indiana - from which he daringly escapes within two months. 00:37:38 - The BOI becomes the FBI and Dillinger’s girlfriend, Billie Frechette, gets arrested. PART 2 - Public Enemy Number One... is the Loneliest Number. 00:41:50 - The Dillinger Gang goes to a resort in Little Bohemia, Wisconsin - and the FBI fucks up big time. 00:50:17 - John Dillinger’s crime land friend and member of the gang, Red Hamilton dies an agonizing death after begin shot in the back. Hope is erased… 00:52:04 - While in Chicago living under an alias, Dillinger falls for Polly Hamilton and makes the acquaintance of Ana Sage - the Woman in Red. O0:53:33 - John Dillinger goes to the Movies and takes a bow. 01:01:48 - The FBI grows up and cleans up… while getting dirty. 01:04:30 - A footnote by little-known Dillinger contemporary, Alvin ‘Creepy’ Karpis. 01:08:50 - A post-sign off extra where Kat gives us some insight into how she conceived of our theme
Wed, October 27, 2021
HILF 01: Frankenstein with Helen Shephard
Mary Shelley began writing her novel, Frankenstein, in 1816 when she was only 17 years old. Today it remains one of the most-assigned books of all time, finding it's way into classes ranging from Law to Scientific Ethics to Fashion to Politics. Readers and historians have argued for centuries which is more intriguing - the book or it's author - and Dawn is here to tell you... Yes. Guest, Helen Shephard , is a British TV Host, model and comedian, who has no recollection of ever reading the book - and only cursory memory of the early film versions. However, as the recording took place right around Halloween, 2021 - she was intrigued by this ubiquitous monster and wanted to know the sexy story about his real origin. PART 1 - The Book, as written in 1818 (and republished in 1831) 00:00:00 - Greetings and introductions. 00:05:45 - Helen's never read Frankenstein (she doesn't think). Dawn lays out her extensive research of the book and author. 00:12:00 - Dawn's quick and dirty summary of the original Frankenstein. [Great cliff notes, kids! 23 minutes to a B+.] PART 2 - The Author, Mary Shelley - Where did this idea come from? 00:39:37 - Welcome back, any questions? 00:43:33 - Theory #1 - Frankenstein is about bad parents. 00:53:02 - Theory #2 - Frankenstein is about Death, and wanting to defy it. O0:57:20 - Theory #3 - Frankenstein is a warning to not Play God. First Science Fiction. 01:04:50 - So what is it, Mary Shelley? Where the HELL did you get this idea? 01:08:00 - The 'Summer of Love' - 1816 on Lake Geneva with Lord Byron. LINKS: Helen Shephard The Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota HILF Podcast on Instagram HILF Podcast on Facebook HILF Podcast on Youtube **We are a new podcast and still growing and learning. More resources and links will be available... as we get better at this. Thanks for listening and please reach out to let us know where you are and what you want us to F next.
Trailer · Tue, October 19, 2021
Welcome to HILF
This is a brief introduction, a way for host, Dawn Brodey, to say hello and give you a little taste of what HILF is all about. Glad to have you aboard! Dawn Brodey on Instagram HILF on Instagram
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