BACKFENCE Unhinged

Episode 43: Alina Aliyar

Visiting India for a wedding  — Alina Aliyar finds herself drawn into an unexpected middle-aged night out in HOKAS. What can go right? So much. What can go wrong? So much. 

But all of it is a super fun ride. 

Alina Aliyar is a realtor, storyteller, and proud parent of 2 adult sized teenagers. She’s also a recipient of the 1987 Shakey’s Pizza reading award. 

BACKFENCE Un...

ENCORE: AARON DRAPLIN

Designer Aaron Draplin takes us on a GEN X tour of the skate punk and snowboarding world of his youth. Where zines ruled the day and skateboarders were total outsiders. Are there mentions of Dinosaur Jr.? Yes. Is there a caper involving fast food and the retrieval of skateboards from a boss's office? Yes. Is there a lot of fun, wisdom dropped, and the sweet follies of grunge? Hell yes!

Aaron entered the world ...

Episode 42: EMILY HEMSON

It turns out that unhinged moments can come from very specific odd obsessions. Through repeated watchings of the movie Heavyweights comedian Emily Hemson has her heart set on finding  an inflatable ‘blob’ like the kids in the movie jump on in the lake. The way it flings them into the air is like magic. This image burns into her hypothalamus as a core memory. 

Seven years later the oppo...

Episode 41: Katie Nguyen

Katie Nguyen dares to ask the question… Why why shouldn’t I put a Q-Tip in my ear when the sensation is so goddamned dreamy? And what could go so terribly wrong?

Why cotton-y ear canal friend-shaped when not ear canal friendly? 

Katie Nguyen is a writer and comedian. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, you can hear her on SiriusXM, and she's a regular at Helium Comedy Club.

BACKF...

ENCORE: LAUREN WEEDMAN

This is an encore story from solo performer, actor (Hacks, Abbott Elementary, Sirens) and writer Lauren Weedman. She joined us from her apartment in Santa Monica, CA.

Lauren tells us the hilarious at times cringey-in-a-revealing-way story of admitting to and dealing with jealousy at a celebrity New Year’s Eve party. 

BACKFENCE Unhinged is a 29-minute podcast hosted by Andrew Dickson and Frayn Mast...

Episode 40: Julia Oppenheimer

Unrequited love breaks hearts, churns stomachs, and consumes copious amounts of mental space, ever since a human scraped a lovelorn pictograph onto the first cave wall. Julia Oppenheimer takes on a multi-year journey where she finds out what happens when grey area hits the sheets.

Julia is a gal about town. When she’s not galavanting around the globe, she resides in Portland, where she recently g...

Episode 39: Mindy Nettifee

What happens when what’s underneath the love mask is revealed? Well. A few things it turns out. Mindy Nettifee takes on a wild ride as she figures out how to get herself unstuck between a rock and a hard place. 

Dr. Mindy Nettifee is a poet, artist educator, and somatic trauma therapist. She has published three full-length poetry collections and the how-to book on writing poetry Glitter in the ...

Episode 38: Nicole Hardy #2

Welcome back Nicole Hardy for her second go round with BACKFENCE Unhinged! 

Be more like Nicole who has a line item in her budget that includes doing something nice for herself. Will Nicole’s happy ending wish come to full fruition in beautiful Mexico? Find out in this beautifully told, tender, and hilarious story! 

Nicole Hardy is a Seattle-based writer and teaching artist who’s wo...

Travis Abels takes us on an Irish journey to find his future-does he get there? Many wild roadblocks stand in his way!!! 

Travis sucks at sleeping—but as a result, has some fun stories to tell. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he performs, makes movie trailers, shows unreasonable enthusiasm for squirrels, and hosts The Tiniest Party - a monthly underground storytelling show. 

Over the past few years, he's ...

ENCORE episode: Matt Sheehy 

Writer and frontman for Lost lander Matt Sheehy and creator of the genius BACKFENCE Unhinged music tells a story of being a teenager longing for the promises of a big city while feeling a little stuck in the vastness of Alaska.

He hops on an opportunity to get his first big taste of city life all the way in Australia! Find out how his new adventure goes and how employing a tear-squirtingly funny A...

Episode 36: Terri Knight

Are you ready for a Central Oregon story about stealing from a drug cartel?

Yeah, you are.

Terri Knight takes us along on her attempt to outrun some complicated family roots and step into her Alex P. Keaton era, straight-laced, upwardly mobile, doing everything “right.”

It does not go as planned.

Terri Knight appeared in the award-winning HUMP festival film short, Birthday Boss, Moth StorySLAMs,...

Episode 35: Gabi Dixson

Ever wonder how a super charming hilarious person becomes the 5th strongest person in the world? Gabi Dixson stepped on a stadium stage and held up two giant Grecian Pillars – called the Hercules Hold – attached to chains setting a new world record (you  gotta watch that link. It’s insane!)! She also takes us through some wild surgeries on her road to recovery to come back stronger.&nb...

Episode 34: Chris Williams #2

What happens when you cross youthful mischief, an old golf cart, and a legendary Lochness-sized fish? Only way to find out in this Chris Williams-tells-all episode! 

Chris is a storyteller, improviser and the executive director and host of Front Porch Sessions - a Portland, Oregon based show that blends storytelling and audience discussion. He’s also our first returning guest to the podcast!...

Episode 33: Andrew Dickson #2

When he was in Junior High circa 1989 BACKFENCE Unhinged co-host Andrew Dickson was a guest on the Geraldo Rivera show. 

That’s right, on stage, sitting on a stool under the hot lights for an hour. Did he and I chat on national TV? Naturally. Does he have a killer  story about it? Why yes.

BACKFENCE Unhinged is a unique and delightful twist on the storytelling podcast where hosts Andrew...

Episode 32: Britton Taylor

Hold on tight, it’s time for a story about the unwelcome and somewhat mortifying item Britton Taylor’s parents find when helping to clean up his marital home after a breakup. Find out how that unsavory thing continues to haunt his relationship with his parents to this day.

Britton was a longtime strategist at Portland ad agency Wieden+Kennedy and now owns his own consultancy, working for brand...

Episode 31: Frayn Masters #2

Another episode with our host Frayn Masters sharing a new story that could easily be titled, “WTF is that in my dryer?”! This time around she leads us deep inside her ill-advised laundromat ritual that takes an unexpected creepy turn! 

BACKFENCE Unhinged is a unique and delightful twist on the storytelling podcast where hosts Andrew and Frayn invite a storyteller on to share an unhinged...

Episode 30: Jason Sauls

What can go totally wrong when your first job is a late night radio DJ? Turns out things can go sideways fast with a slip of the hand. This story is a lot fun and a little cringe.

Jason Sauls has been telling stories on stage around Portland for over ten years and radio announcing and producing for over 30. Both occasionally ask you for financial support with or without a tote bag as a thank you.

BACKFENCE U...

ENCORE with Brian S. Ellis

We’re gonna start weaving back in some of our most popular episodes now that the show is picking up steam! Here’s Brian! 

What happens when a young love-stricken Bostonian conspires to land a spot on a poetry tour with his new love interest? Does his attempt to pull off a grand gesture that nods to his past as a petty thief win her over? You won't want to miss this sweet listen with award...

Episode 29: Chelsea Cain

You’re about to hear a story about taking a Life Coach’s advice… maybe just a little too far and ending up on a medical odyssey — from author Chelsea Cain. 

Lady Chelsea Cain is a New York Times best selling author, several times over, an Eisner nominated comic book writer, screenwriter and actual Royalty. 

BACKFENCE Unhinged is a unique and delightful twist on the storyte...