The Silly Goose Society

Winter didn’t always come wrapped in twinkle lights. We pull back the garland to meet the older spirits of the season—figures that enforced survival with iron noses, claws, chains, and consequences—and ask why these stories still stick to our bones when the power flickers and the wind goes mean.

We start with Frau Perchta, the Alpine “winter auditor” who walks the Twelve Nights checking spinning, social rules, and respect ...

The most chaotic holiday debate returns with tinsel, bullets, and gremlins. We set out to answer a deceptively simple question: what actually makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie? Instead of relying on snow, carols, or a single party scene, we build a clear test: the story should unfold on or because of Christmas, use holiday elements as real plot levers, and resonate with themes like reunion, consequence, or community. Then w...

What if a single missing book, a single missed strike, or a single friendship reshaped the world you woke up to today? We tug on the biggest loose threads in history and see how far they run—from the lost stacks of the Library of Alexandria to a Viking-flavored North America and the WWII traffic jam that might have flipped the map of Europe. It’s a curious blend of big ideas, real stakes, and unfiltered laughs that keeps the heavy ...

A 25-foot wave of hot molasses ripping through Boston at 35 mph. Cadets at West Point turning Christmas into a full-blown eggnog riot. Potato thieves hijacking trucks across Idaho like a farm-town heist movie. We pull the thread on why food keeps lighting the fuse—how price, policy, and pride mix into some of history’s strangest, stickiest showdowns.

Between the history, we trade confessions: cafeteria food fights, spaghet...

What happens when two chaotic brains take Would You Rather way too seriously? We turn absurd prompts into a laboratory for real-life tradeoffs, social dynamics, and the surprisingly practical rules we all live by. From wrangling a “quadropus” to declaring eternal war on the cobra chicken, we test the edges of comfort, logic, and dignity while laughing at how quickly a joke becomes a philosophy class.

Things get personal an...

It starts with a laugh and a question you’ve probably never said out loud: why do bookstores make so many people need the bathroom? From there we spiral—joyfully—into the strange science of scent, comfort, and memory, and how places like Barnes & Noble and Tandy Leather flip switches in our bodies and brains. The smells we love aren’t just nice; they rewire how we feel and what we do.

We also ride the high of a life-ch...

The curtain falls, the lights shift, and we finally admit what’s been true for a while: the show we built together outgrew its costume. We loved the Black Curtain Club for its haunted humor, pop culture rabbit holes, and strange little family—but the version of us speaking into the mics today needs a name that matches the heartbeat. This finale is a love letter to the chaos that made us and the community that kept honking along.

A small country wedged between hungry empires. A prince raised under a conqueror’s roof. A ruler who turned fear into a fortress so impenetrable that even the conqueror of Constantinople walked away. We pull back the velvet curtain on Vlad III—better known as Vlad the Impaler—and explore how a lifetime of pressure, betrayal, and brutal lessons forged the legend that later fed Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

We start with the geopol...

The forest has rules you feel before you understand—and tonight we push against them. We dive into the viral legend of “stairs in the woods,” those freestanding steps that appear where no house stands and silence swallows birdsong. With Heather from Tell Me a Scary Story, we unpack why liminal structures terrify us, how modern folklore spreads online, and what makes some tales feel unsettlingly true.

We start by tracing th...

The veil gets thin, the bonfires glow, and the stories sharpen. We dive into Halloween’s tangled roots—how Samhain marked the end of harvest, why the living lit fires to guard their thresholds, and how carved turnips crossed the ocean and became pumpkins grinning on American porches. From Pomona’s apples to medieval soul cakes, we trace the rituals that turned fear into community, and memory into tradition.

We swap honest ...

Halloween stirs something primal in us. That magical feeling when October arrives, the crispness in the air, and the permission to indulge in childlike wonder—regardless of our age. This conversation delves into the heart of what makes this season so special, from the seemingly trivial debates about candy hierarchies to the profound joy of experiencing traditions through new eyes.

The great candy debate reveals our passion...

What makes a headless ghost rider one of America's most beloved folk tales? Is it the mystery, the history, or something deeper that connects us to our cultural roots?

Join Kyle as he takes us on a journey through the fog-shrouded western woods of Sleepy Hollow, sharing his passionate connection to Washington Irving's classic American ghost story. Growing up just an hour from the actual town of Sleepy Hollow, Kyl...

Imagine having to choose a supernatural roommate from a lineup of legendary cryptids. Would you go with the reliable Bigfoot who fixes everything and brings home free firewood? Maybe Mothman's ability to predict disasters and text you "don't go to Costco today" seems appealing? 

In this wildly entertaining crossover episode, we're joined by the crew from the Time Pals podcast for a game of "Cr...

"Listen or skip. Make your choice." That iconic line perfectly captures the spirit of our deep dive into the Saw franchise with special guest Loren, who shares our unexpected love for these twisted tales of morality and survival.

What makes a low-budget horror film transcend its limitations to become a cultural phenomenon? The original Saw, shot in just 10 days for a mere $1 million, revolutionized horror by focu...

What happens when music crosses the line from entertainment into something more sinister? In this spine-tingling exploration of melody and mayhem, we unravel the dark legends behind songs that have transcended their notes to become objects of fear, fascination, and supernatural speculation.

From the alleged death scream captured on Ohio Players' "Love Roller Coaster" to backward messages supposedly hidden in...

The vast, mysterious depths of our oceans have always captivated human imagination—drawing us in while simultaneously terrifying us to our core. When you realize that 75% of our planet is covered in water, yet we've only explored a mere 20% of what lies beneath the surface, the implications become truly unsettling.

From the megalodons—prehistoric sharks potentially larger than blue whales that some believe still patro...

The name Tycho Brahe may not ring immediate bells for most people, but his story stands as perhaps the most fascinating fusion of scientific brilliance and outrageous eccentricity in history. This Danish nobleman-turned-astronomer lived a life so colorful and bizarre that it defies modern imagination.

What makes Brahe truly unforgettable wasn't just his scientific achievements—which were substantial—but his outrageous...

The digital frontier of Red Dead Redemption 2 has captured the hearts and minds of gamers worldwide, creating emotional connections that transcend typical gaming experiences. In this deeply personal conversation, we explore why this Rockstar masterpiece stands as arguably the greatest video game ever created.

Arthur Morgan's journey from hardened outlaw to a man seeking redemption serves as the emotional core that bri...

The Black Curtain Club kicks off Season 2 with a nostalgic bang as Kyle and Angi reconnect after their summer adventures.

Kyle's journey back to Connecticut for a cousin's wedding turned into a travel nightmare, yet amid the chaos came profound family moments, particularly when all the cousins gathered under one roof for the first time in nearly two decades. 

Angi's Hilton Head vacation delivered bo...