An intermission is defined as a pause or break in something, used most often to refer to the break during a play, movie or concert. I’m your host Leah. I’m Phil And I’m Steve.Today’s episode is about an intermission and a walk down memory lane.
From the title of the episode and the teaser you just heard you may be a little worried that Remnant Stew is coming to an end. I thought I would wait until the end to say anything but I hate to keep you in suspense so I’m just going to say it…no we are not ending the podcast but we are taking an extended intermission.
Due to work schedules, kids, and life in general I need to take a break. But during that break we are going to regroup, reorganize a bit and come back even better than before but with the same bizarre and intriguing stories you love.
We don’t have a firm date on our Season 5 opening episode yet but it will be sometime in the first quarter of next year, 2024 so stay tuned. For now though we would like to thank you, our listeners, for sticking with us these last three years through 80 episodes of Remnant Stew. We have you to thank for the podcast being downloaded over 24,000 times across 61 different countries. We have had so much fun with this and so for this Intermission episode we would like to look back at our past seasons and share some of our favorite episodes and favorite moments.
Starting at season 1, it was a short season. We actually began recording in February but didn’t launch until August.
Getting used to each other, finding our groove, developing the show’s personality. We started with 6-7 recorded eps, chose our favorite BALLOONACY
SEASON 1
1 8/17 BALLOONACY - When the cheerful parade and party props go bad
Come a long way, thought I would look back on the first episode and cringe but it’s still a fave. All the seasons are great.
2 8/31 SHARK BAIT - Sharks, Organized Crime, Unsolved Murder and Strange Vomit!
3 9/14 ALL AGLOW (Glowing is a good thing! Or is it? All the things that glow, the good the bad, and the downright freaky.)
Another fave, Angel Glow of the soldier’s wounds at Shiloh Battlefield
4 9/28 LOST & FOUND - Finders Keepers! Things lost, things found, and things both lost and found.
Oh yeah, remember that turtle in Brazil that was lost in someone’s attic for 30 years!
5 10/8 THE OCTOPUS - Happy World Octopus Day! Stories and facts about the amazing creature.
Our first Bonus episode dedicated to our mascot, Sir Kraken
6 10/12 YO HO HO! - And a bottle of rum. Seafarer's lore and superstitions
Most downloaded Ep of all time
7 10/26 SPOOKY - An Ancient Castle built to keep things in, the Death Whistle, Lost Children and a Prophetic Dream; these are just some of the spooky things we're exploring in this episode
8 11/9 FOUR-LEGGED SOLDIERS - all about the animals that have braved the front lines to help militaries get a leg up on that most violent of all pastimes...we’re talking about war. ODJ: Spooky Child Nursery Rhyme
One of my favorite Season 1 episodes and stories Smoky 18:10 - 23:44 (CLIP)
Started the ODJs with this creepy gem.
9 11/23 BELIEVE IT OR NOT! - all about the creator of Ripley’s Believe or Not. In a true rags to riches story, Robert Ripley created an odd and fascinating franchise that included cartoons, books, radio, television, and now museums all across the country and world.
ODJ: Lemons with Needles
10 12/7 GREAT ESCAPES - From a clever cow to an (un)executed man to daring and courageous wartime schemes. Today we’re talking all about Great and Amazing Escapes
ODJ: none
11 12/21 YULETIDE TOMFOOLERY - Last minute gifts, Whitehouse Christmas Decor, Traditions, Legends, Lore from around the world, this episode is all about Christmas
ODJ: Last Minute Gifts
This began the annual weird gift list
Oh yes, make sure you consult our gift idea before you do your shopping this year!
SEASON 2
1 1/4 IMPOSTERS - A Daring Theft, a Fake Princess, a Bogus Indian and Women Masquerading as Men! ODJ: Tennessee Tiger Sightings
One of my faves, Beatles, Phil’s Count of St Germain became a running joke
2 1/18 SUPERSTITION - From talismans, amulets, and salt thrown over the shoulder, Superstitions will have you knocking on wood. ODJ: Stranded Sailors
3 2/1 BEHOLD THE MERMAID * - A sighting by Christopher Columbus, an ancient church with a special chair built for the local mermaid, a riot to free a mermaid, Barnum's famous Fiji Mermaid, Jenny Hanivers, mermaids on parade and farting manatees…
ODJ: Grapefruits and their impact on medications
One of my faves, love the Mermaid Riot of Charleston
Started the Calendar segment here and regretted it.
Yes, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
4 2/15 POSITIVELY PRESIDENTIAL * - a non-political delve into the oddities of our past presidents. ODJ: Ten Weirdest Museums
5 3/1 STRANGE CONFLICTS * - People fight over the strangest things and sometimes it takes very little to spark tensions into full-on rioting. Today we bring you stories about the Hatfields and McCoys, the Pig War, the War of the Stray Dog, the Eggnog Riot, the Toronto Clown and Firefighter Riot, the War over a disgusting seven-year-old severed ear, and the brilliance of the Great Sausage Duel. ODJ: A Cat Named Room 8
6 3/15 REMARKABLE TWINS * - Twins have always intrigued us. From Esau and Jacob in Genesis to Barbara and Jenna Bush in the White House, we have always been fascinated by twins. Twins separated at birth, conjoined twins, twins of different races and chimeras. ODJ: Utah Woman Stashes Husband in Freezer
7 3/29 HOAXES & PRANKS * - In true April Fool’s fashion we are presenting you with stories of some of the best pranks and hoaxes that have been perpetrated by knuckleheads of all kinds. From War of the Worlds, a 1938 broadcast that bred panic over an alien invasion to some of history's greatest hoaxes and pranksters. ODJ: San Francisco Brick Rings
One of my favorite stories is the marching band prank details
8 4/12 ODD ACCOMMODATIONS * - From claustrophobic jail cells, chilly igloos, underwater suites, or haunted hotels today we talk about the Odd Accommodations you can book a room at if you dare. ODJ: Rolling Ants
9 4/26 HELLO MOTHER * - stories about all kinds of moms. Hopefully it’ll inspire you to a higher appreciation of your own mom. ODJ: Covid Fungi
10 5/10 REMARKABLE INVENTIONS * - Stories of some of the most wonderful, bizarre and downright weird contraptions. ODJ: Ypres Cat Chunking
Remember the pistol mouse trap?
11 5/24 SUBMARINES & WAR MACHINES * - They say that necessity is the mother of invention. If that's true then war creates a desperate type of necessity that results in some truly odd and bizarre contraptions. ODJ: Covid Vaccine
One of my favorites, Panjamdrum and Doodlebug 5:55 - 9:45 (CLIP)
12 6/7 HELLO FATHER * - stories of some amazing dads, cool dads and just plain weird dads. ODJ: The Scream Stolen
13 6/21 EPIC DISASTERS * - explosions, huge storms, floods, train crashes and more. ODJ: Brand Name Origins
14 7/5 MONUMENTAL ODDITIES * - surprising trivia surrounding the well known monuments and feature some not-so-well known monuments that are both bizarre and unusual. ODJ: Sharks Tooth In His Foot
15 7/19 MONUMENTAL ODDITIES -WORLD- * - In this episode: Saint Wenceslas Riding A Dead Horse, Man Hanging Out, Kindlifresserbrunnen, The Fork, Manneken Pis, Bad Bad Boy, PROUDY, Jeanneke Pis, Le Passe-Muraille, Le Pouce, The Headington Shark, Greyfriars Bobby, Eros-Bendato, The Kelpies, Monument To Lab Mice, The Upside-Down Monument, Hand of the Desert, and more. ODJ: Strange Rain
These were two of my favorite episodes from that year. Remember the Enema Monument?
16 8/2 MIND GAMES * - The brain can do some really strange and odd things and we’re bringing you a few of the craziest stories in this episode: Hallucinations, Prosopagnosia, Pareidolia, Sensed Presence, and Third Man Syndrome. ODJ: Dum Dums
17 8/16 ABANDONED PLACES * - The world is full of abandoned places. Though they may be empty now, several of these places have fascinating, and sometimes tragic histories. Some retain hints of their former grandeur with remarkable architecture and stunning locations. Yet for some reason or another, people stopped using them. Stay tuned to hear stories about some of the most intriguing abandoned places we could find. ODJ: Eternal Reefs
18 8/17 BONUS: STATE OF THE STEW * - Some pretty cool things are happening over at the Stew, we thought you'd like to know. Also...IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY!!!!! ODJ: -none-
19 8/30 RUNES AND CIPHERS * - ancient runes, cryptic inscriptions, and the decoding of mysterious ciphers. ODJ: Slow TV
One of my faves, Bluetooth is a bindrune
20 9/13 KINDNESS MATTERS * - As you know we end every episode by encouraging you to choose kindness. We believe it is an essential part of living well. Today we are excited to share incredible stories of kindness with you. ODJ: School Bus Stripes
21 9/27 LOOK TO THE SKIES -PART 1- * - Do you look up, really look up? So often we go about our lives day in and day out focused only on what’s before us that we never pause and just look up into the sky at all the things we can see up there. ODJ: Iroquois Theatre Fire
22 10/11 LOOK TO THE SKIES -PART 2- * - The belief in UFOs or alien spacecraft is thrown in with the likes of believing in ghosts, hauntings, cryptids like Bigfoot and what have you, but I think we are the brink of something huge--a paradigm shift in the understanding of our place in the universe and the distinct possibility that we are not alone. ODJ: Rats
23 10/25 CURIOUSLY INTERRED * - weird burial customs, odd gravestones and those who are Curiously Interred. ODJ: Viking Sunstone
One of my faves, loving cemeteries
24 11/8 INCREDIBLE SURVIVAL * - amazing people with Incredible Survival stories.
ODJ: Bananas
25 11/22 PECULIAR MYSTERIES * - Everyone loves a good mystery and in the great big world around us there are many mysterious enigmas just waiting to be explored and explained. Sit back and relax as we tell you about some of the most intriguing mysteries we could find. ODJ: Northern Lights
26 12/6 LEFTOVER STEW * - bits of random trivia and bizarre stories that just didn’t fit into any of our past episodes. So grab a spoon and prepare to dig in! ODJ: -none
SEASON 3
1 1/3 STRANGE MEDICINE * - some pretty strange and bizarre remedies.
ODJ: Men In Heels
2 1/17 MYSTERIOUS PEOPLE * - Throughout history there have been people whose stories of their mysterious ways have grown into legends that are larger than life.
ODJ: Time Oddities
3 1/31 WEIRD CELEBRATIONS * - There are always celebrations going all around the world and today we’re bringing you some of the oddest and downright bizarre celebrations and festivals we could find. ODJ: Peter the Great Fashionista
4 2/14 STRANGE LOVE * - Today’s episode is full of love stories that will either warm your heart or turn your stomach. ODJ: Monkey Selfie
5 2/28 TREASURE HUNT * - X Marks the Spot! If hidden treasure is something that piques your interest then you’re going to love this episode. From pirate booty, plundered loot, sunken treasure, and lost hoards…we have it all for you in this episode. ODJ: Forbidden Washington DC Places
6 3/14 TIME WARP * - Time has been described as a relentless predator and we have many ways that we attempt to tame and constrain that predator. But are we successful?
ODJ: Grimace
One of my favorites with the Chromophage
One of the funniest times we’ve had with an ODJ 40:00 - 46:35 (CLIP)
7 3/28 PORTRAIT: NELLIE BLY * - From risking her life and well-being for her investigative journalism to accomplishing something only done in a Jules Verne novel, this episode is all about the intrepid Nellie Bly. ODJ: Fungus
8 4/11 AMERICAN MONSTERS * - The United States is a vast landscape teeming with wildlife. Perhaps there’s more creatures out there in the forest, swamps and waterways that exist just outside of scientific explanation. Today we explore just a small sampling of the cryptids that we call American Monsters. ODJ: TSA Seized Items
9 4/25 MONSTERS OF THE WORLD * - Just as we brought you stories of American Monsters in our last episode, now it’s time to discover some of the legendary creatures and beasts that inhabit the murky places in the rest of the world, today we explore the stories about cryptids from around the world. ODJ: Marian Stokes VCR for 32 Years
10 5/9 GEOGRAPHICAL ODDITIES * - The world is a curious place., today’s episode features weird and wondrous geographical oddities from all over the world. ODJ: Character Names
11 5/23 FAR OUT FOODS * - Come with us as we take a trip around the world and present you with some of the weirdest dishes we could find. We have some really far out food for you today so grab your spoon and get your barf bag ready! ODJ: Pompeii Robot Dog
One of my favorite stories, Sour Toe Cocktail details
12 6/6 KIDNAPPING * - Today’s episode features a story about love found and lost, political intrigue, kidnappings, daring escapes and love reunited. It’s a story worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, a story of the strangest kidnapping case you’ve never heard of. ODJ: Ampersand
Yes, this was the strangest kidnapping that you never heard of involving the North Korean dictator kidnapping a South Korean movie director and his actress wife to make movies for him.
13 6/20 SECRET SOCIETIES * - Throughout history down to modern day men have sought to gather together in secret behind closed doors. To do what exactly and for what purpose remains up for debate. Today we’ll be talking about just a few of history’s secret societies.
ODJ: A Church Divided
14 7/4 SIGNS & SYMBOLS - Whether we notice it or not we are surrounded by symbols that communicate to us an idea or a concept. Today we’ll be delving into the origin of some of the most recognizable symbols we encounter everyday. ODJ: Baseball Mud
15 7/18 SLEEP TIGHT - Ernest Hemingway once said, “I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I’m awake.” This episode is about the very common, yet still mysterious, thing we call sleep.
ODJ: Photo Evidence
16 8/1 CRIMINAL - We are surrounded and inundated with news about crime happening all the time. Today’s Stew is about some of the strangest aspects of crime and bizarre laws.
ODJ: Odd Capitals of the World
17 8/15 PIRATES - Ahoy there ye scurvy dogs! Batten the hatches and swab the deck! Today we’ll be talking about all things Pirate-y. ODJ: Oldest National Anthem
18/19 8/29 KERRY COOK 1 & 2 - In 1977 in the small town of Tyler Texas 21 year old Linda Jo Edwards was brutally assaulted and murdered. In this two part episode we’ll talk to the man that was found guilty of that murder and spent 20 years on death row before he was found to be wrongly convicted. Listen to him tell his story in this two part episode.
ODJ: -none-
This was the start of us doing the occasional interview. In season 4 we had Jorge who told his story about escaping Cuba and Bill Torgan the local hypnotist
20 9/12 SAY WHAT? - English is said to be one the hardest languages to learn due to our inconsistent spelling and grammar rules. Or could it be from the strange ways we have of turning a phrase. Today we’ll talk about idioms, phrases and colloquialisms. ODJ: Pyrex
21 9/26 SECRET SPACES (Sam) - What is behind our fascination with Hidden rooms, forgotten passageways, and abandoned tunnels? Today we’ll be jumping down the rabbit hole of Secret Spaces. ODJ: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
This episode we had a guest host, Sam, my son who I think will play a more active role in our upcoming Season 5.
22 10/10 WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (Bailey) - From freaky deer to talented otters and singing dogs, today we’re taking a walk on the wild side with zookeeper, Bailey Nichols. ODJ: THE DANGER OF SELFIES
This episode we had a guest host, Bailey, my niece the zookeeper
23 10/24 CREEPY - Summer is over so you know what that means...it’s officially the season when we start thinking about creepy and spooky stories!
ODJ: Richard III Grave
24 11/7 ONCE UPON A TIME - Once upon a time when we were young we loved to get lost exploring the forests and castles of bedtime stories. Today we’re diving into the whimsical world of Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes. ODJ: The Ships of San Francisco
25 11/21 TIS THE SEASON - The weather is getting colder, the nights are getting longer and that means it’s holiday time! Today’s episode is about some of the bizarre and strange aspects of Christmas and Thanksgiving. ODJ: Attack Monkeys
26 12/5 PORTRAIT: HOUDINI & DOYLE - Harry Houdini & Arthur Conan Doyle: An unlikely friendship that would sour over differing beliefs during the spiritualism movement of the 19th century. ODJ: Margaret Mead – Civilization Quote
27 12/19 CHRISTMAS STEW - A mini-episode, the last of Season 3. WARNING: NOT SUITABLE FOR SMALL CHILDREN WHO ARE ANTICIPATING A VISIT FROM SANTA! Join us as we talk about the different ways Christmas is special to us. ODJ: -none-
SEASON 4
1 1/2 ORIGINS - Happy New Year! It’s a time of new beginnings, today’s Stew will be all about the quirky origins of everyday things. So grab your spoon and pull up a chair!
ODJ: Vice President Oddities
2 1/16 THE HAND - The human hand is an interesting appendage. It is an extension of our will whether we wish to extend good will or invoke bad will. From decoding hand gestures to delving into legend and lore, join us as we examine The Human Hand.
ODJ: Cheating Scandals
3 1/30 NATIONAL PARKS - The United States is a huge country covering almost 4 million square miles. While a lot of our land is densely populated, we have some beautifully wild areas with landscapes that are as diverse as you could possibly imagine. In order to preserve some of these natural wonders they have been designated as National Parks. In today’s episode, we’ll talk about some of the more bizarre aspects of these parks.
ODJ: Ancient Fingerprints
4 2/13 ESCAPE - Today we have a guest, Mr. Jorge Tarrau, in our studio. Jorge left his homeland of Cuba ten years ago at age of 24. We’re going to hear him tell the harrowing story about what caused him and his family to risk everything in search of a better life.
ODJ: -NONE-
One of my favorites, 1:10:40 - 1:12:12 (CLIP)
5 2/27 PSYCHE - Psychology is the study of the human mind and of course there are many strange disorders and syndromes. Today we’ll be delving into the strange ways things can go wrong in the human psyche. ODJ: Nithing Pole
My favorite episode, and I think one of my favorite ODJ
6 3/13 RACE TO THE SOUTH POLE - Half a century before the great space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was the age of competitive discovery of the polar regions. Today we're going to learn about the two brave men who led rival expeditions to be the first to reach the South Pole. ODJ: ALUMINUM FOIL
7 3/27 PREMONITION - Have you ever had a strange feeling about something that you couldn’t explain? A sense of deja-vu or a dream that came true? We have many strange stories to talk about today. Join us as we jump down the rabbit hole of premonitions.
ODJ: Etiquette Mysteries
8 4/10 BEES KNEES - These creatures are known as the bringers of good luck and prosperity and thought by the ancient Greeks and Romans to be the messenger to the gods. Today’s episode is all about the small but mighty BEE. ODJ: Found Money
9 4/24 STRANGE SOUNDS - Of all our five senses I don’t think any of them are as intrinsically linked to emotion and memory quite as much as much as our hearing is. Today we’ll be delving into the world of mysterious and strange sounds. ODJ: Forbidden DC Places
10 5/8 SISTERHOOD OF SPIES - Using everything in their power to gain information, this group of women have completed some of the most daring missions in history. Join us today as we explore the Sisterhood of Spies. ODJ: KOREAN AGE
11 5/22 HYPNOTISM (interview with Bill Torgan) - You’re getting very sleepy. Are you hypnotized yet? Have you ever been hypnotized? If not, would you be open to it? Today we have a special guest in the studio--a hypnotist--to talk to us and tell us all about his work. ODJ: -NONE-
12 6/5 ODD CHURCHES - Churches and chapels are special to people all over the world. While most are beautiful and noble, there are some that are quite unusual and a few that are downright strange.. Today we wish to present to you some of those more unusual houses of worship. ODJ: ANIMALS THAT MATE FOR LIFE
13 6/19 PORTRAIT: ROBERT SMALLS - How precious is freedom to you? What lengths would you go to in order to preserve your freedom? Today’s episode is about a man who put everything on the line to gain freedom for himself, his family and his crew.
ODJ: -NONE-
This may have been one of our most inspiring stories.
14 7/3 OUTLANDISH ARTIFACTS - The word Artifact is defined as an object made by human beings that possesses cultural or historical value. Today we are going to explore some of those remarkable items that link us to our past. ODJ: HOLLYWOOD SIGN
15 7/17 MISSING PEOPLE - How can a person be here one day and then completely gone the next? The topic of missing persons is at once both intriguing and horrifying. Today we are going to investigate some baffling cases of missing persons. ODJ: PASTA DUMP
16 7/31 WEIRD SCIENCE - Science helps us to understand the world around us. However, sometimes scientific endeavors can wander into weirdness. Today we head to the lab of curiosity as we explore some wonderfully bizarre science. ODJ: TSA CONFISCATED ITEMS
And that is our take on three years, four seasons, and 80 episodes of Remnant Stew. We’ve come a long way and had a tons of laughs--and a lot of mess ups requiring Phil to do overtime on editing. Again, thanks for sticking with us all this time and for listening to us today ramble on about our favorite podcast. We would love it if you would reach out on social media or through mail to let us know what your favorite Remnant Stew episodes, stories, or moments are. I hope what’s been said here will make you want to go back a revisit some of the material we’ve presented over the years and maybe that’ll tide you over during our intermission.
In Season 5 that we plan to roll out in February or March of next year, we will continue bringing you the same wacky and strange stories that you have come to expect but we plan to have some new stuff to offer.
We’ve got some more interview type episodes in the works, we hope to bring the podcast to Youtube and to bring more people onto the Stew Crew, namely my son Sam. Rumor has it that he may be commandeering the ODJs. And while most of our episodes will continue to be free to listen to, we will also be offering more content called “Leftover Stew” behind a paywall for those that would like to support us by becoming patrons. And as we hope to finally get some sponsors, our patrons will also have early access to ad-free episodes. Just a few ideas that we’re working on.
In the meantime stay subscribed to the podcast and keep following on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to know when Season 5 hits. This is Remnant Stew signing off for now and until we return please be good to yourself, be good to others and remember… choose to be kind…AND ALWAYS STAY CURIOUS!
