Keep It Weird

Hello, Dark Passengers, Welcome to PART TWO of our defendable criminals series!  We've been taking a look at people who have committed crimes that are... totally understandable?? We are joined once again by the amazin TREVIN from SERIOUSLY SINISTER as we go a *tad* darker this week with Lauren at the helm.  Lauren tells us the tale of the Alaskan Avenger! Jason Vulkovich was a very angry man and had every right to be but was he justified in multiple assaults?  Do we think he's served enough time?  Does his case set a dangerous precedent for future men and women hellbent on revenge? Dont worry, we lighten it up a bit after that as Trevin SLIDES into our DMs and Ashley sends a selfie to the police. Tell us what you think about our six evil-doers.  Are they justified?  Do you understand them?  Or do you disagree with us completely? Sometimes right and wrong isn't so cut and dry...

Hey kids, welcome to a different kind of true crime episode!  Usually when we discuss true crime we think "HOW?! HOW could someone do this?" "WHY? WHY would someone do this?!!"  This week we think... "I mean... I kind of get it" Join Ashley, Lauren and special guest TREVIN from Seriously Sinister: A True PETTY Crime Podcast" as they look into crimes with likable criminals and totally understandable actions. Ashley starts this two part series off with the story of Clark Olofsson, Sweden's most successful bank robber and celebrity criminal???  This hottie was sentenced and escaped jail so many times we lost count and it leaves us questioning whether someone can be SO GOOD at crime we should just let them do it. And Trevin is bringing us our only LADY of the series-- an Australian woman named Esra Ogru- a fantastic saleswoman, accomplished scientist, and MAJOR LEAGUE Scammer! Does she deserve to work in biotech again?  Are the lives she saved more important than the money she stole?   Find out our thoughts and m

M-O-O-N, that spells WEIRDO! Beep Beep, Weirdos, it's finally time to head into the Dead Zone and talk about Stephen King! This week Ashley & Lauren are joined by one of the hosts of "The Losers Club: A Stephen King Podcast" - RANDALL COLBURN! In what is essentially a love letter from us to Stephen; this week we are discussing our favorite characters, stories and movies and trying to get to the bottom of why we love him so much, what makes him such a special writer and how the hell he's got so many different stories up in that brain of his. From The Shining to Dreamcatcher & Derry to Castle Rock we're diving into the darkness and the creativity of the "shine"iest author of all time.

Blessed be, witches! Welcome to our first official witchcraft AMA with our resident green witch Laura Lareau! This week we are answering a ton of questions sent in by YOU the listener on how to be a better witch.  Ashley, Lauren and Laura cover several aspects of their craft, we find out how they became witches, how they feel about calling themselves witches, and even how to hide... or flaunt... your inner witch bitch. If you want to know how to cook a witchy meal, how to cleanse or charge your crystals, how to set up a space for magic, or one ingredient you should NEVER.. EVER... use in a spell-- this episode has an answer for you! If you have a question about the craft, what it means to be a witch or how you can make YOURSELF a force to be reckoned with - email keepitweirdpodcast @ gmail.com with the subject line WITCHCRAFT so we can save it for our next AMA

Call in the spirits, wherever they are at! It's finally here!  Our paranormal investigation of the LEMP MANSION in St Louis MO! Our lovely friend, past guest and deep sea expert MELANIE VARTABEDIAN accompanied me.. who are we kidding... TOOK me to stay at this historical landmark in Benton Park to see if we could speak to any ghosts.  And believe it or not... we did. After listening to our Lemp Family history episode "The Burden of Brew" grab a set of headphones so you can hear all the creaks, mysterious sounds, creepy laughs and bumps in the night that we captured on audio from our two night stay in the "cursed" Lemp Mansion...  

Come in, come in! Welcome to LEMP MANSION!  Built in 1868 and still standing in St Louis MO only blocks away from what remains of the LEMP BREWERY.  Both buildings are rich with history, scandal, tragedy and secrets-- and we got to stay there. This episode is ALL about the Lemp family.  William J. Lemp and his wife Julia, along with their eight children- Billy, Louis, Frederick, Charles, Hilda, Edwin and Elsa- deserve to be remembered for who they were- flawed people who loved each other, loved to party and loved their home. "The curse of the Lemp Mansion" is something I'd heard about my whole life- but was there any truth to it?  Was the home, family or brewery really cursed?  Or is life just freaking hard sometimes? Take a listen to this episode to get the WHOLE SCOOP on this family as well as some of the rumors (substantiated & unsubstantiated) surrounding them before you listen to "Spirits, Spectres & Solitude": our paranormal investigation that took place inside the home.

Hey kids, I know this wasn't what you were expecting.  You were expecting me to introduce our latest paranormal investigation!  But it's not done... its SO CLOSE... but it's not ready. SO, next week you'll be getting TWO long episodes all about the history, legends and lore of the Lemp family along with our investigation in the mansion.  But this week we're giving you Halloween in May! Russian Forklore is one of our all time favorite bonus episodes.  We released it in October of 2020 and it features Ashley, your Keep It Beard host Amy, AND your Keep It WEIRD host Lauren!  And that Halloween was all about... Russia?? Amy brings us a spooky listener story that sparked her interest in what is known as a "house spirit" or DOMOVOY.  And Ashley got to research her favorite creepy grandma - BABA YAGA! We laughed, we cringed, we went home fully vodka drunk. ENJOY!

We're back with some more BURNING HOT biology questions and hopefully this time we don't have to talk about.... you know who. This week Ashley and Lauren are joined once again by their good friend and future biologist RACHEL FULLER and they each get to bring one biology question that they just HAD to have the answer to. Ashley starts us off this week pondering the similarities between the human body and the known universe.  Why do veins look like lightning?  Why do our irises look like nebula?  Is there a deeper meaning to this or are we just looking for there to be similarities?  The answer may surprise you! Then Rachel asks a question mankind has been pondering since the beginning of time-- why do we age?  Why can't we just grow to adulthood and stay there the whole time, that sounds like a better deal if you ask me.  And Lauren finishes the episode off and blows our mind with her burning bio question- why does music seem to have a special place in our soul?  Why do we remember music so well?  And why do we

No Heart?  NO BUTTHOLE?!  BIG PROBLEMS! Hey weirdos, today we're going back to Biology 101 to be reminded of all the things we immediately forgot in high school and learning SO much more.  We are joined by our very first guest of the season RACHEL FULLER and each of us are asking a biology question we just HAD to have an answer to. We ask pretty basic questions like "Why do we hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard?" "Do jellyfish have a brain?" and "Why do we have a dominant hand?" But the answers are SO much more complex and fascinating than you could ever imagine. From the complex inner workings of our ears to the collaboration of the hemispheres of our brains to some of the strangest (and least trustworthy) creatures in the sea- this episode has something for everyone.

Go into the light!!  Or stay away from the light?  Are we supposed to go towards the light or run away from it?  Welcome, weirdos to the second half of our NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES series!!  This week we're trying to answer even more questions about elements of NDEs that have been experienced by millions of people all over the world. Is there a scientific explanation for why dying people usually report seeing dead loved ones around them sometimes weeks before they pass?  Is it something psychological or are they actually coming around to help us transition? What about people who claim to have met God?  Or seen what they can only describe as "heaven?"  How do they cope after coming back to reality after being in a place so perfect and peaceful?  Does that place even really exist? Dying is the scariest thing we'll ever do and it's something EVERY single one of us will experience.  But hopefully we can make you feel a little bit better about what awaits you on the other side...

I'm gonna let it shine!! This week Ashley and Lauren are asking the BIG question.  What happens when we die?  We want to know where that tunnel leads.  Should we go into that brilliant, bright, beautiful light?  And who the heck is this tall, dark, handsome drink of water calling himself Jesus? This is the first part of a two part series where we examine the scientific and spiritual aspects of DYING.  Everybody dies and thousands of people have experienced what is known as an NDE and they've been able to tell us what it's like.  This week we are focusing on LIGHT, our relationship to it, and why so many dying people see it.

Hi Weirdos! Welcome to a sneak peek into our fabulous PATREON!!  This week Lauren and I are swamped with work, potty training, day care and prepping for our Near Death Experience series starting next week.  So instead of leaving you BORED and LONELY we are releasing a previously released Patreon Bonus episode! This episode is very special to me because it features not one, but TWO, of my best friends in the world.  My patreon cohost Amy Hanselmann surprised me with a special guest appearance by my other best friend LEAH CAMPBELL. Leah is a former MORTICIAN (Muahaha) and she let us pick her brain and ask her all of our burning questions about what it's like to embalm a body (Spoiler alert: Tales from the Crypt lied to me) her strangest funeral stories,  the worst body mishap, and the politics and hopeful future of the death service industry. And to round it all out I (Ashley) also get to talk about eels!  We hope you enjoy this look into our private world and that maybe it encourages you to finally join our pa

Hi Weirdos! Welcome to our favorite time of the year!! Time to tell GHOST STORIES!    This is another edition of LISTENER GHOST STORIES-- where Lauren and Ashley tell each other REAL LIFE spooky stories either sent in by YOU, the listener or found on different online forums we are a part of.     This time 'round we are encountering a LOT of different oddities-- ghost children, haunted sheds, astral projection, near death experiences, guardian angels, light beings, glitches in the matrix, lost time and SO much more!!    Thank you to all of the wonderful weirdos who allowed us to tell your stories.  Thank you to Vivek Abishek for creating the music you hear in this episode.  Thank you to freesound dot org for supplying the sound effects.     If YOU have a strange/scary/unexplainable story you'd like to hear on this show email it to us at keepitweirdpodcast at gmail dot com with Listener Ghost Stories in the subject line! As usual, these episodes are usually best enjoyed with a pair of headphones, a warm blank

Welcome to the jungle, weirdos! This week we are leaving the human world and entering the ANIMAL KINGDOM!  It's been a while since we had an animal/nature focused episode and theres just TOO MUCH crazy going on out there for us to not bring it to your ears. This week Ashley is joined by a very special cohost- his first appearance in season six- HANDSOME JOE!!  Ashley and Joe share a myriad of animal studies, news, behaviors and discoveries that you may have never heard about!! From wolves to chimpanzees, whales with accents to blood spitting lizards, bugs, cats, shrimp and even rhinoceri - we leave no paw unturned!  Join us for a PANDEMONIUM of parrots, an ARMY of frogs and so much m-roar!   

H i  w e i r d o s, you know that feeling when you get a rush of nostalgia but you're also creeped out?  When the hairs stand up on the back of your neck but you aren't in any danger?  Ever get goosebumps thinking about a dark school hallway lined with lockers? YEAH SAME!! Today we're continuing our discussion on weirdly haunted locations and Ashley is starting us off with the concept of LIMINAL SPACES.  Hallways, rest stops, empty offices, abandoned malls, hell- even bathrooms.  Theres just something about them that feel off... And Lauren takes over to share some more haunted places that just should NOT be haunted.  K-Marts, Toys R Us, skyscrapers, grocery stores and even malls filled with strange activity.. for.. some.. reason. Get ready to feel creeped out every where you go!

Are you ready to find some ghosts, weirdos? Well you may want to look at your local convenience store.  This week Lauren and Ashley are looking for ghosts in ALL the wrong places as we research haunted locations that just shouldn't be haunted. What happens when there is paranormal activity in your office building?  A skyscraper?  A book store?  Or even the 7/Eleven on the corner??  What are those ghosts doing there?! Lauren starts us off with a little hometown haunt action teaching us about a HAUNTED USED BOOK STORE in none other than PEORIA Illinois! Ashley takes us to the UK for a scientific study done on the paranormal called The HAUNT Project where they BUILD a haunted room using waves of EMF and Infrasound to try and disprove ghosts... but in the end they ended up with more questions than answers. Join us next week as we dive into liminal spaces and even more super casual haunted hot spots.

THE END IS NIGH WEIRDOS!! Welcome to part two of our APOCALYPSE SERIES!! It's been fun but it's time to head into the bunkers and say our prayers because it's the end of the world as we know it and we feel FINE. This week Ashley starts us off by telling us THE TRUTH about the antichrist-- at least according to the bible itself.  And Lauren takes the reigns of this runaway train by teaching us about some cults that are obsessed with impending doom and the absolutely bonkers lengths they are willing to go to hold on to their beliefs.   Topics include: Emperor Nero & Hitler, The Millerite Movement, Harold Camping & friends, David Koresh & the Koreshians, The Seekers (UFO cult) and Aum Shinrikyo.  

WELCOME TO SEASON SIXXX!!  Hi weirdos, it's officially Season Six and our 200th episode!! WOW.  What a wild ride.  And it's about to get even wilder because the world is about to END.  At least... when it comes to this series. We're starting off the season with THE APOCALYPSE!! This week Lauren starts us off dissecting the possibility of an REAL zombie apocalypse and how that could actually happen.  (g r e a t) And Ashley dives into the prophecy of the 144,000.  From christianity to the Mayans, new age spirituality to the ancient Egyptians... this number is everywhere.  But what could it mean? Find out answers (or somehow more queries?) to these burning questions and more on this week's season premiere of KEEP IT WEIRD!! 

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

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