Season 1
Ep.154: Auction Lunacy
March 20, 2023
When Jon and Kurt were sharing befuddlement (something they often do) about the fact that a banana duct taped to a wall sold for $120,000 at auction a year ago, they decided to explore it more. In so doing, they found some b…
Ep.153: Creepy Nursery Rhymes
March 13, 2023
Ah, the wonder of comforting childhood rhymes–such sweet innocent word play to amuse, soothe, and educate young children. At least that is what we all thought until Jon and Kurt did some digging, some intensive research, som…
Ep.152: Famous Last Words
March 6, 2023
People have used their final words, before passing onto the next adventure in the sky, to truly make a statement. Funny, emotional, insulting, self-deprecating, you name it. With the chance for one final opportunity to commu…
Ep.151: Surprising Facts about the Presidents
Feb. 27, 2023
Jon and Kurt decide to get patriotic, historic, and caloric–ok, not caloric, but it did fit the rhyme scheme–as they share unique, surprising stories about our 46 U.S. Presidents. From the scientifically interesting (which i…
Ep.149: The New Rules
Feb. 13, 2023
We have emerged out of a precedent-setting pandemic where all bets were off as to how we behaved, presented ourselves, and interacted with others. Add to this dynamic that there is now a new generation in the workspace, the…
Ep.148: The Quaker Oats Pinhole Camera
Feb. 6, 2023
Our homes are veritable Swiss army knives of contraptions, inventions, and solutions. Everyday household items found in drawers, cabinets, and refrigerators can be used for solving many common issues. Jon and Kurt get in on …
Ep.147: Trivia Bowl
Jan. 30, 2023
Jon and Kurt each found some random questions they wanted to ask each other to try and establish a trivia knowledge hierarchy in the Smart Drivel organization. Of course, this being Smart Drivel, the answers are never straig…
Ep.146: Phobia Madness
Jan. 23, 2023
Ever get that sneaking suspicion that there is something out there to be afraid of? In other words, do you have a phobia about phobias? Well, there is a name for that: Phobophobia is a fear of being afraid. If there is a pho…
Ep.145: Game Changing Business Inventions
Jan. 16, 2023
Jon and Kurt take a look through history at great business inventions. They apply their own filters as to what makes a great invention and bring in personal experiences in the business world to list, debate, admire, and laug…
Ep.144: “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat”
Jan. 9, 2023
Every great movie has an iconic line that, when uttered, immediately generates a response from those in your conversation pod. “It’s all ball bearings these days.” “Play it, Sam.” “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” Jon and…
Ep.143: The Quintessence (redux)
Jan. 2, 2023
In every category, there always seems to be one product, one event, one person, one object that defines the list, that comes out on the very top and is the first listed. This element is the example of the topic of discussion…
Ep.142: Homophones (redux)
Dec. 26, 2022
Jon and Kurt invite you to peek in on their conversation about Homophones which will hopefully pique your interest and make you think they have reached the peak of podcasting. You guessed it, you are the guest of the episode…
Ep. 141: You Just Can’t Pass It Up
Dec. 19, 2022
We have all been there…you are on the couch flipping channels and you come across a movie that stops you in your tracks. No matter how many times you have seen it, you HAVE to watch it again. The same is true for songs on th…
Ep.140: Go Banana Slugs
Dec. 12, 2022
Ever get confused when you are watching an Auburn football game and they are referred to as the Tigers but then their fans all cheer for the War Eagles? Or want the backstory on the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs? Then you go do…
Ep.139: Dining Dinosaurs
Dec. 5, 2022
The 1970s saw the advent of bell bottoms, the rise of Donny Osmond, and the proliferation of new chain restaurants across the country. The affordability of these new “casual dining” experiences coupled with some of their the…
Ep.137: A Baker’s Dozen
Nov. 21, 2022
The boys were in a conversation the other day when they both started using common phrases in a nerdy “one-upsmanship” kind of way. It started innocently enough with Jon mentioning something about being “called on the carpet…
Ep.136: No Way That is True
Nov. 14, 2022
Did you know that the words written on Twitter every single day would fill a book of ten million pages? Did you know that “buttload” is an actual measurement? Jon and Kurt have fun in this episode doling out seemingly ridicu…
Ep.135: Stupid Questions
Nov. 7, 2022
In an episode that quickly diverted from the chosen topic--really stupid questions people ask-- and never returned to it (luckily, this is a weekly podcast so there is always another opportunity), Kurt discusses how he can …
Ep.134: Contronyms
Oct. 31, 2022
What is a contronym you ask? The definition is “a word with two opposite meanings.” Huh? You mean to tell me that you can use a word, feeling good about it, and then all of a sudden that same exact word can be taken as the c…
Ep.133: It’s Just Not True
Oct. 24, 2022
It happens all the time–at least to Kurt it does–there you are, sitting at a dinner regaling everyone with curious and interesting facts. Like where f.u.c.# comes from. Or the length of Twinkies half-life. Or the toilet was …
Ep.132: You Are Hungover. Now What? (redux)
Oct. 17, 2022
We’ve all been there: you are having a really good time at the party and imbibe just a wee bit too much. Enough too much that the following morning you feel like crap. So you try all sorts of things to mitigate the pain. To …
Ep. 131: The Mirror is Wrong
Oct. 10, 2022
Episode 131: The Mirror is Wrong Jon and Kurt delve back into words in this episode. Seems they are super nerds about words. Here they look at word couples that look the same, yet have different meanings. Like insensible and…
Ep.130: Words No More
Oct. 3, 2022
As a companion to last week’s episode on new words being added to the dictionary, this week Jon and Kurt explore the word’s that get kicked out. Yup, with new words being added, there are those few who get the boot. Deemed n…
Episode 129: New Words (according to the dictionary)
Sept. 26, 2022
So, the dictionary people get together on an annual basis and vote/decide on new words to formally enter into their reference books. Jon and Kurt have a great time dissecting and laughing at these new entries. The episode? I…
Ep.128: Acronyms…RSVP required (get it?)
Sept. 19, 2022
In this episode, Jon and Kurt have fun explaining, finding, and debating interesting acronyms that are used in everyday conversation. Redux.
Ep.126: The Catharsis
Sept. 5, 2022
The boys just needed to get some stuff off their chests. They have had some new pet peeves building up and the desire to share these with their listeners was too strong to ignore any longer. From sidewalk walking etiquette t…
Ep.125: Brands Gone Wild
Aug. 29, 2022
Kleenex. Scotch Tape. Liquid Paper. Xerox. There are many products where the marketing folks did such a great job that the brand names they built came to represent the entire category. A consumer can ask for the product by t…
Ep.124: New York New York?
Aug. 22, 2022
It is the “city that never sleeps” and the biggest metropolis in America. We all think we know New York, but there are a lot of really interesting stories and facts about the Big Apple that most people don’t know. In this ep…
Ep.123: What’s In a Name?
Aug. 15, 2022
We get some amazing words from actual, real people. That’s right, real humans’ names gave us some of our most common or descriptive words as a result of their actions, sayings, or rituals. Sadism? Boycott? Saxophone? Shrapn…
Ep.122: Fatal Attraction
Aug. 8, 2022
Under the safety net of “it’s not real”, Jon and Kurt discuss famous, classic, and great fictional deaths. In movies, books, fables, (not podcasts), etc., there have been no shortage of momentous passings. Some we cheer on, …
Ep.121: Epic Failures
Aug. 1, 2022
There is an actual “Museum of Failures” which memorializes products that were massive failures. Classics like “neon green Heinz Ketchup” and “Spray on Condoms” (yes, you read that correctly) are on exhibit as are countless o…
Ep.120: Final Jeopardy
July 25, 2022
In this episode, Jon and Kurt test each other and themselves on their knowledge of esoteric facts. They take actual Final Jeopardy questions that all contestants on the show got wrong and attempt to see if their Smart Drivel…
Ep.119: Chances Are
July 18, 2022
Ever wonder what the odds are in finding a 4 leaf clover? Or dying by a shark attack? Bowling a perfect game? Being illiterate? Well, Jon and Kurt wondered the same thing and decided to dedicate an episode to a few of the mo…
Ep. 118: Copy Cats
July 11, 2022
Humans have “borrowed” from both nature and our animal friends to create some of our best technological innovations; from animals to nature, the biomimicry is widespread. From airplanes to velcro to submarines, we can thank …
Ep.117: Power Couples
July 4, 2022
Jon and Kurt have a little forum about the most amazing couples ever. Those from fiction. From wars. From the bible. From the arts. From politics. From legend. Forged in love or in greed, these couples all have a fascinating…
Ep.116: What’s Up, Doc?
June 27, 2022
Ever go into a doctor’s office and get treated for the wrong thing? Or have an embarrassing moment in front of your doctor because of your ailment, the procedure done, or the drugs that were administered? Jon and Kurt recall…
Episode 114: Feast or Famine (redux)
June 13, 2022
Jon and Kurt decide to throw another “dinner party for the ages''. This time it is to celebrate the podcast's 50th episode. So take a(nother) listen to see how they create the ultimate guest list for this exclusive affair. T…
Ep.111: Cocktails (redux)
May 23, 2022
Ahhh, cocktails. The beacon of light at the end of the day. The social equivalent of a group hug. We love our cocktails, but do we know their provenance? Ever wonder where the Bloody Mary was first concocted? How the martini…
Ep.110: Wordle, Quordle, Schmordle
May 16, 2022
The world has gone crazy for wordle. People set their alarms just to get up early enough to solve the wordle before their friends. There is a “sharing” er “competing” culture of proving one’s intelligence by getting the word…
Ep.109 Underrated Inventions (Part 2) (Redux)
May 9, 2022
Following up on last week's "Underrated Inventions Part 1" comes the expected "part 2". In this classic episode, Jon and Kurt continue waxing poetic about seemingly mundane inventions that have had outsized impact on society…
Ep. 108: The Most Underrated Inventions (Part 1) (Redux)
May 2, 2022
Dipping into the vast repository of Smart Drivel content, Jon and Kurt offer up a classic two part series. From toilet paper to Neil Diamond and lots in between, they discuss the advances in civilization we can’t live withou…
Ep.107: Fun Phrases (redux)
April 25, 2022
Tune in to another classic episode as Jon and Kurt spend a full episode discussing fun phrases and how they came to be. “Mind your Bees Wax,” “One for the road”, and “Freezing the balls off a brass monkey” are just a few say…
Ep.106: Common Misperceptions (redux)
April 18, 2022
Enjoy a classic Smart Drivel episode as Jon and Kurt set out to find the truth behind certain “givens” that we have always been told: is it safe to swim right after eating? Is the earth round? Did Vikings have horns on their…
Ep.105: Art is Everywhere
April 11, 2022
Stretching their word retrieval abilities, Jon and Kurt have fun in this episode by coming up with words that have ‘art’ embedded within them. Art means one thing on its own (the beautiful category of expressionism–be it pai…
Ep.103: Hank & Lip Balm
March 28, 2022
You are moving to a foreign country. You don’t know where. You don’t know for how long. All you are told is that you can bring 5 things with you. Jon and Kurt share what they would take along as they go far afield from home.…
Ep.102: Ideal Vacations in History (Redux)
March 21, 2022
Jon and Kurt re-release an all-time favorite as they wax poetic about places they would love to visit for vacation. However, the twist is that they can go anywhere in any time in history. They discuss being in ancient Greece…
Ep. 101: You Call That A Sport?
March 14, 2022
Throughout history, humankind’s competitive spirit has led to inventing and mastering a wide array of sports. Basketball, Soccer, Football, Baseball, Hockey, Tennis, etc. get all the air time and all the headlines, but what …
Ep.100: The 100th Episode
March 7, 2022
That’s right, a milestone in smart drivelry has been attained…Jon and Kurt have recorded their 100th episode. That means they have given listeners over 40 hours of content over which to laugh, yell, sneer, learn, and, mostly…
Ep.99: Stump me? Stump you.
Feb. 28, 2022
The boys are at it for a second week in a row…they just can’t get enough of trying to stump one another with esoteric, tantalizing, and thought provoking facts. If you ever find yourself in the midst of boring folks with not…
Ep.98: Did I Stump You?
Feb. 21, 2022
In this episode, Jon and Kurt try to stump one another with arcane, bizarre, weirdly fascinating trivia questions. Some are down right funny while others are great fodder for your next dinner conversation. Listen, remember, …