Ephemeral
The best source on our cultural identity is not the official, historical record — ask any anthropologist, it’s the town dump. Ephemera — those things that were just barely saved, and in some cases not saved at all — emanate with secrets we can only glimpse and mysteries we can never completely answer. The stories may be unfamiliar, but the themes are universal; this is a looking glass, a window into our own fragile, material existence that begs the question, “How will I be remembered?”
Episodes
Introducing: Rip Current
California, September 1975. Within a span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women, working separately, tried to assassinate the president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford. These are the only two times we know of that a woman has tried to assassinate an American president. The first, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, was already infamous as a prominent follower of cult leader Charles Manson. The second, Sara Jane Moore, was a 45 year-old housewife who infiltrated San Francisco's violent radical underground working undercover for the FBI. The story of one strange and violent Summer, this season on RIP CURRENT.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
05/09/24•4m 52s
Ephemeral Podcasts
In our series finale, we ask some of our favorite creators about the ephemeral nature of podcasting itself. Featuring podcasters Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant (Stuff You Should Know), Holly Frey and Tracy V. Wilson (Stuff You Missed In History Class), Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick (Stuff To Blow Your Mind), Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, and Noel Brown (Stuff They Don't Want You To Know), and Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum (Savor). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
31/12/23•1h 8m
UMAN
Listening to the rerelease of the 1992 album Chaleur Humaine by the band UMAN. Featuring artists Danielle and Didier Jean and record label proprietor Matt Werth of RVNG and Freedom to Spend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
25/12/23•16m 1s
Vampira
The original, spooky, late-night TV host and one of the most influential characters in horror media, Vampira was the alter ego of Maila Nurmi, whose personal life was just as interesting offscreen. We talk with Maila's niece Sandra Niemi, author of the new biography "Glamour Ghoul."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24/10/22•1h
Video Stores III: Vidiots
We revisit our series on video stores by showcasing the iconic, LA-based Vidiots, one of the only female-owned and operated video stores in the country. Vidiots closed in 2017, but are planning a major re-opening in Eagle Rock later this year. Featuring Maggie Mackay, Executive Director of Vidiots Foundation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
19/09/22•37m 57s
Movie Theaters
Nothing beats seeing a good movie on the big screen. But in the age of online streaming, how do theaters survive and continue to stay relevant? Featuring Jules McLean, Director of Operations for the New Beverly Cinema.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08/08/22•46m 59s
Sideshow
The history of the American Sideshow with guests Robin Miniter and Taylor Hagerdorn, the team behind the podcast Grim and Mild Presents: Sideshow. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/07/22•24m 44s
Loyalty Freak Music
Longtime Ephemeral listeners may recognize the music of chameleon artist Rrrrrose Azerty, although it can be a little tricky. They use twenty different aliases, produce music in every genre, and have released over 200 albums in the last decade. And almost all of it has been given away for free. Further listening at LoyaltyFreakMusic.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
06/06/22•40m 7s
Ed Wood II
We continue our deep dive in the life and work of director Ed Wood with an exploration of Wood's later years and his posthumous rise to fame. Then the hosts of Ephemeral sit down together to geek out about their favorite Wood films.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
23/05/22•1h 1m
Ed Wood I
1959's Plan 9 From Outer Space has been called "the worst film of all time," its creator Edward D. Wood Jr. "the worst director." But Plan 9 and the rest of Wood's canon have since become beloved cult classics. The first of a two-parter of the life and work of Ed Wood, featuring writers Bill Shute and Katharine Coldiron, and family-friend Bob Blackburn.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
09/05/22•56m 0s
Star Ads
Audio ephemera collector Bob Purse returns to talk about more radio ads, this time from a source that remains a mystery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
25/04/22•50m 18s
Radio Ads
The history of advertising over the air, featuring Cynthia B. Meyers, author of A Word from Our Sponsor: Admen, Advertising, and the Golden Age of Radio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/04/22•57m 4s
BONUS: Video Game Saves
Video games create a marvelous world for players to live in and explore. But given the ephemeral nature of video game saves, these worlds can cease to exist in the blink of an eye. In today’s episode, we explore the aftermath of that loss, featuring our friends Matt Davidson, Josh Chandler, Matt Frederick, Kevin Kuhl, Anney Reese, and Trevor Young.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28/03/22•16m 39s
Video Games II
We wrap our historical dive into video games with the modern age of gaming, from Playstation to Xbox to Nintendo. Then, we sit down with iHeart's nerdiest gamers to discuss why our favorite games mean so much to us. Featuring Steven L. Kent, author of The Ultimate History of Video Games Vol. I & II., Matt Frederick, host of the podcast Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, and Anney Reese from the podcasts Stuff Mom Never Told You and Savor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21/03/22•1h
Video Games I
From Pong to Elden Ring, video games have dominated the interactive entertainment world for over half a century. We explore gaming's humble beginnings in arcades and trace how games became a culture defining pastime. Featuring author Steven L. Kent and journalist Eddie Adlum. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07/03/22•49m 25s
Walking and Silence
In our chaotic, noisy world, how does one find silence? Not only quiet surroundings, but inner silence. The second part of our conversation with explorer, author, art collector and publisher Erling Kagge. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21/02/22•39m 41s
Exploration
What draws us off the beaten path? The first of a two-parter featuring polar explorer and author Erling Kagge. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
14/02/22•30m 14s
Moog Synthesizers
In the 1950's, engineer Bob Moog started to tinker and build his own electronic instruments. Little did he know that his invention, the Moog Synthesizer, would revolutionize music for decades to come. Featuring Michelle Moog-Koussa, founder of the Bob Moog Foundation, and former Moog Music engineer August Worley. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24/01/22•51m 15s
Trash
With an unprecedented amount of new stuff being made, bought and sold everyday, we’re more likely than ever to throw things away. But where is away? Featuring historian Susan Strasser, author of Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/01/22•41m 48s
Noel
It's a Williams family Christmas in search of Romeo Muller's last film, 1992's Noël . https://youtu.be/BzKj4jYuG-I Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
26/12/21•24m 57s
Winter Solstice
Across the globe and back to antiquity, this changing of season has been recognized in ritual, story and song. Featuring Carolyn McVickar Edwards, educator and author of the collection The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20/12/21•40m 25s
Romeo Muller & Rankin/Bass
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Frosty the Snowman. The Little Drummer Boy. All of these iconic holiday specials have something in common: they were written by Romeo Muller, the visionary mind behind nearly all the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. We remember Muller's life and career with Rick Goldschmidt, official biographer for Rankin/Bass. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
06/12/21•34m 5s
Drugs
This episode of Ephemeral is on drugs. Featuring Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance and host of the podcast Psychoactive. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22/11/21•40m 12s
Tattoo
These days, tattoos are everywhere. But no so long ago, tattoo was an underground art form. And before that, tattoo was a cultural touchstone for numerous ancient civilizations. We explore the storied history of tattooing with Chuck Eldridge, founder of the Tattoo Archive. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08/11/21•45m 5s
Inside Canon Alberic's Scrap-Book
An interview with author Helen Grant about M. R. James, the real village of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, and the wonders of Victorian ghost stories. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
25/10/21•1h 21m
Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book
An English tourist looking for hidden treasures in untrodden corners of France finds more than he bargained for. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
25/10/21•30m 4s
Herk Harvey
Herk Harvey spent decades directing educational films, but he is best remembered for his lone feature, 1962's Carnival of Souls. Featuring interviews with Dr. Bernice Murphy, Associate Professor of English at Trinity College Dublin; Skip Elsheimer, founder of the A/V Geeks educational film archive; Candace Hilligoss, star of Carnival; and Herk Harvey himself. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11/10/21•54m 53s
Drag
The art of drag has seen a rapid rise in popularity since the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2009. But drag has been around for centuries; sometimes a source of entertainment, other times a means of survival. Featuring Simon Doonan, author of Drag: The Complete Story and Atlanta-based drag performer TAYLOR ALXNDR. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
27/09/21•54m 2s
37 Days of Peril
On September 9, 1870, while surveying the Yellowstone wilderness, Truman C. Everts was separated from his party with no horse, no food and little besides the clothes on his back. This is his story told in his own words. Narrated by Ben Bowlin of Ridiculous History and Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
13/09/21•54m 29s
Video Stores II
Continuing our monthlong look at video store culture, the Ephemeral team takes a field-trip to pay their late fees. Featuring Dan Herbert, author of Videoland, Matt Booth, owner of Videodrome in Atlanta, Georgia, and hosts Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum of the podcast Savor. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
30/08/21•1h 5m
Video Stores I
The rise and fall of the video rental store. Featuring Daniel Herbert, associate professor at the University of Michigan and author of Videoland: Movie Culture at the American Video Store. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
16/08/21•52m 14s
UFOs
Lights in the sky, craft in the air, and extraterrestrial encounters. Featuring author Toby Ball, host of the podcast Strange Arrivals. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
02/08/21•58m 40s
Alan Akaka
Our musical interview with steel guitar ambassador, teacher, performer, and legend Alan Akaka. For more context on the steel guitar and its place in Hawai'ian history, listen to our episode entitled "Kika Kila." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
26/07/21•1h 46m
I Can Never Let You Leave Me
Ten songs that skipped a generation. Featuring the music of composer and performer Lorrie Doriza and her grandfather Tony Rais. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12/07/21•55m 41s
Camp Bryn Afon
One Summer in 1965 frozen in time. Featuring audio ephemera collector Bob Purse. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28/06/21•57m 47s
Self-Released
For some artists, the only opportunity to share their work with the world is to do it all themselves. Featuring Matt Werth, proprietor of the RVNG Intl. record label, and artists Michele Mercure, Anna Homler and Pauline Anna Strom. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
21/06/21•1h 7m
Archival Records
Reigniting music under appreciated in its day. Featuring Matt Werth, proprietor of the RVNG Intl. record label, and the music of Peter Ivers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
14/06/21•47m 7s
Laughing Record
There are many laughing records, but there is only one Laughing Record. Featuring music researcher Ian Nagoski of Canary Records. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
07/06/21•44m 8s
William Grant Still
The music of William Grant Still is as versatile as it is beautiful. So why don't we hear it more often? Featuring Still's granddaughter, journalist, musician and author Celeste Headlee. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
31/05/21•47m 32s
Alice Guy
The first and for seventeen years only female filmmaker was Alice Guy. Featuring her biographer, author and historian Janelle Dietrick. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24/05/21•1h 1m
Acoustic Fossils
What does this place sound like? Featuring Jacob Job, sound recordist and research associate for Colorado State University’s Sound and Light Ecology Team. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17/05/21•41m 13s
Five Paintings
The Woolsey wildfires of 2018 devastated Southern California. But some history survived, including five priceless works of art. Introducing Ephemeral producer Trevor Young, who talks with his grandmother, artist Yvonne Cherbak, about escaping that deadly fire. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
14/05/21•17m 40s
Kika Kila
How an invention from the Hawai'ian islands changed the world. Featuring Hawai'ian musician and educator Alan Akaka and historian John Troutman, curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/05/21•55m 54s
§10 | Trailer: Season Two
New episodes air on Mondays beginning May 10th. Check out the trailer for a preview of what’s to come! Confinement protocol [est. 194█ by Dr. █████] Test publish special characters. Bold. Underline. Italics. Bold underline. Bold italics. Italics underline. Bold underline italics. §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ ¡™£¢∞§¶•ªº–≠œ∑´®†¥¨ˆøπ“‘«åß∂ƒ©˙∆˚¬…æΩ≈ç√∫˜µ≤≥⁄€‹›fifl‡°·‚—±Œ„´‰ˇÁ¨ˆØ∏”’»ÅÍÎÏ˝ÓÔÒÚƸ˛Ç◊ı˜Â¯˘¿See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03/05/21•2m 32s
Thanksgiving Leftovers
With so much to be grateful for this year, we wanted to express our thanks by sharing some of our favorite, never-before-aired clips from four interviews of the past season. Featuring Ian Nagoski, David Weinstein, Sarah Wasserman, and Elizabeth Cobbs. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
26/11/19•32m 50s
The Haunted Orchard
A traveller seeking solitude finds it at an old farmhouse in which everything seems forgotten and yet remembered. Written by Richard Le Gallienne. Narrated by Peter Yearsley. Learn more at ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28/10/19•23m 25s
Handmade Records
Why put music on plastic in 2019? Featuring Seth Nicholas Johnson of Haunted Birthday Records and the music of Elias Mason & June Yorke, pumashock, and Undercover Monsters. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
30/09/19•1h 12m
The Tallest Rock
A strange left turn in the story of Merigail Moreland. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28/08/19•13m 34s
Taped Over Interview: Matt Frederick
A conversation with our producer Matt on family, recording, and all things ephemeral. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
22/07/19•49m 57s
Taped Over
Who records your family’s history? Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
15/07/19•59m 18s
Sounds of Silence
Four minutes and thirty three seconds that changed the course of music history. Featuring musicologist & composer Kyle Gann. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
08/07/19•46m 10s
Switchboard
WWI, women’s suffrage, and one of the most important inventions of the 20th century: the telephone. Interview with historian Elizabeth Cobbs, author of "The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers." Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01/07/19•50m 14s
Sketch + Puzzle
How much paper is printed every day? Who's designing it and who's keeping on tabs on how much we have? Featuring interviews with crossword constructor Matt Gaffney and Steven Peterman of The Sketchbook Project. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
24/06/19•38m 14s
Reputation
What if you had a song stuck in your head, but had no way to find out anything about the artist? The mystery of an unlabelled record unravels year-over-year. Featuring an interview with reel-to-reel tape collector Bob Purse of the Inches Per Second blog. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
17/06/19•37m 10s
Brothers
In their four story brownstone at the corner of Fifth Avenue & 128th Street, the Collyer brothers sealed themselves up through the Great Depression, both World Wars, and as Harlem shifted from a rich white suburb to a poor black slum. In the cavernous dwelling, the pair amassed "one of the world’s legendary collections of urban junk." Two-hundred tons of junk by the end. Featuring memoirist Franz Lidz. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/06/19•40m 10s
DuMont
At the outset of commercial television, there were just four networks. Three you’ve heard of – they are still around today. The fourth is almost entirely forgotten. Featuring an interview with media historian David Weinstein of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
03/06/19•49m 12s
EphemaWHAT?!?
You’re telling me people actually like this old stuff? What is ephemera and why is it worth studying? Interview with Sarah Wasserman, professor of Material Culture Studies at the University of Delaware. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
27/05/19•29m 13s
Diaspora
What makes American music American? If the history book is written, what chapters are missing? Featuring music researcher Ian Nagoski of Canary Records. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20/05/19•59m 8s
Pilot
Found objects – misplaced artifacts of mysterious origins – can be sources great of inspiration. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
20/05/19•18m 27s
Trailer: Answering Machine
Lost materials, dropped threads, forgotten stories. Ephemera in the way that it’s intertwined in our lives. All those things, tangible and intangible, that you wish you could take just one more look at before they vanish into the past. Ephemeral debuts May 20th. Learn more at www.ephemeral.show Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
13/05/19•8m 7s