The Musical Innertube

Why do we have Christmas trees and Christmas cookies? Where did the idea of Santa Claus originate? Is there really such a thing as "holiday hide the pickle?" Folklorist Cory Hutcheson tells all about…

At the end of every episode of The Musical Innertube, we thank virtual band Car Radio Dog for playing our theme music.  Why? And what is a virtual band? Listen and find out!

Journalist, author and filmmaker Jennifer Lin takes us on a deep dive into history with her film Beethoven in Beijing - as well as a deep dive into her family history with her book Shanghai Faithful.

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather together.  But what if you're all by yourself this year?  Don't worry! The Musical Innertube Players have a solution: Martin Stewart's lonely T…

They're baaack! Those ads saying you need to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan! Well, we're back, too! Here's our talk with medical reporter Cheryl Clark all about Medicare and those plans, includi…

Last year, Patty Kim won re-election to the PA House. She and her fellow Democrats took control of the chamber by one seat. But before that, she told us what it was like to serve in the minority.

Here's a Halloween treat from the Musical Innertube Players - the story of a hideous man-pig monster eating its way through the pantries of London!

Singer/songwriter Olivia Farabaugh talks in depth about how CIRS has affected her life. Elizabeth Cripe tells how mold sickened her family. Together they've organized a festival to provide awareness …

Take a break from all your worries and listen to this fun conversation about cartoons and other forms of animation with Jerry Beck, historian and cartoon lover, who tells us about his all-time favori…

Julius Henry Marx was born on October 2, 1890, in Manhattan. In honor of Groucho's birthday, please join us for a talk with the man who gives us Evenings with Groucho, Frank Ferrante (who was born mu…

There are a lot of laughs in this podcast, because Gina Barreca knows humor.  But there is a lot of truth as well, because Gina's edited a book of essays about how women fall, real and imagined.

Tons of "space junk" is floating around the earth, posing a danger to present and future space missions. Astronomer Chris Impey talks about the difficult task of removing that junk, and other cosmic …

Magicians often band together for fun (and profit). Here are two members of the Artificial Wizards group, Kyle Purnell and Vince the Vaudevillian, talking about the shows and secrets they share. Magi…

Here's more with Justin Timpane, who talks about making music at home, and why the Star Trek/Star Wars universes are running out of steam. Hear some of his music -- and, hey, get a free t-shirt!

It's been 22 years since terrorists flew planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. That means it's been 22 years since Mike Hingson and his guide dog Roselle got out of the first tower a…

He's the man behind the "Ninjas Vs." trilogy of B-movies, as well as films like "The Christmas Cancellation" and "The Distanced." Justin Timpane shares what happens in the world of indie filmmaking. …

Tornadoes leave death and destuction in their path. So do serial killers. Writer and forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland talks about how her new novel explores those similarities, as seen throug…

Climate change is causing permafrost to melt, unearthing things that have been frozen for hundreds of thousands of years.  Bio-ethicist Art Caplan says some of those things are viruses that we might …

We all do it: try to figure out the meaning of the vanity plate on that car that's in front of us.  Isaac Klein took it one step further, getting the stories behind the plates in his podcast Vanity.

Dava Sobel has written about science for her entire career.  Now, she's letting others do the writing.  She's editing a column in Scientific American magazine featuring poetry about science.