The Nonsense Bazaar

By Sequoyah Kennedy and Willow Truman

What's The Nonsense Bazaar about?

The Nonsense Bazaar is a bravely paranoid, neon-colored voyage into irrationality and the imaginal by way of conspiracies, cults, UFOs, magic, mysticism, and the secret history of our silly world.

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The Nonsense Bazaar episodes:

05.01.2024
146 - Parapsychology & The Rhine Research Center
Ever wondered if your mind can do more than ruin your life? Did you know at one time you could get a degree in ESP and psychokinesis? This week we're taking a broad overview of the real world of academic...
04.24.2024
145 - Ambien
What do you get when you cross sleeping pills with the tail end of the LSD molecule? Ambien! The miracle cure for insomnia taken by millions of Americans every year that definitely doesn't make your entire frontal lobe completely vanish...
04.17.2024
144 - Terrence McKenna's Timewave Zero
Who among us hasn't had apocalyptic visions with a head full of mushrooms? Terrence sure did. This week we're looking at one of the pillars of the legendary psychedelic evangelist's cosmology: Timewave Zero. After Terrence McKenna and his brother Dennis...
04.10.2024
143 - The Radioactive Boy Scout
Who among us didn't have at least a touch of the mad scientist fantasy as a kid, right? Most of us, probably. And who among us failed to ever have anything come of it? Most of us, probably. Not David...
04.03.2024
142 - Creature Feature: Water Monsters
Admit it, there aren't nearly enough creatures in your life. Weird creatures, cute creatures, mean creatures, there's a whole wide world of creatures out there. And today we're talking about three of them. And with a subtitle like "Water Monsters,"...
03.27.2024
141 - Competitive Eating
Sometime during the 20th century, hot dogs became forever linked with an American pastime—Competitive eating—and with the most American holiday, the Fourth of July. One could argue that the business of “major league eating” is everything wrong with consumer capitalism....
03.20.2024
140 - The Nag Hammadi Codices
These days you can't shake a stick without running into some version of Gnostic Christianity. Why is that? Gnosticism is absolutely wild and psychedelic, that plays a part. But did counterculture collectively decide one day that Gnosticism was pretty groovy?...
03.13.2024
[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre - Tulpas!
Sequoyah had to deal with some rough stuff this week so in lieu of chaining him to his keyboard and squeezing an episode out of him like an old citrus, we're unlocking an episode of our bonus series where we...
03.06.2024
139 - Wait...I Thought You Died (Death Fraud)
Who among us can honestly say we've never been tempted to fake our own deaths? You know, get away from it all, start over as fresh as a newborn babe. Today we'll be looking at individuals who were pronounced dead...
02.28.2024
The State of The Union 2024
We had a weird day. So this week we're talking about some of the things we've been thinking about recently: nature, defiant optimism, Catholic UFO propaganda, how Willow thought Sequoyah went missing but he was actually just napping, and much...
02.21.2024
138 - Revival Preachin' in America
This week It’s a touch of the ol’ divine madness in Middle America as we take a look at the highly entertaining and very American art form of revival preaching. From the big top on the frontier to Aimee McPherson,...
02.14.2024
137 - Oneirophrenia
Finding yourself with one foot in reality and the other in dreamland is frightening, especially if you were alive in the 1940s when the solution was to remove all your memories by either drilling a hole in your head or...
02.07.2024
136 - A Brief History of Staring at The Sun
You know how they say you shouldn't stare at the sun because you'll go blind? Well, what if that's just what they want you to think? What if the secrets to immortality, an enlarged pineal gland, not needing to eat...
01.31.2024
135 - The Many Loves of Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim was once one of the most famous men in America. Everything about him was a spectacle. From his trembling falsetto to his odd mannerisms, it's easy to see how he became America's laughingstock. Most people know him as...
01.24.2024
134 - The Greenbrier Ghost
This week we're telling a story that is very much not our normal fare here at the bazaar: a ghost story, a true-crime murder case, and a courtroom drama. But it also happens to be exactly what we're about. The...
01.17.2024
133 - Confessions of an American Game Show
We’re traveling to the past to explore the careers of two game show greats: Ralph “Nobody knows who I am anymore” Edwards and Chuck “They made a movie about me” Barris. Between the two of them, they’re responsible for some...
01.10.2024
132 - Journey to Grand Tartaria
Did you know that all of history is nothing but a bald faced lie? That the entire generally accepted arc of history has been fabricated to keep you, dear listener, from realizing your God-given birthright to fancy architecture, free energy...
01.03.2024
131 - Chuck E. Cheese
This week we’re taking a look at the curious history of one Charles Entertainment Cheese, a robot who claims to be “America’s favorite rat” and built a cardboard-flavored pizza empire which heralded the cybernetic colonization of our childhoods and traumatized...
12.20.2023
130 - The 1561 UFO Battle Over Nuremberg
We're headed back to one of our favorite centuries to talk about one of the most famous UFO cases in history. Well, at least on the History Channel. The 1561 "celestial phenomenon over Nuremberg, Germany" entered modern consciousness by way...
12.13.2023
129 - Secular Humanism & The Center for Inquiry
On today’s episode we’re taking a look at some of the rather silly psychic experiments conducted by the folks over at the Center for Inquiry, a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping the spread of nonsense and promoting reason and skepticism....
12.06.2023
128 - Bhagavad Gita
This week we're taking a look at one of the oldest and most influential epic poems in the world. Bhagavad Gita is the centerpiece of the much, much longer Sanskrit epic poem Mahabharata and has had a huge influence on...
11.29.2023
127 - Charles Fort
If you're at all into the paranormal or supernatural you've heard the name Charles Fort. After all, his name has become synonymous with the study of anomalous phenomena, or "Fortean" phenomena. He basically invented the genre. Over the course of...
11.15.2023
126 - Garbo
Who the hell is Greta Garbo? From her alleged espionage endeavors with plans to assassinate Hitler to passionate secret lesbian romances, this Old Hollywood icon lived a life worth discussing (although she would hate that we are doing so). Her...
11.07.2023
125 - The New England Vampire Panic
We're takin' it a bit easy this week and talking about something close to home: vampires! Specifically, the so-called "New England Vampire Panic" of the 1800s. Before vampires were sexy, they were something else entirely: the reanimated corpses of your...
11.01.2023
124: Project Blue Balls: An Unhinged Look at The World of Semen Retention
It finally happened, we lost our damn minds. In honor of No-Nut November, today’s episode will explore the concept of Semen Retention (aka gaining magic powers and solving all of life's problems by not jerking off) by looking at online...
10.25.2023
123 - Intro to Cybernetics
What do you think of when you hear the term "cybernetics"? Well there's a solid chance you're wrong. This week we're taking a high level overview of an intellectual Swiss Army Knife that rewired the way we think about everything...
10.18.2023
122 - The Taxil Hoax
Today we’re taking a look at one of the wildest, most enduring hoaxes of all time—The Taxil Hoax. Ever wondered why Freemasons are a magnet for conspiracy theories? In the 1890s, a French prankster named Leo Taxil tricked the Vatican...
10.11.2023
121 - Trickster Stories: Coyote, Anansi, and Nanabozho
This week we're taking a look at the stories of three legendary trickster spirits: the ever-sly Coyote of North American folklore, the web-weaving Anansi from West African tales, and the amorphous (but usually rabbit-eared) Nanabozho from Ojibwe legends. What does...
10.04.2023
120 - Path of Sweetness: A Journal of Galactic Romance
Today we're diving into the multidimensional world of "Path of Sweetness”, one of the strangest books we’ve featured on this podcast. It was written by a woman named Joy Elaine who has had many hobbies throughout her life: body building,...
09.27.2023
119 - The KLF
The KLF, aka The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu were the best selling singles band in the world for a period in the 1990s. Their last single featured Tammy Wynette, the "First Lady of Country Music", in what would be...
09.20.2023
118 - The Reign of Rudolph II
This week we're looking at the reign (and dysfunctional family) Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II, the sadboi emperor. Rudolph II was a patron of the arts while also showing a keen interest in alchemy and the occult. A good emperor,...
09.13.2023
117 - Aum Shinrikyo Part III: The Wizard
We're here. The finale and Aum Shinrikyo's Armageddon extravaganza. Aum has now fully transformed itself into a true paramilitary death cult with commando units, an "Intelligence Ministry" multiple weapons factories for all the different types of weapons, conventional, chemical, biological,...
09.06.2023
116 - Aum Shinrikyo Part II: The Guru’s Love
Look, we warned you it was going to get bad. Following their totally unpredictable complete loss in the parliamentary election and the murder of the Sakamoto family, Shoko Asahara and Aum Shinrikyo begin the full-on militarization process that would ultimately...
08.30.2023
115 - Aum Shinrikyo Part I: The G.O.A.T.
This week we're beginning the darkest story we've ever told here on The Nonsense Bazaar,, that of legendary Japanese death cult Aum Shinrikyo. But don't worry because it's as absurd as it is harrowing. And it is both to an...
08.23.2023
114 - The Arcturian Plan to Enter 5D
We're back! Join us for a cosmic exploration of David K. Miller's Group of Forty, a meditation collective that promises a journey to the fifth dimension through…shimmering? Along with his wife Gudrun, Miller and his Group of Forty have pioneered...
08.09.2023
The Mojito Tapes Vol. II
Doing that thing again where I ramble at you for way too long. Mostly about how much I hate UFOs. That's not true actually. I love UFOs and I love Uri Geller, but I hate UAPs.
08.02.2023
[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre #7 - Encounters With The Easter Bunny and Richard Doty
I wanted to do a remaster episode or two this week, but apparently my backup game is simply weak. So you're getting another Corkboard. Next week I might talk about UFOs while I drink whiskey If I can figure out...
07.26.2023
[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre: The Stanzas of Dzyan
This week we're unlocking another episode of our bonus series, The Corkboard Bizarre and taking a look at the super spooky totally real and definitely not made up text at the core of Theosophy, the Stanzas of Dzyan. Referenced throughout...
07.19.2023
[Unlocked Bonus Episode] Orin & DaBen Awaken Your Light Body
This week we're unlocking an episode of our Patreon bonus series The Corkboard Bizarre on the insane, highly detailed, and mind-numbing "Awakening Your Light Body" course that was mentioned in our episode on "The Bodysnatchers" that may have been the...
07.12.2023
The Mojito Tapes Vol 1 (life requires a hiatus, but we shall return)
Wanted to record something just in case you missed our posts on Friday. Family stuff means we need to take a hiatus from regular episodes for a few weeks. Never fear, however, we shall return and we have episodes both...
07.05.2023
113 - Cicada 3301
Intelligence agency recruitment tool? Alternate reality game? Cult indoctrination? Masonic conspiracy? Nerds being nerds? Non-lethal weapons testing? Cicada 3301 is one of the strangest of all the internet mysteries. In 2012 a picture was posted on 4chan claiming that a...
06.28.2023
112 - The Bodysnatchers: A Very Real Alien Conspiracy
Join us on today’s episode as we enter the confusing world of Susan Reed, a woman who was drawn into a web of extraterrestrial intrigue and danger, as detailed in her revealing book, 'The Body Snatchers: A Real Alien Conspiracy.'...
06.21.2023
Summer Break: Reading Jack Parsons’ ”Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword”
We're taking a summer break this week so instead of a regular episode, Sequoyah read Jack Parsons' essay "Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword" which he completed in the year following the famed Babalon working. It remains one of very few...
06.14.2023
111 - Escape From Prison Planet
We’ve all heard about the things that supposedly happen at the moment of death: the life review that flashes before your eyes, the tunnel of white light, etc etc. But what if all of that truly does happen except…it’s a...
06.07.2023
110 - Jane Lead Part II: The Philadelphian Legacy
Returning to our enlightening study on Jane Lead, today we’re delving into the pivotal years from her first vision in 1670 to her demise in 1704. We'll probe into how, as her physical sight failed, her spiritual visions proliferated, igniting...
05.31.2023
109 - Jane Lead, Prophetess of God Part I: The Mystic Awakens
We’re turning back the hands of time to 17th-century England to learn about the eccentricities of post-Reformation life and Jane Lead's spiritual metamorphosis from rich girl to old blind weirdo. Learn how she journeyed from her Norfolk upbringing to marry...
05.24.2023
108 - The Spiritual Alchemy of Rapunzel
Join us as we embark on a spiritual exploration to discover what connects the tale of Rapunzel with the ancient tradition of alchemy. We’ll deconstruct the metaphorical tower and examine Rapunzel's encounters with the witch and prince as expressions of...
05.17.2023
107 - Andrija Puharich Part III: Life Is Greasy Sometimes
Roadworn and weary, battered and bruised, this week we're finishing the series that actually might have been trying to kill us. It's Andrija Puharich part III, and it is completely insane. We find the good doctor Puharich after the publication...
05.10.2023
106 - Andrija Puharich Part II: Uri Geller!
In the continuing saga of trying to record this series, not only did we have to re-record this episode, but Sequoyah lost his voice. So enjoy laughing at that. This week we find Andrija Puharich in Israel to research the...
05.03.2023
105 - Dr. Andrija Puharich Part I: The Spookiest Bastard in America
Psychic powers, mind control, mushrooms, the richest old ladies there's ever been, chemical and psychological warfare, Uri Geller, psychic healing, UFOs, the Dutch, you name it, this story quite literally has it all. We're finally doing it and starting our...

What's The Nonsense Bazaar about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Nonsense Bazaar episodes:

146 - Parapsychology & The Rhine Research Center

145 - Ambien

144 - Terrence McKenna's Timewave Zero

143 - The Radioactive Boy Scout

142 - Creature Feature: Water Monsters

141 - Competitive Eating

140 - The Nag Hammadi Codices

[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre - Tulpas!

139 - Wait...I Thought You Died (Death Fraud)

The State of The Union 2024

138 - Revival Preachin' in America

137 - Oneirophrenia

136 - A Brief History of Staring at The Sun

135 - The Many Loves of Tiny Tim

134 - The Greenbrier Ghost

133 - Confessions of an American Game Show

132 - Journey to Grand Tartaria

131 - Chuck E. Cheese

130 - The 1561 UFO Battle Over Nuremberg

129 - Secular Humanism & The Center for Inquiry

128 - Bhagavad Gita

127 - Charles Fort

126 - Garbo

125 - The New England Vampire Panic

124: Project Blue Balls: An Unhinged Look at The World of Semen Retention

123 - Intro to Cybernetics

122 - The Taxil Hoax

121 - Trickster Stories: Coyote, Anansi, and Nanabozho

120 - Path of Sweetness: A Journal of Galactic Romance

119 - The KLF

118 - The Reign of Rudolph II

117 - Aum Shinrikyo Part III: The Wizard

116 - Aum Shinrikyo Part II: The Guru’s Love

115 - Aum Shinrikyo Part I: The G.O.A.T.

114 - The Arcturian Plan to Enter 5D

The Mojito Tapes Vol. II

[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre #7 - Encounters With The Easter Bunny and Richard Doty

[Patreon Unlock] The Corkboard Bizarre: The Stanzas of Dzyan

[Unlocked Bonus Episode] Orin & DaBen Awaken Your Light Body

The Mojito Tapes Vol 1 (life requires a hiatus, but we shall return)

113 - Cicada 3301

112 - The Bodysnatchers: A Very Real Alien Conspiracy

Summer Break: Reading Jack Parsons’ ”Freedom is a Two-Edged Sword”

111 - Escape From Prison Planet

110 - Jane Lead Part II: The Philadelphian Legacy

109 - Jane Lead, Prophetess of God Part I: The Mystic Awakens

108 - The Spiritual Alchemy of Rapunzel

107 - Andrija Puharich Part III: Life Is Greasy Sometimes

106 - Andrija Puharich Part II: Uri Geller!

105 - Dr. Andrija Puharich Part I: The Spookiest Bastard in America

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