Go Fact Yourself

We go all-out on our Halloween special! First, Paula shares her own scaaaary Halloween experiences (getting ripped off by her siblings), and then we explore our listeners' traditions.We summon pumpkin patch proprietor Lilly Cabrera to talk about the cutthroat jack-o-lantern business. And then Paula and Adam tell you whether you should see the new "Halloween" movie based on their red-hot take on the terrifying 1978 John Carpenter classic.

House band
Kevin Kelso, pipe organ

Guests:

Lilly Cabrera
Co-Owner of the Whittier Pumpkin Patch
FB: @whittierpumpkins
IG: @misslatinalilly
Website: WhittierChristmasTree.com

Kevin Kelso
Pipe organ, assorted terrifying sounds
Twitter: @kevtunes
IG: @kevtunes11

Improve your manners... and your bite. Etiquette expert Elaine Swann gives us tips on tipping and other confusing human behaviors. Dr. Clarice Law prepares us for Cavity Season (AKA “Halloween”). Also, we welcome our first Skype guest: from Hungary, no less, where Paula and Adam, while not a household name, have at least become a classroom name.

Guests
Elaine Swann
Lifestyle & Etiquette Expert
Founder of Swann School of Protocol
Website: ElaineSwann.com
Facebook: @elaineswannofficial
Instagram: @elaineswann
Twitter: @elaineswann

Dr. Clarice Law
Pediatric Dentist and Orthodontist
Clinical Professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry
Website: Clarice Law

Sarah Gibson
Toy Piano
Website: sarahgibson-music.com
SoundCloud: @sarahegibson
Twitter: @SarahGibsonComp

It's the first episode of Go Fact Yourself recorded in New York!

Fashion stylist Stacy London is a New York Times Bestselling author. And for ten seasons, she was best known as the host of What Not to Wear on TLC. And while she still prides herself on being a fashionista, she insists her advice for others… but Helen still remembers when that wasn’t the case.

Scott Rogowsky can be seen on the popular app-based trivia gameshow HQ. He’s also known for the theater talk show Running Late with Scott Rogowsky. It’s all helped him reach a level of fame that allowed him to fulfill a lifelong dream: play in the Celebrity softball game where he got to pitch against Shaquille O’Neil.

In this episode, we’ll learn about the subtleties of cocktail ingredients, learn about how to have a proper “mid-life renaissance” and why sweet desserts are superior to savory ones.

What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between “Manhattan” and an “Old-fashioned” cocktail?

What’s the difference between “Manhattan” and “New England” clam chowder?

Areas of Expertise

Stacy London: The best desserts in New York City, the film Tootsie and French existentialism.

Scott Rogowsky: The show Seinfeld, Woody Allen movies and minor league baseball teams.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Stacy London Scott Rogowsky

With guest experts:

Christa LiTrenta, director of culinary training for Magnolia Bakery.

Dick Cavett, actor and broadcasting legend.

Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun. The show is recorded at Caveat in New York City.

Theme Song by Jonathan Green Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher The show is edited by Julian Burrell.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

The living and the dead can agree on one thing: Real estate is important. First, Dr. David Sloane, author of “Is the Cemetery Dead,” walks us through the latest trends in, um, after-aftercare. Then it’s time for Career Corner, in which luxury realtor Taylor Hasselhoff helps Paula decide whether she’s got a future as a real estate agent. Also, Paula and Adam pop a couple of pills to test allergy medicine Allegra’s claim that it can help us “get back to the moment.” And the search continues for our show’s favorite no-show, survivalist Thomas Coyne.

House band:
Chuck McLane
Banjo

Guests

Dr. David Sloane
Author, “Is the Cemetery Dead?”
Professor in Urban Planning and Urban History at USC
Website: DavidCSloane.com
Twitter: @dcsloane53
Instagram:@dcsloane53
Facebook:@dsloane53

Taylor Hasselhoff
Luxury Real Estate Agent at Aaron Kirman Partners
Website: RealTay.com
Twitter: @tayhoff
Instagram: @tay
Facebook: @RealtayRealEstate

Chuck McLane
Banjo
Website: ChuckMcLane.com
Instagram: @chuckmclane

Paula and Adam take a week off - but not before preparing this Very Special Episode! First - your questions, asked and answered. We read some of the many dilemmas that have been on our listeners’ minds, and Paula does her level best to help out. Then, we reach back into the archives - way, way back to the spring of 2018 - to offer a never-before-heard prequel movie review! The long-awaited sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pacfic RIm” was coming out, and we review the original to let you know whether the new one might be worth your time. SPOILER ALERT: Paula and Adam do not totally agree on the dramatic potential of monsters vs. giant robots.

House Band:

Jorge Reyes
Saxophone
FB: Aileen Quinn and the Leapin' Lizards
IG: @aileenquinnandtheleapinlizards
Website: AileenQuinnandtheLeapinLizards.com

Maria Bamford is a comedian, and star of the Netflix series Lady Dynamite. She’s normally not one for small talk, but this podcast has just the right amount of organized conversation to make her feel comfortable.

Grant Imahara is a former member of the B-Team on Mythbusters, and can currently be seen on Netflix’s White Rabbit Project. He’s a HUGE robotics fan. Why? Two words: Star Wars.

In this episode, we’ll get an answer to what happens when a bull is actually let loose in a china shop and learn about the robots Grant has created--including a BB-8 that he has at his shop.

What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between “magma” and a “lava”?

What’s the difference between “baking” and “roasting?”

Areas of Expertise

Maria Bamford: 12 step programs, self-help and pug aging.

Grant Imahara: Star Trek, X-Men comics and “La Di Da Di” by Doug E. Fresh.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Grant Imahara Maria Bamford

With guest experts:

Dr. Christine Dresser, pug breeder and health liason for the Pug Dog Club of America.

Gabriel Koerner, digital effects artist who appeared in the documentaries Trekkies and Trekkies 2.

Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun. The show is recorded at the Angel City Brewery in downtown Los Angeles.

Theme Song by Jonathan Green David McKeever is the Live Sound Engineer. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher The show is edited by Julian Burrell.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

Ever wonder why the simple act of singing with someone feels good? Well, Science knows, and Science explains - in the form of our guest, USC research psychologist Assal Habibi. Then we hit the road with driving instructor Josh Mendoza to find out if anyone will ever fully unravel the mystery of the four-way stop (SPOILER ALERT: No.). Also, Paula’s “balloon animals” and more theme songs - including one that touts Paula’s genius and talent, and Adam’s... attendance.

House band
Amber Wyman, bassoon

Guests

Dr. Assal Habibi
Assistant Professor (Research) of Psychology, USC
Twitter: @AssalHabibi
FB: @AssalHabibi
Website: Assal Habibi

Josh Mendoza
Instructor, Melrose Driving School
Twitter: @drivingschoolla
IG: @melrosedrivingschool

FB: @MelroseDrivingSchoolLosAngeles
Website: MelroseDrivingSchool.com

Amber Wyman
Bassoon
IG: @ajoy2urworld
FB: @Amber Joy Wyman

We explore chips: casino AND nacho cheese. First, one of the leaders of the notorious MIT card counting team, Mike Aponte handicaps Paula’s future as a high stakes gambler. And Certified Nutrition Specialist Alyson Roux helps us figure out how Paula’s diet of Doritos and Double Stuf Oreos is keeping her alive. Also, we feature new theme songs, and explore how we’re the toast of Hungary!

House band
Diana Morgan
Flute

Guests:

Mike Aponte
First Winner of the World Series of BlackJack
Leader of the MIT Card Counting Team
Card Counting Coach
Website: MikeAponte.com

Alyson Roux
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Website: AlysonRoux.com
Twitter: @alyroux
Facebook: @alysonrouxnutrition
Instagram: @alyroux

Diana Morgan
Flute
Website: DianaMorgan.net

Matt Besser is a comedian, actor, writer, director and founding member of The Upright Citizens Brigade. He also hosts the weekly podcast improv4humans. He tells J. Keith about the two word prompts he’s banned at shows (hint: one’s a type of fruit and the other is a type of animal), and how it came about that he’s featured on his very own Topps baseball card.

Lyric Lewis is an actress and Groundlings Theater performer who’s perhaps best known for her role as Stef on NBC’s A.P. Bio. You may also recognize Lyric from Comedy Central’s Drunk History, and she tells us about an upcoming episode she did about “Cleopatra’s punk ass little sister”.

In this episode, we’ll learn about how Matt adapted the visual format of improv to an audio-only medium, how Lyric used astrology to sort out potential dating prospects, and why Matt claims his memory is spotty, even though Lyric has a hard time believing him.

What’s the difference?

What’s the difference between “damping” and a “dampening”?

What’s the difference between “club soda” and “seltzer?”

Areas of Expertise

Matt Besser: Arkansas cults, Arkansas Razorback football post-1978 and the film Repo Man

Lyric Lewis: The film Jurassic Park, Greek mythology and astrology.

Appearing in this episode:

J. Keith van Straaten Helen Hong Matt Besser Lyric Lewis

With guest experts:

Debby Schriver, an author whose book Whispering in the Daylight: The Children of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and their Journey to Freedom is about to become a documentary.

Jody Duncan, the author of numerous books about the making of movies.

Go Fact Yourself was devised by Jim Newman and J. Keith van Straaten, and produced in collaboration with Maximum Fun. The show is recorded at the Angel City Brewery in downtown Los Angeles.

Theme Song by Jonathan Green David McKeever is the Live Sound Engineer. Maximum Fun's Senior Producer is Laura Swisher The show is edited by Julian Burrell.

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joingofact

We get a return visit from Dr. Jonathan Bowman, who instructs us how to tell if someone is lying to us. But we’re not sure we can trust him. Then, Paual reveals her deep fear of being the first person on the scene of an accident, and Giovanni Garbutt of @American First Responder explains how to respond first. Speaking of lying (possibly) or dying (allegedly) - we get an update on the status of our missing survivalist Thomas Coyne.

House band
Abby Savell, steel drum

Guests

Dr. Jonathan Bowman
Professor, Communication Studies, University of San Diego
Website: Dr. Jonathan Bowman

Giovanni Garbutt
President, American First Responder
Twitter: @afrtraining
Facebook: @Americanfirstresponder
Website: @AmericanFirstResponder.com

Abby Savell
Twitter: @nesta_steelband
Facebook: @NestaSteelDrumBand
Instagram: @nesta_steel_drum_band
Website: NestaSteelBand.com