🧜‍♂️👻👹

Paul and Stephen hit Town Hall in Seattle for a wild audience Q&A. Paul’s crowned King of Neptune, a Brooklynite gets deep with hardcore Buddhist philosophy, and Bigfoot? He’s back—and Stephen’s sure he’s still out there, buried somewhere. Fans fire off questions about ghosts, cryptids, mermaids, and Guillermo del Toro… 

Later, Stephen drops a demon-hunting masterclass in Office Hours, featuring St. Anthony, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Heinrich Kramer, the Inquisitor.

Buckle up, Waggers—this one’s a ride!

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🧜‍♂️👻👹

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🧜🦕🦇

Live from Town Hall Seattle, Paul and Stephen venture into the Pacific Northwest’s strangest and creepiest cryptids. What’s the deal with Batsquatch, the massive winged terror spotted near Mount Rainier? Or the Gumbaroo, a rubbery bear-like creature rumored to explode during forest fires? They also unearth the legend of the dog-headed saint—how does it stack up on the ultimate creepiness test? And let’s not forget "Caddy," the mysterious sea serpent lurking in Puget Sound. Packed with weird tales, sharp insights, and a dash of humor, this episode is a thrilling exploration of the eerie unknown.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🧜🦕🦇

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🎆🎆🎆

To ring in the New Year, we’re celebrating with a special encore featuring Natasha Lyonne, where the conversation takes a wonderfully strange and quantum-tinged turn. Paul and Stephen read a letter from a very interesting Wagger before they follow Natasha around her home, feed Rootbeer the dog, and uncover her unusual bedtime habit: falling asleep to quantum physics audiobooks. Hear why discipline and restraint and the structure of mathematics is grounding and leads to talk of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and Peter Sellers.

Paul quotes French writer Gustave Flaubert and kills the vibe, and this is before he reveals his desire to try cat food. Natasha’s man of choice is a doomsday prepper and there’s a crisis in American masculinity (ask yourself men, can you fix a toilet?) Next they go deep into body horror films, and Natasha goes down a Google search rabbit hole about the movie Slither (not a Cronenberg picture). Existentialism is definitively defined (thanks Stephen!), Russian Doll is unpacked, along with Kierkegard, Ted Chiang, and Albert Camus. That’s a LOT - thanks Natasha! And have a happy New Year!

Natasha Lyonne, an actress, writer, and producer, is best known for her roles in Poker Face, Orange Is the New Black and the acclaimed Russian Doll, which she co-created and stars in.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🎆🎆🎆

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🥳🎁🎄

This holiday season, we’re looking back at one of our favorite guests of 2024, with an encore incomparable Paul Rudd recorded live from Brooklyn! Two Pauls and one Stephen dive into fears, phobias, and weird childhood memories, exploring everything from stage fright to public speaking. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Chinwag without creepy puppets, recurring nightmares, and tales of real-life bears on a movie set. Ring in the joy, laughs, and a touch of weirdness—perfect for the holiday season!

Paul Rudd is an American actor known for films like Clueless, Anchorman, and his role as Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🥳🎁🎄

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🐰👣😱

Paul and Stephen welcome back Ian Simmons from the Fortean Times for another dive into the eccentric, the uncanny, and the downright bizarre. In this episode, the trio explores everything from conspiracy theories’ transformation from quirky fun to dangerous obsession, to the KLF’s wild antics, including burning a million pounds and wielding fake machine guns.

They also venture into giant rabbit sightings, Taylor Swift’s rumored occult connections, and the enduring weirdness of Aleister Crowley’s alleged descendants. They dive deep into the mysteries behind Havana Syndrome and explore the strange intersections of social panics, urban legends, and technological anomalies. From phantom jetpack sightings and the eerie behavior of drones near military sites, they weave through bizarre contemporary events with the precision of conspiracy theorists—minus the paranoia.

It’s a freewheeling Chinwag filled with folklore, conspiracies, and questions best left unanswered. Wag on, weirdos!

Ian Simmons is the News Editor of Fortean Times, the world's leading magazine for weird news. He has written for Fortean for over 30 years.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🐰👣😱

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🤖🎞️🧬

Transcend into Office Hours with Professor Asma as he breaks down the consciousness of artificial intelligence through the lens of iconic films. He examines how movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Ex Machina, and After Yang tackle the question of whether AI can truly possess consciousness—or even the will to exist—delving into emotions, desires, and memory.

Do you need language to be conscious? Could we one day upload our consciousness to the internet? These questions and more are explored in this thought-provoking dive into the intersection of cinema, philosophy, and the science of artificial intelligence.

Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

🤖🎞️🧬

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📺🤖🧐

We’re dipping into the Wagbag as Paul and Stephen kick off a fascinating journey into the Twilight Zone, sparked by a letter from Christopher! Join the lads as they share their favorite episodes like “Time Enough at Last,” “To Serve Man,” and “The Eye of the Beholder,” and celebrate the genius of Rod Serling. The conversation broadens to explore early Hollywood television, highlighting Serling's cultural impact through works like Requiem for a Heavyweight and Planet of the Apes. This is classic Chinwag: part Hollywood history, part existential rabbit hole, all fascinating.

Plus, Paul reminisces about his early days in soap operas: why are they called that, anyway? And what made Dark Shadows such a cult gem? With a dash of TV oddities—from Ed Wood to the rise of reality shows—this segment is a smorgasbord of nostalgia, oddball trivia, and quirky asides.

Then, we’re stepping into Office Hours with the professor, where he unpacks the daunting question: are we living in a simulation? Can AI, alien civilizations, or an evil genius be behind the game we call life? And even if we are in a simulation, does that strip away meaning—or open new ways to find it? Tune in for an eye-opening journey through philosophy, science fiction, and the unexpected twists of reality.

Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

📺🤖🧐

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🦃🎞️⏳

As we approach Thanksgiving, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations with the legendary Tom Hanks. Paul, Stephen, and Tom discuss the speed of information, ChatGPT, cognitive dissonance in AI, and even question the use of Waze to beat traffic. How have our memories changed since the advent of cell phones? Are acting skills useful when it comes to writing a book?

Plus, Tom still recalls his Bosom Buddies co-star Peter Scolari’s lines from 1980 and shares a baseball/acting analogy that puts it all in perspective. Why are time travel fantasies the perfect escape, and where does Tom dream of going? What’s the logic of time travel, and what would be better: going back to the past or moving forward into the future?

Tom shares cautionary food for thought from Thornton Wilder and Charlton Heston, along with lessons gleaned from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes. Also, what are the rules of infidelity in time travel, and has there ever been a true golden age? Tom explains what it means to be a “presentist,” why he’s a bit of a skeptic, and joins the guys in exploring whether or not human nature has really changed over time.

Paul Giamatti is an award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.

Tom Hanks is a 2-time Academy Award winning actor, writer and author. His novel The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece is a New York Times Best Seller. His charitable coffee line, Hanx: For Our Troops, can be found at givehanx.com or on instagram @givehanx. All profits go to those who serve, and their families.

🦃🎞️⏳

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🤖🔭😱

Join Paul and Stephen for a double feature that kicks off with a captivating letter from Bree, who’s asking a question that takes us back in time: What happened to the Neanderthals? Were they victims of cannibalism, or was it something else entirely? 

Then, as a bonus, they continue their mind-expanding conversation with Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb! Together, they dig into how artificial intelligence is reshaping our approach to the universe and the mysteries of the cosmos. Dr. Loeb explains how AI and machine learning are transforming astronomical research and even hints at the ethical and philosophical challenges AI might soon bring to light. From ancient mysteries to futuristic marvels, this episode is a journey through time, space, and thought that you won’t want to miss!

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Avi Loeb is a renowned astrophysicist and author of the groundbreaking books Extraterrestrial and Interstellar, exploring the scientific search for alien life. He is a Professor of Science at Harvard University, founding director of The Black Hole Initiative and has published over 700 research articles.

🤖🔭😱

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🌌☄️☠️

In this third and final installment, Paul reads aloud the eerie saga of The Colour Out of Space, one of his favorite stories from the master of cosmic horror, H.P. Lovecraft. 

So far in our reading, we felt the creeping dread as the Gardner farm transformed under the influence of a sinister meteorite. Strange colors, twisted vegetation, and a growing sense of madness gripped Nahum Gardner and his family. But the worst is yet to come. In Part Three, the horrors deepen. A member of the Gardner family vanishes without a trace, and what Ammi Pierce discovers will leave you questioning reality itself. 

What unspeakable secrets lie in the well? What force drives the cursed light spreading through the trees? As Ammi Pierce faces the final horrors of the Blasted Heath, prepare for a chilling conclusion that will haunt you long after the episode ends. What is lurking in that ancient well... and will anyone escape its grasp? Tune in for the epic finale of The Color Out of Space. You won't want to miss it.

Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 

🌌☄️☠️

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