SmartDrivel

Sick of quarantining and locking down, Jon and Kurt take the ultimate American road trip. Climb in, grab your sunglasses, favorite bag of chips, an old 8-track classic, and see the country with your Smart Drivel co-hosts and co-pilots.

Airing for only one season, in 1962, the Jetsons animated TV show attempted to predict what life would be like in the future. From video calling to doggie treadmills, Jon and Kurt take a look at what the writers of the Jetsons accurately foreshadowed, and what they missed on. Come...meet the Jetsons...and have a conversation about technology's positive and negative impact on society.

Ever wonder what it would be like to live as a dog? To sleep most of the day, get your tummy rubbed, and give away all your emotions with a simple wag of your tail? Jon and Kurt channel their inner canines and ponder life as a dog and all things doggy. It’s a howling good time.

There are a lot of wonderful, poignant sayings that have, rightfully, gained fame over the years and have passed into everyday lore. Then there are others – like “here’s mud in your eye” or “slept like a baby" – that are completely inane and nonsensical. Jon and Kurt seek to uncover a bunch of these everyday sayings and expose them for the impostors they are.

Some amazing products, once thought indispensable and invaluable to our lives, sadly get thrown to the brand rubbish heap by progress and the evolution of modern tastes. From toys to snacks to cars and technology, Jon and Kurt wonder at the brands and products that no longer exist.

In an effort to arm listeners with cool, interesting, and esoteric facts that will amaze friends at cocktail parties and co-workers at the virtual water cooler, Jon and Kurt share fun little tidbits. These are guaranteed to to make your family/friend/colleague/enemy say “No way that’s true!” Pull out a notepad and give this episode a listen, then go wow the world with your knowledge.

We, as humans, have some awfully strange customs and rituals. In America, we have a bunch that get foreigners to shake their heads in disbelief at best, and guffaw at us at worst. The idea of a doggie bag at a restaurant? Groundhog Day? Pardoning a turkey? Join Jon and Kurt as they take a deeper look at some of these “traditions” and try to deconstruct them.

You might think the common brew/brewski/suds/etc. is just a proletariat beverage more suited to frat brothers than aristocracy. But you would be wrong. Beer has been revered for over 10,000 years as both a nutritious drink and a social elixir. Jon and Kurt follow beer’s impact over the centuries from Ancient Egypt to Medieval Europe to the landing of the Mayflower. Grab a cold one, or two, and have a listen.

For their milestone 50th episode, Jon and Kurt decide to throw another dinner party for the ages. As before, the party is limited to ten guests chosen from anywhere and anytime in history. The nominated diners can be living, dead, famous, unknown, or figures from fiction...the only restriction is whether they will contribute to making it a truly memorable meal. Our co-hosts will make their cases for whom they would each like to attend, hoping to ensure a seat at the table for their chosen guests.