The Talegate Podcast

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We've reached over 600 downloads, baby! This is a special tribute for all of our voice actors and Talegaters out there, compliments of DJ Florida Man. From the bottom of hearts, thank you.

Remix of "I always love you" (Prod. by Lukrembo)

This song takes clips from every Talegate interview up until this point. We hope you enjoy and expect more sweet tunes to come your way in the future!

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Florida Man and Cheesehead sit down with cryptid-enthusiast, urban explorer, and YouTuber, JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER. Jake discusses the sky anomalies he witnessed at during his nighttime exploration around AREA 51, his "Cryptid Hall of Fame" tattoo (which cryptid he might add next), and his prep work and inspirations behind his pro wrestling career with Supreme Wrestling .

The Carpetbagger is a youtube channel following Jacob as he travels all 48 contiguous Unites States to showcase every oddity and unique attraction dotting American roadsides. We encourage you to join Jacob on his adventures by clicking the link: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCarpetbagger

This episode was sponsored by CRYPTID CRATE, a monthly service delivering the latest and greatest cryprid-related merch! Get 15% off your first month's subscription by entering promo code: "TALEGATE"

https://boxmountainllc.com/pages/cryptid-crate

Background music is "Buscuit" prod. by lukrembo. Check out this track and more here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtZ2m2Zm3vY

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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Feeling homesick as we travel west through the Deep South, Cheesehead finds a little Northern comfort by interviewing Wisconsin’s own Hodag of Rhinelander! Risen from the ashes of abused oxen, this spirit of vengeance wreaked havoc on the early lumbermen of the American North, including none other than Paul Bunyan himself!

The Hodag is quirky and beloved cryptid to many. While most famous in Rhinelander, WI, the Hodag has had many high-profile cameos in media throughout the centuries. The Hodag was featured first as a shovel-nosed and hooved creature bulldozing trees across the northern states in search for it's primary food source, the porcupine, in the text, Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts, William T. Cox. From there, the name "Hodag" was reassigned to address a woolly green beast with a spiny back and tail, saber teeth, and large oxen horns said to be a spirit of vengeance manifested out of the ashes of abused beasts of burden.

Hodag got his first taste of the fame as an antagonist throughout some of the earliest Paul Bunyan stories. In the late 1800's, Eugene Shepard capitalized on the popularity of the Hodag by claiming to have killed the beast, with photo evidence, and even later exhibiting a what he claimed to be a living, breathing Hodag! Even the Smithsonian Institute was drawn in by such claims. Ever since, the Hodag has continued his success in pop culture by becoming the mascot of Rhinelander, WI, an canonized creature of JK Rowling's Wizarding World of Harry Potter by it's mention within Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and even had his own episode of Scooby Doo!

Bringing the Hodag to life in this episode is our first featured guest, JACOB THE CARPETBAGGER! The Carpetbagger is a youtube channel following Jacob as he travels all 48 contiguous Unites States to showcase every oddity and unique attraction dotting American roadsides. We encourage you to join Jacob on his adventures by clicking the link: 

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCarpetbagger

This episode was sponsored by CRYPTID CRATE! Get 15% off your first month's subscription  by entering promo code: "TALEGATE"

https://boxmountainllc.com/pages/cryptid-crate

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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St. Augustine is more than just the nation’s oldest colonized city. It is home to the fabled Fountain of Youth, a college with installations by Thomas Edison and Louis Tiffany, and more ghosts than seagulls at a beachfront picnic. Join us as we explore!

Everyone knows the history of the Fountain of Youth. How famed conquistador, Juan Ponce de Leon searched Florida high and low for the immortality-granting spring. But what if I told told you that NONE of this was true? That de Leon never in his entire career as a sailor and explorer even mentioned The Fountain of Youth, much less longed to find it? The root of this myth dates back to a feud between Ponce and the son of Christopher Columbus, which is touched on in this episode.

So, while St. Augustine may not be home to the real Fountain of Youth, it is the oldest colonized city in the United States and boasts perhaps the richest history to boot. Towering within this historical district is Flaglar College, formerly the Ponce de Leon Hotel. It was the Florida's first luxury resort hotel, build by Henry Morrison Flaglar. What makes this building so special is that Thomas Edison installed the electricity, which is still in use today, and Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany Glass Co. is credited for it's interior design. The Tiffany Glass windows are still very much in tact for visitors to admire. 

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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“Unto many, a sailor falls to the luring sound of the siren’s call.” Mermaids are one of the most enduring myths of all time. The Talegaters attempt to interview one… or will they, too, submit to the Siren’s Call?

Mermaids have been a part of myth and lore since some of the very earliest civilizations. Dating back to ancient Assyria, the goddess Atargatis, is the first recorded instance of a human body becoming part aquatic animal. Since then, countless civilizations have incorporated merfolk as part of their folklore and mythologies. While Sirens are often synonymous with mermaids, they were actually half-human, half-bird in the original Ancient Greek texts, though they, too, were known to lure sailors to their deaths as "sirens" and merfolk are thought to do today. 

It may be easy these days to dismiss the idea of these submariners, famous European explorers such as John Smith, Christopher Columbus, and Henry Hudson have all logged sightings of these creatures in the Americas with conviction. Be that as it may, it was common to mistake the tails of manatees, dugong, whale, and dolphin tails for that of mermaids, and so this complicates the sailors's authenticity. But we at The Talegate Podcast can tell for you in all earnest that mermaids are very real...

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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Indiana Jones, Polydactyl cats, Robert the Doll, and sweet sweet Key Lime Pie. If you thought the things you’ve heard about Florida were strange before, buckle up. Things about about to get all the more stranger still.

Beneath the peninsula state of Florida are the Florida Keys, a coral cay archipelago and popular tourist designation for beach lovers, foodies, bibliophiles, and horror fans alike.  While first charted by Ponce de Leon in 1513, the Florida Keys were home to the Tequesta and Calusa tribes long before--the latter of which is who mortally wounded Ponce, ironically enough (and can't say we blame them--good instincts, Calusa!). Key West, popularized today by Jimmy Buffet, was actually the largest town in Florida for a good stretch of time in it's earliest post-colonial history.

Known for it's delicious Key Lime Pies and margaritas served on breathtaking beach fronts, Key West's East Martello Museum houses a demonic item in the form of an adorable doll dressed as a junior sailor. His name is Robert the Doll, named by his owner: a young boy named Gene Robert. What Gene would soon find out is that Robert was anything but a child's play thing. In fact, Robert is often considered, even over Annabelle, as being the more haunted doll in existence. It comes to no surprise that this terrifying toy would later become the inspiration for Chucky, the possessed doll and main antagonist in the horror franchise, Child's Play. 

Also a popular place in the Keys is Hemmingway's house, which is the stomping grounds of some rather unusual felines. While we here at The Talegate Podcast are familiar with some unusual felines (see out Cat Síth and Halloween Episodes), these cats are polydactyl, meaning that they are born with an abnormally large amount of toes on each paw.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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Cassadaga, The Spiritualist Capital of the World, hosts a sinister secret: The Devil’s Chair. Said to speak to, nauseate, haunt, and even kill trespassers who sit upon his chair, the Devil of the Chair appears to enjoy tormenting his unwitting victims almost as much as he enjoys a good beer. Almost.

Established in 1894, Cassadaga is a spiritualst camp in Florida that has grown into what is now considered, "The Psychic Capital of the World." Cassadaga takes its name from the Seneca Indian word describing "water beneath the rocks." Today, believers and skeptics alike flock to this mecca for mediums to learn of the 9 guiding principles. This area is so grounded in pop culture that the likes of Tom Petty, Bright Eyes, and Gemma Hayes have all written songs naming it and alluding to it's psychic nature. Likewise, the camp has been featured or mentioned in numerous books, shows, and film. 

The Devil's Chair rests in the Lake Helen Cemetery within Cassadaga and is a popular site for Legend Tipping--the right of passage where people (usually teens) sneak into haunted or difficult locations for clout. It is believed that, by offering beer to the chair, the Devil will drink without puncturing the bottles or cans. Other stories suggest that sitting on the chair can cause harm, death, or relay messages to you from the Devil himself!

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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Happy Halloween! Join Cat Síth, Florida Man, and Cheesehead for a very special episode of The Talegate as they grab pints at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and discuss the true origin of Halloween: the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain. Think you know Halloween? I mean, you probably do, but get ready to know EVEN MORE!

Samhain is only one of four seasonal festivals held by the ancient Celts. Though this is considered the true predecessor to what we know today as Halloween, not all of our modern traditions are the same as theirs. Jack'o'lanterns weren't children's activities, but avatars for spiritual guardians to ward off evil faeries and spirits such as Cat Síth and were carved of root vegetables, not pumpkins. Similar but far more gruesome than the costumed Trick'r'Treat is the tradition of the White Mare, where Celtic crews would don a cloth and mask made of horse's skull and go from farm from farm demanding tribute.

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

Brooke Upholzer reprises her role as the ever-crass Cat Síth. You can listen to Brooke co-hosts the self-help podcast, Dear Me, Love Me, along with Tee Boyich.

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With a collective 20 years of employment at Walt Disney World under their belts, Florida Man and Cheesehead break down some of the most enduring urban legends surrounding the most visited theme park in the world. Opening in 1971, five years after Walt Disney's death, rumors immediately ran rampant that Walt’s body or head remained frozen somewhere deep within WDW.  Where and when did this rumor first arise? Was flying Tinkerbelle actually an Asian man? Do people die on Disney Property? These burning questions and more are answered here!

Check out more on these topics by listening to The Talegate Podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or any other fine podcast directories; and please rate, review, and subscribe. OR simply follow the link our user-friendly website at www.thetalegatepodcast.com! Also, def follow us on Instagram @thetalegatepodcast and write us with your own stories at [email protected].

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They say never let a Black Cat cross your path, but they didn’t say anything about interviewing one! Lay out your milk saucers and light the fires as this Gaelic fairy feline shares folklore from the Highlands. With All Hallow’s Eve creeping closer, Cat Síth gives us the history of her role in Samhain, the origin of Halloween.

Cat Síth (pronounces SH-EE in Gaelic), is a ferocious fairy feline with the powers ranging from cursing farmers's cows (or coos) with dry udders to swallowing and effectively damning human souls as they rise to heaven from their bodies. But is Cat Síth the only culprit behind the Celtic Myths? The Kellas Cat, a cross-breed between the housecat and Scottish Wildcat, is a true cryptid that once only believed to be a myth in the British Isles. The Kellas Cat was found to be a real in 1984.

Brooke Upholzer is our special guest. She is co-host of the self-help podcast, Dear Me, Love Me with Tee Boyich.

Follow us as we interview the beast in question by listening on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Deezer, iHeartRadio, and other fine podcast directories; and please subscribe, rate. and review! OR simply visit www.thetalegatepodcast.com. 

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