Why? The Podcast

Synchronized swimming is hard work. Don't believe us? Listen to our conversation with US Olympic Synchronized Swimmer Anita Alvarez. We talk about the specifics about the sport, what drew her to the water and if the team might consider changing their performance music. For more information on the team, check out the Team USA website. And you can follow Anita on Twitter.

There's only one way a show with the title Naked & Afraid is going to be making it to TV- that's with extensive graphic work. Erin Gavin was part of what they called, "The Blur Man Group," the group of visual effect engineers who spent painstaking hours covering all the contestants bits and bobs. Needless to say, there are some stories. For more information on Erin's work, or to learn more about visual effects, check out his website.

You may know Patrick McEnroe from his time on the tennis court, but now he's also hosting a new podcast called Holding Court. His show features conversations with celebrities who are also tennis fans.

We are thrilled to announce that we're now sharing a network with Patrick. Why and Holding Court are both part of the Mudd House podcast network. You can find out more about Patrick's show and the network at their website.

To say Michael Miller likes the Indiana Jones movies is a bit of a understatement. He has what much be the greatest collection of material related to the films in his Wisconsin home. We talked with Mike about how he started his collection, where he got some of his prized pieces from and whether or not he opened the Indy LEGO set. (For a full look around his collection, check out our website.)

You may not know Aaron Reynolds, but you know his work. His Effin Birds twitter account has been a sensation, and just what many people need during these trying times. The concept is simple but brilliant- show pictures of birds with incredibly inappropriate captions. We talked with Aaron about his creation, how it got started and which bird is the easiest to write for. You can check out Effin Birds on Twitter or at their on-line store.

It's too difficult to explain all that Cherry Vanilla has done in a couple of sentences. She has led an amazing life and gotten to know many rock legends before becoming one herself. We got to talk with Cherry about her time working with David Bowie, her many friendships and whether music still retains that thrill for her that got her interested in the first place.

Stuntwoman Rachel Harrison has done things we certainly wouldn't want to try. From skydiving, to being set on fire to being buried alive in cement... she's survived it and even gotten paid for it. We talked with Rachel about her career, how she got into the industry and what all of this feels like.

As the pandemic continues, small business owners are looking for new and inventive ways to stay open and take care of their customers as well as their staff. Shon Boulden at the Lucky Devil Lounge in Portland, Oregon has hit upon an idea that is downright brilliant- and he calls it Boober.

If you can't go to the strip club, why not have the strip club come to you? We talked with Shon about his bright idea and how quickly it has caught on. For more information on the Luck Devil Lounge, check out their website.

John Reznikoff is one of the foremost autograph and ephemera dealers in the world. So when he decided he wanted to start collecting something, he wanted to pursue something that wouldn't be a conflict of interest. So he ended up collecting hair.

John owns the locks of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and Edgar Allan Poe, among others. We talked with John about his collection and how he authenticates something as personal as follicles. For more information on John's collection or to see what cool things he's auctioning off now, check out his company, University Archives.

Quidditch isn't just for wizards anymore. The sport has evolved from the pages of J.K. Rowling and is now being played world wide by people (some of whom haven't even read the books).

We talked with Mary Kimball from US Quidditch about the origin of the sport, how they've adapted the rules for muggles and where the sport can go from here. For more information and to find a team near you, check out the US Quidditch website.