Curiosityness

50 episodes listed below

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Curious conversations from the side roads.

The gist

Curiosityness follows Travis DeRose into conversations with people who know one unusual subject deeply. Episodes move from Route 66 neon restorations to lucid dreaming, saunas, Star Wars effects, misinformation, forgotten restaurants, and motion-picture mysteries.

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About Curiosityness

Curiosityness is an interview show organized around whatever subject has caught Travis DeRose’s attention. The premise is simple, but the range is wide. Episodes move comfortably from the history of Horn & Hardart Automats to California Route 66 preservation, from lucid dreaming to sauna culture, from GWAR’s documentary story to the making of Star Wars visual effects. The conversations are described as spontaneous and unrehearsed, and they sound that way in the best sense. Questions are plainspoken. The pacing leaves room for guests to explain how their work actually happens. Scott Piotrowski talks through Route 66 associations, restoration projects, neon signs, grants, and scenic byway status. Paul Fisher connects the invention of motion pictures with creativity, legal claims, fame, Edison, and mystery. Stef explains lucid dreaming as a state of knowing a dream is happening, then controlling it. Jevin West brings skepticism down to charts, numbers, causation, and misleading information. Richard Edlund’s episode points toward visual effects, Star Wars, invention, music gear, and Navy experience. Scott Barber’s GWAR conversation looks past shock value toward a bigger story about the band and its documentary. Curiosityness works because it does not flatten these topics into quick trivia. It lets niche knowledge stay niche, then makes it easier to follow. The tone is friendly, occasionally rambling, and grounded in genuine fascination. It is a show for people who like the side road as much as the headline.

Made for: Curiosityness is for listeners who enjoy informal interviews with people who know strange, specific, useful, or overlooked subjects well. It suits fans of cultural history, creative process, science-adjacent topics, preservation stories, and practical skepticism.

What sets it apart: The show’s strength is its willingness to treat niche subjects as full stories, not novelty items. Its casual interview style gives guests space to connect personal experience, history, craft, and odd details without overproducing the conversation.

In their own words

A Podcast for Curious PeopleJoin host, Travis DeRose, as he interviews guests like the Inventor of the Waterbed, a Star Wars visual Effects artist, the Apollo 13 flight controller, & even a woman who taught her dog to talk, just to name a few.

Why you'd press play

Bigfoot evidence meets the missing-body question, and your inner skeptic gets a seat at the table.

Press play if you want

  • to hear a Bigfoot researcher say what would turn folklore into science
  • to question Edison's motion-picture legacy without turning him into a cartoon villain
Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
unusual cultural historyRoute 66 preservationlucid dreamingmedia skepticismfilm and visual effectssauna culturemusic documentariesforgotten American icons

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Episodes

  1. 1

    Reviving the Horn & Hardart Automat: The Return of a Forgotten Dining Icon

    Hidden gem

    Curiosityness interviews Dave about reviving Horn and Hardart, the Philadelphia restaurant chain that opened its first automat in 1902 and its first New York location in Times Square in 1912.

    Feb 13, 2025·43m·3 clips
  2. 2

    This Is GWAR | Scott Barber

    Scott Barber describes making a documentary about GWAR, a heavy-metal act whose fictional space-barbarian mythology includes creating humans and performing staged killings.

    Aug 16, 2022·1h 7m·4 clips
  3. 3

    The Unsolved Disappearance of the Man Who Invented Motion Pictures | Paul Fischer

    Hidden gem

    Paul Fischer explains why Louis Le Prince may have made the first surviving film six years before the Lumière brothers, then disappeared from a train in September 1890 before a planned New York screening.

    Mar 29, 2022·1h 5m·4 clips
  4. 4

    Quick Update on the Curiosityness Podcast

    Dec 29, 2021·3m
  5. 5

    Route 66: California | Scott Piotrowski

    Curiosityness host Travis DeRose interviews Scott Piotrowski, president of the California Historic Route 66 Association, about the road’s California attractions and preservation work.

    Oct 26, 2021·55m·3 clips
  6. 6

    Route 66: Oklahoma | Rhys Martin

    Oct 12, 2021·31m
  7. 7

    Route 66: Kansas | Renee Charles

    Sep 28, 2021·30m
  8. 8

    Route 66: History, Attractions, & Road Trip Essentials | Jim Hinckley

    Sep 14, 2021·1h 1m
  9. 9

    Regenerative Grazing: Farming Done Right! | Pete Huff

    Aug 31, 2021·1h 26m
  10. 10

    The World's First Talking Dog! | Christina Hunger

    Aug 10, 2021·43m
  11. 11

    The Truth (& Lies) About How Baseball Happened | Thomas Gilbert

    Jul 27, 2021·1h
  12. 12

    The Art of LEGO | Nathan Sawaya

    Jun 15, 2021·33m
  13. 13

    A History of Howard Johnson's | Anthony Sammarco

    Jun 1, 2021·1h 3m
  14. 14

    A History of the World in 6 Glasses | Tom Standage

    May 18, 2021·1h 11m
  15. 15

    This Fruit is Bananas! | Dan Koeppel

    Apr 20, 2021·1h 3m
  16. 16

    Are Algorithms Turning us all into Bigots? | Dr Robert Elliott Smith

    Mar 30, 2021·1h 2m
  17. 17

    Behind the Scenes of "The Magnificent Seven" | Brian Hannan

    Mar 16, 2021·1h
  18. 18

    How to Wake Up Your Dreams with Lucid Dreaming | Stef from HowToLucid.com

    An interview with a lucid dreaming expert explaining how to recognize and control dreams, including benefits and techniques.

    Feb 9, 2021·39m
  19. 19

    The Scrappy Origin Story of the Personal Computer | Sean Haas

    Jan 26, 2021·1h 41m
  20. 20

    Adventures in Astronomy | Emily Levesque

    Jan 12, 2021·1h 10m
  21. 21

    Becoming Santa: Inside the Harvard of Santa Schools | Tom and Holly Valent

    Dec 15, 2020·1h 3m
  22. 22

    An Astronaut — Yes, an Actual Astronaut! | Terry Virts

    Dec 8, 2020·1h 2m
  23. 23

    Uncovering the Real Pilgrim Story: 400 Years Later | John G. Turner

    Nov 17, 2020·1h 8m
  24. 24

    The Bizarre History of Soda | Tristan Donovan

    Oct 20, 2020·1h 12m
  25. 25

    Seaweed Farming: Healthy, Sustainable, & Freaking Awesome! | Bren Smith

    Oct 13, 2020·58m
  26. 26

    The Future of Democracy | David Stasavage

    Oct 6, 2020·38m
  27. 27

    The World of Plymouth Plantation | Carla Gardina Pestana

    Sep 29, 2020·1h 13m
  28. 28

    Sealand: The Swashbuckling Story of the World's Smallest Country | Dylan Taylor-Lehman

    Sep 22, 2020·1h 29m
  29. 29

    LiDAR for iPhones, Undiscovered Ancient Ruins, & Autonomous Cars | Todd Neff

    Sep 15, 2020·1h 15m
  30. 30

    Understanding Genetically Modified Food | Robert Saik, author of Food 5.0

    Sep 8, 2020·46m
  31. 31

    The Griffith Observatory | Deputy Director Mark Pine

    Sep 1, 2020·1h 38m
  32. 32

    How to Objectively Call Bullshit on Misinformation & Fake News | Jevin West

    Host Travis DeRose interviews Jevin West about his book 'Calling Bullshit' on how to detect deception in data-driven arguments.

    Aug 25, 2020·55m
  33. 33

    Delicious & Nutritious Unify for the Future of Food | David Julian McClements

    Aug 18, 2020·1h
  34. 34

    Auto Racing for the Average Joe | Chris Leone of iRacing

    Aug 11, 2020·1h 14m
  35. 35

    Converting Classic Cars to Electric Vehicles | Pete Williamsen of Electric GT

    Aug 4, 2020·41m
  36. 36

    A Modern-Day Lighthouse Keeper | Spence Wilson

    Jul 21, 2020·1h 8m
  37. 37

    Are Monkeys Entering the Stone Age? | Brendan Barrett & Claudio Monteza

    Jul 7, 2020·1h 17m
  38. 38

    Saunas: Everything You Need to Know | Eero Kilpi of the Sauna Society

    Host Travis DeRose interviews a Finnish sauna expert about the history, culture, and benefits of saunas.

    Jun 16, 2020·1h
  39. 39

    Star Wars Visual Effects | Richard Edlund

    Host Travis DeRose interviews visual effects legend Richard Edlund about his work on Star Wars and other projects.

    Jun 2, 2020·1h 3m
  40. 40

    What Happened to the 3D Printing Revolution we were Promised? | Jaime Bonnin Roca

    Host Travis DeRose interviews Jaime Bonin about why 3D printing hasn't become the household technology it was promised to be, exploring the gap between hype and reality.

    May 19, 2020·47m
  41. 41

    The Ambassador of Americana, The King of Kitsch | Charles Phoenix

    May 5, 2020·54m
  42. 42

    The Sole Surviving Defendant in the John DeLorean Drug Case | Stephen Arrington

    Apr 21, 2020·1h 45m
  43. 43

    The Great Wine Fraud | Peter Hellman, author of In Vino Duplicitas

    Apr 2, 2020·1h 19m
  44. 44

    Huell Howser is California's Gold | John Carlo Encarnacion, Huell Howser Archives Technician

    Mar 19, 2020·1h 46m
  45. 45

    DeLorean Motor Company: Still Going Strong! | James Espey, Vice President at DMC

    An interview with James Espey, VP of DeLorean Motor Company, covering the company's history and future plans including new car models.

    Mar 3, 2020·58m
  46. 46

    Stonehenge: It's Not Really a Mystery | Susan Greaney

    Feb 18, 2020·59m
  47. 47

    How Those Insane Christmas Light Displays are Made | Darren Vader of Extreme Lightscapes

    Dec 18, 2019·1h 4m
  48. 48

    Menu for Mars | Heidi Neilson & Douglas Paulson

    An interview with Heidi Nielsen and Doug Paulson about their project 'Menu for Mars', discussing what astronauts will eat on Mars.

    Dec 11, 2019·44m
  49. 49

    Bigfoot: Let's Find a Body | Daniel Perez of the Bigfoot Times

    Hidden gem

    Daniel Perez of The Bigfoot Times argues that Bigfoot is best understood as a small, nocturnal North American population, not a lone animal, and he gives a rough estimate of 5,000 to 10,000 across the United States and Canada.

    Nov 19, 2019·1h 5m·4 clips
  50. 50

    The Evolution of Las Vegas Architecture | Stefan Al

    Nov 6, 2019·1h 3m