
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
Talks about
Podcasts like Curiosityness
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Episodes
- 1
Reviving the Horn & Hardart Automat: The Return of a Forgotten Dining Icon
Hidden gemCuriosityness 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
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
The Unsolved Disappearance of the Man Who Invented Motion Pictures | Paul Fischer
Hidden gemPaul 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
Quick Update on the Curiosityness Podcast
Dec 29, 2021·3m - 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
Route 66: Oklahoma | Rhys Martin
Oct 12, 2021·31m - 7
Route 66: Kansas | Renee Charles
Sep 28, 2021·30m - 8
Route 66: History, Attractions, & Road Trip Essentials | Jim Hinckley
Sep 14, 2021·1h 1m - 9
Regenerative Grazing: Farming Done Right! | Pete Huff
Aug 31, 2021·1h 26m - 10
The World's First Talking Dog! | Christina Hunger
Aug 10, 2021·43m - 11
The Truth (& Lies) About How Baseball Happened | Thomas Gilbert
Jul 27, 2021·1h - 12
The Art of LEGO | Nathan Sawaya
Jun 15, 2021·33m - 13
A History of Howard Johnson's | Anthony Sammarco
Jun 1, 2021·1h 3m - 14
A History of the World in 6 Glasses | Tom Standage
May 18, 2021·1h 11m - 15
This Fruit is Bananas! | Dan Koeppel
Apr 20, 2021·1h 3m - 16
Are Algorithms Turning us all into Bigots? | Dr Robert Elliott Smith
Mar 30, 2021·1h 2m - 17
Behind the Scenes of "The Magnificent Seven" | Brian Hannan
Mar 16, 2021·1h - 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
The Scrappy Origin Story of the Personal Computer | Sean Haas
Jan 26, 2021·1h 41m - 20
Adventures in Astronomy | Emily Levesque
Jan 12, 2021·1h 10m - 21
Becoming Santa: Inside the Harvard of Santa Schools | Tom and Holly Valent
Dec 15, 2020·1h 3m - 22
An Astronaut — Yes, an Actual Astronaut! | Terry Virts
Dec 8, 2020·1h 2m - 23
Uncovering the Real Pilgrim Story: 400 Years Later | John G. Turner
Nov 17, 2020·1h 8m - 24
The Bizarre History of Soda | Tristan Donovan
Oct 20, 2020·1h 12m - 25
Seaweed Farming: Healthy, Sustainable, & Freaking Awesome! | Bren Smith
Oct 13, 2020·58m - 26
The Future of Democracy | David Stasavage
Oct 6, 2020·38m - 27
The World of Plymouth Plantation | Carla Gardina Pestana
Sep 29, 2020·1h 13m - 28
Sealand: The Swashbuckling Story of the World's Smallest Country | Dylan Taylor-Lehman
Sep 22, 2020·1h 29m - 29
LiDAR for iPhones, Undiscovered Ancient Ruins, & Autonomous Cars | Todd Neff
Sep 15, 2020·1h 15m - 30
Understanding Genetically Modified Food | Robert Saik, author of Food 5.0
Sep 8, 2020·46m - 31
The Griffith Observatory | Deputy Director Mark Pine
Sep 1, 2020·1h 38m - 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
Delicious & Nutritious Unify for the Future of Food | David Julian McClements
Aug 18, 2020·1h - 34
Auto Racing for the Average Joe | Chris Leone of iRacing
Aug 11, 2020·1h 14m - 35
Converting Classic Cars to Electric Vehicles | Pete Williamsen of Electric GT
Aug 4, 2020·41m - 36
A Modern-Day Lighthouse Keeper | Spence Wilson
Jul 21, 2020·1h 8m - 37
Are Monkeys Entering the Stone Age? | Brendan Barrett & Claudio Monteza
Jul 7, 2020·1h 17m - 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
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
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
The Ambassador of Americana, The King of Kitsch | Charles Phoenix
May 5, 2020·54m - 42
The Sole Surviving Defendant in the John DeLorean Drug Case | Stephen Arrington
Apr 21, 2020·1h 45m - 43
The Great Wine Fraud | Peter Hellman, author of In Vino Duplicitas
Apr 2, 2020·1h 19m - 44
Huell Howser is California's Gold | John Carlo Encarnacion, Huell Howser Archives Technician
Mar 19, 2020·1h 46m - 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
Stonehenge: It's Not Really a Mystery | Susan Greaney
Feb 18, 2020·59m - 47
How Those Insane Christmas Light Displays are Made | Darren Vader of Extreme Lightscapes
Dec 18, 2019·1h 4m - 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
Bigfoot: Let's Find a Body | Daniel Perez of the Bigfoot Times
Hidden gemDaniel 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
The Evolution of Las Vegas Architecture | Stefan Al
Nov 6, 2019·1h 3m