Best Stephen Fishbach Podcasts (2025)

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26: Sensurround (ft. Tony from Hack The Movies) 30:54

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6d ago30:54

30:54

Movie theaters were already going for full immersion in the 1970's with Sensurround. David breaks down this little known movie technology, which delivered an earth-shaking intensity to movies (literally). Tony Piluso from the Hack the Movies YouTube channel joins us for a dive into obsolete film tech. He also shares film lore about work prints and …

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25: Infinity (ft. The Infinite Escape Room) 26:58

21d ago26:58

26:58

The only thing better than an escape room is having infinite escape rooms! The Infinite Escape Room is a comedy podcast where a bunch of friends write escape rooms for each other to play while chatting over a cold one. Infinite Escape Room co-host Jamie Gibbs joins us as as we all collectively get our minds blown by the inconceivable concept of inf…

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Lincoln Michel on 'Metallic Realms' 24:52

29d ago24:52

24:52

Lincoln Michel joins me to discuss his second novel Metallic Realms. Perennially single, socially awkward, and drowning in debt, Michael Lincoln finds his life has turned out nothing like the intergalactic lives of the pulp heroes of his youth. But these are pedestrian concerns—he has a higher calling, and that is to preserve for all posterity the …

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24: Maroonings (ft. Stephen Fishbach) 28:44

1M ago28:44

28:44

The reality show Survivor loves to open with a splash—literally. The most famous opening episodes start by having contestants jumping off a ship while trying to grab anything useful they'll need to survive the next month stranded in a deserted locale. Survivor calls this a "marooning," but in today's episode of PG's Playhouse, David tells us about …

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23: Survivor (ft. Stephen Fishbach) 27:25

2M ago27:25

27:25

You're starving, sweaty, exhausted, and your best friend on the island just stabbed you in the back. Ahead, a giant obstacle course awaits, with a complex puzzle afterwards. And you've got to juggle all this while outmaneuvering a bunch of other contestants all hungry for the win. With over 49 seasons, Survivor is one of reality television's longes…

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22: The Great Molasses Flood (ft. Emily Jillette) 33:54

2M ago33:54

33:54

Have you ever cooked with molasses? It's so gooey and sticky that it can literally pull the fillings out of your teeth if you're not careful. Now imagine a 15-foot wave of molasses coming towards you at a glacial but inevitable pace. Today, we're diving into one of the stickiest disasters in American history, The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 in Bos…

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21: Uranium Glass (ft. Emily Jillette) 25:39

3M ago25:39

25:39

Long before uranium became synonymous with weapons of mass destruction, it was mostly serving as a decorative function. Glassblowers and glass factories would add a tiny bit of uranium to their glass, which gave it that distinctive yellowish green color. It also created a fluorescent effect under blacklight. David explores the history and back grou…

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20: Frank Lloyd Wright's Nuclear Powered Elevator (ft. Sandy Weisz) 27:05

3M ago27:05

27:05

" It might be an affront to the laws of physics." In this episode of PG's Playhouse, we're going vertical! Today's topic is Frank Lloyd Wright's Nuclear Powered Elevator. Why would you need nuclear power for an elevator? Well, because it was designed to service a skyscraper stretching a mile upwards. David breaks down this totally bonkers skyscrape…

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19: Recycling Correctly (ft. Sandy Weisz) 30:52

4M ago30:52

30:52

"Recycling or Wish Cycling?" The next time you go to toss that plastic container in the recycling bin, you might actually be doing more harm than good. In this episode, David gives us some cold hard facts about recycling correctly. As it turns out, the majority of objects we're chucking in the recycling bin require more consideration than you'd thi…

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18: Defenestration (ft. Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum) 35:24

4M ago35:24

35:24

"A very popular way to assassinate your rivals." What's a peasant to do when you're in the midst of an uprising and faced with armored knights and lords? Throw them out the windows! Apparently, this was such a popular way to assassinate your rivals that a term was coined to describe such an act: defenestration. David gives us a short lesson on the …

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17: Hive The Race To Save Time Puzzle Hunt (ft. John Bromels) 36:47

4M ago36:47

36:47

In this sponsored episode, we're joined by puzzle writer John Bromels, who created the Hive: The Race to Save Time puzzle hunt, inspired by the new sci-fi novel Hive, book 1 of the Madders of Time series by best-selling author DL Orton. Check out the details below for dates and how to play. John shares all the details of how he crafted this puzzle …

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16: Assassination by Umbrella (ft. Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum) 26:48

5M ago26:48

26:48

" Is there a whole lot of murdering going on?" This week, we're talking Assassination by Umbrella, a slightly morbid topic inspired by our guests, Marcus Richardson and Nathan Hicken, co-hosts of the Aurelius Whitlock's Murder Museum podcast. Researching the game takes a dark and surprising turn when Peih-Gee, acting upon David's suggestion, finds …

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15: Everything Bagels (ft. Brent Pope) 26:46

5M ago26:46

26:46

" The missing ingredient here is love." This episode we're talking everything bagels! These chewy, crunchy, carbalicious treats are one of my favorite foods. Brent Pope, host of the popular Brentfast podcast, joins us again to dive into the culinary delight that is the bagel. David gives us a short history of the bagel, including its origins and wh…

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14: April Fools (ft. Brent Pope) 29:02

6M ago29:02

29:02

" It's important for us to all know and celebrate Sir James Arthur Fool, who created the holiday in 1872." Joke’s on you, April Fools’ Day... I can be fooled any day of the year. Actor, comedian, and podcaster Brent Pope joins us to explore the mysterious origins of April Fool's Day. We talk about some favorite pranks, and David almost pulls a fast…

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13: Neotropolis (ft. Jared Butler) 26:46

6M ago26:46

26:46

Every year, thousands of people (including me) gather in the Mojave Desert to live out their wildest cyberpunk fantasies. Jared Butler, owner and creator of the immersive festivals Wasteland Weekend and Neotropolis joins us this week to chat about Neotropolis, including the ever-evolving larp and missions aspect. We also talk about the variety of e…

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12: Cyberpunk (ft. Jared Butler) 27:18

7M ago27:18

27:18

"Technology will not save us." In the shadow of neon-lit streets, kids are jacked in and tuned out. This is the world of cyberpunk, a genre with a view on what the future can look like when technology goes awry. Jared Butler joins us to explore “cyberpunk” as a genre and what it means. Jared Butler is a voice actor who has also created two incredib…

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11: Salad Towers of Pizza Hut China (ft. Lisa Spira) 28:08

7M ago28:08

28:08

" If we're only going to get one trip to the salad bar, we're really going to make that one trip count." Only one trip to the salad bar? Lettuce really make it count. David's wife Lisa Spira, co-founder of Room Escape Artist, joins us again for a trip to the salad bars of Pizza Hut China. Pizza Hut has developed many innovative market strategies, i…

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10: Gladiatrix (ft. Lisa Spira) 23:55

7M ago23:55

23:55

“High Risk, High Reward.” Fighting for fame, fortune, and glory? As it turns out, women also fought as gladiators. Just as with sports today, women in the ancient Roman empire had to battle stereotypes, societal norms, and adverse conditions to win a bit of freedom for themselves. Lisa Spira, David’s wife and co-founder of Roomescapeartist.com join…

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9: Disney's The Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter (ft. Theresa Piazza) 28:00

7M ago28:00

28:00

What's a day of family fun at Walt Disney World without churros, Cinderella's Magic Castle, and a show so terrifying they had to strap down the hapless guests to keep them from fleeing? In today's episode, we talk about the short-lived, bone-chilling attraction, The Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter. This attraction only existed for eight short ye…

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8: Why Do We Sleep? (ft. Theresa Piazza) 24:17

8M ago24:17

24:17

Theresa doesn’t sleep on the weekends, she says sleep is for the week. What is sleep, and why do we need it? Our podcast producer Theresa Piazza joins us to explore this bizarre activity that we spend almost half our lives doing. We talk about what happens when you don't get enough sleep, and share some tips and tricks for how to fall asleep when t…

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7: The Bat Bomb (ft. Dani Siller & Bill Sunderland) 21:10

8M ago21:10

21:10

The story of the bat bomb begins as so many horrible things do: with a dental surgeon in Pennsylvania who had some connection to Eleanor Roosevelt. In this episode, David tells the story of a completely insane weapon that was built and tested during the World War 2 era, but was ultimately never used. Bill Sunderland and Dani Siller of Escape This P…

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6: The Rise of the Golden Idol (ft. Dani Siller & Bill Sunderland) 25:19

8M ago25:19

25:19

Blank? Blankety blank! No, we're not censored. Rather, we're filling in the blanks to solve the mystery sleuthing game The Rise of the Golden Idol. This game plays a little bit like a graphic novel, where you're given images of fictional crime scenes and you need to figure out the order of events. What sets this game apart is the unique mechanics a…

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5: Escape This Podcast (ft. Dani Siller & Bill Sunderland) 23:55

8M ago23:55

23:55

"Death Chalk... is it death chalk?" Escape This Podcast? But we're just getting started! Of course we couldn't have a game show style podcast without having our good friends from Escape This Podcast on to share the fun. Bill Sunderland and Dani Siller, hosts of the popular audio escape room style podcast, join us this week to run a mini-puzzle for …

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4: Mini Golf (ft CU Adventures) 24:32

8M ago24:32

24:32

What a tee-rific idea! Today we're talking minigolf, the entertaining twist on a classic sport with an interesting history. Anne & Chris Lukeman, owners of CU Adventures in Time and Space join us again to tackle a subject very close to their heart. As they tell us in the episode, they're taking everything they know about creating amazing escape roo…

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3: Roadside Attractions (ft. CU Adventures) 25:01

9M ago25:01

25:01

What's a roadtrip without a visit to that Giant Ball of Twine or a glimpse of a giant Muffler Man? If the sign says "World Famous" anything, I'm pulling over for it. Our guests today are Anne & Chris Lukeman, owners of CU Adventures in Time and Space, an escape room company in Illinois. They love roadside attractions, and in fact, their escape room…

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2: Y2K with Tommy Honton 22:14

9M ago22:14

22:14

Remember Y2K? The end-of-the-world that came and went without a hitch? Guest Tommy Honton joins us again to explore what really went down in this episode of PG's Playhouse. Our game today is called New Beginnings, where we take the names of old fads and transform them into something new by changing the first letter. David then walks us through a sh…

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Sara Levine on 'Treasure Island!!!' 30:43

9M ago30:43

30:43

Sara Levine joins me to discuss her novel 'Treasure Island!!!' When a college graduate with a history of hapless jobs (ice cream scooper, gift wrapper, laziest ever part-time clerk at The Pet Library) reads Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, she is dumbstruck by the timid design of her life. Convinced that Stevenson's book is cosmicall…

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1: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie? 23:26

9M ago23:26

23:26

In the inaugural episode of PG's Playhouse, Peih-Gee Law and David Spira are joined by immersive creator Tommy Honton to explore the controversial topic of whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. We kick off with a game called "Christmas-fied" where non-Christmas movies are transformed into Christmas-themed titles by adding festive song lyrics. We a…

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Johannes Lichtman on 'Calling Ukraine' 36:06

2y ago36:06

36:06

Johannes Lichtman joins me to discuss his novel "Calling Ukraine." National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Such Good Work Johannes Lichtman returns with a novel that is strikingly relevant to our times—about an American who takes a job in Ukraine in 2018, only to find that his struggle to understand the customs and culture is ecli…

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Lauren Oliver on 'Panic' 31:57

3y ago31:57

31:57

Lauren Oliver joins me to discuss her novel 'Panic.' Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to figh…

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Lincoln Michel on 'The Body Scout' 33:34

4y ago33:34

33:34

Lincoln Michel joins me to discuss his novel 'The Body Scout.' In the future you can have any body you want—as long as you can afford it. But in a New York ravaged by climate change and repeat pandemics, Kobo is barely scraping by. He scouts the latest in gene-edited talent for Big Pharma-owned baseball teams, but his own cybernetics are a decade o…

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Teddy Wayne on 'Apartment' 27:20

5y ago27:20

27:20

Teddy Wayne joins me to discuss his novel 'Apartment.' In 1996, the unnamed narrator of Teddy Wayne’s Apartment is attending the MFA writing program at Columbia on his father’s dime and living in an illegal sublet of a rent-stabilized apartment. Feeling guilty about his good fortune, he offers his spare bedroom--rent-free--to Billy, a talented, cha…

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Carmen Maria Machado on 'In the Dream House' 20:01

6y ago20:01

20:01

Carmen Maria Machado joins me to discuss her memoir 'In the Dream House.' 'In the Dream House' is Machado’s wildly innovative account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship, Machado struggles to make sense of how what h…

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Ryan Chapman on 'Riots I Have Known' 28:37

6+ y ago28:37

28:37

Ryan Chapman joins me to discuss his debut novel 'Riots I Have Known.' An unnamed Sri Lankan inmate has barricaded himself inside a prison computer lab in Dutchess County, New York. A riot rages outside, incited by a poem published in The Holding Pen, the house literary journal. This, our narrator’s final Editor’s Letter, is his confession. An offi…

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Namwali Serpell on 'The Old Drift' 37:28

6+ y ago37:28

37:28

Namwali Serpell joins me to discuss her debut novel 'The Old Drift.' 1904. On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there is a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles the fate…

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Nathan Englander on 'Kaddish.com' 28:22

6+ y ago28:22

28:22

Nathan Englander joins me to discuss his new novel 'Kaddish.com.' Larry is the secular son in a family of Orthodox Brooklyn Jews. When his father dies, it’s his responsibility to recite the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, every day for eleven months. To the horror and dismay of his sister, Larry refuses—imperiling the fate of his father’s …

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Sam Lipsyte on 'Hark' 23:08

6+ y ago23:08

23:08

Sam Lipsyte joins Stephen to discuss his new novel 'Hark.' In an America convulsed by political upheaval, cultural discord, environmental collapse, and spiritual confusion, many folks are searching for peace, salvation, and—perhaps most immediately—just a little damn focus. Enter Hark Morner, an unwitting guru whose technique of “Mental Archery”—a …

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Lauren Wilkinson on 'American Spy' 24:41

6+ y ago24:41

24:41

Lauren Wilkinson joins Stephen to discuss her debut novel 'American Spy'. It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She's brilliant, but she's also a young black woman working in an old boys' club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are fill…

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Garth Greenwell on 'What Belongs to You' 39:06

6+ y ago39:06

39:06

Garth Greenwell joins Stephen to discuss his debut novel 'What Belongs to You. 'What Belongs to You' follows an American teacher who enters a public bathroom in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he meets the charismatic young hustler Mitko, and pays him for sex. He returns to Mitko again and again over the next few months, drawn by hunger and loneliness and r…

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Ling Ma on 'Severance' 29:35

6+ y ago29:35

29:35

Ling Ma joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss her debut novel 'Severance.' 'Severance' follows Candace Chen, a 20 something New Yorker who works as a production coordinator at a Bible manufacturer - when the end of the world hits. Shen Fever makes people repeat their daily routines, until they die. Candace must join a group of survivors, led by th…

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Teddy Wayne on 'Loner' 26:20

6+ y ago26:20

26:20

Teddy Wayne joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Loner.' 'Loner' follows Harvard freshman David Federman, who becomes increasingly obsessed with his classmate Veronica. Published in September of 2016, 'Loner' now seems a prescient look at an angry, disaffected young man who demands more from his life. Loner was named a "Best Book of th…

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Jaclyn Gilbert on 'Late Air' 32:19

6+ y ago32:19

32:19

Jaclyn Gilbert joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss her debut novel 'Late Air.' When Murray - a Yale college running coach - finds his star athlete crumpled and unresponsive during a routine practice on the campus golf course one morning, he is forced to reconcile with his repressed past and increasingly tenuous grip on life. Told from interlocki…

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Joshua Max Feldman on 'Start Without Me' 21:51

7y ago21:51

21:51

Joshua Max Feldman joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Start Without Me.' Joshua Max Feldman is a writer of fiction and theater. Start Without Me - his second novel - explores questions of love and choice, disappointment and hope in the lives of two strangers who meet by chance on Thanksgiving Day.…

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Jeff VanderMeer on 'Annihilation' 31:08

7y ago31:08

31:08

In the debut episode, author Jeff VanderMeer joins host Stephen Fishbach to discuss his novel 'Annihilation.' Jeff is the author dozens of novels, short stories, literary criticism, nonfiction, and basically anything else a person can write, including stellar tweets. He has been called "the Weird Thoreau" by the New Yorker. 'Annihilation,' the firs…