Do Go On - 242 - The Dancing Plague

Episode Date: June 10, 2020

Back in 1518, a whole town started dancing. And they didn't stop for several weeks! How did this weird phenomenon happen? Come find out!Our website: dogoonpod.comSupport the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Submit a topic idea directly to the hat: dogoonpod.com/Submit-a-TopicCheck out our webseries: https://www.youtube.com/user/stupidoldchannelWatch the 100th episode of Prime Mates: https://sospresents.com/programs/prime-mates-live-re-editmp4-785b8d?categoryId=40976  Join Matt for a cocktail making masterclass (discount code 'MATT50') :https://www.jtproductionmanagement.com/store/p3/after-dark-gin.htmlTwitter: @DoGoOnPodInstagram: @DoGoOnPodFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoOnPod/Email us: [e-mail] out our other podcasts:Book Cheat: https://play.acast.com/s/book-cheatPrime Mates: https://play.acast.com/s/prime-mates/Listen Now: https://play.acast.com/s/listen-now/Our awesome theme song by Evan Munro-Smith and logo by Peader ThomasREFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es3hXUQLQgghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEM_GNIAWxghttps://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Melbourne and Canada, we got exciting news for you. And we should also say this is 2026. Jess, what year is it? 2026. Thank God you're here. Right now, I'm in Melbourne doing my show with Serenji Amarna, 630 each night at the Cooper's Inn Hotel, having so much fun. We'd love to see you there.

Canada, we are visiting you in September this year. If you've somehow missed the news, we are heading up Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto for shows. That's going to be so much fun. Tickets for all this stuff, I believe, are online. And I'm here too. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates.

Welcome to another episode of Do Go On. My name is Dave Warnocky, and as always, I'm here with two of the very best. It's Matt Stewart and Jess Perkins. The very best are here. Thank you so much. That actually really means a lot coming from you, Dave. Especially the fact that you're putting me on the same level as Jess Perkins, who is one of my personal favorite people in the world.

So that it really does mean a lot. Thank you so much, Dave. Hey, now, as I put you both on the same pedestal. Well, I feel that's ridiculous, honestly. And I think Jess will agree with me here. No, I'm not even in my own top five, you know? If I could be anyone else. Oh, my God, I'd take almost anything.

Wow. Dolly pardon. Oh, my God. Dave Warnocky. Yes. Ringo star. Of course. The worst drummer in the Beatles.

That sounds like a super group to die for. Ringo, Dave and Dolly Parton. And introducing our new bass guitarist, Jess Perkins. That's a myth, by the way. I was watching a video about that the other day that John Lennon ever said that about Ringo. The rest of the Beatles really respected his drumming. Yeah, I got to say that I whipped that anecdote out at a party recently

and was quickly brought down to size by a big Beatles fan. Actually, that is a myth. Yeah, it was written by a comedian in England in the 70s, I think. Right. It's funny, it's one of those things where you can't trust your own memories, because I could have sworn I'd seen a clip of that. But you know how you just hear things so often that you then later, they're just inserted into your memories?

Yeah. It was like that. Yeah, that happens to me a bit. Memory is so fallible. Yeah. You can't trust your memory. No. Hey, before we crack into the show, we should tell the good people at home listening to this

that if they want to hear us but also see us, we've started releasing a web series on YouTube on the stupid old channel with the good people at Stupid Old Studios. And it's basically like a slightly shorter version of this with animation, with our faces, a fancy looking set, some lighting, some camera work, and Matt wearing a different band t-shirt every week. Yeah. You're wearing a different colourful button-up shirt every week. and we've got a few different little

fun Easter eggs like that. Aren't they fun Easter? But it has been a lot of fun and we've got three episodes out so far and this Friday our fourth episode will come out and we have been doing like this little I didn't know that this existed before we started doing it. Are we the first people to do this?

YouTube premieres. I think so. I think we're the first people to ever do. I think we invented it. I think so. Thank you to the good people at YouTube for letting us do that. So basically we're the YouTube premiere premieres. Yeah.

We pick a time, which lately has been Friday at 9 a.m. Melbourne time. And the episode goes out and everyone watches it, you know, as it first goes out. And we all comment along and it's been a lot of fun. Yeah, it's been great. It's been really nice. If I could put forward a suggestion, how about we don't do it at 9 in the morning one time? Not for me. I mean, I love waking up to that alarm, but I wonder as well about some of the people in Europe who have to stop to the middle of the night. So maybe we'll do some that are more European time zone friendly. Yeah, that sounds good, Matt.

I mean, yeah, I too am always up well before that. So it doesn't, like, bother me per se. No, it's not about us. I rise with the sun. But... All right, cards on the table. It's because I watch it, then I run to my car and I speed to work after it finishes. The most recent episode was a little bit longer than the previous two weeks,

so I was a little bit late. So sorry about that. But I understand. It's a YouTube premiere. And we're complaining about having to... Well, not even get out of bed. I did not get out of bed for the last one. I didn't even sit up.

I put my laptop next to me and my head's still on the pillow, watching it sideways. Just sort of typing with one hand. Yeah. That's why your comments were all quite short. Yes, that is exactly right. So three episodes to check out at the moment. We talked about the Hollywood sign. Nancy Wake, the White Mouse, the World War II badass,

and Matt's most recent episode, he did a report on the fine cotton scandal, horse racing's darkest day. My favorite bit is that we, filmed those at the end of last year, so I've forgotten all of it. So I'm re-watching it and going, oh, isn't that interesting? Because I don't remember anything. That's nice. And it's also nice to see sitting right next to each other in a pre-COVID world.

We can't do anymore. And maybe ever again. The other video thing that came out this week was the 100th episode of Primates, which Dave featured on. The audio version of it will be released tomorrow, obviously with Dave's section cut out. Obviously, it was very, very scandalous. So, yeah, so there, but if you want to watch the stream of it, you can still buy tickets at saucepresents.com. And it's, it goes for, it's about two and a half hour video.

So you probably could watch it over a few sittings. But the audio version of that, which will be chopped down in half, I think, will be out tomorrow as well. If people are interested where Andy Matthews came on to talk about the classic film from theuteur Robert Vince, Spymate. which is sort of like a James Bond type film only with a chimp. I hear that and I hear only better. Yeah, exactly. For your apes only. Is that anything?

Yeah. That feels like it's something. I'm not sure what, but it's something. All right, we'll put the link to both of those things, our web series and the 100th episode of Primates on SOSP presents in the description of this episode. But what is this episode all about? Matt, what is this show?

Oh, so what this show is, it's basically a pursuit of knowledge. One of the three of us will go away with a topic suggested, and usually by a listener, and we'll research the shit out of it. Then what we'll do is we'll write up a report with the new knowledge we've gained. We'll bring it back and tell the other two all we have learnt, thus enriching them and the listeners with knowledge. This week, the report is being done by Jess Perkins. she's doven deeply into a subject which we are not aware of yet, Dave and I, but we're about to find out when Jess gets on the topic with a question. This week's question, Jess, if you please.

This week's question is, more than 150 years after the black plague came another plague that was a little different. What plague am I talking about? Oh, dancing plague. Yes! Well done, Maddie Stu. I don't know why that's even in my head. I've just seen that written somewhere.

It's because it's been suggested 13 times in Jack the Hat McVitties. I was also going to say, because you see it and it stands out. So people suggest topics and you can do that. So by clicking the link in the description of this episode, it goes into Jack the Hat. There are thousands of suggestions, but one way for them to stand out is that people suggest the same thing over and over again. Yeah. Also, just the title Dancing Plague. It's been in there for years.

It's been in the Hat. And I put it up to vote for the Patrions. I put up three very interesting, mysterious disappearance-type stories that the listeners usually love. And then I was like, all right, I need one more. I'll talk dancing plague in thinking it had no chance. So that was like the filler topic. It was the filler. And I was like, cool, I get to research a fun disappearance story this week.

No, no, no, because the people wanted dancing plague. I watched a documentary on all of the other ones. I was so ready. And so they're like, no, I want this. And it won by quite a lot. By at least 50 or 60 votes, it won. Right. I can understand that.

It sounds fascinating. Early theory, yes. Someone dropped pills in the water supply of the town. Okay. Okay. What kind of pills? Panadol?

Oh, Jess, grow up. I'm talking about bloody X. No one calls it that. E? E. E. Oh, drop of them X pills. Hey, you got any...

Yeah, I'm partied. I also don't think I've heard someone call it E for at least 15 years. I know. And that's why it wasn't front of mine. And I knew it was a letter. X. Normally, if you're going to hear letters, it's like MDMA, but that's not even the same thing. But I mean, this is not our area of expertise.

But if you're going to call it anything, you should call it X, right? Rather than E, it's ecstasy. You just call it X. I call it C. Yeah. I call it Tess. It's very confusing. That's very confusing.

Yeah, because people call it different things. When are you trying to get the trucks, you have to say, you got an E? And by that I mean X. By that I mean C. Now put them all together. Starr. Anyway. You hear nicknames a lot in like, usually in like cop dramas and stuff where they can't say too much.

And you'll be like, hey, I want to get some of that mull. And I know this is a drug. Yeah. I just have no idea which one it is. And then, yeah, and they all turn out to be kind of the same. And you're like, oh, all right. You got any Charlie? Charlie Chaplin, you know what I'm talking about?

Chapo. You got any chap-chap-o? You got any chap-chap? Got any chap-laps. Got chapped lips. Got any poor-poort ointment. Oh, yeah. Because my lips are cracked.

Do you have any crack? Then they open up the jacket and there's like seven different types of Vaseline. What do you want? What do you want? You want blestex? I got blestex. Hey, you want to have a real wild time? I got some deep peep for your lips.

Let's party. Try this lip smacker. Smells fantastic. It smells like Coca-Cola. It's awesome. You really want to party? I got a push pop right here. Well, the question is, Jess, is Matt on the Money?

Is there any drugs involved here? and gone off topic early. Look, probably not, but also, who knows? Second theory, psychedelic mould. Okay. Psychedelic mold people? Mold people. I'm the one who's lately been pushing for us to get quickly into the reports,

and I've already taken us off down a funny path. That's because I'm drinking medicinal whiskey. Yeah, I had fun with that drug. Because we like to call it W. Don't make him. It's, but it's whiskey. Don't make him S's W. All right.

I should mention who this has been suggested by because as I said, it's been suggested by many, many people. It's been suggested by Rani Tabria, Tristan Thornton, Matthew Lauer, Travis Alexander, Blake Wilde, Rachel Bundy, Hannah Weiss, Jessica McGee, Tim Anderson,

Megan Castle, and that is it. I ended on Megan Castle in a way that it was like I was going to continue and then I did not. What a great name, Megan Castle. What a great bunch of names there. Yeah, pretty great.

Oh, actually, I missed one, and it's an incredible name. Newk, Dave, how could... Oh, okay. Let me get a second look at this. Cername is Spellman, which is fantastic. Okay. First name.

It's N-K-U-L-U-L-E-K-O. N-K-U-L-E-K-O. Yeah. N-Kul-O-K-O-K-O-K-O-K-O-K-K-O-K-M-K-M-E-K-L-E-K-M-E-K-E-L-E-L-E-RENCE. We've definitely but... Thank you for your suggestion. Appreciate that. So, in Strasbourg, which is now modern-day France, but then in the Holy Roman Empire,

in July of 1518. A woman, whose name was given as Frau Trafeia, stepped into the street and began dancing. She danced to no music for many hours. I mean, what defines dancing and what defines someone like having a fit? Good point. Maybe the level of rhythm. Yeah, the rhythm.

People have asked that of me at clubs before. Yeah. Are you okay? Yeah, they put the house lights on and stop the music. There's an ambulance. Call it ambulance for this man. This guy's had too much X. I'm sober and I was just breaking it down.

Eventually, after dancing for many hours, she collapsed from exhaustion. After a bit of a rest, she got back up and continued to dance. Got to love that perseverance. This went on for several days. You're kidding. It's starting to sound like maybe an FM breakfast show Had a competition on A danceathon

Yeah Because they were sort of big in the early 20th century Won't they? The last couple dancing wins a car or something But you've got to be touching the car as you dance Yeah Take your hand off the car You don't win the car

Yeah Within a week More than 30 people had joined her This number continued to grow Over the next few weeks And within a month It's believed that around 400 people were dancing in the street.

There's no music. They're just gathered dancing. Is it like a case of like a silent disco where they're all listening to their own song in their mind. So no one is in time. Some people are going for it. Some people are slow dancing. There's a bit of break dancing going on.

That must be what it looked like. Because you know when, because I think silent discos are a fun idea. But when you walk past them, you're like, you all look fucking insane. You know? Especially when they all go. go, woo! At some point in the song and you're like,

no one else can hear this. I never feel like a bigger kill joy than when one of them walks past. Yeah. I'm like, you fucking assholes. You assholes. If you're in it, a lot of fun. If you're watching it, you fucking assholes.

Like, I'm watching them going, oh, look at these people having fun, not hurting anyone. I hate them. Yeah. I hate these people. Look at these morons on a bloody bucks weekend or something.

I've DJed a couple of them at Perth Fringe World. They have them set up in designations. areas in a rotunda in a park. And at one time it was really fun. In a park. Well, the festival's all around. It's in a park with the festivals in it. And one time it was really fun.

The other time it wasn't. But the weird thing is you DJ, I mean, I'm saying DJ very loosely. I'm playing songs over a Spotify playlist. And then there's another person DJing as well. And the people listening can flick between your two channels. Right. And if they're on your channel, it lights up green.

The head head, just because someone doesn't know what it is, yeah, it's headphones that people listening to. Yep. And if they're listening to the other track, they'll be listening, the headphones glow blue. So it's very clear if people are enjoying what you're doing or not. It's kind of a, it's quite a brutal way to party. Yeah, I love partying. Unless, of course, you've dropped some X. Or some tea.

Good of L. Gray, you know what I mean? Right, so now. A couple bags of L. Gray. Well, double bag. So there's a few hundred people dancing in the street, no music. It's the original lady, the frow, like, is she still going? Yeah, she's still there. That's amazing.

You'd feel pretty cool. Would you? I mean, this started with just one person, and now you've got hundreds of people joining in. Yeah, you're like, I started this. This was me. Have you guys ever seen the film clip for Mick Jagger and David Bowie dancing in the street, but they've taken the music out, and they've sort of just added, added, sounds of what they'd be making dancing, like shoe shuffling and breathing and stuff.

It's very funny. This is what I'm picturing. Yeah, that's what I'm picturing too, but in the 1500s. Seldom stopping for rest or food, some sources say that 15 people were dying each day. Oh, my God. Whoa, okay. That's what one, yeah, one source said it was, you know, up to 15 people a day. It's generally assumed they suffered strokes or heart attacks from dancing for so long.

They were literally dancing themselves to death. Murder on the dance floor. It's actually what that song is about. And a lot of people just think it's a fun pop hit. A lot of historical effects. It's actually an educational piece. So that's pretty cool. Hey, you guys in Seymour and Press that I knew that singer's name very quickly.

I knew as well. Okay. But, oh, wow. Dave's been, Dave's quietly being begrudging, but I can see respect. respect in your eyes. Yeah, I truly respect you. Would you have got that straight off the bat?

So Phil Spex-D. I'm afraid I would have, Matt. I'm so sorry. I think that one's a fairly well-known one. Yeah, right. I thought that was a good get. Sorry, mate. You have so much good music knowledge,

and that's the one you choose to hold on to. Yeah, there are, like, obscure albums by artists that I would never have known. There's artists with, like, 60 albums in their back catalog, and you've heard every song on them. You're trying to claim this is your big music thing. Yeah. Oh, your big Sovielas Bexas fans, we'll name her first four albums.

There's like artists that I adore and I couldn't name an album of. You know? And then... Dolly Parton, greatest hits. Easy. A classic. Queen's greatest hits. Anyway, so they're dancing themselves to death, right?

And the nobles of the time were concerned with this sudden outbreak of dancing. So they consulted the experts. Dave, who do you go to in this kind of... John Lithgow. Okay. Oh. He likes to ban dancing, right? movies?

Oh. I haven't seen that one. That's the Kevin Bacon one. A foot loose. Yeah. Matt, if there was some sort of outbreak like this in your town, what kind of profession are you consulting? Oh, okay.

Probably the doctor. Yeah, and obviously, the astronomers. Oh, yes. Got to check on that moon. So they go to the doctors and the astronomers. It was concluded that this was a natural disease caused by hot blood. Hot blooded, I'm hot-blooded.

Again. That's what that song's about. Yeah. I know. Sophia Lus Bexter hits. God, she's good, eh? Wow. So they decided to just let the afflicted continue to dance, to dance it out of their system.

Maybe like sweating out of fever or something. So dance until your blood cools. Yeah. Dance to cool down. Keep your body moving a lot to cool down. That's like how our parents' generation sort of parented a lot of the time. it was like, you know, just get it out of your system. Yeah.

I remember like me or one of my siblings was like having a bad time and dad would be like, hey, just snap out of it. Oh, okay, that's helpful. Thank you. Oh, there you go. I fixed. I all fixed. Just dance it out. He'd say that a lot as well. Dance it until you've gotten rid of it. Yeah, he was the anti-John Lithgow, your dad?

Yeah, close. I've always said that about him. The second I met him, I thought, whoop, they've got ourselves an anti-John Lithgow here. And I was right. So, yeah, they thought, all right, we're just got to let them dance it out of their system. So they did what anyone would do.

And they built a stage for the dancers, hoping they would dance away their mania and return to their senses. Do you think they were just hoping that that all gets stage fright and be like, nah, no, no, no, I don't want to perform? Because they're dancing as well, but they're sort of like, it's almost like they're in a bit of a trite.

prance, you know, like they seem kind of, I don't want to say unconscious, because I mean, they are, but they're not really responsive. They're in a bit of a state while they're dancing. I'm now picturing the thriller film clip, whereas zombies. Yeah, that's probably more like it. Dancing in unison. Yeah. Wow.

So they built a stage, stadium, started charging tickets. Yeah. They got a film crew in. Well, they ordered in professional musicians to play for the dancers. What? So they weren't just dancing to nothing, which is creepy. It does now sound like a talent show, Matt. You're right.

They got in professional dances to dance with them. Are you serious? And they paid... So now it's dancing with the stars. Exactly. And they paid strong men to keep the afflicted upright by clutching their bodies as they danced. If someone was looking a bit like we're going to sort of pass out, just a strong man had come and hold them up.

We've talked about so many different weird things. This is now the weirdest thing we've ever talked about. It's so strange. What the hell? The annoying thing about it was because it was in 1518. There's not heaps of information on it. Like all the resources I could find basically say the same few things and then have some theories. There's not a lot of information on it.

And so it's sort of like, yeah, I don't know if that first lady was still there the whole time or if she died. I don't know, but it's just, it's this weird thing. And it's documented. It definitely happened, but it's just like, I wish we had more information on it because it sounds so weird. And now, this is a little bit before I was born, I think 50 years or years before. Yeah. And I don't think video was invented quite yet.

Not quite. Like, within a few years it was, though. So we just missed out. No, those two came at the exact same time. Right. So what did we have? Cartooners. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, they were cartoonists, of course.

Right, okay. So someone was drawing these cartoons for the next morning's paper. Just someone danced till they drop. Yeah, exactly right. And then the little pig in the corner with a like a witty remark. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was just a three-panel cartoon. Yeah, to be continued. Yeah, they just get going.

So, a whole month. But people are no longer dropping. There's like a strong man holding you up if you look like you're about to collapse. And they're like, just let me die. People are still dying, for sure. I just want to... I've danced for four weeks. So they're dying, but they're still sort of weekend at Bernie's strong men dancing them still?

No, you will not die on me. Left foot, right foot, left foot. I've got money on you winning this thing. Yeah, I wonder if they did do stuff like that. I'm putting bets on her. The olden days, and we know, we've learned this so many times over the, in the olden days, and this is way olden days. We're talking about recent olden days.

days, people would go and crowd around a house if someone had different colored hair. So if there's a town of dancers, you can imagine everyone within miles around would be there to watch. It's still the most outrageous thing that's ever happened and it's 500 years later. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's pretty wild. Yeah, you're right. Like with the first ever quintuplets and people just crowded around their house to look at them.

Yeah, people are like, oh, a boat's coming in today. A boat! Oh, my God! Everybody, get a picnic lunch. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Look at the boat.

I'm going to wave at it. I'm going to wave. Oh, that's awesome. Have you got a hanky to wave? Oh, no. I forgot. So they got pro-dancers. They've got some strong men.

Pro dances is the best bit. A poem in the city archives explains what happened next. It says, In their madness, people kept up their dancing until they fell unconscious and many died. It's a pretty shit poem. Oh, wow. I mean, they don't run about that anymore. That's a poem, apparently.

So poetry was invented before photos. So all we had to go on is poetry and comic strips. Yeah, the highest forms of art, yes. I'm going to put it going on a limb here and say that was the worst poem I've ever heard. In their madness, people kept up their dancing until they fell unconscious and many died. That doesn't sound like a poem. I know. It sounds like a poorly written sentence.

And that... Different time. That's William Shakespeare right there. So the noble sense that they'd made a mistake and maybe just making people keep dancing wasn't going to help the problem. So they decided that the dancers were suffering from holy wrath rather than just hot blood.

That's it. They're cursed. Oh, okay. That makes sense now. said it. Yeah. So they banned gambling and prostitution and also blamed, oh sorry, banned music and dancing in public. So they just banned the thing that they were doing. Right. Do they also gamble gambling in prostitution or was that separate? They did ban that as well, yes. Right. Okay. So now people have-

So they banned all these things that were like sins. But now people have less things to do, so you're more likely to join this dance. Yeah. And also people who were deemed to be immoral were driven out of the city. I suppose in an attempt to sort of cleanse the city of whatever was causing them to be cursed. Not sure, but they were just like, okay, the problem is with us, not with the hot blood. Let's ban some stuff that obviously the saints don't like. All right. I've got a new thought.

Have you guys ever seen the episode of Buffy that was a musical? No. I think it was basically the story. So a demon comes along, and I can't remember the show at all, but he puts a curse on the town, so everyone doesn't talk anymore. They sing everything. The town becomes a musical, and then they dance until they die. I think it might be the same thing.

So I think some sort of like a theater demon went to Strasbourg and cursed the town to make it a dance musical. What are they done to deserve that? I think just that town is in a hellmouth and it attracts bad stuff about once a week for 20 odd weeks a year. That's crazy. Why would you live there? Yeah, it's crazy. I don't know. For fuck's sake.

And they're surprised every time something weird happens. Like, you live in a hell mouth. Don't you remember last week? What are you surprised about? Yeah. That pig man came to town and he oinked at you evilly. Probably. I don't remember all.

I didn't see them all, but I imagine that probably happened one of the episodes. I would assume a pig man ointed evilly at some point. And if it didn't, it's like, we'll bring back Buffy then. Yeah, you're not done. You're not done. You didn't do Pigman. Yeah. Who wrote that show again?

Sophia Ellis Bexter. Yeah. Yeah. She's a double threat. Yeah, she's done at all. Cannot dance for shit. So there was an article written in The Guardian. And it said, finally, the dances were taken to a shrine dedicated to St Vitus,

located in a musty grotto in the hills, where their bloodied feet were placed into red shoes, and they were led around a wooden figurine of the saint. Is that, do they just have to form a conga line for that to happen? They must have. Is that how they get them to go wherever they want them to go? Yeah, how did you just pick them up, chuck them in a van? I don't know. Yeah.

Like if you're holding them up off the ground, say you're holding them up at the waist, their feet can still dance, and that way they're not, you know, they're not moving. You can move them about as you need. Quite hard to pick someone up by the waist, though, hey. Yeah, have you seen dirty dancing? Yeah. I haven't. I think it happens in that film.

It does. And it takes a lot of it. a practice on their part. Right, okay. And it's Patrick Swayze. I know. So it's interesting that, yeah, they were able to just move them. And they put their feet into red shoes.

Yep, no idea why. I reckon it's to cover the blood, right? Oh, yeah, true. I mean, you're going to put bloody shoes into white, bloody feet into white shoes, are you? It was ruin the white shoes. Maybe they just had a big stock of red shoes. Yeah. Are they happy to admit that it was a mistake to put them into tap shoes?

That was not their best call, yeah Oh no, God It'd be dancing for hours It's so loud In the following weeks after this though Most of the dancers stopped dancing The epidemic was over Some were dead

Mind you by this time it was September And they'd been dancing since July Wow So it went for quite a long time Quick side note here too About It's going to make it easy to edit, that's all.

Oh, you don't want to have me squeaking away like a pig man of here? Quick side note too about St. Vitus, because I decided to look him up and see what his deal was. Vitus is considered the patron saint of actors, comedians, dancers, and epileptics. Oh, he's our man. Big four. We're dancers. Weird combo. Wow.

They do that a lot with Saints. They'll group together a bunch of different, often seemingly unrelated things. Is it just not enough to go around? No, I think there's so many saints that they all have like something. So Vitus is also said to protect against lightning strikes, animal attacks and oversleeping. Oh, fantastic. Don't want to sleep through your alarm? Pray to St. Vitus.

Well, two of the biggest things that wake people up are lightning strikes and animal attacks. And he's keeping them away. Yeah, good point. So this dancing mania, which had happened before on much smaller scales a few times in previous centuries, was often seen to be a curse from a saint, usually either John the Baptist or St. Vitus. And victims of dancing mania often ended up, ended their processions at places dedicated to that saint. So that at least explains why they went to this particular shrine, because he was, yeah, they figured it was a curse from him. In fact, that kind of dancing mania used to be called St.

St. Vitus Dance, and it wasn't until the 17th century that it was diagnosed as sydum coria. And virus feet had got no rhythm. It's a disorder characterized by rapid, uncoordinated jerking movements, primarily affecting the face, hands and feet. I think I might be a victim. Does that maybe give you a better mental image of... I've seen you, dead. Have you seen me dance?

I am no good until I've had half a bottle of alcohol. And then I'm the greatest dancer you've ever seen. What size bottle? Hang on. Half a bottle of alcohol, he said. I meant like a liquor bottle, like a vodka bottle of alcohol. Okay. All right.

Because if it's like a bottle of beer, it's like, okay. A bottle of vodka mixed with lemonade. And some fresh lemon. I don't you think it's a funny time in history where people are like bad things are happening, a saint is out to get us. Yeah. A saint. Aren't they famously like good?

Well, they were, okay, that's one of the things that I read. It was like in this time, and I'll probably get to it a little bit later as well, but in this time, they did quite genuinely believe that saints could cure illnesses and stuff like that, but they could also inflict them. So they did definitely believe in sort of the power of saints. So, because I said this... Who won the Premiership in 1966. Many, many centuries later.

Like I mentioned, this had happened many times before. The earliest known outbreak of dancing mania occurred in the 7th century, and it reappeared many times across Europe until about the 17th century, when it stopped abruptly. One of the earliest known incidences occurred sometime in the 1020s. Oh, that's weird to say, where 18 peasants began singing and dancing around a church disturbing a Christmas Eve service. I just found that funny.

People in Christmas Eve Mass like, what's that bloody rocus out there? Another incident in 1278 involved about 200 people dancing on a bridge resulting in its collapse. Is that wild? Many people survived and they were restored to full health at a nearby chapel dedicated to St. Vitus. They went to a St. Vitus. There must have been so many fucking chapels everywhere. Different shrines, chapels for each one and for each ailment you have, you have to go to the relevant... There must be a book to keep track of what all the saints do, because honestly, I'd lose track. I haven't heard of St. Vitus, I don't think.

Are you familiar with him at all, Jess? No. Well, I am now. I don't think I've even heard the name Vitis before. He's the saint of comedians. We should all know his name. Yeah. In fact, it had happened 100 years earlier in Strasbourg, where people fasted for days and the outbreak was possibly caused by exhaustion. You know where you just really tired? Really hungry?

You just go a bit loopy? It was probably just that, that time. Right, yeah. I've been there. I normally go to bed, though. Yeah, I normally have something to eat. I start ballroom dancing. Yeah.

So it wasn't the first time this dancing mania or man. mass hysteria had occurred, but it certainly was the biggest. And there are a few theories as to what happened to cause this strange epidemic. One of the most popular theories is food poisoning caused by the toxic and psychoactive chemical product of ergot fungi. Oh, not far off mould. Yeah, which grows commonly on wheat that is used for baking bread. So it is basically that, yeah.

Psychedelic mold, wow. Moldy wheat that then gets baked into bread. So it's the main psychoactive product, sorry, ergotamine. Oygotamine, yeah, is the main psychoactive product of ergot, and it's structurally related to the drug LSD. Whoopie Goldberg won an ergot. That is kind of true. That's kind of a pun.

Oh, no. No, he's done it. Dave would know, been the pun master. This same fungus has also been implicated in other major historical anomalies, including the Salem Witch Trials. It was one theory in that as well. Ah, which we have covered on a previous episode of you interested. And what a crazy time in history that was.

It's insane. However, some people don't agree with this theory, including a man named John Waller, who wrote this in The Lancet, which is a medical journal. And a lot of people sort of think he's the kind of like the expert on this. I imagine like that's your business card, dancing plague expert. He's written a book on it, I think. And he says, this theory does not seem tenable,

since it's unlikely that those poisoned by Urgot could have danced for days at a time, nor would so many people have reacted to its psychotropic chemicals in the same way. The Ergotism theory also fails to explain why virtually every outbreak occurred somewhere along the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. all areas linked by water but with quite different climates and crops. So I guess he's saying that how likely is it that all of those areas had that same fungus? Yeah.

But they all have the same water supply, which has been spiked with X. Ah, yes. John also goes on to speculate that the dancing was stress-induced psychosis on a mass level. Since the region where the people dance was riddled with starvation and disease, and the inhabitants tended to be superstitious. So this theory comes up a bit quite a lot. People were stressed. They feared death or illness.

In the years leading up to the incident in 1518, they'd faced repeated famine, harsh taxes, and a rise of syphilis. They had a lot on their minds, you know? And their genitals. Yeah, the genitals. Combined this with their pre-existing belief that St. Vitus was known to curse people, to dance. It's been argued that their psychological stress manifested

in the urge to dance. You know, it's like those two things already sitting at the back of their head that sort of merge and create this reaction of just dancing. It does seem like a flash mob gone too far. Yeah, that sort of, you just get sucked in, you know? Do you think maybe they were an organised dance flash mob and then as they were doing it, like, started getting embarrassed so that to pretend that they hadn't decided it,

Oh no, this is out of our control. Oh, no, I'm on drugs or something. Gorsent virus. Yeah, it must be. God, this is so embarrassing. You don't want to be the first person to stop a flash mob, you know? Oh, you ruin it. So, yeah, this idea is supported by the fact that dancing plagues no longer happened beyond the 17th century

when saint worship began to diminish. So people stopped believing in saints so heavily, and then they also stopped having dancing outbreaks. But it happened a fair bit. I think that means that the saints have just lost their powers. Oh, well... I'll do why they haven't won a premiership since 66. Yes!

Geez, if the ball bounced differently in 2010, though, Dave, a premiership number two is in the bag. Wow, if it had bounced differently, you would have lost by even more. Is that what you're saying? No, that is not correct. If it bounced differently, it would have sat up. What, one time? And the year before, if it didn't hit bloody Scarlett's booty, like the luck of it hitting his boot in the centre of the ground like it did

and then falling into Ablett's hands on the Chapman. Absolutely ridiculous. I have no idea what you're talking about. Curse! It's so unlucky two years in a row. We were the best team in the league in 20... Maybe they should have just danced. Oh, that's a good point.

Not a lot of dancing that night, hey? Yep. There was not, no. Not for you, but for the winners, big time, yeah. Did you cry, Matt? I felt numb. Oh, that's worse. After we lost the replay against Collingwood,

I had tickets to see Friends of Rom, who we did a report on. I probably mentioned that episode. I think you did. So I was just solemnly standing at the corner hotel watching one of my favorite bands by a great set. And you felt nothing? I felt nothing.

I remember there were people like, crowd surfing a guy. There's a disco ball in the corner hotel bandroom and someone got up on the shoulders of that guy and he took the disco ball off the thing and then the disco ball was sort of crowd surfing. You know, you're seeing like this fun party going

on around me and you just see me standing in the middle of it like just blank-faced waiting it out. That's nice. That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. It was nice to do something. Numb, yeah. We haven't been, since then it's been,

That's 10 years ago, and we've been, you know, very ordinary ever since. I'd love to be second best again. That would be awesome. That would be nice. So, yeah, like, that's kind of all that there is that's known about this hysteria. But I do have a few examples of more recent instances of mass hysteria that I kind of wanted to mention as well. Right. Okay.

Little Mania. Biddlemania, obviously. Obviously, that was bread as well. Breadmania. I said more recent, but this isn't. Do you guys know the band Bread? My mom was a big bread fan. She had the best of bread.

I can't tell if you're doing a bit. No, I know of the band. That's the name of a big band. I couldn't name of a bread song. The best of bread. Bread. Yeah, they had big hits. There was like the guitar man was one of the songs.

he's the guitar man I've already forgotten how we got on to this they're just naming things that they see Brad you're on the guitar guitar man What did you say Dave to get bread I don't know how we got to that But obviously Bradmania was another thing

Beetlemania was inspired by mouldy bread as well Okay gotcha thank you That wasn't I definitely wasn't having a dig I just realised I'd completely I was like oh no How did we get here? What have I missed? I thought I'd blacked out for a bit.

You thought you'd been eating mold again? I was like, what's happened? Okay, so other instances, I said more recent, this one is not more recent. It's in France during the Middle Ages, a nun began inexplicably meowing like a cat. Other nuns soon joined her in the meowing until the entire convent was making cat noises for several hours. It got so out of hand that the village had to call soldiers who threatened to whip them if they didn't stop. I know why this was. This is because of Saint whiskers.

A sneaky cat. Well, actually, back then it was commonly thought that some animals, especially cats, had the powers to possess people. So in a way, you're not far off. They're like, oh, no, a pesky cats infected us. The cats would have been freaking out that day. Yeah.

Honestly, the Saints worked in mysterious ways back then. Making people sound like cats. What does it all mean? It's crazy. This other one that I found as well, well is in Tanzania, three girls began laughing at their boarding school, and the joy was very infectious. Soon, 95 of the 159 pupils joined in.

Some only laughing for a few hours. Others as long as 16 days. Only for a few hours. Imagine trying to teach a class. I mean, we've all had moments in school where you've cracked up and you can't stop. But not for several hours. The time. The time Leah farted.

So funny. Fantastic. So funny. It becomes painful after a little while. It's kind of a nice feeling because your brain's obviously releasing nice chemicals. Yeah. From the joy or whatever. But it can't get scary when you lose control of it.

Yeah. It's a good feeling and you can't force it. When it happens, you just have to enjoy the ride, you know? Like you when we talked about that pack of dogs. Chasing a man off a marathon course. Matt did that for 16 days. He would have died after day one. I would have killed him.

Yeah, I think so. Would have gotten real tedious. You could have left the room. No, no. I had to smother you. So yeah, some are laughing as long as over two weeks. So the school had to be closed. And that didn't stop the laughter from spreading to the next village as well.

And then months later, another laughing outbreak occurred this time affecting 217 people. At least laughing is a bit of a bit of. fun though. Yeah, this one would have been Saint Chuckles. Yes. Okay, I've already figured out our Patreon game, we're giving them all saints. Yeah. Yay! And the last

one that I found as well is in Pokemon's first season, there's one episode that never aired in the US due to an outbreak of nausea and seizures that affected 12,000 Japanese children after they watched it in 1997. The episode

was called Cyber Soldier Porrigon. and it featured bright flashing lights that some believe caused the seizures. Others believe this was simply a case of mass hysteria. Isn't that insane? Is it worth noting that the guy, that saint is the saint of comedy and epilepsy? Exactly, yeah. Stvitis. Actors comedy.

He struck again. And Pokemon. And epileptics. And 1997, the Saints made the first grand final in three decades. Man, I'll just have to cut you off there. You have become hysterical. Not again. I lied.

I actually do have one more. I thought that was all one, but I've got another one here as well. In 2006, a lot more recent, a Portuguese teen soap opera aired an episode where the characters were afflicted with a terrible disease. Sure enough, more than 300 children who watched the episode began to think they themselves were suffering from this illness. Several schools had to be closed in order to quell the perceived outbreak. Whoa. And it was a made-up disease. There's a made-up disease that happened in a teen soap opera.

And then a bunch of 300 kids were like, I've got that. Isn't that full on? That's amazing. And there was another one as well about like on a flight. I don't remember how many, but a few people were sick. But something like tens, maybe even 100 people all thought they were unwell. Because you know when, especially if you, live in a house with other people and somebody gets sick, then you're like, oh, my throat's a bit sore too.

Oh, my God. When I lived in a sharehouse, someone gets sick, like with gastro or something, and I'm like, oh, no. I've got it too. I can't eat on any of these plates, any of these things. I'm going to get it. I'm going to get it. And I'm going to die. So I guess I kind of get it, but some of those are pretty funny as well.

I mean, Pokemon did sweep my primary school with hysteria as well, and the Pokemon cards were so obsessive that people did rip each other apart over them. It's pretty nuts. Oh, literally. Yes. Whoa. Whim from whim. Back in my day, it was yo-yos.

Okay. Do you have a yo-yo craze? No. There was one because you could... They were sort of cyclical, I think, every seven years as a yo-yo-cray. There was a yo-yo-cray. There's a yo-yo-cray. There's a yo-kraine, because you could buy an ice cream at the school canteen, and you got a free mini-yo-o with the ice cream.

Oh, and then the yo-yoes became much more popular than the actual ice cream. Yeah. What was it? I can't really remember. It was so, like, no one was so, like, no one wanted it. the ice cream. Honestly, you'd buy it, throw it in the bin, get the yo-yo. That's a smart promotion, I guess. Although it obviously didn't work that people kept going back for the ice creams after. Yeah, but who cares? They made a butt ton of money on yo-yo's.

I think there was a brand called Moose or something like that when I was at school and everyone wanted the Moose yo-yo's. And I think the Simpsons had an episode in the 90s that probably helped kick it off as well where Bart had a yo-yo craze. They're like, wow, your life must be so glamorous. Get in the van. Yeah. But yeah, I mean, I'm sorry that that was a relatively short topic, but as I said, it was in the 1500s and there's not a ton of information on it.

And also, I gave so many sick options. And the Patrons chose the dancing plague. And I think, I mean, I think they made a very good call because it is wild. There just isn't heaps of info on it. Historically, that is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Yeah. I thought that was a great. It was a great.

report and you did say it was going to be a bit of a shorter one and that's why we really took it for a walk in some of those parts there we walked to the dog if you will a yo yo yo joke nice was that miss cromopoul says to bart not another word and he says yo very good stuff yo and davy also just while we're doing simpson's references i also did get your subtle one somewhere halfway through the episode forget what it was there do you remember I do remember making one, but I can't quite remember what it is myself either. I put my finger on it. You didn't reference it, but you said it word for word, this little line. So hopefully Jake, our patron, who audits the Simpson's references, picked it up as well.

I hope he did. I think of him every time. I'd just try and sneak him in there. I'm glad that you remembered it, but I honestly, it slipped my mind now what it was. That's okay. A few minutes ago, I couldn't remember how we got onto a topic. Why are we talking about bread? I was like, wait. I mean, I'm loving the riff, but someone to help me because I think I'm broken. But yeah, there we are. So that's my report. Like the bread riff is a good example of me

trying to give a little bit of value from when Jess said, this report's not too long. That's why I'm going, bread. My mum had an album by bread. Very good stuff. But although that does make me laugh a lot, the idea that mom liked a band called bread. And the fact that they have best,

the best of bread is very funny. And they were really big. They're a soft, an American soft rock band from LA. They had 13 songs chart in the Billboard Hot 100 between 1970 and 97. So they were pretty big. I didn't realize that was so famous. Bread. It's pretty great. It was their biggest hit.

They had a number one with Make It With You. I see. Are they also talking now? with you. Are you talking about bread? I guess so. Make a sandwich? This one, I don't like this at all.

They had a number three hit with Baby, I'm a want you. Matt, can you please acknowledge my make a sandwich joke? Oh, that's fantastic. Dave gave it a little pity laugh. Hey, I loved it. But yeah, I mean, that's the dancing plague, which of course brings us to everybody's favorite part of the episode. Now we've got that historical anomaly.

out of the way, it's time to launch in to the Patreon section of the podcast. Hooray! And this begins with the fact quote or question section, which has a jingle that goes like this. Fact quote or question. You always remember the ding. Now, we have been going through a few more than normal recently because there have been a lot of facts. But this week we got a few questions. So I'll just do two.

And if we get through those with time to spare, maybe we do have time to spare because we got through the report pretty quickly. Maybe we'll do a couple more. Because I'd love to keep getting these fat quota questioners done because people who support us on Patreon at Patreon.com slash to go on pod at the Sydney Scheidberg Deluxe Memorial Rest in Peace

edition level, they deserve to have their voices heard. Damn right. As well as the now three bonus episodes that we put out on Patreon every month. We're about to put out our first one for this month and we're also going to put out a bonus report. Episode 2 of Frazing the Bar, our Patreon-only podcast,

will we go through the films of everyone's favorite actor, Brendan Fraser. I forgot that we get to watch Encino Man. Encinom Man coming up. So pumped for that. Yeah, but the Patreon's been going off. The Facebook groups have been a fun place. The world's, you know, for so many reasons, has been pretty rough this year. And it's actually been one of the nice places to go is the Facebook Patreon group.

And I know Facebook in general is a bad place. But we've sort of created a little corner of Facebook that is actually quite nice. And that's one of the other things you get to be involved in if you jump on the Patreon thing. I just quickly, I just remembered that the first bonus episode of this month, because I couldn't remember what we were doing, but it's very interesting for some people, I guess. And that is we are doing a follow-up to some of our previous topics. We are nearly at 250 reports here. we put out an episode and then we get an update.

Yeah, something happens. Including this week, a very big one, which I'm sure we'll be discussing on the episode, is the Forest Fen Treasure, which we spoke about five or six weeks ago, after being hidden for 10 years, has reportedly been found. Yeah. Yeah, so we're going to give an update on that. And I've asked for help from Patreon, so I've got a bunch of things to tell you about. Awesome.

Yeah, I don't know how many of it will be able to get through. but we've got updates on more than 20 episodes and there's probably heaps more so I think depending on how it goes we'll probably do more of these episodes in the future as well and people can get involved with that I forget which level it is on Jess, you know um yep

the Drainboat Cooper level DB Cooper I believe yeah so yeah depending on your level you get to vote on topics like Jess's topic today was voted on by patrons um basically the patrons

are the people who make this show exist And we love them We love them And we reward them in all sorts of different ways And they reward us all the same Just by being involved So firstly the first fact quote or questioner this week They also get to give us a fact quote or question

Obviously but also get to give themselves a title The first one comes from Katerina Gutueres From Victoria, BC in Canada I like that because no one else puts where they're from, but Katerina did. And she's giving herself the title of Matt Stewart's barber, which is funny because I cut my own hair.

Matt Stewart is Matt Stewart's barber. Do you still keep Katerina on? Retainer. She's on a retainer. Hey, Katerina, feel free to come by. I haven't found anyone who does it as good as me, but I'm definitely willing to give you a try. Didn't you get a haircut recently and hated it but still told the guy that you liked it?

I mean, everyone does that. know. That's not, that's not on him. That's on me. I, I could have said, actually, this isn't quite what I needed, but I just, I don't, I don't know. I'm very unconfrontational at the best times. And I also didn't really know. I said to him, do whatever, and he did whatever. And then I realized when I got home, I'm like, that's not what I wanted. So I cut a lot more off. In fairness, that is on you. That is 100% on me, yeah. I, and no way blame him for that at all. Anyway, Katerina's question this week. I don't read these so I read them.

She writes, apologies, I've got a bit of a sore throat. So this whiskey's, I'm going to take a couple of sips. Yeah, have a little sip. Katerina writes, Ahoyo, which I love is a greeting. That's right up there with Mr. Burns' is, Ahoy, hoi. Ahoyo.

I have a would you rather question for each of you. Oh, interesting. Here we go. Dave, you're up first. Okay. Would you rather never be able to eat pies again?

Or be only able to eat pies for every snack or meal for the rest of your life. Oh, interesting. I mean. It's not a hard question, is it, Dave? Can we lock in B and when were the pies start? I love them. I love them. Sorry, we've killed Matt with that.

Oh, apologies. Honestly, I'm not, because you're thinking, well, you get so sick of them, but you can have, like, a breakfast pie. You can have a savory sort of meat pie, which I absolutely love, a veggie pie. You can have, like, a sweet pie, apple pie, raspberry pie, all this. You can have so many different pies. Lemon meringue pie. It's not, you know, it's not the same as like, but, you know.

But it's got pie in the name. It's a bit different. Is that the rule as long as it's got pie in the name? Please, just hook it up to my name. Yeah, Shepard's pie. I don't know if you mentioned that, but you also got, you know, you can put anything in a pie these days. I love pies.

Tanduri pies. And there, you remember Pie Face? There was a little pie chain that took off in Melbourne. Even to the point where I got a pie from that chain in the middle of New York City on the block that I went to see David Letterman, the late show. Do you know that? I went in there. I'm like, oh, it's funny to realize

they were American chain. I thought they were from Australia. And he goes, they are from Australia. Oh, that's killed in my mind. Letterman even did a segment. They failed soon after. Letterman did a segment on it when they went down and they tried it. I think that Pieface had to pay, obviously, for promo on there. But yes, sadly, they did go bust, basically.

Maybe because they spent all their money on Letterman. Just make good pies, you dickheads. They flew two. close to the sun. Oh, the pies were fantastic. And they were 24-7. Fantastic. Yes, they were so good at a comedy festival time, get them on the way home.

But the one that I always loved there, if I felt that way inclined, they did a dessert, custard and apple pie. Oh, I love that. It was so good. Anyway, sorry to get distracted there. Yes. Would you rather, that's definitely what I'd rather. All right, so far, Dave, got the easy one. I have a pie face story to tell you off air.

Oh. Too saucy for it? It's definitely not sourced. See, it's too graphic. Does someone shit in your pie? No. No. Anyway, yeah, what's mine?

Is it the kind of story that's going to make us not want to eat Pieface anymore? I mean, you can't. So that wouldn't hurt too much. Anyway, yeah, what's my? Would you rather? Would you rather travel all the way to Dolly Parton World only to find it's no longer open? Or meet Dolly, but embarrass yourself so badly that security is called on you.

Meet Dolly and embarrass myself. What a story. And I got to meet Dolly. But I mean, like... But forever, her only impression of you is a negative one. I don't care. She'll never remember me. But what have you...

The other story is pretty... It's just a sad sort of no story. But I guess you get to travel. But you've done something so embarrassing that they've had... They've called security. What have you done? Well, I feel like they'll call security for anything these days, you know? It actually sounds like it might be related to your embarrassing Pifee story.

You're going to tell us off there. All right. You've both. Both answered those very easily. Here's my one. Matt notoriously weighs up options for quite a long time. You're a flipper and a flopper, Matt. Yeah.

Notoriously. It's notorious. So here we go. Would you rather never be able to grow facial hair again or never be allowed longer hair? That's a tricky one. Here he goes weighing up. That is a tricky one. one.

Hmm, Katerina, you are diabolical. Well done. You've got me right where you want me. So you basically have to go like a crew cut

with a beard, with facial hair or no facial hair and you can do whatever you want with your hair. I don't know. Can I ask the brains trust on this one?

What do you think? Because I, actually, to be honest, the reason I grow facial hair for the most part is because I don't like shaving.

It's just a pain the ass. So if I, couldn't grow facial hair. It would just mean I don't have to shave, right? That's not the end of the world to me. Yeah, that's true. And then I can just do whatever I like with my hair. But you do look good. Facial hair really does suit you. Yeah, I would have said keep the hair shot and be able to grow facial hair.

All right, I'll go with that. Because I think it's a real poison chalice this one. I'm not using that phrase correctly, but still I'm sticking with it. Thank you so much for those questions, Katerina. You really got us in the hot seat there. It really made me feel like a pie. Yeah, me too. An apple and custard pie. And I'm pretty sure, Jess, they are still around.

They're just, like, working out of one of the, like, fast servos. Yeah, I think they're attached to server stations now, aren't they? Really? Oh, well, there you go. The next fact quote or question comes from Shockrey Francis Raouf, who has given himself or themselves the title of President. of opera singing. Oh, that's cool.

Need one of those. Of opera singing. Everyone needs a president of opera singing. Shockery's offered us a fact. And the fact is, if you rob garlic on your feet, okay, I'm with you so far, you can taste it in your mouth

about 15 minutes later. What? What? This is because both garlic and skin have watery and oily layers to them, so the garlic can be absorbed through the skin,

And then the blood as the skin on your feet is particularly thin. Whoa. I never fact-checked these. Look, I don't doubt. If that is true, that's huge. I don't doubt it because if you eat a lot of garlic, it can come out in your sweat. You can start sweating like a garlicky smell.

Really? Yeah. Which is not nice. That's amazing. I love garlic. I love garlic so much. But do people around you love the smell of garlic seeping out of your armpits? I don't care.

because I love garlic garlic and onion in a tomato sauce on pasta oh heaven it's very good for you as well keeps away a colder here and vampires well there you go

so rub it on your feet I would like to I'd like to try that I would great great fact do we have you you up for another question yeah go one more

all right this one comes from Mark Sweeney thank you so much to Shokri this one comes from Mark Sweeney who is the lead supervisor to junior president of stroking, brakets, petting for Americans, dogs. Okay.

Lead supervisor to junior president of stroking dogs. I don't... What's the Australian word for that? We don't say petting, do we? Say padding. Yeah, we say pat, pat my dog, not pet my dog. Yeah. And I'd love to pat my dog.

But how do you feel that stroking your dog? Yeah, I'm glad he had a dog. I thought he was just going to be in charge of stroking. Yeah, that felt weird. I have a funny feeling that he may have wanted us to go down that far. Stroke it. Great tune. All right.

Question is, what is the most expensive purchase you have ever made? Whoa. Probably a car. Yeah, super boring. It would be a car. Yeah, I think mine is also car. My first car cost more than my second car as well. Nice.

That's how you do it. That's how you trade. up. Yeah. 4 grand for the first one, 2 grand for the second one. Next one's only going to cost you 1 grand. My best car that I ever had wasn't my car. It was just a car.

I got to drive when I was selling air conditioner. I used to get to drive a Holden S-SV-8 Ute. Oh, that's good. The Black Rat was known as. Nice. Did you gun it? Yeah, I got a lot of speeding. I lost my license.

Oh, you're not kidding. Dave, we've seen Matt go around a roundabout. Oh, yeah. Yeah. We've seen Matt drive down a one-way street the incredibly wrong way. We've seen Matt cut across two lanes to exit a motorway. You were the king. When we were in the UK the first time when you were driving, Matt, the king of,

oh, sorry, that's our exit. And I'm like, we've missed it. We'll have to do a detour. Matt's like, fuck that. We all have different skills. You know, I could park that very large car. Jess, is it the best parker I've ever seen? Yeah, was it the London one?

because you two took over the driving I did most of the driving the first time you did all the driving this time because we didn't even give him my license and that I was like oh boy this park is pretty much impossible glad I don't have to do it and then Jess is just like doing that one hand

steering burr-brum yeah I don't think it was just like I'm like this will take a while wake me up when you're done yeah sort of like the wax on wax off on the wheel Yeah, exactly. It was magical.

And then you were banging there. Honestly, there was a centimeter on either side that you could have fit that in. Yeah, there was a centimeter where you were going to scrape the whole undercarriage along like a big stone. And I don't think there was, there was no reversing mirror, was there? No. There was a mirror, not a reversing camera. Despite the fact that the vehicle was about 600 feet long. It was a little longer than we required.

It was massive. It was about a metre longer than what we probably needed. There's three of us and there were nine seats. Yeah, it was too much. We did have a lot of bags, but still. We under did the first tour. So we overdid the second tour. We went too small and we over did the second time.

We'll get it just right. Just right. Yeah. Goldilocks style. All right. Yeah, so we're all cars. Yeah. Or maybe like, I suppose maybe a trip of some kind.

Oh, yeah, that's a good point. If you count a trip in its entirety, when I travel for six months out of school, after I studied, that was the most expensive thing I've ever done. But that was spent over a six-month period. Yeah. Just one big bulk purchase would definitely be my car, which I've had for over 10 years, so I think it's pretty good value. It's paid up.

Oh, that's great. Well, that two grand car that I bought, I think I got that four years ago, It's still driving so well, even though it's missing a headlight, basically. It's not really okay to drive at night, but... You know, it gets you from A to B. Yeah, that's right. It really does. I've got to get a bike, basically, I think. Great question.

Yeah, that's an interesting one, Mark. I wish we had something more exciting for you. I was half expecting Dave to say, have you ever heard of the jewel of Peru or something? Well, I mean, my car is a Ferrari. I think it would be an interesting question for someone like Evan because he'd have a weird bit of tech that he'd bought I think I know what he he bought a camera once

that was worth like 20 grand or something he bought it on a with a loan yeah wow right but that is more than all of our cars possibly put together oh yeah that's easily the more expensive than anything I've ever bought I might be I might be adding a little mail on that price as well I've no it might maybe it was five grand I can't remember still it's a bit

still it was an expensive camera Yeah. All right, great. Do you want one more question? Go on. Yeah. All right. One last question, then we'll move on to the other shoutouts.

This one comes from Brian Fleming. He's given himself the title, love that name, Brian Fleming. Giving himself the title, Honorary Minnesotan Artist for Do Go On. Oh. Oh. I guess we have an artist in every state of America? Yes, we do. Yep.

Great. Go Timberwolves. Competitive field. And yeah, Minnesota obviously making news for some pretty full-on reasons lately. Hopefully everything's okay where you are at the moment, Brian. Brian's question is, one of the things I've been most impressed about is the three of yours, friendship. Any tips for keeping friendships alive and well? year after year.

Thank you for all the last. Jess did I hear a little laugh. No, I'm wondering if it's like friendships in general or friendships while you're working together. Well, I was going to say, if you want to make sure you see people every single week, start a podcast with them and make sure you never miss a week. Yeah. Don't take breaks.

Yeah, I've got old friends from school and stuff who I'd still think of myself as close with and I would catch up with them a couple times a year maybe. And we literally talk in our group chat every day. Not a day goes by. Yeah. So I feel very lucky to have this thing to share with you guys for sure. It is, yeah, it is an interesting thing where you just sort of have to,

I think you just have to have a commitment with each other or something without making it a chore, obviously. For sure. Well, one of my new year's resolutions was, well, the only one was I wanted to spend more time, put more effort in with seeing friends and things like that. And then COVID hit. And then for three months you wouldn't let us see anyone. I was like, God damn. I reckon that's a really good resolution for next year.

You know? Start fresh then. All right. I won't see anyone for the next six months. Funnily enough, the COVID thing has led to me catching up with some of these older schoolmates on Zoom or online. Catch out for a beer every few weeks when I would see them, you know, two, three, four times a year. So, yeah, it has been an interesting thing that it's opened up. um that idea or even just put it front of mind that it's important yeah yeah it's a tricky one

it's a hard one it depends on the scenario you're in and stuff like that as well but i think making an effort is important sending a message if if your friends aren't the kind who are reaching out maybe you just have to um get in contact and say hey you want to want to go catch up for a coffee or a beer or a meal or whatever yeah i mean there's some friends that you see more often than others but it doesn't mean that they're necessarily better friends. It can be a whole bunch of things. So, yeah, I think it's just making a bit of effort. You don't always have to wait for people to come to you.

I think one cool thing is just having traditions yearly or whatever. And a lot of people I see, like I go to a music festival every December and the group that we go with, it feels like we have seen each other. You know, weeks earlier, not a year earlier. You just, you know, it just means you're catching up every year and you're sort of saying contact, you got this thing to look forward to together. Yeah, stuff like that is good as well. Yeah.

But friendship, friendships are important. Sorry to go out on a limb there, but I really think they are. I'll back you on that. Thank you for being vulnerable in the space. Hey, Jess, you've encouraged me to be more vulnerable and I'm doing my bloody best. I felt almost emotional the other day. What? No, I definitely

Because then you didn't tell me I feel emotions That was a little joke A little joke I feel all the emotions I feel too many I've been told So that's fun All right

Well thank you for those wonderful questions They were very nice Great questions And then the other thing we like to do Is thank a few of our other patrons On the shoutout level Which Dave, do you remember which one that is? So the DB Cooper level is the one with the bonus episodes

And the one What you get a shout out It's called the Ars Prod A.k.a. The associate producer of the show. Ah, yes, fantastic. So what we do on this one, we shout out and thank a few of our long-term supporters And Jess normally comes up with a little game

Which I think you already mentioned earlier tonight Yeah, we either give them a patron saint. I think we say what they're the patron saint of. That's fun. That's cute, and that can be anything. Yeah, well, it sounds like it really can be. Lightning strikes and oversleeping. But not even lightning strikes, avoiding lightning strikes.

There'd be another saint who's the saint of lightning strikes. Yeah, when you want lightning, because you've got a glass blowing business, and you want lightning to hit the rods. I've learnt this exclusively from Sweet Home Alabama. The Lynette Skinhead song. Yes. You can learn a lot from music. I forget that verse where he goes,

Put in a blat and riles. Who wants to kick things off? I would if it is at all possible. Please. Well, I'd love to thank from the country of SE. Dave, would that be Sweden? I think it is. I looked it up, it is Sweden.

A few Swedish listeners, which is mind-blowing and very cool. Very cool. I love the Swedes. You know, all the things you've done for... Mankind. Dave, give us an example? Bjorn Borg. Bion Borg.

I was about to say, I mean humankind, but you did suggest Bjorn Borg, who was a man. So that checks out. Thank you. From Sweden, Vettom, in particular in Sweden, it's Nicholas Olifson. Oh, thank you, Nicholas.

Fantastic name. Fantastic. Ollifson. So Nicholas Olifson, Jess, is, of course, the patron saint. of good boys oh hey he's my man

you're my safe bad boys need not apply he's a patient save doesn't look after you no that's right he's not for me but I respect what he does and he does it well

for the good boys you know you can picture Niklaus Olofsen he's standing there Dave's on one shoulder with his little devil out outfit I'm on the other shoulder

with my Saints jumper Frankie Peckett's number on my back And I'm like, go on. You could put on a leather jacket with rips in the back. Go on. And you're like, oh, no. You should just wear a very plain jumper. It's sensible.

No, I'm like, you wear red, white and black. Number one on the back. Drink this dare-ass coffee. And he obviously ends up going my way because he is a saint. Hold on, Nicholas. You made the right choice. St. Nick. Thanks, St. Nick.

Thanks, St. Nick. A saint of good boys. Thank you so much. I'd also love to thank from Brighton in Great Britain, Nick Caves, where he lives, his hometown. Oh, yeah. Originally, obviously, being a Victorian where we are. So, you know, he's our connection from you to us. Tom Cameron.

Tom Cameron. On your Tom. Is the patron saint of two first names. Oh, wow. And two left feet. Which again represents me. Two left feet? Oh, I hope he doesn't get a dancing plague.

But he does. That's the thing. Oh no. Sorry, Tom. So he's a patron saint of two left feet. So people who can't dance pray to him. Is that what you mean? Sure.

And people with two first names. Yep. Of which they're... That leaves me split because I can dance. Oh, I know. But I do have two first names. Yeah, that's all right. You got three if you had James.

Oh, three first names. Don't want to be greedy. Yeah, that's another saint, that's another one. Paul was my confirmation name, so really I'm a four. Oh my God. And he was originally named Saul, so really five if you, anyway. Thank you so much, Tom. And Tom spells his name in the Tom Yorkshire with the H.

With the H. So maybe it's pronounced Thome, but I believe it is Tom Cameron. Thank you so much, Tom. With the beautiful, have you guys been to Brighton? It's got the beautiful sort of beach area with the Long Pier and the little carnival thing. I haven't been, actually. No, I haven't been, but I would like to. I've been to Brighton in Victoria.

It's meant to be a real cool city. Oh, yeah. Does that count? Yeah. What did you get a spray tan? Yes. And a latte. Be rich for a while.

Yes, I was rich. Hang out with Shane Warren. Oh, hung out with Shane Warren. Yes. For those who are non-Australians, it's a real new money suburb. Yeah. But actually, very rich people. It was not too far from where I grew up.

It was on the, it was a couple of suburbs and a highway away from me. That makes it sound so far away. It was quite a while. I know what you mean. There's a few suburbs and a freeway, and you've had to cross the border, and then... Did they build the highway to keep the poor people in?

Yeah, I'm not sure how it all work, but I think Marabin, where I grew up, was when my grandparents moved there, it was farmland. Oh, right. So I don't know how... And I think it was just based on the fact that Brighton's on the beach, that it becomes, you know,

it's the more expensive place. You got to say it right too. It's Broughton. Bratton. Yeah. No, good on Broughton. Anyway, can I thank some people as well? Yes, please.

I would love to thank from NC in the US. Is that North Carolina? North Carolina. Oh, yeah. Oh, I would love to thank. Before you do, I think North Carolina might actually be where Michael Jordan played his college basketball. and he wore his blue North Carolina basketball shorts under his red Chicago Bull shorts

through his record-breaking career in the Windy City, Chicago. And he actually changed basketball fashion because his shorts underneath meant that he needed his bull shots to be bigger. All other basketballs ended up wearing bigger shorts as well. And basketball short fashion was changed forever.

Can you believe it? They didn't even mention it in the last dance, which is ridiculous. Though people did send us screenshots of the famous blue shorts hanging up in the locker room. Yes. And we appreciate that. But anyway, I'm thanking Annabeth Larrabee. Anya Annabeth, who is the patron saint of flat bicycle tires. Oh!

As in not get, you don't want to get them? So you pray to her? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you get one, you again pray to her. She's not like cursing people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's who you go to and your time of need. Oh, that's great.

And also educating people about what to do. Oh, she'll actually appear with a puncture kit. Yeah, she's that good. She's so handy. It's a miracle. And a little bowl of water so you can put the tire in there and find the bubbling for where the little hole is. Wow.

She's good. So thank you very much, Anna Beth Larrabee, amazing name as well. And I'd also like to thank from just around the corner in Brunswick, Victoria, I would love to thank Dominic Stevenson. Oh, Dominic Stevenson. Thank you so much for your support. Now, Matt, Dominic Stevenson is, of course, the patron saint of staplers.

Oh, wow. Stepler. When you can't find one in the house and you need a stapler, you can pray to Saint Dominic. Or if you think you've got a staple and you can't get it out of an important. document that needs to be filed shortly. This is in a place that is still working with paper. No, there's still plenty of staples out there. I don't know how it came to my mind.

It was just something that just came into my thoughts somehow. Anya Dominic Stevenson. All right, well, from one Dom to another, could I please thank Dom Thompson? Dom Thompson from Harrogate in Great Britain He's the patron saint for haircut savings Is that people saving up for a haircut? What I meant it was someone recovering a haircut

But yeah, maybe it's both I had a haircut a few weeks ago for the first time In the two, three months, whatever it was And it was an English guy And I said, have you had a lot of, a few people come in that have had bad hair cut you've had to fix up and he goes oh lords like awesome lord lords well all right so uh i don't know if you sound like that in harrogate dom thompson but you have caused you do great work in the haircutting industry i was watching

new episodes of queer eye the other day with my friend and we started a drinking game where every time tan who is english said calls my love yeah my love I've watched a couple episodes on the sick bed this week and yeah that really stands out my love very patronising or is it? I don't think he'd meet

well he certainly doesn't mean it in a patronising way not to speak for tan but I watched the episode where they looked after father of the bride yeah he looked 20 years younger with just a haircut and a bit of a shave and new teeth

and new clothes yes and a new house And a new actor playing in. And a bit of plastic surgery. Anyway. Yeah. No, that was the kind of show. It was perfect down with the sickness kind of TV.

Oh, it's perfect TV. But I can't, I couldn't, I'd try to watch a second episode and it became, it was too much. Too much positivity or something. Too wholesome. Yeah. Anyway, Dave. I was overdosing. Bring it home.

Anyway, on your dom, Tom. Now, finally I'd like to thank all the way from. Lena Valley in Tasmania. Fantastic to have you on board. Elena or Elena Moors. Elena Moors. Thank you so much. Is the patron saint for schmores.

Oh. That's a schmorese. What are schmores? They're like the sandwiches with marshmallows? Yeah. Yeah, with a graham cracker, which I don't really know what that is, but people talk about that. Graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow.

Melted. Yeah. over a fire. I actually saw, I learned about those on an episode of Rick and Morty. I've been watching a lot of Netflix in bed this week. And, yeah, the dad, Jerry, he takes some camping, makes a s'more. What are they called? Smores.

Shmores. So when did you, is smores something you've grown up with? No, just her name's Mores. No, well, yeah, but is it something that you... No, I haven't at all. Just from TV. Yeah, that's just an American culture, pop culture thing. Let's just talk about, like, if there's like a campfire scene, they're always making Schmorge on, like, you know, South Park or Simpsons or something.

Yeah. Right. Yeah, I feel like I'd never heard of it before this week. So it's funny that it came up twice. Oh, there it is. I love when that happens. So Elena Moors, the patron saint of smorge. Is she from America? No, she's from Tazzy.

She'll be equally baffled. But that's what she's a saint of. That's right. She knows what she's got herself into. So thanks everyone that supports the show on Patreon, of course. Now, Matt, do we have anyone to be welcoming into the Trip Ditch Club this week, which while you're looking that up, I will explain, is people that have been supporting this show for three consecutive years,

so 36 consecutive months, not dropping off on the shout-out level, as a way to say a double thank you, a big, huge thank you for that. Tremendous support. Your name is written in Indelible Inc. Once you're in, you can't go out. It's a one-way vowel. I will be getting your names tattooed on my ass in future. In glittery gold.

In glittery gold. And they will not be coming off. Even when the podcast is over. But yeah, for these people, we like to welcome them into the Trip Ditch Club for their three years of support where they'll go up into the Hall of Fame. Be welcomed in to our exclusive club where we serve canapes. We have our guest artists drop by, singer, song or two. And do we have anyone to welcome this week, Matt? We do. We got a triptych of tripteathees this week.

Love this. Firstly, from Sale in Country, Victoria, it is Kieran Donahue. Kieran, welcome. Yes. We need an account in there, so it's good to have him in. You remember Kieran? Oh, I remember Kieran. You got to keep track of the numbers.

Jess is furious. He's the only accountant I'll allow. That's high price, Kieran. That is high praise. He actually almost changed your mind on accountants when we met him a few years ago. But not quite. Also, oh my goodness, one of my very, very best friends. I don't even know if I knew that I obviously probably did know that she is a patron.

Says from London, but she's since moved back to Australia. It's Edith Gordon. Edith. Hi, Edith. And thank you so much for supporting the show. and you didn't know that, man. That's amazing. For three years she supported the show.

I must have known that because we've shouted out to her 100 old episodes back. And we caught up with her in London. Did she come to the show or do we just see her after? No, I think that was the week she was moving back, I think. I think she moved home before we got to the live shows over there. Yeah, that's right, yeah. Yeah, wow. Awesome.

That's so cool. And another, I've met all these ones. What a great week of inductees. This next guest gave me as a present one of my favourite T-shirts that I wear all the time, the Hamilton Tiger Cats football shirt, from now living in,

a Canadian now living in North Melbourne, Australia. It's Tabitha Post. Tabitha! Woo! And we forgot to ask, what canopays are they serving, or drinks are you expecting this week? I'm so glad you asked Dave.

This week we've got Peach Bellini. Oh, fantastic. Whoa, what does that mean? It's some peach juice in some bubbles, basically. It means flavour sensation. Yeah. I should say I'm actually, people who are into cocktails, I'm doing a cocktail night for this group called,

they're called JT Management. They're doing, oh no, JT Productions, sorry. And maybe I'll get Jess to put a link in the show notes, but you can watch. watch a live stream where I'm getting taught how to make three different gin cocktails this Friday night and it should be a lot of fun I'm going into a cocktail bar in the city it's going to be the first bar I've been to in three months it's going to be exciting nice and you get to obviously taste the drinks I imagine yeah and I think they gave me a discount code I don't know how much tickets are I don't think

they're super expensive like 10 Australian dollars and there's a discount code Matt 50 which gets maybe even 50% off I'm not sure that So I think they're pretty cheap tickets, but if people are keen, yeah, I'll send the link for Just to put it in the show notes. Awesome. And there's also a great musical guest this week playing at the Tridgit Club. Oh, wow. Who is it? It's Barbara Streisand.

Oh, I thought it'd be Brad. Holy moly. I thought it was going to be Kenny Loggins from Footloose. But it's Barbara Straits. But she's playing the songs of Brad and Kenny Loggins. I booked these acts weeks in advance. I can't just change because we talked about bread. No, fair enough.

But we can change up the playlist. Okay. So I can request Babbs to... Babs will be doing the best of bread. Yes, absolutely. So Babs direct from Las Vegas. Thank you so much, Bab. She's going to say, sing, Baby, Amma wants you.

Which is, I'm going to leave the room when she plays that one, to be honest. Oh, I'm going to go straight to the front. But is she going to play Danger Zone and Footloose as well? Absolutely. How away to... the danger zone. Bam, bam. I love your Babs version.

That would be really good. And obviously she'll be playing some of her hits as well. So that's really exciting. Does that pretty much bring us to the end of this episode day? I think it does. We've done it, everyone. Well done. Thanks to everyone that does support the show on Patreon.

You are the wind beneath my wings. Is that Barbara Streisand? That's Mittler. Always confusing. Hey, is that it more impressive than Sophie Alice Bexter? Well done. Again, one of the biggest artists. of all time and one of her most famous song.

Name her first four albums. I bet they're called bet. Yeah, bound to be. You can bet on that. She would have had so many good comedy festival shows. Yeah, puns on her name. Betting it all on red. Because she's red hair.

Stuck in the middle of you. Oh, yeah. That's good stuff. She had one of the great cameos on The Simpsons too. Ah, fantastic. Along with Luke Perry. She's just fucking great. So good.

Anyway. Well, I think that really does bring us to the end of this week's episode. Please do check out our web series if you can on Stupid Old Channel. That's linked in the show notes as well, as is our website. Merch is still not available as yet, but it's going to be up and running again soon, I think. It's up. Yeah, it's up, actually. You can follow us at all the social media that do go on pod.

and just I guess the main thing is always remember no matter how dark the times are, we love you. I fully mean that. Except one of you. You will never know. I think I know she means. I'll say to my deathbed. Whisper it.

No, we do love you, very much. We love you all. And thank you so much for letting us do this. every week by tuning in, sharing the show. Just being you. Yeah.

Yeah. It's been a fucking weird year, I've got to say. It's been a weird one. This is the one constant, right? Yeah, that this year sucks. I'd say weird at best.

It's been fucked, really. Yeah. But, yeah, hopefully everyone's doing okay. We don't, and I think we, we almost, like, just decided not to really talk

too much about how everything's going on the show, I guess, because this is like an escape thing, but... Yeah, hopefully this can be a relief. I think everyone knows. Obviously, we are, yeah, we're right there in it, but... And I've had a few whiskeys now, so it's probably time to cut me off, to be honest. All right, team, well, thank you so much for listening. We'll be back next week with another episode.

You can bank on that. But until next time, I'll say thank you for listening. And goodbye. Later. Bye. This podcast is part of the Planet Broadcasting Network. Visit planetbroadcasting.com for more podcasts from our great mates. I mean, if you want, it's up to you.

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