This Is Going Well, I Think with David Cooper

Political science professor Dr. Lee Kuhnle, a conspiracy theory expert extraordinaire, joins the show for banter and a discussion about the ludicrous images of "aliens" emerging from Mexico. Lee shares that NASA has recently announced the strongest evidence to date suggesting the possibility of life existing on a distant planet. (You can hear more of Dr. Kuhnle discussing conspiracy theories on The Uncover Up Conspiracy Cast, which he cohosts with Nathan Radke.)

Today, David bores Tony Five (and everyone listening) by talking about his week – surprise, surprise: it involves computers. Tony brings a discussion of the headlines surrounding Russell Brand to the show. The conversation moves to crime and why Brits wear ridiculous wigs in court. David and Tony ponder the legal difference between "being charged" vs. "being indicted" in the court system. David looks up the definition of the word "pestilence." Tony opens up about what success means to him and why he misses having a steady live radio gig.

Finally, someone has undertaken the important task of studying "blue balls!" Does it genuinely exist? Is it experienced by folks with penises and vaginas alike? What troubling outcomes were observed during the study of this subject? Professor of Psychology from Queen's University, Caroline Pukall, joins the podcast to discuss her research.

Here's an interview from the archive with David and Jemima Packington, the Asparamancer (an asparagus psychic). How does asparagus being out of season affect her powers? Why was she chosen by the mysterious forces of asparagus? Is she the only known vegetable psychic? How does it all work - and, more importantly, does she eat the asparagus after her predictions? After that, a mystical asparagus twofer: a previously unreleased interview with Tony Five and Jemima.

The show's foreign correspondent, Tony Five, drops in from London, England. David and Tony reunite after not speaking for over a month. Surprise, surprise, David continues to ramble on about the Burning Man festival. David tries to convince Tony Five why he should attend, selling the awesome power of "playing dress-up" at the event. They discuss a place you can visit at Burning Man called the Orgy Dome. (Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like.)

During the rain event that caused the shutdown of the Burning Man festival, which made international headlines, David worked on the radio for the city's radio station, BMIR. A highbrow literary magazine published a profile about listening to the station during the rain, which referenced an inappropriate on-air phone call with David's mother, Clara, during which they discussed sex toys. Here's that phone call!