Flightless Bird

In this week’s Flightless Bird, we return to Nick from last year’s Parasocial Listener Episode. Nick had been diagnosed with a rare kind of brain tumor - rare in that you can remove it, but it keeps coming back. In today’s episode, Nick has taken a leap of faith and arrived in New Zealand, to eat meat pies, surf, and visit Hobbiton. We catch up with Nick as he meets some fellow Flightless Bird listeners, goes on some soaring adventures, and has a terrifying encounter in a cave. Links:Nick’s paragliding experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l8QYZW2v_INick’s band Pookie: https://www.instagram.com/pookietheband/ The Friendship Paddle: https://www.friendshippaddle.org/ Vote for our Webby: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/features/best-indie-podcastJoin us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Contact us with your feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Genevieve Schatz, singer-songwriter and former frontperson of Company of Thieves who now works as an intuitive clairvoyant. She explains clairvoyance, how she trains and protects her energy, and how psychic practice changed her songwriting. She recounts a pivotal park experience, shares global reading work, and performs three unreleased songs live.

R.L. Stine, prolific author behind Goosebumps and Fear Street, shares a mini bio as a bestselling children’s horror writer. Conversations touch on nostalgic Scholastic Book Fair memories and the iconic cover art. Stine recounts his accidental turn to teen horror, his prolific writing routine, and his new adult thriller. They also discuss why childhood fears remain timeless.

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David and Rob have Korean-American chef Roy Choi in the studio to talk food trucks. The creator of legendary Korean-Mexican taco truck “Kogi”, Roy talks about his influences growing up, launching a game-changing food truck, and what makes food trucks so important in America’s DNA.LINKS:Upcoming Flightless Bird live shows:3/29 in Salt Lake City at the Depot https://bit.ly/flightlessSLC 4/2 in Austin at Emo's https://bit.ly/flightlessATX 4/4 in Dallas at the Texas Theatre https://bit.ly/flightlessDFW Join us for bonus episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Contact us with your feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A deep dive into why train derailments and crossings keep injuring and killing people. Conversations about how crashes are reconstructed for court and the legal tactics railroads use. Examination of common causes like sightlines, vegetation, and systemic pressure on engineers. Discussion of technology fixes such as gates, lights, and positive train control.

Two former members describe strict rules around pledges, holidays and medical care. They recount intense meeting schedules, door-to-door proselytizing and pressure to perform. Personal stories cover health crises affected by no-blood policies and the long process of leaving. Reflections explore insularity, control tactics and rebuilding life after exit.

In this month's Nest Session, David and Rob are joined on the couch by The Format's Nate Ruess and Sam Means, who met as teenagers at a Weezer concert while Sam was running the band's fan club. The two reflect on what it was like growing up in the scorching sprawl of the Arizona desert, and Nate shares his uncanny claim of remembering the exact moment he was born. They bring along an iced peanut butter latte for David to get his head around, before discussing the current state of America and the exhausting sense that we've all been here before. The Format then perform The Bar Is Set So Low, Back to Life, and Depressed. Email us your feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.comJoin us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/flightlessbird You can find The Format here: https://www.theformat.com https://www.instagram.com/theformat/ The Bar Is Set So Low: https://theformat.bandcamp.com/track/the-bar-is-set-so-low Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David talks to someone who has schizophrenia. Christopher Grant talks about what it was like to grow up seeing the world a little differently than others, his growing struggles with mental health, and finally being diagnosed and treated. Chris now creates “schizophrenias simulation videos” which are watched by million of people. They are his attempt to let us see the world through the eyes of someone who sees and hears people, and entities, that aren't there. LINKS:This episode is based on original reporting from Webworm: https://www.webworm.co/schizophrenia/ Chris’ videos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xoradmagical Chris’ videos on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@xoradmagical More of Chris’ work: https://linktr.ee/xoradmagical Upcoming Flightless Bird live shows:3/29 in Salt Lake City at the Depot https://bit.ly/flightlessSLC 4/2 in Austin at Emo's https://bit.ly/flightlessATX 4/4 in Dallas at the Texas Theatre https://bit.ly/flightlessDFW Join us for bonus episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Contact us with your feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mara Wilson, actor and writer best known for Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, reflects on childhood fame and advocacy. She talks about set safety versus public harassment. She describes junkets, online abuse, boundary-setting with fans, lasting friendships from sets, and how institutions could better protect young performers.

A nostalgic deep dive into 90s Nickelodeon classics and quirky live-action hits. They revisit slime, surreal cartoons, summer camp comedy, and cult favorites like Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and Pete & Pete. Game shows, sketch comedy roots, and the pressures of child stardom also come up. A playful tour of what made that TV mix a cultural touchstone.