Fela Kuti: Enter the Shrine
Radiolab hosts Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller welcome back Jad Abumrad, who explains how he became obsessed with Nigerian musician and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and turned that obsession into a 12-part podcast series called "Fela Kuti, Fear No Man." They play Chapter 3, "Enter the Shrine," which explores Fela's Lagos club the Shrine, the sensory and social atmosphere around it, and how the structure of his long, hypnotic songs leads listeners into a trance-like state that makes his political messages land deeply. The episode closes with a preview of the series' upcoming installment about Fela's mother and her own extraordinary, music-fueled activism.
Most Replayed Moment: Anxiety Is Just A Prediction! Rewrite Old Stories and Build Emotional Safety
The host and guest discuss the concept of the predictive brain, explaining that the brain is not primarily a reactive organ but a prediction engine that prepares actions and experiences based on past learning. Using concrete examples such as language processing, thirst, coffee habits, exercise, trauma, and phobias, they show how prediction shapes perception, emotion, and bodily regulation. They also explore cultural inheritance, meaning-making, identity, and practical ways to change entrenched patterns by creating new experiences and dosing oneself with prediction error.
Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language
Josh and Chuck discuss floriography, the elaborate language of flowers that was especially popular during the Victorian and Regency eras. They trace its roots to the Ottoman Empire, explain how specific flowers, colors, arrangements, and even how bouquets were held or accepted communicated complex coded messages. The hosts illustrate how this system was used in literature and courtship, highlighting both its nuance and its potential for confusion.
Short Stuff: "Peace" Pipes
The hosts discuss the misnomer of the term "peace pipe" and explain that many Native American cultures simply refer to them as pipes or ceremonial pipes used in a variety of solemn and communal contexts, not just peace treaties. They describe the geographic spread, cultural meanings, construction, and materials of these pipes, with special attention to sacred red pipestone from Pipestone National Monument and Lakota traditions around the Chinunpa. The episode closes by emphasizing that these practices are ongoing and remain sacred parts of contemporary Native cultures, as highlighted by a quote from Yankton Sioux tribal member Gabriel Drapeau.
Short Stuff: The Bell Witch
Josh and Chuck recount the 19th-century legend of the Bell Witch, a purported haunting of the Bell family in Adams, Tennessee. They describe the family's strange encounters, the escalation from eerie animals and noises to physical attacks and a talking witch, and the deaths and ruined relationships attributed to the entity. The hosts also cover theories about the witch's identity, the real historical records behind the people involved, and how the story lives on today as a local tourist attraction.
Short Stuff: Curse of Broken Mirrors
The hosts explore the superstition that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck and trace its roots through ancient Greek and Roman beliefs about reflections and souls. They discuss how mirrors evolved from reflective water and polished metal to glass, why mirrors came to be associated with the soul, and where the "seven years" idea may have originated. The episode also covers various folk remedies for broken-mirror bad luck, and other mirror- and glass-related superstitions surrounding death, demons, and marriage rituals, tying it all to the Halloween season.
Selects: How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement
The hosts revisit the history and cultural impact of the educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock, tracing its origins in a 1970s advertising agency, the role of jazz musician Bob Dorough, and the evolution of its themed seasons on math, grammar, civics, and science. They discuss standout songs, how the show balanced sophisticated music with kid-friendly concepts, its decline with the computer-focused Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips segments, and its 1990s revival and later stage and media adaptations, including tributes and critiques of its simplified historical narratives. In an added interview, Pavement's Bob Nastanovich describes how the band came to record a highly personalized version of "No More Kings" for the 1990s tribute album, and the episode closes with a listener letter about grief, nostalgia, and family memories tied to the show.