Strange Neighbor Studios

Episode 25: The Suicidal Heart

Content Warning: This podcast often uses explicit language and covers sensitive or distressing topics - suicide specifically is discussed in this episode. It is NSFW. Listener discretion is advised. Strangers, it sure is dark down here inside the studio this week. Join Ellsworth and Big Spoon as they delve deep into the science, spirituality, and high strangeness of organ transplants! Ellie and Riley recount the tale of one of the most infamous organ donation donations, where two men's lives are intertwined not just by a shared heart, but also by the same woman who stole it—romantically, of course. They explore the concept of cellular memory and its postulated effects on organ recipients, including the fascinating physical and psychological changes that may occur, like newfound preferences for the donor's favorite things. They also explore the idea of energy lingering in our bodies and tissues after death, and the mystical memoir of Claire Sylvia, an organ recipient who met her donor in her dreams. It’s so much deeper than that Strangers, so stay tuned! Ellie and Riley make a pit stop at Side Bar Hospital to discuss the Philip experiment where a parapsychology research society basically conjured a tulpa, haunted blood transfusions, how artificial intelligence (AI) is utterly terrifying, and theories on where modern medicine will take us next, leading to Ellie’s beautiful impression of a heart growing in a petri dish.  Check out episode sources, pictures, or any other goodies we may have found on our website. [https://www.devilsdirtstar.com/episodes/] This episode is sponsored by our incredible Patrons: Tasha, BJ, Brian, Brent, Katrina, Carol and Count Chocula. You Strangers warm our dark little hearts! Special thanks to our show sponsor, The Phantom Moon Collection. [https://thephantommooncollection.bigcartel.com/] Phantom Moon Collection is a small business jewelry brand started by our incredible friend, Natasha.  Each piece is handmade with love, inspired by her favorite books, horror stories, and her three kitties, Bellatrix, Pumpkin, and Eevee. Use code DIRTLINGS for 15% off your order! 988 - The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org/] Register to Become an Organ Donor [https://donatelife.net/] Reminder: We're hobbyists, not experts. Please approach the content of this episode with that in mind, we encourage you to do your own research. Remember, facts and statistics can be misinterpreted or misused. If you're an expert on a topic we cover, we welcome additional information or corrections via our contact form on our website. Happy listening!

Episode 24: A Few of My Favorite Things (Horror Movie Edition)

Content Warning: This podcast often uses explicit language and covers sensitive or distressing topics. It is NSFW. Listener discretion is advised. Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special pod update! Strangelings, Ellsworth and Big Spoon are ready to come out of stasis to go spelunking inside the studio and they’re taking you with them! Riley checks all the boxes off for the movies that terrified her as a kid: The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Pet Semetary (1989), and The Descent (2005) and details some fun facts and best quotes for the fellow Nerdlings out there. Ellie answers the distress signal by delivering every reason why you need to go watch Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), after you finish this episode of course. She ends on the more lighthearted edge of horror franchises with Ron Underwood’s Tremors (1990). Listen, if you love a good sand-worm, tentacles and Kevin Bacon, this movie is right up your alley! Ellie and Riley head off to an unexplored Side Bar Planetoid to discuss stealing someone’s identity via skin-suit, badass women in film, Hereditary because why not, and a Terrible Ellsworth Would You Rather? that will make your skin crawl. Also, apologies for the loud audio in advance, the laughter was a mic blaster this time around! Check out episode sources, pictures, or any other goodies we may have found on our website. [https://www.devilsdirtstar.com/episodes/episode-24-a-few-of-my-favorite-things-horror-movie-edition] This episode is sponsored by our amazing Patrons: Tasha, BJ, Brian, Brent, Katrina, Carol and Count Chocula. You Strangelings warm our dark little hearts! Special thanks to our show sponsor, The Phantom Moon Collection. [https://thephantommooncollection.bigcartel.com/] Phantom Moon Collection is a small business jewelry brand started by our incredible friend, Natasha.  Each piece is handmade with love, inspired by her favorite books, horror stories, and her three kitties, Bellatrix, Pumpkin, and Eevee. Use code DIRTLINGS for 15% off your order! Reminder: We're hobbyists, not experts. Please approach the content of this episode with that in mind, we encourage you to do your own research. Remember, facts and statistics can be misinterpreted or misused. If you're an expert on a topic we cover, we welcome additional information or corrections via our contact form on our website. Happy listening!

Episode 23: Aliens In My Garden!

Content Warning: This podcast often uses explicit language and covers sensitive or distressing topics. It is NSFW. Listener discretion is advised. Dirtlings, Ellsworth and Big Spoon are taking you down the Reddit Rabbit Hole to figure out what's going on with the viral aliens in your feed! Riley gives the down low on the Garden Alien predicament in Great Britain, a defunct curiosity shop and the little Nazca humanoids found in a Peruvian airport. Ellie dredged up some very concerning yet hilarious videos from a real life Scooby Doo crew who chased down a suspicious cargo vehicle and theories of what the government could actually be towing under the cover of darkness. Keep your eyes peeled out in Garden Grove California, Dirtlings… Ellie and Riley also get off the Exit to Side Bar City to discuss technical difficulties, how being a robot could cause an existential crisis and our pets wondering why their spare human deviated from routine…  How dare we! Check out episode sources, pictures, or any other goodies we may have found on our website. [https://www.devilsdirtstar.com/episodes/episode-23-aliens-in-my-garden] This episode is sponsored by our amazing Patrons: Tasha, BJ, Brian, Brent, Katrina, Carol and Count Chocula. You Dirtlings warm our dark little hearts! Special thanks to our show sponsor, The Phantom Moon Collection. [https://thephantommooncollection.bigcartel.com/] Phantom Moon Collection is a small business jewelry brand started by our incredible friend, Natasha.  Each piece is handmade with love, inspired by her favorite books, horror stories, and her three kitties, Bellatrix, Pumpkin, and Eevee. Reminder: We're hobbyists, not experts. Please approach the content of this episode with that in mind, we encourage you to do your own research. Remember, facts and statistics can be misinterpreted or misused. If you're an expert on a topic we cover, we welcome additional information or corrections via our contact form on our website. Happy listening!

Episode 22: Total Eclipse of the Star 2024

Content Warning: This podcast often uses explicit language and covers sensitive or distressing topics. It is NSFW. Listener discretion is advised. Dirtlings, guess who’s in the Path of Totality? Your friendly neighborhood hosts Ellsworth and Big Spoon!  That’s right, they are back after a break and ready to be swallowed up by the Dirtstar. Follow along as Riley recounts a disturbing yet beautiful encounter with shimmering spirit beings from r/NoSleep [https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/] on Reddit and a sprinkle of tales about people who ultimately succumbed to the effects of a solar eclipse (allegedly-ish).  Ellie spills the tea on internet driven conspiracy theories looming on TikTok, Old World religious beliefs that stood the test of time only to circle back to the modern era and of course Doomsday because come on Dirtlings, who can ignore all the synchronicities?  They also park on the edge of Side Bar highway (jk unless it’s an emergency!) to chat about their probably haunted or raccoon infested neighbors, Ellie’s fiery pet dragon Meatloaf, do plants actually scream and safety tips for your solar viewing pleasure that won’t make much sense now that the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024 is over. Better luck on August 12th, 2026! This one will be viewable from the Arctic, eastern Greenland, northern Spain and Iceland.  Tickets, please! Check out episode sources, pictures, or any other goodies we may have found on our website. [https://www.devilsdirtstar.com/episodes/episode-22-total-eclipse-of-the-star] This episode is sponsored by our amazing Patrons: Tasha, BJ, Brian, Brent, Katrina and Carol. You Dirtlings warm our dark little hearts! Special thanks to our show sponsor, The Phantom Moon Collection. [https://thephantommooncollection.bigcartel.com/] Phantom Moon Collection is a small business jewelry brand started by our incredible friend, Natasha.  Each piece is handmade with love, inspired by her favorite books, horror stories, and her three kitties, Bellatrix, Pumpkin, and Eevee. Use code DIRTLINGS for 15% off your order! Reminder: We're hobbyists, not experts. Please approach the content of this episode with that in mind, we encourage you to do your own research. Remember, facts and statistics can be misinterpreted or misused. If you're an expert on a topic we cover, we welcome additional information or corrections via our contact form on our website. Happy listening!

Episode 21: The Faust Lumberjack Slaughter

Content Warning: This podcast often uses explicit language and covers sensitive or distressing topics. It is NSFW. Listener discretion is advised. Dirtlings, Ellsworth and Big Spoon dug deep inside the Dirtstar and uncovered a local legend littered with unhinged side bars from one of the worst years ever, 2023. You are most welcome. Riley dives right into the tale of the Faust Lumberjack, a legend that has been haunting the Adirondacks for over a century. This story has all the genres and tropes we live for like a super isolated cabin in the woods, a loving family making a new life for themselves, a mysterious disappearance, an incredibly brutal axe murder situation and of course, a very messed up haunting as a result of restless spirits. What’s not to love? Ellie takes Riley off the beaten path and down to Side Bar Trail: they laugh over the infamously hot lumberjack on TikTok, tips for scrolling on that app for those late to the game, the Canadian Smog that was clouding up their town, Riley’s tonsil stones (smog related?), the wild stupidity of chickens, a widowed goose and Lucky Girl Syndrome. Give that last one a try; it’ll give you a good mental boost when silver linings are hard to find. Check out episode sources, pictures, or any other goodies we may have found on our website. [https://www.devilsdirtstar.com/episodes/episode-21-the-faust-lumberjack-slaughter] This episode is sponsored by our brilliant Patrons: Tasha, BJ, Brian, Brent, Katrina and Carol. You Dirtlings warm our dark little hearts! Special thanks to our show sponsor, The Phantom Moon Collection. [https://thephantommooncollection.bigcartel.com/] Phantom Moon Collection is a small business jewelry brand started by our incredible friend, Natasha.  Each piece is handmade with love, inspired by her favorite books, horror stories, and her three kitties, Bellatrix, Pumpkin, and Eevee. Use code DIRTLINGS for 15% off your order! Reminder: We're hobbyists, not experts. Please approach the content of this episode with that in mind, we encourage you to do your own research. Remember, facts and statistics can be misinterpreted or misused. If you're an expert on a topic we cover, we welcome additional information or corrections via our contact form on our website. Happy listening!