Society & CultureDocumentaryComedyExplicit

Flightless Bird

David Farrier

Flightless Bird follows journalist David Farrier as he learns about what makes America special from his unique perspective as a Kiwi accidentally marooned in the Land of the Free. Infinitely curious but never judgmental, each week, David (along with cohost and American Rob) seeks to understand what makes America so unique, strange, and wonderful.

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28 episodes
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Avg 1 hr 9 min
English

Episodes 28

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Yesterday · 52 min
Nest Sessions: Medium Build on Being a Sperm Donor Kid
Rob and David are joined in the studio by Medium Build, AKA US singer songwriter Nicholas Carpenter. Medium Build have been incredibly busy over the last few years, touring heavily and playing festivals like Coachella, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. He’s here to talk about his career and music, but also what it was like to discover he was a sperm donor kid. He also performs a special acoustic set in the Nest Sessions studio, and shares an incredibly tasty American treat. You can find Medium Build here: https://www.instagram.com/mediumbuild/ https://www.mediumbuildmusic.com/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/3C6wmSgnZuqxVQyBWujBsn Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tuesday · 1 hr 14 min
Canada
In this week's Flightless Bird - still reeling in the fact Donald Trump just renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America, David decides to investigate the wonderful country of Canada, encountering bagged milk, clowns, and an American-Canadian hybrid baby. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 8 · 1 hr 6 min
Ranch
In this week's Flightless Bird, David investigates ranch dressing, one of America’s favourite things! Over 40% of Americans list ranch as their favourite dressing - and is particularly popular in the midwest. David sets out to meet one of LA’s biggest ranch enthusiasts, who takes David through his own private Ranchella: Tasting the best of the best and the worst of the worst. From Hidden Valley to Wish-Bone, McDonalds to Trader Joes. David eats all the ranch. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 1 · 1 hr 13 min
Timeshares
In this week's Flightless Bird, David investigates America's obsession with timeshares - going undercover at a timeshare sales session, where he feels his sanity slowly slipping away as the hours pass by. More on timeshares: https://www.go-koala.com/timeshare/resources/are-timeshares-scams Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 25 · 54 min
Wisconsin Dells
In this week's Flightless Bird, David heads to Wisconsin Dells, America's "waterpark capital" - discovering a chaotic holiday spot that's like Las Vegas for kids, all high on sugar and waterslides. He then turns his attention to the locals who have lived here all their lives, and the stories they have to tell. What does The Dells mean to them? Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 20 · 51 min
Nest Sessions: Armor for Sleep on Youth Invention Competitions
Ben Jorgensen of Armor for Sleep joins Rob & David for this month’s Nest Session, where he talks about the themes of their seminal work “What to Do When You Are Dead,” before sharing a truly unhinged American meal with David. Ben also talks about growing up in New Jersey and how involvement with school invention competitions changed his life, before sharing three acoustic cuts live in the studio. You can find Armor for Sleep & Ben Jorgensen here: https://www.instagram.com/benjorg/ https://www.instagram.com/armorforsleep/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/7eSbps3Uha3MMBNWhMYa2H Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 18 · 1 hr 12 min
Life After ICE
In this week’s episode, David travels to Wisconsin to meet up with Everlee Wihongi, the New Zealander kidnapped by ICE at LAX, released after 73 days in prison. She and her mother Betty reflect on what it was like the day she got out, and the people she left behind. Everlee’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-free-and-get-everlee-home Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: http://patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 11 · 57 min
Chili's
Rob takes David out to the iconic American chain Chilis to eat some baby back baby back baby back ribs. David discovers how the first ever Chilis was a post office on Greenville Avenue in Dallas that closed down in the 70s, reopening as a casual dining restaurant that eventually spread to over 1600 locations around the US. Rob shares the secrets of Chili's menu, and we hear from Flightless Bird listeners with their own Chili's tales. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 4 · 1 hr 46 min
YouTube for Kids
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David and Rob are joined by “Meekah,” AKA Kaitlin Becker - the much loved children educator known for her work with the likes of Blippi and Ms Rachel. She talks about how she got into this unique field, and about her place in the world of kid’s YouTube, entertainment and education in the United States. From screen time to Blippi’s Harlem Shake past - Flightless Bird gets into the weeds. Becker also talks about her exit from the world she had helped create: What went down, and how she views her time in retrospect. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 28 · 1 hr 39 min
Live in Dallas: Colossal Labs, Rosabel, & the JFK Assassination
This week’s Flightless Bird comes to you live from Dallas, Texas, where David and Rob explore the city and interview a range of guests to dig deeper into what Dallas is all about! On the couch is Stefano Daza Arango from Colossal, to talk about their quest to bring the wooly mammoth and moa back from extinction, along with JFK researcher Robin Brown (who you may remember from Netflix’s Dark Tourist). There’s also a live music set by Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit, and holy heck we missed the headline: ROSABEL JOINS US LIVE ON STAGE! Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 21 · 1 hr 4 min
Kratom & 7-OH
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David and Rob look into the proliferation of gas station drugs like kratom and the more powerful 7-OH. What are these drugs, who is using them, and why? And how are these opioid substitutes even allowed? David talks to Pat Aussem from “Partnership To End Addiction" to find out more, before meeting a man who is heavily addicted to 7-OH, who breaks down what it’s like, and how hard it is to get off them. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 14 · 1 hr 41 min
Video Games with Rahul Kohli
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David and Rob are joined on the couch by actor Rahul Kohli. Originally from London, Rahul moved to LA where he ended up being cast in some of David’s favourite shows including iZombie and Netflix’s Midnight Mass. But what really caught our attention recently is that Rahul is starring in a massive Playstation videogame. Rahul is an avid gamer - so this was his dream come true. But as Rob and David discover, the job came with a darker side as well. Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 7 · 1 hr 2 min
New York Trash
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David looks into the state of trash in the USA, through the eyes of a New Yorker who’s made it her mission to clean up all the trash on the Brooklyn bridge. New Yorkers produce more than 14 million tons of waste every year, with 44 million pounds of trash flung onto the curb every day. Begging the question: What’s it like in the rest of the country? Join us for bonus Flightless Bird episodes on Patreon: patreon.com/flightlessbird Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 2 · 56 min
Nest Sessions: Matthew Logan Vasquez on Botched Vasectomies
In this month’s Nest Session, David and Rob sit down with musician Matthew Logan Vasquez, best-known as the co-founder and frontman for Delta Spirit. Vasquez has a rich history with Flightless Bird, scoring the early episodes and opening up a few of their live shows! Vasquez tells Rob and David about his run-ins with the US healthcare system while he navigated a botched vasectomy. When all the genital talk is out of the way, he plays some beautiful tunes in the Flightless Bird studio. You can find Matthew Logan Vasquez here: http://www.matthewloganvasquez.com/ https://www.instagram.com/matthewloganvasquez/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ndN8LWSsLWQqbWVJD8miG?si=_qQ2Ad_aQ8G660MtJ-pQCQ https://open.spotify.com/artist/1xVWSPiw5B0OduIC0DSu3V?si=LrEk3-1dRvegecvHZfZ7mA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 30 · 1 hr 28 min
Live in Austin: Bats, Lizardman, Rosabel, & The Yogurt Shop Murders
This week’s Flightless Bird comes to you live from Austin, where David and Rob explore the city before interviewing a range of guests to dig deeper into what Austin, TX is all about! They meet Merlin Tuttle, the legend responsible for the bats under the bridge, and who helped change Austin’s (and America’s) perception of this misunderstood animal. They’re also joined by Erik Sprague AKA the Lizardman - best known for his body modification, including his sharpened teeth, full-body tattoo of green scales, bifurcated tongue, subdermal implants and green-inked lips. If that’s not enough, criminologist Kim Rossmo delves into the Rainey Street Ripper and "The Yogurt Shop Murders" to try and understand the difference between a real serial killer and a myth - and to top it all of, Rosabel appears - thanks to Webworm’s Patreon members! Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 23 · 1 hr 13 min
The OC with Rachel Bilson
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David and Rob have the pleasure of being joined on the couch by actor Rachel Bilson, to talk about the American juggernaut of pop-culture: The OC. Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 16 · 1 hr 2 min
Boy Throb
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David travels to New York to the debut live show of America’s newest boyband, Boy Throb. Formed in October of last year, the three American members of Boy Throb are attempting to get an 01 visa for their fourth member Darshan, who’s in India. Begging the question: What is Boy Throb, exactly? David attends a packed Bowery Ballroom show in an attempt to find out. Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 9 · 54 min
Titanic Panic
In this week’s Flightless Bird, David looks into a small but dedicated group of Americans who are still obsessed with the (alleged) sinking of the Titanic. They find it terrifying, they find it moving, they find it all quite hard to believe. In fact - did the Titanic even sink, or was it the sister ship, the Olympic? Farrier wants to understand why this tragedy is still felt so strongly, so many years on. Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Watch on Spotify. Spotify subscribers get fewer ads on our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 4 · 1 hr 1 min
Nest Sessions: Tim Kasher on Game Shows
In this month’s Nest Session, David and Rob sit down with Tim Kasher, the frontman of Cursive. Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, Tim and his wife are borderline obsessed with American gameshows. Not only have they both appeared on major gameshows, Tim also hosts his own! Tim shares his insights into gameshow culture, before playing some stripped back songs in the Flightless Bird studio. You can find Tim Kasher here: https://www.instagram.com/timkasher/ https://www.instagram.com/cursivetheband/ Sponges of Experience: https://bornlosersrecords.com/products/tim-kashers-home-phone-sponges-of-experience-cd?variant=50060118294721 Musical Puke: https://linktr.ee/musical.puke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 2 · 1 hr 5 min
Lifespring Cult
In this week’s episode of Flightless Bird, David looks into the bonkers world of the Human Potential Movement and Large Group Awareness Training - viewed through the lens of a child whose mother got sucked into the Lifespring cult in the 80s. Founded in 1974 by three people, Lifespring members found out that it was incredibly hard to leave, as their brains were systematically broken down and dismantled piece by piece. What can we learn from Lifespring, and is this kind of movement still an issue in 2016? Feedback: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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