🌋🏹🐷This is it. The wag of all wags. The waggiest wag to ever wag. The final wag. But this one’s for you, Waggers—so we’re diving into the WagBag one last time.Schrödinger’s cat, Pompeii, volcanoes—oh my! We’re tackling everything from gulags to the greatest literary whodunit of all time: Did Shakespeare actually write his own plays? (Or was it, like, some guy named Francis?)And because no farewell would be complete without a little chaos, Paul and Stephen are getting their Nick Cage on—yes, it’s finally time to steal the Voynich Manuscript.Oh, and after this episode? You’ll never hear the word piggyback the same way again.Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 🌋🏹🐷=========WANT MORE STEPHEN?Check out his Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@GuideToUnusualKnowledgeAnd catch him as The Monster Guide on the Storyrabbit app. Download here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/storyrabbit/id6502330315Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🎞️🪖🤡The incredible Bill Hader drops by Office Hours to dig deep into film, philosophy, and all the weird stuff in between. He breaks down how Taxi Driver and The Thin Red Line made a mark on his psyche, why horror movies are masters at playing with tension, and how directors like Sam Fuller and Terrence Malick weave big existential questions into their work.  Bill and Stephen also dive into the murky morality of Barry, the blurred lines between good and evil, and why we’re all a little obsessed with antiheroes like Tony Soprano and the Joker. Bill opens up about his true crime fixation and how filmmakers like Kubrick and the Coen Brothers use dark humor to explore life’s chaos.  From cosmic horror to cinematic villains, this episode is packed with laughs, wild insights, and plenty of deep dives into why movies mess with our heads in the best way possible.Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Bill Hader is an actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. He rose to fame on Saturday Night Live and co-created and starred in the acclaimed, Emmy Award winning HBO series Barry. 🎞️🪖🤡=========Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

🐢🎸🌆Paul and Stephen’s Q&A at Harvard! Megaliths! French comics where Gauls endlessly pummel Romans. Paul’s unexpected relationship with the theremin. And the big question—should Paul and Stephen finally start their paranormal blues band? Theremin, guitar… what more do you need? Let us know in the comments if you’d give that album a listen. Plus, will today’s skyscrapers become the megaliths of the future? And stay tuned for a special treat—live from Sketchfest in San Francisco, Stephen sits down with Beth Lisick and Arline Klatz at the iconic Great American Music Hall for their fantastic Porchlight Storytelling Series. Stephen shares a pretty wild story that of course combines extreme sledding, the Great Wall of China, and male enhancement. You know the drill, Waggers!Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. 🐢🎸🌆=========Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the mysteries of monoliths as the hosts explore the enigma of Stonehenge, rumored aliens, and Druid theories. With humor and wit, they unravel Easter Island’s moai and the curious modern take on ancient practices. Expect discussions on Gobekli Tepe and its impact on historical narratives, alongside amusing personal anecdotes of ghostly encounters and haunting sites. The blend of historical intrigue and quirky cultural critiques makes this a whimsical exploration of our past's strangest relics.

🏴‍☠️🍔🥶Join Paul and Stephen for a double feature that kicks off with a dip into the Wag Bag! Dave writes in about the May Day Mystery, which somehow spirals into airtime pirates, the Max Headroom hijacking, the Ashtar Galactic Federation, and the meaning of this entire podcast (yes, we go there).Then, DEVO co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh crashes the party to talk time travel, AI, Neuralink, and—wait for it—cheeseburgers having sex. He spills on aliens, ghosts, and the time Timothy Leary casually mentioned his cryogenic freezing plans. Meanwhile, Stephen reveals his caveman preference for staying offline forever. The trio also tackles sensory deprivation tanks, tour bus naps, John Lilly chatting with dolphins, and even Dick Tracy. This is a weird one folks…Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art. Mark Mothersbaugh is an artist, composer, and co-founder of the influential rock group DEVO. His latest art book titled Apotropaic Beatnik Graffiti is a collection of neo-dada streams of conscious visual poetry.🏴‍☠️🍔🥶=========Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into a cosmic conversation where extraterrestrials meet philosophy! Discover how humanity’s views on aliens have evolved from threats to potential divine entities. Explore alien representation in literature and the scientific implications of advanced intelligence. Uncover mysterious sky beings in folklore and ancient art, including giant snake sculptures linked to alien encounters. Finally, ponder the absurdity of thinking aliens could be our modern gods. This thought-provoking discussion is truly out of this world!

🧜‍♂️👻👹Paul and Stephen hit Town Hall in Seattle for a wild audience Q&A. Paul’s crowned King of Neptune, a Brooklynite gets deep with hardcore Buddhist philosophy, and Bigfoot? He’s back—and Stephen’s sure he’s still out there, buried somewhere. Fans fire off questions about ghosts, cryptids, mermaids, and Guillermo del Toro… Later, Stephen drops a demon-hunting masterclass in Office Hours, featuring St. Anthony, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Heinrich Kramer, the Inquisitor.Buckle up, Waggers—this one’s a ride!Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award-winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.🧜‍♂️👻👹=========Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into the bizarre world of Pacific Northwest cryptids like Batsquatch, a winged menace near Mount Rainier, and the explosive Gumbaroo. Discover the spine-chilling legend of a dog-headed saint and the mysterious sea serpent, Caddy, lurking in Puget Sound. The discussion weaves humor and folklore, exploring how societal fears shape our view of these eerie entities. Laugh along as they recount real-life cryptid encounters, blending folklore with fascinating insights into human behavior and the supernatural.

🎆🎆🎆To ring in the New Year, we’re celebrating with a special encore featuring Natasha Lyonne, where the conversation takes a wonderfully strange and quantum-tinged turn. Paul and Stephen read a letter from a very interesting Wagger before they follow Natasha around her home, feed Rootbeer the dog, and uncover her unusual bedtime habit: falling asleep to quantum physics audiobooks. Hear why discipline and restraint and the structure of mathematics is grounding and leads to talk of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and Peter Sellers.Paul quotes French writer Gustave Flaubert and kills the vibe, and this is before he reveals his desire to try cat food. Natasha’s man of choice is a doomsday prepper and there’s a crisis in American masculinity (ask yourself men, can you fix a toilet?) Next they go deep into body horror films, and Natasha goes down a Google search rabbit hole about the movie Slither (not a Cronenberg picture). Existentialism is definitively defined (thanks Stephen!), Russian Doll is unpacked, along with Kierkegard, Ted Chiang, and Albert Camus. That’s a LOT - thanks Natasha! And have a happy New Year!Natasha Lyonne, an actress, writer, and producer, is best known for her roles in Poker Face, Orange Is the New Black and the acclaimed Russian Doll, which she co-created and stars in.Paul Giamatti is a Golden Globe award winning actor and producer. Stephen Asma is a professor and author specializing in the philosophy of science, religion, and art.🎆🎆🎆=========Make sure to follow us @chinwagpod 👉🏼 IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinwagpod/ Tik: https://www.tiktok.com/@chinwagpod Website: http://chinwagpod.fm YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chinwagpod Send your stories, Qs, or thoughts to 📧 questions [at] chinwagpod [dot] fm========= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Paul Rudd, the beloved actor known for his roles in Clueless and Ant-Man, as he shares laughs and fears with Paul Giamatti and Stephen Asma. They dive into childhood phobias, touching on hilariously awkward moments with clowns and bugs. Rudd recounts quirky Hollywood experiences, like his time in facial casts and encounters with wild animal actors, leading to humorous tales of performance anxiety. The trio reflects on the absurdity of fears and how their unique childhood adventures shaped their perspectives—perfectly blending laughter and nostalgia for the holidays!