Flightless Bird

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier starts to ponder his own mortality and why despite America spending more on healthcare than any other nation on earth - it’s only 59th on the life expectancy list. To find some answers, he heads to Loma Linda: population 9000, an average life expectancy 10 years longer than the average American. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, a new format that we will bust out occasionally called "American Gods." David, Monica, and Rob pick an American that's reached fever status. They share their initial thoughts, before going away for a week of research and "assignments" to do - gathering together again to share what they've learned. This week, we look at Taylor Swift - what we know, what we think we know, and what we definitely don't know! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's Flightless Bird, David Farrier talks to Terra Newell, who you may well know from the Dirty John podcast. We look at what makes the True Crime genre such a big deal, and some of the ethical questions it raises. David also shares his favourite 10 True Crime bits of media with Monica and Rob. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier looks at why so many Americans don’t take their shoes off indoors. A poll by CBS last year found “the majority of Americans don't ask their guests to remove their shoes when they come to visit, and this is particularly true of older Americans.” David wants to find out why, so meets with etiquette coach Elaine Swann, founder of The Swann School of Protocol. The pair talk about the correct thing to do with your shoes, before moving their attention to road etiquette, airplane etiquette, and Zoom etiquette in the USA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier still finds himself stranded back in New Zealand, waiting for his new Visa to be issued so he can make more American Flightless Birds. Cut off from America, he decides to do one of the most touristy things he can imagine: He sets off for Matamata and the tiny sleepy village of Hobbiton. Left over from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, he goes to meet Hobbiton general manager Shayne Forrest, who takes Farrier around the most incredibly detailed living film set he’s ever seen. Farrier discovers that Hobbiton has recently opened up a Hobbit house, so Farrier goes inside to experience it with an American man called Matt. Outside, Farrier is lucky enough to meet Pickles, Hobbiton’s one and only rescue cat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier finds himself stranded back in New Zealand, waiting for his new American Visa to be issued. He decides to investigate New Zealand’s most famous fruit - not the kiwifruit, but the feijoa. They’re an icon in New Zealand, put in everything from chocolate to vodka. Farrier then sets out to understand why the feijoa has never taken off in America - and is shocked to find an underground network of feijoa lovers throughout California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand the origins of Smokey Bear, an educational mascot who’s turned into the longest-running PSA in American history. Farrier then gets a tip that there is a real Smokey Bear, so travels to the sleepy town of Capitan, New Mexico. Farrier searches for Smokey’s alleged gravesite, meeting with park ranger “Max” to understand the secrets of Smokey, a bear that ended up with their own Zip Code. Along the way Farrier learns about another local legend, Billy the Kid - leading to the question: Who is the most famous local? Smokey Bear, or Billy the Kid? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand Costco, the giant membership warehouse club loved by millions of Americans, a store that now pulls in $64 billion in revenue each year. Farrier meets up with a friend of the show Andy, who takes David inside Costco for his first shopping trip. David is so impressed he signs up as a card-carrying Costco member, before returning with a former staff member to get the goss. Finally, Farrier talks to a staff member who’s been at Costco for a quarter of a century, meeting his wife at Costo, buying his engagement ring at Costco, and naming their dog after the iconic Costco brand, Kirkland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to the town of Roswell, New Mexico - home of the 1947 UFO crash that ignited the imagination of the entire planet. After visiting the Roswell UFO Museum, Farrier sets out to see what makes Roswell, well, Roswell. He meets up with artist Michael Beitz who runs the Meow Cat Sanctuary, before getting some Mexican food with local cowboy “Spider Dailey”, who fills Farrier in on the local military academy… and how to be an anarchist. He also goes to see Nancy Fleming who runs the Miniatures & Curious Collections Museum, and stops by Roswell’s UFO-themed McDonalds where he meets a man who’s had a close encounter of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand why Americans guzzle down over 10 billion donuts every year. He sets off with his friends Andrew and Lauren to sample some Californian donuts, before meeting up with Emily Taing. Tang is behind Pink Box Stories (@pinkboxstories) on Instagram and educates David about the origins of the donut’s famous pink boxes, and the importance of America’s mom-and-pop donuts stores. David then sets his sights on the big East Coast chain - Dunkin’ - meeting with their president Scott Murphy, and one of their franchisees Sue Andrade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices