Draft:Is This A Ghost?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Is This a Ghost? (sometimes abbreviated as ITAG) is a weekly paranormal comedy podcast produced and distributed by Smithshow Media.[1] and hosted by author Clayton Smith[2] and Patrick Dean. Each week, Clayton researches and shares a supposedly real ghost story, and Patrick reacts as a comedic skeptic. The stories tend to have significant historical context, and they are designed to appeal to ghost enthusiasts, comedy fans, and history buffs alike.

Reception[edit]

In 2022, its inaugural year, ITAG was named a Top 20% Most Followed Podcast by Spotify. The show is particularly popular in the United States and the United Kingdom.

List of episodes[edit]

Number Episode Name Release Date Run Time Description
1 The Ghost of Deer Island 06/08/22 00:33:24 Sure, it’s a headless skeleton hell-bent on dropping loose change, but is it a ghost? For the very first episode of this groundbreaking new podcast, Clayton Smith and Patrick Dean explore the true, mysterious story of the ghost of Mississippi’s Deer Island.

Come for the ghost, stay for the pirate internships and the finer points of pig biology.

2 Sloss Furnaces 6/15/2022 00:42:10 Bump on down to Birmingham-town, as the kids say, and learn all about the horrible haunting of Sloss Furnaces, where the ghosts are exhausted and the murderer is capitalism. Subjects include: Patrick’s weird voice, that melting scene in Terminator 2, and the three names people are allowed to have.

Come for the jokes, stay for the sound of Clayton’s noisy basement ghost at the 04:12 mark.

3 Turnbull Canyon 6/22/2022 00:18:36 Not all ghosts can be not related to early 20th-century insane asylums. So here’s one that is! California’s Turnbull Canyon has quite a few ghost stories to tell, and it’s high time we told one. This story is a short lil guy, so we’re calling it a ghostie, which is a super-cute word, but don’t worry, there are still plenty of jokes and chicanery.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the time we got trapped in Laurel Canyon, a lovely trip down Return to Oz lane, and Patrick’s disdain for teenage Angelenos.

4 Zombie Road 6/29/2022 00:38:13 Deep in the suburban land of Lululemon and labradoodles lies the lonesome and loathesome Zombie Road. Are there zombies there? No. Is it a road? Not really. Are there ghosts? Oh, my, yes. Join us, won’t you? As we go for a stroll down eastern Missouri’s most haunted road.
5 Resurrection Mary 7/6/2022 00:29:53 Sure, you’ve heard of hitchhikers, but have you heard of hitchhiker ghosts?! Oh, you have? Well, aren’t you something. Anyway, join us for a little jaunt up to Chicagoland for the story of Resurrection Mary, one of the most famous American hitchhiker ghosts on record.

Come for the ghost, stay for the pre-polio lovin’, dumb suburb names, and, for some reason, butt injections. We’ll also finally answer the question, “Wait, you think crocodiles lurk?”

6 The Bell Witch 7/13/2022 1:01:47 Just try to think of a better name for a ghost than “the Bell Witch.” You can’t do it. Don’t even try. Forget what I said earlier, do not even try. The spirit that haunted John Bell and his family back in the early 1800s is a classic American ghost, absolutely chock-a-block with piss and vinegar. She also hangs out in a cave, which is pretty dope.

Come for the terrifying tale of the witch; stay for the questionable way doctors tested the lethality of poisons in the 19th Century. The only thing scarier than this week’s story of the Bell Witch is Patrick’s hernia issues, about which he goes into surprising detail for reasons that are, as of yet, unknown.

7 The Gray Man 7/20/2022 00:17:38 Out on the coastal edge of the Carolinas, there is a gray, gloomy ghost who is either a deadly harbinger of doom or a really nice meteorologist.

Come for the ghost; stay for storied marshes, Jimmy Deathmud, intimate horse love, and I don’t think horses can be ghosts.

8 The Greenbriar Ghost 7/27/2022 00:34:36 It’s hard to focus on the ghost story when the main character’s name is Zona. It’s just such a cool name. Find a cooler name for a ghost than Zona, we dare you. Eeent, buzzer sound, wrong, you couldn’t. Anyway, her name was as cool as her death was garbage, so that’s the downside of this whole thing. We can’t say much more, because we don’t want to give it away. This is a true crime podcast, okay, and every listener is now a legally-deputized officer of the law. (Sorry.) This is the story of the Greenbriar Ghost.

Come for the ghost, stay for the extra-planky whiskey, the sex appeal of blacksmiths, and the only four possible causes of death.

9 The Skull-Faced Bishop 8/3/2022 1:04:34 Everyone knows America invented ghosts, but what you may not know is that Canada has one too! This week, we’re exploring our first international ghost, Bishop Charles Seghers of Vancouver Island, who set out to spread the Good Word, then somehow lost his face. It’s a real cautionary tale about evangelism. This is the story of The Skull-Faced Bishop.

Come for the ghost, stay for the good golden lump rocks, the surprising difference between soup and bones, and actual audio of an actual spittake when this whole episode goes completely off the rails.

10 The Hunt-Phelan House 8/10/2022 00:44:35 Ah, Memphis. Famous for its blues, its martialized ducks, and its escape-hatch-house gold-burying dead-haunts. You know the ones I mean. This week, we explore the strange history and the confounding truth of the ghost of the Hunt-Phelan house in Memphis, Tennessee.

Come for the ghost, stay for the finer points of land surveyoring, stupid shit they did in the 1800s, the surprising mobility of yellow fever, and the absolute blight of the pee-troughs in Wrigley Field.

11 The Union Screaming House 8/17/2022 1:11:39 Sure, your house may have broadband and a pretty sweet ice maker, but does it scream? Probably not. But don’t worry, there’s a house out there that does scream so your house doesn’t have to. Behold! The Union Screaming House, a severely haunted house in Union, Missouri, about five miles from where Clayton grew up. And he’s fine! So you will be too. This is the Union Screaming House.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Old Enough anxiety, schools that teach that deer are people, some shots Patrick fires at Thomas Kinkade, and ghost doggies, who are all very good boys.

12 The One-Handed Ghost of Flatbush 8/24/2022 00:27:37 Not all ghosts have a good reason to walk through your walls every night, but this one is definitely an exception. I don’t care who you are, if you find a dead ghost’s hand in your basement, you need to apologize and give that hand right back. Until then, you deserve every ounce of haunting you get, I don’t care if you are from Brooklyn. This is the One-Handed Ghost of Flatbush.

Come for the ghost, stay for the pretzel slurry, the etymology of longshoremen, the three ways Patrick would recommend committing murder, and why you should never throw away a hand.

14 Chloe 8/31/2022 00:36:51 There are many ghosts at the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana, and we are legally obligated to tell you that this is one of them. Chloe had a bad life and a bad death, but at least the scene of her horrible murder is now a really swell B&B! Plus, she’s a shadow ghost now, so that’s gotta keep her life interesting. This is the story of Chloe.

Come for the ghost, stay for “Misery Loves Ghostany,” the weight of cows, the magical fructose-1-6-diphosphate tree, and Foghorn Leghorn’s shadow density procedure.

15 The Black Monk of Pontefract 9/7/2022 1:14:54 Join us for a jaunt over to merry olde England, to the quaint little town of Pentrefact-. Pontryfact. Pontefricht. Ponte—god, we’re never going to get it right. But there’s a ghost there, and a lot of people call him the most violent ghost that’s ever been documented, which seems like a lie, because it’s not like anyone died. OR DID THEY? Listen to find out! (They didn’t.) This is the Black Monk of Pontefract.

Come for the ghost, stay for really great British accents, Patrick’s desire to squeeze Snack Packs directly into his mouth, the undeniable legacy of Drop Dead Fred, and the most Mary Poppinsish show we’ve ever done.

16 Bunghole Liquors 9/14/2022 00:47:30 Yeah, you read that right. It’s time to talk about Bunghole Liquors, home to a handful of ghosts and, we assume, a pretty lucrative t-shirt racket. Some podcasts take you to Salem for the witches; we take you to Salem for the shadowy underside. This is the story of Bunghole Liquors.

Come for the ghosts, stay for ghost cats, the absolute cartoonization of tragedy, and Patrick’s foolproof plan to test whether or not someone is dead.

17 The Sallie House 9/21/2022 00:28:00 Kansas has pretty solid corn, and oh man, such good cows. But did you know it also has…GHOSTS?! *dramatic piano notes* It’s true! One of those ghosts resides in the Sallie House, and honestly, that ghost does not like you if you have a Y chromosome. Which, like, we get. You know? This is the story of the Sallie House.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Forest of Friendship, the ol’ Kansas re-fresh, the perks of potty training in a surgery-ghost world, the perils of Dr. Horrible cosplay, and the wonder of power-lifting, super-jacked ghosts.

18 The Haunted Liu Mansion 9/28/2022 00:31:20 Pack your bags, we’re going to Taiwan! The Liu mansion is a classic haunted house. And if it’s too scary for you, you can just chill in the ghost-themed diner next door while your big, brave friends get shot by Japanese soldier-ghosts in the mansion. This is the story of the Haunted Liu Mansion.

Come for the ghost, stay for the the spectral cock-blocks, the proper orientation for jumping down a well, Clayton’s three and only three friends, and the loud desperation of Patrick’s cat.

19 The Ackley House 10/5/2022 00:37:49 There’s a beautiful house in quasi-upstate Nyack, New York, where the views are stunning, the men are terrified, and the ghosts are legally protected, thanks to one haunted-heart judge who just loved Ivan Reitman. The Ackley house was the first legally haunted house in the United States, and you can literally hit Sleepy Hollow with a rock thrown from the house’s back porch, so you just know that’s a ruling that tears New York in twain. This is the story of the Ackley House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the historical impact of the Marshmallow Man, what not to do when selling a house, the finer points of Reader’s Digest, using ghosts as alarm clocks, and Patrick’s crusade against God-given ghost rights.

20 The Winchester Mystery House 10/12/2022 1:23:11 With great wealth comes great responsibility, and we’re the first people in history to ever mean that. But like, what would you do if your family’s handiwork caused the misery of millions, and led Americans to win the American West, and made you so rich you could drive a brand new Hyundai into the river every single day for the rest of your life? You’d probably become a philanthropist, right? HAHAHAHA us neither. Let’s build a tomb. This is the story of the Winchester Mystery House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the billionaire ley lines, Ouija board bikini bottoms, Sarahs junior, the Is This a Ghost? Fortnite multiverse, and thirteen haunted Sophia Cupolas.

21 The Ghosts of Flight 401 10/19/22 00:55:53 Sure, sex is great, but have you ever had the ghost of an airline pilot jump out at you from the overhead bin when you check on your luggage at 30,000 feet, midway to your uber-normie family vacation? It is transcendent. We will not be taking questions. This is the story of Flight 401.

Come for the ghosts, stay for two double-dog-dare first-class priests, the Spanish-teacher sweatshirt monster, the one tiny issue with early autopilot, hamster-tube airplane pipes, Quantum Leap in a failing cockpit, and Patrick’s unfirm grasp on holiday dates.

22 The Whaley House (Halloween Spooktacular) 10/26/2022 1:05:42 It’s Halloweentime, and we wanted to give you a treat. Or I guess it’s really more of a trick. Well it’s a trick that’s sort of a treat, and it’s this: Patrick is dressing up as Clayton for this Halloween episode, and he’s the one telling the ghost story this time. That’s right, he’s gunning for the big chair, and all Clayton can say is, IF YOU COME AT THE KING, YOU BEST NOT MISS. This is the story of The Whaley House, one of the most haunted houses in America.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the hotel-by-the-hour memories, the most disappointing way to spell “pie,” a cross-examination of Tom Greene’s existence, dowsing for ghost water, Plato’s EMF reader, and high school Clayton’s struggle to find women’s clothing for tall boys.

23 The Skirvin Hotel 11/2/2022 1:01:10 The best thing about Oklahoma is that ghosts don’t like it anymore than you do. Clayton had to plumb the depths of human experience to find a worthwhile ghost story from the The Sooner-Die-Than-Live-Here State, but with the hard work and grit that’s always been a hallmark of this podcast, he managed. Oh, also, you’ll learn this toward the end, but we’re an ESPN podcast now. This is the story of the haunted Skirvin Hotel.

Come for the ghost, stay for the absolute disappointment of Oklahoma, America, the big, cool graveyard of Rip Rowser Bill, the respectful behavior of oilmen throughout history, and Ron Artest, professional ghost lawyer.

24 Mary Howe 11/9/2022 00:32:48 Did you know Maine is more than just a hotbed of fictional horrors? We’re coming for you, Stephen King. The Pine Tree State is also home to at least one maybe-dead maybe-ghost, and we honor her today on Is This a Ghost? (The answer is…maybe?) This is the story of Mary Howe.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Hippocratic Oath for gravediggers, the transcendentalism of Batman, the right temperature for not-dead hot stones, horse-drawn busses of 1882, the perfect month for pizza, and Glidden: The “Nick” of the 19th century.

25 The Ghosts of South Manitou Island 11/16/2022 1:13:49 Don’t get too excited. South Manitou is an island, yeah, but only in the literal sense. There’s not a single palm tree, and honestly? It’s no wonder everyone there is a ghost. This is the story of the many ghosts of South Manitou Island.

Come for the ghosts, stay for Patrick’s cat’s fat, fat body, the disappearing nuisance of glaciers, the Han Solos of 19th century shipping routes, Death Race 2000 but on steamships, and boy, cholera, huh?

26 The Lady in Black of Georges Island 11/23/2022 1:05:20 There are lots of ladies who wear lots of colors, and Melanie Lanier was one of them. Known now as The Lady in Black, Melanie is part newlywed, part pirate, and all ghost; She also would have been a super-inspirational folkhero that we’d celebrate the heck out of if she hadn’t been so squarely on the side of the Confederacy. Ah, well. This is the story of The Lady in Black of Georges Island.

Come for the ghost, stay for the endless power of furious Georges, being quiet quitted by our sponsor, some islands being in the water, Australia, but for people named George, cannons: the surface-to-air missiles of the 19th century, and why Patrick’s family won’t pee in the yard.

27 Wolfsegg Castle 11/30/2022 1:01:36 Deep in the forests of Bavaria lurks an evil presence that feeds on innocent children by luring them in with the promise of gingerbread and candy. This is not that story. It is really something quite different. This is the story of Wolfsegg Castle.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the sexual potency of the Hammermuehle in Heitzenhofen, Patrick’s secret for pronouncing German names, people in the 16th century hanging on by a thread, a Google maps exploration of the German hellmouth, and the good, sexy ghosts of PornHub-dot-com.

28 Abraham Lincoln, The White House Ghost 12/7/2022 1:27:25 Look, I’ll just say it: We’re not experts in history, but we are experts in ghostology, and the hard truth is, Honest Abe is honestly a ghost. That may be hard for you to hear, because all the ghosts and all the seances and all the spirit photography somehow got scrubbed from the Daniel Day-Lewis flick, because Hollywood is run by lizard people, but listen. There is a ghost in the White House, and his name is A-boo-ham Lincoln. This is the story of Abraham Lincoln, the White House ghost.

Come for the haunting, stay for the extraordinary practice of river law, Patrick’s insistence that Abe Lincoln is a buck-naked ghost, “deer” being a confusing reason for death, milk sickness being a product of witch, and the raw, sexual musk of President Abraham Lincoln.

29 Robert the Doll 12/14/2022 00:55:14 There’s no sugar-coating this one. It’s a haunted doll. This is a haunted doll episode. It’s about a super-scary doll that’s super-super haunted. We don’t know how else to say it. We’re in haunted doll territory. You’ve been warned. This is the story of Robert the Doll.

Come for the ghost, stay for the rebrand of bears, killing the head doll, the tricks grandpas play, bad parents making bad ghosts, scrolling until you throw up in your mouth, and the absolute bummer of having a four-year-old ventriloquism savant.

30 Molly Crenshaw, the Missouri Witch 12/21/2022 00:50:10 This episode is about a ghost, we promise. You’re going to have to wade through a surprising amount of conversation about Thomas Kinkade and fish screws, but it’s all worth it in the end. If you’re into vengeful witch-ghosts. This is the story of Molly Crenshaw, the Missouri Witch.

Come for the ghost, stay for more lies than usual, an undead guy, but not in the way that you think, gorgeous Beast pecs and the pastoral X-Men, the storied Missouri liberalism of the 1800s, and an exhaustive look at crop rotation, for some reason?

31 Captain Tony’s Saloon 12/28/2022 00:59:02 Welcome to Florida, where men swallow grenades, babies fight gators, and a mouse makes more money than anyone. And every Florida Man must eventually becomes a Florida Ghost, and a whole heck of a lot of them live at this one bar in Key West. This is the story of Captain Tony’s Saloon.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the evil child geniuses, all-clown brothels, holy water Quikrete, dead-box box covers, a lil bit o’ Clooney, and an unfortunate tale of drugs gone wrong.

32 The Ghost Ship Lady Lovibond 1/4/2023 00:59:32 One if by land, two if by sea, three if by haunted ocean. DING, DING, DING! Three bells, friends, because today we’re heading out onto the open sea for a wonderful tale of a destination honeymoon for old-timey sailors gone wrong. This is the story of the Lady Lovibond.

Come for the ghosts, stay for stripper poles but made of wood, the complicated Uber drivers of the internet, the multiple masts in hipster cocktails, Kirk Hinrich’s last game, nautical source material for Camp Crystal Lake, and how to get rich on vomit.

33 Gunna The Icelandic Witch-Ghost 1/11/2023 00:58:11 Not all ghosts were just regular yo-yo’s in their former lives. Some ghosts used to be honest-to-goodness witches. You can tell by whether or not they owned a pot. If there’s one thing witches do, it’s have pots. Especially in Iceland. This is the story of Gunna the Icelandic Witch-Ghost.

Come for the ghost, stay for an absolute butchering of Icelandic pronunciation, the famous Pinckney bend, burying Icelandic Yoda, Paul Hollywood’s eyes, which are a glamour, for he is a witch, how to fight a ghost, the best murder weapon (Icicle v. Sharp Stick), and a brand new game called, “Person or House Cat?” Plus, stay after the show for a particularly stupid outtake.

34 The Ancient Ram Inn 1/18/2023 1:09:50 Most super-old buildings are still standing because they’re made of strong stuff, like stone and the spit of a scorned witch. But the Ancient Ram Inn is an absolute wonder, because it’s still standing after almost 900 years, and it’s basically made of stucco and ghosts. Oh also, it’s English, so it has horrible teeth. This is the story of The Ancient Ram Inn.

Come for the ghosts, stay for Double Wet January, automatic homemade wood cutting ghost-makers, the algebraic formula for ghosts, the dumb etymology of ley lines, haunted house cheat codes, and choose-your-own flag dragons.

35 The Brattleboro Retreat 1/25/2023 1:04:29 In the picturesque woods of Vermont, there is a very tall tower with a very low wall, and the only potential problem with it is that it lives on the grounds of a 200-year-old mental institution, which, we have to say, was an extremely bold choice. This is the story of The Brattleboro Retreat.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the body paint apologies, genteel terms of art for electroshock therapy, many, many fires, WOMAN SEES DEER TWICE!, and Patrick’s callous opinions on life and death.

36 The Riddle House 2/1/2023 00:51:59 We’re back in Florida, against our better judgment, and this time, we brought urns in jars. So yeah, we fit right in. This is the story of The Riddle House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the Murder Engine, no summer breaks, the perks of grave robbing, ghost law, gator vengeance, and Patrick’s extraordinary powers of ESP.

37 Marie Corriveau 2/8/2023 00:54:25 You’ve heard of France, right? Well get over yourself, we’ve all heard of France, and today’s story takes place in NEW France. You might know it as Quebec, but in the time of La Corriveau, it was a half-British Frankophilic no man’s land, and you can tell people we said that. This is the story of Marie Corriveau.

Come for the ghost, stay for horse law, ghost drippings, father-in-law stuff, spewing in caps, and the exorcism of Captain Planet.

38 The Monte Cristo Homestead 2/15/2023 00:57:07 G’DAY, MATES! This week, we’re pandering to our Aussie friends, but we’re doing a very bad job of it, because everything we know about Australia comes from Bluey. And Bluey has not, to our knowledge, “gone ghost,” as they say. This is the story of The Monte Cristo Homestead.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the bike ride to the gyro place, criminal gentrification, white cholera, an alarming number of stains, Aussie bucks, and horse law, revisited.

39 Mad Anthony Wayne 2/22/2023 00:51:12 I know what you’re thinking. “I really like this podcast, but where are all the stories about treating bodies like soups?” Don’t worry. We got you. This is the story of Revolutionary War hero Mad Anthony Wayne.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Playskool-brand guard towers, Joe Rogan sewage, 18th century internships, a savory Dad reduction, the cost of AirTagging bones, and tree…tree…BEAR!

40 The Consumptive Cabins of Mammoth Cave 3/1/2023 00:56:32 Caves are horrifying. Have you been inside a cave? They’re horrifying. So yeah, they make great hospitals. Thanks, Kentucky. This is the story of Dr. John Croghan’s “consumptive cabins” inside of Mammoth Cave.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the Pre-Americans, low C.H.U.D. awareness, anti-gypsy drywall, and the pro-consumption nanny state, and absolutely horrifying “remedies” for tuberculosis.

41 Loftus Hall 3/8/2023 1:01:36 Ireland isn’t all just shamrocks and marshmallows. It’s also about sheep wool and ghosts! And one of those ghosts lives in Loftus Hall, an old mansiony castle thing with a long history and a heck of a lot of holes. This is the story of Loftus Hall.

Come for the ghost, stay for our best James Spader impressions, little toy cannons, the devil Mr. Tumnus, confusing Patrick for a peanut, mud hut work, the tappin’ it room, and some of our finest accent work yet.

42 The T. B. Scott Mansion 3/15/2023 1:00:54 Not all ghosts are ghosts. Some ghosts are curses that make new ghosts. But you already knew that. You’ve seen the movie Poltergeist. This is the story of the T.B. Scott Mansion.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Tom Sawyer-level white washing, no more hospitals, God’s latrine, Flintheart Glomgold, and holy water power washers.

43 The Witch of Yazoo City 3/22/2023 00:45:40 Yazoo City is more Yazoo than city, but that’s what you get for not heeding witches. Also, this is the second episode where we reference death by quicksand, so Clayton’s childhood fear wasn’t so unfounded after all, WAS IT? This is the story of the witch of Yazoo City.

Come for the ghost, stay for some Denny’s energy, cockle clams, two or three dozen gyrating cats, and S.M.A.R.T. goals for witches.

44 Hotel Vendome 3/29/2023 1:00:29 Up in the high desert town of Prescott–which is not pronounced how it looks, and God help you if you get it wrong–there is a ghost. Well, actually, there are two ghosts. One of them is a biter. This is the story of Hotel Vendome.

Come for the ghost, stay for the ice cream fort, Woodville and Egbert, where is Tombstone?, T.B. or not T.B., and living a life with no vowels.

45 Jean Lafitte 4/5/2023 00:45:45 Welcome to Nawlins, cher! Grab yourself some gumbo and chicory, ’cause I GA-RON-TEE this episode’s fixin’ to send you to the bayou, etc. This is the story of the New Orleans ghost of Jean Lafitte.

Come for the ghost, stay for glasses that see, sweet baby gators, Steve Jobs’ time has come (and is over), showing that smile, and the medical dangers of being barefoot on Bourbon.

46 The USS Akron Airship Ghost 4/12/2023 00:51:04 Boy. Dirigibles. Was there ever so much promise that was met with such constant disaster? Those beautiful, transportational gasbags really led troubled lives, didn’t they? And because they couldn’t just keep it together for a few more decades, we now have Spirit Airlines. Thanks a lot, tragedy. This is the story of the USS Akron airship ghost.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Roarin’ Depression, the Joad family jokes, the Hindenburg Hiccup, trapeze eroticism, delicious humanity, and the most effective 75-person drowning machine.

47 The Ghosts of the USS Eastland Disaster (Live from C2E2 in Chicago) 4/19/2023 00:45:10 In our very first live show, we do all the things we set out to do, which was mainly to get one good, audible groan out of the audience. Mission accomplished! This is a story about a passenger boat disaster that was worse than the Titanic (no kidding), and it happened in 20 feet of water, with the boat still tied to the dock. Don’t ever change, Chicago. We also opened up the floor to hear ghost stories from the audience, and we’ve included those for your listening pleasure, too! This is the story of the USS Eastland.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the Book It jokes, day drinking is fine, the Titanic Whoopsie, turning turtle, afterlife jackets, and Oprah gets it.

48 The True Story of the Amityville Horror House 4/26/2023 00:56:53 Sure, you’ve seen the movie. Or maybe you’re Patrick, and you haven’t. Which, if we’re behind honest, really dampened the big reveal. Oh well. Anyway. What were we talking about? This is the true story of the Amityville Horror house.

Come for the ghosts, stay for The legend of Cornelius David Pinckney, the Mickey Rourke of cats, the worst name for a child, free slime, and Amityvilleanonymity.

49 Poveglia Island 5/3/2023 1:02:58 Who wants to join us at an island resort? It’s abandoned and overgrown, and there are some Bubonic plague ghosts are the bar. Come on, let’s go and feel the sand under our toes! Oops, wait, that’s not sand, it’s the ashes of the dead. This is the story of Poveglia Island.

Come for the ghosts, stay for a deconstructed hot toddy, the teats of our voices, plagues jokes, tennis court forts, and therapy sheep.

50 The Brown Lady of Raynham Hall 5/10/2023 1:00:14 Bloody hell, guvnor! We’re back to merry ol’ England, ain’t we? In the halls of Raynham Hall is a ghost that raises a lot of questions about embroidery, and about the best alternative to You Pork City. This is the story of the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall.

Come for the ghosts, stay for The Blair Witch Project of soccer, Darkwing Fuck vs. Launchpad McQuack, a podcast with two Daubers, going to Poundtown, 101 uses for peanuts, and yet another Disney connection.

51 The Haunting of the Summerwind Mansion: Part 1 5/17/2023 00:50:37 Much like the classic and much-beloved Fear Street Saga from R.L. Stine, Summerwind is about to take you on a real multi-generational journey of “OH NO, WHAT WAS THAT?!” This story has everything; a haunted house, organ music, trapdoor skeletons, and an honest-to-goodness ghoul. This is the first part of the story of the Summerwind Mansion.

Come for the ghosts, stay for questionable child labor decisions, Clayton’s childhood trauma, the tremendous value of a good B&B, Wisconsin from space, milking barrels, and the Phantom of the Opera is coming from inside the house.

52 The Haunting of the Summerwind Mansion: Part 2 5/24/2023 00:57:40 We’re diving back into Summerwind, because if there’s one thing you should know about us, it’s that we can’t stop, won’t stop. And boy, this place is wild, so just be grateful we didn’t stretch it to three episodes, because we could have. This is the story of Summerwind mansion, continued.

Come for the ghosts, stay for tattoos for four year olds, casual hypnosis lessons, the siren’s call of land surveying, pull vs. tug, getting horny for a house, horny Irish idiots, and ten swings for a buck.

53 The Odd Fellows and the Belvoir Winery (Live from Pinckney Bend Distillery) 5/31/2023 00:46:55 It’s time for our 2023 In Good Spirits tour! Which is a very special tour with only one stop, and that stop is Pinckney Bend Distillery, where there are lots of spirits, but no SPIRITS, as far as we know, you know? We recorded a live episode about a haunted Missouri winery, so it’s like a spirits-based episode recorded about spirit spirits at a place full of spirits. Is this description going well, do you think? This is the story of the Odd Fellows and Belvoir Winery.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the life choices of non-drug users, the fickle nature of bearing cups, the wrong way to thaw frozen pipes, skeletons in the cupboard, dungeon children, “Is this it?”, and a very special mid-episode ad.

54 The Ghost of Getter’s Island 6/7/2023 00:54:43 The thing about early 19th century hangings is, sometimes they drew a crowd, and it’s like, what, you think Jackhole Junction has the infrastructure for that sort of spectacle? Get serious! (Today’s story is only a LITTLE about civic engineering, we promise.) This is the story of Getter’s Island.

Come for the ghost, stay for Summerwind 3, cat wet, post-pandemic Nell, classic rom-com stuff, you’re basically a hot dog, and the wrong way to premeditate a murder.

55 The Snedeker House 6/14/2023 00:54:50 Welcome to Connecticut, where the oysters are clammy, the doctors are plenty, and not all Alans are Blades. And before you ask, yeah, there’s a lot of Disney talk in the run-up today. In for a penny, in for a pound. This is the story of The Snedeker House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the normal basement toe tags, supernatural power couples, mortician hobbies, the ghosts of Connecticut, of Georgia, and Encanto vs. Moana: FIGHT!

56 The S. K. Pierce House 6/21/2023 00:53:57 Chairs. You love them, we love them, our butts can’t get enough of them. But what happens when a chair castle becomes a haunted mansion? This is the sort of question we know you rely on ITAG to answer. And answer it, we will. This is the story of the S. K. Pierce House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for Papa Shaq, traveling with vegans, American butts, sitting wars, the neighbor of the Beast, and “I don’t think it’s in Uranus.”

57 The Durkee Mansion, or the Kemper Center 6/28/2023 1:06:19 Ah, Wisconsin. Home of cheese curds, water slides, and a whole lot of people who were left confused by Aaron Rodgers’ whole deal. We’ve done Wisconsin stories before, but we haven’t done them like this–we have a special guest host for this episode, Jennifer Swanson, lifelong Wisconsinite and, more importantly, big fan of all things Clayton and Disney. This is the story of the Durkee Mansion.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the snake people, mustard sauce, a Mario on every corner, ugh, Moms, and Patrick versus Sebastian the crab.

58 Titanic Captain Edward J. Smith 7/5/2023 1:13:29 In an episode recorded purely for the SEO of the moment, the guys explore the story of the original Titanic ghost! Other words that we should include to really maximize organic search are submersible, billionaire, vacuum implosion, and, what the hell, orcas. Is it working? This is the story of Edward J. Smith, captain of the Titanic.

Come for the ghost, stay for the death march of birthdays, land ships, the youth of today, the Dead Sea Captains Club, more Titanic ghosts every single day, and How handsome is your horse?

59 David Belasco and the Belasco Theatre 7/12/2023 1:05:42 In our first and almost certainly only installment of Child Actors of the California Gold Rush, we dig into the early life of Broadway legend David Belasco. Then we talk about his mid-life, then his end-life, and then it gets really good in the afterlife. If you’ve been waiting dramatically for the ghosts of Broadway to mystically appear, then my friend, this is the episode for you. This is the story of the haunted Belasco Theatre.

Come for the ghost, stay for the Kleenex Dumpster of gin, nerd mobs, Neil deGrasse Tyson ruins everything, carbonated stew, and, you know, buttholes at the mall.

60 Julia Staab, Ghost of Santa Fe’s La Posada Resort 7/19/2023 1:01:29 When I dream / On my own / I’m alone but I ain’t lonely / For a dreamer night’s the only time of day / When the city’s finally sleeping / And my thoughts begin to stray / And I’m on the train that’s bound for Santa Fe / And I’m free / Like the wind / Like I’m gonna live forever / It’s a feeling time can never take away / All I needs a few more dollars / And I’m outta here to stay / Dreams come true / Yes they do / In Santa Fe

If you didn’t hear those words as sung by a young Christian Bale as you read them, Clayton’s not sure how to best continue with your friendship. This is the story of famous Santa Fe ghost, Julia Staab. Surprisingly, there’s only one Newsies reference. Come for the ghost, stay for bathroom prudes, the wrong time to be Adolf, a bishop’s knob hobnob, Santa-Spider, Bishop Sex Machine, and one of them eatin’ ghosts.

61 Stuckey’s Bridge 7/26/2023 00:52:45 Bridges are weird, right? It’s like, “Hey, if you stop existing right now, I’ll die,” and there aren’t a whole lot of non-organ things you can say that about. And that sure is exciting. This is the story of Stuckey’s Bridge.

Come for the ghost, stay for bootlegger Mike, “Whatever happened to au gratin?”, ITAG vs. The Bear, a ductet of crime, the problem with hubris, a requisite discussion about Barbenheimer, and Bob Odenkirk, will you come on our podcast?

62 Roy Simms, Texas A&M’s Meat Lab Ghost 8/2/2023 00:33:34 Who among us hasn’t been in a college dining hall and thought, “I wonder if this burger’s cow came from a diseased lab eighty feet away?” If you want to throw that stone, go ahead, but we won’t, because we wear our shame on our sleeves, and if that’s not freedom, we don’t know what is. This is the story of Roy Simms, Texas A&M’s Meat Lab Ghost.

Come for the ghost, stay for the three worst states, Oppenheimer’s thing, vibranium-level knives, the prescience of Patrick Swayze, and the 37th parallel (question mark?). This meat lab ghost is just Kenough.

63 Bill Sketoe’s Ghost Hole 8/9/2023 00:33:47 Some holes need filling. And some of those holes can never feel truly filled, even when they’re as full as a person can make them. Boy this is uncomfortable, isn’t it? This is the story of Bill Sketoe’s Ghost Hole.

Come for the ghost, stay for this media environment, the last few strips of Marmaduke, the finer points of smiting, the importance of getting his boots off, and, of course, the evidence hole.

64 The Monkeys and the Occultist 8/16/2023 1:02:30 Have you ever seen the ghost of a monkey? How can you be so sure? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF A MONKEY IS A REAL MONKEY AND NOT A GHOST MONKEY? What if monkeys actually went extinct a thousand years ago, and everything that we think is a monkey is actually the ghost of a monkey? Makes you think, doesn’t it? Makes you think. This is the story of the aptly named Monkey Bridge.

Come for the ghosts, stay for organs (various), a big, tough bridge, assess and teakettles, how Bitcoin started, snobby occultists, and turtles: the raccoons of the ocean.

65 The Ghosts of Cock Lane 8/23/2023 1:04:28 It’s hard to even say the name of this episode with a straight face. We’re so sorry about that. But listen, here’s what we will say–this episode kicks it up to 11 about halfway through. When the seances start, the world falls apart. Is what they say. This is the story of the ghosts of Cock Lane.

Come for the ghosts, stay for my live-in Patrick, Olyde Eynglysh, the approximate ages of children, deep cut Muppets, acceptable levels of e. coli, and syphilis of the bottom. Now, who wants a t-shirt that says TRUST THE GHOST?

66 The White Witch of Rose Hall 8/30/2023 1:13:12 You guys, we did it. They said it was impossible, but I’m here to tell you, we recorded an entire episode about Jamaica and didn’t mention Cool Runnings once. This is the story of the White Witch of Rose Hall.

Come for the ghost, stay for Hulk wars, Coming for the Hulks, Jim Caviezel energy, the Ruffalo gap, classic Risk strategy, the Genghis Khan of Jamaica, and Anne Hathaway, but small.

67 The Pirate’s House in Savannah, Georgia 9/6/2023 00:52:13 Strap on in to your peach holes, it’s time for a trip down south to genteel Savannah, Georgia! My stars and garters, I do declare, this is one of the finest episodes we’ve had yet, or my name isn’t Colonel Nathanius Budgerbuddy of the Macon Budgerbuddies. This is the story of the Pirates’ House.

Come for the ghosts, stay for sliding into Hugh Jackman’s DMs, the most boring hurricane ever, the height and weight of Jesus, manatees hate this one weird place, pirate daycare, dressing people up as little tiny boats, and, obviously, peach holes.

68 Gerald Fitzgerald, the Wizard Earl of Kildare 9/13/2023 00:59:33 Faith and begorrah, it’s off to wee Ireland to crack on about a wizard earl, boyo! Pitch your legs to the Emerald Isle, ‘ere you get collywoddled o’er its wet castles and weird meat, and we’ll hand you no blarney, though ye may pass some stones. This is the story of Gerald FItzGerald, the Wizard Earl of Kildare.

Come for the ghosts, stay for the spooky season calendar, soft, velvety Thomas, Master of Horse, men-magic, and smoke that goes “poof.”

69 The Clown Motel 9/20/2023 1:32:30 Look. You read the title. And now you’re here. We support that. In for a penny, in for a clown, we always say. And boy, we have just so many clowns. This is the story of the Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.

Come for the ghosts, stay for Old Sludgey Creek, the Burning Man of Silver Mines, 150 grease-painted maniacs, the devil’s Precious Moments, Count Chocula vibes, the Terre Haute Adnans, and clown time.

70 Jean Baptiste, Ghost of the Great Salt Lake 9/27/2023 1:03:46 Climb aboard the LDS immigrant ship, it’s time to sail to the Great Salt Lake! Come on down to the Utah town where the salt content in the water is higher than the alcohol content in the beer. This is the story of Jean Baptiste.

Come for the ghost, stay for soundboard options, the porn finger, Mormon bullets, new new new new Zion, Jason Bourne but really nice, shaking the coffin like a Boggle cube, and dismantling cows. We apologize that the first ten minutes are a pretty big downer. But Axl always loved messing up the show.

71 The Weeping Woman of Fish Creek 10/4/2023 1:13:06 Saddle up, fellers, we’re gonna go punch us a ghost! We’re all very beefy, and we’ve got two shotguns each, so we’ll catch this sad, frail ghost, or my name isn’t E.L Jamerton McGillicuddy, knee-pinchin’ frontier man. This is the story of the Weeping Woman of Fish Creek.

Come for the ghosts, stay for most of a hermit crab, sailors and manatees, sea-stuff-dot-xxx, the return of naked Lincoln, mitts vs. ghosts, and super beefy men. Stay tuned after the episode for a story about how Patrick fell out of a parking garage.

72 The Bannister Doll 10/13/2023 1:02:43 You thought this was going to be about an actual doll, didn’t you? Gotcha! It’s about a real women who was OBJECTIFIED as an actual doll! Do you feel good about your choices? Hey, we’re in this together. This is the story of the Bannister Doll.

Come for the ghost, stay for pen pals, the Edward Scissorhands solution, return to Pound Town, the Love Actually question, nature vs nurture, don’t let Kevin Bacon into your town, and elephant alibis.

73 The Doppleganger Ghost of Beacon Hill Park 10/18/2023 1:06:43 In what is already being called “the funniest episode of our generation,” we examine a doppleganger ghost, which is like a twin, but opposite, and reverse-dead. Got it? This is the story of the Doppleganger Ghost of Beacon Hill Park.

Come for the ghost, stay for the appeal of video, improv energy, captain’s butt, MySpace Tom, doppelganger vs. parent trap, old person jokes, the most distressing thing to come home to, silently screaming horses, and the return of the return of the return of Naked Abraham Lincoln.

74 2023 Halloween Spooktacular: Two Haunts and a Flaunt 10/26/23 1:18:38 Happy Halloween, boils and ghouls! Welcome to another Halloween Spooktacular! It’s that special time of year when Patrick pastes on a really cool beard and walks on stilts and pretends to be Clayton for one harrowing night. But this year, the Spooktacular comes with a twist — Patrick brought three stories to the seance table, and Clayton must determine which one of them is a lie. This is the story of three different hauntings. (Well, two, technically.)

Come for the ghosts, stay for no such thing as a pinsula, gold inside (shhh), “not a good start, Tom,” the wild sheep of Alaska, Precious Moments mining, the Solomon plan, soldering stuff, Jeremy problems, key parties, and a pretty spot-on Benoit Blanc impression (Clayton paid us extra to say that).

75 Peg Entwistle, Ghost of the Hollywood Sign 11/1/2023 1:05:16 Hoo-ray for Ghost-ywood! La la la something something, Ghost-ywood! The Academy Award for Best Podcast Episode About Ghosts This Week goes to…us! This is the story of Peg Entwistle, ghost of the Hollywood sign.

Come for the ghost, stay for the sound effect stylings of Taco Cat, the most punchable county in Britain, four retirees named Hope, giardiniera for your wrists, and American folk hero Alice Cooper.

76 The Real Story of Annabelle the Doll 11/8/2023 1:08:46 We've "conjured" up something special this week -- a real-life look at the real-life Annabelle doll, star of the real-life movies from the real-life Conjuring universe. But this ain't your grandmother's Hollywood flim-flam. This is a real Raggedy Ann doll that's really goshdarn haunted. This is the real story of Annabelle the Doll.

Come for the ghost, stay for Nels Olson energy, how birthdays work, it’s the bugs, roommate stuff, normal doll behavior, and the wusses of Christianity.

77 The Post-Death Life of Dorothy Parker 11/15/2023 1:13:32 Sometimes it's like, "Why is there a ghost in here?" Other times it's like, "Hey dumb-dumb, how about you don't store the ashes of an American literary treasure in your desk for 15 years if you don't want her to ghost so much?" This is the strange story of Dorothy Parker's post-death life.

Come for the ghost, stay for tooth math, solving ghosts, all doctors are catholic, Jeeves Harvey Oswald, teaspoon of ashes (DO NOT DRINK), the Marvel flapperverse, human cadaver prank opportunities.

78 The Thanksgiving Ghosts of Plymouth Rock 11/22/2023 1:12:58 Gobble gobble, it's a ghost! We all know that Thanksgiving started in Plymouth, but what you might not know is, that whole era of American pioneering was sort of a downer! Oh, you did know that? Well...great! This is the story of the Thanksgiving ghosts of Plymouth Rock[3].

Come for the ghosts, stay for chicken tootsies, wet stuff, dragons down there, Human Body Hill (Living or Dead), rum is for mouths, and the enormous real estate investment potential of the Black Death.

79 The Witch of Saratoga 11/29/2023 00:45:14 This week's story is kind of sweet, actually, in that whole "lonely life, sad witch, botched hanging, way too many cats" kind of way. We expect to receive an offer from the Hallmark channel any second. This is the story of the Witch of Saratoga[4].

Come for the ghost, stay for a sad sow, bewitching for pleasure and revenge, bench press more weight, England (booo), gig witch, the real estate value of witchcraft, and tasteful 8-bit music.

80 King Richard III, Parking Lot Ghost 12/6/2023 1:18:58 Hear ye, hear ye, the king is dead; long live the king, primarily beneath a parking lot. "A pasture! A pasture! My kingdom for a pasture!" But lo--t'was not a pasture to be. This is the story of King Richard III, the parking lot ghost of Bosworth Battlefield[5].

Come for the ghost, stay for faux-thers and foe-thers, lawnmower sigils, Taki fingers, penguins vs zombies, foot strings, the Newarke bus to York, Blockbuster vodka, and Edwards and Richards for days and days.

81 The Ghosts of Grumblethorpe 12/13/2023 1:04:12 A whole lot of ghost problems would be solved with a Magic Eraser. What are those things, anyway? Makes you wonder. This is the story of the ghosts of Grumblethorpe[6].

Come for the ghosts, stay for fake fake names, count the rings and put it back, ze German style, 9000 husbands, ghost stew, the Blarney Stone of Germantown, Justinia Hotdog, and the birth of psychology.

82 The Monterey Bay Aquarium 12/20/2023 1:32:29 Welcome to Clayton's own personal hellscape, where we talk about nothing but fish for an entire episode. This is the story of the Monterey Bay Aquarium[7].

Come for the ghosts, stay for appeasing the elder gods, parka wrestling, the kung pao steamer, sea lion boom town, Ozark marinade, surprisingly Russian Norwegians, "Barney Fife lived," no one neckin', and corn: the fish of Kansas.

83 The Mistletoe Bride 12/27/2023 00:36:08 Merry Christmas, friends! This year, we got you the dubious gift of an unedited episode recorded very late at night after way too much whiskey. Whoops! This is the story of the Mistletoe Bride[8]

Come for the ghost, stay for creepy quotes sad, manor moles, movin’ some muscles and removin’ some bustles, let’s go to Waffle House, and bone love is different.

84 The Red Ghost of Arizona 01/03/2024 Sure, you've heard of ghosts, but have you heard of RED ghosts? We didn't think so. Not feeling so high and mighty now, are you? This is the story of the Red Ghost of Arizona.

Come for the ghost, stay for being-on-being action, medically nude, another little Icarus, the Hyperloop of 1836, a disappointing number of camels, the worst thing about Jefferson Davis, Bob Hope Camel Tour, camel KPIs, and cork steaks.

85 Cheesman Park 01/10/2024 The Rockies are a terror. The fact that the Colorado night sky isn't lit up every night with a churning air-ocean of the spirits of people who have been lost to the mountains is testament to the fact that ghosts don't glow. 'Cause they're up there. Oh, yes. They're up there.

This is the story of Cheesman Park. Come for the ghosts, stay for the worst day of the year, kids are like starfish, the sexiest cherries, stick fort castle doctrine, the blue organ, landscaping and vivisection, My First Reinterment, and mountain Viking funerals.

See also - List of comedy podcasts[edit]

External Links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Home - Smithshow, LLC". 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. ^ "About Clayton Smith -". 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  3. ^ Weisberg, Tim (2020-11-25). "The Ghosts of Pilgrims Lurk on Plymouth's Burial Hill". 1420 WBSM. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  4. ^ "Ancient anti-witchcraft potion found at old Northamptonshire pub". 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  5. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Solly, Meilan. "'The Lost King' Dramatizes the Search for Richard III's Remains. The Monarch's Life Was Even More Sensational". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  6. ^ "Philadelphia Oddities: Grumblethorpe Blood Stains". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  7. ^ Jeffries, Karen (2020-10-19). "Tales from the Monsterey Boo Ascaryum". Monterey Bay Aquarium. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  8. ^ "The Bramshill House Bride, or the Legend of the Mistletoe Bough". Burials & Beyond. 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2024-01-08.