1665: "Grizz Chapman"

1665: "Grizz Chapman"

Author: JC May 27, 2026 Duration: 4:33
Interesting Things with JC #1665: "Grizz Chapman" – Grizz was working security when a friendship with Tracy Morgan led to a 30 Rock audition, and the nearly seven-foot bouncer became one of the calmest, warmest faces on TV while fighting kidney disease off-camera. He pushed past the roles Hollywood expected from a man his size.

Curiosity often leads us down the most rewarding paths, and that's the spirit behind Interesting Things with JC. Each episode is a compact dive into a story that makes you pause and think, hosted by JC. You'll find a mix here: forgotten chapters from our past that explain the present, nuanced looks at cultural shifts happening now, and those remarkable tales that simply never got the spotlight they deserved. This isn't a dry lecture but a conversation about the threads connecting history, society, and our everyday lives. The focus is on depth over breadth, making each installment of this podcast a self-contained exploration. Whether it's an obscure historical event with surprising modern echoes or a fresh perspective on a current topic, the aim is to feed that curiosity with something substantive. Tune in for a thoughtfully researched and engagingly presented look at the world's fascinating corners.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 300

Interesting Things with JC
Podcast Episodes
1645: "The Gulf of Tonkin" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:39
Interesting Things with JC #1645: "The Gulf of Tonkin" – U.S. destroyers fired into the dark after reporting a second North Vietnamese attack, but the ships had no confirmed targets, pilots found no enemy vessels, and th…
1644: “Krafft Ehricke” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:57
Interesting Things with JC #1644: “Krafft Ehricke” - He is the rocket engineer who proposed lunar mining, orbital fuel depots, and space based solar power decades before modern commercial spaceflight. From the V-2 rocket…
1643: “Why Are Stop Signs Octagons?” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:59
Interesting Things with JC #1643: “Why Are Stop Signs Octagons?” - Engineers choose an eight-sided stop sign for a reason! This episode explores the rise of automobiles, the chaos of early American roads, and how the oct…
1642: “Nedra Talley” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:30
Interesting Things with JC #1642: “Nedra Talley” — She helped create one of the most recognizable sounds in American pop music history as a founding member of The Ronettes. This episode explores the rise of the girl grou…
1641: "Operation Northwoods" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:35
Interesting Things with JC #1641: "Operation Northwoods" – In 1962, America’s top military leaders signed off on plans to fake terrorist attacks, stage civilian deaths, and make it look like Cuba shot down a passenger pl…
1640: "David Allan Coe" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:27
Interesting Things with JC #1640: "David Allan Coe" – David Allan Coe never looked or sounded like the kind of artist Nashville usually pushed, but his songs kept showing up in jukeboxes, truck stops, biker bars, and out…
1639: "Eberhard Rees" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:49
Interesting Things with JC #1639: "Eberhard Rees" – Eberhard Rees is checking welds, tolerances, tests, and manufacturing flaws while von Braun sells the Moon rocket vision; the public sees Saturn V, but Rees stays with…
1638: "Route 66 Turns 100" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:56
Interesting Things with JC #1638: "Route 66 Turns 100" – Route 66 was stitched together from wagon trails, trading paths, and desert camel routes before becoming the first fully paved transcontinental highway in America.…
1637: “Norbert aka Tony Pork” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:37
Interesting Things with JC #1637: “Norbert” – They call him Tony Pork. He’s a 175 pound pig that pushed himself down a suburban Illinois street on a skateboard using his back legs while steering with his front trotters,…
1636: "AM Radio as the Last Mass-Mind Medium" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:33
Interesting Things with JC #1636: "AM Radio as the Last Mass-Mind Medium" – A 50,000-watt AM station is transmitting one voice across multiple states at night while millions of people in different places hear the same si…