Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water, but it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that included the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. In his book, Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back, Nolan recounts both pride in his Indigenous identity and overt racism as he worked to excel in his sport.
Happy tenth birthday to this show! To celebrate, here's every randomly selected word from the dictionary from the first decade of the show.
Visit theallusionist.org/randomlyselectedwords to read the transcript and get other Tranquillusionist episodes.
The podcast is taking a break until early May 2025, but the Allusioverse will continue to be in full swing: become a member at theallusionist.org/donate. You get regular livestreams with me reading from my ever-expanding collection of dictionaries, inside scoops into the making of this show, and watchalong parties - such as Great Pottery Throwdown (2025), and Cold Comfort Farm (1995). And best of all, you get the company of your fellow Allusionauts in our delightful Discord community.
There's also a free livestream for everyone happening 18 January 1pm PT/4pm ET/21:00 UTC at youtube.com/allusionistshow.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, with music composed by Martin Austwick of palebirdmusic.com. Find @allusionistshow on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Bluesky.
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Mr. Wiggles responds to the earlier conversation with The Shepherd on the dilemma of food and monoculture. Cabeza de Vaca prompts a conversation about stunning -- alleged -- breakthroughs in dream communication. Colby Jack Cheese inspires Ben to explore the future of gene modification: Could we, one day, give humans physical attributes once restricted to specific animals? The guys speculate on which powers they'd choose -- and want to hear your picks as well. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.
In which scientists and paranormal investigators puzzle over a string of mysterious deaths beginning with a "dull and heavy" Italian countess, and John learns about the peat of the Maldives. Certificate #40714.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised at least 100 executive orders as soon as he takes office. Many of those are, in his words, aimed at undoing "much of what Biden did". Tribes and Native organizations are preparing to fight, and in some cases benefit from, what they expect based on Trump’s comments and his record during his first term. We’ll look at what those expectations are – from fewer protections for important land to greater access to extraction resources.
Doubtlessly familiar to any fan of exploitative true crime shows, the concept of "Stockholm Syndrome" argues that people victimized by kidnappers, hostage takers, or even trapped in abusive relationships will tend to identify with their captors. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the surprisingly hidden origin story of this concept -- as well as discovering why experts worry law enforcement has weaponized this idea to further diminish and dismiss the experiences of survivors in the modern day.
Wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The traditional homelands of the Tongva and Chumash people, among others, is now home to the largest urban Native American population in the U.S. United American Indian Involvement, Inc. and Pukúu Cultural Community Services (Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians) are providing support for displaced locals. Tribes across the country are sending firefighting crews, supplies and cash. Amid the chaos, incoming President Donald Trump falsely blamed water management policies in Northern California for inoperable fire hydrants in Los Angeles. Conservative commentators extended that complaint to include the decision to remove Klamath River dams in favor of salmon restoration. We’ll talk with those affected by the fires and learn more about the political rhetoric arising from it.
Evidence indicates human beings have been using psychedelics since ancient times, and a recent paradigm shift has launched a new renaissance in psychedelic research. Over the years psychedelics (and psilocybin specifically) have been the subject of both extremely positive and severely negative claims -- so what's the truth? In this episode, special guest Robert Lamb, host of Stuff To Blow Your Mind and Invention, joins the guys to explore the fact, fiction and future of psychedelics.
Ted Nolan’s home on the Garden River First Nation reserve in northern Ontario didn’t have electricity or running water, but it did have a hockey rink in the backyard that Nolan built to satisfy his own passion to play. That passion grew into a successful hockey playing and coaching career that included the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. In his book, Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back, Nolan recounts both pride in his Indigenous identity and overt racism as he worked to excel in his sport. 
