Hi, Reddit – we are Josh and Chuck from Stuff You Should Know, the podcast. AUA!

Is there something you hate more than going to the Post Office?

Chuck: nope

Why does Josh's voice not sound like his face looks?

Josh: I have some sort of weird speech impediment. From having an overly-thick tongue, I've decided.

Personally, I love your voice, Joshers!

Josh: Thanks, pal

Have you considered a "How Reddit Works"?

Josh: Not a bad idea. We are clearly still trying to figure that out now.

Guys, thank you so much for all of your awesome questions. We had a great time! Reddit 4evah! - Chuck and Josh

RIP Joan Rivers :(

Ok, Josh specifically: How on earth do you keep a straight face while you're filming "Don't Be Dumb?"

Josh: I just go to my special place and do my talking from there.

What are the chances of you guys putting out a SYSK T-shirt that simply reads "Chuck." ???

[edit to clarify]

I should point out that I'm referring to the way Josh hilariously says "Chuck" when introducing a new idea!

Josh: I would wear that shirt.

What has been the most polarizing topic that you two haven't seen eye-to-eye on?

The pronunciation of "Morgellons."

Josh: Haha, that's it!!

Probably so, which says a lot.

Chuck: believe it or not, we usually see pretty eye to eye. Each of us feels stronger about some stuff than others, but it's never been a problem.

Josh: That's a tough one. We share a lot of the same general views.

Josh: I don't mean that to be a punt; I honestly can't think of anything we disagree on so much it's polarizing. I will continue to chew on it though.

Clearly the pronunciation of Morgel..err. Morgal...

Morgue Uh Lawns

Josh: Mor-GELL-uns. Morgellons.

Hi guys - love the show!

What would be a typical episode of the Alternate Universe version : "Stuff you shouldn't know"?

ie is knowledge always a good thing.

Josh: That's an amazingly good question and one I don't think gets asked enough. I've always wondered, for instance, if we're any better off if we'd never learned to master nuclear fission or fusion. I'm not against nuclear power per se. But consider if we'd never created the nuclear bomb. Would we be better off? I can guess Japan would say yes to that. There are people on the other side who say The Bomb kept the Soviets and U.S. from a full-on war. I don't know the answer, but I think it's an interesting question.

Did you permanently lose any subscribers with the April Fools prank?

I didn't last long enough in that episode to get to the payoff... deleted the feed immediately (I was listening to it on 4/2, so it didn't even occur to me).

The penny finally dropped when I was google stalking Chuck to see if he had gotten tossed in the clink or something.

P.S. I've never laughed so hard to your podcast as when Josh heard about the drinking game and peeled off a couple dozen Chucks.

Josh: No, we managed to keep them all, but we did hear from a lot of people who said they turned it off before the reveal and only found out later on after going back to give it another try.

Hey guys, I've been listening to you religiously for years.

What are some things that you still have no idea how they work, even after doing an episode about them?

Chuck: Most things physics related. No surprise there, I'm sure.

Josh: The stupid sun.

Who are your favorite podcasts outside the "How Stuff Works" family?

Josh: Pretty much anything in the Bullseye family, like Judge John Hodgman, My Brother, My Brother and Me. And you should check out Sawbones, which is an awesome histmed-esque show.

Chuck: Judge John Hodgman, 99% Invisible, WTF, Memory Palace, Bullseye are all in my rotation.

Hi Chuckers and Josh! I really loved the TV show. Any plans for something else in the future? Also, come to Boston and do a live show!

Josh: We'd love to get another show and are squeezing our brains for another good one. As for Boston, there is no reason we shouldn't come up there. So I guess we will.

Chuck: Boston is on our radar for sure.

Do you guys do the research for the show, or do you have researchers that do the "heavy lifting"?

Josh: Oh, no we do all of our own research, not just for the podcast but for all of our videos, live stuff, everything. That way we (frequently) really know what we're talking about.

Chuck,

Do you use the laptop stand I sent you?

Cheers!

Chuck: YES! It had been in use every day since I got it. THANKS!

Hey Guys! Thanks so much for providing me hours of free entertainment and knowledge!

You guys both reference video games fairly often. Are there any that you are currently into or was it something you used to enjoy doing?

And what was your favorite console and game?

edit: Say hey to Jeri!

Chuck: I don't play much but I did get obsessed with The Last of Us on PSIII

I haven't completely caught up despite my best efforts in the last 3 months to listen to your entire catalogue (Only at the start of 2014 right now) but is that young enthusiastic fan of yours who helped you guys pick podcast topic still around? He sounded like a really nice young man and I hope he's well.

Chuck: Sam! He just went to college. I wrote him a letter of recommendation. Sniff sniff.

Has there been an episode that you guys have wanted to do, but for some reason weren't allowed to do it? If so, what was it and why weren't you able to?

Their last year's answer to this was Scientology.

Josh: That one is more likely than before. There are some that we've avoided just because they can be such hornets nests. Like breastfeeding, for instance. That's an amazingly polarizing topic. I mean, have you seen that Ricki Lake doc on it? It's not like we'll never do an episode on it; I'm just not looking forward to being damned either way when we do.

Maybe focus on male breastfeeding. I think we all have a position on that one.

Josh: We actually have - http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/why-do-men-have-nipples/

One horse-sized duck or 100 duck-sized horses?

Chuck: I would love them all and the fight would be over.

I am picturing tiny horses nestling into your beard.

Chuck: Exactly.

Hey guys, your podcast has made many a commute of mine much more tolerable. I'm so happy you're coming to Toronto - can't wait to meet you in person!

As for my question, what type of podcast topics do you both prefer? Food-based? Technical? Medical?

Josh: I like the ones that have surprising origin stories or an outsized impact on culture. Those and the ones where the explanation is fascinating but complete (as in, we can fully explain how the thing works in an episode; like magnets).

Chuck: I dig the history ones the most.

What topic stirred up the biggest hornet's nest, and why? Did you know going in that this would create a stink?

LOVE your podcast!

Chuck: anything remotely political. Homelessness was a big one. Surprisingly.

This summer I had an incredibly boring job filing service reports at a car dealership. I appreciated having a job, of course, but if it was not for Stuff You Should Know keeping my brain active I would have fallen asleep or gone insane. I listened for about 8 hours a day and over the course of about a month and a half I burned through a lot of your episodes. Thank you for making a great podcast!

In high school I was on my school's knowledge bowl trivia team. I would imagine with all of the research you guys have done on a variety of subjects, you would be amazing at trivia contests. Did you do anything like that in high school, and do you participate in contests now?

Unrelated side note, I love your podcasts about space related topics (Mars, the space race, etc.). I am an aerospace major and I always learn a new interesting fact.

Josh: We've actually hosted a couple of all-star trivia events (and lost). Even with the help of smart people like John Hodgman and Ira Glass. :(

Hey guys,

First, I'd like to get the usual "I'm a big fan of your work" out of the way. I discovered your podcasts on a trip to Michigan a few years back when there were still only about 100 episodes, and I've been a fan since. Keep up the good work!

You two seem pretty interesting, so I'll ask a few questions, answer any or all or none:

1. Which are each of your guys' favorite books (if you had to choose)?

2. Which episode do you think was your best, and which would you like to revisit at some point?

3. Who would win in a fight between you two?

4. What is the process of researching a topic like? How prepared are you all going into a podcast? Have there been times where you scrap a topic because its just not going well?

Josh: My favorite book is 1491. I wouldn't be opposed to revisiting black holes, though I think the Barbie(R) episode is possibly our best (but I can never remember everything we've done). Depends on with what weapons. We've never scrapped a topic, but there is a break-in-case-of-emergency episode on animal detectives that was so boring we decided to keep it on the sidelines and release only in the event of an emergency.

Chuck: Middlesex, Underworld are a couple of favs from this year.

So you got me when the April Fool's episode came on and I thought Chuck actually left. What would happen if one of you were to leave? Would you bow out of this podcast with dignity or try to replace the other person? Have you ever talked about closing up the SYSK podcast because you simply can't think of anything new to explore? Or maybe do you two ever fight about stuff?

Chuck: personally, I think SYSK is synonymous with both of us at this point. I don't see SYSK with different hosts. And we get along great for the most part.

[deleted]

Chuck: great idea!

Chuck v. Josh, cage match, who wins?

Josh: No one wins in a situation like that.

I have a few questions, actually.

First, do you ever wonder if you'll run out of stuff to talk about? I know that's pretty much impossible, but I presume that there's a finite number of articles on HSW.com :)

Second, with all the host rotations on some of the other HSW.com podcasts (particularly I'm referencing Stuff You Missed in History Class), how do you two always stay such a bastion of hosting stability?

Chuck: not worried about running out. Far too many things in the world to discuss. Stability - we kind of just found our groove.

Hey guys! I sent you an email when I was in high school telling you that I listened to the podcast while studying, but my roommate listened to terrible pop music and you told me how awesome I was on the listener mail section... I'll never forget that!!!! Do you guys ever realize how much of an age difference there is in your listeners and do you have any data on who listens to the show?

Josh: Just based on anecdotal evidence from email and the like, we really seem to run the gamut demographically. We hear from tons of people of all ages, gender, walks of life, what have you. It means that being curious trumps all other characteristics.

Chuck: we can't get great demographics, but have a decent idea. it spans the gamut from teens to seniors.

What has been your weirdest fan encounter?

Josh: There was a girl in LA who was literally swooning around Chuck and me. It wasn't in any kind of attracted-to-us way, I think she was just the definition of star struck. It was one of the most bizarre things I've been party to, especially being the reason for it.

Chuck: They've all been pretty normal. Although I got stalked once in a Home Depot without the dude saying anything. Then an email about it.

Hey guys, have been listening since Chuck sounded a lot like a girl and went by Candace. What are your guys favorite NFL team?

Thanks for all you guys do, you're the best! Go Hawks

Chuck: Falcons of course.

Are there any episodes that you regret putting out?

Josh: No, but there are ones where I feel like it could have been better. We recently recorded one on socialism (that comes out next week) where I felt like no matter how I explained socialism I wasn't getting it across correctly. Sometimes you just have to go ahead and assume that at least one of the attempts worked.

Chuck: we've had a few stinkers, but never anything I truly regretted or anything. They all have some value, I feel.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Chuck: My favorite part is performing live for folks. And the TV stuff was pretty fun too.

Josh: Pretty much the whole thing. We get to meet a lot of people, we get paid to research interesting stuff ALL THE TIME, and we've been able to try new stuff almost constantly. It's been a pretty sweet deal so far.

Skittles or M&M's?

Chuck: M&Ms all the way.

Josh: Both!

I thoroughly enjoyed your TV show. Why was there never a Season 2 and beyond?

Chuck: see our episode from today - how TV ratings work!

http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/how-tv-ratings-work/

Who smells better?

Chuck: Josh for sure.

Josh: Thank you.

Big fan of the podcast! Thanks for doing this.

I'm curious how long it takes you guys to prepare for a show? And, what's the one thing, out of all your shows, that people should know?

Josh: Depending on whether we record two or four in a week, we will prepare the night before and the morning of the day we record typically. There is definitely a sweet spot; you can over-prepare I've found. Let's see, the one thing people should know is...

[deleted]

Chuck: very nice. I loved LA for a while, but it was time to leave. Also joined back up with my oldest friends and family. So, great!

When do you feel you hid your stride with the show? Is there an episode that stands out as "we got this"

Chuck: pretty early on, although I acknowledge with retrospect to have seen a lot of growth as "professional talkers."

Josh: Most decidedly.

Hi Josh and Chuck - Thanks so much for all your work throughout the years. Your podcast is great. What's your favorite way to eat pasta?

Chuck: I twirl on a fork with a spoon. Is that what you mean?

LOL. That is an excellent way to eat it. I actually meant do you like it with red sauce, white sauce, with some various proteins, etc. I really should be more specific.

Chuck: gotcha. I make a MEAN red sauce for the house. My wife makes the best pesto you could ever imagine. That's pretty much the only way I role, although I do like white sauce, I just don't eat it much. Also - whole wheat linguine now.

Come out to San Francisco for a live show, you'll have some brews waiting.

What's your most memorable episode?

Chuck: Yum! And Cannabalism.

Yum! And Cannabalism

LOL - what type of beer goes best with people?

Actually, I've heard wine is better, a nice Chianti

Josh: + fava beans

From a financial aspect, which part of your multi-channel empire (podcast, web site, YouTube ads) generates the most $?

Chuck: finance is one of the least interesting things in the world to me, so thankfully there are some other smart people on that side of the business!

What does your EDC (Every Day Carry) consist of? What do you bring with you every day that makes your life easier? Thank you for always uploading great podcasts. They make my cardio days at the gym go by much faster.

Josh: Earbuds

Sometime next week I will be finished listening to all of your episodes and I've been dreading it for quite some time.. 2 episodes a week just isn't enough!

-What is the most difficult part of your job?

-What portion of topics are listener requests, things you guys pick, and things you are told to do?

Chuck: Most difficult part is the sheer number of shows and trying to remain consistent in our work. Requests - hard to say. Semi-frequently?

[deleted]

Josh: I kept one particular email (I don't remember what it said any longer) in a special subfolder marked "In case I'm ever shot to death".

Chuck: it is all pretty normal actually. Although once someone sent us a Gremlins costume, which I didn't really understand.

Hey guys, thanks for such a great podcast! I save up a few episodes and have a full-on binge every few weeks. Epic...

Anyway, do you have any plans to hop over to the UK in the future? I know it's always cloudy and full of Brits, but we like to know stuff!

Also, do you play any instruments?

Josh: I don't play, but I'm keenly interested in learning the piano. It would be neat to be able to walk into any lounge and play a little. I hope we can make it to the UK for sure. Maybe 2016?

What is a topic you've always wanted to cover but just don't think you can get it past the corporate standards? Alternately, one that you just don't want to deal with the feedback email fallout from?

Side note: I've been going through a super rough time due to breaking up with my fiancé; having your podcast running during most of my waking hours makes things almost bearable :) Thanks!

Chuck: No, we're pretty much left alone with the content, which is nice. Glad we could help out!

Love the show! I'm curious what it's like for you guys outside of the show. Example: Jamie and Adam on Mythbusters aren't friends at all off of the set. Are you guys buddies?

Chuck: We aren't good enough actors to fake chemistry!

What are your favorite bands and genres of music? What are your least favorite?

Chuck: big fan of indie rock, classic rock, classic country, 90s hip-hop, classical and alt-country. How's that?

Your podcast is one of the first things that my girlfriend and I bonded over in the early stages of courting. Do you have any interesting stories about meeting/dating your significant other?

Chuck: mine is pretty boring. We were good friends for years, then it grew into dating, cohabiting and then marriage.

Josh: That is very sweet, and I'm glad we could help you and your SO get together. I still manage to impress Umi from time to time with the podcast. :)

What are your top 5 topics you have talked about?

Josh: Barbie(R), any of the Christmas ones, guide dogs maybe, dying for sure. This question makes me indecisive.

Chuck: Cannabalism, Duels, Vikings, Zoot Suits, Typhoid Mary

I seem to recall in the beer episode, you both landed on Sierra Nevada as your #1 pick. Has that changed? And, more importantly, what's your #2? Heading to the store shortly...

Chuck: I've been drinking a lot of Bells Two Hearted lately. DELICIOUS.

Hey guys! Loving the podcast! I only recently discovered it but its been great listening and I love the rapport you two have going!

My question: How did you get started doing podcasts and do you have any tips for would be podcast creators?

Also I'd love a ticket to your Toronto show, but I wasn't able to get any through the general box office. Have any spares... ?

Also I think you should do a "Stuff you should know" about Star Trek!

My tips are always 1) make it sound great 2) have a regular release schedule 3) be yourself and talk about something you love

What is your favorite new place to eat in Atlanta? I haven't lived there in a few years and am going back soon, so what should be on my must-eat list?

Chuck: Hmmm. Josh should handle this one.

Josh: Atlanta's pretty great for dining. Latest favorite place is St. Cecilia and Umi Sushi is probably the best sushi in the country.

Hey guys, love the podcast! I was recently in Guatemala, so I went back and listened to the Guatemalan Adventure. It was absolutely fantastic! Do you have any plans to do something like that again in the future? Perhaps not a full-fledged trip to a foreign country, but another "narrative documentary" type of show?

Thanks for doing this, come on out to LA again soon! And say hello to Jeri as well!

Chuck: I doubt it, although that was pretty neat. It isn't really the format - I wish we had that kind of time!

[deleted]

Chuck: Both! I love camping, but I also love a good book on a quiet beach.

Love the show guys! My morning walks to the office are smooth and carefree with you guys on the eardrums.

How did you guys meet up with Jeri (Gerrie? Gerry?) and agree to have her sit in the production chair?

Chuck: Jeri was there when we both got hired. Kismit!

Hey guys! How do you feel about the commercials throughout the podcast? Is it painful to record them? Do you really believe in what you're promoting?

Chuck: I think ads are good for podcasting in general in that they have legitimized the medium somewhat. It is not painful to record them - they're all nice people to work with.

Hi you guys! The first thing I want to do is thank you so much for your podcasts. I’m a huge fan. Just that. I could keep going on about how much of a fan I am, but I do know you guys get that all the time. So let’s skip that for now.

The second thing is: What do you think about your shows being translated in different languages?

I ask this because I’m interested in helping you with that. I’m a 20-year-old fellow that just moved from Tijuana, Mexico to San Diego, CA this year.

Just like more than half of the American workforce population, I hate my job. Luckily me, they allow us to use mp3 players. I’ve been working there for almost 2 years and eventually I needed new stuff to listen to other than music and audiobooks. I found your podcast and downloaded a few episodes. Once at work, I started to listen to "How Mexican Wrestling Works" and I loved it. I kept listening to at least 4 to 5 episodes a day since and I think I’m halfway to listen to every single episode.

After a month in my SYSK marathon I realized that a show like yours is exactly something that people in Mexico need: A widely known educational show with factual information and a little humor relief. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I came up with this huge plan and I hope you guys like it.

I know you guys are OK with other people translating your shows but I wanted to ask your opinion on the matter and since I really want to do this I felt the need to ask you guys for permission and maybe some ideas, since the podcast will be based on your own SYSK.

If you want to learn more about the plan I came up with or thousands of other topics, or if you just want me to tell you how big of a fan I am, send me a PM and I’ll be really happy to talk about either one of them, or both.

Edit 1: Paragraphs

Chuck: send us an email to [email protected]. Put "translation" in the subject line.

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE ON THE SIMPSONS!?

Or did I miss it? :'(

Josh: Man, I wish! And it's become good again so I really want to more than ever before. I'd also love for us to be on Drunk History.

Hi! Just listened to the Ebola podcast and at the end Chuck mentions during a listener e-mail that he'd like to narrate audio books. Is that true? How about Josh? I work in audio books and would love to get either or both of you involved.

Chuck: send an email to [email protected]. Subject line - "that thing we talked about"

Who do you guys sit with at the Stuff cafeteria? I'm guessing the Stuff the don't want you to know guys stick pretty much to themselves?

Chuck: they are SO WEIRD.

Long time listener, you guys were the soundtrack to my daily constitutionals for the longest time.

Question: Do you regret having to add advertising to the show?

From a listener's perspective I know the lights need to be kept on and salaries need to be paid so I take that into account but I always wondered how performers who used to be ad-free felt about that transition.

Chuck: I like the show making money for our company. And it helps to legitimize the medium. So overall, I like it.

Do you guys follow some sort of conversational script when recording a show? or just keep the conversation running until you are finished with the topic?

We have a general idea of where to start and where to end. Then we just converse.

Was there ever anything you believed in that was shattered after finding it was wrong after doing research?

Chuck: not really. Usually it's more "delighted"

What do you like to eat for breakfast?

Chuck: I don't eat breakfast much, but it comes in two varieties. Fruit smoothie/healthy and eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy/unhealthy.

Josh: I'm low carb so I eat a lot of delicious omelets. I'm pretty great at making omelets.

Hi Josh and Chuck! Big fan of all of your stuff.

What episode do you think has the most practical value in everyday life?

What is your favorite thing about what you do?

When would you like to come to Madison, WI?

What would you most like to do with the show/brand? Another tv season?

Incidentally, I wonder if Josh remembers me from Twitter.

Josh: We would definitely come to Madison! Keep an eye out for us. We'd love to do all sorts of new stuff (in addition to the current stuff), like another TV show definitely, a book, and we'll be doing lots more live shows in the next year we hope.

Are you going to see Rob Delaney tonight in Athens?

Chuck: sadly, no.

Josh: Me neither, though I saw him last time he was in Atlanta and it was awesome.

Between the podcast, the videos and the (short lived but awesome) TV Show, do you guys still have the time to right articles for HSW?

Josh: We do not. From time to time we will update things (like the Dungeons & Dragons article) but new HSW material has been scarce from us lately.

Besides Pam Dawber and Jeff Goldblum, which actor/actress would you want to play the role of you in a Hallmark made for TV movie?

Chuck: Hmmmm. Screech?

So, when are you coming to London?

Chuck: hopefully next year?

Hey guys! Love the podcast!

• Have you determined who the young Pullman is yet?

• How many e-mails do you get from listeners?

• Are you guys planning on coming back to New York any time soon?

• Did you guys catch any of the Simpsons marathon on FXX?

• Who are your favorite movie directors?

Thanks guys!

Chuck: I didn't get any satisfying "young Pullmans" Fav directors - Alexander Payne, David O Russell, Kubrick, Sophia Coppola, Wes A, PT Anderson

Chuck: NY in November. Stay tuned!