Zog I of Albania was that country's youngest prime minister, and eventually its king. He chainsmoked a mind-boggling amount of cigarettes every day, and experienced a significant amount of assasination attempts.Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

Alfalfa Bill Murray declared martial law over thirty times, and wrote an autobiography so embarassing that his family would steal it out of libraries. After a political defeat, he tried to start a colony in Bolivia, and failed at that, too. And was SUPER racist.Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

Gregor MacGregor was a Scotsman who joined revolutionary causes in South America, slowly morphed into a coward, THEN evolved into a fantabulist who tricked hundreds of destitute Scots to starve and die in a fake colony that never existed. And yet, he is buried with honors in Caracas Cathedral as a war hero.…

Gregor MacGregor was a Scotsman who joined revolutionary causes in South America, slowly morphed into a coward, THEN evolved into a fantabulist who tricked hundreds of destitute Scots to starve and die in a fake colony that never existed. And yet, he is buried with honors in Caracas Cathedral as a war hero.…

Daniel Edgar Sickles was an American Civil War general, and later, a U.S. congressman. While serving in Congress he gunned down a man in broad daylight in front of the White House, and was acquitted on grounds of temporary insanity--the first in American history!Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

Micheal Goleniewski was a Polish intelligence agent but ALSO spying on the Poles on behalf of the Soviets BUT ALSO reporting on all of it to the Americans. A triple agent! Best secret agent ever? We'll explore on this episode.Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

Karl Wilhelm Naurndorff made a compelling case that he was the dauphin of France, spirited away by Talleyrand or some other insider after the death of his father, King Louis XVI. He was convincing enough that he kept getting stabbed, shot, and run out of countries, before winding up in the Netherlands as the head of pyrotechnics. But WAS he really …

Cassie Chadwick went from a Canadian nobody to a psychic to the opulent heiress presumed to be Andrew Carnegie's natural born daughter. At the very least, she is the Queen of Cons!Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

In this second installment on the life and times of John Romulus Brinkley, quack, we follow his incredible career trajectory as he becomes a radio tycoon, political force in the great state of Kansas, and eventually gets driven from America's border by the Mexican Army.Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

John Romulus Brinkley became wealthy, famous, and powerful as one of America's most colorful, ludicrous quacks. He made his fortune by "curing" male impotence by sewing goat testicles into clients. As well as becoming a radio tycoon, politician, and more.Andrew Heaton, Andrew Young

I watched all the Oscars best picture nominees except one. Tune in to this episode to find out which one of the nominated films I just could not watch and my thoughts on the other nine. I'm also googling as I go to let you know where you can watch each of the films, should you wish to partake. Also discussed: the unhinged livestreams on my TikTok f…

It's been 10 years since American Horror Story: Coven. I played one of Kathy Bates' Madame LaLaurie's daughters. I had two sisters, played by Ashlynn Ross and Jennifer Lynn Warren. This interview marks the first time the three of us have all been together in the last 10 years. We're talking all about our favorite memories from working on the show, …

On this episode, I'm discussing my magical hat, my first trip to Vegas as a sober person, my end-of-year rituals for transitioning to the new year, and my feelings at the end of 2 years of working on a documentary I've finally finished. As always, I have a movie and drink of the week for you. Want to support the show? Have a request or a comment? J…

I'm talking about all my favorite horror movies across four different subgenres. If you're looking for something scary to watch, you've come to the right place. Don't forget to subscribe to the Foxy Foxy Films YouTube channel to see my new horror short HELLISH: 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/foxyfoxyonyoutube Join Patreon for bonus episodes and more exclusi…

What could you get away with if you looked the part? What if you're trying to trick a bunch of German soldiers with a sense of blind obedience? Wilhelm Voigt managed to commandeer a whole squad and take over a city hall long enough to grab a boatload of cash. Heaton and Young dive into how he did it.…

Saparmurat Niyazov was a Soviet thug turned insane dictator of Turkmenistan. And as their leader he made sure to hit all the classics. Built a religion around himself, wiped out the free media and syphoned money away from his people. But what about his great ideas like...the ice palace in the desert. Or his beloved golden statue that turned to face…

On this episode, I'm discussing getting stung by bees and the home remedy I used involving a condiment, what I've learned from being sober for 2 years now, and recommending two great recent docu-series I'm loving. Also discussed: the problems I have with movie theater concession stand menus' evolution and people eating a cheeseburger in the theater…

In a quest to quell my lower back pain, I started visiting a chiropractor and the experience was full of surprises. I also went for a massage and was unexpectedly assigned a male massage therapist who was peak uncomfortable energy. No drink of the week this episode but a great movie recommendation at the end, as always. Check out the Patreon: www.p…

Could this be the last Pretender To Contender Ep? For all my social media links, tour dates and tickets, podcast eps, and more go to https://Linktr.ee/TheJoeMatarese --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thejoematarese/messageSupport this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thejoematarese/support…

My guest is comedian Avi Liberman who is a great standup comic and actor who makes his home in LA, CA. Avi is also the creator of the Comedy For Koby Comedy Tour that helps raise money for The Koby Mandell Foundation. The foundation helps bereaved mothers, fathers, widows, orphans and siblings to rebuild their lives and create meaning out of suffer…

I really didn't wanna have to do this. But I have to talk about the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial because the internet has forced my hand with its misinformation, misogyny, and the like. I'm talking about the smear campaign against Amber that has apparently been engineered by Depp's team, the audio recordings of Johnny yelling at Amb…

If you want to hear what Mike did to go from a pretender in the world of standup comedy to getting on Netflix, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and touring with Nate Bargatze listen to this episode of Pretender To Contender. For more on Joe Matarese go to https://Linktr.ee/TheJoeMatarese --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.co…

Maximillian I was the "other" Hapsburg son. The one who was born second and didn't get to be Emperor of Austria. But he thought he'd found the next best thing! Emperor of a country across an ocean who he had no common heritage or connection with. Unfortunately, the people of Mexico didn't agree. Heaton and Young explore this charismatic but ill-fat…

Today Joe and Andrew have one of their favorite comedians on the show Todd Glass. Todd's been on every tv show that stand comedians do, including 2 specials on Netflix. Don't miss this episode, it is def gonna get a little crazy. To watch or listen to more episodes of the show, follow Joe on social media, subscribe to the podcast Patreon, or get Jo…

Most of us have heard about the Ponzi Scheme. But what of the man who gave it his name? Charles Ponzi, was an Italian immigrant who never quite got on the right side of the law. But his greatest claim to fame was a tangled web of financial lies that almost brought down the Boston banking system. Unlicensed historians, Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young…

Joe, Andrew, Massimo, and Doug Uram talk about Canadian comedy and why it was hard for Joe to adjust, Easter and Passover, Doug's newly dating again life, and Massimo's recent move to Florida from NY and why he wants to move back to NYC again.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thejoematarese/messageSupport this pod…

Owen Harn is an actor with over 40 film and television credits. He's also a real-life Florida man and he's on an upcoming Netflix series called...well...Florida Man. We're talking about Florida, what it's like to be a regional actor outside New York and LA, his experience on True Detective (he was in that famous six-minute tracking shot), and what …

Joe and Andrew discuss how much they both like the new HBO show Winning Time, Joe's wife's away with their daughter in St Louis, and Andrew and Frankies great weekend eating candy. For tickets to Joe's show Sat. April 23rd at City Winery in Philadelphia go to https://Joematarese.com (https://Joematarese.com)--- Send in a voice message: https://podc…

Was Zorro real? You bet he was! Except he was Irish. And didn't wear a mask. And Probably couldn't carve a "Z" with his sword. And proclaimed himself king of Mexico. But other than that, William Lamport is the spitting image of Zorro, who was actually based on him. Heaton and Young take a look at what gave this redhead the cahones to try to take th…

Joe and Andrew Chat with comedian/actor DC Benny about the art of great story telling, and DC tells his classic story about the time he worked with Cosby doing a small part in the second Cosby Show. Joe and Andrew will also share their funniest, weirdest, and most interesting things from their week and let the viewers and listeners chime into the l…

Joe and Andrew on tonights show will be discussing what went down at last nights Oscar's with Chris Rock and Will Smith. We will also share our funniest, weirdest, and most interesting things from our week and let the viewers and listeners chime into the live podcast or just sit back and watch it live Monday's at 8:30pm EST. After it airs live it w…

In popular film Mary, Queen of Scots is lionized or victimized or both. However there's some good evidence she A) killed a lot of people and B) did some serious plotting. Unlicensed historians Andrew Heaton and Andrew Young investigateAndrew Heaton, Andrew Young

Joe glossed over a major beat from Andrews life last week on the podcast and some of the super fans noticed and wanted the full story so... The Truth Be Told. For all Joe's social media links, website to buy tickets to shows, or join podcast Patreon click this link https://Linktr.ee/TheJoematarese (https://Linktr.ee/TheJoematarese) "Remember When" …

Joe and Andrew discuss Joe's gig coming up in London, England being booked by a new fan, Andrew's life updates, and a lot more. For all Joe's social media links, website to buy tickets to shows, and Join his podcast Patreon click this link https://Lintr.ee/TheJoeMatarese (https://Lintr.ee/TheJoeMatarese )--- Send in a voice message: https://podcast…

The best con man can sell you anything. A car, a boat, a Nigerian fortune. But what about a bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn? Well, George C. Parker did it. And he kept doing it for forty years. Heaton and Young discuss the scant details we have on this swindler and what makes the Irish so damned charming.…

One late night in 2015, I was bartending in New York City. In walked a Swedish young man with the look to match—blonde-haired and blue-eyed—and opened a tab with a credit card bearing only the initials GM. We struck up a fast friendship; he told me he worked for a socialite in the city. It wouldn't be until four years later that Rasmus saw Ghislain…

On todays show it's just Joe alone in studio, but he will be live on Facebook, and YouTube interacting with the viewers every so often and answering questions. He will also be playing voicemails and answering question left there. Topics for the show tonight: Hiring a director for his Remember Show - Why he buzzed his hair off - His possible animate…

The Pirate Life was a tough life for the most hardened of men in the 1700s. But what if you were a woman on the high seas? Zheng Yi Sao was just such a pirate, and arguably one of the most successful pirates in the history of lootin'. Heaton and Young explore her knack for negotiation and her rather non-traditional relationship with her...um...son?…

This is our first time back in one studio and recording a podcast together. We discuss my recent tour/vacation to Miami and West Palm Florida and why I still get an anxious feeling when I'm traveling and even when I'm on the vacation. Francesca discusses her recent issues with her family, and Andrew is still enjoying making up things and trying to …