Shows
Sound DigressionsWag the Racoon Dog100% SARS-CoV-2 episode! A (relatively) sombre return to my favourite topic, talking about the US Department of Energy's assessment regarding the origins of the virus, how Racoon Dogs became a hot topic in early March 2023, and the recently released report "Post-COVID-19 Condition in Canada: What we know, what we don’t know, and a framework for action"
Music: "Racoon Balloon" by The Night Owl + Welcome Wizard, from the album Rabies Split
Music: "Covid Blues" by Derek Clegg, from the album Man on the Run
Episode art: "Canis Procyonoides (Gray) Racoon Faced Dog" by Thomas Ha...2023-04-0331 min
Sound DigressionsFaster, Zombie! Kill! Kill!Zombies reign supreme in this episode. I discuss The Last of Us (TV series and videogame), The Walking Dead (the walking lame, if we're honest about things), Dawn of the Dead (the good one and the remake), and cult classic Chopper Chicks in Zombietown.
Music: "Zombie (feat. Emilio Rojas)" by Hi-Rez, from the album Product of My Environment
Music: "Zombie" by Anastasia Vronski, from the album Estrangements (volume 1)2023-03-2257 min
Sound DigressionsBlown Pipe DreamsAll about the new Substack article by award winning veteran journalist Seymour Hersh on the blowing up of the NordStream pipelines by the Americans. I cover the basics of the story, some of the more interesting criticisms, various interviews that Hersh has done since, including with Radio War Nerd, Russell Brand, Jacobin, and the New Left Review. Plus I give a little update on the balloon saga covered in the last episode.
Music: "surfing the pipeline" by the Bobby Fuller Five, from the album microSong Entries, 2017
Music: "Pipeline" by Stanislav Bobrytskyy, from the album WHNZ:64:MFBL...2023-02-2040 min
Sound DigressionsThe Red BaloneyAll about the Chinese alleged spy balloon incident and all the other balloons caught in the fray. I talk about the movies The Red Balloon (1956) and Red Dawn (1984), read an excerpt from an essay by Walter Kirn, and give a preview of potential future episodes.
Music: "Dream Sequence - Part III" by Red Dawn, from the album We Have Arrived
Music: "Red" by Onda bidón, from the album La Ligne Bidon
2023-02-1531 min
Sound DigressionsSweet RevengeAfter being thrown out of the country and vilified for refusing covid vaccines, Novak Djokovic returns to Melbourne to claim his record tying 22nd Grand Slam title, helping me celebrate the 50th episode of Sound Digressions with a bang. I also talk about various Predator movies, including Prey (2022) and Alien vs. Predator (2004). As usual, I sprinkle talk about SARS-CoV-2 here and there. You should check out Tara Moriarty led Covid 19 Hazard Index.
Music: "Revenge" by Herr Doktor, from the album 199X
Music: "Revenge" by HoliznaPATREON, from the album Pretty Witches
Episode art: "Justice...2023-01-3041 min
Sound DigressionsMy Heart Will Goad OnA little talk about Rolling Stone magazine omitting Celine Dion from their 200 Greatest Singers list, various musing about January 6 protests, a brief update on XBB.1.5 and current Covid hospitalizations in Quebec, plus another look at the Twitter Files and what they've revealed. Summery of publications about Twitter Files can be found on Matt Taibbi's Substack.
Music: "My Heart Will Go On" by Ergo Phizmiz, from the album Emotional Freedom, 2014
Music: "My Saw Heart Will Go On" by Ergo Phizmiz, from the album Ergo's Disco Van, 2011
Episode art: "Untergang der Titanic" by Willy Stöw...2023-01-0950 min
Sound DigressionsThe Unseen HammerI give you an update on my running injuries, talk about the evolving situation in Peru, pandemic developments in China, and a brief mention of the Twitter Files (which you can find more about through this story by Lee Fang at The Intercept).
Music: "Reverie of the Watchers" by The Aurora Principle, from the album Things Unseen, 2018
Music: "Hammer on Glass (Real Neat Mix)" by U Can Unlearn Guitar, from the album Glassworked, 2011
Episode art image by: “Melancolia I” by Albrecht Dürer2022-12-2330 min
Sound DigressionsYe Shall Not PassA foray into one of my least favourite topics: celebrity squabbles. Billionarie Musk bans billionaire Ye from Twitter, showing that his alleged commitment to "free speech absolutism" was never as strongly as stated and that the platform will experience, at most, marginal changes under his ownership. You can find Glen Greenwald's more elaborate take on this here. I also talk about a rather alarming report of a case of outdoor SARS-CoV-19 transmission in China from the Chinese CDC.
Music: "Never Change for the Fame Instrumental {Wildabeast}Fame" by 6th Sense, from the album It's A 6th Sense...2022-12-0535 min
Sound DigressionsNear Death ExperienceA full (ish) recap of my most recent marathon running experience, a plunge into the (minor) abyss of anxiety the week leading up to it was, and a quick recap of a fantastic marathon race I watched in Portuguese because I couldn't find an English broadcast on the Youtube.
Episode art image by: Patrick M. Lozeau, Alexandre Albert (Wikipedia Takes Montreal participant) — Uploaded from Wikipedia Takes Montreal, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16353598
Music: "Sprint! 100 meter" by BaKer vs Casamento, from microSong Entries, 2017
Music: "The Elevator Bossa Nova" from Benso...2022-11-1645 min
Sound DigressionsToo Many LoopsThis episode begins and ends with me rambling about my upcoming attempt to run 42.2kms. In between, I talk about SARS-CoV-2, of course, lament the lack of attention Cuban vaccines have gotten, and very reluctantly talk for a bit about Elon Musk and Twitter. You can find Katherine Eban's latest story on the origins of Covid at Vanity Fair. Here is an article by William Haseltine on the next generation of vaccines, and a second. I briefly mention a new article on how the DHS seeks to control social media platforms.
Episode art image by: Patrick M. L...2022-11-0844 min
Sound DigressionsTiger in the SachsAn episode on why Jeffrey Sachs has been making the news recently. The head of the recently completed report "The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic" has raised eyebrows in the last couple of months by simply voicing his findings, calling out wilful obfuscations by the NIH and others, and reaching conclusions about events in Europe, such as the sabotaging of the Nordstream pipelines, that should be obvious but as disappointingly lacking in mainstream media outlets.
You can hear him talk at length on Steve Hsu's Manifold podcast.
Music: "Stop...2022-10-1050 min
Sound DigressionsMarathon ManiaHave running on my mind recently. I talk about two marathons that took place on the weekend, Montreal and Berlin. You also get a preview of a potential future episode about the nearly forgotten now p(l)andemic.
Cover art photo credit: By Isma250 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=101481000
Music: "Intro / SP / DDB / X-Visitations / Gamelan" by The Psychic Paramount2022-09-3044 min
Sound DigressionsRest In PiecesNo love lost for the change in monarch, or the death of Gorbachev, or Haruki Murakami. The usual ramble with, in my opinion, some better than average music. Back after a long hiatus.
Music: "Intro / SP / DDB / X-Visitations / Gamelan" by The Psychic Paramount2022-09-1435 min
Sound DigressionsNerve to PervAnother recap of my time in Calgary. I discuss sweat, creaking joints, walks, hikes, hares, and a whole bunch of terrible, sometimes interesting, movies I've been watching2022-07-1441 min
Sound DigressionsEasy EaseI arrive to Calgary without much to say about the place. Tried watching a couple of movies about alternate universes, unintentionally pondering "What if I had stayed here?"2022-07-0425 min
Sound DigressionsThe Way We Go RRRI give an update on the health of boxer Alejandra “Fenix” Ayala, hate listen to an interview with the lesser JT on CBC's mediocre show The House, and quickly review the superb epic action drama RRR (2022). Mistakenly, I continuously refer to the host of The House as "Chris Howden" when it is in fact Chris Hall. Mr. Howden hosts a different show.
Music: “Lies” by SK ft. Shayla
Music: “Lies” by Bad Noids, Live at WFMU on Distort Jersey City May 10th 20122022-06-2647 min
Sound DigressionsThe Good FightSamuel talks about watching boxing early in the morning, running plans, and, returning to the podcast's favourite topic, SARS-CoV-2, does a review of Michael Lewis' book The Premonition.
Music: "Premonition" by Alessio Bargiacchi, from the album S27-X (II)
Music: "Premonition" by CoCoComa, from the album CoCoComa2022-06-0847 min
Sound DigressionsSour Patch DuneA quick review of about half a dozen movies (including They Live (1988) and Vice (2018)) that popped into my head while talking about the latest Dune (2021) and The Batman (2022), followed by a longer review of Wiebo's War (2011), a documentary by David York about the families in "Trickle Creek" and their fight against Big Oil and their pollution in northern Alberta.
Music: "Red Carper" by Yung Kartz, from the album February 2019
Music: "Hard XxX Ultra Yaoi Psychedelic Death Of Vintage Cluster Bomb Of Glitter" by Monplaisir, from the album PIGEONS ARE THE BEST2022-05-2445 min
Sound DigressionsSpeak Ill of ConspiraciesIt took me about a month to finally edit this, I recorded it midway through April while sick. Here I focus on two articles by Katherine Eban, published in Vanity Fair, "The Lab Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19's Origins" from June of last year and " "This Shouldn't Happen": Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy" from March of this year. Enjoy!2022-05-1537 min
Sound DigressionsThe Will To PowerSamuel delves, belatedly, into the greatest moment in television in years: The Slap. A short update on the case of Mehdi Ali and other asylum seekers in Australia (they've been released from confinement) and an update on the alleged plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan.
The episode art is a photo of the red carpet from The Oscars the day after
Music: "Red Carpet" by Yung Kartz
Music: "Slap 'Em In The Face" by The Willing, from the album Splendid Gifts2022-04-1438 min
Sound DigressionsThank You For Asking!Rambling episode about censorship and propaganda. I talk about the new (not official) Lego, Italian airport workers, a new baby rhino, blog post from the Canadian Council for the Arts, cancelled piano performances, and an ovation in the Washington Post to newest Sexiest Man in the World.
Music: "Russian Dance" by Yair Yona2022-03-1955 min
Sound DigressionsParisian PoutineSamuel makes a list of the recent waves of panic that have dominated the news cycle since mid-November 2021, talks about difficulties finding reliable data about the situation in Ukraine, and digs into why a recent NY Times article about the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 horribly missed the mark.
Here's the story about the teenager heading off to fight in the war
Here are multiple versions of the NY Times story about two pre-prints
As promised in the last few minutes of the podcast, Parisian Poutine (for context, I just learned this, in French th...2022-03-0756 min
Sound DigressionsRegular vs SupremeSamuel explores a whole bunch of recent stories all revolving around trucks! Rig aficionadxs tune in!
Here's the story of Leah Gorham I mention in the show
Music: "Freedom" by Slipper, from the album Attack of the Killer Lobsters
Music: "Freedom" by Classwar Karaoke, from the album Classwar Karaoke - 0018 Survey
Episode art: Found the image on Twitter and didn't bother to see who it was attributed to. The full thing has the line of rigs passing through a parted ocean (a la Moses parting the sea) with gnarly sharks on...2022-02-061h 01
Sound DigressionsNovax Djocovid vs The WorldSamuel goes on a second rant about the most important news in Australia and tries to decipher what is and what is not a health measure.
Brawl in Montreal
Tara Moriarty
German police with sticks
Music: "Tejygo" by Mello C
Music: "Algorithms" by Chad Crouch
Episode art: By Carine06 (no real name given) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/5935139063/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1003140422022-01-1839 min
Sound DigressionsWhen Flurona Met DeltacronSamuel talks on Novak Djokovic's Australian vacation (but first he rambles for 45 minutes about emerging non-variants, anti-vaxxers, Joe Rogan, Robert Malone, Yuri Deigin, vaccine passports, and reveals that he is sick with something).
Park Hotel story is HERE
Music: "Isolation" by Audiobinger, from the album Quarantine Beats Vol 22022-01-101h 00
Sound DigressionsGoodbye 2021Samuel and Monique do their inaugural YEAR END REVIEW! We talk about memes, frontiers, wizards, try to figure out what NFTs are, talk cats and early childhood experiences, spill drinks, discuss supply chains, and a whole lot more.
Here's the story about the gazebo, for those who would like a visual
Music by Tusk Lord, "Second Christmas Song"2021-12-3154 min
Sound DigressionsOmicroming 4 USamuel talks about the potential origins of the Omicron variant as presented by William A. Haseltine and manages to depress himself. Enjoy!
Music: "Bajará por el lado izquierdo" by Boris & Olivier, from the album Holiday On
Music: "Holiday" by Julie Byrne
2021-12-2740 min
Sound DigressionsChristmas MiraclesWe decided about two weeks ago to do a Christmas Special and it's finally here! Surprisingly, we stay on topic the whole time, with only minor deviations, covering all kinds of miracles (Jesus, missing cats reappearing, surviving medical emergencies).
Here are a couple of heartwarming stories
Music by Tusk Lord, "Second Christmas Song"2021-12-241h 07
Sound DigressionsBringer of ChaosSamuel talks about how his early childhood infatuation with the Transformers prepared him mentally for the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, discusses what he has been able to glean so far about Omicron and how it's being covered, and cites two cases (one confirmed, the other suspected) where SARS-CoV-2 has "escaped" from a lab in the last couple of years.
Article by Alison Young and Jessica Blake can be found HERE
Reporting on potential leak in Taiwan can be found HERE
Music: Underglow by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com2021-12-1154 min
Sound DigressionsUnwind and RewindSamuel provides an update on both Russiagate (EP 7 Don't be Russian and I Won't be Stalin) and the Havana Syndrome (EP 11, Soothing Fight Sounds from Havana) plus a whole lotta new thoughts on the ongoing Pandemic.
Here's an article about the vaccine card fraud happening in Saskatchewan
Here's the article in CTV News peddling junk science
Music: “Algorithms” by Chad Crouch, from the album Arps (used thanks to a Creative Commons license)2021-11-1850 min
Sound DigressionsVirology Industrial Complex IICanadaland tried to correct their ways by doing a 2ND episode on the Origins of SARS-CoV-2 and here I, Samuel, come again to tell you how they got things not-quite-right... And probably get a few things not-quite-right myself. This is probably the most rambling episode in a while. Very soon after recording it some new (to me) info crossed my screen and now I'm not so sure Dewar got things as wrong as I suspected about the Mojiang mine workers... Anyway, lots of fringe theories out there!
Here's a link to the pretty good documentary I watched...2021-10-1943 min
Sound DigressionsVirology Industrial ComplexSamuel analyses two podcasts, The Trillbilly Worker's Party and Canadaland, both of which released episodes on the investigation into the origins of SARS-CoV-2 over the last 7 days (you won't be able to hear the Trillbillies unless you subscribe to their Patreon). Spoiler Alert: neither of these podcasts does a very good job -- the topic requires a little more than casual dedication.
For a deep dive into the research into the origins of Covid-19 there's no better source than D.R.A.S.T.I.C.
One of the earliest deep analysis into the SARS-CoV-2...2021-10-0246 min
Sound DigressionsGrave GravelSamuel recounts having met Trudeau 9 years ago, discusses briefly the current elxn before announcing who he is voting for! Followed by another discussion into the origins of Covid, this time focusing on a little bit of research compiled by Gilles Demaneuf.
Music thanks to Royalty Free Music from Bensound2021-09-1946 min
Sound DigressionsSmells Like Team SpiritSamuel talks about the Olympic Marathon races and doesn't get sidetracked even once.
Music thanks to Royalty Free Music from Bensound2021-09-1036 min
Sound DigressionsTele Confe RenceAn introduction to Nicholas Wade's new article in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists concerning how the conversation around the origins of SARS-CoV-2 was skewed right from the start. You could just read the article, but we hope you'll also listen to Samuel stumble through it.
ALSO: we try to add intro music to the podcast! Thanks to "Royalty Free Music from Bensound"2021-08-2332 min
Sound DigressionsFrom Cow Bay With LoveSamuel and Monique discuss German traditions, Covid Passports, trips to Home Depot, a very strange experience that wasn't Just for Laughs, and jeans tucked into socks2021-08-1849 min
Sound DigressionsLaps of FreedomI talk about the Olympics, boxing in Boston, what vaccines are supposed to do, and my first outdoors crowded adventure in a long time. The twitter thread mentioned, by Dr Eric Diegl-Ding, is here. I misremembered when it was that Kenenisa Bekele set the Olympic Record for the 10 000m (he did it in 2008, not 2016). O, yeah, and I also talk shit about Dune!2021-08-0349 min
Sound DigressionsEncouragement and ExcessWhile waiting for an electrician, Samuel takes another dive into the murky waters of Covid-19, this time focusing on the Royal Society of Canada's June 2021 report: Excess All-Cause Mortality During the COVID-19 Epidemic in Canada. He talks about media coverage and the role media plays in amplifying or dismissing certain stories, like Nicholas Wade's article.2021-07-2444 min
Sound DigressionsKnown UnknownsA special episode for those who have yet to reach total SARS-CoV-2 fatigue. Samuel meanders through various suspicions, clues, conflicts of interest, bad science, and secretive behaviours that have fuelled a small community of independent researches to attempt to pierce the obscurity around the origins of the pandemic.
Here's the article published by Yuri Deigin referenced at length
An extensive interview with Alina Chan
2021-07-121h 03
Sound DigressionsSt Jean Baptiste the Life ChampMonique and Samuel share memorable Fête Nationale moments, talk about last meals, vegetarianism, basketball, neighbours, SARS-CoV-2, and a whole lot more. 2021-06-2652 min
Sound DigressionsThe Triumphal Arc of the StarWe discuss the latest documentary on Paris Hilton, Alexandra Dean's This is Paris, talk about the Most Matted Dog Ever, recall fond memories of lasagna, and prepare the scene for our soon to follow podcast about Jack Johnson. Samuel also drops some hints about a possible future episode on the resurgence of the SARS-CoV-2 lab-leak theory and gives an update on the Havana Syndrome2021-06-051h 13
Sound DigressionsThe Ultimate Thunder MixerRenowned Hulkomaniacs Samuel and Monique watch Wrestlemania VI for the very first time! We do commentary on the first Wrestlemania to venture outside of the USA and into the Skydome, discuss combat sports history, and talk about underwear and foxes. If you feel like watching the show while listening to our commentary, sync up to the 31st second of this video and wait for Monique's cue.2021-05-261h 19
Sound DigressionsCrackers, Puppies, and BlendersMonique and Samuel discuss intensely serious topics, as usual2021-05-221h 01
Sound DigressionsSoothing fight sounds from HavanaSamuel tries to tell apart the sounds made by Indies short-tailed crickets and Jamaican field crickets (he can't), recounts some ways in which boxing changed during the pandemic, and examines a sound deprivation chamber.
Dr MacPherson's World Wide Hum Map
This is the article by Jack Hitt in Vanity Fair
Here is the ProPublica account of events at the US Embassy2021-05-0330 min
Sound DigressionsReunited and it feels so goodLike Godzilla, you can't keep Monique down for long! She returns ready for an episode of "ça va bien aller" and sunshine only to be thwarted by Samuel's insistence on talking about State Propaganda, Afghanistan, and Covid. Tune in to find out if she survives!2021-04-2150 min
Sound DigressionsWe're not nuclear scientists, we're optimistsAfter a short rant about the pandemic, Samuel talks about dumping and drinking contaminated water, building secret underground nuclear waste sites, and the wonderful, forgotten world of the OG Godzilla2021-04-1923 min
Sound DigressionsWave to me from PyongyangIn this second episode of the Sound of Doom, Samuel ruminates about the 3rd wave of Covid-19 and the 3rd leader of the DPRK, provides some updates on Russiagate, and thanks angry scientists.2021-04-1220 min
Sound DigressionsDon't be Russian and I won't be StalinThis is our first episode of a new series within our podcast called The Sound of Doom, made specifically for those who, like Samuel, enjoy talking about real world conspiracies and our messed up world. This episode focuses on Russiagate, the unverified conspiracy theory that dominated headlines during the Trump years, presented as fact by many mainstream news outlets. We use Matt Taibbi's recent story “Master List of Official Russia Claims That Proved To Be Bogus” as a guide.
Also mentioned in this episode is an interview between Russiagate Skeptic Aaron Maté and Luke Harding, author of Collu...2021-04-0424 min
Sound DigressionsFool me once, fool me twiceWe do a surface dive into the wide world of pranks and hoaxes and realize there's enough material there to base a whole podcast on, if only we could stay on topic. Digressions abound! An episode truly worthy of our name.
Some of the stories we hit: Chopper the German Ghost, Windy City Heat, Taco Liberty Bell, War of the Worlds, Zoom lag, Chloe and Keith's Wedding, 1954 Spaghetti harvest, 4hr work days, Republic of Lies, 15ft Penguins, Operation Varsity Blues, and many, many more. 2021-03-301h 12
Sound DigressionsQueen's Countergambit/Bobby still has your numberWe immerse ourselves in the story of the GOAT Judit Polgár, muse about the perils of genius, travel to Iceland a few times so we can mispronounce even more names, talk about Samuel's favourite television series, and discuss the emergence of a new WAP that's not really WAP.2021-03-241h 01
Sound DigressionsOne Giant Leap for Dan-kindWe take a deep dive into the unsolved mystery of D.B. Cooper, talk about our dwindling download numbers and how that's gonna change soon thanks to our improved sound, discuss meal plans for hijackers, and claim that it is not possible for avid sky divers to be germophobes.2021-03-071h 08
Sound DigressionsInto the Eyafjallajökull InfernoIn which we discuss the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull and confront the seismic reality of Earth, share our experiences with quakes, heights, disaster films, and Monique gets a call from her mom.2021-02-281h 18
Sound DigressionsWhale of a taleIn this episode we discuss the newly identified Rice's whale, the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, crisis management, we attempt to talk about the pandemic without getting dark or depressing, and search for song and rhyme in unexpected places2021-02-211h 21
Sound DigressionsOumuamua I want to believeIn our very first episode of Sound Digressions, we stumble through introductions, discuss the interstellar object Oumuamua, recount stories about alien encounters, celebrity sightings, and much more.2021-02-031h 01