1 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 2: Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind listener mail. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 2: My name is Robert Lamb. 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 3: And my name is Joe McCormick. And it's Monday, the 5 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 3: day of each week we read back some messages from 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 3: the mail bag. We've gotten a lot of good responses 7 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 3: recently to our series on childhood amnesia to recent Weird 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 3: House Cinema episodes. But before we get into all that, Rob, 9 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 3: do you want to read this message we got from 10 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 3: Chandra Shekhar about the artifact episode you did on the 11 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:39,840 Speaker 3: origins of the Pinata. 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and by the way, this is not the individual's 13 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 2: full name. We just had to double check that off 14 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: my care Anyway, they write in and say hello, gentlemen, 15 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 2: thanks for the fantastic podcast. I was listening to the 16 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: latest episode and when you read through the listener mail 17 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 2: about the Philippines and the Pinata, it occurred to me 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 2: that we have something similar in India too. Jean mash 19 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 2: Tommy is the birthday of a Hindu hero god Krishan. 20 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 2: He's widely known and one of the most popular gods, 21 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 2: considering he spoke the Ghita Bagavad Gita closely translates to 22 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 2: sayings of the God, where Bagavon equals God and ghita 23 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 2: equals speech. On his birthday, one of the widely celebrated 24 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 2: traditions is to crack open a pot tied onto a 25 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 2: vertical pulley system. It is a game where the striker 26 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 2: has a stick and they run up and jump to 27 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 2: hit the pot. Simultaneously, the pot is hoisted up on 28 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: the pulley by other players, making it go out of reach. 29 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 2: The game continues until a striker breaks the pot, which 30 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: is filled with butter, coconut water, honey, and all the 31 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 2: delicious stuff. In other traditions of Hinduism, people form giant 32 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 2: human pyramids to reach the pot that is held high 33 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 2: up in the sky by a crane or some other contraption. 34 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 2: And I bet you there are a hundred or even 35 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: more ways. This same tradition is celebrated across India and 36 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,239 Speaker 2: the surrounding countries. Something you might find interesting. I would 37 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: gladly listen to you to go down that rabbit hole 38 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 2: and experience our beautiful culture spiral out. 39 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 3: Really interesting. I'd never heard of this before. Thanks, thanks 40 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 3: for sending this. Yeah, all right, so we got a 41 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,920 Speaker 3: lot of messages in response to our series on childhood amnesia. 42 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 3: A lot of people wanted to share their earliest memories 43 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 3: or memories that they think make have come from before 44 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,119 Speaker 3: they were three years old. Let's see. We certainly can't 45 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 3: feature all of the ones we've gotten already on this episode, 46 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 3: but we'll plow through as many as we can. So 47 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 3: I'm going to start with this message from longtime correspondent 48 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 3: Jim in New Jersey. 49 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: Ah. 50 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 3: Yes, Jim says, Robert and Joe, Some of my first 51 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 3: memories involved seeing Mary Poppins in the theater in its 52 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 3: original release. According to my mom, it was the weekend 53 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 3: after the Kennedy assassination. She and some of her friends 54 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 3: were growing weary of the depressing TV coverage of the 55 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 3: tragedy in Dallas, Texas, so they decided to take their 56 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 3: kids to the movies to see Mary Poppins. Based upon 57 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 3: my mother's story, this would put my earliest memories before 58 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 3: two and a half years. Kennedy's assassination was in November 59 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:27,720 Speaker 3: nineteen sixty three, but Mary Poppins wasn't released until August 60 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,639 Speaker 3: nineteen sixty four, about nine months later. My mom has 61 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 3: definitely constructed a false memory of when we saw the movie. 62 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 3: She loves this story so much that I don't have 63 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 3: the heart to correct her. This place is my Mary 64 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 3: Poppins memory at a bit after age three, which is 65 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 3: a much more common age for early memory acquisitions. Once 66 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 3: I realized the timeline disconnect, I tried to find what 67 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 3: movie the moms could have taken the kids to see 68 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 3: on that weekend. I was unable to find any Disney 69 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 3: or family based movies that seem to fit the bill. 70 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 3: The actual events are still a mystery to me, but 71 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 3: I'm not curious enough to shatter my mother's memory by 72 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 3: asking her. Jim. 73 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 2: This is interesting because it brings to mind, just in general, 74 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 2: earliest memories of films seen, because they occupy kind of 75 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 2: an interesting place. Because on one hand, they are milestone events, 76 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 2: you know, the first time you take a child to 77 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 2: a movie theater, your first, your earliest cinema experiences. These 78 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 2: are notable. They also can be attached to a timeline 79 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 2: and can be fact checked to some degree. But the 80 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 2: other interesting thing about them is that they seem highly 81 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 2: susceptible to reinterpretation based on later viewings of the films. 82 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 2: You know, like I think back on the movies that 83 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 2: I know I saw at an early age, and it's 84 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 2: very easy to sort of build a false memory of 85 00:04:56,240 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: what that would be like because unlike other things in life, 86 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: like the movie is largely unchanged. You can account for, 87 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 2: you know, changes in film quality and cuts and so forth, 88 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,679 Speaker 2: but for the most part, like Mary Poppins is the same, 89 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 2: and you can watch it now and you can get 90 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 2: a one hundred percent accurate representation of what the movie 91 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 2: would have been when you saw it in the theater. 92 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 3: Of course, the interesting thing about seeing a movie is, 93 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:24,640 Speaker 3: of course it is not just the document that contributes 94 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 3: to your experience. It's like, you know, you're what you 95 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 3: understand going into it, the environment you saw it in, 96 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:33,119 Speaker 3: and all that stuff, especially when you're a little kid, 97 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 3: because like when you're a little kid, you don't understand 98 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 3: so many things about the stories told in movies. It 99 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 3: just kind of like opens the door to all sorts 100 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 3: of wild interpretations and associations that I think there would 101 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 3: be less of when you're when you're an adult and 102 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 3: you essentially perceive the machinations of a plot more straightforwardly 103 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 3: or realistically. But also, Jim, I totally understand what you're 104 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 3: saying about like, so, like the way your mother tells 105 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 3: the story of when you saw Mary Poppins cannot be correct, 106 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 3: but not wanting to, you know, go like tell her 107 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 3: that this story that she loves remembering and sharing with 108 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 3: the family is wrong, because I mean, I don't know 109 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 3: what's really to be gained from that, right, So, yeah, 110 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 3: that's weird. But it also makes you wonder why, so 111 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 3: if this cannot be what literally happened, why did she 112 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 3: put together that false memory? Like what is it about 113 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 3: the experience of taking you to see Mary Poppins, which 114 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,039 Speaker 3: you do still remember that she came to associate with 115 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 3: that weekend of the Kennedy assassination. 116 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, fascinating to tease it all apart, all right. 117 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 2: This next one comes to us from Ranata. Ranata's email 118 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 2: is titled my earliest memories are Nightmares. One of the 119 00:06:57,320 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 2: wondrous things about memory that I think about every day 120 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 2: our ability to distinguish dream memories from other memories. Obviously, 121 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 2: if I remember something totally strange and counterfactual, I will 122 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 2: suspect it was a dream. But occasionally I do have 123 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 2: to stop and think if a mundane work conversation was 124 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,559 Speaker 2: actually a real event or a dream. Yet, without fail, 125 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 2: my brain picks up on something about dream memories that's different. 126 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,119 Speaker 2: It's like my brain puts that memory in a box 127 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 2: called dreams, and if I find a memory there, it 128 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 2: must be a dream. Like childhood amnesia, dreams seem to 129 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 2: disappear really quickly in memory. Unless you write them down 130 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 2: or rehearse remembering them, they get lost forever. And yet 131 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 2: some of my earliest memories are dreams and in fact nightmares. Joe, 132 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:41,000 Speaker 2: you talked about a feeling of nostalgia that isn't like 133 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 2: nostalgia from a toy or a moment, but more like 134 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 2: being taken back to a specific emotional state of childhood. 135 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 2: That's how I feel about marbles due to one of 136 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,480 Speaker 2: my earliest nightmares, which happened when my father had an 137 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 2: exotic fish tank. He put marbles in the tank as decoration, 138 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 2: and one night I dreamt that they floated out of 139 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 2: the tank and chased me around the living room trying 140 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 2: to bite me like pac Man. 141 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 3: That is a really good childhood nightmare. I'm sure it 142 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 3: must have been terrifying as a child, but yeah, the 143 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 3: thumbs up. 144 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 2: Now, I'm positive this was a real dream I had, 145 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:16,320 Speaker 2: and not an implanted memory, because why would anyone be 146 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,440 Speaker 2: telling me a story of my dream. I'm not sure 147 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 2: I've ever told anyone this dream until now I know 148 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 2: it must have occurred before my parents' divorce, so before 149 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 2: the age of five. When I recall that dream, and 150 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 2: anytime I look at a marble, I have that feeling 151 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 2: of being transported, unfortunately not in a positive way. I 152 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 2: don't have a phobia of marbles, but they have a 153 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 2: sinister quality to me even now. Is it possible to 154 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 2: implant a dream memory? I doubt it, but maybe. Plus, 155 00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 2: dreams and nightmares are bizarrely specific, so they aren't like 156 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 2: memories of catching fireflies in a jar that could have 157 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 2: been a more general experience. So early dreams and nightmares 158 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 2: might be some of the earliest memories we can be 159 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 2: sure are real memories, even though they are about things 160 00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 2: that never happened. I love the episodes about cognitive science 161 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:04,439 Speaker 2: topics best'na. 162 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 3: Great email Ranata, so yes, as I said, I love 163 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 3: the idea of killer marbles coming out of the fish 164 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 3: tank attacking you like the ball from the Prisoner, except 165 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 3: I guess they're much smaller. Yeah, I wonder about this. 166 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 3: I mean, it is very interesting the way that we 167 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 3: we have a tendency to really rapidly forget dreams. I mean, 168 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 3: even on the course of minutes after waking, they can 169 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 3: become hard to recall. In fact, I almost seem to 170 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:34,560 Speaker 3: remember that we've read hypotheses before about why that would be, 171 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 3: but I don't actually remember what the proposed answers are now. 172 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 3: But yeah, that is very interesting that we tend to 173 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 3: forget them so fast. But there are some that really stick, 174 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 3: and I would tend to think that those are the 175 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 3: ones that, much like our earliest childhood memories, that we 176 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 3: are likely to remember. They're the ones that we rehearse 177 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 3: the most often, with the paradox being that by coming 178 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 3: back to them and dwelling on them and thinking about 179 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,400 Speaker 3: them and talking about them more often, it's also more 180 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 3: likely they are changing over time, and so we don't 181 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 3: remember them actually the same way we did the first 182 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 3: time we remembered them. 183 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, this is a great topic though, because I know, 184 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 2: in my case, there are nightmares I remember from my 185 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 2: early childhood from time periods where I really probably don't 186 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 2: remember much else around them, you know, I mean, there 187 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 2: are other scattered memories but when you start lining them up, 188 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 2: it's like, how many memories do I have from this 189 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 2: year of my life? And and how how how many 190 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,479 Speaker 2: of them are our dreams and how many are reality? 191 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 2: You know, like, what would be the percentile there? It's 192 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 2: probably kind of telling Granada thanks for writing in. That's 193 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 2: that's a twofer. We get an earliest memory and an 194 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 2: account of a dream, okay. 195 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 3: We also ask people, you know, if they have memories 196 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 3: from before the typical threshold of about three years that's 197 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,560 Speaker 3: coming for most people, if they believe they have memories 198 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 3: from before this period. With the caveat that, in most 199 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 3: cases it's hard to verify whether these are real memories 200 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,559 Speaker 3: or later confabulations that now feel like memories. It's often 201 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,439 Speaker 3: hard to know for sure. But we did want to 202 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 3: hear from people, and so we heard from Lindsey, who said, Hello, 203 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 3: I often think about what it means to be alive 204 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 3: but not remember, especially as an infant. So your latest 205 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,200 Speaker 3: show before you could remember part one was right up 206 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 3: my alley. My earliest memory has to be when I 207 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 3: was about fifteen months old. I know it's not from 208 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 3: a photo or anything because of the way I remember it, 209 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,560 Speaker 3: although I did see a photo later to confirm that 210 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 3: what I remembered was actually an event that happened. My 211 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 3: great grandmother was in a nursing home until she died 212 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 3: in April nineteen eighty six. In April nineteen eighty five, 213 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 3: my great aunt took her out and brought her home 214 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 3: for Passover slash Easter dinner. We didn't do a traditional Satyr, 215 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 3: but had a meal that conformed with being Kosher four Passover, 216 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 3: while also celebrating Easter for my dad, who was Catholic 217 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 3: close parentheses. The memory I have is my great grandmother 218 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 3: sitting in her wheelchair at the end of the table 219 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 3: set up in my great aunt's living room. I'm taken 220 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 3: out of my high chair and placed on her lap, 221 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:24,559 Speaker 3: sit there for a bit, and then clamber down to 222 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 3: toddle over to the window. I remember walking up to 223 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 3: the window and looking out because she had a very 224 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 3: large picture window that went almost floor to ceiling, so 225 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 3: the ledge of it was perfect for a toddler to 226 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 3: lean on. The confirmation came from a photo taken of 227 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 3: me sitting on my great grandmother's lap and looking at 228 00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:45,599 Speaker 3: the camera. I saw this photo years later as a 229 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 3: child of seven or eight, and I told my mother 230 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 3: that I remembered my great grandmother being at dinner, but 231 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 3: I didn't remember having a picture taken of us. She said, 232 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 3: this was the only time my great grandmother had been 233 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 3: home like this since she was in the nursing home, 234 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 3: so it would have in a very special time all around, 235 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 3: and that's why the photo of us was taken. Perhaps 236 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 3: this contributed to me being able to remember it since 237 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 3: it was a novel event. I am looking forward to 238 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 3: hearing the other parts of the series. Sincerely, Lindsey. Yeah, 239 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 3: I guess this would connect to research we talked about, 240 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 3: I think in part two of the series, where you 241 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 3: know there there is maybe some connection between the the 242 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 3: richness or novelty of new declarative memories and one's ability 243 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 3: to remember them from an early age, especially if they 244 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 3: get rehearsed in the mind or in conversation as time 245 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 3: goes on. 246 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, Now, for the sake of argument, it is interesting 247 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 2: that this is a this is a memory of remembering, yes, 248 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,520 Speaker 2: and it's and there's also media involved in the stirring 249 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 2: of that that memory. So there's there's a lot going 250 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 2: on there that could you know, you can you can 251 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:54,959 Speaker 2: imagine where at a young age, you see this picture 252 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 2: of yourself and you may be you know, encouraged to 253 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 2: remember what is in the picture, or you may you know, 254 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 2: create that memory based on the photographic evidence you're presented with, 255 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 2: and then later as you remember that act of remembering, 256 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 2: like you access the created memory of the thing. You know. 257 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's totally true. Now again, of course, Lindsay, we're 258 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 3: not telling you your memory is wrong. You don't actually 259 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 3: remember that, but it's it is the thing that we 260 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 3: all have to face about. Like, it's hard to know 261 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 3: because if the memory were not real, it would still feel. 262 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 2: Real, right, And this would be a case too of 263 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 2: if this is a created memory, well then you have 264 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 2: over time created a memory of value then and this, yeah, 265 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 2: this is you know, it's not only harmless, it's it's beneficial. 266 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 2: So like, yeah, why not embrace it totally? So thank you, Lindsey. 267 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 2: All Right, This next one comes to us from Scott. 268 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 2: Scott says, Hi, Robert and Joe, regarding your recent episode 269 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 2: on childhood, amnesia and memory. I have an interesting first 270 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 2: memory for you, as it is precisely of a moment 271 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 2: of realizing I lacked certain kinds of previous memories I 272 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 2: was always a precocious child, reading Doctor Seuss before the 273 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 2: age of three, according to my parents, and having an 274 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,360 Speaker 2: early vivid imagination and interest in science and philosophy, which 275 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 2: may help to explain the following event in my life. 276 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 2: When I was about three years old in our central 277 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,760 Speaker 2: Minnesota home, I woke up in my bed in the 278 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,080 Speaker 2: middle of the night and had the strange feeling of 279 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 2: never having been there before, or for that matter, having 280 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 2: been anywhere before. What struck me as most puzzling was 281 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 2: that I knew exactly where my room was in the house, 282 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 2: where my parents' room was, and so forth. I was 283 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 2: especially fixated on the fact that I knew where certain 284 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 2: trees were in our front yard, though it was night 285 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 2: and I wasn't even facing that way, so I couldn't 286 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 2: see them. How then, I wondered, did I know these things? 287 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 2: I walked to my parents' room and woke them up, 288 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:51,720 Speaker 2: explaining this experience as best I could by saying I 289 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 2: just appeared in my bed. They didn't understand, so I elaborated, 290 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 2: you know how a magician can make a rabbit disappear, Well, 291 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 2: I just appeared. They still didn't understand, and how could 292 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 2: they for I surely didn't understand it either, and gently 293 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 2: put me back to bed. I have long interpreted this 294 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 2: as being my first or very first, persistent awareness of myself. 295 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 2: I had earlier memories of the house and the trees, 296 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 2: et cetera. I even have a very distinct early memory 297 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 2: of living temporarily in a relative's basement a few blocks 298 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 2: away before we moved into this particular house, when I 299 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 2: was only two years old, and my older sister and 300 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 2: I were put to bed with raggedy ann and andy dolls, 301 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 2: the scenario my parents later confirmed. But perhaps my earlier 302 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 2: awareness was only of these various external objects, and it 303 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 2: was only after months in the newer house that I 304 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 2: became abruptly aware in some deeper and persistent sense of 305 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 2: myself as a being in that world. My cousin reported 306 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 2: a memory of a similar experience he had outside during 307 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 2: the daytime of Oh here I am, But most others 308 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 2: I have related it to, including a few psychologists, were 309 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 2: unfamiliar with any similar reports and could shed no light 310 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,200 Speaker 2: on it. But surely other people have had or can 311 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 2: remember similar experiences, So I wish this phenomenon could get 312 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:04,479 Speaker 2: more attention. 313 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,199 Speaker 3: Scott, that's very interesting. So the idea is that you 314 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:13,400 Speaker 3: suddenly became aware of yourself as as a subject independent 315 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 3: from the world. 316 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's interesting. I don't know that I have anything 317 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 2: like that. I think I was just watching I watched 318 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 2: TV instead. 319 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 3: One way in which I can definitely relate to this 320 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 3: is that I distinctly recall a feeling when I was 321 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 3: a young child of having not exactly this realization, but 322 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 3: lots of realizations that seemed to me incredibly profound, but 323 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 3: not in a way that I could explain to anybody else, 324 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,360 Speaker 3: in the same way that realizations that people believe they 325 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 3: have while on psychedelic drugs often are that there's like 326 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 3: an ineffability of the profundity of your realizations, Like you 327 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 3: try to put into words and it just doesn't sound 328 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 3: all that interesting or compelling to somebody else, But like 329 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 3: in the moment, it feels like you have stumbled across 330 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,679 Speaker 3: some type of truth that is earthshaking, and that truth 331 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 3: might be the question of like why am I me 332 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,920 Speaker 3: when I could have been somebody else. I remember having 333 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 3: that thought. 334 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, this were there but for fortune moments, 335 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:25,399 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, it can be quite even you know today, 336 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 2: when when you really stop and engage with those thoughts 337 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 2: that it can be quite overwhelming. 338 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 3: Okay, we're going to do a message about Weird House 339 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 3: Cinema and then close things up. 340 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 2: Yes, please read Lurch's email. 341 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:47,239 Speaker 3: Okay, Lurch says, subject line Weird House definitive explanation. Maybe so, 342 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 3: this I think is related to our questions about the 343 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 3: bird Eye Gordon movie Attack of the Puppet People. We 344 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 3: were a little bit shaky on the title there, since 345 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 3: the people in the movie who seem to be referred 346 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 3: to as the puppet people in the title people Will 347 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,440 Speaker 3: Get Shrunk do not attack anyone except a literal, inanimate puppet. 348 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 3: So I don't know, kind of confusing there, But Lurch says, 349 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,960 Speaker 3: good morning, gentlemen. After a brief hiatus, I'm binging stuff 350 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,040 Speaker 3: to blow your mind and just finish the Weird House 351 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,439 Speaker 3: episode covering Bert Eye Gordon's Attack of the Puppet People. 352 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 3: I suggest the title is actually more accurate than you 353 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 3: might think, though, I'm guessing the bulls Eye either ended 354 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 3: up on the cutting room floor or came up a 355 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 3: victim of a script rewrite. I'm betting the ladder, knowing 356 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 3: what little I know of the divine Gordon's habits. Besides, 357 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 3: if it's the former, my flight of fancy crashes on takeoff. 358 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 3: So if you squint just a little and hold your 359 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 3: tongue over your right lower molar, you can accept that 360 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 3: mister Franz, the villain of the movie, as a puppeteer, 361 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 3: could readily be considered a puppet person. Okay, assume a 362 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 3: rewrite changed his old colleague to a past friend from 363 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:03,040 Speaker 3: a current collaborat. Thus you have the requisite plurality to 364 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 3: justify the collective people in the title. There's no question 365 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,840 Speaker 3: mister Franz attacks his various victims. Of course, the title 366 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:14,240 Speaker 3: allows for this twofold interpretation, which seems to me to 367 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,360 Speaker 3: be a relatively common device from the era, especially when 368 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:22,119 Speaker 3: considering movies from Gordon or Corman for Indie Roger. Okay, 369 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 3: so I think I see what Lurg is saying here 370 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 3: that if there was an earlier version of the movie 371 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:30,040 Speaker 3: in which mister Franz was currently a puppeteer like his 372 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:33,800 Speaker 3: friend Amiel, they were both puppeteers, and they were both 373 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 3: turning people into puppets, maybe to I don't know, use 374 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 3: in their puppet shows or something like that, they would 375 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 3: be the puppet people as in The Puppet Masters turning 376 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 3: people into puppets, in which case they're obviously attacking people. 377 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,720 Speaker 3: It's not you know, there's no ambiguity there. Okay, Lurch 378 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 3: goes on on another note, I'm glad one of your 379 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:58,400 Speaker 3: other listeners mentioned Ringo, Starr and Caveman. I actually saw 380 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 3: this in a theater and it's been a guilty pleasure 381 00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 3: ever since. I've been compiling a small list of movie suggestions, 382 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 3: and Caveman is right at the top, even above the 383 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 3: happiness of the Katakuris. The list of actors is surprising. 384 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 3: You mentioned Ringo, Dennis Quaid, and Barbara Bach, who is 385 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,679 Speaker 3: dumped by Ringo's character in the movie but married to 386 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:23,040 Speaker 3: him in real life. There's Shelley Long, Jack Guilford, John mattushak, 387 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 3: Evan Kim dot dot. What's not to like? This does 388 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:30,719 Speaker 3: bring me to another guilty pleasure. Besides monster movies, I 389 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:34,919 Speaker 3: love utterly silly spy movies. James Bond is okay, But 390 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:39,560 Speaker 3: when Derek Flint, James Coburn, Matt Helm, Dean Martin, or 391 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 3: Modesty Blaze Monica Viti are on, I'm parked on the 392 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 3: couch wishing I could teach my dog to get me 393 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 3: a soda and chips. I'm not sure if they strictly 394 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 3: fit your weird house criteria, but they do fit mine. 395 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 3: Keep your eyes on the road, your foot on the floor, 396 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 3: and your gravy warm regards lurch ah. 397 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 2: Oh, there's a lot of good stuff too to discuss there. 398 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 2: I'm not sure what to make about the puppet people argument. 399 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 2: I guess I can see, I can I have. It's 400 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 2: a valid hypothesis as far as Ringo Star's Caveman goes. Yeah, 401 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 2: my curiosity is is perked. And I don't know, in 402 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,479 Speaker 2: terms of spy movies, it would be neat for us 403 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:23,919 Speaker 2: to do a proper spy movie. I don't know that 404 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 2: we've done a real, even a groovy, weird spy movie. 405 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 2: And there that's the thing. There are plenty of weird 406 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 2: spy movies out there. I mean, even the James Bond 407 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 2: franchise gets weird enough for us with films like Moonraker. 408 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,399 Speaker 3: I think we could do Moonraker, or we could do 409 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,119 Speaker 3: maybe one of the Bava spy movies like Danger, Diabolic 410 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:42,720 Speaker 3: or something. 411 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, have nothing else. It's going to be 412 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:47,600 Speaker 2: a colorful affair, all right. Well, thanks for writing in lurch, 413 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:49,959 Speaker 2: and yeah, let us know if any other films than 414 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 2: genres come to mind. And in the meantime, if you 415 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,119 Speaker 2: want to catch up on listener mail episodes, well those 416 00:22:55,119 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 2: are on Mondays and the Stuff to Wild Mind podcast 417 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:00,200 Speaker 2: feed Core episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Artifact on Snster 418 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 2: Effect on Wednesdays, and on Friday, we set aside most 419 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 2: serious concerns to just talk about a weird film on 420 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 2: Weird House Cinema. 421 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 3: Huge thanks to our audio producer JJ Posway. If you 422 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 3: would like to get in touch with us with feedback 423 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,399 Speaker 3: on this episode or any other, to suggest a topic 424 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 3: for the future, or just to say hello, you can 425 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,000 Speaker 3: email us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind 426 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:26,640 Speaker 3: dot com. 427 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,679 Speaker 1: Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For 428 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: more podcasts from heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 429 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,479 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.