DeepSummary
The podcast episode explores the origins and spread of a popular urban legend story known as 'the poop story.' The hosts, along with producers, investigate the potential source of the story by interviewing various people who had heard different versions of it over the years. They discuss the characteristics of urban legends and how stories can evolve and spread across different locations and social circles.
The investigation leads them to discover a 2007 short film titled 'Sherlock: A True Poo Story,' which claimed to be based on a true story. However, the filmmakers eventually realized that they had inadvertently made a film based on an existing urban legend, rather than a real event. This realization highlights the difficulty in tracing the definitive origin of such stories.
Throughout the discussion, the hosts and guests analyze the appeal of urban legends, the disappointment felt upon realizing a story's ubiquity, and the human tendency to claim ownership or proximity to captivating narratives. The episode delves into the nature of storytelling and the iterative process of how tales are shared and transformed over time.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Urban legends are stories that are told in many places, with consistent details, but presented as if they occurred locally or to someone nearby.
- The enjoyment and impact of an urban legend are often more important than its veracity or definitive origin.
- Urban legends can spread rapidly and permeate different social circles and mediums through retelling and iteration.
- People often experience disappointment upon realizing a captivating story they thought was unique or exclusive is actually an urban legend.
- Storytelling is a fundamental human trait, and urban legends demonstrate the iterative nature of how stories evolve and change over time.
- Investigating the origins of urban legends can be challenging due to their widespread and evolving nature, but can also provide insights into human behavior and the nature of storytelling.
- Urban legends often serve as cautionary tales or reflect common human experiences and anxieties.
- The process of retelling stories can lead to unintentional changes or embellishments, contributing to the evolution of urban legends.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I would define an urban legend as a story that is told in many places, as if it is proximal to that place in which the details are the same.“ by Speaker B
- “The thing is, when this episode came out, we heard from so many people. We got Instagram comments, we got DM's, we got messages individually. We got emails to the normal gossip account. We got emails individually. They said, this happened to my friend. I've heard this story before. I saw this on a commercial. This is an urban legend.“ by Speaker A
- “If you guys ever track down one person who says, yes, this happened to me, please tell me. I'd love to find out.“ by Adrian Parks
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Episode Information
Normal Gossip
Normal Gossip
2/16/24
Alex and Jae spent the last month trying to find the source of a tale we first heard back in season two. Is the poop story gossip? An urban legend? Guerilla marketing perpetrated on us all by Big Toilet? All of the above?
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Episode transcript here.
Follow the show on Instagram @normalgossip, and if you have gossip, email us at normalgossip@defector.com or leave us a voicemail at 26-79-GOSSIP.
Normal Gossip is hosted by Kelsey McKinney (@mckinneykelsey) and produced by Alex Sujong Laughlin (@alexlaughs). Jae Towle Vieira (@jaetowlevieira) is our associate producer. Abigail Segel (@AbigailSegel) is our intern. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor.
Show art by Tara Jacoby.
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