{"podcast":{"title":"American Hysteria","slug":"american-hysteria-830600","podcast_index_feed_id":830600,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/WIZD3928139307","website_url":"http://www.americanhysteria.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/dd283f36-bc4d-11ec-ba9c-4b3957402114/image/54d8b146fe8a810cecc27923d5b482ab.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"W!ZARD Studios","episode_count":305,"summary":"American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-08T16:18:02.851094+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600"},"episode":{"title":"Black Magic with Gruff Webb","slug":"black-magic-with-gruff-webb","published_at":"2026-04-13T21:48:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600/black-magic-with-gruff-webb","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600","url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIL3320870266.mp3?updated=1776119079","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/AIL3320870266.mp3?updated=1776119079","summary":"Take a seat in our old, ornate theater for the confounding wonders of this traveling magic show. For this episode, my dear friend is here, the artist, musician, cowboy, sailor, and now magician, known as Gruff Webb. They will tell me all about the history of Black magicians in America and the magical traditions they drew from, explain the strange power that stage magic imbues into those who practice it, and wax poetic about this secret door to another world that otherwise seems impossible. More from Gruff Webb: Instagram: ⁠@whereaboutzUnknown⁠ Merch: ⁠WhereaboutzUnknown.bigcartel.com⁠ Booking: Gruffwebbmagician@gmail.com Catch their shows at the Seattle Public Library throughout the month of June Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get some of our new merch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, all profits go to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group who are on the ground in Gaza delivering food and supplies to displaced families. Leave us a message on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Urban Legends Hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Additional editing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaylee Jasperson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Take a seat in our old, ornate theater for the confounding wonders of this traveling magic show. For this episode, my dear friend is here, the artist, mus…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3780,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/american-hysteria-830600/episodes/black-magic-with-gruff-webb/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-hysteria-830600/black-magic-with-gruff-webb.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}