Hero or Dick
Welcome to Hero or Dick!
We started this podcast with a blunt question about people: Hero or Dick?
Then we found ourselves asking it about places, traditions, entertainment, and the ordinary stuff we’d never thought to question before. Who gets praised? What gets overlooked? Why are we so sure we know the story?
We pick something that interests us, do our homework, and sit down to talk. We bring facts, opinions, and stories from our own lives, and follow the occasional tangent.
Sometimes we reach a verdict. Sometimes the question gets more interesting.
If that sounds like a conversation you’d want to be part of, join us.
~ Kate & KJ
Drop us a line at hello@heroordick.com
Episodes
74 episodes
Hero or Dick - S4. Ep 13 - Dogs
Dogs are good company and a lot of work. We talk about the routines our dogs have trained us to follow, and why a walk with plenty of time to sniff can change their day. We get into how dogs came to live with us, what their senses can do, and t...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep 12 - Dolly Parton/Anthony Bourdain
We start with Dolly Parton—her music, business sense, philanthropy, and the rare ability to become enormously famous without giving people much reason to dislike her. Then we move to Anthony Bourdain, a much messier Hero or Dick case: Kitch...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep 11. - Camping
What is camping, really? We trace its evolution from survival to recreation, debate tents versus RVs, glamping, van life, and campground culture, and share our own favorite camping memories, meals, and mishaps. Along the way we explore the hist...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep 10 - Amazon.com
We order from Amazon. Probably more than we should. In this episode, we ask whether the convenience is worth the cost.We follow Amazon from a garage startup selling books to one of the most powerful companies in the world, look at the ro...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep 9. - Boom Boom
Fireworks are supposed to be pure fun. But the closer you look, the more complicated they become. We start with a Fourth of July recap—bonfires, s'mores, and fireworks across the lake—before digging into where fireworks came from, why we love t...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 8. - Frank Lloyd Wright
Kate returns from a trip to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, sending us down a Frank Lloyd Wright rabbit hole. We talk prairie style, open floor plans, organic architecture, and why Wright's ideas still shape the way we live today.We also ...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 7 - America at 250
America turns 250 soon, and instead of uncomplicated pride, we found questions. We talk patriotism, propaganda, immigration, inequality, surveillance, AI, and the cost of “progress” in modern America.From 1776 to today, we look at the co...
Hero or dick - S4., Ep. 6 - Mary Todd Lincoln
Welcome to another episode of Hero or Dick!This time around, we take a look at Mary Todd Lincoln.From early loss to life in the White House, we get into what people still argue about: the spending, the behavior, the grief...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 5 - Vegas
Las Vegas sells the same promise to everyone: step into the lights, forget your life, let chance take over. We trace how that illusion was built—from desert outpost to gambling hub to mob-financed Strip—backed by the numbers people argue about:...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 4 - The Chimp Whisperer, Jane Goodall
Welcome to another episode of Hero or Dick! In this one, we talk about Jane Goodall, the outsider who changed how we see animals and, whether we like it or not, ourselves.Chimps don’t just climb and stare. They make tools...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 3 - The Winter Olympics
Welcome to another episode of Hero or Dick! This time around, we jump from local happenings (shout out to Alpena, MI!) to a fast, funny, and frank tour of the Winter Olympics: how the Games are organized, who gets to...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 2 - The Vanderbilts
It starts with a borrowed $100, a stubborn teenager, and a ferry that never slept. From there, the Vanderbilt story runs fast—from Cornelius Vanderbilt’s ruthless rise through ferries, steamships, and railroads to the cultural institutions and ...
Hero or Dick - S4., Ep. 1 - EMO
If you ever sang along to a lyric in your car because it said the thing you couldn’t, this one’s for you.We open Season Four with special guest Harley, talking emo—where it came from, what it did, and why it still matters. From Rites ...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 24? - Heroes, Dicks, And A Side Of Clotted Cream Fudge
A thousand downloads. Cookies, steak, and one deeply suspect mushroom Swiss.That’s how we close 2025—by taking inventory and not pretending it was tidy.What surprised us wasn’t which episodes blew up, but why. The biggest listens ...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 23 - George Washington
This week we peel George Washington down to the bone—no marble shine, just the man. The contradictions stack up fast: hundreds enslaved at Mount Vernon, Washington freeing only the people he personally owned after Martha died, Martha burning th...
Hero or Dick - S.3, Ep. 22 - Turkeys
Ever met a bird that sees nearly 270 degrees, purrs when it’s calm, hits fifty miles an hour, and still ends up glazed on a platter by sundown? In this episode of Hero or Dick, we move from the woods to the warehouse, dropping d...
Hero or Dick - S.3, Ep. 20 - Game Shows
Welcome to another episode of Hero or Dick! This time, we trace the wild history of American game shows — from 1930s radio quizzes like Brooklyn Eagle Quiz and Vox Pop to the TV titans that shaped f...
Hero or Dick - S.3, Ep. 19 - Houses & Homes & the Rooms That Hold us Together
Thanks for tuning into another episode of Hero or Dick!A house can be your safest place and still give you the creeps. We dive into the rooms that shape who we are—from bathrooms that reset a chaotic day to kitchens ...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 18 - Why Late Night Still Matters
The night’s messy and honest—perfect for comedy to tell the truth. From Carson’s cool to Letterman’s edge, Rivers’ rebellion to Conan’s redemption, late-night TV has always tested who gets to speak after midnight. We talk about ego, chaos, poli...
Coffee and the Cosmos: Stephen Hawking
Fascinated by cosmology? Curious about the complicated humans behind world-changing ideas? Then maybe this episode is for you! Tune into Kate and KJ as they take a look into the life and legacy of Stephen Hawking.
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 16 - Ducks: From Corkscrews to Cultural Icons
Ever wondered what's really going on beneath the surface of that seemingly innocent duck paddling across your local pond? Prepare to have your perceptions forever altered as Kate and KJ dive headfirst into the fascinating and occasionally shock...
Hero or Dick - S.3, Ep. 15 - The Prince of F'ing Darkness: Ozzy
Welcome to another episode of Hero or Dick! Kate & KJ track Ozzy Osbourne’s run from slaughterhouse kid to rock icon worth an estimated $220M. Bats, the Alamo, 25 Vicodin a day—then…Dad? Did the Prince of Darknes...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 13 - Bloody Mary, Melon Heads, and Hitchhikers
Greetings, Dear Listeners!Ever wonder why we can't stop sharing stories about hook-handed killers, vanishing hitchhikers, or creatures lurking in the woods?Join us for this exploration of storytelling traditions that continue to ...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 12 - Dan Akroyd
It's time for another episode of everybody's favorite unknown podcast--Hero or Dick! This time around, we explore the life and career of Dan Aykroyd, from his early days on SNL to his vodka selling and deep belief in...
Hero or Dick - S3., Ep. 11 - Shootin' the Bull (or Bison)
Greetings and Salutations, Listener! In this episode, we're just shootin' the bull, and our casual conversation covers whatever crosses our minds on a humid summer day.• Finding a bison farm in Metz, Michigan • Recommend...