Junk and Disorderly: Art • Myth • Oddities From Real and Imagined Worlds
Junk and Disorderly is your backstage pass to art, myth, oddities, and the strange little sparks that fly between real and imagined worlds. Hosted by Michael deMeng — artist, author, instructor, and professional rummager of the beautifully peculiar — this podcast wanders through the stories, symbols, films, folklore, objects, and creative misadventures that inspire his work.
Some episodes dig into the art of transforming found objects into something mythic. Others follow the trail of legends, monsters, rituals, strange histories, haunted places, favorite films, and curious cultural debris. Along the way, Michael talks with fellow artists, makers, collectors, travelers, organizers, and creative oddballs who know that the best stories often hide in the cracks, cupboards, alleys, attics, and junk drawers of the world.
With humor, curiosity, and a healthy dose of artistic anarchy, Junk and Disorderly invites you to embrace the odd, the handmade, the haunted, and the half-forgotten — and to find beauty in the discarded, the mysterious, and the gloriously out of place.
Whether you’re an artist, a maker, a mythology nerd, a film lover, or just someone who enjoys a good tale from the weirder side of the road, this podcast may leave you inspired, entertained, and possibly itching to rummage for your next masterpiece.
Formerly home to Strange Tales of Myth and Magic, the show continues to explore legend, lore, and the stories from around the world that inspire Michael’s art — now with a wider lens and a bigger junk drawer.
Junk and Disorderly: Art • Myth • Oddities From Real and Imagined Worlds
Christmas at the Movies Part Two: Children Gone Wild
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In Part Two of Christmas at the Movies, Michael deMeng and Gary Warren Niebuhr return to tackle holiday films where the kids take over and the adults barely stand a chance.
From suburban wish-fulfillment mayhem (Home Alone), to dark folklore and feral Christmas mythology (Rare Exports), to one boy’s relentless, BB-gun-driven holiday obsession (A Christmas Story), these movies put childhood front and center—messy, mischievous, imaginative, and occasionally unhinged.
Michael and Gary explore how Christmas looks from kid-height, why these films balance wonder and menace so well, and what happens when belief, rebellion, and survival instincts collide under a Christmas tree.
Less mistletoe, more mischief. Christmas through a kid’s eyes—sharp edges and all. 🎄
Follow Michael deMeng on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content:
• Instagram: @michael_demeng_art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaeldeMeng
• TikTok: @michaeldemeng