Ep 101: Stone Temple Poplar

The boys welcome the dynamic duo Leigh and Mush from Storytellers Tavern Podcast, who've been recording maker community shenanigans at events where the best stories happen between 1-4 AM (what happens at the campfire doesn't always stay at the campfire)!Leigh and Mush run school makerspaces where kids from preschool through high school get their hands dirty with everything from power tools to lasers—their philosophy? Crank up Lionel Richie or AC/DC while the kids create, because nobody wants a sign that says "Quiet Engineers at Work" (Leigh's mortal enemy).The teaching philosophy these guys champion isn't about fancy gadgets—it's about building students who can think on their feet when stuff breaks, Google solutions, and not run to "the old bald guy" for answers every five minutes.During the hilariously chaotic rapid-fire trivia showdown, Mush demolished Leigh with his encyclopedic knowledge of obscure woodworking tools—bet you didn't know what a "froe" was either (it's not the opposite of a "two")!The group shared how their students developed a facial training device for blind actors after discovering blind kids rocking power carving tools—prompting the school's business office to have a minor heart attack over "bringing blind kids in to play with power tools."Jess schooled everyone on the humble beginnings of those big-box hardware stores—turns out Home Depot started when two guys got fired and said, "Screw you, we'll start our own place" (and now they're making billions)!The "snuggits" segment revealed hard-earned wisdom: Ross's fingerprints are now permanent decor on a guitar because he couldn't wait 72 hours for automotive paint to cure, while Mush praised the miraculous cleaning powers of crocodile cloths (which apparently taste delicious according to Leigh).Both podcast crews proved they're cut from the same wonderfully warped wood—building communities where makers share stories, skills, and the occasional inappropriate joke about beating tools that would make middle schoolers giggle.