This week on Phonies, Mari is joined by Leslie Kumquat (Onnalee Kelley), a historian of the English language and one who chooses her words very carefully. She blows our minds explaining her gifts for seeing words, fallen vowels and The Great Vowel Shift, how the Vikings created the English language, how romantic the letter “f” is and how horrible t…

Patrick Hoolihan (Sean Dengler), master pasta historian, joins Mari this week all the way from Italy! He left his family 15 years ago and devoted his life to studying the craft with Chef Maestro in an intricate and extensive program. Patrick shares some of his favorite pasta historical facts, how pasta is made (hint: it’s all about a positive attit…

This week on Phonies, Mari spoke to Taffy Williams (Matt Still), a tattoo artist known for his unusual methods. They cover a lot of ground, starting with bad tattoo jobs and ending with murder! He explains how he first got interested in sticking needles into people, his unusual relationship with Justin Gregory, a high school friend of his, how he u…

It’s been a minute, but we’re BACK. This week Mari had the joy of speaking with Liz Baumtraut (Maria Gnoza), the owner of Liz’s Hardware Store (essentials only) and an expert on all things hardware. They chat about Liz's humble beginnings in the woods, opening a wood plank stand and then eventually opening her customer-focused hardware store! She s…