The galaxy’s most trusted source for incredible people, places, things, and ideas
Fascinating Nouns
Claim This Podcastby Daniel J. Glenn
4.6(18 reviews)
427 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
Podcast Overview
The galaxy’s most trusted source for incredible people, places, things, and ideas
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
7/13/2013
1 verified contact email on file for Fascinating Nouns
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Recent Episodes
June 22, 2026
Ep. 275: The Crazy Eddie Story is INSANE!
<p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal"><strong>He was more famous than the mayor of New York — and one of the biggest fraudsters in American history.</strong> In this episode of Fascinating Nouns, host Daniel J. Glenn sits down with author Gary Weiss, author of Retail Gangster: The Fall of Crazy Eddie, to unravel the wild true story of Eddie Antar — the man behind the iconic “his prices are insane!” commercials that dominated New York airwaves in the 70s and 80s.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">We dig into the origins of the Antar family’s Syrian-Jewish immigrant roots, the cultural practice of “Nehkdi” (profit skimming) that became the gateway to massive fraud, and how Eddie built his empire on stolen sales tax, bait-and-switch sales tactics, and rigged co-op advertising deals. We trace the company’s rise through its 1984 IPO, the inventory fraud that inflated its stock price, and the family betrayals — including Eddie’s own cousin and CFO, Sam Antar, who eventually became the key witness against him.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Finally, we cover Eddie’s dramatic downfall: insider trading, a hostile takeover that exposed empty filing cabinets, his international manhunt and capture in Israel, and one truly wild detail — a former Crazy Eddie salesman who went on to become a street boss in the Bonanno crime family.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">This is one of the craziest true crime business stories you’ll ever hear — equal parts immigrant success story, family betrayal, and Wall Street fraud.</p> <p class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal"><img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f399.png" alt="🎙" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> <strong>Topics Covered:</strong></p> <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Who was Crazy Eddie? The man behind the commercials</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Syrian-Jewish immigrant roots & the “Nehkdi” tax skim</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Stolen sales tax, bait-and-switch & “lunching” scams</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Co-op advertising fraud</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">The 1984 IPO & inventory manipulation</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Family betrayal: Sam Antar & the cousin who brought him down</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Insider trading & the hostile takeover that exposed everything</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Tracking Eddie down in Israel</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">The Bonanno crime family connection</li> </ul> <h2>Gary on Social Media</h2> <p><a href="https://www.gary-weiss.com/">Website</a><br /> <a href="https://www.retailgangster.com">Website 2</a><br /> <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/retail-gangster-the-insane-real-life-story-of-crazy-eddie-gary-weiss/d40bf50f19801d6c?ean=9780306924576&next=t">Purchase “Retail Gangster”</a></p> <h2>Fascinating Nouns on Social Media</h2> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fascinatingnouns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a><a href="https://www.twitter.com/fascinatingnoun/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><br /> Twitter</a><br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/danieljglenn">YouTube</a></p>
June 8, 2026
*Bonus* – Giggles in the Trees
<p>In this episode Amelia and I go beyond the science and discuss the more supernatural elements of communicating with animals, which include animal psychics and prescient dreams. And it all starts with a distinct giggling in the trees…</p>
June 8, 2026
Ep. 274: The Science of Animal Communication
<p>Since before the publication of Dr. Doolittle, we have been obsessed with communicating with animals. Whether it’s out pet dog or the squirrel he’s chasing in the backyard, we would love to know what these creatures are thinking. That is exactly what motivated Amelia Thomas to write her book ‘What Sheep Think about the Weather’, which documents her attempts at understanding how animals try to communicate with us, and each other. She and I discuss how she spent a day sniffing the world with her dogs, which earwigs have the best personality, and how many different dialects fruit flies have. We even discuss the Great Ape Gesture Dictionary, which *Spoiler* is way more intuitive than than you think.</p> <h2>Amelia on Social Media</h2> <p><a href="https://www.ameliathomas.co.uk/">Website</a><br /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amelia.thomas.161">Facebook</a><br /> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/starscameout/">Instagram</a><br /> <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-sheep-think-about-the-weather-how-to-listen-to-what-animals-are-trying-to-say-amelia-thomas/d17b1b88c83f4ad3?ean=9781464218453&next=t">Purchase “What Sheep Think About the Weather”</a></p> <h2>Fascinating Nouns on Social Media</h2> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fascinatingnouns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a><a href="https://www.twitter.com/fascinatingnoun/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><br /> Twitter</a><br /> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/danieljglenn">YouTube</a></p>
427 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Fascinating Nouns?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 9 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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