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What do marauding baboons, carnival gang fights, and straight-up murder at a Wild West show have in common? According to comedian Chris Gethard and his crew of fellow Jersey boys, it’s all just part of growing up in the Garden State.
New Jersey Is The World is a monthly podcast in which Gethard and friends cover every aspect of what makes New Jersey one of the greatest and wildest states in the union. Equal parts history lesson and survivor support group, this premiere episode covers the sometimes baffling and often deadly world of New Jersey amusement parks. Gethard eschews the well-known tales of the infamous Action Park and instead focuses on off-the-highway attractions and parking lot carnivals where the rides are powered by bicycle chains and lawnmower engines. These carnivals acted as both the state’s sex education classes and centers of community spirit as teens from different towns would congregate to beat the holy hell out of each other. What really shines through amongst the stories of scalpings and giraffe attacks is the host and guests’ obvious love for their home state and genuine wonder that they’re still alive to tell these tales. [Anthony D Herrera]