Go Fact Yourself – Ep. 168.5: New #MaxFunDrive Rewards! + BoCo Preview!

Date: March 24, 2025
Hosts: J. Keith van Straaten (Jake), Helen Hong
Featured Guests & Voices: Len Wein, Sarah Benincasa, Bria Grant, Rika Aoki, Clint McElroy, Alison Becker, Trey Fanjoy, Theresa Eicher, listener Giovanni, and more.

Episode Overview

In this MaxFunDrive bonus "mini" episode, the Go Fact Yourself team updates listeners on brand new fundraising rewards and previews exclusive bonus content (BoCo) available to Maximum Fun members. The episode spotlights both upcoming incentives and memorable moments from past shows, including deep dives into science fiction, Taylor Swift music videos, divorce ranch academia, and more. Listeners are reminded of their crucial role in supporting the show—and are treated to insightful, funny, and sometimes heartwarming clip highlights.

MaxFunDrive Announcements & New Rewards

00:00 – 05:21

• Live Show Announcement:

  • Go Fact Yourself is doing a live show on March 29 with Tim Russ (Star Trek Voyager) and Brianne Howey (Ginny & Georgia).
  • Tickets at gofactorpod.com.

• Member Incentives:

  • Listener Tournament: New/upgrading/boosting members can enter for a chance to be a guest on GFY ([00:40]).
  • Exclusive Baseball Card: Prepay for the annual membership to get a limited-edition autographed card of J. Keith and Helen ([01:12]).
  • Big Quiz Thing Event:
    • If 500 new/upgrading/boosting members reached, they’ll hold a trivia showdown between early and late joiners, hosted on Zoom ([01:41]).
    • “You could win a chance to play the game Live on Zoom, hosted by me, Jay Keith.” – J. Keith ([02:02])
  • Live Stage Show Livestream:
    • First-ever live stream of a GFY stage show (audio and video), exclusively for new/boosted/upgraded members ([03:25]).
    • “You’ll see the full unedited show before we make it all nice for public radio.” – J. Keith ([03:46])

• Sign-Off for Rewards:

  • All rewards require joining/boosting/upgrading during the MaxFunDrive, ending March 28 ([04:05]).

Notable Quote

“You know what my favorite part of the MaxFun drive is?”
“Helen, I bet you’re going to say giving thanks to all of our listeners.”
“Well, you would be exactly right as usual.”
– J. Keith & Helen, [03:49]

What’s in the Bonus Content Library?

05:21 – 06:20

• $5/month membership unlocks the “Bonus Content Library” with hundreds of special episodes from all MaxFun shows ([03:58]).
• Includes GFY “Extra” segments and full-length episodes just for members.

Notable Quote

“This mini episode is a little taste of what awaits you. You’re gonna hear pieces of Qu Max Fun hosts like Brea Grant, Clint McElroy and more.”
– J. Keith, [04:47]

BoCo Preview: The Original Unaired Pilot (Len Wein & Sarah Benincasa)

05:34 – 10:15

Segment Breakdown

• Early Days & Guests:
  • Clip from GFY’s unaired pilot with comic book legend Len Wein (creator of Swamp Thing, Human Target, Wolverine) and author/comedian Sarah Benincasa.
• Comic Book Character Creation:
  • Len jokes about his “secret recipe” for successful characters:

    “Having photos of your publishers in uncomfortable positions.”
    – Len Wein, [07:30]

  • On characters that didn't hit, Len shares:

    “Even that seems to be on the verge of becoming successful… I did a character… called Brother Voodoo… now, apparently, it’s being developed as a show for Netflix…”
    – Len Wein, [08:02]

• Contestant Introductions:
  • Sarah’s specialist topics: Headspace (the app), St. Catherine Benincasa, ASMR videos ([09:19]).
  • Len’s picks: Broadway musicals, Twilight Zone, TV theme songs ([10:12]).

Memorable Host Banter

“Let’s invite him here and bring up his failures.”
– J. Keith (to Len Wein), [07:58]

Expert Questions & Guest Reactions: Science Fiction & Inclusivity

11:00 – 15:37

“Cluster Fact” Round (Bria Grant segment)

• Trivia Question:
  • 2022 Hugo Award finalist, “Light From Uncommon Stars”, protagonist details.
  • Bria nails the award, the book title, and nearly the author’s name ([11:36]).
• Expert Introduction:
  • Surprise: actual author Rika Aoki joins as expert ([11:58]).

Author Insights:

• On science fiction’s new inclusivity:

  “The field has opened up spectacularly. If you look at the last group of finalists for the Hugo Award, I think, like, everyone’s some kind of queer… That was unheard of just a few years ago.”
  – Rika Aoki, [13:42]

• On past depictions of trans people:

  “They’ve been exoticized… seen as other. Seen as something interesting… objectified.”
  – Rika Aoki, [14:35]

• On the future:

  “Where trans voices and queer voices are right now, I think, is a great leaping off point for readerships who want to know what comes next.”
  – Rika Aoki, [15:28]

Listener Experiences: Giovanni’s Story

15:28 – 18:28

• Listeners describe why GFY is special and why they decided to support it financially:

  “It’s a very entertaining show. It’s my ride home show.”
  – Giovanni, listener, [16:03]

• Becoming a member:

  “When I finally was in the financial position to be able to help… I decided to start doing that… You guys are one of the reasons that I’m so glad to be a supporter and listener of Maximum Fun.”
  – Giovanni, [17:41]

Deep Dive: Taylor Swift & Music Video Memories

18:28 – 24:10

Fun Trivia with Clint McElroy & Ella

• Clint’s surprise Taylor Swift connection:

  “I’ve actually met and interviewed her.”
  – Clint, [19:07]

Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl

• Trivia about Taylor Swift's appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl while dating Travis Kelce; her screen time was minimal despite online outrage ([19:51]).
• Helen’s bonus fact:

  “She was all over the Nickelodeon broadcast… I wish I’d watched that instead.”
  – Helen, [20:08]

Expert Guest: Trey Fanjoy

• Iconic music video director Trey Fanjoy joins ([21:00]).
• Behind-the-scenes story about filming “Tim McGraw” video:

  “Taylor calls me, and she said she wanted to cut that scene… She said, ‘Well, I don't know that, and my fan base won’t either.’ She knew how young that fan base was.”
  – Trey Fanjoy, [23:41]

Listener Highlight: Allison Becker & the History of ‘Divorce Ranches’

24:10 – 34:40

• Allison reflects on her episode where her specialist topic (Nevada divorce ranches) became the focus—and she met academic expert Theresa Eicher ([24:10]).

• On obscure expertise:

  “This is the most excited anyone’s ever gotten about an academic. Yeah, which thrills me.”
  – Helen, [25:57]

• On discovering her expert:

  “I kind of have done enough research to know who most people in this world are, and I hadn’t heard of Theresa or met her yet… finding someone else who had done such a deep dive… was just exhilarating.”
  – Allison Becker, [27:03]

• Unlikely Encounters & Deep Research:

  • Allison interviewed one of the last surviving divorce ranch attendees, Mary Lou Norton ([29:32]).
  • Dreams of pitching the story as a TV show or documentary ([30:39]).

• On the broader story’s significance:

  “Because there’s a great feminist angle, there’s a great like misogynistic oppression of the times angle… And I think it would be so compelling and so interesting… there’s cowboys. Exactly. And… a lot of African American cowboys as well. Also Native Americans… a lot of history from different groups of people that could… be given a voice in a show like this.”
  – Allison & hosts, [31:46]–[32:43]

Final Reflections & Takeaways

34:06 – 35:16

• Theme of Community and Passion:

  “Always talk to, talk to strangers… you’d be surprised the things you can connect with… Don't be embarrassed about what you love and what you’re interested in and passionate about, you know, because you never know what it’s going to lead to.”
  – Allison Becker & J. Keith, [34:06], [34:23]

• Episode closes with a reminder:
  • Full BoCo experience awaits MaxFun members; more bonuses and rewards ahead ([34:45]).

Important Timestamps

• MaxFunDrive Rewards: [00:07]–[05:21]
• BoCo Pilot Clip (Len Wein/Sarah Benincasa): [05:34]–[10:15]
• Bria Grant/Rika Aoki Sci-Fi Segment: [11:00]–[15:28]
• Listener Giovanni’s journey: [15:28]–[18:28]
• Taylor Swift Segment with Clint & Trey Fanjoy: [18:28]–[24:10]
• Alison Becker interviews on Divorce Ranches: [24:10]–[34:40]
• Closing thoughts: [34:06]–[35:16]

Episode Mood and Tone

Consistently upbeat, silly, and celebratory, the episode maintains the signature higher-energy, trivia-loving tone of Go Fact Yourself. There is a warmth and genuine gratitude for fans (“We will love you so much for it!”), loads of playful humor, and moments of real geek joy—both from celebrity guests and everyday listeners. The team excels in highlighting both the fun and the meaningful impact of listener-supported community.