Podcast Summary

Podcast: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Host: NPR
Episode: HTDE: Carsickness And Traffic Jams
Date: November 26, 2025
Theme:
This episode of "How to Do Everything" (HTDE), featured within the Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! feed, delves into two main travel woes: dealing with motion sickness—especially in adulthood, and surviving legendary traffic jams. Special guests Kevin Bacon and Kenny G join the fun, sharing unique tips and memorable stories.

Main Theme and Purpose

The episode is focused on practical (and sometimes humorous) advice for listeners traveling over Thanksgiving, particularly those suffering carsickness or caught in endless holiday traffic. Listeners learn why carsickness gets worse with age, how famous actors handle nausea in zero gravity, quirky methods to fend off traffic boredom, and why even world-class saxophonists obsess over oral hygiene.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Motion Sickness Gets Worse with Age

• Listener "Ellie" asks (00:45): Why she suddenly feels carsick as an adult, when she was immune as a kid.
• Hosts Mike & Ian commiserate, sharing their own experiences:
  • Ian: “I loved roller coasters as a kid, but recently… I needed two hours to recover after Space Mountain.” (01:40)
  • Mike jokes: “Ellie, things are only going to get worse.” (02:40)
• Humor on Aging: Ellie fears motion sickness is “like hangovers—only going to get worse.” (02:43)
• Hosts tease “terrible news”: “Ellie, enjoy this moment while you can. It’s only gonna get worse.” (03:02)

2. Kevin Bacon on Surviving the “Vomit Comet” (Zero-Gravity Flight)

• Hollywood Connection:
  • The hosts ask actor Kevin Bacon about filming Apollo 13 in a real zero-gravity airplane, NASA’s KC-135 "Vomit Comet." (03:23–07:58)
• Filming Details:
  • “We actually shot on the vomit comet ... because you really couldn’t recreate weightlessness using VFX.” (Kevin Bacon, 03:32)
  • “We did it six hundred times.” “Six hundred times—what?!” (Kevin Bacon & Mike, 05:20)
  • Lunch break humor: “Because you need something to barf up later.” (Kevin Bacon, 05:33)
• Nausea Management:
  • “NASA was giving us serious anti-nausea medication ... but one day both Bill [Paxton] and Tom [Hanks] decided not to take it and they were both pretty green.” (Kevin Bacon, 05:49)
  • “They call it an airman’s corsage... you take the vomit bag, stuff it in your pocket, and leave the opening poking out.” (Kevin Bacon, 06:21)
• Floating Vomit Incident:
  • Kevin never threw up, but: “The camera guy ... all of a sudden pulls his head out from behind the lens and pukes. The thing about that is that it’s floating too. There was nothing for me to do about it...” (Kevin Bacon, 07:16)
• Zero-Gravity Tips for Ellie:
  • “On our very first flight, we were told: don’t swivel your head, don’t look from side to side. Keep your focus straight ahead. They say the same thing about being on a boat, keep your eyes on the horizon, it’ll help with the nausea.” (Kevin Bacon, 08:08)
  • On focus: “I stared a hole in the back of [Tom Hanks’] head ... before I got used to it.” (Kevin Bacon, 08:39)

3. Musical Cures for Motion Sickness ft. Kenny G

• Research Insight:
  • The hosts mention: “Listening to soft or joyful music after driving reduces car sickness by up to fifty-seven percent.” (Mike, 09:46)
• Kenny G’s Perspective:
  • “I recorded a song, ‘Joy to the World’ from one of my Christmas records—if it’s joyful, that’s gonna be the perfect song...even in the middle of July.” (Kenny G, 10:11)
  • “I don’t know if there’s a real thing that makes a song joyful ... making it faster? Sure, but that doesn’t necessarily make it joyful.” (Kenny G, 10:41)
• Saxophone Rituals:
  • Kenny G insists on brushing his teeth before playing: “I don’t want any food particles or anything to get in my saxophone... You don’t want the smell of onions or garlic... I couldn’t buy a sax that smelled like smoke, I couldn’t even stand having it on my fingers.” (Kenny G, 11:41–12:56)
  • Demonstrates playing in both minor (sad) and major (happy) keys on air: “So you see, that’s kind of sad ... now something major, that would be happier and Ellie, I think this is what you need to listen to when you’re feeling carsick.” (Kenny G, 14:10–15:12)
  • “You did such an impressive job of talking to us and brushing your teeth at the same time!” (Mike, 13:33)

4. Surviving Traffic Jams: China’s 12-Day Gridlock

• Story from Li Zhajiang: (18:25–20:47)
  • The hosts recount the infamous 2010, 12-day traffic jam in China and interview someone who lived through it.
  • “Some of the drivers got stuck there for days... people got some water from the stream and started having showers on the roadside.” (Li Zhajiang, 18:43)
  • “People set up food stores along the roadside—selling dumplings, hot pot, noodle pot.” (Li Zhajiang, 19:41)
  • “Lorry drivers ... took their shirts off, it was hot, and started playing cards.” (Li Zhajiang, 20:09)
  • Survival Kit: “I always bring food—nuts, dried fruits, biscuits.” (Li Zhajiang, 20:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Adult Motion Sickness:

  • “Still in my twenties, which is where it’s like... hangovers I know are only going to get worse as I get older, motion sickness—there’s a lot of stuff...” – Ellie (02:43)

• Hollywood on Nausea:

  • “We did it six hundred times.” “Six hundred times—what?!” – Kevin Bacon & Mike (05:20)
  • “NASA was giving us serious anti-nausea meds ... one day Tom [Hanks] and Bill [Paxton] decided not to take it and were both pretty green.” – Kevin Bacon (05:49)
  • “The camera guy ... pulls his head out and pukes. The thing about that is that it’s floating, too ... all you can do is try to roll out of the way.” – Kevin Bacon (07:16)

• Kenny G’s Ritual:

  • “I’m brushing my teeth while I’m talking—this is crazy!” – Kenny G (11:41)
  • “I didn’t buy a saxophone that smelled like smoke ... I couldn’t even stand it on my fingers.” – Kenny G (12:56)
  • “You did such an impressive job of talking to us and brushing your teeth at the same time!” – Mike (13:33)

• Legendary Traffic Jam:

  • “People set up food stores along the roadside—selling dumplings, hot pot, noodle pot.” – Li Zhajiang (19:41)
  • “Drivers ... sat on stones, took their shirts off, and started playing cards.” – Li Zhajiang (20:09)

Important Timestamps

• 00:45: Listener question about new-found carsickness
• 03:23: Kevin Bacon recounts filming Apollo 13 on the vomit comet
• 05:20: “Six hundred times!” — filming zero gravity scenes
• 07:16: Floating vomit story
• 08:08: Kevin Bacon’s practical advice for avoiding motion sickness
• 09:46: Study: Music can reduce car sickness
• 10:11: Kenny G discusses making joyful music
• 11:41: Kenny G’s teeth-brushing sax ritual
• 14:10–15:12: Kenny G demonstrates happy vs. sad music
• 18:25: Story of the 12-day China traffic jam
• 19:41: Dumpling vendors during the jam
• 20:09: Card games and roadside adaptation

Episode Highlights & Tone

• Warm, self-deprecating, and playful—as expected from Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!
• Guests like Kevin Bacon and Kenny G are game for fun and behind-the-scenes details.
• The advice strikes a balance between genuinely useful (focus on the horizon, joyful music, bring snacks) and laughably impractical (fly with Tom Hanks, always travel with saxophonists).

Useful Takeaways for Listeners

• Motion sickness tends to worsen with age, but focusing your gaze and managing stimuli can help.
• Listening to soft, joyful music after travel can meaningfully reduce nausea.
• Brush your teeth before using delicate wind instruments (bonus if you’re Kenny G).
• If you’re facing a potential traffic jam, pack food, amusements, and patience—someone might just sell dumplings roadside.

Useful for non-listeners:
Even if you missed the episode, now you'll know why you’re suddenly queasy on roller coasters, that Kevin Bacon survived 600 parabolas without puking but didn't avoid floating vomit, why Kenny G’s sax never smells, and how dumplings (and card games) can save a gridlocked drive.

Contributors (in order of appearance):

• Peter Sagal (intro)
• Mike Danforth & Ian Chillag (hosts)
• Ellie (listener)
• Kevin Bacon (actor)
• Kenny G (musician)
• Li Zhajiang (traffic jam survivor)