Fútbol Confidential looks at AYSO, American homegrown soccer culture.

Fútbol Confidential looks at Niky’s Sports, the biggest family-run chain of soccer stores in LA.

Two Mexican-American fans talk about rooting for more than one hometown team in Los Angeles and in Mexico.

Fútbol Confidential looks at the legendary LA city league soccer team formed over beers in a Santa Monica pub by British expatriates.

In ‘El Pueblo,’ producer Mike Schilitt explores the surprising history of Olvera Street – an idealized fantasy of Mexico created in downtown Los Angeles that has supported generations of Agelenos. 

When Aric Allen was 21, he lived in a desolate mountain cabin for 10 weeks. There he planned to write a novel, but instead he learned how to be alone.

Producer Jaime Roque takes a ride with Ernie Moran in his 1965 Chevy Impala to explore the history and culture of the lowrider community of East Los Angeles. 

In the U.S., nisha venkat feels safe and relieved to identify as queer and non-binary. But in their home country Dubai, nisha’s gender identity is illegal, and they can be deported or convicted of homexuality, or “cross-dressing.” 

Street vendors are an essential part of Los Angeles’ history and its economy. You can find vendors with mobile carts and food trucks on street corners, outside concert venues, and sporting events selling hot dogs, tacos, burritos, churros, fruit, t-shirts, souvenirs, and just about anything else you can imagine. For decades, this activity was illegal. And even though vending was somewhat decriminalized in 2018, the line between legal and illegal is not always clear. Producer James Roque follows the stories of a few of these entrepreneurs, finding out why they started vending, the challenges they encounter on a daily basis, and how they fared during the last few years.

Imagine entering a giant machine that sucks you in one end, and spits you out the other side as something completely different. That describes the transmogrifier — a fantastical device from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. Over the last couple of years, it feels like everyone has been through the transmogrifier in one way or another. In this episode, stories of the transmogrified. Unfictional producer Bob Carlson watches his two children go through the transmogrifier and come out unexpectedly as grown-ups. Meanwhile, almost every element of producer Jaime Roque’s life was upended by the transmorgrifier: new job, marriage, and prospective fatherhood.

KCRW’s Bob Carlson talks to some of Deirdre O’Donoghue’s friends and gets further inside her world away from the microphone.

Bent By Nature Episode 1 introduces KCRW DJ Deirdre O’Donoghue, host of "SNAP!," a freeform alternative and independent music and culture program in Los Angeles in the '80s — and goes inside the community she cultivated, her passion for music, and the problems she had with KCRW’s management and staff.  Featuring archival live performances by Camper Van Beethoven, the Meat Puppets, Glass Eye, Jazz Butcher, the Dream Syndicate, and more.

UnFictional host Bob Carlson’s journey on the inside of rock and roll radio.

Mary Lorson explores scenes from her childhood in a personal memoir musical documentary. Featuring an elusive father, A Dancerina doll, a Polaroid Swinger, and a camel hair coat from Saks, all in constant motion.

A promising job drew Fedelina Lugasan to the U.S. from the Philippines, she’d start her new life with a family she trusted. But the picture they painted for her was not what her life turned out to be.  

A man finds an old reel to reel tape that reveals much more than just flying saucers and alien conspiracy theories.

Ove the rowing man. A stranger who came by way of the ocean, and was soon no longer a stranger.  

Maurcio, star of a hit Mexican television show, is abandoned in the desert while trying to cross the border.  

Mauricio leaves Mexico City for Los Angeles, and his dreams of television come true in a very unlikely way.

Come join us to celebrate the season!

One man’s treasure is another man’s Olympic gold medal.

It never occurred to Janey that he would put something in her drink. Never in a million years.

Take a three-day bus trip across the country with a juggalo, and you’ll learn some things.

Aric Allen spent much of the early 2000s on the phone – selling get-rich-quick schemes and rapidly turning into a person he didn’t recognize.

Enriqueta Marti was a real-life monster who roamed the streets of 20th Century Barcelona  collecting bones and kidnapping children. Except, of course, she wasn’t.

One woman discovers that her childhood crush has grown up into someone she doesn’t recognize.

A romantic daytime drive becomes a nightmare when Mihai’s mind betrays him – and he turns on the person he loves.

When John Elder Robison gets an experimental treatment for Asperger’s, he feels like he’s suddenly seeing the world in technicolor. But that doesn’t mean he likes what he sees.

This season on UnFictional, we’re looking at how we come to know the unknown parts of ourselves. Get the first episode January 31st.

It’s a bonus episode! We’ll be back in January, but we’ve got two spooky stories to tide you over – a Halloween classic, and a brand-new, never-before-heard story of a haunted house gone terribly wrong.

A couple years ago, sex suddenly became painful for Allison Behringer – for no obvious reason. This is the story of how she unraveled the mystery.

UnFictional is still in its offseason. We’ll have news about our next batch of shows soon. In the meantime we’re bringing you the first story from KCRW’s new show “Welcome to L.A.,” hosted and produced by UnFictional contributor David Weinberg.

An FBI Investigation, an engagement ring, wine coolers: the surprising story behind the ubiquitous rock ‘n roll anthem that every teenager bangs out on their first guitar.

A girl gang goes on a rampage of sex, larceny and murder. But what happened when the cameras weren’t rolling? Go behind the scenes of a riotous ‘70s punk film.

Tara has always believed in ghosts, so she wasn’t surprised when a ghost starting haunting her Los Feliz apartment. That is, until she found out that the ghost was actually something far more frightening.

Ember has pretty much always known who she truly was. But it was a long, obstacle-ridden path to live that true life – as a woman.

A secret road leads to a marooned community and an ocean paradise – along the coast of California.

When you think of Los Angeles, you think of smog. But have you ever heard about the day when smog just showed up in Los Angeles? An impressionistic trip the hazy history of the skies over Los Angeles.

After years of living in the space between who she really is, and who her mother wants her to be, Sharon decides she’s finally going to confront her mother – on a cruise with a famous Iranian talk show psychiatrist.

A young movie nerd from Los Angeles finds himself in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s redemption film, “The Outsiders,” thanks to a strange cosmic twist of fate (and a pair of mail-order shoes).

The new season of UnFictional is right around the corner. Unbelievably true stories of chance encounters that changed everything. A pair of mail-order shoes that led to “The Outsiders.” A secret road to a California paradise. The day Los Angeles and smog first met. Stories that will stick in your head like a memory. Coming on February 22nd, hosted by Bob Carlson.

The past can warp a person in mysterious ways. Sometimes we can figure out what's eating at us, but sometimes, we just have to push forward – into the darkness.

Meru is a documentary about the obsession of one man – world-class climber Conrad Anker. It tells the story of a 1999 avalanche that killed Anker's friend and partner, Alex Lowe, as well as a young climber named David Bridges.

Now, 16 years later, the bodies of the two climbers have been discovered, and the former mountaineer returns to the Himalayas for one last climb – to bury his long lost friend.

Joel Koury is a Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney and former high-altitude moutaineer.

2065-4be4-b58c-965da37d0b27.jpeg" alt="" class="image-inline" title="">Setting out on the first day on Shishapangma

a975-43a1-b7c3-ea003ff7886f.jpeg" alt="" class="image-inline" title="">The monument built by the group for Alex and David 

ddc3-407d-adb3-4f09b42dbae7.jpeg" alt="" class="image-inline" title="">The monument and the group 

d8ca-4b2d-9fac-09fc0279428f.jpeg" alt="" class="image-inline" title="">Building the funeral pyre

Episode image: The plateau between the ABC and the glacier. This and all photos courtesy of Joel Koury.

There comes a time in every child's life when they realize they can strike their own path. But often, that path leads straight back to their parents. This week, three stories of fathers and their children.

Picture courtesy of Penguin the Magpie's Instagram.

After preaching her way across the country in the early 20th century, Sister Aimee McPherson decided to settle in Los Angeles, where she built a veritable religious empire. Her sermons hovered at the intersection of Hollywood glitz and glamour and fiery evangelist rhetoric. She was a hit.

Dressed in eye-catching costumes, she acted out her sermons for thousands of followers who lined up around the block to see her in action. And long before the arrival of televangelism, she pioneered the use of radio to spread her message across the airwaves. Her allure was such that even Charlie Chaplin was a fan. But with celebrity came loneliness and scandal.

This week, we dive into the colorful life story of Sister Aimee, visit her temple in LA, and explore her mysterious disappearance at the height of her popularity.

That story first aired on BBC’s The Documentary. It was produced by Nick White and hosted by Naomi Grimley.

Photo: Sister Aimee McPherson. ©  Courtesy of The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

Photo: A photo from an interrogation room of a former Stasi prison, Berlin-Hohenschönhausen, now a memorial museum (rytc) 

The true cost of war is difficult to measure. It hides in the crying fits and night terrors and flashbacks that mark many soldiers' return home from war. This delicate and often-wrenching patchwork of audio diaries and interviews brings that struggle into full focus, told through the innermost fears and thoughts of the people who love and care for former service members with PTSD.

That story was produced by Eleanor McDowall with Matthew Green. It was a Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 3, and originally aired on the BBC program Between the Ears.

0cb6-4650-a8e0-214c29c95395.jpeg" alt="LukeNikitaDallison.jpg" class="image-inline" title="LukeNikitaDallison.jpg">Luke and Nikita DallisonCourtesy of Luke and Nikita Dallison

99a0-438a-bd3f-904272a7dc36.jpeg" alt="XmasBall.jpg" class="image-inline" title="XmasBall.jpg">Eileen (R) and Kelly at the Sergeant's Mess Christmas Ball

Episode image by enki22

A tour through the life… of the tour guide.

A work by legendary radio storyteller Joe Frank.

A story of baseball, fatherhood and what it's like to be the black team. 

Perseverance is a funny thing. Some people are addicted to finishing the job, no matter the cost. Running away with an idea, no matter where it takes them. And sometimes, it turns out to be worth it.

Death is a state of mind.

When you're in trouble, do you fight or do you run? The story of a man who fled from the US government for 31 years.

Life comes at you fast and sometimes – sideways. And, before you know it, things have gone totally off the rails.

Into the hyper-masculinized world of Mexican wrestling steps Cassandro, an unapologetically gay man whose 27-year-career exploded traditional ideas of what it means to be a lucha libre fighter.

When it comes to crazy, immoral and stupid decisions, nothing can match a teenager looking for a good time.

It can be a masterful feat of salesmanship, or it can be a total mistake – an unhappy case of mistaken identification. This week on the show, Bait and Switch. Three stories from our live show at Riot LA.

A story about the last chapter of a man’s life, and how he asked for his best friend's help – to die.

There are times when it feels like everybody wants something from you, even when you have nothing left to give. This week, three stories of people who gave up a piece of themselves – or wanted a piece of somebody else.

A wedding, a bar mitzvah, and a day of innocence lost. (EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

There's a bloody war raging in the Philippines – a war that's being waged by the country's own government, against its own people. The story of Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, and the thousands of lives it has already claimed.

Scooter Tramp Scotty has been drifting for twenty years, dipping in and out of people’s lives along the way. The road has become his home. As far as he's concerned, living life the way it should be lived.

When Erden Eruç set off to circumnavigate the globe, rowing alone across three oceans, he didn’t know just how much the trip would change him – and his relationships with his friends, family and wife. The story of an epic journey by bike, foot, and boat. And of what is, perhaps, the biggest challenge of all: coming home.

When Jacob was a kid, he was a devoted member of his local Pentecostal congregation. But as he got older, he realized that the church he loved so much might not love him back.

A story containing love, violence and a magic potato.Warning: This program contains explicit language and addresses adult topics and themes - including sex and drug use.

On November 8, 2013, the Philippines was ravaged by the strongest typhoon to make landfall in recorded history. This week, we're partnering with WGBH's GroundTruth to tell the story of the aftermath, from the place where climate change and sex trafficking meet: at a bar, in a town called Angeles.

We live with them. We feed them. Sometimes, we even clothe them. And sometimes, it all comes back to bite us. This week, trying to care for the animals in our lives – and inside ourselves.

Those with experience know that things happen for a reason -- or they don't happen at all.  (Repeat)

There's a fine line between taking a principled stand and being stubborn. Follow Tyreek Bilal as he struggles with his mosque and with his own attempts to live a godly life in a harsh world.

They do it under the cover of darkness, on buildings and storefronts and the walls of alleyways. Can breaking one law help change another? This week, we hear from street artists about graffiti as political protest, as art, and as an addictive, inimitable high.

Clifford Clinton lived a very public life in Los Angeles. He opened high-profile cafeterias – Clifton's among them – and launched a campaign to rid the city of corruption and other vices. BUT, he also lived a private life as a sexual pioneer who may have kick-started the swinging 60s.

Go down into the silo with the "missileers." Their hands are on the nuclear keys, and they practice the end of the world over and over. (Repeat)

In Soviet Russia, when the TV started playing Swan Lake, it meant something had hit the fan.

Sometimes, all we need is a good, hard push over the edge. This week, four stories of people who got a shock to the system – sometimes, literally.

Another story from broadcasting legend Joe Frank. (Repeat)

What do you live for? What would you die for? What would you kill for? (Repeat)

The messiness of human connection.

The winners of KCRW's fourth annual 24-hour radio race.

"If everything seems under control…. you’re not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti

There's a place in the desert where people gather. They have different beliefs. But when they look into the night sky, they all share one idea.

What an atomic bomb leaves behind.

I once saw a woman possessed right in front of me. Her eyes glazed over, she shook, and she wasn't there anymore… someone else was. (Repeat)