How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

Today the Bayer siblings are thrilled to have hilarious comedian, actor and writer Tim Baltz on the podcast! You may know Tim from his brilliant work starring as the character BJ in "The Righteous Gemstones," but did you know that he and Vanessa are old Chicago pals? They talk about that time, from auditioning for SNL in Chicago and how Vanessa may have been through an unintended but genius stress test in the process, to the vivid memory they both have of speaking French to each other at Chicago comedy institution IO. And speaking of, they get into what is punk in Chicago other than Jonah's band when it would tour there! And also how Vanessa would bomb every time she opened for them! And Jonah and Tim get into how one of them is really a mental health counselor, one of them played one on a show, but both of them used their therapists for various kinds of research. Plus we're talking everything NERF! From Nerf Herder(s) to Nerf Footballs, to the Nerf Whistler Football (not a great swing by the Nerf ppl), to Tim's elementary homeroom classes where there was a Nerf basketball league that seems to have taken what some might call "too much" time in his school day? And finally, in an incredible game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN, we're discussing the lore of Cleveland radio's own John Lanigan, the overuse of the term "ya know," and using earplugs to block out the noise of people talking on their cellphones? Or something like that? Either way you've gotta check out this fantastic episodes with one of Chicago's finest!

You may know our guests today from their popular podcast series "Buffering: A Rewatch Adventure," but did you know they also co-wrote a fantastic new book “Slayers, Every One Of Us” that is out now! Are you noticing a theme? That’s right, this week the Bayer siblings welcome their DREAM guests and old friends: Musician Jenny Owen Youngs and producer, speaker and consultant Kristin Russo! The group dive into the world of nostalgic TV from Buffy to Angel to My So-Called Life. And speaking of, they each call out their own Jordan Catalano’s of yore and you wouldn’t believe what some of them are up to these days… Plus the crew dives deep on vampires, why we live them, why and how some of us dressed like them and how did the ending of Interview with the Vampire differ from book to movie. (Warning: there will be spoilers!)(Other Warning: Vanessa tries out the term “smoke show” to describe Christian Slater and honestly it goes pretty well?) Finally, in a wonderful game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN we’re talking swooshing and banging on tv, a former DHL driver with a controversial car and sandwiches on flights. None of the topics make a ton of sense but we have a great time discussing them! So check out this vamp-tastic episode and be sure to pick up Jenny and Kristin’s new book, "Slayers, Every One Of Us” out now!!

Today we are joined by actor Shane McRae, the current star of the Apple+ TV series "Silo"! We talk about McCrae being a huge David Bazan fan and hanging out house shows with Jonah back in the day. In that spirit we also reminisce about Williamsburg in the early 2000s, Shane's early auditions alongside some of today's biggest actors and how he a kid from Mississippi was exposed to underground music. We also get deep into the culture of hanging out in 24-hour diners from useless non-smoking sections to tipping etiquette for teenagers. Finally in a game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN, we discuss forgetting parents' birthdays, justice in advertising and should people walk on bike paths? (Vanessa has very strong opinions about this last one.) Don't forget to check out Shane on "Silo" and say hi to him at the next Bazan show! 

We could not be more psyched this week to be joined by actor, comedian and star of TV show "Severance" and "Fallout," Zach Cherry! We explore our long history with Zach, from an improv class he took with Jonah in 2015 to his recent gig as a judge during Vanessa's appearance on "The Great American Baking Show." We also get into Zach's time performing improv comedy as a kid at a performing arts camp, trying to hide his comedic aspirations from his day job coworkers when he was starting out (something Vanessa did NOT do when she was starting out) and when he realized he could make a living as a performer. We also get deep into Zach's topic, XBOX PARTIES, which basically consisted of Zach and his friends all bringing their XBOXs to a friend's house before it was possible to play online. We also get deep into snack talk from the underrated status of pretzels to the intimidating thrill of wasabi peas. Finally in a game of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA, we debate the return of Rainforest Cafe, vintage record players and block windows. Also what's more depressing than office parks? Learn about all this and more on this incredible episode of the podcast! People like it!!

This week on the pod, the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome musician and authentic version of comedian Kyle Mooney, Kyle M! They get into Kyle's incredible new album "The Real Me" (available wherever you get your music!), from what inspired the album to the music videos to what inspired Kyle to find his true self. Plus, Vanessa's mind is blown when she realizes Kyle's music can be interpreted a bunch of different ways. And Jonah and Kyle talk about where ideas come from- wow. Finally, in an exciting game of CHANGE.DORK the trio debate the merit of getting rid of blue cars on a roller coaster, making a Brigsby Bear full length film-within-a-film, and did Kyle himself start a petition to make Pluto a planet? You'll have to listen to find out! But you'll also have to catch Kyle M on his "The Real Me / Fake Me" tour this summer at a city near you! Tickets at kylemooneylive.com

Today the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome music journalist and editor Daniel Kohn to the podcast! You may have seen Daniel's work in SPIN, OC Weekly or Rolling Stone, but did you know he's kind of a Cleveland Expert? We get into the Cleveland bagel scene, the long island bagel scene, and the LA bagel scene! And we get into the beloved (not by Vanessa) computer game "The Oregon Trail " and Dan teaches us that the way to win is to be the banker! Life imitating art! And Jonah teaches us that his character's name in The Oregon Trail was always Bo Jackson! Jonah being a weirdo! JK! Plus we inform Daniel that growing up in Long Island would have allowed him to audition for the best kids shows- Carmen Sandiego, Sesame Street- must be nice! And in a rousing game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN we get into bathroom breaks at Blossom Time, leaving flags up for too long (and other ways to "disrespect" a flag) and the etiquette of exciting Marc's stores! Be sure to check out Daniel's incredible new book that he co-wrote with Nate Jackson TEARING DOWN THE ORANGE CURTAIN: HOW PUNK ROCK BROUGHT ORANGE COUNTY TO THE WORLD out now!!!

We are so lucky to have comedian, actor and singer Cole Escola drop by the podcast this week. You may know Cole from their scene-stealing roles in "Search Party," "At Home With Amy Sedaris" and "Difficult People," but before all that they were learning about sophisticated, cosmopolitan female leads on nineties shows like "Fired Up" and "Mad About You." We also get into how the calcium industry hijacked TV commercials in the nineties to the point where Cole ate so many Kraft single slices it made them puke, explore what will now be dubbed "The Snackwell aesthetic" and hear about the time Vanessa misunderstood what seems like a pretty straightforward reference from "Troop Beverly Hills" so deeply that it's still difficult to comprehend. The CEOs get a short-lived break this week as we bring back our "Back To The Present" segment where Jonah makes a compelling case for CD long boxes, Vanessa makes a plea to bring back WOW! chips (despite Olestra's uncomfortable side effects) and Cole would like to bring back Sunday night family movie programming, the latter of which should not cause intestinal bloating. 

This week on the podcast we are joined by New York Times bestselling author, Susannah Cahalan! We talk about the phenomenon of the Sharper Image stores, the ubiquity of tetherball courts in the nineties and why are kids seriously still playing Dodgeball? We also discuss Susannah's experience of landing a coveted job at Abercrombie & Fitch when she was in high school and why she didn't like the job despite getting a thirty percent discount. Plus we get into Vanessa's experience as a judge on "Nailed It!" and the phenomenon of the Bob Vila era of "This Old House" in the pre-Internet age. We also discuss famous people from Summit, New Jersey, and play a round of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN where we debate accidental gender reveals, the need for 15-minutes of fame and if newspapers need more columns about people complaining. Check out Susannah's amazing new book THE ACID QUEEN: THE PSYCHEDELIC LIFE AND COUNTERCULTURE REBELLION OF ROSEMARY WOODRUFF LEARY and make sure to catch her on her book tour and tell her you listened to this episode! 

On today's new episode, the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome the hilarious Jillan Bell! They dive deep into community centers and Vanessa talks about a step class that was so popular at the JCC growing up, that it got one of Jonah's friend's mom's to show her true colors when she didn't get in. Yikes! Plus, Jillian gets into the sixth grade youth center dances that she attended every week and the very consequential last dance where there is a villain, but it's debatable who that is. And, Jonah schools Vanessa on The Spasmatics and the Jillian talks about the time she brought the show Rescue 911 into her real life. And along those lines, Unsolved Mysteries is back, but how do we feel about that? Vanessa also talks about the DJ at her Whirly Ball Bat Mitzvah party (correction: 7th grade was Bas Mitzvahs, not 6th, Vanessa!) and Jonah shares his dream of being introduced at the her party with Metallica blasting in the background. Finally, in a thrilling game of CHANGE DOT DORK, the trio debates the merits of the return of "Bless the Harts," Emilio Estevez being in a Psych movie (and they really get into Emilio's past), and ask, what is Teen Beach Movie and should it be played at Movie Night? And speaking of movies, be sure to check out Jillian's directorial debut, the wildly hilarious and heartwarming "Summer of 69" streaming now on HULU!!

This week on the podcast we are joined by singer, guitarist and—as we find out on this episode—actor, Stefan Babcock of the amazing punk band PUP! The three of us get into his short-lived extracurricular activity as an actor, discuss the time that he almost got kicked out of his own concert, Jonah and Stefan talk about their shared insecurities as musicians. We also get deep into the Mighty Ducks Universe, why it was Stefan's favorite movie as a kid growing up in Canada and how Disney managed to brainwash an entire generation of hockey-obsessed kids. (Sorry, but the Anaheim Ducks just aren't as cool.) We also discuss other classic sports movies from our childhood and reminisce about the senseless violence in comedy films of that era. Finally in a round of CHANGE DOT DORK we review petitions about making moshing an Olympic sport, the potential return of Tim Horton's grilled cheese sandwich and tipping etiquette at the Olive Garden. Don't forget to check out PUP's brand new album "Who Will Look After The Dogs?" and catch them on tour this summer and beyond!!!