How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

Well, Bennifer is back and so is another one of our nostalgic movie rewatch podcasts! In this episode of HDWGW, we take a deep dive into the universally panned 2003 J Lo and Ben Affleck film "Gigli" and believe us when we say this film is best digested in small doses. Listen to Jonah and Vanessa break down this singularly terrible film where bad accents, nonsensical character arcs and an flimsy-yet-offensive plot all come together to create a film that was physically difficult to watch and leaves us far more confused than entertained. If you haven't seen "Gigli" you'll still enjoy this episode—and as a bonus, we also saved you two hours of your life that would be better spent doing almost anything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's ep the Bayers welcome their good friend, the hilarious and supremely talented John Early! They reminisce about hanging out at Bonnaroo in Nashville and Vanessa does a really good rendition of an Ellie Goulding song and tries to convince everyone that she's genuinely friends with Chance the Rapper. They also get into nineties ab machines and how the Bayers owned an ab roller that Jonah didn't even know about, and how John almost burned himself many times with an ab toning belt. Finally, they play an incredible round of Change.Dork where they debate whether it's more important to support adding a burger chain to Nashville or a teenager who is fighting to keep the blender on the counter. You won't want to miss this honestly perfect episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may know Andy Richter as the longtime sidekick for Conan O'Brien, but he's also a very accomplished actor, writer, comedian and podcaster. Andy came by HDWGW this week to discuss the difficulties of fish taxidermy, his Chicago comedy roots and some of his favorite Late Night With Conan O'Brien musical acts ranging from The Breeders to Tony Bennett. We also recall fond memories of hanging out at our local shopping malls in the 80s and 90s and our favorite food court picks. Along the way, Vanessa laments the demise of the Original Cookie Company and Jonah talks about buying a Body Count CD at Record Town thanks to their lax parental advisory policy. Finally, we have an impassioned round of change.org where we debate whether our collective energy should be directed toward the return of PB&J Oatmeal Cream Pies, accountability for the Lethal Weapon TV series or the availability Twinkies in a high school cafeteria. How could you not want to listen to this episode? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, Jonah and Vanessa welcome the one and only Joel Kim Booster! Jonah and Vanessa bond with Joel about their collective love of bean burritos and the challenge of heating them evenly, the fate of Keebler Tato Skins, and their varying skill levels at making dips. (Spoiler: Joel is the only one who is good at it!) Plus, they get into childhood birthday party activities from Jonah's baseball card show excursion to to Vanessa's many Plaster of Paradise painting parties and explore the current cultural phenomenon of adults engaging in traditionally kid-oriented activities. Finally, we ask the age old question: Do we really need our fries to have truffle on them?! You'll have to listen to find out... but the answer is no! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Trohman is best known as the guitarist in the multi-platinum rock act Fall Out Boy but he's also created cartoons, comics and the upcoming memoir, None of This Rocks. We sat down with Joe to discuss his earliest movie memories, which include his mother showing him the Omen and share our own inappropriate movie memories, which include their parents' friend Terry showing us The Re-Animator when we were way too young. Along the way we also discuss Joe's lifelong obsession with horror movies, the fact that he and Vanessa shared the same therapist in New York City and Joe's memorable episode of MTV's Cribs. We also recall the time Jonah visited the New York Stock Exchange with Fall Out Boy and Joe's infinite metal cred (he's in a band with Anthrax's Scott Ian after all). Finally, we answer the age-old question: Can Domino's do deep-dish pizza? You'll have to listen to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are joined by legendary actor and comedian Matt Walsh, who you may know from his work with Upright Citizens Brigade, his role as Mike McLintock on "Veep" or a million other hilarious appearances. Together we discuss the career trajectory of Steven Seagal from actor to cop to guy who gets mocked in Brian Cox's memoir, the time Jonah and his friends threw a block of ice on his car engine, and Matt's experiences using a sock as a gas cap. Vanessa also gives her thoughts on the return of thin eyebrow and together we debate the merits of artificial grape flavoring and our hopes for the "Quantum Leap" reboot. Whether you want to learn about Walsh's cameo "The Conners" or hear three people who've never lived in condos discuss the pros and cons of Homeowner's Associations, you'll find something to laugh about on this hilarious episode of the podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode the Bayers welcome nineties icon and Grammy Award-winning musician Lisa Loeb! We talk (so all the time) about landline phone etiquette from growing up including prank calls and Vanessa's love for calling the numbers on catalogs with a pretend accent. We also get into Lilith Fair and guitar shredding and when Lisa toured with Sarah McLachlan. And don't worry, not only do we talk about Lisa's famous cat eyeglasses and her current line of glasses, but Vanessa does a deep dive into the Betsey Johnson dress Lisa wore in the "Stay" video. Dreams! You've got to listen to this episode even if you only hear what you want to!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? Jonah and Vanessa are joined by musician and longtime friend of the Bayers, Chris Farren. We discuss our favorite iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as Chris's childhood toy preferences. We also get into Chris's amazing ability to create viral merch and Vanessa chimes in with her own expert opinion of how to price band merchandise. Finally, we debut a new segment called CEO TAKEDOWN where we critique the all-CEO band The Moderators who you probably read about on about cheifexecutive.net aka Pitchfork for CEOs. You don't have to be a multi-billionaire to enjoy this episode of the podcast. In fact, it's probably better if you aren't one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirty years in the making, this episode of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? sees Jonah and Vanessa catching up with their long-lost cousin and the former host of the MTV's Headbangers Ball, Riki Rachtman. We discuss how Riki is related through marriage to the Bayers, the time Jonah almost invited Riki to his Bar Mitzvah and the time Axl Rose flew to New York with Riki to get our cousin his first hosting job on MTV. We also talk about our first bands, what it was like owning the Sunset Strip's most infamous club and why Alice Cooper was the first person to know about Riki's engagement. Vanessa also laments the loss of the old-school answering machine, Jonah reminisces about music video culture and Riki remembers a time when having tattoos made you an outcast. There truly is something for everyone on this episode... unless you're a Caribou Coffee enthusiast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Gibbard may follow you in the dark, but he will not follow you in the trendy brunch spot in your neighborhood. On this episode on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD?, we catch up with the frontman for Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service to discuss 20 years of random Bayer hangouts ranging from breakfast to Bonnarroo, what being vegan was like during DCFC's early years and why he is unlikely to become the spokesman for Dunkin' Donuts anytime soon. We also discuss taping songs off the radio as a teenager, the enduring influence of Minor Threat and why "ordering something for the table" is the best way to get something indulgent without a side order of guilt. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.