How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

You may know JD Samson as the musician in critically acclaimed acts like Le Tigre and MEN, but did you know she also went to high school with Jonah and Vanessa? On this episode we discuss Jonah's brief stint working for JD's parents, what it was like being a teenaged outcast in Ohio in the nineties and how going to an outdoor expedition summer camp changed JD's life. We also get into our first jobs, why flavored-coffee is disgusting and lament the demise of our favorite regional theme park growing up, Geauga Lake. Don't worry, you don't have to be an Orange Lion to enjoy this action-packed episode of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we could not be more psyched to be joined by comedian, writer and actor Solomon Georgio, who you may know from his work on Shrill and High Fidelity. On this action-packed episode, we discuss whether we keep in touch with people from our childhood and debate the need for adult-sized Lunchables. Plus, we get in-depth about the history of the beloved childhood juice, squeezits, and if we really want to see snack foods advertised as sentient beings. Finally, we revisit our change.dork segment where we imagine a world where "Weird Al" Yankovic performs at the Super Bowl and Jonah starts a public feud with Maroon 5 that is sure to be making headlines all over the Internet by the time you read this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are overjoyed to have director, writer, actor, comedian and producer Michael Showalter on the podcast this week—who is also a director and executive producer of Vanessa's upcoming Showtime series "I Love That For You" which debuts April 29th. Full disclosure: we told Showalter that we were going to talk to him about John Hughes movies, but we ended up inundating him with questions about his beloved comedy troupes The State and Stella as well as what we refer to as "the Wet Hot American summer franchise." In that spirit, we also find time to share our summer camp experiences when we aren't poking fun of our hometown or learning more about Showalter's creative process. This episode also includes a lightning round of change.dork that sees our guest describing his perfect coffee blend in a detailed manner that we encourage you to recreate at home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the podcast, Vanessa and Jonah do a deep dive analysis of the 1998 Farrelly brothers film, "There's Something About Mary." Despite its all-star cast, there is a lot of questionable aspects of the film that are rooted in the broader context of comedy movies in the nineties. We've heard about suspending disbelief but you've got to attain anti-gravity levels of suspension to accept Matt Dillion's spy technology, the film's convoluted stalker backstory and the way that the Farrelly Brothers are able to reduce characters to mere caricatures. Despite all this, there are some genuinely funny moments in this film by Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz that embody the awkwardness of adolescence, where the film really shines. Whether you've never seen "There's Something About Mary" (which we hadn't) or it's one of your favorite films (grow up?), you'll find something to take away from our expert analysis of this comedy classic. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's guest Shalita Grant has not only been nominated for a Tony Award, she's also an actress who you know from Search Party, NCIS: New Orleans and You. We hear about her experiences as a drama student at the prestigious Juilliard School and the "Juilliard Curse," deep dive into the history of Funyuns and reminisce about our childhood pets. Jonah also reveals that he occasionally looks at his the lunch menu at his old high school and we explore the hidden relationship between the educational system and the pizza industry. Speaking of which, we also roast the inventor of Pizza Hut's Double Cheeseburger pizza and fondly recall the franchise's Accelerated Reader & Book It! programs in our wildly popular "Back To The Present" segment. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode we talk to our friend and one of the funniest people in the world, Mike O'Brien. We hear the stories behind Mike's epic tattoos, plus he and Vanessa discuss their early Chicago comedy days, and he and Jonah discuss the trials and tribulations of being hghly acclaimed brand ambassadors. We also hear about the time Mike's family got a free day trip to Boston by eating a year's worth of Cheerio's. Was it worth it? You'll have to listen to find out...but obviously it was not. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are thrilled to have good friend and talented musician Brian Fallon from Gaslight Anthem and also known for his wildly successful solo career. We talk about Jonah's missed opportunity of flipping his cash and still not buying a winter jacket, what musicians get a "punk pass", and what generation we technically fall under (we just know Phoebe Bridgers isn't making fun of us). We discuss the power ballads that gave us all the feels and determination of our lives. Another exciting game of change.dork gets us to ponder long and hard about these music centric petitions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The super talented and friend Kate Berlant graces us with her charming whit on the podcast. You may know Kate from her work on "Netflix: The Characters" and the film "555". We discuss her origins such as going to an all girls school, being the president of the Thespian Society (or Vice President?) and doing stand-up in the New York comedy scene. We take a trip down memory lane discussing AOL chat rooms allowing us to be "someone else" behind a screen and trolling people in chat rooms, especially when it comes to music taste. We play the segment "change.dork" and look at the petitions ranging from food centric to showing compassion towards sitcom actors. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, good friend and amazing musician Tony Thaxton stops by the podcast this week. Tony is the drummer for Motion City Soundtrack and a podcaster himself, what can this guy not do?! We talk about our deep fondness of Muppet Babies and how we do not care for the reboot, especially the theme song. Diving into celebrity voice-over actors on the show like Howie Mandel and Dave Coulier and learning that Skeeter was not an original muppet. Plus discussion of celebrity albums and talking about performing with Weird Al Yankovic being a dream come true. They play "Back To The Present" segment where Jonah discusses the Cleveland Mosh Line and how it was meant to resolve pit fights and keep it safe, Vanessa talks Swatch Watches and all the styles they provided for everyone and Tony would like to bring back non-singer celebrity songs to the radio. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.