How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

This week on the podcast we are joined by our old friend and the host of Steven's Untitled Rock Show on Fuse, Steven Smith! We talk about why Steven hired Jonah to be the head writer on his show despite the fact that he had no television writing experience, recount Steven's iconic roles on '90s TV shows like "California Dreams" and "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and hear about his experience being on the first season of "Queer Eye For The Straight Guy." We also get deep into Steven's admiration of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and what made it such a groundbreaking show. Finally, we play a round of CHANGE DOT DORK where we collectively debate if music should be allowed at study hall, is there room in the candy aisle for the return of ZOURS and is a reboot of "The Sauce" worth your digital signature? Whether you're a fan of Steven's hosting, acting or podcasting, you'll learn something new about him—and possibly something new about yourself in the process—just by listening to this podcast. What more could you ask for, really? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the podcast, we are joined by writer Albertina Rizzo who you might know from her work on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and a little show called "I Love That For You" starring one of our hosts! Together we take a deep dive into our apple picking experiences, the phenomenon of free fruit growing on trees and what it was like to scavenge 30 Rock for late night snacks. Then we get into our topic, the 2015 viral online phenomenon "The Dress." Was it blue or was it white? Why was it so captivating to people nearly a decade ago? Is there a Facebook group for those of us who lack the ability to decipher optical illusions? Finally we play a round of CHANGE.DORK where we discuss the frustrating nature of self-checkout lanes, the seemingly never ending trend of QR code menus and the pros and cons of a water-flavored Pop Tart. So grab a warm mug of apple cider and enjoy this fantastically fall episode of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD?!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It must be Vanessa’s birthday (tomorrow) because Jonah and her are thrilled to welcome their childhood friend and Rolling Stone Senior Writer, Andy Greene!! They’re talking all things elementary and middle school, from lice checks to spine checks to the massive, intimidating structure that was their high school. We also get the dirt on Andy's recent features on nostaglic acts like Live and Mötley Crüe, discuss our favorite music gossip sites and share our early concert experiences. Plus, who knew how helpful middle-school keyboarding class would be? (Despite the fact that Andy pulled a major scam in it.) Speaking of scams, the trio ask what was up with the betrayal of our teachers dating each other and not telling us? Finally, in a rousing round of CHANGE.DORK, the three of us debate bringing back the original Cookie Crisp recipe, the original TGIF lineup and a little store at the mall called Hot Topic. Whether you think Seniors 2000 rule or not, you've gotta check out this hilarious episode!!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Bayer siblings welcome the hilarious George Civeris and Sam Taggart to the podcast! The group reveal insights about their resting faces and does shaving your facial hair always make you look younger? Vanessa also insists that she is a Sam and Jonah is a George, and basically proves her point when they debate the return of the Olive Garden's Neverending Pasta Bowl (hint: Vanessa and Sam are PRO Pasta Bowl.) Plus, they talk about the phenomenon that was Eminem in the nineties and how they were at times offended by him while at other times attracted to him? Vanessa also talks about meeting him at SNL and they discuss his business ventures today (which actually have something in common with The Olive Garden). Finally, in an exciting game of YES/NO-STALGIA, the group is surprises themselves by being both Pro-Furby and more shockingly, Pro-McDonald's Oreo Frappe! So be sure to lose yourself in this incredible episode and also check out George and Sam's fantastic podcast, StraightioLab! Check out Sam Taggart's show Club Comic at Color Club Ballroom on Thursday, 11/9: https://dice.fm/event/6kyob-sam-taggart-club-comic-9th-nov-color-club-ballroom-chicago-tickets and George Civeris at The Elysian on Wednesday, 11/29: https://www.elysiantheater.com/shows/georgeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Halloween! To celebrate this spooky holiday, Vanessa and Jonah decided to sit down and watch the nostalgic 1999 horror film, "The Blair Witch Project" and see how it aged over the past 20+ years. Along the way we discuss the groundbreaking nature of the film's viral marketing, why the directors chose to include so much banal footage in a fake "documentary" and what's up with the pacing of this thing? Vanessa also does some excellent impressions of the characters while Jonah gets called out for the way he pronounces the word "legacy." We also dig into what the cast of the film are up to these days and collectively wonder how this movie made $250 million dollars. Finally, we play a Holiday edition of our segment CHANGE DOT DORK where we discuss petitions about replacing candy corn with actual corn, making Halloween a national holiday and getting rid of yellow Starburst. Be safe out there everyone! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's "THE MIZ" week on How Did We Get Weird!! That's right, the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome WWE Superstar, actor and television personality Mike "The Miz" Mizanin to the pod this week! Mike talks about getting his start on The Real World Season 10 and what it was like to navigate life on a reality show AND Jonah shares how he is actually somewhat responsible for one of Mike's signature Real World background songs! We also talk about Mike's high-school job flipping burgers at the Cleveland institution known as Mr. Hero and his most memorable concert experiences ranging from Mushroomhead to Hot Rod Circuit. Plus, Vanessa talks about her experience auditioning for SNL in Chicago and they all discuss what they think it takes to get the career you want. Finally, in a rousing game of CHANGE.ORG, they discuss the merits of a snack break at school, the pros and cons of bringing back The Real World, and a petition made by a Miz impersonator that Vanessa fully thought was him! Be sure to (reality) check out this fantastic episode!!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week the Bayers are thrilled to welcome Everclear frontman, Art Alexakis! You may know Art from such hits as "Santa Monica" or "Father of Mine," but did you know his tour rider includes throwbacks like Merit Cigarettes and Certs? We'll get into that PLUS we talk about our range of experiences at the major-life events that are High School Reunions, what Art was like as an adolescent and why Everclear only played one song when they appeared on "Saturday Night Live." Art and Jonah also commiserate about how they can't let go of the slim clothing trend and Vanessa talks about why she encourages students to take home organic almond butter from her dressing room- it's expensive! Finally, in a rousing game of YES/NO-STALGIA, we debate the merits of bringing back Pac Man, Taco Bell's Beefy Crunch Burrito, and perhaps most controversially, pour-over coffee. Believe us when we say that this episode of the podcast truly is everything to everyone. Don't forget to pick up Everclear's latest album "Live At The Whiskey A Go Go," which is available now! Live At The Whiskey A Go GoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tell all your friends that this week on the podcast we are joined by Taking Back Sunday vocalist Adam Lazzara! You may know him as the charismatic frontman for an incredibly influential band but Vanessa is far more interested in learning about how he worked in a deli and his go-to sandwich order. We also explore the tropical connotations of Thousand Island salad dressing, Taking Back Sunday's recent experience placing a backyard show and Jonah puts on his musical journalist hat to discuss the phenomenon of "emo nostalgia." But that's not all. We also dig deep into the history of miniature golf, our favorite putt-putt memories from childhood and explore the recent craze of "eat-ertainment." We wrap up the fun with a round of CHANGE DOT DORK where we debate the merits of flatter nachos, cool cat emojis and updates to the Cap'n Crunch cereal box. Make (damn) sure to pick up Taking Back Sunday's latest album 152 when it comes out on October 27th!  Get the album here! https://found.ee/tbs152 Check out for upcoming tour dates: www.takingbacksunday.com  Check out one of their new songs on the new album "S'old" https://youtu.be/a5ZCUHcs88Y?si=jRjup1v7LSv7QX9MSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome siblings Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar!! You might know them as bestselling authors or have seen Amber on The Amber Ruffin Show, but did you know that as kids they used to roll down a hill in a barrel? We talk about that adventure plus all the other dangerous things we did as kids like sliding down stairs on a pillow or the time Lacey got stuck in the laundry chute. Plus, Vanessa recalls her Chicago days of being lovingly bullied while understudying in Amber's Second City show, and the Bayer's are captivated to hear about all of the delicious treats that Amber and Lacey's dad used to bring home from his job at Duncan Hines (incidentally, that's also where the aforementioned barrel came from.) The fun continues as Amber and Lacey perform some of the original music they created as kids, and Vanessa does the same with a song she wrote with her cousin and recently learned was a Whodini rip-off. Finally, in a CHANGE.ORG first, Amber and Vanessa realize they actually KNOW the author of one of the petitions! AND Lacey and Amber think they might know the school that is part of another petition! But despite these ties, in the end everyone agrees that their favorite petition is the one demanding that Amber to host the Oscars. So check out this incredible sibling-filled episode of HDWGW and be sure to also listen to Amber and Lacey on their podcast "The Amber & Lacey, Lacey & Amber Show"!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's new episode the Bayer's welcome their friend musician and composer Jeff Rosenstock! We're talking about watching The Price is Right as a kid, the cool games, and how Vanessa found it slightly jarring that Bob Barker would do a PSA at the end? Plus, Jonah talks about his experience going to see the show live and his roomate winning a TV (spoiler alert: you do have to pay taxes and that is a bummer). They also discuss how Drew Carey is a class act, and the group collectively wonders, is there a system where the crew of Wheel of Fortune takes turns getting the cars that the contestants DON'T win or does Pat Sajak get first dibs? Also, Vanessa asks Jeff and Jonah the age-old question, are punks actually the biggest sweeties of all? And finally, in a very punk game of CHANGE.DORK Jeff and Vanessa reveal their pitch for the JEFF ROSENSTOCK X VANESSA FENDER GUITAR! Hint: It's sparkly.  Check out Jeff's latest album HELLMODE out now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.