• Remember Dream Phone? (with Patty Guggenheim)
    Aug 25 2025

    Today on the podcast, the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their hilarious and wildly talented friend Patty Guggenheim!! You may know Patty from her role as Raven in Peacock's Twisted Metal, but did you know she grew up loving the game Dream Phone?!! We get into all the Dream Phone deets plus Patty's connection to one of the Dream Phone guys? Speaking of, remember calling boys at sleepovers? Scary! Plus we ask the age old questions: why did our mom's answer their phone calls by saying "this is she" and why do we do it now?? And we hear how Jonah is doing post-colonoscopy and and get into embarrassing anesthesia antics, like being sure we can beat out the anesthesia while we're counting down from ten. We also get into some BTS stories from Jonah and Vanessa's appearance on Family Feud and in doing so find out that both Bayer siblings have an affinity for the Gin Blossoms. And in a delightful game of CHANGE.ORG we discuss the merits of digitizing the Christian Slater vehicle "Pump Up The Volume", removing Sopranos spoilers from "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law", and bringing back Grad Dance to (Patty's!) North Central Highschool. WARNING: This episode contains spoilers from the 1999 film "The Sixth Sense" so proceed with caution!!

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Remember Hanson? (With Taylor Hanson)
    Aug 18 2025

    This week the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome Taylor Hanson!! You may know Taylor from the epic band Hanson but mmmbop know that he is also in the supergroup Tinted Windows or that he and Vanessa recently met when she awkwardly circled him multiple times at the Freakier Friday premiere party? Plus, hear the story of how Vanessa's old pal Sarah went to prom in a group with Taylor and his girlfriend (now wife!) and don't worry, Vanessa mentions that she was Prom Queen (again!) We also get into Hanson's many performances at various malls across America—and what was the free food sitch? Speaking of, Vanessa talks about almost uprooting her weekend to get a free room service dinner during Freakier Friday press. PFinally we talk about getting to meet our heroes, from Billy Joel to Carole King to the cast of Blossom? And in a rousing game of CHANGE.DORK, the trio are debating the merits of MTV devoting one day a week to the nineties, Hostess bringing back Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cpudding pies and the animated cast of Arthur performing Hanson's hit song "MMMBop." So whether you're at home, on the road or in the middle of nowhere, be sure to listen to this incredible episode where Taylor claims to have gotten smarter!! Sorry, but he did say it!

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Remember Back To School Fashion? (with Victoria Papa)
    Aug 11 2025

    Who better to be on the back to school edition of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? than a guest who has been on the academic calendar for most of her life??? This week on the podcast, we are joined by Professor Victoria Papa, who you have heard Jonah talk about a lot because she is also his wife! We discuss Vicky growing up in New York's capital district, mall culture and the easiest way to get Jonah to wear something. (Just put it in the closest proximity to where he is located.) As we already mentioned, we also get deep into the thrill of back to school fashion from picking out the latest outfits at Limited Too to postal pants as a trend that isn't just for those of you who deliver mail for a living. We also discuss Vicky's legendary fashion sense, Jonah's disdain for trying things on at department store dressing rooms and Vanessa's constant striving to get style compliments from teenagers. Finally in today's installment of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN we debate the merits of kids in commercials, the societal limits of customer service etiquette and should the entire banking system be overhauled? Your homework this week is to listen to this episode and leave us lots of positive ratings!!!

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    59 mins
  • Remember Short-Lived Sitcoms? (with Paul Scheer)
    Aug 4 2025

    On today's new episode, the Bayer siblings are thrilled to be welcoming the actor, podcaster and comedian Paul Scheer! We're talking about being adults who still follow rules we learned as kids (no tv in your bedroom!) plus some other things we learned as kids (Vanessa has the same birthday as Prince Charming?) And we get into Paul's amazing book "Joyful Recollections of Trauma" and how and why we find humor in sad or difficult times. Plus, Jonah teaches us about active listening from a therapist's POV and Vanessa realizes she's not the best at it? Then we get into TV show theme songs and intros, specifically the one that introduced the short-lived ABC sitcom "He's the Mayor." And on that topic, Paul tells us the real story of how the "Friends" theme song came to be! Plus, Jonah and Paul know almost too much about Steven Segall. And in a rousing game of "LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN" we're discussing complaints due to unfilled potholes, cranberry juice that also contains other juice, and incompetent contractors who think they can get away with it because they have... a dog? Check out this fantastic episode and be sure to check out Paul's delightful and enthralling podcasts "How Did This Get Made" and "Unspooled"!!

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    56 mins
  • Remember Working at Hot Topic? (with Austin & Taryn Durry of Durry)
    Jul 28 2025

    This week Jonah and Vanessa are joined by Austin Durry and Taryn Durry of the sibling band, Durry! Vanessa and Jonah compare and contrast the experiences of the Durrys with the Bayers' own sibling supergroup Jammin' Vibes, get into the dynamics of their seven-year age gap and explore the Minnesota phenomenon of nighttime running. We also discuss hanging out as kids at the Mall Of America, Austin's dream job working (and playing a show at) Hot Topic and Jonah's memorable visit to Hot Topic's corporate headquarters. We also discuss parental approval of tattoos, Durry's viral success and the way nostalgia is integrated into the band's lyrics. Finally we play a snack-oriented version of YESTOLGIA OR NO-STALGIA, where we debate the merits of Five Guys' coffee milkshake, the return of McDonald's Snack Wrap and Dairy Queen's questionable menu item known as the Oreo Dirt Pie Blizzard. Make sure to check out Durry's latest album "This Movie Sucks" which is available now and catch them on tour this fall!

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Remember Prom? (with Mike O'Brien and Brad Morris)
    Jul 21 2025

    This week Jonah and Vanessa are thrilled to welcome their old pals Mike O'Brien and Brad Morris! You may know Mike and Brad from the various shows they've created, written and acted in, but did you know that Vanessa used to understudy for their Mainstage show at Second City and they would lovingly make fun of her right on stage in front of the paying audience? Plus, they talk about a topic that Vanessa may have pushed them toward, Prom! From Mike's date with an older college student who may now be an Oscar-winning actress, to Brad's Pool Ball tie and cumberbund set, to Vanessa being Prom Queen! And Mike also tells us about Mom Prom and along those lines, Vanessa reminisces about how much she loved having her mom and dad at After Prom working in "The Casino." They also get into Senior Superlatives from Jonah being Most Radical to Vanessa getting Best Personality and several others that sorry she was forced to say!! Plus in a hilarious round of CHANGE.DORK, we're debating the merits of legalizing hilarious crimes, allowing students to take AP Bio every year, and tearing down Wrigley Field. Be sure to check out this hilarious episode with two Chicago comedy legends (and Mike!) (LOLZ) and be sure to check out the new season of Mike and Brad's hilarious podcast BUSINESS TRIPS on All Things Comedy and wherever you get your podcasts!

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Remember working at the store? (With Ty Burrell)
    Jul 14 2025

    This week the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome the hilarious and delightful Ty Burrell! You may know Ty from his starring as Phil Dunphy on "Modern Family," but did you know that as a child he went to school in a literal one-room schoolhouse? Plus we get into his time working at his dad's store where he got to pump Steve Miller's gasoline and down incredible amounts of free snacks! Speaking of things he and Vanessa have in common, we learn that they both will take an entire pack of gum from a craft services table rather than taking a single piece (it just makes sense?) and they both get into how they got the acting bug, and how Ty's dad and Jonah got the therapist bug! Finally, in a rousing game of CHANGE.DORK, the trio discuss petitions for a Modern Family Christmas Reunion Special, opening a Dutch Bros in Bellingham (and Ty also teaches us what a Dutch Bros is), and some guy named Ben making an appearace on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Be sure to check out this fantastic episode and speaking of fantastic episodes, be sure to listen to Ty's new podcast "The Good Life," which you can find wherever you get your podcasts! Tell them Todd, Melissa and Noah sent you!

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Remember Nerf? (with Tim Baltz)
    Jul 7 2025

    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!

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    1 hr and 26 mins