This week on the podcast we are joined by the Bayers' longtime friend, solo artist and the frontman of the band Motion City Soundtrack, Justin Courtney Pierre, to reminisce about CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE books. We discuss why this book series was the most interactive entertainment a kid could find in the 1980s and how it encouraged creativity in a way we didn't fully comprehend at the time. Along the way we dig into formative childhood memories, why Jonah rebelled against pencil grips to write ...
Dec 19, 2022•58 min•Season 2Ep. 20
We could not be more psyched to be joined this week by New York Times bestselling author, podcast legend and Vanessa's "Ibiza" co-star, Phoebe Robinson! On this incredible episode we talk about how the three of us all grew up in the same suburbs of Ohio and our favorite hang-outs, reminisce about our favorite shops to hit at the local mall and talk about how our teenage fashion choices were informed by our developing sense of identity. We also dig deep into the history of Sketchers shoes and the...
Dec 12, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Gabe Liedman is not only the sweetest person on earth, but this writer, producer and actor is also our amazing guest on this week's HDWGW! We talk about hair inspirations, from Vanessa and Gabe's admiration of Claire Danes in "My So-Called Life" to the previously unknown influence a teenager with a Jason Newsted haircut that Jonah saw during his childhood had on his style trajectory. Of course, we also discuss our love for Manic Panic hair dye, which runs as deep as our respect for its creators....
Dec 05, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 18
You've heard Claudio Sanchez sing about fantasy worlds as the frontman for Coheed And Cambria but have you heard him pontificate on a dish known as Chicken Rondelet? Get ready for that, plus we talk about Claudio's experiences playing Nintendo on the way to school, dig into the history of the Potato Skin (and Tato Skins) and recall some of our favorite commercial jingles of the eighties. We also discuss Jonah's doppelgänger as painted by Pablo Picasso, the time Claudio bought musical gear from t...
Nov 28, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 17
On this very special holiday edition of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD?, Vanessa and Jonah recount some of their favorite Thanksgiving memories from controversial food choices to taking the Bolt Bus to Philly and the complex family dynamics at play each November. We also discuss the most overrated and underrated sides, give an update on new parade floats and wonder why Wonderbread is still relevant. We also explore the history of the pumpkin spice latte and riff on millennial slang. As if that weren't eno...
Nov 21, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 16
To celebrate Vanessa's birthday we are joined by a very special guest: JEWEL! That's right, we caught up with the acclaimed singer, actress and author to discuss the era before Starbucks where coffee shops were places to see live music and maybe even see Jewel demo songs that would go onto be nineties radio staples such as "Who Will Save Your Soul?" and "Foolish Games." We also discuss Jewel's career journey from a living on a remote homestead in Alaska to becoming a household name, Vanessa and ...
Nov 14, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 15
This week we are joined by musician and comedian Whitmer Thomas for a very fashion-focused episode of HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? We discuss the difficulty of finding cool jeans in rural Alabama, how the film TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY influenced Whitmer's aesthetic and why fingerless gloves were his accessory of choice. We also discuss Jonah's denim journey from JNCOs to Girbaud and the way that Vanessa's creative use of yarn as a form of budget hair extension helped our mom land a job at the Jewish ...
Nov 07, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In honor of today being Halloween, we thought we would reminisce about some of our favorite Halloween memories from childhood costumes to shaving cream hijinks. We also discuss the condescending nature of giving out healthy snacks (don't be this person), Vanessa talks about having a dance recital at the famed Orange Jubilee and we explore why a chain buffet restaurant with fluorescent lighting is Jonah's equivalent of a haunted house. We also discuss feeling pressured to dress up for Halloween p...
Oct 31, 2022•47 min•Season 2Ep. 13
You've seen comedian and writer Adam Conover break down important topics on his hit TV shows "Adam Ruins Everything" and "The G Word With Adam Conover," but his intellectual expertise also extends to nostalgia. On this episode of the podcast, Adam tells us about the video games he played on his graphing calculator in school, his his indie rock/funny folk music band and why he hopes no one listening to this podcast will ever hear it. We also dive deep into the educational television series Square...
Oct 24, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 12
This week the Bayers are joined by bestselling author, Dan Ozzi whose book "Sellout" comes out on paperback tomorrow! To celebrate we reminisce about the time Dan had a VIP experience with Jonah and his parents at a New York Yankees game (thanks to Vanessa and Lorne Michaels) and which corporations have the best snacks, ranging from free Luna bars at Dan's ex-employer VICE to the time he loaded up on free desserts at Google. From there we get into our topic, where Dan compares his job working at...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 11
This week we welcome lead singer of "Lamb of God" our friend Randy Blythe! We talk about everything from Indiana Jones movies to real-life encounters with Keanu Reeves, like when Vanessa recently talked to him for twenty minutes about his star turn in the Paula Abdul "Rush Rush Video" (uh oh are they best friends now?) plus Randy and Jonah try to teach Vanessa the difference between punk and metal, concert etiquette and much more. We also dive into the classic Old El Paso taco kit and how the se...
Oct 10, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this week's impersonation-heavy ep, the Bayers are thrilled to welcome their friend, the hilarious Jay Pharoah!! Jay and Vanessa reminisce about SNL impressions they did based on their childhoods and some celebrity impressions they did later on (speaking of- who does a better Denzel Washington- you'll have to listen to find out!) The Bayers and Jay also talk about a fave show from growing up, Nickelodeon's "Doug" and Jay and Vanessa are so proud to learn what their tv son is up to today: winn...
Oct 03, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 9
On today's new episode, Jonah and Vanessa welcome fellow Ohio native and host of Spotify's "60 Songs That Explain the 90s" Rob Harvilla to the podcast. They revisit their senior projects, which included organizing record bins, helping the community, and surfing the Internet. Jonah and Rob reminisce about their time working together at Alternative Press, including towers of promo CDs and their reviews of up-and-coming bands. Don't worry, they were nice and honest! Vanessa showcases her amazing Fr...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 8
This week we are excited to welcome writer, actress and comedian Julie Klausner to the podcast, who you may know from her popular Hulu series "Difficult People," her podcast DOUBLE THREAT with Tom Scharpling and/or her brand new podcast ASK JULIE! on the Forever Dog Plus Network. We discuss with Julie the many similarities between the films "Singles" and "Reality Bites" (including highlights from both soundtracks), dissect "Empire Records" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer" (GWAR discussion incl...
Sep 19, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 7
This week Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly took a break from playing arenas with My Chemical Romance to talk to us about what it was like being a latchkey kid in the suburbs of New Jersey during the "Home Alone" era of parental supervision. Along the way we also discuss the time Geoff and Jonah's screamo band, United Nations, were sued by the actual United Nations; the fine line between art and absurdity; and Geoff's memories of his first-period chorus class. We also discuss how Jonah stayed at Ge...
Sep 12, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Well the sun is gonna surely shine this week because we are joined by star of the sitcom "Blossom" and friend of the Bayers, Jenna von Oy! On this episode, Vanessa fact-checks the bizarre direct message (and probably fictional road trip) that lead to her friendship with Jenna, we learn about the unlikely relationship between "Blossom" and "Seinfeld" and deconstruct Jenna's experiences doing commercials in the '90s which ranged from Kool-AId to Members Only to Quilted Northern. We also dig deep i...
Sep 05, 2022•55 min•Season 2Ep. 5
It's late August and that can only mean one thing: Back To School! In this this special episode, Vanessa and Jonah recall their visceral memories from that time which include picking out the perfect school supplies, shopping for the previous year's hottest fashions at Marshalls, and the oh so important task of planning an outfit for the first day of school. We also get deep into our former high school's current website on our new segment "Congratulations, You Played Yourself" and make a compelli...
Aug 29, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 4
On today's new episode Jonah and Vanessa welcome the delightful Bridger Winegar to dig deep into the world of spooky games like "Light as a Feather Stiff as a Board" that haunted them as kids. And did you know there were several films inspired by the game "Bloody Mary"? It seems no one did. Plus, Bridger and Vanessa recall their days of being interns in late night tv and the various ways they humiliated themselves. And a lively game of "Legit Moan or Unnecessary Groan" has them debate whether ki...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This week on the podcast we are joined by our friend, the truly hilarious actor and comedian Paul Brittain, who you might know from "Saturday Night Live," "Trophy Wife" or a sketch based on "Three Men And A Baby" back in Chicago many years ago that Vanessa is still obsessed with. In that spirit, this episode includes Vanessa and Paul recounting their halycon days of cutting their teeth in the Windy City comedy scene, us all reminiscing about the way that seemingly carefree sitcoms used to tackle...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Jenny Owen Youngs is not only a successful musician and songwriter who has worked with some of the biggest artists on the planet, she is also a TV scholar who co-hosts popular podcasts about Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. In other words, she's the perfect guest for HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? On this episode, Jonah recalls the magical night he attended both Jenny's wedding and MTV Video Music Awards where Vanessa introduced Miley Cyrus' performance, Jenny talks about what it's like living...
Aug 08, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 1
You know comedian Joe Mande from his work as a writer and actor on beloved shows like Parks And Recreation and Hacks, but did you know a childhood obsession with the Sega Genesis game "Earthworm Jim" almost led to his downfall? Today on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? we not only explore the weird and wonderful world of Sega Genesis, but Vanessa talks about why she is constantly trolling Jonah on social media and Joe recounts the time that he was so convinced that he would win a shopping spree at Toys R U...
Aug 01, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Craig Finn is best known as the frontman for The Hold Steady and a successful solo artist but some of his formative years were influenced by peer pressure when it came to teenagers' favorite hobby in the nineties: Prank phone calls. On this episode we recount our own largely anticlimactic stories of receiving and making prank calls, Vanessa explains the way she views conversations between musicians from a comedian's perspective and of course we explore Craig's Cleveland connection, whether that ...
Jul 25, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 44
You may know Michelle Zauner from her Grammy-nominated musical act Japanese Breakfast or New York Times best-selling memoir "Crying in H Mart," but before all that she was just a kid who loved Sailor Moon. Michelle dropped by the pod this week to talk about watching and rewatching her favorite childhood VHS tapes, taking guitar lessons in the world's most corporate setting and the lessons she learned growing up about dining etiquette. Along the way Michelle helps Jonah and Vanessa call out their...
Jul 18, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Vanessa and Jonah welcome their friends, Hollywood Power Couple Patton Oswalt and Meredith Salenger, to HDWGW. They talk about their time on Will & Grace, the shelf life of pastries (especially if they are given to you for free), and attending high school and college reunions. They go on to discuss a variety of school field trips, like going into a giant tooth, Meredith's nostalgia-filled visits to Olvera Street, and Patton's trips to very cool historical landmarks near Washington D.C. The d...
Jul 11, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 42
This week we could not be happier to be joined by our very good friend the actress, comedian and musician Kate Micucci to discuss her childhood obsession with radio call-in contests, something she was so skilled at that eventually her local radio station told her she had to stop calling in. Along the way we discuss the time Jonah won Lilith Fair and Poison tickets from his local radio station and took Vanessa to both shows (Lilith Fair proved to be better attended), the lasting benefits of takin...
Jul 04, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 41
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 leave...
Jun 27, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 40
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...
Jun 20, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 39
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, Vane...
Jun 13, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 38
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 ...
Jun 06, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 37
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, th...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 36
