Today you are in for a real treat because this week on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? we are joined by our friend the hilarious Mark Proksch (The Office, Better Call Saul) who is as friendly as he is funny. We discuss what it's like to grow out of things as a child, Mark's current doughnut preferences and learn the origins of the term "goppy." We also get deep into the story behind Kenny "K-Strass" Strasser, a character of Mark's who made the morning TV talk show circuit as a yo-yo expert who couldn't ac...
Jul 17, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Break out your best bonnet and riding boots because this week on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? we are joined by comedian/actor/musician Tim Heidecker to discuss the pastoral drama series, Little House on the Prairie. Along the way we discuss Tim's job a la creperie, watching sitcoms made for adult as kids in the eighties and our respective senior superlatives. (Jonah and Tim were most radical/unique while Vanessa won every other one.) We also get in depth about the "explosive" finale of Little House on ...
Jul 10, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Get ready to rumble because this week on HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? we are joined by hilarious comedian, writer and actor Max Silvestri! What's in a name? Apparently a lot. Jonah discusses how he was almost named Max and why he thinks he would have been a completely different and more confident person if he had Max's moniker. Max also discusses his various adolescent aliases while Vanessa reveals that she was almost named after a Bob Dylan song. The three of us also discuss the allure of eighties act...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 2
On today’s new episode we are thrilled to kick off season 3 of HDWGW with our friend Lance Bangs!! We’re talking about everything from the time Lance and his wife Corin Tucker took the Bayer siblings to dinner and Jonah almost had a panic attack, to Lance’s work on Jackass and the recent George Harrison video he directed that Vanessa got to be in. Plus, we reminisce on the days of watching tv shows and films during school and Lance introduces the Bayer siblings to the incredibly bizarre “educati...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 3Ep. 1
As we prepare for season 3 (yes, you heard that right!), we would love to stroll down memory lane with our forever iconic guest, JEWEL! In the meantime, rate and review the podcast and stay tuned for new episodes starting June 26th on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network. -- 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...
Jun 19, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 46
This week on the podcast we are joined by... no one! That's right, on this episode Jonah and Vanessa are reminiscing about the phenomenon of going to shoe stores as a kid and trying on shoes the old-fashioned way. We also discuss real-life current shopping experiences at malls, the time Jonah accidentally wore Vanessa's Doc Martens to school and are Vans just cooler versions of Keds? We also get deep into the history and demise of the Reebok Pump, although we still aren't sure if they actually d...
Jun 12, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 45
This week we are thrilled to be joined on the podcast by the hilarious writer and actor, Jeremy Beiler who you might know as the co-creator of Vanessa's incredible Showtime series I LOVE THAT FOR YOU. On this episode of the podcast, Vanessa and Jeremy reminisice about writing sketches together on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE when they weren't hunting down snacks in other departments of 30 Rock in the early morning hours. We also do a collective deep dive into one of the most unhealthy kids foods of all-t...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 44
This week on the podcast we are so incredibly thrilled to welcome Grammy Award-winning musician Aimee Mann! Vanessa recalls the first time that the Bayers worked with Aimee on their old web series and how Jonah got so nervous about a joke they'd written he had to walk out of a taping with her to regain his composure. The three of us also discuss, you guessed, Scholastic Book Clubs and the sheer joy of getting a bundle of books delivered onto your desk by your homeroom teacher as a kid. We also d...
May 29, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Fans of the Marvel Universe, "How I Met Your Mother" and Canada rejoice because this week we are joined by actress and all-around great person, Cobie Smulders! On this episode of the podcast, Vanessa discusses why one of the greatest nights of her life was spent watching THE BODYGUARD at Cobie and Taran's house, Cobie gives us the sweet details about the Tom Cruise holiday cake and Jonah recalls his teenage fascination with Steven Seagal. Even though Cobie grew up without cable television in a r...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 42
This week we couldn't be more thrilled to welcome our friend, the hilarious little sweetie Kenan Thompson!! We're talking SNL nostalgia, Nickelodeon nostalgia, classic rock nostalgia and everything in between. Plus, we get into the craze around the legendary Bo Jackson, including the "Bo Knows" campaign, and his arch nemesis Brian Bosworth aka "The Boz" and Jonah's obsession with the 1991 action fiilm "Stone Cold." Finally, we play a round of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN that has us asking so...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 41
This week, Vanessa and Jonah are joined by an absolute legend: The First Todd aka their dad. Join our hosts on an audio journey that sees them finally getting the answer to childhood questions like why did they have a refrigerator full of Gyros for a full year of their adolescence, how close was their dad to buying a Dunkin' Donuts franchise and what do you do with a freezer full of sundaes? As you might guess, this food-centric episode sees our dad bemoaning the demise of McDonald's highly popu...
May 08, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Today on the podcast we are joined by actor and comedian Tony Hale, who you might recognize as Buster Bluth from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT or Gary Walsh from VEEP. We caught up with Tony while he was on location in Rome to discuss the culture of buffet restaurants (and the anxiety it instilled in Jonah as a kid), Vanessa's four months as a cruise-ship comedian and Tony's experience shooting the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT pilot two decades ago on a boat, we mean, ship. We also discuss Tony's favorite childh...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 39
This week we stop being polite and start getting real with comedian, writer and podcaster Hari Kondabolu! We reminisce about our internships: Vanessa's time at the Oxygen network and Sesame Street, Hari's time as a "Clintern" for Hilary Clinton and Jonah's days interning in the music department at the production company behind this week's topic: MTV's THE REAL WORLD! Together, the three of us reminisce about the groundbreaking reality show, our favorite memories from the early seasons, how the s...
Apr 24, 2023•49 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Break out the Manic Panic and Doc Martens because this week we dig deep into nineties fashion with musician Alicia Bognanno aka Bully. We talk about our experiences taking foreign languages in high school, respective anxiety dreams and the year Jonah and Vanessa took a French class together despite the fact that he was two grades ahead. We also dig deep into the history of belly button rings, discuss whether they're making a comeback and share other piercing stories from our adolescent years. Fi...
Apr 17, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 37
We could not be more excited to welcome our close personal friend to the podcast this week: Musician and actor, Jason Isbell! You've heard him talk about his '59 Les Paul but have you heard Isbell break down the difference between dry snacks, snacks that are a test of class and snacks that are a proof of class? Plus, from transporting Kudos bars to Handi-Snacks, we talk about the benefits of Jason's proto-grunge ensembles of cargo pants and flannel shirts. We also discuss why so many heavy metal...
Apr 10, 2023•50 min•Season 3Ep. 36
This week on HDWGW, we are joined by actress and comedian Jenny Slate to discuss everyone's favorite plush toy that resembled a sleeping bag: POPPLES! We discuss the difficulty but satisfaction of putting the popple back in its home, the curious nature of celebrity poppels and the recent cartoon reboot of the celebrated brand. We also discuss Jonah's cool new GQ hat, embarrassing encounters while buying ice cream and why there's few feelings on Earth better than receiving a free Bluetooth speake...
Apr 03, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Break out your skate deck and board shorts but this week on the podcast we are reminiscing about skateboard culture with Vanessa and Jonah's old friend, Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World. From being too afraid to drop in on half pipes to the Bones Brigade and hoverboard rumors, we reminisce about what it was like to try to pull off tricks before the existence of YouTube. Plus, Jonah and Jim talk about the time Jonah traveled to Europe two decades ago to write a feature on the band during their fir...
Mar 27, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 34
By popular demand, this week we have another music video-themed episode, however this time it's dedicated to Vanessa's picks of her favorite music videos from her childhood and adolescence. In that spirit we tackle the extended cut of Paul Abdul's classic video for "Rush, Rush" and discuss the time that Vanessa had a conversation with Keanu Reeves about making it. We also delve into the dramatic video for Bon Jovi's power ballad "Always" and Jonah recalls the time that Richie Sambora snubbed him...
Mar 20, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 33
On this week's episode we are thrilled to welcome the hilarious Carmen Christopher!! Not only do Carmen and the Bayer siblings participate in a Matthew McConaughey impression showdown for the ages, which includes Jonah's impressive Kermit-the-Frog-doing-McConaughey, but Carmen and Vanessa get into their time doing comedy in Chicago including when Carmen saw Vanessa audition for SNL! Plus, we talk about those anxiety-provoking school dances and how Jonah "hated" them but seemed to go to a lot of ...
Mar 13, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Listeners, you're in for a treat this week because we are joined by comedian, actor and writer Brian Posehn. We discuss Brian's formative years and how he managed to befriend both metalheads and popular kids in high school, even if that was way less dramatic than it is in John Hughes movies. We also discuss how he got his start in comedy, his current reality television picks and the time Vanessa forced all of her friends to watch an episode of "Say Yes To The Dress" when they were trying to be s...
Mar 06, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 31
This week we are joined on the pod by comedian, writer and actress Patty Guggenheim, who you might recognize from her iconic role as Madisynn King on She-Hulk: Attorney At Law! Patty discusses her time bonding with Vanessa over Zoom as they played a game that Jonah still doesn't understand called Mafia, we discuss the origins of the term "Schnecken" and Patty's favorite hometown foods. We also reminisce about the phenomenon of the wearable personal stereo known as POCKET ROCKERS and the fact tha...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 30
This week on HDWGW, we could not be more excited to be joined by legendary comedian, acclaimed actor and our podcast network boss, Will Ferrell! On this episode, you'll hear Vanessa and Will trade behind the scenes stories about Saturday Night Live, we discuss Will's childhood love Monopoly and how Monopoly money and played into his career at SNL and so much more! Plus, Will regales Jonah with his stories about growing up with the members of Rage Against the Machine and we talk about Will's favo...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 29
We could not be more thrilled to hang out with Sub Pop recording artist King Tuff a.k.a. Kyle Thomas to discuss his favorite childhood game "Uncle Kyle's House," which consisted of a magical world he created inside of his parents' old suitcase. Jonah and Vanessa also discuss the secret door that lead Kyle to the sewers beneath Kyle's childhood home, collectively speculate about the plot to the film "City Slickers" and discuss what other movies were seemingly on a loop during our formative years,...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 28
On this episode of the podcast, Vanessa and Jonah are joined by musician Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin) to discuss how he defied the odds and instead of quitting piano lessons like we did, became a professional musician who wheeled a sticker-covered piano onto the stage of the Warped Tour and has became a well-respected musician who admittedly never really uses music theory. Vanessa and Andrew also finally reconcile a long-standing dispute about Andrew not emailing her ba...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 27
For our first ever in-person podcast, this week Jonah and Vanessa are joined by a bonafide musical and pop-culture legend: "Weird Al" Yankovic! Vanessa runs her own song parodies from college by our guest today to get his feedback, we dig deep into the history of Weird Al's favorite cereal and present him with a very special gift. Along the way we also talk about his favorite cartoons from growing up, his tour rider snack situation and what goes through his mind when he's onstage singing his hit...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 26
This week on the podcast, Jonah and Vanessa are back with another one-on-one episode to stage an in-depth discussion of Guns N' Roses' classic nineties video trilogy of "Don't Cry," "November Rain" and "Estranged." In the process Jonah recalls the time their mom took him to see Guns N' Roses with Skid Row in 1991 on the "Use Your Illusion Tour" (where he used dried blood as a fashion accessory), Vanessa's childhood fascination with Stephanie Seymour and, seriously, what was the deal with that do...
Jan 23, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This week on the podcast we are joined by our friend, musician Rachael Cantu! Rachael stopped by the podcast to talk about how she has a lot in common with both of the Bayers. Among other topics we discuss our mutual friendship with the vastly underrated band Limbeck, message board culture, our "bad kid" moments as teenagers (straight-edge kids can be a bad influence, too) and the time Jonah missed seeing Sublime at a tiny club in Cleveland because of his weeknight curfew. We also dig deep into ...
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 24
On this week's episode the Bayers welcome the hilarious, sweet and immensely talented Sam Richardson! Listen to Sam and Vanessa reminisce on their Chicago comedy days and try their best to breakdown popular improv form The Harold. Plus, they improvise what Jonah's dream was last night! They also talk nostalgic action-packed shows from Thundercats to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and how Sam is always ready to morph into a Power Ranger the instant they need him. Whether you're on the planet Rafco...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 23
On this week's episode the Bayers welcome the bestselling author, writer, actor and most importantly friend, Jessi Klein! They're talking local papers and the rare honor of being featured in them, and Jessi reveals her guest starring role on Sesame Street as the winner of her school's spelling bee! Also, the trio discuss the ongoing mystery of how ice cream is made aside from in the ice cream machine that always sabotages people on cooking shows, as well as the mystique of the Snoopy Sno-Cone ma...
Jan 02, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Vanessa and Jonah wish you all a Happy Holidays and listen to one of their favorite episodes with dear friend of the pod, Beck Bennett. Please rate and review the show on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-did-we-get-weird-with-vanessa-bayer-and-jonah-bayer/id1586365658 -- In this seminal episode, Jonah and Vanessa sit down with the incomparable Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live) to discuss his love for Lean Pockets and other cultural touchstones from the past. They also de...
Dec 26, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 21
