RE-AIR: Remember Strawberry Shortcake? (with Jenny Lewis)

The Bayers' longtime friend and iconic musician Jenny Lewis stops by the podcast this week to discuss the time that she and Vanessa took Jonah to get his first ever pedicure! If that story isn't exciting enough, we also discuss Jenny's childhood acting roles in everything from Troop Beverly Hills to The Wizard and her musical career and recent tour with Harry Styles. Plus, we talk about the perils of online dating, and dig deep on Jenny's love of Strawberry Shortcake and the rest of her badass crew, which also includes Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin. And did Caboodles just do a tribute to Jenny? You'll have to listen to find out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our pal Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service is back on the podcast to dig a little deeper into his formative years. From waking up super early in the morning for swim practice to working during the summer as a lifeguard to now having his own signature running shoe, is this guy athletic or what? We also discuss his affinity for heavy music, the "shirt over another shirt" fashion trend of the nineties and what it was like to hang out in Seattle at the same cultural landmarks that were featured in the classic film, "Singles." We also get into the topic of renting movies from Hollywood Video, Ben's friend Matt's neverending search for a missing copy of "Hellraiser 3" and Mike Myers' unstoppable film steak in the nineties. Finally we play a round YESTALGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we discuss the return of the Nike Moon Shoe, the merits of Diet Coke Lime and does the world really need Dunkin Donuts' Cereal N' Milk latte? (Probably not.) Be sure to check out Death Cab For Cutie's latest album "I Built You A Tower," which is out now and catch them on tour this summer!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's new episode the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their friend hilarious and extremely cool friend Jessy Hodges! You may know that Jessy starts in the new hit Apple show MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED but did you know that she has tried chewing tobacco?? And now that we're getting into it, did you know that Vanessa has snorted Pixy Stix (sorry that's actually how they're spelled?) Plus we get into being a kid at the mall and the exclusive Detroit shopping destination that is Somerset Collection. And Jessy tells us about starting to swim competitively when she was only five years old and we all agree that Swim Team is just too much as is honestly any kind of swimming in the morning at school. Then we get into Jessy's topic which is our first cars! And Jonah and Jessy get into the major incidents with each of their cars including A MYSTERY WE MUST SOLVE! (Note: If you went to high school with Jessy you need to listen and start sleuthing immediately!!) And finally in a delightful game of CHANGE DOT DORK we're debating the merits of updating school dress code rules around hair color and piercings, limiting online shipping to save malls, and getting a square donut emoji on our phones. Be sure to watch Jessy in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed and to listen to this episode to help us solve another mystery thriller that is the incident with Jessy's first car!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, the Bayers welcome Mike Kinsella of American Football to the podcast! We talk about Mike eating deep dish as a little kid growing up in the Chicago suburbs, playing shows with Cap'n Jazz as a teenager and owning the most controversial baseball card of the 80s. We also get some exclusive stories from friend of the podcast and fellow American Football member (and Mike's cousin), Nate Kinsella! For our topic we discuss the Sony Sports Walkman, something Mike would listen to during long road trips next to his older brother Tim, in the backseat of the car. From the autoreverse to the heavy-duty yellow casing, this machine truly had it all. We also discuss our first cassettes and debate if the Beach Boys song "Kokomo" benefited from studio trickery that has never been exposed until this episode. (Kokomogate?) Finally we play around of CHANGE DOT DORK where we debate the merits of an American Football-themed mural in Champaign-Urbana, the return of Hershey's Dunkers and should the residents of Mike's hometown of Buffalo Grove be allowed to own backyard hens? You'll have to listen to find out. In the meantime you can catch American Football on tour and pick up their new album, LP4, now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MEMORIAL DAY RE-AIR: The one and only Fred Armisen (Portlandia, Saturday Night Live) stopped by the podcast this week to discuss his first concert experience: Seeing DEVO at Radio City Music Hall on October 31st, 1981, right down the street from where Fear were destroying the SNL set at 30 Rock. In this largely music-themed episode, we also discuss Fred's love of all things goth, playing drums alongside his heroes like The Clash and his personal connection with Halloween that goes back to childhood. Equal parts hilarious, educational and sentimental, this truly is an episode for the ages—and for those who want a quick and easy way to get rid of their garbage!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's new episode we welcome back our friend, the hilarious actress, writer and comedian Claudia O'Doherty! Vanessa talks about a star-studded brunch she just attended which leads to the Bayer siblings explaining to Claudia what Good 'N Plenty candy is and she's not interested! And we ask Claudia: what is Britbox and should we get it? Plus Vanessa and Claudia muse on how they didn't know each other during those crazy times when they were coming up in their respective comedy scenes. Then Claudia gets into her topic of Hot Chips and teaches the Bayer's the best way to coat hot chips (you may refer to them as fries) with ketchup! And in a delightful game of CHANGE DOT DORK we debate the merits of The Body Shop bringing back their original White Musk scent in addition to the new vegan version (and ask why isn't all perfume vegan?), bringing back Australian Toaster Biscuits, and making a Knitting Emoji happen (spoiler alert, it has happened!) So be sure to listen to this wonderful episode and if you're in New Zealand be sure to check out Claudia in "New Zealand Spy" and if you're in the US or even other places be sure to check out Claudia and Vanessa in John Early's new film Maddie's Secret! out next month!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode, we are joined by our old friend Dean Spunt of the band No Age! We talk about how Jonah met Dean in Los Angeles when Dean was working at a vegan restaurant, how Dean gets enough protein as a vegan for nearly 30 years and what it was like returning clothes to stores as a wardrobe stylist. We also get the definitive story of how Dean got in a car accident with one of the Backstreet Boys and ended up using his settlement money to start the punk label, Post Present Medium. We also get into Dean's early experiences of health food stores, from hanging with GT to the magic of shopping the bulk section. We also learn about the DIY roots of Erewhon, Vanessa's experience eating non-vegan butter ice cream and the importance of supporting local co-ops. We also play a game of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we discuss our opinions on KFC's vegetarian nuggets, the Little House On The Prairie Reboot and the return of Fruity Pebbles' birthday cake-flavored cereal. Be sure to check out No Age and Dean's solo material via Drag City Records. You can learn more about Dean's label at postpresentmedium.bandcamp.com! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's new episode the Bayer siblings are thrilled to be joined by the hilarious comedian Michelle Collins! Jonah's got a new popcorn maker and the trio get into their favorite popcorn and the exotic places they'll go to get it! Plus Michelle tells us what it was like growing up in Miami and we do a deep dive on her career and a debunk of some false Wikipedia narratives about her! Plus we reminisce on an old favorite, Infomercials! And how kids today don't know the joy that is turning on the tv and being exposed to an extended advertisement! We get into our favorite infomercials, like a knitting machine that Vanessa is still thinking of getting, and our favorite informercial-adjacent products, including a lot of kitchenware that has unfortunately been retired in our homes. And in a rousing game of CHANGE DOT DORK, we discuss the pause of The Real Housewives of Miami, bringing back Dr. Pepper-flavored Lip Smackers, and a campaign to cover the entire top of Pop-Tarts with frosting. This delightful episode is a must-listen!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on the podcast we have HUGE breaking news about our years-long quest to be inducted into our high school's prestigious Hall Of Fame—and we couldn't pick a better guest to share this important moment with than musician, photographer and bass tech, Brian Diaz! We talk about Brian's formative musical experiences from playing saxophone in the Long Island ska band Edna's Goldfish to being the bass tech to some of the biggest artists in rock such as Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz. We also discuss the fact that Brian and Jonah's first concert experience was Guns N' Roses, a band Brian has not only worked for but actually performed with during soundcheck while working for bassist Duff McKagan! We also get into the topic of video arcades, from pumping quarters into Ms. Pac Man as a kid to hanging out at Barcades as an adult. We also explore the appeal of pinball, the logistics of having a full-sized arcade game in your apartment and basing your favorite restaurant on their video game selection. Finally in a round of CHANGE DOT DORK we debate the merits of petitions advocating for more left-handed guitars, bringing back classic Pizza Hut vibes and inducting Alice In Chains into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Say hi to Brian if you see him on the road and you can check out his amazing street and music photography at https://www.briandiazphoto.com! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know Craig Wedren as the frontman for the post-hardcore band Shudder To Think and composer for the soundtrack of your favorite television shows and movies, but were you aware he grew up as a scrappy kid in the Cleveland suburbs just like us? From sharing the same hangouts as Jonah to participating in his high school's theatre program like Vanessa, we share a long list of similarities. However one thing we don't share is getting beat up, something that happened to Craig quite a few times due to his dedication to punk fashion and desire for attention from girls. However it's not all dark: We also talk about Craig's lifelong friendship with collaborator (and former band manager) David Wain, what it was like performing on Lollapalooza '94 and the origins of his seventh grade band, Immoral Majority. As if that wasn't enough, we play a game of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALIGA where we debate the Robocop reboot, the return of Kentucky Fried Chicken's honey barbeque flavor and Mr. Pibb's second act. Be sure to pick up the deluxe edition of Craig's album, "Dream Dreaming" which is available now! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.