Remember Sideways Stories from Wayside School? (with Josh Gondelman)

This week on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome brilliant comedian and absolute delight Josh Gondelman! First we get into Jonah picking out a new phone and discuss the many color options and ask how so many people  are so sure of what color they want?? And we try to figure out what's going on with home shopping networks selling precious metals and jewels so urgently before "they close the mine"?! Plus we get into Josh's favorite childhood book "Sideways Stories from Wayside School" which is silly and fun but is Vanessa still haunted by the story of Jenny arriving late to school? And we get into books making us hungry and Vanessa asks the important question: how long would it take you to eat your bedroom full of pasta? And finally in a rousing game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN, the trio discuss complaints about stores being open on Thanksgiving, sale coats being on the same rack as non-sale coats, and someone feeling their hospital should be taken off the list of best hospitals for an insane reason. Be sure to check out this hilarious episode and Josh's hilarious YouTube special "Positive Reinforcement" or see him on tour in your city soon!!

This week on the podcast we joined by musician, music manager and car wash enthusiaist, Gabe Saporta of the bands Midtown and Cobra Starship We talk about Gabe's journey from Uruguay to New Jersey and how he became involved in the punk and hardcore scene as a kid. We also talk the inspiration behind Gabe's moisturizer company Brotege, get a lesson in entrenpeneurship and learn what it was like to write a hit song for the soundtrack of the flim, "Snakes On A Plane."  We also learn that 2026 is the year of the Libra and get tips from Gabe on how to solve a Rubik's Cube in two minutes! Finally, we get into our topic of Nintendo 64, from playing GoldenEye 007 to calling the Nintendo Tip Hotline with help beating Zelda, we get deep into the history for this legendary console. For today's game, We also hear about Gabe's ingenous idea to prevent cheating during the GoldeEye split screen view. We also play a game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARRY GROAN where we discuss complaining about red light cameras, doctor office waiting rooms and cell phone etiquette. Our listeners can use the code "WEIRD" to get their first month's subscription of Brotege for $10 or use the link brotege.com/discount/WEIRD.

You know Tim Kasher as the frontman for Cursive and The Good Life, but did you know that Tim and his mom were also the masterminds between a secret Beanie Baby scam that saw them selling Ty Bears for thousands of dollars through the Omaha World Herald classified ads? Actually, no, you couldn't—because Tim shares this exclusive story for the first time for HOW DID WE GET WEIRD LISTENERS? From hiding Peace Bears from his co-workers to making backroom deals that the executives at Ty never saw coming, Tim was able to save enough money for Cursive to buy a minivan and tour the country! On this incredible episode, Tim also comes clean about not writing the theme song for "USA Baby," what it was like working at a toy store growing up and why—despite writing some of the most memorable indie songs of the last two decades—he's still searching for validation from a certain high school athlete. Somehow we also play a round of CHANGE DOT DORK where we discuss a Ritz Cracker/Hot Cheetos collab, debate if kids should still learn Cursive in school and wonder if Omaha will ever get their own In-N-Out Burger franchise. Don't forget to check out Tim and Gwynedd Stuart's amazing trivia podcast "Musical Puke" and keep an eye out for screenings for Tim's horror film "Who's Watching" in your town soon! 

Today on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their friend, star of Broadway's Aladdin and of the new Scrubs revival, Michael James Scott! First they check in on their parents' cruise and a very honest critique by their dad. Then Michael and Vanessa get into the absolute blast they had filming Scrubs together and Jonah asks them how much time was spent filming vs. in craft services and the honest answer is 50/50? Plus Michael tells us about his journey from his childhood in Orlando to living his dream of being the longest running Genie in Aladdin on Broadway and around the world! And we reminisce about when pagers were popular- Michael tells us about his actual pager and we all talk about using the brief recording window when calling collect as kind of makeshift pagers. And pagers obviously leads us into The Real World and current status of Chef Puck? Finally, in a rousing game of YES OR NO-STALGIA we discuss "Indie Sleaze", "Fibermaxxing" and the the triumphant return of "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Check out this absolutely hilarious episode and watch Scrubs on ABC on Wednesday night or honestly the next day on Hulu! Michael we 143 you!!

On today's new episode the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome actor, producer and writer Martin Starr to the podcast! You may know that Martin played the adorably geeky Bill Haverchuck on the iconic show "Freaks and Geeks" but did you know he had to make the difficult decision to leave his beloved arts highschool to play that role? And speaking of schools, will Jonah and Vanessa pursue their nominations to potentially join their school's Hall of Fame, especially after complaining so much on this podcast that they weren't already a part of it? Plus we get into Martin's love for candy and our first memorable candy experiences, from Hot Tamales being good until they're bad to Martin being "banned" from a store for stealing Gummy Bears. Plus Martin tells us about his new candy company SWEET STASH and Vanessa attests to the fact that their gummy candy "Jams" is extremely delicious. And in a delightful game of CHANGE DOT DORK: CANDY EDITION, the trio decides which candy they'd like to come back the most, between Sweet Tart Shockers, Jujubes and Milky Way Midnight. So jam out this delightful episode to some Jams candy- you'll be happy you did!

Vanessa and Jonah are thrilled to welcome to the pod Curb Your Enthusiasm star, Susie Essman! In this episode, we get into a real story about an encounter our parents had at their condo complex, Susie talks about how parking in NYC gives her faith in humanity and why having people fear you can be a positive thing when people compare her with her with Susie Greene. We also discuss Susie's strategy for getting out of school as a kid, her favorite shows to watch as a kid and that indefinable feeling of spending an entire day alone doing whatever you wanted. We also play a round of round of CHANGE DOT DORK where we debate the merits of a Curb Your Enthusiasm Movie, decide if the world needs gluten-free Oreos and should schools get the day off after Super Bowl... or do they have to pretend they're sick the way we did as kids? 

This week on the podcast we are joined by another dynamic sibling duo, our old friends Eddie and Riley Breckenridge of the post-hardcore band, Thrice! After Jonah gives a quick update on Partygate, we talk about what it's like to be in a band with your brother, Riley's college baseball career and Eddie's barista tips. We also discuss what it was like to go to the same high school as Rage Against The Machine and if their teachers got mad if they wouldn't do what they told them. Finally, we get into our topic, which was supposed to be not thinking through situations, but turns out to be a lot of stories about water balloons. Trust us, when we say that these two guests have thrown (or launched) a water balloon at almost every location in Southern California. Look out! Finally in a stadium food themed version of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA, we debate the culinary prowess of Helmet Nachos, Cotton Candy Burritos and Cannoli Nachos. Don't forget to check out Thrice's latest album "Horizons/West" and catch them on tour when they come to your town! 

Today on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome the delightful and hilarious Jesse Tyler Ferguson! You may know Jesse from Modern Family but did you know that he and Vanessa are both winners of The Great American Baking Show Celebrity Edition?? Plus we have some updates and hometown reactions to Jonah's bombshell admission of calling the cops on a party in highschool! Then the trio get into their thoughts on scary movies (we all don't like them) and haunted houses (we really don't like them). And they all get nostalgic talking about having lemonade stands as kids as Jesse prepares to do one with his son. Plus, the trio talk about other childhood businesses they remember having from Jesse's directorial debut in his living room to sitting down for a meal at Cafe Vanessy. Finally, in a rousing game of CHANGE DOT DORK: LEMONADE STAND EDITION we get into a petition for kids not needing permits for lemonade stands in Colorado (!), for Molly not to have to move, and for bringing back Hubert's Lemonade. Plus did you know that Vanessa is a proud graduate of Alarm School? You'll learn of all this and more in today's fantastic episode!!!

This week we have a very special podcast with Joyce Manor guitarist/vocalist, Barry Johnson whose new Lance Bangs-directed video for "Whatever It Was" is inspired by the "The Great British Bake-Off!," a spin-off of which Vanessa won in real life! Barry talks about growing up in Torrance, California, where his single mom was a bartender. From having childhood birthday parties at the Descendents' favorite Mexican restaurant Alfredo's to pretending to study for tests inside of a video game booth shaped like a car, we learn a lot about what it was like for him growing up in the South Bay. Vanessa also grills Barry on his neck tattoo and learns that it was motivated by peer pressure, Barry talks about his stint as a bartender and we discuss the proper etiquette for trying to get served in a timely fashion. Finally in a round of CHANGE.DORK, we debate the return of Panera's controversial charged lemonades, a skate park in Torrance and—wait for it—is the country ready to come together to change the national anthem to Weezer's "Say It Ain't So"? Regardless of how you land on these issues, make sure you check out Joyce Manor's new album "I Used To Go To This Bar" which comes out on Epitaph Records on January 30th! 

This week on the podcast Jonah tells a story that he's been holding onto for over 30 years about calling the cops on a high school party that he wasn't allowed to attend. (If you went to high school with Jonah and ended up getting grounded, he apologizes, but also get over it?) From the humiliation of being rejected from a house party by a power-hungry babysitter to the bittersweet feelings of seeing his classmates take the fall, it's one of those stories where through Jonah's actions, you might just learn a little something about yourself. Vanessa and Jonah also interview each other about their high school experiences from friend groups to study habits and what it was like when Vanessa tried to tutor Jonah for French class. (Spoiler alert: It did not go well since Jonah wouldn't put down his guitar.) Finally in a round of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA we explore the hottest food trends for 2029 including the rise of comfort cooking, the demise of meat alternatives and the undeniable greatness of the cruciferous vegetable known as cabbage. Bon Appetitt!   Thanks to our sponsor: Talkiatry! Head to Talkiatry.com/weird and complete the short assessment to get matched with an in‑network psychiatrist in just a few minutes.