How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

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 controversy surrounding their "Shape-Ups" shoes that almost led to the company's downfall. Finally, we play a powerful game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN where we celebrate the legacy of local newscaster Ramona Robinson, debate if aesthetics are more important than doctors when it comes to hospitals and explore if the world is truly made up of—as one disgruntled Plain Dealer reader puts it—"crooks and liars." In a universe of unlimited podcasts, this is a conversation that cuts through all of the fluff and proves why Phoebe is a truly podcasting legend as well as a very cool friend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

12 Des 202255min

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. That's not all! We dig into our celebrity doppelgängers and reminisce about independent record stores, ranging from Cleveland's Record Revolution to Philadelphia's Zipperhead. Finally, we play a round of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN where we debate if the government is conspiring against literacy by banning light bulbs, hear about how perfume impacts one very judgmental Plain Dealer subscriber's experience at Playhouse Theatre and play a subgame called LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN: BATTLEZONE that pits millennials against seniors and features some of the most condescending attitudes we've ever heard on this podcast... and that's saying a lot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Des 202253min

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 the voice of Folger's coffee crystals and lovingly recall the days of COD (Cash On Delivery.) Finally, the three of us play an action-packed round of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we debate the merits of Hocus Pocus 2, Van Leeuwan's Kraft Macaroni & Cheese ice cream and hair scrunchies. If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out Coheed's latest album "Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind" and Claudio's new comic series "My Brother's Blood Machine." Who knows? If you're lucky, you might even be able to buy a dragonfly-branded scrunchie at an upcoming gig. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Nov 202256min

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 enough, we close things out by introducing a special segment called CEO TAKEDOWN: THE TURKEYS COME HOME TO ROOST, where we examine the actions of CEOs from Butterball, Nestle and General Mills to decide which one of them needs to be taken down a notch. While they're on their ski lifts reviewing their record profits, we'll the ones getting the last laugh. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Nov 202249min

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 Jewel's mutual love of Cyndi Lauper, how Jewel was able to channel her trauma into lasting art and how she came up with her own mental health curriculum by channeling her own "bunny nature." Finally we play a round of BACK TO THE PRESENT where we reminisce about The Body Shop, Dutch Apple Pop-Tarts and other nostalgic things that Jewel is a very good sport about discussing with us. Be sure to check out Jewel's new album Freewheelin' Woman and the other incredible work she does at jewelneverbroken.com and notalonechallenge.org . If you're looking to be as entertaining as you are inspired, you will not want to miss this episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Nov 202252min

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 Community Center. We also discuss Whitmer and Jonah's mutual love of punk and hardcore music, the time Vanessa educated the band Underoath on Bar Mitzvah culture and the time that Whitmer's mind was blown apart by discovering the existence of American Apparel retail stores upon moving to Los Angeles during their heyday. We also play a spirited found of "Legit Moan or Unnecessary Groan" where we debate the ethics of lowlifes stealing golf clubs, gentlemen filming doo-wop concerts and doctors favoring pharmaceutical reps over patients. To quote the Terminator, we hope that Whitmer can say, "I'll be back [on the podcast]" again very soon! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

7 Nov 202253min

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 parties, people who get very into decorations and the time we replaced our American flag with a pirate flag at a childhood home (amazing, this was not Halloween-related.) We also dig into a holiday-fueled round of change.dork where we discuss petitions that make a case for giving students the day off after Halloween, wearing costumes to school and making Halloween fall on the last Saturday of October every month regardless of what our calendar or the Farmer's Almanac wants us to believe. Whether you're dressing up as a friendly ghost or an embittered CEO, you'll find something to boo-lieve in on this episode of the podcast.   EXCLUSIVE: Change.org petition to make Jonah Bayer a notable alumna at Orange High!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 Okt 202246min

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 One Television, Vanessa and Jonah reminisce about Ben Affleck's memorable role in "Voyage of the Mimi" and we trace the career traject of the vocal group Rockapella from Carmen Sandiego's house band to Folgers instant coffee fame. Finally, we play a round of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we debate the merits of Cinnabon-flavored cereal, the return of Taco Bell's Enchirito and the rebooted Teletubbies. If you're looking for a podcast that's entertaining as it is educational (especially when it comes to the properties of the number nine) look no further, podcast listener! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 Okt 202255min