How Did We Get Weird with Vanessa Bayer and Jonah Bayer

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Remember Movie Soundtracks? Pt II (with Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory) Jan 12, 2026

Show notes

We are thrilled to be joined this week by New Found Glory guitarist, Chad Gilbert! We talk about the time Jonah saw Chad sing for Shai Hulud perform in Cleveland on Chad's very first tour in 1996 when he was only 15 years old and how he had to ask his mom for permission to go on the road with a bunch of young adults. We also discuss what it was like for Chad growing up in South Florida, what it was like representing the hardcore genre while performing on TRL in the early 2000s and what Chad thinks of the state of the scene today. We also get an update on Chad's health, how he found out he was diagnosed with metastatic pheochromocytoma four years ago and the miraculous recovery he's made through his current course of treatment. (Go Chad!) Finally we play a round of YESTALGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we discuss the return of Starbucks' Eggnog Latte, Jack in The Box's decision to bring back Nashville Hot Mozzarella Sticks and the upcoming Street Fighter film. More importantly, don't forget to check out New Found Glory's new album "Listen Up!" which comes out on Pure Noise Records on February 20th!

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Remember Working at McDonald's? (with Stephen Browning of No Comply Foods) Jan 05, 2026

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This week on the podcast we are joined by the chef and co-owner of No Comply Foods, Stephen Browning! We delve into the restaurant industry from comping meals to having people post photos of Stephen's food with bad music. (For good music, request the JO-NAH COMPLY playlist next time you're in the restaurant.) We also get into our shared love of skateboarding, from building boards to watching online videos of tricks that are way too dangerous for anyone on this podcast to attempt in real life. Also what's up with Boomers' attachment to crew socks? Don't worry, we're gonna put an entire generation on blast today and absolutely no one can stop us!!! Finally we get into Stephen's first culinary job working at McDonald's as a way to pay court fees as a teenager and find out if he was "lovin' it." Finally we play a round of CHANGE DOT DORK where we debate the merits of all day breakfasts, black olives on sandwiches and should Wendy's bring back their sweet & sour sauce or is sweet chili sauce a worthy substitute? If you're in the Berkshires, be sure to check out No Comply Foods in Great Barrington and tell them that HOW DID WE GET WEIRD? sent you!

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WEIRD AL RE-RELEASE: Remember Quisp Cereal? (with "Weird Al" Yankovic) Dec 29, 2025

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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 song parodies to audiences all over the world. Finally we play a game of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we get everyone's take on the return of mood rings, Pizza Hut's New Yorker pizza and Vienetta Ice Cream. You've heard plenty of interviews with Weird Al before but has anyone else asked him about Black Flag or Kudos bars? Terry Gross look out, we're coming from your job!

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Remember Classic Dance Moves? (with Alex Fox) Dec 22, 2025

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Today on the pod the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome one of their oldest dearest friends, writer, producer and co-creator of the new Disney Plus show "Electric Bloom" Alex Fox!! They get into the magical history of Alex and Vanessa's friendship AND realize that Alex and Jonah both spent some time living in the storied Oakwoods apartments in college! Plus Jonah gets into some more gripes with Dunkin Donuts and Vanessa shares a new iPhone feature that might make it easier for people like Jonah, Alex and herself to voice their petty complaints to random companies! Plus, they reminisce about "The Running Man" and other fad dances from their childhood- and did you know that "The Roger Rabbit" dance is actually a variation on "The Running Man"?? They also get into sleepover party drama and the time Alex sat out her own sleepover party to watch Barbara Streisand perform live on TV. And in a rousing game of CHANGE DOT DORK: M&M'S EDITION, the trio debate the merits of a new dark chocolate pistachio m&m, a pretzel caramel m&m and an m&m's movie- and would Vanessa play the blue m&m if she got the offer? Be sure to listen to this incredible episode and to check out Alex's new show ELECTRIC BLOOM on Disney Plus! Anything else would be uncivilized!

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Remember TV Guide Magazine? (with Derek Waters) Dec 15, 2025

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This week on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their friend Derek Waters! You may know Derek co-created the beloved show "Drunk History", but did you know he and Vanessa are in a Fantasy Football league together where the first Todd has stirred some major controversy? Plus Vanessa scores a big win by having a confirmed a memory about the Bangles/Bengles, and the group ruminates on who will be the next drummer of Derek's favorite band, Pearl Jam (maybe Vanessa?) And Derek delights us with his memories (and actual copies) of TV Guide magazines and we get into the plots of some pretty insane Movies of The Week listed inside. We also dive deep into how Derek came up with the idea for Drunk History! And in a delightful game of CHANGE DOT DORK, we're debating the return of Tangy Pickle Doritos, turning "peanut butter" into one word, and bringing back Drunk History! Ya gotta check out this hilarious episode!

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Remember Pure Moods? (with Daniel Armbruster of Joywave) Dec 08, 2025

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Show some respect because this week on the podcast we are joined by the pride and joy of Rochester, Daniel Armbruster of Joywave! In this episode we discuss if the return to the golden age of travel is in the cards and why Daniel won't even get near an airport without his trusty Adidas tracksuit. We also take a moment to press the "easy" button and learn about his time working at Staples and internalizing Steve Winwood songs. Speaking of music (or muzak?), we go straight to Europe to learn about the history of the PURE MOODS compilation albums. From Enya to Enigma to the X-Files Theme song, why were these albums so influential and who the hell is the enigmatic graphic designer, Joe Cheese? Finally in a round of CHANGE DOT DORK we discuss if Daniel should be a character in Fortnite, does Rochester need a casino and is there room in the drug store aisle for Baja Blast-flavored Tums? You'll have to listen to this episode to find out!

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Remember Lab Schools? (with Kim Gordon) Dec 01, 2025

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This week on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome the iconic musician, visual artist and author Kim Gordon of the band Sonic Youth and more! You may know Kim today as an absolute music legend but did you know she went to a lab school as a little kid where she sawed wood to make boats she could actually ride in? We get more into Kim's childhood growing up first in Rochester (and will she take up Rochester Music Hall of Fame on their offer?...) and then in LA. And speaking of, Kim explains to us what the LA tarpits are even though we should know. Plus, Vanessa makes sure to ask Kim about the snack situation at her ad shoot of H&M. And in a rousing game of "YES OR NO-STALGIA" Kim calls a soda's comeback "desperate" (when she's right she's right), we get into a reboot of a popular franchise, and a Costco lasagna's return makes us wonder, how punk would it be to see Kim at Costco?? (Its seems like it could happen.) Ya gotta check out this fantastic ep!

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ANDY SAMBERG RE-RELEASE: Remember Movie-Themed Cereals? (with Andy Samberg) Nov 24, 2025

Show notes

This week on the podcast, we are joined by actor, comedian and musician, our friend Andy Samberg! You know Andy from starring on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE with Vanessa and from his comedy trio The Lonely Island, but did you know that as a kid he was a he wanted nothing more than to stay up late at night watching SNL and eating a sugary bowl of GREMLINS cereal? On this episode we discuss Vanessa's experience working on Andy's hit show BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, the origins of HOT ROD's famous "cool beans" scene and the time Jonah and Vanessa went to one of his movie premieres that may have actually just been a pizza party. We also get deep into Andy's impressive knowledge of movie-themed cereals ranging from GREMLINS to E.T. to BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT CEREAL and what it was like to mail-order items as a kid in the eighties and wait months for your to light saber to finally arrive. Finally we play a powerful round of YESTOLGIA OR NOSTALGIA where we explore our dad's disapproval of Wendy's Peppermint Frosty, our optimism about Radiohead's possible reunion (if you can call it that) and explore what our own version of "We Didn't Start The Fire" might sound like for all you Piano Man fans out there!

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Remember Lilith Fair? (with Jessica Hopper) Nov 17, 2025

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On today's new episode the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome their friend writer and executive producer on the documentary "Lilith Fair: Building A Mystery", Jessica Hopper! You may know Jessica has written incredible books such as "The First Collection of Criticism By A Living Female Rock Critic" and "The Girls Guide To Rocking", but did you know was the publicist for pretty much every Emo band in the late nineties and early 2000's? Plus Jessica and Jonah get into their time in the trenches together at Warped Tour. But don't worry, we also get into Vanessa's favorite music festival, Lilith Fair! Jessica tells us about working on the new documentary "Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery" which was inspired by an oral history of the festival she wrote for Vanity Fair! We get in all the deets, from the music to how the festival gave a dollar from each ticket to a local charity, to how they changed the iced coffee scene in America, to Justice for Paula Cole! And finally, in a rousing game of LEGIT MOAN OR UNNECESSARY GROAN, we get into some controversies over paying for garbage disposal, cigarette butt etiquette and complaining about the weather. You gotta hear this fascinating and funny episode and if you haven't yet, you MUST check out the documentary "LILITH FAIR: BUILDING A MYSTERY" directed by Ally Pankiw and streaming on Hulu!

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Remember Mix Tapes? (with Alison Roman) Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

This week on the podcast the Bayer siblings are thrilled to welcome chef extraordinaire and absolute delight Alison Roman to the podcast! You may know that Alison is a New York Times best-selling food writer who makes incredible food, but did you know she also makes incredible mix tapes? In fact, we dig into an old-school mix tape that Alison made for a friend (shoutout to last week's guest Jeremy Bolm) and Alison teaches us how making a mix tape and creating a cookbook have a lot in common! Plus Alison tells us what her favorite kitchen gadgets are, we discuss reciepe comment etiquette and she teaches Vanessa how to clean a cutting board (it's confusing!) Finally, in a tasty game of YES OR NO-STALGIA, the trio get into the Cheez-It wrap, Carne Asada returning to Chipotle and fall flavors entering the chat on Dairy Queen's Blizzard menu! You've gotta check out this tasty and hilarious episode and also be sure to check out Alison's new book, "Something From Nothing" out November 11th and available to order here!

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