Check Your Brain

Bassem Youssef may not be a household name in the United States, but in Egypt, he was the biggest thing since Ful Medames. A Daily Show-like figure, Youssef used satire to question the authoritarian government in Egypt and was arrested during the period of strife for his comedy.

He chatted with Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur about how the Middle East and the West deal with political and social satire, his show that attracted 30 million viewers, and his move to America and touring the country with his storytelling standup act.

Patreon.com/TonyMazur

Check Your Brain is now available on Patreon. For just $5 a month, one has access to every interview Tony conducts, weeks and even months before it becomes available for free in the app stores. $5, $10, and $20 tiers also get extra podcasts per week, between three and five, depending on his mood at that time.

Follow Tony on his various social media platforms:

Twitter - @TonyMazur

Instagram - @tmaze25

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at [email protected].

With all of the streaming options available in 2021, why do many still spend their Sundays watching The Golden Girls on basic cable? What is it about this show that ended nearly 30 years ago where people of all ages, races, and sexualities come together and still laugh?

Jim Colucci is a writer and author, and back in 2016, he penned a book called Golden Girls Forever, a comprehensive look at the wildly popular program. He interviewed not only Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McLanahan, but the creator Susan Harris, the writers, and even the actors playing bit or supporting roles. It was a 10-year passion project.

Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur had a Zoom conversation with Jim about the show in general, how the concept of older women living in the same house in Miami came together, his experience being in the audience for a season seven taping, and the massive popularity the Golden Girls still carries to this day.

Jim's book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Girls-Forever-Unauthorized-Behind/dp/0062422901

Follow Tony on his various social media platforms:

Twitter - @TonyMazur

Instagram - @tmaze25

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $5 a month gets you bonus content, extra podcasts, and early access to guests. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at [email protected].

For several decades, baseball cards were a key staple in a young man's life. Some cherished their Henry Aaron rookie cards and kept them in mint condition, while others clipped their Mario Mendoza card onto his bicycle's spokes.

Author and science professor Brad Balukjian took his obsession a step further: he snagged a wax pack of baseball cards, chewed (and promptly spit out) the bubblegum, and went on an 11,000+ mile journey to track down the players in this particular stack from 1986.

Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur talked to Brad about why he decided to write his book, Wax Pack, and what he not only learned about the former players he met, but what he learned about himself along the way.

Visit Brad's website for more information on the book: https://waxpackbook.com/

Follow Tony on his various social media platforms:

Twitter - @TonyMazur

Instagram - @tmaze25

Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $5 a month gets you bonus content, extra podcasts, and early access to guests. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur.

Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at [email protected].