If you've been reading the Onion the past eight years, you know that Vice President Joe Biden is a hair metal–loving party machine. He's set up a fog machine at the State of the Union address. He's regaled crowds with stories from his historic summer of '87. And he's been busted many, many times for his shady side hustles. Chad Nackers, head writer at the Onion, talks about how his site created a whole new character to satirize Obama's tee-totaling vice-president, and the delicate balancing act of finding jokes that don't normalize the next president. For the Spiel, don't worry, the Amazon Echo won't turn on you, Space Odyssey–style. It'll just order stuff you don't want.

Today's sponsors:

Indochino, the company that's reinventing men's fashion. Go to Indochino.com to get any premium suit for just $389, plus free shipping, when you use promo code gist at checkout.

Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans. When it comes to the big decision of choosing a mortgage lender, work with one that has your best interests in mind. Use Rocket Mortgage for a transparent, trustworthy home loan process that's completely online at QuickenLoans.com/gist.

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.