Jeff Has Cool Friends

Join mega nerds Dre Alvarez and Jeff May as they geek out on a different nerdy cultural touchstone every month. Part reminiscence, part historical deep dive. This month, Dre and Jeff are joined by the star of our episode's subject, the incredible Nic Cowan, as they wrap up their season on Unfortunate Martial Arts Properties with thecult classic 1993 film Surf Ninjas. There's a lot to unpack about this unhinged family film, so let's go Moto Surfing, murder a surprisingly large amount of people, and use a Sega Game Gear to control the fate of the universe, as Nic answers our incessant questions and we all dive into this wonderful, unfortunate martial arts property. Don't forget to follow Dre (@nerdnumbers) Jeff (@heytherejeffro) and Nic (@undeadguy) and have a nerdy day!

And also, don't forget to hit up ⁠Patreon.com/jeffmay⁠ for early access to NERD! as well as uncensored episodes of JHCF with bonus content, exclusives like UGH FINE! and so much more!

My latest Cool Friend, the amazing and hilarious Chris Calogero, is one of the most criminally underappreciated comics and creators out there. I’ve known him for quite some time, and have been waiting for this specific moment to have him on the show, as he’s just released his amazing comedy special/album “Husky Boy,” which you can listen to RIGHT NOW! Of course we talk about the album, because it’s great. But we also talk about cool stuff like his hilarious sketches on social media, his partnership with Homage, and growing up as a couple of husky boys (see what I did there?)

So enjoy the hell out of this one, go follow @realchriscal on the socials, LISTEN TO HUSKY BOY, and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy the STACKED Patreon-exclusive content that we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

My next Cool Friend, the amazing Alex Schmidt, is an incredibly accomplished and kind person. Like, to the point where it makes me mad. But not really. Maybe. Anyways, you might know Alex from his incredible podcast, Secretly Incredibly Fascinating, or from his multiple victories on the television show Jeopardy! Or you might not know him at all. Who am I to know what you know? Y'know?

But hey, Alex is great. You're great. This episode is really fascinating and uplifting, and learning more about Alex is pretty neat! So listen up, go follow Alex on Instagram (@alexschmidtstagram) and please hit up Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy the exclusive material that we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS, including the elusive SwearCut!

My latest Cool Friend, the incredible and vibrant Kirk Thatcher, has one of the most insane and varied collection of credits I can imagine. Special effects on Return of the Jedi? Yes. Director of Muppets Haunted Mansion? Absolutely. Famous Star Trek pest? Naturally. Badass Monster Hunter in the MCU? You bet! But honestly, this barely scratches the surface. I seriously don't have enough space or time to show you all the cool stuff Kirk has done, so just listen to the episode. Seriously. Holy smokes.

And hey, don't forget to follow Kirk on the socials (@KirkThatcher on Twitter/@KirkRThatcher on IG), check out The Weirded Beardos podcast and head on over to patreon.com/jeffmay for early access to uncensored episodes PLUS bonus content we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

Join mega nerds Dre Alvarez and Jeff May as they geek out on a different nerdy cultural touchstone every month. Part reminiscence, part historical deep dive. This month, Dre and Jeff are joined by the amazing Logan Trent as they continue their season on Unfortunate Martial Arts Properties with the insane WMAC Masters syndicated television show. There's a lot to unpack about this weird American Gladiators Rip-Off, so let's embark on our quest for the Dragon Star, kick a bunch of ninjas into a pit, and try to find out who exactly the WMAC traitor is, as we dive into this incredibly unfortunate martial arts property. Don't forget to follow Dre (@nerdnumbers) Jeff (@heytherejeffro) and Logan (@thelogantrent) and have a nerdy day!

And don't forget to hit up Patreon.com/jeffmay for early access to NERD! as well as uncensored episodes of JHCF with bonus content, exclusives like UGH FINE! and so much more!

My latest Cool Friend has had one heck of a few years since we last spoke on air! The amazing Todd Stashwick might just be one of the most popular actors in the current Star Trek milieu due to his landmark role as Captain Liam Shaw on Picard. (And let's not forget his other appearances on shows like Gotham, Supernatural, and the fascinating 12 Monkeys) He's also published the incredible Mystic Libations book, and has launched one of the most impressive kickstarters I've ever seen with ProgCore Fantasy: Dark Age of Theer, a Prog-Rock themed RPG system that he has formulated along with some of the most impressive names in the Nerd World. Seriously, go check out the link and see for yourself.
Of course we talk about all of that, and I find this one of the more fascinating and insightful explanations of how welcoming and cool this kinda stuff can be! So listen up and enjoy, give Todd a follow on the socials (@ToddStashwick on Twitter, @Tstashwick on IG) and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy some sweet Patreon-exclusive content where we play a little (different kind of) game together!

My Cool Friend, James Wojtal Jr. is one fascinating dude, and I'm so excited to introduce you to him! It's hard to find a better way to describe what he does besides "he does stuff with puppets," but that feels unbelievably incomplete. James is legitimately amazing, and might have my favorite origin story of any guest I've had on the show up to this point!

You may have seen his work on Sesame Street, SNL, Last Week Tonight, Broadway's Avenue Q, and like, so much more! Seriously, this is such a fantastic episode, so please enjoy, go follow James on IG (@puppetdungeon) and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy Patreon-exclusive content from this very episode!

My Cool Friend John Hastings is one of the most prolific and hilarious comedians I've ever met. A frequent performer on Mint on Card, I absolutely love watching him work! And now you can, too, as he's just released his first of three(!!!) specials this year on his youtube, which you can watch for free right HERE!

Now, do I talk about his insane comedy career, his appearances on America's Got Talent, and multiple Edinburgh Fringe experiences? Sure, that's gonna happen. But I'll be damned if we don't take a DELIGHTFUL turn onto a different path. So much so, that we ended up recording what I think is the longest Patreon-Exclusive segment just to catch up on some questions I didn't have time for, so if you want to, I would truly suggest heading over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to hear more, beause it's utterly fantastic. This one is truly a delight, so listen up, and make sure to follow John on the socials and Youtube (@thejohnhastings) and watch his special, because it's truly a delight!

(Apologies for the late upload, I'm on Eastern time currently and man, it's got me upside down)