Mike kicks off the first “point fiver” of Season 2.  This one focuses on songs Mike and his contemporaries used to slow dance to (largely at school dances) in middle school and high school during the 1990s.

Full disclosure: some of you may have also slow danced to these songs and if so we hope the memories they bring back are joyful.  They certainly are for Mike D.  

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Email the podcast with any questions or requests at [email protected] 

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 3.5 and introduces the topic of this episode: slow songs Mike danced to at school dances in the 90s.

1:50: Mike corrects a potential mistake from Season 2 Episode 3 (Brian Hayden) related to the true name of the game Brian’s family would play at holiday parties.

2:45: Mike reintroduces the concept of what a “Point Fiver” is.

3:30: Mike lays out the ground rules for this Point Fiver as well as some of his favorite features of slow dancing at school dances when he was growing up, including proper slow dance form, school dance fashion choices in the 90s, the logistics around pre-dance meals with his dates, corsage bloopers, and the various dances at his schools and key features about them.

9:00: Mike clarifies which songs were eligible to be discussed in this episode.

10:30: Mike breaks down his favorite 20 songs to slow dance to during school dances in the 90s.

In Season 2 Episode 3 Mike welcomes his fellow left-handed friend Brian Hayden (host of the @findyourventure podcast) into the virtual podcast studio for a rousing conversation about friendship and many other key life topics.

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Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to S2E3 (Season 2 Episode 3).

1:50: MIke officially announces the first “Point Fiver” of Season 2 which drops as Episode 3.5.

3:35: Mike corrects a major error from S2E2 (The Zach Williams Episode).

4:45: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, including watching the Euros Soccer Tournament and the TV show Hacks on HBO Max (and a song played in the show called “Pizza Guy” that can be used for many more situations that ordering pizza)

10:00: Mike welcomes Brian Hayden to the podcast.

10:50: Brian shares his life story with the listeners and Mike chimes in how Brian’s move back to Ann Arbor, MI as an adult inspired Mike to do the same.

14:20: Brian updates the listeners on how his life is going at the moment.  Spoiler alert: it’s going well.  Brian also notes what he’s actually enjoyed and appreciated about living through the COVID pandemic.

18:30: Brian talks about which friend(s) he’s been friends with the longest, including a major global event that happened right as he met his two longest standing friends.

21:30: Brian then breaks down what has kept his two longest standing friendships going strong (laughs and lack of judgment).

23:25: Mike and Brian recount the last time they hung out in person over at Mike’s house to play cornhole, drink a lager, and observe the sign in Mike’s bathroom.

27:00: Brian tells the story of growing up in Chicago and playing “Bozo’s Buckets” with his family over Christmas.

29:00: Mike and Brian tell the story of the first time they met each other and started establishing their friendship and how one of their favorite things to do was beating a joke into the ground.

32:25: Brian tells the genesis of the legendary Spahn/Hayden Invitational Golf Tournament.

36:30: Brian and Mike talk about grabbing beers at a classic Ann Arbor townie bar Frasier’s while in undergrad and then the even more classic Allen Park townie bar Simon’s, which involved Brian and others waking up in Mike’s parents’ basement.

43:30: Mike and Brian then discuss possibly the greatest rec basketball team ever to play together on the north side of Chicago: the North Side Pistons and continuing to play basketball for fun as you grow old.

46:40: Brian gives his philosophy on what makes a good friendship at this point in life.

47:50: Brian talks about what he’s excited about in the next 6 months and it involves an amazing family trip Brian and his family are about to embark on to Botswana while Mike gives his impressions of his own safari trip to Kenya/Tanzania.

51:00: Mike takes Brian through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about activities Brian likes to do with his entire family, which involves skiing and camping, but also Hide and Seek, his favorite parts of living in Ann Arbor as an adult, including where he loves to go eat with his wife (and also a restaurant they used to love in Portland, OR when they were living there named Cafe Mingo), and Brian’s favorite pro athletes to cheer for when he was a kid, and the first time Mike went to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley which was with Brian.

In Season 2 Episode 2 Mike welcomes one of his all time favorite people to shoot the breeze with (as the kids say) into the Virtual Podcast Studio: Zach Williams (@zwilliams23 on Twitter).

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 2.

2:00: Mike corrects the errors/mistakes from the Season 2 Premier with Amy Pretty.  Spoiler alert: it’s a short segment.

2:50: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, including his favorite TV show of 2021 so far: Mare of Easttown on HBO Max.

4:00: Mike pays tribute to the State of Indiana (where this episode’s guest Zach Williams hails from) with his top 5 favorite things he loves about the state of Indiana.

14:00: Mike welcomes Zach Williams into the Virtual Podcast Studio.

15:50: Zach tells the listeners his gripping life story from birth to the Summer of 2021.

19:30: Zach talks about why he loves what he does work wise and Mike makes an apt comparison of Zach to Ron Swanson from Pawnee, IN.

21:10: Zach takes the listeners through the story of who his longest running friend is and it’s a multi-part answer that does not involve a relative of Larry Bird.

24:20: Mike and Zach recount the last time the two of them were in the same place and it was in Chicago.  They also talk about some of the unique geographic features of the City of Chicago and how it’s a “city of neighborhoods”.

27:40: Mike and Zach discuss their earliest memories of their friendship.

32:10: Mike and Zach then get into some of their favorite shared memories, starting with Zach’s love of the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field, how Mike adopted the Cubs as his National League team and the story about how Zach and his wife Debbi invited their favorite Wrigly beer vendor Glen to their wedding.

39:45: Mike and Zach discuss their love of recreational softball and how popular it is in Chicago.

44:00: Mike and Zach tell the story of meeting down in Bloomington, IN for a Michigan/Indiana University basketball game, including why Bloomington is a unique college town.

49:20: Mike and Zach talk about why they really enjoy playing in college fantasy sports leagues.

53:15: Zach gives his philosophy for what makes a good friendship.

56:45: Zach talks about what he’s looking forward to in the next few months, including training for the Chicago Marathon.

1:01:05: Mike takes Zach through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about coaching his son's baseball team and playing with his daughter, who Zach’s all-time favorite Cub is (he has the same first name as Zach’s son), the favorite podcast he’s been listening to (aside from Talking Friendship with Mike D), and his favorite all-time Indiana University sports moment.

In the Season 2 Premier Mike talks about what listeners can expect for this season, gives the listeners an update on what’s been going on with the Podcast and him, talks about his five favorite movies that feature women kicking butt career wise and then welcomes Amy Pretty as Episode 1’s guest.

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Season 2 Episode 1.

1:45: Mike encourages listeners to go back and listen to Season 1 if they haven’t yet.

2:40: Mike corrects mistakes from the Season 1 Finale (Episode 12) with Brock Steere.

3:25: Mike gives an update on the ever growing listener numbers and increased international reach of the podcast.

3:50: Mike talks about what listeners can expect in Season 2 of the podcast.

4:50: Mike addresses some burning questions from listeners, including whether the podcast has an official sponsor yet, whether any Season 1 guests will make an appearance in Season 2, whether Mike has lost any friendships over the Season 1 guest list, and how Mike’s life has changed since launching the podcast.

7:30: Mike gives the listeners an update on what’s going with him.

9:00: Mike breaks down his five favorite movies that showcase women kicking butt career wise.

15:25: Mike introduces this episode’s guest: Amy Pretty.

16:40: Mike welcomes Amy into the Virtual Podcast Studio.

18:20: Amy gives the listeners her entire life story, including how her husband Todd is known as the male version of Megan Markle.

22:00: Amy talks about how her husband Todd’s life has changed since coming on Season 1 of this podcast.

24:20: Amy breaks down what it was like to buy a new house during COVID.

26:45: Amy discusses who her longest running friend is and what’s kept their friendship going.

29:30: Mike and Amy go over what it means when your best friend starts getting serious with a romantic partner.

31:00: Mike and Amy go over their memories of meeting each other for the first time, including the origin of the nickname “Johnnycakes” for former Detroit Tigers closer Todd Jones.

35:20: Amy tells the story of Todd breaking up with Amy for four hours.

36:30: Mike and Amy tell some stories about the legendary Dubuque, Iowa wedding of Amy and Todd’s.

37:30: Amy recounts the story of her being banned from a Dubuque casino.

39:10: Amy then talks about how she and Todd were wedding reception pioneers.

41:10: Mike and Amy tell the story of Mike’s legendary dance move “Feeding the Birds”.

42:45: Mike and Amy talk about how Amy (with the help of Season 1 guest Heide Cygan) staged a “footwear intervention” with Mike to shift his summer footwear choice from mandals to flip-flops.

47:00: Amy tells the story of how she honored the request of Mike’s mom to ask Mike to grow out his hair for his sister’s wedding.

48:40: Amy gives her philosophy on being a good friend as an adult.

52:50: Amy talks about what she’s excited about in the next six months in her life, including a big family trip out west.

57:00 Amy talks about the newest addition to the Pretty family → Midge the dog!

59:15: Mike takes Amy through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about Amy’s favorite personality quirks with each of her daughters, what Amy misses about living in the State of Iowa, and her favorite places to grab food and drink in Chicago.

In the Season 1 Finale Mike reflects on the first season of this podcast, discusses his love of St. Patrick's Day as well as Irish music and brings on the plastics king of the Midwest, his dear friend Brock Steere.

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 12.

1:30: Mike endorses Episode 3 guest Megan Mazurek’s realtor skillz.

2:40: Mike goes over the corrections from Episodes 11 and 11.5 (spoiler alert: it’s a short list).

3:05: Mike talks about what Season 1 of the podcast has meant to him, including giving a shout out to the international listeners of the podcast and looks forward to Season 2.

6:20: Mike goes over what’s going on with him and it involves getting extremely fired up for St. Patrick’s Day, discusses the importance of this holiday in Chicago and then goes over a few of his favorite St. Patrick’s Day songs.

15:40: Mike welcomes his great friend Brock Steere into the (virtual) Podcast Studio.

17:15: Brock gives the listeners about his background, including growing up in Akron, OH, attending undergrad at Indiana University as a diehard Wolverine fan and moving to Chicago to sling gum.

23:00: Brock talks about his longest running friend and what’s kept their friendship strong.

26:30: Mike and Brock talk about the last time they saw each other, which was at the Michigan/Ohio State football game in Ann Arbor in 2019.

28:15: Mike and Brock discuss a more recent mini-tradition in their friendship of Mike traveling down to Akron to visit Brock and go see a Cleveland Cavs game.

30:30: Mike and Brock trace the origins of their friendship back to a Chicago house party in 2004 where Mike was wearing a pink shirt.

33:30: Mike recounts the story of breaking the news that Chad Henne had been named the starting QB for the Michigan football team in 2004 for the Miami (OH) game as well as a former nickname of Mike (“Mike Jones”).

36:40: Mike and Brock talk about watching Michigan football at Brock’s condo on a TV that was hung over some sweet bugles as well as at Mike’s condo.  Just a lot of football watching at condos.

39:00: Brock breaks down his approach to going to watch Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field, filling the role of the “pied piper”, popping bottles during daylight hours (and why it’s a good investment), and blowing up (in a good way).

46:00: Brock and Mike talk about helping create the now legendary “Steere Tailgate” outside U-M Stadium and why Brock and his family decided to invest in the University of Michigan.

52:30: Brock talks about what he’s excited about in his life, including getting outside with his family as well as the launch of a really cool new product from his family company called “Meltdown” (meltdownice.com).

58:00: Mike takes Brock through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about the next road venue Brock wants to go see Michigan football play in, his favorite part about living in Ohio, his all time favorite University of Michigan sports memory, and his favorite spots to hit the town at in Chicago.

Mike brings on two of his favorite people and friends of the pod (Todd Pretty from Episode 1 and Tim Rechtien from Episode 5) for the third "point fiver" of Season 1 and the topic is best 80s movie comedies.  What ensues is a scholarly debate on classic cinema and a laugh fest best not missed. 

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Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 11.5.

0.45: Mike explains why comedies of the 80s made such a big impact on him.

1:50: Mike then breaks down what a "Point Fiver" is.

2:30: Mike goes over the format for the episode.

3:15: Mike welcomes Todd and Tim into the (virtual) podcast studio to discuss their favorite comedic films from the 1980s.

Mike corrects two embarrassingly large errors from Episode 10 (the Rob Thomas episode), one of which involves an apology to John Baker’s dog Jimmy, pays tribute to the Michigan Wolverine Men’s Basketball Team for winning the Big Ten Championship, and brings on one his favorite people and friends Tim Horvath to discuss the famed Park Colony Tennis and Swim Club in Allen Park, MI, the art of tailgating and singing daylight karaoke. 

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes the listeners to Episode 11.

2:05: Mike provides an update on the plan for the rest of Season 1, including the next “Point Fiver” episode!

3:35: Corrections from Season 1 Episode 10 (the Rob Thomas episode): it involves an error around which episode previous guest Tim Rechtien appeared on and referencing the wrong type of cornhole course by Rob and Mike.

6:10: Mike is in celebration mode after the University of Michigan men’s basketball team took home the regular season Big Ten basketball championship.  Mike pays tribute to this amazing achievement by giving the listeners a breakdown of why he loves this team so much, as well as some observations on the players on the team.

11:40: Mike also celebrates a HUGE milestone for the podcast: passing the vaunted 1K download threshold. 

12:15: Mike gives some background on this episode’s guest: Tim Horvath.

13:30: Mike welcomes Tim Horvath into the (virtual) podcast studio.

14:40: Tim describes the iconic Horvath Pub in Northville, MI and gives the listeners some background on himself, his family and his neighborhood in Northville.

18:50: Tim and Mike give a shout-out to the Podcast’s New Zealand listeners.

21:15: Tim talks about who his longest running friend is (and it’s actually friends plural!).

23:00: Tim and Mike recount going to the very exclusive Park Colony Tennis and Pool Club in Allen Park, MI as kids.

26:00: Tim talks about the keys to keep his long running friendships going.

28:50: Mike and Tim talk about the earliest memories of their shared friendship, and it involves Park Colony and riding bikes around Allen Park.

33:05: Mike and Tim talk about reconnecting in 2014 when Mike moved back to Michigan from California over some college football tailgating, one of their mutual favorite activities.  They also get into “tailgate culture”, which is one their favorite cultures, and whether it’s appropriate to tailgate for church (spoiler alert: it is).

40:50: Tim gives a shout-out to his lovely wife Kim, a true tailgate saint.

41:50: Mike and Tim talk about tailgating for college basketball.  Sometimes at Revel and Roll and sometimes at Fraser’s Pub for a tailgate breakfast.  Sometimes outside.  Yep.

48:00: Mike and Tim break down their love of the bowling alley Revel and Roll, including how Tim’s son Trevor is the “king” of the game room and receiving hand delivered “Beats” headphones from Dr. Dre.

52:30: Tim and Mike talk about the future of tailgating for Tim’s son Trevor.  It’s bright.

53:15: Mike and Tim talk about going to watch Trevor’s AAU basketball games as well as breaking away for a “quick fresh one” at the Whitmore Lake Tavern for 6:00 pm karaoke.  Hilarity ensues.

56:40: Tim talks about his keys to a good friendship overall.

58:15: Tim goes over what he’s excited about in his life over the next six months.

102:30: Mike takes Tim through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about going to U-M football games on the road, his favorite thing about growing up in Allen Park, MI, his all time favorite Michigan sports memories, and his favorite spot to grab a fresh beverage in Ann Arbor, MI.

Mike corrects a major error about Episode 9 guest Andrew Bauer’s work history, discusses what in March he’s excited about (it involves both basketball and Ireland), and brings on a titan of Ann Arbor friendship, Rob Thomas, for a friendship spar fest definitely worth a listen.

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 10

1:35: Corrections from Season 1 Episode 9 (the Andrew Bauer episode): it involves a huge misstatement about Andrew’s work history.

2:50: Mike talks about plans for the rest of Season 1 of the podcast.

4:00: Mike talks about what is going on with him, specifically March Madness and St. Patrick’s Day.

8:50: Mike welcomes his friend Rob Thomas to the podcast.

10:05: Rob tells the listeners a bit about himself, including his unique voice and a few stories about his voice.

16:10: Rob talks about his longest running friend, who’s now a stepbrother of his (true story!).

18:50: Rob and Mike talk about the (very recent) last time they saw each other at the infamous Ann Arbor Mug Club.

20:15: Rob and Mike talk about the first tangible memory of their shared friendship during the 2018 Michigan basketball season, including heckling Sister Jean.

23:10: Mike and Rob talk about the Manchester United/Liverpool soccer match at Michigan Stadium in 2018, including having a beverage with the ref (BEFORE the game).

27:45: Mike and Rob tell the story of going down to Columbus in 2018 to the Michigan/Ohio State football game, which was a blast except for the game itself.

31:30: Mike and Rob then get into going down to Hamtramck to see AFC Ann Arbor take Detroit City FC in football (soccer), including going "fowling".

35:45: Rob and Mike talk about the historic Ann Arbor Mug Club, including Mike’s introduction to the group, getting a blessing from Dr. Fauci to resume in person activities in the summer of 2020, and cornhole fever which took the group by storm during COVID.

44:25: Rob talks about the key to a good friendship in his eyes.

46:10: Rob then talks about what he’s excited about in the next 6-12 months, including a huge trip.

49:10: Mike takes Rob through the Rapid Fire segment aka What Mike Wants to Know, including questions about travel goals, his favorite thing about living in Ann Arbor, his all time favorite Michigan sports memories and his favorite public houses in Ann Arbor.

Mike talks about the feedback he’s been receiving about the podcast as well as his deep love of the Wu-Tang Clan’s music and then welcomes his LLF (life long friend) Andrew Bauer to the podcast to talk about law school, horse costumes, bowling leagues, and fist bumping.

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes the listeners to Episode 9

2:30: Mike goes through corrections to Episode 8 (the Heide Cygan)

3:00: Mike talks about what’s going on with him, which is largely watching the Docuseries “Of Mics and Men” about the Wu-Tang Clan and Wu-Tang’s influence on him as a kid and how they helped cultivate his love of hip hop.

7:30: Mike welcomes his good/legal friend Andrew Bauer to the podcast who immediately tells a story about how his daughter warmed him about appearing on the podcast.

9:30: Andrew gives the listeners some background on him, including his time working as a federal prosecutor who focused on throwing the book at podcast hosts who violate the law.

15:25: Andrew talks about his love of the New York Mets, his excitement for this season, and interning with the team back in the day.

19:45: Andrew talks about which friend of his he’s been friends with the longest (his buddy Joe) and why their friendship has remained so strong.

24:25: Andrew and Mike talk about the last time they saw each other.

28:40: Mike and Andrew talk about the first tangible memories of their shared friendship as “summer starters” at the University of Michigan Law School, including a karaoke night at the Blind Pig.

33:30: Mike and Andrew talk about the now infamous “Knitting Colloquy” study group they formed during their first semester of Law School, and their shared nickname of “Broseephus”.

36:00: Andrew talks about the early stages of dating his now wife Alissa during the first summer of law school.

38:40: Andrew and Mike tell the tale of the greatest bowling team of All Time: Oops I Crapped My Pants.

41:10: Andrew and Mike discuss “Segreti’ng”.

43:45: Mike and Andrew talk about an epic road trip they took down to Charlottesville, VA during law school to play softball.  Warning: this story involves a horse costume and a lot of laughs.

51:10: Andrew and Mike drive out to see Michigan Football take on UConn in 2013 with Andrew’s two oldest kids for a clash between the Wolverines and the Huskies.

54:50: Andrew talks about his key to a good friendship.

57:35: Mike takes Andrew through the Rapid Fire Segment, including where Andrew and Alissa want to travel to next, Andrew’s favorite part of living in New York, his favorite activities with each of his kids, and what he likes to do when he gets a little alone time.

Mike corrects a major error about Episode 7 guest Kelly Worman’s legal career, discusses his favorite TV shows and music to listen to while cooking, and brings on his dear friend Heide Cygan for spirited conversation about life and friendship (and Beaumont’s bar in Chicago).

Follow the podcast on Twitter: @friendsofmiked

Email the podcast at [email protected]

Key moments from the pod: 

0:30: Mike welcomes listeners to Episode 8

2:00: Corrections from Season 1 Episode 7 (the Kelly Worman episode): it involves a huge misstatement about Kelly’s legal career.

2:55: Mike talks about the feedback he’s been receiving on Episode 7.5 on inspiration.

3:30: Mike answers some listener questions about the podcast staff.

5:00: Mike talks about cooking an amazing salmon meal he recently prepared with the help of a friend.

6:20: Mike talks about good TV and music to put on while you’re cooking/eating in your home.

13:00: Mike gives some background on this episode’s guest: Heide Cygan

14:20: Mike welcomes his good friend Heide Cygan

15:00: Heide gives the listeners some background around her and how her kids now think she’s famous because she’s on a podcast.

18:30: Heide talks about living in Chicago for many years since college, including life in their new home, which she and her husband bought during COVID.

23:40: Heide tells the listeners a bit about her thriving career as a nursing professor.

25:50: Heide talks about her longest running friend and what’s made their friendship tick.

31:45: Mike and Heide talk about the last time they hung out in person: the Michigan/Army football game in Ann Arbor in 2019.

36:10: Mike and Heide talk about the earliest memories of their friendship during college at the University of Michigan, including how Heide didn’t realize Mike’s real first name was Mike until many years into their friendship.

42:30: Heide talks about the apartment she lived in during 2004 in Chicago on Halsted between the two classiest bars in Chicago: Beaumonts and the Store and how 2004 was a great time to be in the Windy City (Mike agrees).

47:00: Mike and Heide talk about Heide living in Wrigleyville and immersing themselves in the culture of the Cubs.

48:45: Heide talks about how her son Mickey has “flexible” sports loyalties at this point in his life as well as growing up a Tigers fan when she was a kid.

52:00: Mike asks Heide about the key to a good friendship from her perspective.

55:15: Heide talks about what she’s excited about for the rest of the year.

59:00 Mike takes Heide through the (not so) Rapid Fire segment, including talking about the next place Heide would like to travel to next, Heide’s love of the city of Chicago, her favorite things to do with her kids activity-wise (spoiler alert: it involves snuggling) and favorite spots to grab a beverage in Chicago.