Too Much Information

Jordan and Alex discuss one of the best-selling singles of all time. It's a song that boasts more top tier talent than perhaps any other. It's also a song that brings new meaning to the phrase: “Well, it’s the thought that counts..." They'll give you the backstory and behind the scenes drama of that one night in January 1985 when 40-something of the biggest stars in music crammed into a single studio, checked their egos at the door and worked through the night to record a sub-part tune by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie that raised some $80 million for African famine relief. You'll find out why a terrified Michael Jackson was reduced to curling up in the fetal position in the bathroom, why mega-talents like Prince and Madonna blew off the session, and why the proceedings were nearly torpedoed by Cyndi Lauper's earrings and a buffet. You'll also learn about Bob Dylan's intense stage fright, the surprising reason why Huey Lewis was given a solo when Smokey Robinson was NOT — plus all the reasons why Ray Charles and Bruce Springsteen were the MVPs of the session. 

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Jordan and Alex explore the beloved early Aughts comedy that taught a generation important facial expressions like Blue Steel and Magnum, dared to ask the question “But why male models?”and showed us that sometimes all you need to sort through important issues is an orange mocha Frappuccino. You'll learn all about the VH1 sketch that birthed the character of Zoolander, how Ben Stiller got David Bowie to judge the "walk off," and the long-lost original ending to the film — which was kind of a downer! You'll also discover which '90s pop punk band nearly provided the soundtrack to the gasoline fight, which legendary American author sued the production for plagiarism, and which controversial actor who nearly played the villainous Mugatu. So take a listen — it's so hot right now. 

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Alex and Jordan salute the 25th anniversary of the biggest, dumbest, most ass-kickin'-est '90s action blockbuster. It's a film that taught us all that oil rig workers can (with the right montage) make successful astronauts, the leathery glam Muppets in Aerosmith still had hits in 'em, and there's no problem that Uncle Sam can't blow up real good. They'll get into all the messy reasons why Bruce Willis was forced to do this movie, why Ben Affleck was forced to get new teeth, and Michael Bay forced NASA to let the production sit in on a shuttle launch. You'll also learn about how Armageddon and less-good end-of-days asteroid movie Deep Impact caused an inter-studio feud, the film's soundtrack helped heal a rift between Liv Tyler and her Aerosmith front man father, the time Ben Affleck nearly died in a space suit, and all the ways that humanity would be screwed if a big rock was headed our way in real life. Hit play and enjoy! Trust us, you don't want to miss a thing. 

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Jordan and Alex move the pod to an an-up-and-coming Chicago neighborhood—ah, it's already been gentrified. Well, they'll self-soothe by immersing themselves in a beloved chronicle of a similarly bygone era, Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville!" From a quick history of the Chicago indie scene that birthed the record, to the myriad of odd sonic tricks that make up its production, to the kinda-weird lengths Phair went to in order to tweak the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street," not a single cobblestone of Guyville remains unturned. They'll also tackle the backlash Phair faced once her record broke big, the *other* backlash she faced a decade later later when she pivoted her sound, and make Jordan uncomfortable with some of Phair's patented sexually explicit lyrics! Too Much Information: A dive deeper than Chicago deep-dish!

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Jordan and Alex scale their own personal Cliffs of Insanity to take listeners deeper into the warm heart of "The Princess Bride" than ever before! They round up the (practically) inconceivable list of directors who tried and failed to adapt the beloved novel, take a quick sidebar into pirate code, and demystify some of the stories about Andre the Giant's youth ... and drinking habits. They'll also shed light on the marvelous sword fight between Westley and Inigo, and explore the deep personal motivation Mandy Patinkin brought to his role as Inigo. Too Much Information: Never try to match wits with a podcaster!

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The warm smell of pod-itas rises up through the air as Jordan and Alex tackle one of the biggest songs of the 20th century from one of the biggest punching bags of all time: The Eagles' "Hotel California!" They're prisoners here of their own device as they delve into why, exactly, the Eagles are so hated (spoiler alert: it's mostly Don Henley), wax rhapsodic about Joe Walsh and dissect the operatic dissolution of the band. An already-weakened-by-a-cold Alex is taken to his limit by quotes from lead-Eagles Glenn Frey and Henley as no stone is left unturned parsing the song's lyrics, including their applications to foreign economic policy and their possible bearing on friend of the pod Satan! Also a brief rundown of most of the people Henley has sued, the IRL location of the Hotel California and naturally some great Joe Walsh debauchery stories. Too Much Information: Some pod to remember, some pod to forget.

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Let's take a journey to the Neighborhood of Too Much Information! Jordan and Alex go  deep on the secular saint known as Fred Rogers, tracing his early years as a bullied rich kid to his ascent to the benevolent king of children's television. You'll learn about his oddly beautiful obsession with his weight, the time he danced around the set with a sex doll, the hidden message behind his trademark cardigans, and his under-appreciated musical brilliance. You'll also learn how he single-handedly saved PBS, paved the way for Netflix, and gave early breaks to Michael Keaton and 'Day of the Dead' horror icon George Romero. And, in a series first, you'll hear how Fred's unconditional love and kindness turns the TMI guys into weepy children. Get ready for 'Too Much Information — Oops, All Sobs!' edition.

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Jordan and Alex hurtle their bodies off the top of a keyboard and microphone with no safety precautions to bring you an in-depth discussion of 1998's classic 'Rush Hour'! Podcast stunt coordinators were horrified at the lengths Alex goes to in his Jackie Chan fandom, unpacking Chan's legacy as one of the world's singular entertainers, the film's role in Hollywood's Nineties' dalliance with the Hong Kong martial-arts/action-film industry, and the difficulties Jackie had on his first English-language feature. Along the way, Jordan and Alex will recount the first meeting between Jackie and co-star Chris Tucker that led to one of the film's most famous lines, recount a brief litany of Chan's most horrific injuries, and marvel at the fact that he apparently once catered one of his own films — while also working as the gaffer and composing the theme song! It's Too Much Information: Rumble in the Pod!

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Jordan and Alex celebrate their 100th episode (and their friendship) by honoring the most famous best buds in entertainment — Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.  They'll talk about their initial bond as kids in Boston, the complex personal histories that went into the movie's script, and their long road to the Oscars. They'll also explore the early version of the film that was intended to be a thriller, another draft where everyone died, still another with a long-lost sex scene between Will and Sean, and the early casting that featured the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. An in-depth psychological exploration of Ben Affleck's existential crisis is offset by tons of tales of Robin Williams at his hilarious best, and they'll probe the boys' passionate relationship with the Red Sox. 

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Here's the story of a man named Brady, a lovely lady, six adorable kids, and the wild, surprisingly raunchy way that they became The Brady Bunch. Jordan and Heigl dive into their craziest episode yet, outlining all the weird pseudo-incestural relationships between the kids in the cast (including Barry Williams' famous date with his TV mom), the real-life drama between two of the Brady sisters, and the all the reasons why Mike Brady was such a pain in the ass that the show’s creator planned to kill him off. They'll also get into all the ways the actors nearly died during the show, the scene that Barry Williams filmed while stoned (as well as a supposedly "banned" scene), the extremely dark (and extremely short-lived) Brady Bunch spinoff series in the '90s, the curse of Cousin Oliver, the time the Brady mom got an STD from a New York City Mayor, and the story behind those ridiculous perms. Get ready for sex, drugs and a little rock 'n' roll — Brady style. 

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