Too Much Information

Your sensei’s of pop culture trivia celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of Heigl’s formative influences. You’ll learn how the Karate Kid led Clint Eastwood to ban all Coca-Cola products from his sight, the real life war heroes Mr. Miyagi's story sheds light on, Pat Norita’s surprising early career as a boundary-pushing Catskills comic, all the leads we nearly had before they landed on Ralph Macchio, and the array of real-life martial arts heavies involved in the film. Heigl, a real life Karate Kid, explains all the ways that the Crane Kick was a bogus (and illegal) move and doles out some self-defense advice you can use — before Jordan waxes poetic on Bananarama.  

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Today Jordan and Alex set the sights on one of the most unique albums of the ‘90s, which turns 30 years old this summer. The record is a tantalizing glimpse at one of the great unfulfilled musical promises of the decade. Jeff Buckley was a one-of-a-kind talent who was at the start of what seemed like a long, and fascinating career when he drowned in Memphis at age 30. You’ll learn about the deeply fraught family saga at the heart of his music, the reason why label execs hated the cover, and the cruel comparison the Michael Bolton that nearly killed the album before it was ever completed. Alex goes deep on Buckley’s technical virtuosity and shares a fact about belly button rings that will haunt you forever, while Jordan delivers a comprehensive history of the MANY “Hallelujah” covers and tries to figure out the “Sex Funk” musical genre. It's an episode littered with minor falls and major lifts, at times poignant and perverse — that's the TMI promise, baby!

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Your titans of trivia are back for the ultimate showdown of nerdery as they quiz one another on their pet obsessions. Alex tests Jordan on everything related to the Titanic disaster, while Jordan asks Alex about all things punk rock. It's a smorgasbord of scatalogical, sentimental and stimulating anecdotes, with a (un)healthy dose of conversational diversions thrown in for good measure. 

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Jordan and Alex get Presidential with their look at the ‘90s aero-thriller. They’ll uncover how Harrison Ford sweet-talked Bill Clinton into giving him a tour of the real Air Force One, how the prop plane nearly caused a scary real-life military incident, and how the movie delayed the release of James Cameron’s ‘Titanic.’ They’ll also dive into Donald Trump’s ardent passion for this film, the rejected score from Randy Newman (yes, the ‘Toy Story’ guy), and Harrison Ford's numerous piloting mishaps — including the time he caused mayhem on the runway of a major airport. Finally, they’ll explain all the ways this terrifying scenario could never happen in real life. 

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Your gurus of gameshows are back to reveal the inner workings of America’s favorite word puzzle-related wheel — and those who serve it. You’ll learn about Pat Sajak’s surprisingly storied background in Vietnam — which helped serve as the inspiration for the Robin Williams’ film ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ — and his days working at the Pentagon. You’ll also hear Vanna White’s Cinderella -esque origin story that saw her go from sleeping on floors to wearing over 8000 gowns, holding one of the most hilarious Guinness records of all time, and earning a shout-out from Nelly. Jordan and Alex also go over some of the most hilarious fails in ‘Wheel’ history, examine all the ways the production is not unlike Taylor Swift’s Eras tour (at least in terms of total tonnage of equipment) and delve deep into psychological reasons why game show hosts tend to fall on the right side of the political spectrum. So get ready to spin your wheels for an hour or two — the guys promise to keep their "vowel movement" jokes to a minimum. 

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Strap on your DJ headphones and don your best bald cap, because TMI is tackling one of the best-selling (and most "sold-out") albums of the Nineties: Moby's 'Play.' The pair will track down the source of all those haunting vocal samples, discuss the practice of "folk song collecting" and how it shaped music in the second half of the 20th century, and muse over the thorny racial and ethical implications of sampling! Along the way, they'll detour into how every single one of "Play"'s 18 tracks were licensed out to film, TV, and commercials -- some of them multiple times -- and how Moby gradually ascended to the top of the fin de siecle electronica heap, finding himself a lonely, whiny -- and possibly stingy -- king. It's Too Much Information: Downtempo/Chill/Ambient/Electronic/Dance edition!

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Your specters of specificity are back — and they see dead people. Jordan and Alex set their sights on M. Night Shyamalan's masterpiece that balances horror with deeply emotional storytelling. You'll learn all about the time we almost got a future Arrested Development star in the lead, why Bruce Willis was forced into his part, and the sting of clever clues sprinkled throughout the movie that point to its iconic twist ending. (Errr, spoiler alert?) Alex shares his own experience with ghosts, Jordan talks about the time he partied with Haley Joel Osment in college, and they also go long on all the ways Donnie Wahlberg put himself through hell for his brief (but important!) role. You'll definitely laugh, you'll possibly cry, but hopefully you won't vomit like Mischa Barton. 

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Jordan and Alex don their most severe clothing and geometric haircuts to dive in the Big Bang of post-punk and goth: Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures!” They’ll trace the band’s origins to a pre-fame Sex Pistols gig in Manchester attended by virtually every member of the city’s musical luminaries to the maddening conditions of recording with insane genius producer Martin Hannett, who maybe tried to suffocate and/or poison their drummer? They’ll also re-litigate 1980s Manchester’s most famous rock feud…among people who aren’t in the Smiths: Joy Division/ New Order’s Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner! Also get ready to be so sad hearing about Ian Curtis’ life! Too Much Information: Two men in their 30s struggling to delicately parse mental health issues via granular trivia!

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Your poets of pop culture podcasts stand on their desks and sound their barbaric yawps in salute to this uplifting classic of the twinkly-eyed cinema canon — which made Robin Williams into a dramatic star and an untold number of kids crack open 'Leaves of Grass.' You'll learn about the hilarious aborted start to the movie (which resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars of sets being torched after Robin Williams failed to show up) and the sweet bond that formed between Robin and Ethan Hawke. You'll also hear all about the lost ending that would have made this movie even more tear-inducing than it already is. Jordan recalls his less-than-pleasant days at a Welton Academy-like New England prep school, and he and Heigl debate the very nature of creativity and artistic instruction. It's a surprisingly soul-baring discussion for the TMI Guys, filled with their patented blend of conversational detours, earnest enthusiasm, and nihilism. So carpe that diem and give a listen!

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iHeart's resident Mogwais accidentally got splattered with water, and they've emerged from their cocoons all sticky and vicious -- and ready to talk about 1984's 'Gremlins.' They'll dive into the absolute murderer's row of 80s luminaries involved — Chris Columbus! Steven Spielberg! Joe Dante! — and the real stars of the film: the puppets! — and the man who nearly killed himself bringing them to life, SFX icon Chris Walas. Along the way they'll trace the aviation-related source of the word "gremlin," how this film forced Spielberg and the MPAA to invent the PG-13 rating, and touch briefly — and ecstatically — on the insane blank-check sequel Dante got to do with a different SFX god — Rick friggin' Baker — 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch!' Too Much Information: Just don't feed them after midnight!

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