Under the banner of Griselda Records, Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher, and Conway The Machine have created a musical force from their lives and experiences in Buffalo, New York that world hasn't seen since the likes of Rick James. Jim and Rob discuss the group's rise from handing out mixtapes to being anointed as successors to the hip hop crown by legends like DJ Premier and the Wu-Tang Clan. Don't miss Jim's veritable clinic on hip hop history, and Rob's ill fated attempt at stumping Jim on all things Griselda!

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Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

March 23rd at Stellar Human in Binghamton, New York, Jim will be headlining a comedy show hosted by Stephen Brown, more info and tickets ⁠⁠⁠here!⁠⁠

You press the play button, Rob and Jim do the rest. This week Understanding Upstate breaks down the development and demise of Rochester's own, Eastman Kodak. From their pioneering innovations that brought photography to the masses, to practically inventing airplane reconnaissance, through their history around their racist and discriminatory employment practices, to the potential poisoning of French school children, we'll cover it all... and if you think that list escalated quickly, just wait until you hear the rest.

Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠⁠⁠

March 23rd at Stellar Human in Binghamton, New York, Jim will be headlining a comedy show hosted by Stephen Brown, more info and tickets ⁠⁠here!⁠

This week Jim and Rob get into the surprisingly complex origins of Thousand Island Dressing. They'll take a look at the sweeping innovations in salad technology that lead to a veritable salad boom in the early 1900's. What makes Russian Dressing Russian? Why did the federal government regulate French Dressing from the 1950's until 2022? Who were the movers and shakers in the early salad game? Toss yourself into this week's episode and learn more than you ever thought you could about salad dressing!

Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠⁠

March 23rd at Stellar Human in Binghamton, New York, Jim will be headlining a comedy show hosted by Stephen Brown, more info and tickets ⁠here!⁠

We're back in Binghamton to examine the history of a former Upstate cultural hub, the Binghamton Masonic Temple, which has since been abandoned and fallen into disrepair. Rob and Jim also will get into a little history of the Freemasons, their potentially successful kidnapping/murder of an Upstate journalist, and how the organization has changed over the centuries.

Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠

March 23rd at Stellar Human in Binghamton, New York, Jim will be headlining a comedy show hosted by Stephen Brown, more info and tickets here!

This week we conclude our two part review of 2014's The Rewrite. Is the combined power of Binghamton, fresh spiedies, and Rod Serling enough to redeem this movie? Jump in to find out!

Haven't seen The Rewrite yet? Don't worry, you can watch the whole movie here for free on ⁠Tubi⁠.



Throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to talk about on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!



Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠

In the first installment of a whirlwind two part series, Jim and Rob begin their movie review of 2014's The Rewrite, starring Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, and none other than our favorite Upstate city: Binghamton, New York. Not since The Twilight Zone has Binghamton been so prominently featured in pop culture and we'll get into why this movie is in many regards terrible but also a pretty good portrayal of Binghamton.

Haven't seen The Rewrite yet? Don't worry, you can watch the whole movie here for free on Tubi.



Throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to talk about on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!



Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠

Get ready to yuck it up because this week we are headed to Upstate New York's funniest region: the Borscht Belt. Join Jim and Rob as they look at the Jewish Alp's impact on comedy and navigate the bungalow colonies and marriage brokers of the Catskill Mountains.

Next week we're reviewing, The Rewrite, a film staring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei which was filmed in Binghamton, NY. Catch the full film here for free, and don't worry, if you can't watch it we'll be recapping the whole movie next week!



Throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to talk about on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!



Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠

You may not have heard of the Upstate shoe company, Endicott Johnson. before, but trust us when we say this episode ties a lot of things together. We'll get to the bottom of how this company and its enigmatic owner, George F. Johnson influenced the Southern Tier, the Twilight Zone, spiedies, and maybe even Jumanji.



Throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to cover on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!

As we mentioned in the episode, please take a minute to check out Kenny Deforest's two comedy specials:

Bad Dreams and Do You Know Who I Am?



Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠⁠

If you've ever left a holiday celebration wanting to smash something, well then we have got the perfect Upstate tradition for you: peppermint pigs. Jim and Rob grab their tiny hammers and smash open this sweet swine from Saratoga to figure out why no one has ever seen hide nor hair of this holiday hog.

Throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to cover on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!

Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠

This week Jim and Rob tackle... the Buffalo Bills! They'll figure out who's more intimidating between the Bills Mafia and the actual mob, and wether there is such a thing as a halfway Bills fan. Don't forget, this is a special episode you can WATCH on YouTube.

Don't forget to throw us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts! Include a suggestion in your review for something you'd like us to cover on Understanding Upstate and we just might cover it!

Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠@understandingupstate⁠⁠

Check out Jim's comedy album: ⁠⁠Upstate Understandings⁠⁠

Also check out Rob's album: ⁠⁠NY Sticky⁠