Really? no, Really? with Jason Alexander & Peter Tilden

Chad Maisel and Neale Mahoney, authors of the report, Taking On The Annoyance Economy, explain why every app, website, airline, pharmacy, streaming service, grocery store and parking meter now feels like it's determined to break you on this episode of the Really? no Really? Podcast. We used to think companies wanted loyal customers. Now it feels like companies want hostages. Everything is designed to wear you down. The unsubscribe button is hidden like it's a nuclear launch code. Chad and Neale sit down with Jason and Peter to delve more into this $165 billion economy that's made of hidden fees and junk fees and what steps consumers are doing to fight back.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason had an emergency this week and could make this episode but Peter held down the fort. With the Olympics heading to Los Angeles in 2028, the issue on how cities bid to hold the Olympics is one that drives Peter crazy. On this episode of Really? no Really? Podcast, Peter speaking economist, Andrew Zimbalist, author of the book, Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup, breaks down how the bidding process works and the aftermath these cities have to deal with.

You see all these executives flying around the world and behind closed doors, always bidding for the Olympics. And then you look up the fact that the Olympics arrive in a city, zoning laws disappear, environmental reviews are rushed, homeless are moved, areas are renamed, cities that had the Olympics are paying off debt after 20 years. They bid these things out and you're told, "Oh, it's going to be $7 billion to do this." And it turns out to be $170 millionThey're always underestimated. The real question though is is it all BS or is it intentional?

As time passed in, the Olympics got bigger and bigger, and you had to build more and more stadiums and do more and more infrastructural work and so on and so forth. And it became impossibly expensive. We're still doing that same system. And the system back in 1896, which was a time when we didn't have international telecommunications, we didn't have international jet service. You basically had to move the games around every four years to get as much of the world participating in in the Olympics.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gary Gulman is one of the sharpest and the most respected stand up comedians working today. Known for his brilliantly detailed observational comedy, Gary has built a career turning the smallest human anxieties into epic philosophical events. Whether he's talking about state abbreviations, Trader Joe's childhood misunderstandings or the emotional collapse triggered by a routine email, he somehow makes overthinking feel heroic. Gary's acclaimed HBO special, The Great Depression earned widespread praise for Very Good, Very Good for its honest and darkly funny exploration of depression and mental health, showing a level of vulnerability that's rare and stand up very rare. He's also appeared on nearly every major late night show, released multiple acclaimed specials, and is widely regarded by comedians as one of the best joke writers alive. He can take a completely normal thought buying cereal, sending a text standing in line and reveal that modern civilization may actually be hanging by a thread.

On this episode of Really? no Really?, Jason and Peter dive in with how Gary has been able to not only handle his depression but also how to utilize it as a creative force for his brand of comedy. We'll also touch upon various topics and experiences that have helped shape Gary's trauma and art.

From being bullied at Jewish Summer Camp to having Judd Apatow produce his special and offer him words of advice on his career. We have a lot to cover on this episode of Really? no Really?.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know you've made it in the music industry when "Weird Al" Yankovic requests to parody your song. "Weird Al" has spent more than four decades turning hit songs into time capsules that often outlive the originals. In a career that includes Grammy Awards, Platinum records, best-selling tours and the number one album decades. On this episode of the Really? no Really? Podcast, Jason and Peter sit down with Al and discuss his journey being a shy kid on the accordion to being the king of parody music. "Weird Al" has an extensive library of parodies that not only spans genres and decades, it's also a reflection on music history and culture ranging from Madonna to Michael Jackson to Nirvana to Coolio just to name a few. But not everyone has been on board for the "Weird Al" bump. Jimmy Page is a fan of Al's but wasn't crazy about a Led Zepplin polka. Al, Jason and Peter delve more into this. We'll also discuss how Al's career has taken some pretty wild and amazing turns from selling out venues like Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden to writing his own parody biopic and casting Daniel Radcliffe playing himself.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eighty-seven million households in the United States own pets. Over $147 billion in spending for the pet food industry and related services, such as grooming. But we bet of the 87 million pet owning households, nobody feels confident that they're feeding their pet the right food. On this episode of Really? no Really? Jason and Peter speak with Bonnie Wertheim, Cultural Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal and author of the article, "My Accidental Journey into the Wide Wild World of Pet Wellness." Bonnie will answer our big questions such as whether we are feeding our pets the right food?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices