Jordan and Alex shake off the funk of 40,000 years to investigate Michael Jackson’s epochal hit “Thriller” and its equally iconic music video! While conceding it’s no “Monster Mash,” the pair delve deep into the track, from its original title “Starlight” to the tricks employed by the engineer who recorded it. They’ll also go long on the music video, from the former Playmate who starred in it — and got in some quality time with Jackson behind the scenes — to the Hollywood royalty who worked on...

Everybody relax, Jordan and Alex are here ... to talk about Alex's favorite movie of all time, John Carpenter's action-fantasy epic "Big Trouble in Little China." Listeners will trace the film's route from a Gold Rush-era cowboy fable to the film that convinced Carpenter to stop working with major studios after it flopped. But it's not all bad: Detours will be taken to the history of crime in San Francisco's Chinatown, the famous burlesque dancer from the city who cameos in the film, star...

Hey! Ho! The TMI guys go downtown to NYC's Bowery to examine the birth of punk and one of the greatest debuts in rock history. You'll learn the often-traumatic backstory of these four non-brothers and explore the equally horrific urine-streaked venues in which they played.  You'll also delve into the insanely low-resource recording sessions for their self-titled first album and revisit the Ramones' famous London gig that jump-started punk in the UK. Plus, Heigl makes a compelling argument...

The TMI gang is back when their second installment exploring the work of everyone's favorite besuited eccentric. Today they're looking at Paul Reuben's gift to TV — the trippy Saturday morning show that made an entire generation yearn for a talking chair. You'll learn about the insane lengths that Reubens went to preserve the illusion that Pee Wee was a real person, the insane lengths he went to achieve his creative vision of the perfect Googie Playhouse, and the insane lengths he went to...

Jordan and Heigl kick off the first in their two-part tribute to Paul Reubens and his beloved besuited character by examining his early years on the LA comedy scene and 1985 big screen breakthrough. You'll learn about the strange blend of influences that went into this offbeat comic creation, his surprising debut on The Dating Game, Reubens' early brushes with children's TV greatness, his rivalry with SNL, his friendship (and falling out) with Phil Hartman, the absurd price someone once paid...

As the record-breaking album turns 25 — and Ms. Hill announces an upcoming anniversary tour — Alex and Jordan educate you on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. You'll learn all about the intense relationship drama that went into its creation, the controversy surrounding the proper credit for the album's songs, and how the stress of making and then living up to the masterpiece ultimately led Hill to retreat from public life. Plus, they also do a lengthy sidebar on the surprising genesis of...

As Jordan reveals his true colors as an ardent aughts pop stan, the TMI gang celebrates Ms. Britney Jean Spears. While revisiting her much-maligned feature film debut — written by Shonda Rhimes!? — they somehow manage to touch on the work of Frank Zappa, the origin of the word "yikes," the specifics of the Lunchables product line, and MTV's aborted plans for a musical version of Alice in Wonderland featuring a who's who of TRL-era pop stars. (Plus, they fantasy-cast other epic road movies...

Jordan and Alex commemorate the recent loss of Robbie Robertson by taking a load off, Fanny, and revisiting The Band's iconic 1968 debut, 'Music from Big Pink.' They trace the group's path from Canadian bar-band hellraisers to woodsy Woodstock balladeers and the album that launched 1,000 Americana bands. Also featuring patented TMI detours that include Alex getting way too excited about Rick Danko's use of the fretless bass and a meditation on the very nature of what collaborative music...

Get ready for an all-new iteration on the classic Too Much Information: Crystal TMI™!  No, just kidding, it's a game we stole from Tim Heidecker called Stump the Buff, in which a series of increasingly byzantine trivia questions in the buff's chosen field threaten to, well, stump them. And your two hosts couldn't have a more cognitively-dissonant spread for you: Heigl's answering questions about god's chosen movie genre, horror; Jordan's going HAM on his beloved Beatles. Along the way there...

Your two bio-exorcists of big-ticket trivia dive into one of the most idiosyncratic movies of all time. This early Tim Burton joint gave Jordan nightmare as a kid, so they brought in a guest expert — the third member of the TMI triumvirate, beloved producer Mykal Alder June! You’ll learn all about the much darker original script, the perils of building a bridge in Vermont for the film, the gross look they landed on for the titular character and an update on its long-delayed sequel.  See...

In the summer of 1972, the Rolling Stones swept across an America still smoldering from the tumult of the ‘60s, bringing their gritty masterpiece Exile on Main St. to the masses. Rolling Stone magazine journalist Robert Greenfield was along for the ride, writing the seminal rock book STP (Stones Touring Party) — culled from weeks on the road and more than 60 hours of interviews with the band and their entourage. Now, for the first time, Greenfield and fellow STP vet Gary Stromberg share that...

The TMI gang are on summer vacation this week, so they dug through the vaults to present one of their favorite episodes — a story of life, love, and that frozen concoction that helps them hang on. Take a trip to Key West to explore one of the breeziest, booziest songs in existence — and uncover the secret darkness at its core. Jordan and Alex discuss the colorful cast of characters that helped inspire the track, the drug runners who saved Jimmy’s life, and how Elvis Presley nearly wound up...

Our Mexican Pizzas of minutiae make a run for the border this week, covering the history of the perennial late night fast food option, Taco Bell. From its origins in unabashed caucasian theft, the hilarious corporate pettiness that has kept the chain running for decades, the life and legacy of America's favorite ad campaign-affiliated Chihuahua, just where the hell Baja Blast came from (spoiler: not Baja, that's for damn sure), Alex and Jordan serve us a Deluxe Cravings Box of facts. Listen...

Barbie Fever has swept TMI thanks to Greta Gerwig's upcoming film, and Jordan forces Alex to discuss the making of one of the most polarizing hits of the '90s. You'll learn all about the doll's surprisingly scandalous backstory in the German red-light district, the band Aqua’s confounding fixation on Rick Astley, and the lengthy lawsuit that resulted from the hit song, and why it won't appear in the new movie. Alex's hatred of "Barbie Girl" leads to an expansive sidebar on the history of pop...

With a new Indiana Jones movie allegedly out, Alex and Jordan prepare to likewise desecrate a sacred artifact in the spirit of scholarship and/or greed: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'! They'll leave no stone — or idol — unturned as they comb through the minutiae of the film's genesis in a sandcastle-building session between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, marvel at the myriad ways in which Harrison Ford could have been killed while performing most of his own stunts, and reveal just how they...

Jordan and Alex delve into the coming-of-age classic that dares to ask, "Do you guys wanna see a dead body?" You'll learn about the deeply autobiographical Stephen King short story that spawned the script, discover which of the four leads had sex for the first time on the set, and find out which star married a 'Stand By Me' superfan. You'll also hear how River Phoenix's experiences in a cult informed his performance, how the production team pulled off all the grossness with the leeches,...

Alex and Jordan take a wide-ranging look at the life and deeply troubled legacy of '90s television's answer to PT Barnum — and how he made the jump from Cincinnati Mayor to giving a platform to individuals who fetishize Spam and date livestock. (Hint: it involves at least one very public sex scandal.) You'll learn about his Forrest Gump-ish early days at the center of a truly bizarre number of historical events and discover how his first-hand encounters with the London Blitz, RFK's...

Jordan and Alex cruise through the making of a comedy classic that salutes the uniquely American phenomenon of taking a long, arduous road trip to a place that sucks. They'll explore the film's genesis as a John Hughes-penned short story in National Lampoon Magazine all the way up through the multi-million-dollar movie franchise it spawned — including some questionable sequels that mercifully went unproduced. You'll learn all about the epic cross-country shoot that nearly killed several...

Alex and Jordan throw on their skinny jeans, vintage Ts and leather jackets to discuss one of the turn-of-the-century masterpieces of modern rock and roll — a dirtbag opus that taught us that rich kids could, with the right tunes and production, convincingly cosplay as legitimate scuzzbags. You'll learn about the band's privileged beginnings among the upper Manhattan elite (Sean Lennon introduced them at a Swiss prep school!) and then head downtown to the gritty recording sessions for "Last...

Jordan and Alex take a trip to Bluffington to pay tribute to everyone's favorite sweater-vest clad diarist. You'll learn all about the real-life love story behind Doug Funnie and Patti Mayonnaise, the behind-the-scenes drama stemming from the show’s transition from Nick to the House of Mouse, and the controversies that continue to rage concerning Skeeter Valentine's blue skin tone. Plus you'll discover how the creation of Doug was fueled by endless margaritas and a passion for the Peanuts...

Jordan and Alex put the podcast in the basket to talk about one of the all-time masterpieces of horror cinema. Join your well-scrubbed, hustling hosts as they debunk the oft-repeated theory that Anthony Hopkins doesn't blink during this film, celebrate the determination Jodie Foster brought to campaigning for her role, and marvel at all the creepy touches that make the film so great, from its sound design to the Guy Who Handled the Moths. They'll also explore its checkered legacy in the trans...

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...

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...

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...

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...