Mike Danforth
Appearances
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
So you could see the other kids yawning?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Yeah.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Oh, my. What class was it, Clementine, that was so boring that the teacher yawned?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Have you, have you had, have you had this experience before where you've seen someone yawn and then you yourself have yawned?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Oh really? Do you, when else has it happened?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Yeah. And is your mom there right now? Did she hear you say that? And did she yawn?
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
And if you're tired, now feels like a good time to take a nap. Really, for any of us.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
It all makes sense. It makes sense. There is so much yawning that happened a few minutes ago that it's natural. It feels natural to take a nap.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
All right, we have looked into this, and we discovered someone who has researched yawns. It's Mariska Kret, who we actually talked to a few episodes ago.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Yeah, email. Send us the time where you first yawned. And we're going to keep track of all the yawns that we've created here among the audience.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
We can create a global yawn map.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
That's so interesting. Do we know what Darwin was afraid of?
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Really?
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Is yawning contagious between species? Like if my cat yawns and I see it, am I likely also to yawn?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Oh, interesting. Okay.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
I wonder, would that be a good way if you're on a date with somebody that you're just getting to know and you want to see, is that a good test to yawn and see if that person yawns? And if they don't yawn, there's a pretty good chance they're a psychopath.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Really?
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
That's not encouraging.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Well, that does it for this week's show. What'd you learn, Ian?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
But it seems antithetical to a threat coming that you should yawn.
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
You're sending a message that you're not afraid, too. So not only does it calm your mind, but it also gets in the head, maybe, of the person who's coming at you.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Right before it eats you.
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
I'm going to try that like the next time I go out to eat, right? Or I'm at a bakery and I can just get that smell. It just go all out, just wide-eyed, open my mouth, just suck it all in and see how that enhances the experience.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
How to Do Everything is produced by Hinesh Ravastava with technical direction from Lorna White.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Once again, get us your questions. You can send them to us at howtoatnpr.org.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Let me ask you this question, then. Has anyone ever heckled you from stage, and you've, like, they were right?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Okay, okay. So that's the attitude we should adopt when it comes to Ed and his, like you guys would have a clue, email. Yeah. Like, you guys would have a clue.
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
That's your impenetrable armor? Just terrible self-esteem. That's it, huh? Take that, Ed. This is How to Do Everything. I'm Mike.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
But first, hey, Mary, what can we help you with?
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HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
And yet... Have you had that experience of hearing yourself on tape?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Can you do an impression of how you sound when you hear yourself?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
James Austin Johnson does a bunch of impressions on Saturday Night Live. You probably know him for Donald Trump.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
So what's that process like then when you're honing a voice or an impression?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Hello. Hello, Pat. Hey. Hey, it's Mike and Ian from NPR's How to Do Everything calling. Hey, how you doing, man? We got a couple emails from you, our listeners, and we weren't exactly sure how to respond. So we're calling up comedian Pat Noswalt.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Oh, that's great. Well, James, thank you so much for talking to us and for helping Mary out. Yeah, you got it.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
James Austin Johnson is a cast member on Saturday Night Live. SNL returns with an all-new episode this Saturday and will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a primetime special on Sunday, February 16th, live on NBC and on Peacock. Do you have Peacock, Ian?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
The range we heard when it comes to the guesses was as many as seven or 21 moans.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
And you'll soon have a t-shirt rewarding you for that dinosaur ear. This is, of course, our last episode of this season, but we're still, our email box still works. So if you have questions, you can send them to us at howtoatnpr.org. We will still be reading those emails.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
Yeah, for those of you who like this show and also like Zoom meetings...
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
We're pretty sure we're being heckled.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Hey, if you have a question you'd like us to answer, you can send it to us. We have one show left. What episode left to answer your questions? Send them to us at howtoatnpr.org.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Don't worry about it.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
And if you're still considering it, please don't get in the fridge.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
The sun set there on November 18th, and it won't come up again until January 22nd.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Denis Barkats is an astrophysicist who wintered over in Antarctica... Denis, can you tell us what your experience was like? Sure.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Well, that does it for this week's show. What'd you learn, Ian?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Yeah, yeah, it makes sense, because gross.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
You'd bring in a beehive in your house.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
People are placing money bets. We have a range of guesses for what the possible answer is.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Again, only the parts they can carry. How to Do Everything is produced by Hina Srivastava with technical direction by Lorna White.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
And I'm Mike. Thanks.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Hey, it's Mike and Ian calling. How are you?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Hey there. Hey, Caitlin. Well, we have an answer.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Do you want to restate what your guesses are?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
So let's get the answer. Dr. Treanor, can you start by telling us how you're qualified to answer Maureen's question?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Don't go in the fridge.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
So what do you think, Dr. Treanor? What's the answer?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Whoa. How... Wait a minute, though. You said the parts they... Can't remove. What parts can they remove?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
So it's like a little... So propolis is a... No, go ahead.
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HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
All right. Thank you, Dr. Traynor, for helping settle this for Maureen. This is fantastic.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
So joining us now to answer as many of your questions as we can get to is a very qualified expert. It's Jesse Eisenberg. He's a writer, director, co-star of the new film, A Real Pain.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Do you, Jesse, have an experience or a memory of a specific time that woke you up in the middle of the night when you remember like, oh man, why did I keep talking like that?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
This is How to Do Everything. I'm Mike.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Wow. Okay. But as a type of therapy, that doesn't work, I guess, because it still sticks with you.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
All right, let me find another question here that is, again, shouldn't have any trauma associated with it. Okay. This is from a listener named Reagan. How do I get the mildew smell out of jeans? Do you have any good laundry hacks?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Let me ask you this question. How clean—again, this is not meant to be a personal question, but do you regularly clean your refrigerator and freezer? Like, is your freezer in pretty good shape?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Hey, just interrupting the interview real quick to say absolutely do not get in that fridge. That is a terrible idea. Whatever you do, don't get in that fridge. We just have to kind of explore this. So do you just push and the door opens or are you ever trapped in there?
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
For anyone listening who's heard what Jesse has to say, we want to tell you, please don't get in your fridge. Don't go in there.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
HTDE: Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Jesse Eisenberg, he's great. You love his movies. Terrific director. He's terrible at suggesting places to go inside.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR
It's a theatrical shock rock, shock heavy metal band that is very performative on stage. And we are satirical, funny, theatrical show that involves a lot of costuming and set pieces and phony executions.
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WWDTM: GWAR
We're also from outer space, though. We have a more narrative.
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WWDTM: GWAR
Gore's a band of extraterrestrial war gods that has been banished to the planet Earth for all the crimes they committed in outer space.
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WWDTM: GWAR
I was the third Jaws of Death. There had been a couple incarnations because the first few shows that Gore played, it was just a collective of whatever artists and musicians they could grab from VCU and the surrounding areas to throw on these costumes and do a show.
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WWDTM: GWAR
So originally, I was Beefcake the Mighty, who was the bass player.
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WWDTM: GWAR
Yeah, and I did create the character along with Don Drakulic, who's one of the artists in the band. You know, just sort of developed it over time. Now I am the singer, following the passing of the original lead singer, Dave Brockie, who everybody knows and loves. And I came back, and now I play the Berserker Blothar.
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
WWDTM: GWAR
It's really odd. We usually have the characters to put on and to hide behind, and so we always know how to behave. We never really had to just be ourselves. Right.
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WWDTM: GWAR
No, they made us go around the whole studios, and I think Michael was on... What were they recording?
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WWDTM: GWAR
Do they recognize you? We'll get people in there all the time. I'll be bartending, and people will come up and ask me, like, so do the guys in GWAR ever hang out here? And I'm always like, not very often. No.
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WWDTM: GWAR
But I know that they have strict rules against fraternization between the players. So I'm thinking it's the he broke his toes.
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WWDTM: GWAR
Well, it sounds like a very gore answer. So having the rubber dummy of the opposing quarterback is...
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WWDTM: GWAR
I don't know. Cats don't have a super sensitive smell like dogs.
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WWDTM: GWAR
Well, they've got that thing where they go... All right, all right.
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WWDTM: GWAR
We're trusting these people are obviously more intelligent than us.