Tom Thakkar is my Cool Friend, and he's one of the most effortlessly funny people I've ever met. You might recognize him from his appearances on the Tonight Show, Conan, Comics Unleashed, Comedy Central, and so much more! We play softball together and it's fun! And you know, one of the best parts about doing an episode with a comedian is you never know where it's going to go, and this is definitely one of those episodes. The direction this went is truly a delight!Tom has a great new project lined up that we talk about on here, and I'm stoked to give it a listen, so please enjoy the show, follow @TomThakkar everywhere, go see him live, and head on over to patreon.com/jeffmay for early access to uncensored episodes, exclusive shows, and you can enjoy exclusive content on this episode we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

Join mega nerds Dre Alvarez and Jeff May as they geek out on a different nerdy cultural touchstone every month. Part reminiscence, part historical deep dive. This month, Dre and Jeff finish their season on "Poorly Disguised Toy Commercials" with the first ever company-wide comics crossover, 1984's Secret Wars.There's a lot to unpack about this desperate attempt for Mattel to stay relevant, so let's figuratively smash some toys together, accidentally create one of the most iconic costumes in comics history (that was created by someone else), and create a precedent that will be followed for decades as we dive into the final episode of our "Ploys 'R' Us" season (name courtesy of Logan Trent)And, of course, don't forget to follow Dre (@nerdnumbers) Jeff (@heytherejeffro2 or @heytherejeffro) and have a nerdy day!

Chris Ward is one of the most interesting people I know, and I've been trying to get him on the show for YEARS. Well, I got him. Chris got his start working for Wizard Magazine in the early 2000's, and has embarked on a life full of twists, turns, and pinball. His story is rich and wonderful, and I'm so grateful to have Chris as a friend. I met him before I knew him. I've slept on his couch. We both got pretty into pinball around the same time, in different time zones (although he's MUCH better at it than I). And, most recently, Chris has started making incredible pinball-themed videos on his Youtube that are just fantastic. Chris is funny, insightful, brilliant, and one of my Coolest Friends, and I'm so grateful to have him on the show and in my life. So enjoy the episode, follow Chris on the socials (@WardCrap) and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay enjoy the EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

My latest Cool Friend is the amazing Emy Lacroix Halle, and we have maybe the most unique friendship of the show so far. You see, while Emy and I are friends, (we message back and forth, have coffee/tea occasionally, and generally are good buds), she's also one of my former students! And while she's not my first guest that was one of my students (see episode 8), she's definitely my closest. We've been friends since for quite some time, with our previous relationship not really playing a factor whatsoever. Her time in LA has led to Emy having lots of interesting jobs, from TMZ, to various publishers, to her newest venture, Hobby Hopping with Emy, her Instagram account that has recently caught fire. She's an expert on doing a hobby, and I'm in awe of her. And guess what, YOU PATRONS got your questions answered.So please enjoy this episode, follow @HobbyHoppingWithEmy on Instagram, and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy early access to uncensored episodes, exclusive shows, and Patreon-exclusive content on THIS EPISODE we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

Join mega nerds Dre Alvarez and Jeff May as they geek out on a different nerdy cultural touchstone every month. Part reminiscence, part historical deep dive. This month, Dre and Jeff continue their season on "Poorly Disguised Toy Commercials" with the myriad of comic books based on GI Joe: A Real American Hero.There's a lot to unpack about this wildly divergent GI Joe property designed exclusively to sell tiny plastic men, so let's rehabilitate a failed Nick Fury pitch, accidentally create one of the most iconic issues in comics history, and show the horrors of war to 8-year olds as we dive into the second episode of our "Ploys 'R' Us" season (name courtesy of Logan Trent)And, of course, don't forget to follow Dre (@nerdnumbers) Jeff (@heytherejeffro2 or @heytherejeffro) and have a nerdy day!

OK, what EXACTLY does a Film Producer do? Honestly, I don't know. You know who does? My incredible Cool Friend Lauren Bancroft. Probably because she is one. She also happens to be one of my first friends in comedy, as we met in the Summer of 2012, right when my comedy career was in its infancy. Lauren is a fascinating, hilarious, and talented woman that I'm proud to call my friend. Lauren has led a fascinating life, taking a bunch of twists and turns along the way, and she answers a lot of my questions about, you know, her job. WHAT IS A PRODUCER??? She explains all of the different kinds, and makes me feel just a little less stupid about it. She teaches people what's up on her amazing instagram (@Bancroffed) and has an incredible website (bancroffedinc.com), and you should check both of those spots out!So enjoy, follow Lauren, learn some cool stuff, and hea on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy early access to uncensored episodes, exclusive, and bonus content we record JUST FOR PATRONS!

This was the scariest and, ultimately, my favorite episode I think I've ever done? Not much to write here; I interviewed my mom. Enjoy, and head to patreon.com/jeffmay for even more (and uncensored) MOM-tent!

I see, in my latest Cool Friend, the inimitable Mike Drucker, a kindred spirit. A nerdy iron forged strong in the fires of adolescent derision and sadness. Mike is the kind of guy who has created so much of my favorite art, such as his brilliant tweets over the years, his wonderful memoir "Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games," countless late night jokes that have garnered him countless Emmy and WGA Award nominations, and his incredible live show "Shit Arcade," which will be celebrating a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August! I'm gonna be honest: I have no chill in this episode. I really admire Mike, and recognize him as the guy I would've sat with at lunch in school every day. I think people you appreciate should know it, so here we are. Enjoy the episode. Follow Mike on social media (if you somehow haven't already), go pickup (or download) Good Game, No Rematch, and head on over to Patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy, among any other things, the exclusive content we recorded JUST FOR PATRONS!

Join mega nerds Dre Alvarez and Jeff May as they geek out on a different nerdy cultural touchstone every month. Part reminiscence, part historical deep dive. This month, Dre and Jeff are joined by You Gotta Check This Out's Mike Slater as they begin their season on "Poorly Disguised Toy Commercials" with 1985's He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword.AND we got a Special Intro Cover theme by our incredible guest Mike Slater!There's a lot to unpack about this Theatrically-Released Frankenstein of Episodes designed exclusively to sell dolls, so let's be devoid of any ounce of personality whatsoever, cast a magical Infant-Forgetting spell, and be deeply inconsistent with our toy-production decisions as we dive into the first episode of our "Ploys 'R' Us" season (name courtesy of Logan Trent)And, of course, don't forget to follow Dre (@nerdnumbers) Jeff (@heytherejeffro2 or @heytherejeffro) and Mike (@Slatron11) on the socials, check out MikeSlater.com for more from our incredible guest, and have a nerdy day!

My latest Cool Friend is the incredible comedian/actor/writer/genius James Adomian. You might recognize him from his many television and live appearances where he's impersonated folks like Mike Lindell and Bernie Sanders. You also might recognize him as Harley Quinn's BANE! While I've known James for a few years now, I wasn't sure I KNEW him, so this has been an episode about learning how someone becomes a James Adomian, and it was an incredible episode to record and present to you. I shall say no more.Enjoy it, go follow @jadomian, and head on over to patreon.com/jeffmay to enjoy early access to uncensored episodes, exclusive podcasts, and even exclusive content on this episode we recorded JUST FOR YOU PATRONS!