Mind Gap

This week Doug and Justin are tackling the topic of fake news articles and their perceived proliferation. The guys kick things off by talking how gross people are when it comes to public bathrooms but soon course correct to get on topic. The main article discussed is Pizza-Gate which leads to the question, "have we gone backwards in time in regards to believing everything we hear?" The heroes pivo...

Doug and Justin sit down to talk about the infamous Jennifer Boyle, who threw a tantrum at a Michael's store around Thanksgiving.. The heroes discuss the details of the meltdown and then share some personal stories about their own experiences working in customer service. They then discuss how the internet mob grabbed on to this story and began releasing her personal information. Doug ponders how f...

Comedian and writer Sam Koch returns to Mind Gap to chat with Justin and Doug about the upcoming movie, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . Things start with a breakdown of Episode VII: The Force Awakens , where the trio discuss what they believe they got right and wrong. Then the heroes talk about the Rogue One trailers, what details they gleaned from them, the tone, and what they hope to see in the m...

With the movie industry's blockbuster season deep in the rearview mirror for 2016, Justin and Doug take a look at the upcoming movie releases with hopes of some fine entertainment. The duo give their thoughts on movies such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Moana , Office Christmas Party , Rogue One: A Star Wars Story , La La Land , Assassin's Creed , A Monster Calls and more! Things ar...

Human resources manager, 90s rap aficionado, and great friend Jill Cochrane was gracious enough to spend time with Justin and Doug this week to talk about the 2016 presidential election. Everyone and their Mom has had an opinion about this election and these three amigos decide to sit down and talk about how they feel about everything. There's a lot to consume and digest on the Internet and social...

Doug and Justin get together this week to talk about the cyber attack on Dyn servers in the previous weeks which caused several prominent websites to go down. This was a special day for Justin and his day job. Doug asks if users of technology should be held responsible when hackers take over their equipment for malicious use. How much should consumers be required to know about the technology befor...

Anthony LeBlanc joins the podcast this week! Anthony is a comedian, writer, former Second City Mainstage performer, resident Second City director, and fellow nerd. Naturally, he fits in well with Justin and Doug as they discuss whether AI could exist and how exactly it would function, choosing comedy over going into space, and creating something that will affect people and lead to change. Anthony...

Longtime friend of the show and connoisseur of all things Halloween related, Drew Dull is back to talk with Doug and Justin about the scariest moments in their lives. The three amigos discuss a myriad of memories including auto related scares, attempting but failing to scare other people, and ninja-Doug almost getting caught by his dad after attempting some late-night shenanigans. Things are wrapp...

This week Justin and Doug dig into the recent conspiracy theory that the data and coverage of hurricane Matthew was overstated as a means to promote the climate change agenda. This leads down a rabbit hole where the two heroes discuss Elliot Rodger, the New World Order, climate change, and finally Alex Jones. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down with Matt Drudge vs. Alex Jones.

Stand up comedian, improviser, and rap artist Matt Baker joins Doug and Justin to talk about leaving a legacy. Things start off with Justin and Matt teaching Doug the difference between rap and hip-hop and then the trio discuss Matt's album Ed Norton Hears a Who and some of the fan feedback he's received. The heroes then discuss if the concept of a legacy is a more masculine idea, what sort of leg...

Comedian, fellow podcaster, history buff, and owner/founder of the internet magazine, The Blowhard , Dylan Shearer stopped by to chat with Doug and Justin about the 2016 presidential election. The three heroes talk about the battleground states, political ads, the rise of Donald Trump through the election, and how to make a change in the political system. Doug asks if we still need elected represe...

Doug finally convinced Justin to sit down and watch the movie Predestination and break it down. Obviously, there are massive spoilers here, so go watch the movie first. Doug and Justin discuss what they liked, what was confusing, and what they would have changed. Things are wrapped up with a throw-down between Tom Cruise's character from The Last Samurai vs. Matt Damon's character from the upcomin...

Comedian and writer Shelby Quinn visited the podcast to talk about casting choices in movies today. The trio start out discussing the good and bad tendencies of TV shows today. Doug brings up the collective "nerd butthurt" over the casting of Zendaya as Mary Jane in the upcoming Spider-Man movie and the heroes dig into why people get upset over these choices. The three amigos then talk about odd c...

Very funny comedian and writer Jess DeBacco joins Justin and Doug this week to talk about patriotism in America. Jess tells a great story about moving to Chicago and getting a job as a census taker. Doug brings up the Rio Olympics and the trio briefly wander down the great "Is it a sport?" debate, because, you know, we had to. Doug mentions the story about how Gabby Douglas did not put her hand ov...

Improv teacher, performer, and theater owner Rance Rizzutto joins Justin and Doug this week at the iO Theater in Chicago to talk about masculinity in society. Rance gives some insight as to the types of people and expressions of masculinity he's seen while teaching comedy over the years. Doug references the documentary, The Mask I Live In , and asks everyone if they can remember the first time som...

Pam Austria joins Justin and Doug this week to talk about some of the best and worst special effects in movies. Pam shares some great stories from working as Production Assistant and Visual Effects Coordinator on films like Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending with the Wachowskis. Some of the movies discussed for visual and practical effects are Jumanji, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic Park,...

Improviser and writer Carly Heiser came by to chat with Doug and Justin about editing your baby's genes, implanting technology into your brain to enhance your abilities, and using synthetic blood. The trio discuss whether or not they would consider editing their children's genes if it meant they would be healthier and then contemplate whether they would be willing to use an organ that was grown in...

Musician, nerd, and vinyl record seller Colby Robinson stops by the podcast to talk about a slew of topics with Doug and Justin. Colby and Doug reminisce about their regrettable lyrics for one of their songs they wrote in their cover band in high school. Justin ponders if VHS tapes will make a comeback like vinyl records. The trio discuss why they think vinyl records have survived and seen a resur...

We're one year old!! To celebrate, actor, comedian, and dancer Chelsea Dàvid visited the podcast to talk to Justin and Doug about our behavior online and how much we should be held accountable for our actions. The three heroes talk about how Patton Oswalt is the true winner and champion of Twitter and social media. Chelsea discusses how she tries to be as positive as possible on Facebook by postin...

DC super-fan and good friend of the podcast, Rob Ballmaier returns to Mind Gap to atone for predicting the success of Batman v Superman on Episode 32 and to help Justin and Doug break down what the DC Extended Universe has in store for the world. The three heros discuss the recently released Comic-Con trailers for Wonder Woman , Justice League , and Suicide Squad . Then, Rob boldly doubles down as...

Podcaster and bartender Milos Stevanovic visited Mind Gap once again and this time it was to chat with Doug and Justin about the new Jason Bourne movie that's hitting theaters July 29. The three heroes break down the previous Bourne movies in great detail, so spoiler alert if you haven't seen those yet (shame on you!). The boys debate whether they should be concerned or hopeful about the newest in...

Comedian, writer, and actress Maggie Smith joins Justin and Doug to discuss whether violence in entertainment has a negative effect on society. Once Doug and Justin finish comparing themselves to Disney and learning that Maggie attended school with the Prince of Bahrain, the three dive into their main topic by taking a look at violence in video games and movies. They also debate if violence in our...

Justin and Doug fly solo this week and begin by briefly talking about stand-up comedian Jim Jefferies' newest special, Freedumb and then talk about how society seems obsessed with hopping online after tragedies to offer their thoughts and prayers. Doug gives a pretty terrible description of how Pokemon Go works and asks Justin if it's okay to post about fun things on social media when terrible eve...

Fellow nerd, movie buff, and comic book aficionado Eric Lee joined Justin and Doug to finally answer the question we know you've all been asking: which fictional character would be the best candidate for President of the United States? Each hero provided three options and out of those nine candidates, one was chosen. Was it Scrooge McDuck or possibly Michonne from Walking Dead? Could it be Batman...

Comedian, writer, and father Aaron Moser joins the podcast this week to talk to Doug and Justin about being a parent in society today. Aaron provides his advice on how to make time to be both a comedian and a parent, what it takes to raise a good kid, and what it feels like when you lose your child in a public space. The three heroes discuss the killing of Harambe the gorilla and then debate wheth...