Connect More

The Connect More crew
  • 4.9 (10)
  • Society & Culture
  • Weekly

This 2026 Signal Award-winning podcast features four pals who’ve known each other for decades, swapping stories of shared experiences, new adventures, and recurring nightmares. Connect More is a Gen X variety show about the things that connect us: music, family, work, friendship, food, sports, politics, pop culture, and the stories that remind us where we came from. Every episode mixes humor, honest conversation, good-natured ribbing, and the occasional spirited debate. Consider this your reminder to ‘connect more’ with your circle of friends. Pull up a chair! New episodes weekly!

  1. 8h ago

    Happy Halloweenus, kids! It's a real horror show!

    The air is crisp, leaves are turning, and GenX'ers everywhere are putting the final touches on their tasteless, offensive costumes. It can only mean one thing: Halloweenus! This could get scary. Ween's hilarious and award-winning costumes are well-documented, but the rest of the boys get into the act, too. From obscure TV cops to cartoon burger-flippers to mailboxes, we've had some good ones over the years. Not to be out-done, Ween reveals several more of his head-turning designs that had everyone shaking their heads in stunned silence. And lots of laughs. Keeping the spooky vibe alive, we dive deeper into what scares us, sharing our unique fright factors. Let's just say that Dr. Zaius parachuting out of a plane, landing on a motorcycle and raging through the neighborhood with a bunch of other apes would scare the crap out of 3/4 of the Connect More crew. Is there a better way to celebrate the season than a good scary movie? We have a pretty wide range of favorites, from old classics to more modern horror. We debate the value of a good jump-scare vs the more gruesome and gory movies that have become more popular lately. What's your favorite? For the whiparound we argue a bit about our favorite Halloween songs. Jax picked a pretty obvious one, but the other fellows uncovered a few lesser-known gems. Tune in and possibly discover a new favorite Halloween song.

  2. Oct 24

    Throw down on Contestant's Row? Mary Hynek joins The Roundtable!

    Pull up a chair at the Connect More Roundtable! Sometimes we need to slow down a bit, get more conversational, and build a deeper connection with the cool people in our lives. This week we're sitting down with one of our favorite people on the planet, the legendary Mary Hynek! We've known Mary for over 40 years, so she's one of the only people who saw all of us we were just young 'uns (and way before we all knew each other!) She was the school nurse at Prairie where Ween, Joco, and John went to school, and she was the Director at YMCA Camp Wapsie where Jax worked in the early '90s. Mary lived outside Iowa for over 20 years after she retired from Camp Wapsie and we haven't always stayed in close touch, so this was our chance to reconnect and catch up. Mary is a great story-teller and advice-giver, so get out your scorecards to keep track of all the crazy subjects we covered: antagonizing nuns at Mt. Mercy, the Old Gray Mare, riding her Harley motorcycle, teaching teens about emotional intelligence, Sloppy Joe food poisoning, cheerleading, staring down hardened criminals, and being a good boss. It's always been hard to keep up with Mary! Be sure to check our socials (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) for some footage of Mary getting ready to drop the gloves and take a swing at some lady on Contestant's Row on "The Price Is Right." Unlike everything else on that show, this footage is priceless. We'd also love to hear from some of you about your memories of Mary! Drop us an email at cnxmorepod@gmail.com or post on our socials. There are a MILLION Mary stories out there. Tell us some good ones!

  3. Oct 17

    Drop your shorts and bend over, Mr. Babar: GenX Men's Health

    You're going to a dinner party and they tell you not to bring anything. What do you do? Still bring something? Obey the wishes of your host...but what if you're the only one that doesn't bring something? It's touchy, right?? Now we just have to get invited to a party... A few weeks ago we discussed movies we haven't seen that everyone else loves. Let's flip that around: What are our favorites that most other folks seem to have missed? The rollcall of actors starring in these films includes Spencer Tracy, Kathleen Turner, Colin Farrell, Steve Martin, Luke Wilson, and...Don Johnson? Grab a pencil and add these hidden gems to your list (right ahead of Shawshank Redemption, of course). Next we go in for our annual check-up. How are we approaching our health (both physical and mental) as we age? We've learned lots of lessons from friends and family about what to do (or not do) to keep ourselves healthy so we're around for each other and the people we love. Jocó has some harrowing stories about how workplace health programs caught some problems before they became fatal, and John shares lessons learned from working in the health field and his own journey of sobriety. Ween's family provides motivation to take care of himself, both his immediate family and his sister who pushes him in the right direction. Jax is gonna Jax, but even he has a new exercise routine and is making more investments in his well-being. How has your approach to wellness changed over the years?For the whip-around we revisit a Connect More classic: Ear Worms! What songs just won't. Leave. Your. Head. Classic rock, 1990s pop, '80s slop, and a few modern catchy current tunes all make an appearance. To see the running list of all the Connect More ear worms check out our Ear Worm Playlist on Spotify. Proceed with caution: You might not get rid of these for a while!

  4. Oct 10

    Rod Stewart & Reptiles: Tina VL joins The Roundtable!

    Welcome to our very first Connect More Roundtable! Sometimes we need to slow down a bit, get more conversational, and build a deeper connection with the cool people in our lives. This week we're sitting down with Connect More superfan Tina Van Lancker! She's in Omaha now and we don't see her that often, so this was a great chance to reconnect and catch up. Because she happens to be Joco's sister, we all have a long history with Tina! Given the length of time we've known her, we had plenty of ammunition to give her some serious sh!t, but we also learned a lot about what it was like growing up in the Van Lancker household. From pranks to pets, we had had a fun, wide-ranging discussion. Hang that Andy Gibb poster on the wall, put "Blondes Have More Fun" on the turntable, and enjoy our first Roundtable discussion. Who else should we invite to the Roundtable? Send us an email at cnxmorepod@gmail.com with your suggestions, or start a conversation about good guests on our Facebook or Instagram pages. We LOVE hearing from our listeners!

  5. Oct 3

    CAMELOT! [it's only a model...but it was our favorite old-school record store!]

    In the Midwest we don't keep our junk in tha trunk...we keep it in the drawer! This topic got a bit controversial because apparently there are regions of the US where people don't have junk drawers (or won't admit it?) What's in YOUR junk drawer? Wear it with pride, Midwesterners! In a pre-streaming age, we all spent a lot of time at the mall record store. For new LPs, we usually went to Camelot or Musicland, but we also review some of the great used vinyls stores scattered across the state. It was lots of fun to hear about John's time behind the counter at Camelot, getting judgmental about the choices of the uncool, uninformed rabble. "In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again." When's the last time you emulated Alice and went down a rabbit hole? The boys describe some topics that dragged them down into the depths, clicking link after link, spiraling out of control. Data centers, old-timey photos, fantasy football research, and baseball stats are among the things that sucked us in. “Curiouser and curiouser!” "The name is Round. Whippa Round." From Connect More with love, we bring you...our favorite James Bond villains. From the earliest days of the 007 films up to the present day, we zero in on what makes these bad dudes so much fun to hate. As always, we'd love to hear your pick for best Bond villain. Hit us up in the Spotify comments, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram.

  6. Sep 26

    If you build a cryptid, they will come! What horrors lurk in the Iowa countryside?

    Many states have a beloved 'cryptid' like Bigfoot or Mothman that is their claim to fame. What should be Iowa's signature cryptid? What type of secretive creature do the boys think might be slinking around in our state, hiding in the shadows, impossible to photograph? Spoiler alert: several of them involve corn. What are your thoughts about elusive Iowa creatures? Let us know if the Spotify comments, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

  7. Sep 19

    You haven't seen WHAT?!? Popular movies that we somehow missed

    Does every guy in the world think he's an expert at stacking dishes into the dishwasher? Apparently so. It's not hard, people. Maybe give it a quick rinse, then wedge it right in there. No, it doesn't need to soak in the sink. Just put it in there. As our loyal listeners know, we like a good movie. But even movie buffs occasionally miss one along the way. The boys confess about the wildly popular movies they've somehow never seen and throw some serious shade onto a few much-loved classics. We don't want to spoil things too much, but life isn't always like a box of chocolates, and sometimes your heart will not go on. Next, we get building with some memories about LEGO and how the beloved construction toys have changed over the course of our lifetimes. We played with them as children, and now our own kids are into it. But is it the same? Like most things, weren't they better when we were kids? We close things out with a quick whiparound about our favorite Looney Tunes characters. We all knew Joco was going to pick that big, sassy rooster, but what about the other guys? Who is your favorite member of the Looney Tune gang? Hit us up in the comments or leave a note on social media. And...th-th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!

  8. Sep 12

    Tiny Homes & Van Life? Eh, maybe.

    Our PRUducer may have bitten off more than she could chew with her latest questions for us: "How do you feel about van life & tiny homes? Could you do it? Would you??" We stayed on track for the most part as we dissected what our lives would look like in a tiny home (perhaps) or van life (eff no). Then...we veered into some dark territory with some harrowing stories about those long family road trip "vacations" that we took in the '70s & '80s. Let's just say that Clark Griswold looks like Father of the Year compared to what happened to Jax's family on one of their excursions. Yikes. DISCLAIMER: No little sisters were physically harmed during the stories recalled in this episode. Emotional scars? That's a whole other thing...

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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

This 2026 Signal Award-winning podcast features four pals who’ve known each other for decades, swapping stories of shared experiences, new adventures, and recurring nightmares. Connect More is a Gen X variety show about the things that connect us: music, family, work, friendship, food, sports, politics, pop culture, and the stories that remind us where we came from. Every episode mixes humor, honest conversation, good-natured ribbing, and the occasional spirited debate. Consider this your reminder to ‘connect more’ with your circle of friends. Pull up a chair! New episodes weekly!

Information

  • Creator
    The Connect More crew
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Connect More crew
  • Show Website
    Connect More

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