Check Your Brain

Marty Gitlin is a long-time sportswriter who, by the 2010s, became a prolific author, and not just about sports. He's written many books about a variety of pop culture subjects, but the three discussed on this podcast with Tony Mazur are about breakfast cereals, the greatest sitcoms, and greatest animated cartoon characters.   On this episode of the Check Your Brain podcast, Marty and Tony talk about the sugared cereals of the '60s and '70s and how the "sugar" was dropped from the names, the absurdist and escapist sitcoms, and why Bugs Bunny is everyone's favorite cartoon.   The best way to purchase a Marty Gitlin book is on Etsy at etsy.com/shop/gitlinbooks.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

It's not often Tony Mazur has "in studio" guests, but he made the exception this week by inviting his father, Mark, on the show. But Mark isn't just a podcast host's dad, he's a long-time member of the Cleveland Police Department, where he was on the job from 1981 till 2005. He joined the Check Your Brain podcast to talk about his early career, see how much modern policing has changed, and shared advice for young or perspective members of the force.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Every month or so, long-time friends and collaborators Tony Mazur and Chad Zumock team up on a stream where they go over a bunch of retro junk. This month, they focused on music, from Chris Cornell trying to perform Rage Against the Machine songs to Gary Cherone's time as the lead singer of Van Halen, to the corpse-like stage personas of David Lee Roth and Frankie Valli.   They also provided a legal update on Aaron Imholte, shared their favorite guilty pleasures in music, and tried to sell each other on the Beastie Boys and Queens of the Stone Age.   Chad is back on Patreon at Patreon.com/WorldWarZ.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Four years ago last week, the world learned of the loss of Norm Macdonald to cancer, which shocked everyone, as he had the disease for nearly a decade. In this episode, as a break from the recent seriousness of political violence, Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur looks back at his favorite comic, Norm Macdonald, and some of his favorite moments from the unique late Canadian comedian, from his Weekend Update jokes to his must-see talk show appearances.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

A week ago, Charlie Kirk was assassinated, shot in the throat during a speaking tour in Utah. As of this podcast, we know more about the assassin, including his personal life, the Discord channels he was a part of, and yes, his left-wing political views. Make no mistake about this: Charlie Kirk was murdered because he was a conservative Christian espousing conservative Christian ideas. This was a political assassination, one this country hasn't seen in a half century, and one would think there would be calls to lower the temperature, to tamp down the rhetoric. Sadly, the opposite is the case, as Hasan Piker and Destiny still have large streaming platforms after calling for more political violence up to and including death.   In this episode, Tony Mazur covers it all, from what we know about Tyler Robinson and how the news media is already coddling him, the progressives getting fired for cheering on the assassination, Pam Bondi fumbling everything, and the Boomer who caused the initial distraction after the shooting has been arrested.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.  

On September 10th, 2025, conservative pundit Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a college campus in Utah. A founding member of Turning Point USA, Charlie made a name for himself barnstorming college campuses and encouraging lively and intelligent debate. Sadly, he was killed for the sin of wanting open discourse.   In this free bonus episode, Tony Mazur shares his thoughts on the murder, Charlie’s legacy, what this means for society, and if you’re prepared for what will undoubtedly come next.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.  

Whatever one thinks of Elon Musk these days, his purchase of Twitter in 2022 was a major victory in favor of free speech. Because of that, stories like the horrific stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska won’t be swept under the rug.   X users are now asking the tough questions and having the uncomfortable conversations that were considered too hot for the previous Twitter regime. In a sense, X users are the new media, while the regime media continues to expose themselves as state propagandists.   In this free episode of the Check Your Brain podcast, Tony Mazur looks at how this tragedy is covered by the press and how their first instinct is to blame the MAGA movement (“Republicans pounce”) for noticing. That noticing goes from the patterns of violence in that demographic, as well as how the system continues to let scum like DeCarlos Brown Jr. out of jail after over a dozen arrests.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.  

Week 1 of the NFL season literally kicks off this week, and long-time friend of Tony Mazur's, Rick Morris of FantasyDraftHelp.com, stopped by for a preview. First, he shared his do's and dont's when it comes to picking players for fantasy leagues, and they got into how not only is the NFL a copycat league, but fantasy sports are like that as well. Then Rick gives his predictions for each division and his Super Bowl teams, which were out of left field to some viewers.   Be sure to check out Rick's draft guide, the PDF found here: fantasydrafthelp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/FantasyFootballDraftology2025.pdf   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

If you’ve listened to Tony Mazur’s Check Your Brain podcast since its early years, you may have noticed a shift in his tone and content. That’s no accident. The free weekly podcast used to be more of a standalone show from the solo Patreon episodes, but now the line is blurred. If a guest comes on, it’s because he wants to hear from that person, not a PR guest offered to him.   In this episode, Tony breaks down why he began this metamorphosis since his first shows of early 2021 and how work and lifestyle changes spurred it. Then he talks about topics that are either barely covered or completely ignored by mainstream outlets, and why that is. He explains why the culture war matters, and why certain stories shouldn’t be brushed aside because a reactionary media landscape has moved onto another topic.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

In an episode that crescendos from silly to serious, Check Your Brain's Tony Mazur gets in the Wayback Machine to the early 2010s and covers the phase the West went through with hipsterdom. Hipster culture was exemplified by a phony blue-collar motif, making practical things slightly worse, and listening to terrible music like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons (hence "stomp, clap, hey"). It's more of a mirror into the sad lives many 1980s-born Millennials have experienced and are currently experiencing, through some fault of their own.   But it's not all serious, as Tony talks about his recent string of odd concerts he has seen.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Chad Zumock is a comedian, podcaster, and very frequent guest of the Check Your Brain podcast. However, the vast majority of those appearances are done remotely, with Chad being in Florida and Tony Mazur up in Ohio. But Chad stopped over Tony's house, and they riffed on how the Z-Man gets under peoples' skin, the goals in comedy changing, who he's at war with online, and a tribute to Ryne Sandberg and the 1980s WGN Chicago Cubs.   Chad is back on Patreon, as his last account was nuked. The link is https://www.patreon.com/WorldWarZ.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Adam Koehler is an entrepreneur from the Cincinnati area (specifically Price Hill) who is more than upset with what is going on in his home city of late. He joined Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast to blast city leaders and their backwards and divisive mindset. Of course, they addressed the continued fallout from the brawl in downtown Cincinnati that occurred two weekends ago, from the DEI police chief to councilmembers believing the white family deserved to get beaten.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Courtney Allen is a fellow podcaster and political commentator, and is the host of Patriot Strong. She is based in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, where a brutal racialized beatdown occurred last Friday night at 4th and Elm downtown. Courtney talked to Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast about the crime rates in the Queen City and how she and her husband refuse to head downtown these days. They also touched on other topics such as the Epstein files and the first six months of the second Trump Administration.   Courtney Allen is a fellow podcaster and political commentator, and is the host of Patriot Strong. She is based in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, where a brutal racialized beatdown occurred last Friday night at 4th and Elm downtown. Courtney talked to Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast about the crime rates in the Queen City and how she and her husband refuse to head downtown these days. They also touched on other topics such as the Epstein files and the first six months of the second Trump Administration.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

Rick Morris is the proprietor of FantasyDraftHelp.com and main dignitary of The FDH Lounge, a freeform place to talk about whatever Rick is interested in. Recently, he invited Tony Mazur onto his show about the halfway point in the Major League Baseball season, so here is that conversation.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.

George Chiger is a competitive eater hailing from the Poconos region of Pennsylvania and is a top 20 eater in the world. He joined Tony Mazur on the Check Your Brain podcast fresh off competing in the Nathan's Hot Dog Contest in Coney Island to talk about his eating and training process, and if a normal person has what it takes.   George is all over social media, and in September, he will be in Buffalo chowing down wings and shoveling poutine in his mouth up in Canada the week after.   Be sure to subscribe to Tony's Patreon. $3 gets you just audio, $5 gets video AND audio, and $10 has all of the above, as well as bonus podcasts per week. Visit Patreon.com/TonyMazur. Tony is also on Rumble! Go find his video podcasts over there for free.   Cover art for the Check Your Brain podcast is by Eric C. Fischer. If you need terrific graphic design work done, contact Eric at illstr8r@gmail.com.