Comedian Vedaul Peters joins Matt and Paige for a two-and-a-half-hour conversation about the Detroit comedy scene, bombing on stage, getting heckled, and trying to make a name for yourself in stand-up. Vedaul talks about his first experiences with mushrooms and acid, writing movie scripts and skits, experimenting with improv, and preparing for the Detroit to Austin comedy competition.

Plus, we talk about bizarre open mic performances, accidentally turning conversations into bits, getting names butchered, and why sometimes the funniest thing you can do on stage is completely fuck up your own joke.

It's Episode 81 of Good Times, Noodle Salad. Enjoy!

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For Episode #80 of Good Times, Noodle Salad, Matt sits down with members of Funderbird to talk music, skateboarding, Detroit-area venues, getting older, and somehow still finding time to make shit happen.

Funderbird started out playing covers before moving into their own original music, and they're now up to 14 original songs and several years of playing shows around Southeast Michigan. The conversation gets into how the band came together, their first shows, the challenges of keeping a band going when everyone has jobs and families, and what it's like to start playing live music later in life.

Things inevitably spiral into a massive skateboarding rabbit hole, including Metrotrend, old Pontiac venues, Detroit's skate scene, building skate parks, and the DIY mentality that carried from skating into music.

It's a very Good Times, Noodle Salad episode: music, local history, parenting, skateboarding, bad decisions, and a whole lot of malarky.

Follow Funderbird and check out their music on Spotify, and as always, thanks for listening to Good Times, Noodle Salad.

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In Episode 79 of Good Times, Noodle Salad, Matt sits down one-on-one with James Christiani, the creator behind No Flock in Troy, to talk about the growing controversy surrounding Flock Safety cameras and automatic license plate readers.

James breaks down how Flock cameras work, why he believes they represent a major threat to privacy and personal freedom, and what he's uncovered while pushing back against their use in Troy and communities across Michigan. The conversation covers police misuse of surveillance technology, tracking people's movements, warrantless searches, false identifications, government accountability, hidden cameras, drones, and the potential expansion of mass surveillance far beyond simply reading license plates.

Matt and James also get into the political divide surrounding surveillance, the Patriot Act, abortion and interstate travel, cannabis, the role of private companies in government surveillance, and whether technology designed to prevent crime can ultimately give authorities too much power. They also discuss some of the victories communities have already had in getting Flock cameras removed and why James believes public pressure can actually make a difference.
It's a conversation about privacy, technology, government power, and the uncomfortable question of just how much surveillance we're willing to accept in the name of safety.

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