Origins of Chicago Party Aunt

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Hi everybody and welcome to today’s episode of Attendance Bias. I am your host, Brian Weinstein. Before we get started, I want to remind you  that you can support Attendance Bias by going to www.buymeacoffee.com/attendancebias and donating  anything you can manage. You can also leave a rating or a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Now, onto today’s episode:

Shopping for car insurance? Invested in the drama of an elevated dining Chicago restaurant, scrolling Netflix lately and came across the new show Free Bert or adult cartoon Chicago Party Aunt? If any of the above is true for you, then you already know today’s guest. Actor Chris Witaske who you may recognize as the guy trying not to become his parents in the Progressive tv commercials, as Pete in the FX show The Bear, or as the villain on Free Bert with the exquisitely chosen character name Landon Vanderthal, is also a huge Phish fan. He and I were lucky enough to sit near each other on New Year’s Eve 2025 and had the greatest time watching a bunch of Broadway-style milk cartons dance across the stage of Madison Square Garden. By the time the third set was over, Chris, myself, and everyone around us were reminded of what we already knew: Phish is incredible, and we are so lucky to see them at another peak of their career.

I got in touch with Chris a few days after New Year’s and asked him if he would be interested in basically nerding out about Phish for an hour, based on a jam of his choice. He was immediately game, and after a bit of discussion, he asked if “Tweezer” from New Year’s Eve 2025 would be too “on the nose.” That was immediately followed up with a message that said, “it’s so good.”

I obviously want my guests to tell us about whatever show or jam they want, but after a few relistens, it’s clear that this 30 minute Tweezer from New Year’s Eve is a bona fide classic. It’s one of the jams of the year, and Chris had so much to look forward to in 2026 that it was an auspicious start to the year. It’s a great long jam, but there’s so much more to it than just the music. 

But let’s hear it from Chris as we talk about Deep dish pizza, High Fidelity, and having too many options in a Phish calendar year, as we discuss “Tweezer” from December 31, 2025 at Madison Square Garden.

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