The Wayback with Ryan Sickler

Episode 86: The Wayback #86 | Aaron Weber
Date: August 21, 2025
Guest: Aaron Weber

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Wayback" invites comedian Aaron Weber back to reminisce about his southern childhood, growing up in a family of four siblings with educator parents in Alabama. In a warm, deeply humorous, and nostalgic conversation, Aaron and Ryan traverse stories of family road trips, quirky school moments, Southern field trips, sibling chaos, and classic family mishaps. Along the way, they draw out larger reflections on childhood in the South, family dynamics, and how formative absurdity can be.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Family Vehicle Adventures

[02:39-07:25]

• The Notorious Minivan: Aaron recounts his family’s well-loved 1991 Toyota Previa minivan, infamous for its single sliding door and, more memorably, for a legendary mishap when the sliding door fell clean off at a baseball game parking lot.
  • “We rode home with [my brother] on top of the minivan…using a bungee cord.” — Aaron, [04:23]
  • The ride home involved his 12-year-old brother riding atop the van, holding the detached door in place, while mom drove and the rest of the family helped secure the door from inside.
  • “No one beeping at you on the way home, like, ‘what the [bleep] are y’all doing?’” — Ryan, [05:14]
• Passing Down the Legend: The minivan, known as "the white knight," lived on in the town, recognizable by its missing back hubcap and absence of a door.

Growing Up Weber: School, Faith, and Family

[07:38-15:09]

• Parents as Principal and Teacher: Aaron’s father was his high school principal; his mother, a teacher—at times his own algebra teacher.
  • “I never thought of school and family as separate things…my dad was kind of like the king of this castle.” — Aaron, [08:17]
• Unusual Discipline Issues:
  • The “poop bandit” story: a student vandalizing bathrooms with feces led to Aaron’s dad addressing the full student body in the auditorium—a “performance” Aaron recognized as part of the principal's job ([09:11-09:51]).
  • School rivalries: Aaron’s school would dress in camouflage to taunt their “redneck” rivals until the fun was squashed by his dad, who had to enforce discipline, later admitting he still found it hilarious ([10:26-11:20]).
  • “We cheer, we don’t jeer.” — Ryan mimicking Aaron’s dad, [10:53]
• Catholic Routines: Family morning prayers included readings from the Magnificat and gratitude-sharing.
  • “Every morning of my childhood…my dad grew up that he did it, too.” — Aaron, [11:56]
• The No Sleepover Rule:
  • Aaron’s dad had a strict rule against high school sleepovers, believing it kept kids out of trouble—a position Aaron endorses in hindsight, despite its unpopularity.

Southern Education & Field Trips

[15:09-24:33]

• Confederacy in Local History:
  • Field trips in Montgomery, AL, included visits to the "First White House of the Confederacy" and markers denoting where Jefferson Davis was sworn in.
  • “You stand right on [the star] and you look straight ahead and it’s Martin Luther King’s church. Right there.” — Aaron, [16:18]
• School Names & Changed Identities:
  • The public schools were named for controversial Civil War figures, several since renamed as the region grapples with its history ([17:53-18:47]).
  • “How about that. They changed the name.” — Aaron, [18:24]
• Civil War Reenactments:
  • Aaron describes watching reenactments, including the Battle of Selma, and the slightly revisionist takes presented to local kids ([20:00-21:27]).

Space Camp, Summers, and Sibling Chaos

[21:39-29:23]

• Space Camp in Huntsville:
  • The big fourth-grade field trip was a full weekend at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL—“the brains of NASA”—where Aaron experienced simulators and dreamed of being an astronaut.
  • “Huntsville, Alabama, never gets credit for NASA.” — Aaron, [21:46]
• Family Trips: Vacations were rare—usually driving to visit grandparents in Mobile or going to Dauphin Island, which Aaron remembers in great detail, including anxiety about its steep, arched bridge ([25:41-26:07]).
• Theme Parks: The local answer to Disneyland was Visionland, full of wooden roller coasters.
• Summer Camp:
  • Attended Delta Camp in Biloxi, where his grandfather was the archery instructor; memorable for outdoor skills and shooting (not religious content), plus the adolescent thrill of seeing girls from afar.

Home Life, Siblings, and Hometown Vibes

[29:23-34:49]

• Sharing Rooms & Sibling Bonds: Aaron always shared a room, first with his older brother and then the others as the family grew.
• Home Economics: Family resourcefulness and frugality were standard (drying clothes outside, haircuts at home).
  • “My mom would cut all our hairs, so we never went to the barber. Just line them up, give them a buzz.” — Aaron, [30:00]
• Neighborhood Landmarks:
  • The family home on 3769 Marie Cook Drive—afternoons spent playing football in the yard, “end zones” defined by home-planted trees, memories of storms and outdoor chores.
  • “One time we decided we were just gonna dig a hole. We spent about a month just digging a hole in that backyard.” — Aaron, [33:41]
• Close Calls:
  • Aaron’s mom’s serious car accident at a nearby intersection—family heard it happen from their house ([34:10-34:43]).
• Local Geography:
  • St. Bede elementary school, and how daily routines defined Aaron’s sense of distance and community.

Classic Family Photos & Science Fairs

[36:07-39:15]

• Photos & Stories:
  • Aaron’s old family photos spark anecdotes—his “Marine head” childhood look, a homemade hovercraft (with his physicist grandfather’s help), and sports moments set against classic Catholic school scenery.
    • “That’s a hovercraft I built for 8th grade science. …It could hold up thousands of pounds.” — Aaron, [36:39]
    • “That thing ended up catching fire in the backyard…It was fun while it lasted, man.” — Aaron, [37:58]
  • Athletic nostalgia: “I was a force to be reckoned with back then…before kids started hitting puberty.” — Aaron, [39:00]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:23] Aaron: “My brother climbed on top of the minivan…We rode home with him on top…using a bungee cord.”
• [08:17] Aaron: “I never thought of school and family as like separate things.”
• [09:11] Aaron: “We had a poop bandit in high school…poop smearing all over the walls.”
• [10:53] Ryan (imitating Aaron’s dad): “We don’t jeer. We cheer.”
• [11:56] Aaron: “Every morning of my childhood…read the Magnificat…say one thing we’re thankful for.”
• [16:18] Aaron: “You stand right on [the star] and you look straight ahead and it’s Martin Luther King’s church.”
• [24:02] Aaron: “Fourth grade…they go, ‘We’re going to show you the world.’ Fifth grade…You’re never leaving the campus.”
• [33:41] Aaron: “We spent about a month just digging a hole in that backyard.”
• [36:39] Aaron: “That’s a hovercraft I built for 8th grade science.”

Important Timestamps

• [02:39-07:25] – Family car stories (the “white knight” minivan mishap)
• [07:38-15:09] – Growing up with educators; school incidents; discipline methods
• [16:00-21:27] – Montgomery field trips; Civil War legacy; local schooling history
• [21:39-24:02] – Space camp; special fourth-grade trips; family vacation style
• [29:23-34:49] – Home life details; childhood play; storm stories; local geography
• [36:07-39:15] – Family photos; science fair hovercraft; sibling antics

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a hilarious, vivid, and genuine window into Aaron Weber's Southern upbringing and family nostalgia, full of offbeat stories, brotherly antics, and reflections on regional history. Fans of “The Wayback” will find Aaron and Ryan’s rapport especially engaging, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and affectionate teasing, all wrapped in the show’s signature lens of wistful reflection.

Aaron Weber’s comedy special “Signature Dish” is available on YouTube.