Pop Culture

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S3E2-Waves: Waterbed History / The Water Babies (1978)

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This month we each picked a topic based on the theme of *Water*. Melinda takes us through the sexy (?) history of waterbeds, and Conrad takes us back to the late 70s acid trip children's movie: The Water Babies. Bring your arm floaties!

References

Evans, J. R. (2019, October 21). Whatever happened to water beds? Their mysterious disappearance—and surprising return. Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®. https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/whatever-happened-to-waterbeds/

Garmon, J. (2006, August 1). Geek Trivia: Strange (water)bedfellows. TechRepublic. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200803182109/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-strange-waterbedfellows/

Green, P. (2018, December 6). The squishiest, sweetest sleep. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/style/water-bed-founder.html

History of waterbeds - Where did waterbeds come from. (n.d.). https://www.boydwaterbeds.com/waterbed-history

Kibbe, K. (2020, October 13). How the Waterbed Became a Sex Thing. InsideHook. https://www.insidehook.com/design/how-waterbed-became-sex-thing

Kimnewman. (2016, September 14). Film notes – The Water Babies (1978). The Kim Newman Web Site. https://johnnyalucard.com/2016/09/14/film-notes-the-water-babies-1978/

Lionel Jeffries’ “The Water Babies” (1978) on Records |. (n.d.). https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/lionel-jeffries-the-water-babies-1978-on-records/

Mitchell, N. (2018, February 11). The weird true story of the rise and fall of the waterbed. Apartment Therapy. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/waterbed-history-rise-fall-255635

Pagano, A. (2021, January 16). Waterbeds used to be a $2 billion industry, but memory-foam mattresses helped cause their downfall. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/waterbed-inventor-60s-summer-of-love-comeback-2019-3

Starkey, A. (2024, February 19). The Cover Uncovered: The  apocalyptic image of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-cover-uncovered-the-apocalyptic-image-of-led-zeppelins-houses-of-the-holy/

Stuever, H. (2024, January 11). A ghostly retreat. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/09/21/a-ghostly-retreat/5c0a173a-7b80-4385-aeab-834e39eda1e1/

Geological Katabasis: Geology and the Christian Underworld in Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Rachel Fountain Eames, Victoriographies, 2017-11, Vol.7 (3), p.195-209

 Tom's Afterlife as Geological Agent: Under the Surface of English Watercourses in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies, Darin Graber, Victorian Studies (Vol. 64, Issue 4)

 Reverent Induction: Epistemology and the Romantic Education of the Child Reader in Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies (1863), Clarke, Laura H.  Cahiers Victoriens & Édouardiens (Online); Montpellier Iss. 92,  (Autumn 2020)

 VALENTINE CUNNINGHAM, Soiled Fairy: The Water-Babies in its Time, Essays in Criticism, Volume XXXV, Issue 2, April 1985, Pages 121–148

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S2E7: Stranger Danger and 80s Childhood Propaganda

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This month we're discussing the child safety panic of the 80s in the US and UK, the funny and the terrifying. Below are the audio version and the re-edited video of the live show, which originally aired 01 July, 2023.

References

Adams, C. (2023, June 24). Is the world more dangerous for kids than it was 30 years ago? Connect Savannah. https://www.connectsavannah.com/savannah/is-the-world-more-dangerous-for-kids-than-it-was-30-years-ago/Content?oid=2737349

An updated lead-crime roundup for 2018. (n.d.). Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/an-updated-lead-crime-roundup-for-2018/

BFI. (2009, October 8). Lonely Water (1973) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZWD2sDRESk

BFI. (2020). The lost art of the British public information film. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/lost-art-british-public-information-film#

Child Victims of Stereotypical Kidnappings Known to Law Enforcement in 2011 | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (n.d.). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/library/publications/child-victims-stereotypical-kidnappings-known-law-enforcement-2011

Christopher. (n.d.). United States Crime Rates 1960 t0 2019. https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Ephemeralfilm. (2011, March 23). PLAY SAFE (1978) UK Public Information Film - New Transfer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-JfnhABs9U

Govind, D., & Govind, D. (2021, June 28). ‘A Missing Kid Is Never Forgotten. No Matter How Long They’ve Been Gone’: How The FBI Handles Missing Children Cases - Biometrica Systems, Inc. Biometrica Systems, Inc. -. https://www.biometrica.com/a-missing-kid-is-never-forgotten-no-matter-how-long-theyve-been-gone-how-the-fbi-handles-missing-children-cases/

Hartzmark, B. G., & Tribune, S. T. (2021, August 9). ARE WE FILLING OUR CHILDREN WITH FEAR? Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-04-06-8601250245-story.html

Juzwiak, R. (2021, February 12). Half-True Crime: Why the Stranger-Danger Panic of the ’80s Took Hold and Refuses to Let Go. Jezebel. https://jezebel.com/half-true-crime-why-the-stranger-danger-panic-of-the-8-1845430801

Let Grow Takes a Look at Crime Statistics. (2023). Let Grow. https://letgrow.org/crime-statistics/

Marshall, G. (1988, October 20). CREATOR SAYS PUTTING MISSING CHILDREN ON CARTONS WORKED DESPITE CRITICISM. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1988/10/20/creator-says-putting-missing-children-on-cartons-worked-despite-criticism/99f5a30a-cbdf-4311-a496-fac05d517ab4/

Missing Children, Misleading Statistics | Office of Justice Programs. (n.d.). https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/missing-children-misleading-statistics

Palmer, B. (2012, April 20). Why Did Missing Children Appear on Milk Cartons? Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/04/etan-patz-case-why-did-dairies-put-missing-children-on-their-milk-cartons.html

Pearn, J. (1981). Reducing the child accident toll: education concerning accidents risks, and their circumvention. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.1981.tb01916.x

Renfro, P. M. (2020). Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State. Oxford University Press, USA.

Renfro, P. M. (2021, August 9). How Two Vanished Paperboys Changed the Face of the “Missing Kid” Forever. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/johnny-gosch-eugene-martin-stranger-danger-panic-milk-cartons.html

Rogers, J. (2018, February 15). Consider yourselves warned: public information films. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/25/stop-look-listen-public-information-films

Speri, A. (2019, November 13). The NYPD Kept an Illegal Database of Juvenile Fingerprints for Years. The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2019/11/13/nypd-juvenile-illegal-fingerprint-database/

Staff, R. (2019, January 11). Kidnapped children make headlines, but abduction is rare in U.S. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wisconsin-missinggirl-data/kidnapped-children-make-headlines-but-abduction-is-rare-in-u-s-idUSKCN1P52BJ

Thelwell, B. E. (2016a, September 29). How common are child abductions in the UK? BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37504781

Thelwell, B. E. (2016b, September 29). How common are child abductions in the UK? BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37504781

Times, N. Y. (1983, February 22). FINGERPRINTING OF CHILDREN SPREADING. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/22/us/fingerprinting-of-children-spreading.html

Veritasium. (2022, April 22). The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV3dnLzthDA

Watch Never Go with Strangers - BFI Player. (n.d.). BFI Player. https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-never-go-with-strangers-1971-online

Welch, D. (2019). Protecting the People: The Central Office of Information and the Creation of the Nanny State 1946-2010.

Wendigoon. (2022, November 11). The Controversial Missing Children Milk Carton Program [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhsNinzPEb8

S2E6: DeLorean- The Story You Only Think You Know

Melinda and Conrad discuss DeLorean: the man, the car, the myth - and what it's actually like to be in one!

Note: The audio podcast contains special bonus interview segments with Michael French, an experienced DeLorean owner, and removes some technical difficulty experienced in the live show.

References:

Alicia Copeland. (2022, July 6). Today in 1984: Carmaker John Delorean acquitted of cocaine smuggling charges by reason of entrapment. Thomson Reuters Law Blog. https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/blog/delorean-acquitted-of-cocaine-smuggling-charges-by-reason-of-entrapment/

Andreina, D. (2019, January 21). Automotive History: John Z. DeLorean, The BMW Turbo And The Birth Of The DeLorean. Curbside Classic. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-john-z-delorean-the-bmw-turbo-and-the-curious-coincidence/

Ardon, T. (n.d.). Tamir’s DeLorean Site. https://www.entermyworld.com/

Bramesco, C. (2021, August 2). ‘A malignant narcissist’: uncovering the dark side of John DeLorean. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/aug/02/john-delorean-netflix-docuseries-myth-and-mogul

DeLorean - The Car: Production Changes. (n.d.). http://www.babbtechnology.com/thecar/Prod_changes/index.htm

DeLorean Museum. (n.d.). DeLorean Museum. https://www.deloreanmuseum.org/

Lamm, J. (2003). De Lorean: Stainless Steel Illusion.

Levin, H. (1983). Grand Delusions: The Cosmic Career of John De Lorean. Viking Adult.

McWilliams, M. (2022). COCAINE, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE. Wagner & Lynch Law Firms. https://seoklaw.com/legal-news/cocaine-lies-and-videotape/

Myth & Mogul: John DeLorean (2021). (n.d.). [Netflix documentary series directed by Mike Connolly]. https://www.netflix.com/title/80219915

New Posts. (n.d.). DeLorean Buyer’s Guide. https://www.deloreanguide.com/new-posts

The Evolution and History of the Muscle Car. (n.d.). https://www.volocars.com/auto-sales/news/history-of-the-muscle-car

Times, N. Y. (1984, August 17). DELOREAN IS FREED OF COCAINE CHARGE BY A FEDERAL JURY. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/17/us/delorean-is-freed-of-cocaine-charge-by-a-federal-jury.html

Wright, I. (2022, September 1). The Evolution Of The Muscle Car. CarBuzz. https://carbuzz.com/features/the-evolution-of-the-muscle-car

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55 - Garbage Pail Kids

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Melinda and Aaron go dumpster diving into the Garbage Pail Kids phenomenon, and even suffered through watching both the movie and the cartoon series! Watch our podcast recording (complete with visual aids) or listen at the link below.

Audio Block
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References

http://geepeekay.com/ - Garbage Pail Kids Reference site

30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story. Directed by Jeff Zapata and Joe Simko, 2017.

Owen, Luke. “The True Story behind The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Flickering Myth, 21 July 2019, www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/08/the-true-story-behind-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

Boone, Brian. “The Untold Truth of the Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Looper, 06 July 2020, https://www.looper.com/223675/the-untold-truth-of-the-garbage-pail-kids-movie/

 Olson, Jon. “An Interview with Rod Amateau, director of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.” Normal People Like You, https://web.archive.org/web/20170402183759/http://www.normalpeoplelikeyou.com/article_assets/garbagepailkidsinterview.htm

 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie Magazine, Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/TheGarbagePailKidsMovieMagazine

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54 - Alien Autopsy

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Melinda and Aaron dive deep into the swirling vortex that is the history of Alien Autopsy, that crazy special from the mid-1990s. Listen at the link below or watch our live recording HERE.

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49 - 50/50: Covers and Space

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Melinda and Aaron have fought through the COVID-19 malaise and are each back with a surprise topic. Melinda delves into what makes a great cover song, with a handful of interesting examples, while Aaron recalls our hopeful visions of space travel from the 80s.

Covers

Space Travel

41 - 50/50: HBO's Chernobyl / Satanic Panic Origins

This week Melinda and Aaron delve into the darkness and talk about two weirdly similar incidents from the 80s: Chernobyl, as seen in the HBO miniseries, and Mike Warnke as an originator of Satanic Panic. In the first half, Aaron walks us through HBO’s Chernobyl and discusses some of the key highlights and strengths, including things he learned, without spoilers. Later, Melinda describes how Mike Warnke convinced an entire generation that Satanists were everywhere and describes how he did it, how he was found to be a fraud, and what the fallout was. Note: while we don’t use profanity, due to content listener discretion is advised.

Chernobyl

While this show doesn't take a clear 'position' politically it seems to be heavily aimed at the American public to at least start the conversation about how we are different than the Soviet Union, and how we seem to be drifting closer than we think we are to becoming the Soviet Union.  It takes some liberties and license with the source material for the sake of narrative, but the broad strokes are essentially the same, and the mood is assuredly Soviet and ominous.

References:

  • Full production scripts are available at HBO.com for anyone interested in how the show was put together 

  • The Russian Woodpecker – 2015 documentary about Ukranian artist Fedor Alexandrovich, who travels to the exclusion zone to pursue his suspicions about the meltdown's link to the Duga, a huge Soviet radio antenna located near the Chernobyl site. 

Mike Warnke

In the 80s, “Satanic Panic” gripped the US - the idea that an organized and ominous group of Satanists were working in concert to come after children and teenagers for all sorts of evil reasons, including stealing their souls and even killing them. One of the first people to begin this now debunked myth was Mike Warnke, author of the book Selling Satan in 1972, in which he CLAIMS to have been a Satanic high priest who converted to Christianity. However, in the early 90s, a Christian magazine called Cornerstone debunked the book by interviewing nearly everyone who knew Mike and documenting that they all tell a very different story. Warnke is not the only Christian pop culture icon who claimed to have been a Satanist during that time, and he’s not the only one whose story was debunked, but he was probably the biggest and was definitely the first.

References:

Selling Satan - The Tragic History of Mike Warnke - By Jon Trott & Mike Hertenstein from Cornerstone magazine 1992

Religious Write – Chicago Tribune 12/28/92

The history of Satanic Panic in the US — and why it's not over yet

CBE International: Jon Trott - Author of the Cornerstone article

Dennis Cooper Blog: Nick Toti presents … Mike Warnke

36 - 50/50: Echoes and Action Park

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As part of our MixTape format, Aaron and Melinda each pick a cool topic and discuss. This week, Aaron tells us about Echoes, the ambient music show on Public Radio, and Melinda shares the crazy story of New Jersey’s Action Park.

Images and Echoes

Action Park

22 - 50/50: Burning Inside: Chernobyl & The PMRC

Aaron & Melinda each pick a news event from the 80s and discuss. On the table for discussion: a nuclear disaster and proposed music censorship. Don't you miss the 80s?

Chernobyl's Elephant's Foot

Chernobyl's Elephant's Foot

6:48 - Aaron - Chernobyl - April of 1986 saw a catastrophic nuclear disaster in Ukraine, then part of the USSR. Aaron gives us more information on what actually happened and some notable facts you may not have heard about.

26:46 – Melinda - PMRC Senate Hearings - occurring on September 19, 1985, these hearings sought to begin labeling music based on lyrical content for the alleged purpose of allowing parents to control their kids' music. Melinda tells us how that went.

Dee Snider, giving our buddy Al Gore what for.

Dee Snider, giving our buddy Al Gore what for.

The 85 PMRC Avengers - John Denver, Dee Snider, and Frank Zappa

The 85 PMRC Avengers - John Denver, Dee Snider, and Frank Zappa

Suggested Reading

17 - Star Wars: The Dark Times

We interview two lifelong Star Wars fans - Tom Berges from igrewupstarwars.com and Michael French from RetroBlasting - about what it was like to live through "The Dark Times," i.e. the years between 1983 (release of Return of the Jedi) and 1997 (The Star Wars Special Edition theatrical release). How did they keep hope alive, and what was it like to be a Star Wars fan when most people had moved on to girls, Nirvana, and fast cars?

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16 - 80s Mascots: From Cereal to Cigarettes

The Noid, McDonald's Mac Tonight, Max Headroom, and Spuds MacKenzie are just a few of the bizarre mascots we discuss this week, including their little-known backstories.