34 - Halloween Specials

Kids born before the 90s remember the delight of that first holiday special coming on at night. You’d gather in front of the giant television with the rest of your family and actually enjoy a cartoon with your parents - one of the few times that happened for many of us! While there are a ton of well-known and much loved Christmas specials, it’s Halloween that really kicks off the season. However, most people could probably only name one, maybe two Halloween specials. In this episode, we watched TEN Halloween specials spanning from 1966 to 1993. We’ll let you know which ones are hidden gems and which ones are best forgotten.

  • 1966: It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

  • 1978: The Devil and Daniel Mouse

  • 1978: Halloween is Grinch Night

  • 1978: Witch's Night Out (on Amazon Prime)

  • 1981: The Crown of Bogg

  • 1984: Which Witch is Which? (Chucklewood Critters)

  • 1985: Garfield's Halloween Adventure

  • 1987: The Monster's Ring

  • 1988: The Canterville Ghost (animated)

  • 1992: The Halloween Tree

References:

Leach-Rankin Halloween Special ‘Witch’s Night Out’ Celebrates 40th Anniversary

All Aboard the Paraphernalia Wagon: Revisiting Dr. Seuss’s ‘Grinch Night’ Halloween Special

Do You Remember The 1981 HBO Halloween Special ‘The Crown of Bogg’?

Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree

Charlie Brown: Blockhead's Revenge by Funny or Die

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33 - Trick or Treat, 1986 Film

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Yes, that’s Skippy from Family Ties. And yes, he rocks.

Yes, that’s Skippy from Family Ties. And yes, he rocks.

This week we are joined by Thrash It Out podcast host, Brian LeTendre, to discuss the 1986 film, Trick or Treat. If you were a metalhead in the 80s then this movie will more than likely bring back great memories for you, as it does for Melinda and Brian! We give our thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie and learn some details about the production and the killer soundtrack by Fastway.

32 - Lord of the Rings- Books, Animation, and Films

This lovely artwork was done by Jimmy Cauty from the KLF. No, I’m not kidding. You’re welcome.

This lovely artwork was done by Jimmy Cauty from the KLF. No, I’m not kidding. You’re welcome.

Melinda and Aaron return after their break for DragonCon to discuss one of their mutually favorite properties: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. We’re talking Rankin-Bass, Ralph Bakshi, Peter Jackson, and video games - so settle in with some lembas bread and a nice bottle of the Old Winyard with us!

P.S. We missed you all and we’re super happy to be back! Please look out for new episodes every other Tuesday on our new bi-weekly schedule.

31 - The KLF: Music, Chaos, and Discordianism

This still looks like Drummond is seriously considering taking a bite out of Cauty's ear. We may have been loopy, but this caused us to laugh a LOT and consider what foods would have "ear consistency." Please leave your ideas in the comments!

This still looks like Drummond is seriously considering taking a bite out of Cauty's ear. We may have been loopy, but this caused us to laugh a LOT and consider what foods would have "ear consistency." Please leave your ideas in the comments!

What's that you say? You're not particularly into early 90s house/ dance music? You think it's all super lame? Or perhaps you think, "Oh, yeah!! I remember that song '3 AM Eternal.' Junior high school ruled." Let us be the ones to tell you - there is SO much more to this story.

The KLF are known for their popular dance songs "3 AM Eternal," "What Time is Love," and "Justified and Ancient." You may also know them for their novelty pop song done under the band name "The Timelords," called "Doctorin' the Tardis." What you may NOT know is that they gave a big middle finger to the British music industry with an outrageous display at the 1992 Brit awards, deleted their entire music catalog, and burned a million quid. Why, you ask? The answer will take us deep into discordian thought - you may never see the world quite the same way again.

We have a lot of reference links and photos for you this time - so please enjoy.

References:

30 - Sell Out! (When Metal goes Mainstream)

WASP Live in the Raw - Brian's first "Explicit Lyrics, Parental Advisory" album.

This week we are joined by Thrash It Out podcast host, Brian LeTendre, to talk metal - and in particular to talk about how long-time metal fans feel when their favorite band takes their music in a new direction. Brian discusses the Hysteria album by Def Leppard and the Promised Land album by Queensrÿche. Melinda discusses the infamous "Black Album" by Metallica. Aaron listens to the woe with patience. If you've ever been through a bad band breakup when that sound you love was lost forever, you will definitely appreciate this discussion. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll possibly be offended... but you can still probably relate.

 

Check out Brian's podcasts! If you love metal, or are just interested in learning more about it, we highly recommend them!!

  • Thrash It Out - Where he is joined by Antony Johnston (yes, the guy who created Wasteland!) and they listen to a heavy metal album, and then argue about it.

  • Power Chords Podcast - Brian and Matt Herring discuss rock and metal, and they talk about their favorite bands from the 70s through the 90s. Rock and metal nostalgia from 2 guys who clearly love music!

References:

Video: Metallica Mixer Explains Missing Bass on 'And Justice for All' - Ever wonder why "And Justice For All" had no bass? Wonder no more.

Def Leppard, Ring of Fire - The best Hysteria era song you've probably never heard!

29 - Moonlighting... the Pilot, and more

Moonlighting, the 1985 ABC show that spawned the career of Bruce Willis and featured Cybill Shepherd, was unlike most other shows in the 80s. With its regular nods to classic cinema and constantly breaking the 4th wall, it made the romantic-comedy detective show format truly innovative. Melinda and Aaron discuss the pilot episode, as well as if there is truly such a thing as the "Moonlighting Effect."

Please enjoy some stills as reference for the discussion.

28 - Batman and Bill

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We've all heard of Batman, and most of us know his creator as Bob Kane... but as the 2017 documentary directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, "Batman and Bill," makes clear, there is a lot more to the story. Partially based on the 2012 book, "Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-creator of Batman" by Marc Tyler Nobleman, the film (available on Hulu) provides a ton of first-hand evidence showing that Bill Finger was actually the key creator of all the most memorable parts of the character. Note: Documentary SPOILERS in this podcast!!! Melinda and Aaron speak with comic book expert Michael Bailey (The Fortress of Baileytude podcast) to discuss Bill Finger's contributions to Batman, and why so many comic book creators from the 30s didn't get the credit they deserved.

26 - King of Kong, with Updates!

With the recent news of Billy Mitchell having his records revoked, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the story of the battle for the high score in Donkey Kong, and the insanity surrounding this entire story. Melinda and Aaron take you back through the fight for the title, as detailed in the 2007 documentary, "King of Kong," and tell you what was left out. We also discuss the current status as of May 2018.

Oh, so many references:

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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

21 - Operation: Mindcrime

We bring it back to metal with a discussion of Queensrÿche's 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. It usually makes the top 10 of all metal concept albums, and was a staple for most metal fans growing up in the 80s. As a long-time fan, Melinda walks you through the details and Aaron provides his insights as a new listener. If you don't remember, you will now.

  • 11:10 – Album plot overview

  • 20:05 – Track by track deconstruction – I Remember Now

  • 21:38 – Anarchy X

  • 22:24 – Revolution Calling

  • 25:34 – Operation: Mindcrime

  • 27:56 – Speak

  • 34:04 – Spreading the Disease

  • 38:28 – The Mission

  • 43:38 – Suite Sister Mary

  • 50:33 – The Needle Lies

  • 52:09 – Electric Requiem

  • 54:14 – Breaking the Silence/ I Don’t Believe in Love

  • 55:09 – Waiting for 22

  • 59:40 – My empty Room

  • 1:01:10 – Eyes of a Stranger, Messages from this album

1:08:20 – Live Performances – Operation: LiveCrime and Mindcrime at the Moore

1:17:05 - Band Breakup and Lawsuit

Cassette Tape Track listing, which shows that Suite Sister Mary was part of Side 1 on this version

Cassette Tape Track listing, which shows that Suite Sister Mary was part of Side 1 on this version

19 - Smurfs

Smurfs: communist woman haters or adorable 80s icons? Probably a little of both. From comics to cartoons, cereal to figurines, Italian villages and Smurf cosplayers, we give you a full overview of Smurfs.

Original Smurfs in Johan and Peewit in 1958

Original Smurfs in Johan and Peewit in 1958

Júzcar, Spain - Smurf Village

Júzcar, Spain - Smurf Village

Link to the Belgian UNICEF commercial in which the Smurf village is carpet bombed.

Link to the original Father Abraham Smurf song.

The Smurfs movie could only have been improved by the addition of Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The Smurfs movie could only have been improved by the addition of Neil deGrasse Tyson.

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?

darktimes.jpg

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.

15 - The Decline Of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years

Melinda got the blu-ray box set of the Decline of Western Civilization movies, so we thought this would be a great opportunity to talk about Metal!! Not that there is all that much real metal in this 1988 documentary by Penelope Spheeris... but nonetheless we give it a go. Aaron watches the film for the first time and Melinda revisits it with the director's commentary. Contemplating buying the set? You'll wanna hear our review.

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