Episodes
Monday Jun 06, 2022
S2E18 | Music Icon: Weird Al Yankovic
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
After taking his first accordion lesson at the age of six, "Weird Al" Yankovic catapulted from Lynnwood, CA to become one of the greatest parody (and accordion) artists of all time! Michael Jackson to Madonna, George Harrison to Nirvana, Weird Al flipped our perspective of cool on its head and gave us catchy, hilarious tunes that were sometimes better earworms than the originals. Just in time for this fall’s “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” and his current 2022 tour, join us as we travel back to the 80’s to commentate on the Pop Culture Commentator himself!
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- "Weird Al" Yankovic official website
- Weird Al Yankovic Behind the Music (VH1)
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Goes Beyond Insanity While Eating Spicy Wings (Hot Ones)
- Twinkie Wiener Sandwich from UHF (Binging with Babish)
- Lin-Manuel Miranda Freaked Out Meeting Weird Al (Conan on TBS)
- The Record Industry Is Going After Parody Songs Written By an Algorithm (Vice)
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story | Teaser Trailer (The Roku Channel)
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story original fake trailer (Funny or Die)
- 501st Legion official website
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday May 23, 2022
S2E17 | Culture: Fast Food Toys
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
In the 1980's, we would do anything to convince our parents to roll through the drive-thru just for the chance to snag the latest toy from our favorite cartoon or movie. Whether you longed for Barbie or Hot Wheels, McRobots or Boo Buckets, cruise on back with us to discover the hotly debated origin of kids meals, unlock the memories of your favorite prizes, and find out how the fast food chains have fared amidst the legal battles, health concerns, and plastic waste.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Did McDonald’s Invent the Fast Food Kid’s Meal? (Culinary Lore)
- The History of the McDonald's Happy Meal Toys (Wide Open Eats)
- The Past, Present, and Future of Happy Meal Toys (Eater)
- McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys: A Timeline of the Best Toys Over the Years (Quality Logo Products)
- The Era of fast-food toys begins to melt away (NNY 360)
- Taco Bell discontinues kids’ meals and toys, says it’s the first (LA Times)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday May 09, 2022
S2E16 | Television: ALF
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
When Gordon Shumway smashed through the roof of the Tanner's home 36 years ago, his blunt, sarcastic, comedic quips made him our favorite Alien Life Form. Whether you saw yourself as an ALF mocking humanity’s strange behaviors and beliefs or as a Willie trying to kick out that annoying family member LONG after the party was over, these four seasons had an undeniable impact on pop culture. We peek behind the puppet and beneath the stage, uncovering the drama on set and figuring out if this show passes the Shumway Bechdel Test. So grab the popcorn and hide your cats, because we’re tuning back into ALF! HA!
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- ALF TV website
- Paul and Linda Fusco in an ALF interview at UConn
- Paul Fusco - Under The Puppet #23
- ‘ALF’ Got Canceled Because He Was a Homebound Alien, Plus the Actors Hated the Show (Cheat Sheet)
- Tina Fey on the NBC's 75th-anniversary special (Conan Classic)
- ‘ALF’ Distribution Rights Are Acquired By Shout! Factory (Deadline)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
S2E15 | Books: Where’s Waldo?
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Tuesday Apr 26, 2022
Join us as we set off on a globetrotting adventure, following a trail of discarded kettles, walking sticks, snorkels, and more in search of the most elusive champion of hide-and-seek to ever grace the pages of our childhoods. Whether you knew him as Wally or Waldo, Martin Handford’s incredibly detailed and delightful illustrations had us peering into rich scenes of Hollywood sets and epic pirate battles, magnifying glass in-hand, muttering to ourselves, “Where’s Waldo?”
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- 14 Facts About Where's Waldo? (Mental Floss)
- Algorithm Plots Best Path For Finding Waldo (Mental Floss)
- Where on Earth is Waldo? (Melanie Coles)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday Apr 11, 2022
S2E14 | Video Game: Maniac Mansion
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Only the cleverest SCUMM could solve these puzzles! Grab two of your iconic friends - Bernard, Jeff, Michael, Razor, Syd, or Wendy - and boldly enter the kooky Edison Mansion to save your ensnared girlfriend, Sandy Pantz! We’re headed back to 1987 to explore the cult classic video game from LucasFilm Games, Maniac Mansion. This game is full of iconic music, foundation-building game systems, and enough creative twists, turns, and cyphers to make you wonder, “did a dastardly meteor and two unlikely tentacles write this thing?!” Let's step inside and see the world of point-and-click adventures this game and many of its offspring have given us.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Maniac Mansion: The classic graphic adventure game (Classic Gaming)
- The Untold Story of Maniac Mansion: For Nintendo, the baddest bad word is kill (Wired)
- Why Adventure Games Suck And What We Can Do About It (Grumpy Gamer)
- Universal Hint System
- Thimbleweed Park
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday Mar 28, 2022
S2E13 | Cartoon and Toys: The Real Ghostbusters
Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
When something strange goes bump in the night, who ya gonna call? The REAL Ghostbusters! That's right, we're dusting off the Ecto-1 and traveling back to the cartoon spinoff that expanded the franchise in a bid to sell us awesome toys... and it worked! And we get into all the ghoulish details, from the rivalry brewing with Filmation's Ghost Busters to the controversial decisions to change the cartoon, as well as the metaverse of Garfield and the coolest toilet toy ever. And as a bonus to you AMSR fans, Ben crinkles a lot of paper bags as he excitedly reveals his 80's toy collection!
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Ghostbusters Wiki (Fandom)
- The 10 Best Episodes of The Real Ghostbusters (Monkeys Fighting Robots)
- The 14 Best The Real Ghostbusters Episodes (Slash Film)
- Cincinnati Toy Heritage mural
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday Mar 14, 2022
S2E12 | Collectibles: Garbage Pail Kids
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Every kid in the 80s remembers the craze that hit the schoolyards and drugstores overnight... the arrival of those colorful wax packs of Garbage Pail Kids. Adam Bomb, Nasty Nick, New Wave Dave, Phony Lisa... with misfits and mayhem on every card, the characters we came to love were reviled by parents, banned in schools, slapped with a lawsuit, and even turned into one of the worst movies ever. And it's no surprise with their depictions of murder, mutilation, drugs, guns, and gross-out humor... they said so much about counter culture and lampooning of the era. Classmate Aaron returns with his stack of well-worn cards in hand as we flip through the trashy collection of crass and creepy curios that was Garbage Pail Kids.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- GEEPEEKAY.com
- The Shocking History of Garbage Pail Kids (Den of Geek)
- ‘Garbage Pail Kids’: HBO Max Developing Animated Series From Danny McBride’s Rough House Pictures, Topps & Tornante (Deadline)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Monday Feb 28, 2022
S2E11 | Music: Mix Tapes
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Monday Feb 28, 2022
Dust off your stereo and dig out those old cassette tapes, because in this episode we're going back to the lost art of making mix tapes (mixtapes). Whether crafting a message for your crush, mixing a sweet road trip playlist, or looking back on hip hop culture's influence on getting your DJ sets into the public, we reminisce on all the feels that made this phenomena so memorable and connect the dots to where we are today. Press play and record, listeners, you don't want to miss this one.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Exploring the Lost Art of the Mixtape (EDM Identify)
- Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture
- "John Dillinger and the Blind Magician" by Allison M. Dickson (LeVar Burton Reads podcast)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
S2E10 | Stand-up Comedian: Elayne Boosler
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
Sunday Feb 13, 2022
If laughter is the best medicine, get ready for a triple dose of humor revisiting the stand-up comedy of Elayne Boosler. She broke through the industry to become the first female comedian to have a one-hour cable special, then went on to create two more in the 80's alone. With charisma and candor, Elayne works through her material effortlessly and seamlessly, weaving comedy gold from single life, double standards, dating, baseball, and so much more. So order your two drinks and give some love as Elayne Boosler takes the stage in her comedy specials Party of One, Broadway Baby, and Top Tomata.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Elayne Boosler official website
- Tails of Joy (Elayne's not-for-profit animal rescue organization)
- Elayne's tribute to comedian Louie Anderson
- The Comedy Master Who Hasn’t Gotten Her Due: Elayne Boosler (NY Times)
- Fifteen Women Who Changed the Face of Comedy (More)
- The Trailblazing Women of Stand-up Comedy (National Women's History Museum)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
S2E9 | Fitness: Jazzercise
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
Tuesday Jan 18, 2022
It was the dance fitness sensation that swept the nation--and the world! And we asked Jazzercise instructor Whitney to stop by and show us the moves that made Jazzercise a household name and a flourishing business, all thanks to the tireless energy of its founder Judi Sheppard Missett. And if you think this was an exercise craze of the past, think again! This episode is all about fun, community, empowering women, and of course, steamrolling a few dirtbags.
Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast. Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!
-- Can I Borrow Your Notes? --
- Jazzercise official website
- The Fitness Craze That Changed the Way Women Exercise (The Atlantic)
- Third generation joins the Jazzercise family business (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
-- Teacher's Pets --
- Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com
- Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high_80s
- Theme song by Greg Reed at gregreedmusic.com
- Cover art by Alex Goddard at alexgoddarddesign.com