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?

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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.

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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07- Superman: The Movie, The Donner Cut

Tonight it's all about SUPERMAN!

Aaron tells us about the book he’s reading, we touch on some spelling and pronunciation issues, and we introduce our special guest, Michael French. We talk about the challenges of livestreaming and pontificate on which Hogwarts house we each would be placed in.

Richard Donner considers punching Pierre Spengler in the nose with his lighter as Marlon Brando looks on in glee.

Richard Donner considers punching Pierre Spengler in the nose with his lighter as Marlon Brando looks on in glee.

(07:05) Tonight we have decided to talk about the first 2 Superman movies (1978 and 1980), and in particular the craziness that was going on behind the scenes with Alexander and Ilya Salkind and Richard Donner, just to get these movies made! What was the original story arc supposed to look like? Why is it that when you watch the Donner cuts of Superman I and II they essentially have the same ending, with Superman turning the earth backward? We explain all this and more, including the cutthroat methods of the Salkinds, the removal of Richard Donner as director before Superman II and the subsequent rewrites and reshoots of much of his work on Superman II, the addition of Richard Lester, and the eventual creation of the Donner Cut of each film.

Pictured Below: Alexander and Ilya Salkind, Richard Donner.