In celebration of the 80th anniversary of Batman and the 30th anniversary of the release of Tim Burton’s first Batman film, I am taking a look at my own Bat-fandom, focusing specifically on Mark Cotta Vaz’s 1989 book Tales of the Dark Knight: Batman’s First Fifty Years, 1939-1989. I cover what’s in the book as well as talk about my Batman origin story and why this book was so important to my fandom.
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
They’re the 30-second segments you fast-forwarded through, ignored, or used for a bathroom break, but when you think about it, you know them better than you realize. They are commercials. In this episode, I talk about advertising and commercials that I remember, both fondly and not so fondly. I begin by going over what makes a good and a bad commercial and then make my way through a bunch of commercials that I can’t get out of my head. From cereal to fast food to toys to local car dealerships, it’s so much advertising that it’s … INSANE!
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
As a bonus, here are links to past blog posts about commercials.
“Your Winds Song Stays on My Mind”: Wind Song perfume.
“When Clothes Shopping Became Cool”: Kids “R” Us.
“Because Rock Should Make You Feel Good”: The as-seen-on-TV compilation album Feel Good Rock.
“Why the green M&M’s have always been my favorite”: An M&M’s commercial featuring little leaguers.
“Coke Is It!”: A 1980s Coke commercial.
“The Taste That’s Gonna Move You!”: Juicy Fruit gum.
“Fuzzy Memories of Summer Camp”: About local summer camp commercials from the NY tri-state area.
“Just ‘Round the Corner!”: Long Island-area furniture store commercials.
“All You Have to Bring Is Your Love of Everything”: Sandals, Mount Airy Lodge, and the Commack Motor Inn
“The Yearbook Myth”: A post about yearbooks and yearbook DVD music from the mid-2000s that also features a 1980s McDonald’s commercial called “Great Year!”
“XOXO”: Tic-Tac-Toes canned pasta from Chef Boyardee.
“Heaven in a Can”: Franco-American gravy.
“Just What the Dr. Ordered”: Dr. Pepper commercials from the early Nineties.
And here is a playlist of the commercials used in this episode …
It’s the first of two “milestone year” episodes where Amanda and I sit down and take a pretty thorough look at what was going on in a particular year of the 1990s. First up, 1995. Join us as we talk about where we were in our lives in ’95 and then run through the television shows, movies, and music of that year.
You can listen here:
12 episodes and a wake-up are left!
My coverage of Don Lomax’s run on The ‘Nam continues with issue #78, a story about combat in Quang Tri through the eyes of Ed Marks. Plus, we get the next chapter in the “Stateside” backup as Rob Little and Sarge try to track down Top, who may have been involved in the death of Rob’s brother Eugene. Then, I look at an article about the comic in Marvel Age #122 followed by a Punisher/Ice team-up in Punisher War Journal #52. It’s all this and the historical context for the fall and winter of 1972.
You can download the episode via iTunes or listen directly at the Two True Freaks website
Sixty years ago today, rock and roll lost three of its earliest stars when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in a plane crash. In this episode, I take a look back at that event by focusing on how I learned about it as a kid in the 1980s and teenager in the 1990s. I begin by talking about my history with each of the artists and that era of music and then spend time going through the event via the 1999 episode of VH-1’s Behind the Music. Finally, I look at the song that gave “The Day the Music Died” its name: Don McLean’s “American Pie”.
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
Also, here is a playlist I created that consists of the entire Behind the Music episode:
In what is now an annual Pop Culture Affidavit tradition, it’s time for us to celebrate Festivus, the holiday that is for the rest of us! This year, I’m joined for the airing of grievances and the feats of strength by The Irredeemable Shag. We complain about fandom and other things that irritate us and then follow that up by looking at War Dancer #4, which was published in 1994 by Defiant Comics.
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
After the cut, a few extras from this episode …
Blank VHS tapes. So many of us had them. So many of us still have them. But what happens when you unearth a pile of vaguely labeled blank tapes in your parents’ basement and you pop them into your VCR? Well, that’s exactly what I did. In this episode, I talk about my personal history with VCRs and VHS tapes as well as what I found in a pretty large pile of tapes that I grabbed on a trip to Long Island back in April. It’s an hour of me rambling about Seinfeld, Baywatch, holiday cartoon specials, and anything else I taped in the 1980s and 1990s.
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
After the cut, a few links and extras from this episode …
With the new Titans show availble through DC’s streaming service, it’s time to take a look at some of my all-time favorite issues of The New Teen Titans! Join me as I cash in on this brand new show and look at issues #28, 29, 30, and 31 of the original Wolfman-Perez series. You’ll hear me talk about my Titans fandom, my opinions on the relationship of Donna Troy and Terry Long, and how this all ties into “The Judas Conntract.” Plus, I have listener feedback and the most ’80s-tastic soundtrack that anyone could ask for!
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
And here’s a link to Professor Alan’s Dr. Doom Sketchbook: Relatively Geeky Network
It’s that time of year again! I go back to Baltimore for the 2018 Baltimore Comic-Con. And this time, I’m not alone! Join me and Brett as we meet Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, Mike Zeck, and Terry Moore. Plus, we get to talk with author Andrea Rose Washington, author and artist Javier Cruz Winnik, artist Luke Daab, and spend the day with fellow comics podcasters Gene Hendricks, Stella, and the Irredeemable Shagg! It’s one of the most jam-packed convention episodes yet and it’s here just for you!
You can listen here:
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
Here’s some links for the people I talked to at the show …
Andrea Rose Washington, sci-fi/fantasy author:
Luke Daab, artist:
Thom Zahler, writer and artist:
Javier Cruz Winnik, writer and artist:
Its the SEVENTH AND FINAL EPISODE of the seven-part miniseries IT CAME FROM SYNDICATION! This time around, I wrap up my look at syndicated television of the 1980s and early 1990s with a look at a show that was a worldwide phenomenon and one of the ultimate examples of a syndicated television series. It’s the legendary David Hasselhoff series BAYWATCH. I take a look at a few episodes from the show’s third season, where Nicole Eggert, Pamela Anderson, and David Charvet joined the cast. It’s lifeguards making rescues and trying to navigate a high school where the queen bee is … Jessie Spano? Oh yes. It’s amazing.
I also take a look at listener feedback, make some corrections, note some omissions, and have a few final thoughts to wrap up the whole series.
Pop Culture Affidavit podcast page
Below the cut is some fun stuff that was featured in the episode …
Pop Culture Affidavit 