Culture Dumps

Gary Glitter is a British Glam Rock star. His most famous song is “Rock and Roll Part 2” a song that probably have heard but might not have known who sang it. That ubiquity came in part from the song being adopted as a chant at major sporting events. Glitter established himself as a major UK celebrity in the 80s and 90s. However, the superstar had some dark secrets. His fall from grace has been spectacle due to his multiple convictions of child pornography, child sexual abuse and sex with underage women.

The Passion of the Christ is a highly controversial 2004 biblical drama directed and produced by Mel Gibson. Gibson at the time was a huge A-list celebrity and had enjoyed success directing and starring in Braveheart. Yet with no prior Christian affiliations, his decision to depict the brutal crucifixion of Jesus Christ seemed odd. The film garnered controversy for its extreme violence and anti-Semitic themes. While the film shocked and offended some, it managed to be a blockbuster success. Passion remains one of the top 10 highest grossing rated-R films.

The 1996 release of the Tickle Me Elmo doll created an outrageous consumer frenzy. Supply could not meet up with demand, causing fights and stampedes in department stores. Scalping occurred, even John Gotti had to pull some strings to get a box of these to fall off the back of the truck. The Dumpy Boys also dive into the disturbing allegations of Kevin Clash, the puppeteer in charge of Elmo.

Sean Beard owns the World’s largest collection of Beavis and Butthead memorabilia. From whoopie cushions to toilet seat covers and even after shave, Beard’s collection is impressive. Ryan conducts an interview that gets to the heart of this collector’s obsession. Plenty of pop culture to learn here; from the show’s early controversy to Beard’s very personal story of his fandom. Essential listening for the you Dump heads.

This is the story of a 90s Irish traditional song and dance phenomenon that captivated a worldwide audience. Modern stage production mixed with traditional dance to create a dynamic for of entertainment that had mothers and Ren Faire geeks swooning. The rockstar of it all, Michael Flatley, eventually found himself dissatisfied under creator Bill Whelan’s wing. Flately broke off and created his own show, The Lord of the Dance; which positioned its star as some sort of Celtic dance god sex symbol. This much power always creates a little drama, as we know too well here in dumpville.

Tila Tequila was one of the first internet celebrities and could very well be credited with being the first “influencer.” She is also one of the most controversial reality TV stars. MySpace changed the way we interacted with strangers, especially famous people. This was never more true than with the case of Tila Tequila. Her success landed her her own tv show and kept her in the spotlight just long enough for her to suffer a tragic fall from grace. Dinah Rankin, herself no stranger to the celebrity lifestyle, returns to the show to give us a much welcomed sprinkling of panache.

We are back in our favorite year, 1999! The boys breakdown Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace and try to make sense out of all of the hate. Was Jar Jar a racist character? Did young Anakin suck? All will be revealed on this week’s Culture Dump.

Parks takes the reigns with his special guest and friend Max. We dive deep into the XFL, a professional football league with huge ambition and a colossal ratings failure on national TV. The lovechild of WWE executive Vince McMahon and NBC sports titan Dick Ebersol, the XFL had serious potential to rival the NFL. But it appear that when you want to broadcast a professional football league on network TV, you need a plan!

The 2003 television special “Living With Michael Jackson” promised to deliver an inside look at the life of the world’s most famous person. Not only was the special completely bonkers but it also led to the second child abuse scandal for the singer and unveiled some of the star’s darkest secrets. Warning! This episode contains some greasy stuff. YOO HOO!

Competitive eating is one of the most bizarre and challenging sports in the world. The sheer amount of food consumed professional competitive eaters is mind boggling, but one man made it look like an afternoon snack. Takeru Kobayashi is the Michael Jordan of competitive eating and in the early 2000’s he captured the imagination of millions of people around the world. Unfortunately, as with many  professional athletes, he fell victim to an unfair contract that ultimately led to his retirement from Major League Eating. This is a real HOT DOG of an episode!