Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

Shiver me timbers! International Talk Like a Pirate day inspires Jay and Shua to pick a pirate for any mood. Movies, theme park rides, baseball teams; what kind of pirate are you? Drink up me hearties and Enjoy Stuff! 

Yo ho, yo ho! It’s a pirate’s life this week on Enjoy Stuff. We look at a bunch of movies, plus some other fun ways you can channel your inner Blackbeard or Jack Sparrow

“CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow!”

Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. Hoist anchor and join us on the poop deck of piracy. Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day, by finding a pirate movie for any mood. Plus, some other ways to get some booty. 

News

-Creepy ’80s Toy Teddy Ruxpin is getting his own movie!

-Picard renewed for Season 3 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gives us the Captain Pike series people have been looking forward to

-The Pinball museum has fire sale

What we’re Enjoying

Jay reaches another fitness milestone as he runs a virtual 5k. It’s like the OASIS, and healthy too! Shua’s weekly pleasure has a bit more sugar as he finally finds grape flavor Big League Chew bubble gum. At least he’s exercising his mouth. 

Enjoy Movies

Pirating takes many forms, but we love seeing them in movies. Hollywood has been cranking out buccaneer flicks for more than 100 years. It has developed into it’s own genre. 

Want some vintage pirate history? Check out the classic Errol Flynn movie Captain Blood. Or see how Walt Disney himself interpreted those mutineers in Peter Pan or Treasure Island. Or a later modern day telling of Blackbeard’s Ghost.

But they’re not all really bad eggs. Peter Pan, Muppet Treasure Island, and Pirates: Band of Misfits give the whole family something to laugh at.

If you want some music while you sit in the crow’s nest, how about the Pirates of Penzance? Or maybe some inappropriate Monty Pythonesque humor in Yellowbeard or the questionable 80’s story of Ice Pirates.

It may look a little different, but we still think the Goonies and Princess Bride qualify as pirate movies. But the first one most people think of these days is the Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp’s quirky Captain Jack Sparrow.

Movies aren’t the only way to be a beggar and blighter. You could ride the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in the Disney parks. Or enjoy a baseball game in Pittsburgh. Or catch a documentary learning the truth about the out of work merchant sailors.

Do you kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

TV in the 70's had its share of Sci-Fi even before Star Wars. Some of it may have been cheesy and kitschy, but it was loads of fun! Jay and Shua find a treasure trove of Disco-ey science fiction and don their sparkly bell bottoms on Enjoy Stuff

Did you grow up in the 70’s? If so, you probably watched more Sci-Fi on TV than you remember. If you didn’t, you gotta listen to us explain what inspired the great stuff we have today! 

News

-A cool dad make his kid a homemade Star Tours in their garage!

-Get ready for a bunch of GameBoy games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online

-The Matrix 4 gets a mind-blowing trailer

What we’re Enjoying

Star Trek: Lower Decks has beamed its way into Shua’s heart. This series may be a parody, but it honors all the Trek shows with references and care. Check it out on Paramount+. Jay has been watching some Jackie Chan flicks. Supercop was the third in a series of Chan films that showcased his stunt work and karate ability. Oh wait, they all did that...

Enjoy TV

Sci-Fi has been around for generations. And it really gathered some steam after Star Wars came out in 1977. But there certainly was some interesting stuff on television in the early 70’s. Saturday mornings had some great kid-centered cartoons like Sealab 2020, but Sid and Marty Krofft had some live action classics like Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, and the wacky Far Out Space Nuts. 

Ark II and Jason of Star Command used a slightly bigger budget to enhance their effects, but they had their share of kitsch too. As kids, we didn’t care. We loved the imaginative adventures. 

In syndication, we got some anime like Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers. Star Trek the Animated Series kept the Trek Dream alive. 

Prime time TV kept trying to figure out exactly what Sci-Fi was with early showings such as Land of the Giants, Space: 1999, The Six Million Dollar Man, and the Bionic Woman. But as George Lucas unleashed his vision upon the world, the later 70’s showed us Sci-Fi juxtaposed in just about every genre of TV entertainment. 

Comedies like Mork and Mindy and Quark kept us laughing. Hour long cinematic stories like Battlestar Galactica, Logan’s Run, and Buck Rogers experimented with episodic drama mixed with cheesy 70’s humor and music.

There were so many different shows to choose from! And it helped keep us involved and inspired to create all we have today. 

Do you think 70’s Sci-Fi is groovy? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

Mario has been a video game star for 40 years. And his brother Luigi has ridden his brother's coattails...er overalls to 'super' stardom. Join us as we look back on the Mario Bros and how they've evolved on Enjoy Stuff!

There are few characters that have been as popular as Mario on the video game world. His legacy spans more than 200 different games. He and his brother have also starred in cartoons and movies and they show no signs of slowing down. Let’s Enjoy Mario!

News

-Kellogg's Sued by Woman Over Ingredients in Pop-Tarts 

-”Dug Days” Shorts premiered on Disney+ 

-The Rocketeer Will Return in a New Disney+ Movie

-Suicide Squad almost had more Mario references

What we’re Enjoying

Jay rewatched the 2020 Charlize Theron movie The Old Guard, a tale of immortal beings helping humanity and how they try to deal with each other. Check it out on Netflix. Shua revisited some classic books of his youth written by Keith Laumer. The Retief series is about an unconventional diplomat in space who gets things done by breaking the rules of the stuffy bureaucracy. Find these books on Amazon. 

Enjoy Games

Forty years ago, Jumpman rescued Paulina from the title character in Donkey Kong. That tricky ape went on to do some of his own follow up projects, but how many video game characters can say they’ve appeared in more than 200 follow-ups. Probably none but Mario. His legacy spans many years and a continual evolution that is still going today. 

He may have started off as the hero in his first game, but in Donkey Kong Jr. he decided to show his nasty side as the antagonist. From there he went back to being the hero with his brother in the 1983 Mario Bros. In the 80’s popular games meant cartoon spin offs. The Saturday Morning Supercade gathered favorite characters of the arcade, including Mario. 

Then his first real sequel dropped in 1988 in the strangely different Super Mario 2. Now you could play a variety of characters. This inspired other platforms like the Game Boy, another show with the first live action version, played by wrestler Lou Albano, and products galore.

His #3 game was even the focus of the 1989 movie with Fred Savage called The Wizard. 

This year marks the anniversary of what is considered to be one of the best video games of all time, Super Mario World for the SNES. Along with new 16 bit programming, this game featured all kinds of new abilities, characters, and levels. We look back on the legendary game and how Mario and his brother continue to evolve today. 

Are you a fan of Mario? Do you have favorite games? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

Tom Lehrer was an American songwriter and satirist whose songs have been making audiences laugh for decades. His dark humor and sharp wit made people think about some heavy issues of the day, from war to politics. Let's learn about Tom Lehrer on Enjoy Stuff - A TechnoRetro Podcast

If you listened to the Dr. Demento show in the 80’s, you probably heard some of the comedy stylings of Tom Lehrer. His clever song parodies paved the way for greats such as Weird Al Yankovic. Jay and Shua take a look at his work and why we love it. 

News

-Frogger Game Show Trailer Released by Peacock

-Get ready to get down to 3 tunes inspired by Lucky’s magical charms. 

-Starbucks PSL Makes Its Earliest Return Ever

-Charlie Watts: Rolling Stones drummer dies at 80

What we’re Enjoying

Shua checked out the dark, thought provoking, Arthurian legend The Green Knight. If you dig thinking about the movies you watch and tons of symbolism you might want to check it out. Jay just finished Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary” book. Another fun one that he has been enjoying.  

Enjoy Music

Tom Lehrer has an educational background in math, but he is best known for his songs he performed in the 50’s and 60’s. It was a time in history that our culture really needed some humor to help us understand and cope with some pretty nasty stuff happening in the world. 

Even the threat of World War III wasn’t off limits to Lehrer’s wit. Plus, he accessed the deepest, darkest, depths of his imagination by writing about some truly disturbing topics like Poisoning Pigeons in the Park. He once said, "If, after hearing my songs, just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps to strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while."

He even wrote songs that helped educate a generation of Electric Company viewers. We learned important rules like Silent-e, L-Y, and O-U (The Hound Song). Let’s check out Tom Lehrer. 

Have you ever heard a Tom Lehrer song? Did we inspire you to check him out? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

I, for one, bow down to our robot overlords. Robots have been all around us for many years. Why do we have such an obsession for these audacious automata? Jay and Shua look at robots in movies, TV, and life in general on Enjoy Stuff.

Bang your head with some heavy metal! Robots have become a regular part of our life. We look at the history of robots and how they have programmed their way into our pop culture. This week on Enjoy Stuff, it’s The Life Robotic with 5T3V3-Z1550U.

News

-The purchase of Casa Bonita by Matt Stone and Trey Parker is official

-Mexico will soon be able to enjoy Krispy Kreme Donut Cereal

-Dress up for breakfast with some Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles Cereal makeup

What we’re Enjoying

Jay and Shua are both tremendously enjoying the Apple+ series Ted Lasso with Jason Sudekis. It has heart and humor with some great messages thrown in. 

Enjoy Life

Where did robots come from? How long have they been around? It may surprise you to find out that the first automated machine dates back to 1737. Though ‘Digesting Duck’ may have been a far cry from Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot, it was still the humble beginnings of centuries of mechanized men. 

Once we got our first glimpse of a non-biological creature doing its thing, we couldn’t get enough. Soon they were beeping their way into books, movies, toys, and everyday life. We use them to entertain, to do jobs that are too dangerous for humans, and for companionship. (I love you, Roomba!)

To head off the imminent threat of a Cylon takeover, Isaac Asimov created three laws that should keep them in their place. But writers have been challenging that concept in many stories ever since. 

But what makes a robot a robot? Could it be classified as an android or a cyborg? 

What kinds of robots do you have a magnetic attraction to? Johnny 5? Wall-E? Or do you have more dark tastes and would like to snuggle up with the Terminator? Did you play with robot toys growing up? Or did you wait until we had real robots of today, like the Mars Curiosity Rover?

We would love to hear your thoughts on those plastic pals that are fun to be with. Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

Goodbye summer! As the toasty months wind down, we remember some of the movies that made us remember why those vacations were so tiring. Jay and Josh revisit Summer vacation and camp movies as they Enjoy Stuff!

In summer, anything is popsicle! Do you remember family vacations? How about summer camp? There are a ton of movies where we can watch people’s summer hardships from afar and laugh!

News

-The Monster Cereals are getting fruit snacks this year too!

-The legendary Idris Elba is playing Knuckles in the Sonic 2 movie

-Funko makes some classic board games and retro cereal Pop! figures.

-Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Symphonic Suite Gets First Repressing Since 1980

-Get yourself a retro R2-D2 Tamagotchi

What we’re Enjoying

Josh opens his latest Etsy purchase on the air; a TRON video game header sign. He can’t wait to get it framed. Jay has been watching the hysterical Monsters at Work on Disney+. Great stuff to check out. 

Enjoy Movies

Summer vacations are supposed to be about getting a break from the stress of everyday life, but not in movies. The more stress these characters come under the better. 

We start with the classic 60’s Jimmy Stewart movie Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation. This movie seemed to be the inspiration for future summer movies like Summer Rental and One Crazy Summer.  But who can take a road trip without thinking of Chevy Chase taking his family on a crazy road trip in National Lampoon’s Vacation. There are a ton of classics.

But some kids spent their summer at camp, and the movies didn’t leave them out. 1979’s Meatballs started off the wacky setting for campers and inspired more to come. Sometimes they missed the mark like 1980’s GORP. But a lot of them generated some hearty laughs for a variety of ages. From Camp Nowhere to Wet Hot American Summer, you can find some great Summer Camp memories at the movies. 

What summer movies do you remember? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

It's good to be the king. At least when that king is legendary director, comedian Mel Brooks. For more than 70 years, Brooks has given us memorable comedy to make us laugh and think. Jay and Josh look back on his films on Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro podcast

If you’re blue and you don’t know where to go to, why don’t you go where...movies make you laugh! Mel Brooks has written, directed, and starred in some of the greatest comedies of all time.

News

-The Russo Brothers are developing a live action Battle of the Planets

-There is another ‘Kelvin’ timeline Star Trek movie coming...someday

-Would you eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos ice cream?

-The creators of South Park want to buy and restore a classic Mexican restaurant in Denver, called Casa Bonita

-Stay tuned to Disney+ for a Lego Star Wars Halloween special called Terrifying Tales

What we’re Enjoying

Jay has really been enjoying his new books with a collection of comic book artist Alex Ross’s Marvel work, plus the Making of Back to the Future. Shua liked looking behind the scenes of some of the Disney parks most iconic rides featured on Behind the Attraction on Disney+.

Enjoy Movies

When Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner first performed the 2000 year old man sketch on Sid Caesar’s ‘Your Show of Shows’ they probably didn’t realize that it was the start of some comedy that would likely be around for 2000 years. Brooks’s success led him to begin writing and directing movies like The Producers and The Twelve Chairs. But just a few years later, he created two of the best comedies of all time, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

Are his movies sometimes crude? Absolutely! Are they ridiculing all different types of people? Of course! But they also have important messages about racism, greed, and understanding. From the slapstick humor (and lack of dialogue) that should never have been made in the 70’s called Silent Movie to the completely offensive History of the World Part 1, Brooks has hooked us with our secret desire for naughtiness and taught us a valuable lesson along the way. 

Even if you aren’t a fan of his later work, such as Spaceballs or Robin Hood: Men in Tights, you can still respect the creativity and success this icon has shared with us. 

Are you a fan of Mel Brooks movies? Would you like to check them out for the first time? Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

Enjoy Food

Having a Brooks-athon? You’ll need snacks!  Will you pick beans or Ovaltine? We give you a list of treats that would appeal to any character in a Mel Brooks movie! Well…..some of them anyway. 

Stamps, action figures, toenail clippings? Just about all of us have some sort of collection in our lives. But why do we collect? And what are great ways you can enjoy collecting? Jay and Shua take a dive into their collections (be careful, they're deep!) and share their insights about the art of collecting on Enjoy Stuff.

Gather ye acorns because we are about to jump into the world of collecting! For many people, collecting is an important part of their life. Do you have a collection? Beanie Babies? Pogs? Patrick Nagel Prints? Whether you’re using their value to pay your kid’s college tuition or just do it for the value of your own happiness, collecting can be a great way to Enjoy Stuff. 

News

-The Star Wars Visions teaser has been released and it looks great!

-The Goonies Never Say Die board game is available now

-Star Trek the Motion Picture to get a 4K Director’s Cut

-A mint condition Super Mario 64 game sells for record $1.5 million

What we’re Enjoying

Shua’s new Game-Boy-like iPhone case has been very useful on his long trips.  Jay found his way back to the movie theater this week when he saw Black Widow with Shua.  Both are having tons of fun this summer. 

Enjoy Life

Are you a collector? Jay and Shua share things that they’ve been collecting as far back as their childhood. Star Wars, comics, Disney, video games...they have acquired a lot of fun that have given them a lot of pleasure. And they share some of their more unusual collecting habits.

Plus, they discuss why people like collecting. Is it the thrill of the hunt? Maybe an investment? Whatever the reason, we talk about how to make the most of your collection and how to make it a positive experience. 

We would love to know what you collect and how you share it with others. Let us know in the Discord channel or send us an email to [email protected]

Disneyland celebrates its birthday on July 17. Jay and Shua relive fond memories of the past and savor the challenge and promise of the future. Happy birthday to the Happiest Place on Earth. 

On July 17, 1955 Walt Disney opened up his deathtrap to all who wanted to dive into his imagination. That first day may have been a disaster, but it just kept getting better. Jay and Shua share some of their experiences and how you can enjoy similar special experiences too, even if you can’t go to Disneyland. 

News

-Good news: The owner of a Flintstones themed house in California can keep character statues on her front lawn. Take that HOA!!

-Check out the cool Jurassic Park/Transformers mashup

-Jerry Seinfeld will be starring in a new Netflix movie about Pop-Tarts

What we’re Enjoying

Jay has been enjoying hosting Shua at his house for a visit. And they went on an epic MCU Locations road trip. Make sure to check it out on Superhero Suite. In preparation for his trip to Disney World, Shua has been reading some good ol’ fashioned Disney comics. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck go wild as they try to avoid the murderous Pete who literally tries to kill them. Wow!

Enjoy Life

On July 17, 1955 Walt Disney uttered those iconic words, “To all who come to this happy place, welcome!” And since then, more than 800 million people have visited. Jay grew up in California and had a lot of great times in the park. Shua has been visiting for 32 years and loves it every time. The guys reminisce about great times they have had and the stories that go along with them. Plus, they look back at the history of the park and what Walt was thinking. 

Disneyland may not be for everyone, and it certainly isn’t accessible to everyone, so they also talk about how people can enjoy experiences like they have had in other places too. 

Enjoy Food

If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland, you’ll for sure want to budget a ton of money for some of the great food they have there. Jay and Shua pick some of their favorites from the park. 

Grab a hot dog and a cold one as we look back at some of the most memorable patriotic movies to celebrate America's Independence. Get patriotic the way the founding fathers intended; freedom for all and a bucket of popcorn on Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast!

In America, July is the season to remember the freedom that we work so hard to preserve. And what better way to do that than to watch a patriotic movie? Whether Wil Smith and Captain America are fighting for our independence or Lin-Manuel Miranda is teaching us how groovy the founding fathers could be, this is the time to celebrate (even if it is on the beach away from the water). 

News

HBO Max is getting ready to premiere a very TechnoRetro version of some old Hanna Barbera friends in the new animated series Jellystone

Harrison Ford is injured while making Indiana Jones 5

Happy Belated 95th birthday to Mel Brooks

What we’re Enjoying

Shua decided to revisit a book he got a few years back all about the ridiculous mail order products you could order from comics back in the good ol’ days. Jay has been checking out his late Father’s Day gift. A book called Good Omens by Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett. A fun story about the final judgement of mankind. 

Enjoy Movies

July 4th may be America’s birthday, but it’s also a great day for movies! On this episode we look at some classic movies that spotlight a spirit of America. Maybe it’s the plucky spirit of our heroes like Roy Schneider saving a beach from a deadly shark, or Captain America stopping the evil of the Red Skull. Or maybe it’s the idea that a president could actually be a hero that stops terrorists from taking over his plane or fires the final shot on invading aliens. It could even be a musical cast teaching us all about the history of how our founding fathers wrote a bunch of documents just so Nicolas Cage could one day rip them off. Whatever gets you in the mood for the Red, White, and Blue, we have it on our cinematic list. Get ready to return to the theater for some patriotic movies.