PAST 10s: A Top 10 Time Machine - Music of the 70s, 80s and More

There once were two hosts, Milt and Dave,

They told tales of songs that still shine,

Then came a fast lightning round—

topics

00:59:10 Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson — Say Say Say

The Official Top 10 (ranked)

Running bits & quotables

Homework for Time Travelers

Keep the harmony coming

Strap in, time travelers — Dave and Milt are firing up the Time Machine and heading straight back to a world of ripped jeans, Aqua Net, and questionable rap credibility. It’s November 3, 1990, and the Billboard Top 10 is a glorious mashup of hair metal hangovers, pop perfection, and one dude named Vanilla who made us all say “Yo, VIP, let’s kick it.” Cool, Vanilla. Wax those chumps, bro.

The guys chew over Warrant’s sticky-sweet “Cherry Pie” (spoiler: it’s aged like a dessert left in the sun), Janet Jackson’s rock-star moment with “Black Cat,” and, yes, the cultural phenomenon that was “Ice Ice Baby.” There’s a detour into bar mitzvah memories, a look at early-’90s musical growing pains, and even a round of trivia celebrating songs that kick off with iconic sound effects.

Expect the usual blend of nostalgia, nonsense, and “Wait, that was this year?” revelations. It’s another totally rad trip through time with your favorite chart-chomping duo.

Episode Breakdown:

Dave and Milt reminisce about MTV's cultural impact following the announcement of its shutdown after 44 years. They share personal stories and memories from appearing on the classic MTV game show 'Remote Control.' Dave and Milt each recount their episodes, including detailed behind-the-scenes antics, their interactions with other contestants, and hilarious moments with Colin Quinn and other cast members. They even encounter a young Adam Sandler. The duo wraps up by honoring MTV's significant influence in their formative years and its transformation over time.

SEE THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/-p9ejRP97Bc?si=vSNrff8QYA09-Bpu

Topics

00:57 Remembering MTV's Legacy

03:56 MTV's Remote Control Game Show

11:24 Auditioning for Remote Control

16:15 Milt's Episode on Remote Control

31:57 Behind the Scenes and Final Thoughts

42:28 A Day of Filming: The Struggles and Surprises

44:55 The MTV Play Date: Trivia Time

50:09 Dave's MTV Experience: A Memorable Journey

51:48 The Game Show: Highs and Lows

58:18 Behind the Scenes: Funny and Awkward Moments

01:14:41 Reflecting on the MTV Days

01:18:02 Conclusion: Nostalgia and Farewell

Fire up the time machine, because Dave and Milt are cranking it to 1973—the year rock gods walked among us. Joined by fellow music geeks Scott Ziegler and David Kaufer, the crew dives headfirst into a snake draft of pure, analog glory. From Billy Joel finding his voice on Piano Man to Elton painting the sky on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and from Pink Floyd’s cosmic masterpiece Dark Side of the Moon to Zeppelin’s mythic Houses of the Holy—this draft’s got more classic riffs than your uncle’s record shelf.

Expect heated debates, shameless nostalgia, and more name-dropping than a ‘70s liner note. There’s strategy, there’s sentiment, and yes—there’s a few questionable picks that’ll have you yelling at your cassette player. The guys also round things out with movie soundtracks and TV themes from ‘73, because apparently, we couldn’t stop humming even when the radio was off.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Here's the 2021 episode where Milt and Dave rank the top 10 editions of Schoolhouse Rock (a 1973 debut): https://timemachinepod.podbean.com/e/top-10-of-schoolhouse-rock-recalling-the-kitsch/

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Strap in, Time Travelers—because this week on Past Tens: The Top 10 Time Machine, Dave and the Chartmeister himself, Milt, are punching the flux capacitor back to October 18, 1980. That’s right: the hair was feathered, the collars were popped, and the Billboard Top 200 albums were stacked with pure, uncut classic rock and pop cocaine (the musical kind).

We’re talkin’: AC/DC at their thunderstruck peak, The Stones proving they’re still cockroaches of rock, The Cars running you down with new-wave horsepower, George Benson smooth enough to butter your bagel, Pat Benatar telling you “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” before you even loaded the Nerf gun, and the Doobies trying to figure out if they’re yacht rock or biker bar blues. Oh, and don’t sleep on Olivia Newton-John and ELO building Xanadu out of neon tubes, Diana Ross finding disco Chic, Babs hanging with the Bee Gees, and Queen dropping The Game that still puts other bands in checkmate.

Along the way, Dave and Milt roast, reminisce, and occasionally sound like two guys who’ve had one too many Zimas. Expect hot takes, random tangents, and—of course—our weekly “Substitution,” where we bench one of the charted albums and sneak in a criminally under-loved record.

So grab your Members Only jacket, fire up the turntable, and join us for a ride through a truly transformative year in music.

00:00 – Welcome to the madness

Break out the Jordache jeans and slap bracelets—we’re firing up the Past Tens DeLorean and crash-landing straight into October 4th, 1986. Hosts Dave and Adam are your snarky tour guides through the Billboard Top 10, a week where Lionel Richie was literally defying gravity, Tina Turner was calling out “Typical Males” (present company excluded… maybe), and Run-DMC teamed up with Aerosmith to smash a wall and music history all at once.

Adam admits to surviving a Lionel Richie concert back in the day (dancing on the ceiling, not covered by health insurance), we deep-dive Janet Jackson’s pop domination, and we wonder aloud if Carl Anderson and Gloria Loring’s “Friends and Lovers” was written for a daytime soap opera—or by one. Plus, there’s a Juno Awards trivia smackdown, some righteous Canadian music history, and our patented “swap-a-song” gimmick.

It’s nostalgia, pop-culture snark, and synthesizer-drenched storytelling—Past Tens style.

Find Adam Yas music at www.adamyas.com

We saw Spinal Tap 2, flipped the big red switch, and counted down the best 1980s songs that peaked at #11. Because these… go to 11. Also: sexy drummers, armadillos, and Milt trying to make Kenny Loggins a sports anthem (again).

Quick Hit Summary

Chapter Guide

00:00 – Cold open / mic check / Past Tens roll call

Tap Talk

07:50 – Spinal Tap 2 quick take: tone matched, laughs landed

The Countdown — The ’80s Songs That Went to 11

#11 – 00:15:00

#10 – 00:16:00

#9 – 00:22:00

#8 – 00:27:00

#7 – 00:34:00

Playdate – 00:43:00

#6 – 00:52:00

#5 – 00:57:00

#4 – 01:01:00

#3 – 01:07:00

#2 – 01:11:00

#1 – 01:26:00

Also-Rans & Near-Misses (rapid fire)

If this episode made your dial go to 11, share it with a friend, drop a 5-star on Apple/Spotify, and come argue with us at timemachinepod.com or [email protected]. Rock responsibly, Time Travelers.

Fire up the Time Machine, people—Dave and Milt are going full throttle back to ’75, and it’s a funky, feathered-hair free-for-all. On this Past Tens episode, your fearless hosts trash-talk, gush, and generally geek out over Billboard’s Top 10 from September 27, 1975. Bad Company growls, Sweet glitters, and somewhere in there Dave derails the whole thing with a personal “I almost died in a hospital gown” story.

Milt, ever the Chartmeister historian, connects the dots between these jams and the cultural circus of the mid-’70s, while Dave sprinkles in snarky asides, dad jokes, and a rant or two about sandwiches. They bounce between rock, funk, country, and schmaltz, drop a few under-the-radar nuggets, and even debate whether Glen Campbell’s Broadway references were about, y’know… actual Broadway.

Then it’s Playdate time: Dave throws down a Generation X Rock Hall challenge that makes Milt sweat. By the end, they’re arguing about whether this whole lineup deserves a permanent plaque in the Time Machine Hall of Fame—or just a polite golf clap.

Timestamps for your nostalgic pleasure:

Milt and Dave fired up the Time Machine and landed smack in September of 1991, when mullets were plentiful and Blockbuster late fees could bankrupt you. We’re running down the box-office champs—from Arnold blowing stuff up in Terminator 2 to Billy Crystal roping cattle in City Slickers, with pit stops at Woody Harrelson’s baby-faced cameo in Doc Hollywood and the horror sequels nobody really asked for.

Along the way, we:

And yes—some of these movies aged like fine wine (T2), while others… let’s just say they’ve turned to vinegar (Child’s Play 3, I’m looking at you).

Episode Breakdown

It’s loud, it’s nostalgic, it’s a little snarky—just another ride in the Top 10 Time Machine.

It’s time travel, disco balls, and questionable fashion choices as Dave, Milt, and our buddy Adam Ya Ooh Ya Yas crack open the Billboard Top 10 from September 8, 1979. What holds up? What makes us cringe? What still makes us want to roller-skate in short-shorts? We’ve got opinions.

Expect heated debates on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” vs. “My Sharona,” detours into random trivia, and the usual cocktail of nostalgia, snark, and stories you didn’t ask for but can’t stop listening to. Spoiler: Bruce makes an accidental cameo.

Highlights include:

And of course, the Past Tens patented Substitution Segment™—where we rip out one of the so-called “hits” and jam in a better one from that week. Then we slap a grade on the whole list like we’re back in homeroom.

Settle in. This episode’s longer than a disco 12-inch single.