Pop Culture Affidavit – Two True Freaks

Jean-Claude Van Damme, made his name as “The Muscle from Brussels” off of B-level action flicks that were light on story but chock full of martial arts action.  In 1989, coming off the success of Bloodsport, he starred in Cyborg, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/action thriller about a man bent on revenge and helping to find a cure for a worldwide plague.  Join me as I take a look at the movie’s production, its story, and even the comic book that Cannon produced as a promotion.

If you like the show, don’t forget to send me an email at [email protected]!

https://twotruefreaks.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Pop-Culture-Affidavit-Episode-124.mp3

The Eighties and Nineties were a boom for the baseball card and trading card industry, and since I was a kid, I was right there in the thick of it.  Join me as I recount my days collecting baseball cards as well as cards featuring characters from Marvel, DC, Star Trek, and Star Wars before looking at books and documentaries about the hobby.  Plus, I open four packs of vintage baseball and trading cards live on the show!

If you like the show, don’t forget to send me an email at [email protected]!

https://twotruefreaks.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Pop-Culture-Affidavit-Episode-123.mp3

It’s the seventh chapter in a podcast miniseries that looks at the fall of the Iron Curtain and the popular culture of the Cold War. To start us off, I look at what happened in Eastern Europe from March 1991 to May 1991 with a special focus on Yugoslavia and the civil wars in Bosnia and Kosovo that lasted well into the Nineties. Then, Michael Bailey joins me to take a look at The Day After as well as other nuclear holocaust films of the 1980s.

Don’t forget to check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]

https://twotruefreaks.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Fallen-Walls-Open-Curtains-Episode-7.mp3

In 1982, Marvel and DC teamed up to present a story featuring their two hottest properties: The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans.  Written by X-scribe Chris Claremont with art by Walt Simonson and Terry Austin, the crossover was one of the best ever produced and had the X-Titans facing off against Deathstroke, Darkseid, and Dark Phoenix.

To take a look at my favorite inter-company crossover of all time, I’m joined by The Irredeemable Shag from the Fire and Water Network.  We take a look at it from all angles and really find our joy talking about this classic.

If you like the show, don’t forget to send me an email at [email protected]!

In 1984, Marv Wolfman and George Perez shocked their fans by revealing that the New Teen Titans’ newest member, Terra, was working with Deathstroke: The Terminator.  Then, they finished Terra’s story in what is the high-water mark for their run, “The Judas Contract.”  This episode, Donovan Grant joins me to take a look not only at the story as a whole, but The Other History of the DC Universe #3.

CONTENT WARNING:  In this episode, we discuss the relationship between Slade and Tara and talk specifically about issues concerning rape, and the exploitation of minors.

If you like the show, don’t forget to send me an email at [email protected]!

https://twotruefreaks.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Pop-Culture-Affidavit-Episode-121.mp3

n 1996, the Sayville, NY-based punk band Wasted Time released their only album, “When It Was Fun.” To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CD’s release, I’m interviewing the lead singer (and one of my oldest friends), Chris Lynam. We talk about the Long Island music scene of the mid-’90s, what made him want to play music, the band’s history, and the music he’s making now.

As always, check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]!

http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/PopCultureAffidavitEpisode120.mp3

Talk Hard! Steal the air! In 1990, the cult film Pump Up the Volume was released and it proved to be a formative movie experience for many teenagers of the time. So, 31 years after it came out, I sat down with Michael Bailey to take apart the film and see if Hard Harry’s words of rebellion still hold up.

As always, check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]!

http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/PopCultureAffidavitEpisode119.mp3

It’s the sixth chapter in a podcast miniseries that looks at the fall of the Iron Curtain and the popular culture of the Cold War. To start us off, I look at what happened in Eastern Europe from December 1990 to February 1991 with a special focus on the role that the Soviet Union played in Operation Desert Storm. Then, Andrew Leyland joins me to take a look at Britain’s most famous super spy, James Bond.

Don’t forget to check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]

http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/FallenWallsOpenCurtainsEpisode6.mp3

Thirty years ago, Douglas Coupland published Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, a novel that would name the generation that came of age in the 1980s and early 1990s. It told of disaffected, misanthropic, self-absorbed twentysomethings who didn’t seem to care about anything that was going on in the world. But was that really the case?

In this episode, I take a look at Coupland’s novel as well as Richard Linklater’s film Slacker; plus, I examine articles and books that attempted to define and explain Generation X and make some attempt to come to a conclusion about this group of people who are now middle aged.

As always, check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]!

http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/PopCultureAffidavitEpisode118.mp3

It’s time for another trip down the rabbit hole that is the music of my formative years! This time around, I’m taking a look at B-sides and rarities that are some of my favorites or marked an important moment in my time as a music fan or collector. You’ll hear me talk about scrounging record stores for “import” CDs, years of random rarities put on mix tapes, and why songs by Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Bruce Springsteen, and even Ben Folds Five are important to my musical tastes.

As always, check out the blog for show notes, and don’t forget that you can email me at [email protected]!

http://twotruefreaks.com/media/podcasts/popculture/mp3/PopCultureAffidavitEpisode117.mp3