Retrophilia: The '90s in Music, Film & Culture

Calling all Mall Rats, Mall Goths, Mall Punks, and Mallternatives! Malls fulfilled our dreams and socials scenes for generations, but they are quickly turning from a safe haven for teenagers to abandoned monuments to late stage capitalism. Born of the suburbs, malls had their last great era in the 1990s. Audra and Raymond talk mall movies, mall history, and read some very provocative listener mail on the topic.

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Were the ‘90s the Suburbs Decade? Raymond and Audra discuss the explosion of the suburbs and its hand in creating the Church Youth Group, Youth Pastors, and even Christian Rock. Raymond’s personal experiences (and listener input), help flesh out this very ‘90s phenomenon. Audra finally gets to ask the burning question, “What’s up with the whole Christian haunted house thing?!”

PS: King of the Hill episode “Reborn to be Wild” (S8.E2) is heavily referenced.

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It's end times fun times here at Retrophilia as we discuss how anxieties for Y2K expressed themselves in 90's cinema via apocalypse-themed movies. It was a decade full of 'em, but we'll focus on two movies that share several themes in common: IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994) and THE NINTH GATE (1999).

If television was your babysitter, this episode is for you! Audra & Raymond discuss sweet sweet cable TV, why it was invented and how we spent our childhoods (and beyond) parked in front of it. From Nickelodeon to MTV to Skinemax, Retrophilia unscrambles shows like "The Adventures of Pete & Pete," VH1's "Behind the Music," "USA Up All Night," and many more. Plus, listener memories!

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Retrophilia is back, baby! Audra and Raymond are thrilled to return to the ‘90s after a year-long sabbatical living in the present day. They dive right back in with the year the music changed. 1994 was the peak year of crossover madness. Find out how Alternative, Modern, and College Rock went blazing into the mainstream, and how Green Day, NIN, Pearl Jam, Beck, and Ween (?!) became household names (and how flannels ended up in your Sears catalog).    

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Just like music and film, comedy went through a transformation in the 1990s. Perhaps in reaction to the glut of mediocre and shallow comedians of the '80s, comedy shows like MR. SHOW, KIDS IN THE HALL, and SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST upended expectations with their alternative brand of social commentary and changed the way we think about comedy today.

The advent of the video rental store made a wide variety of films available for study and this changed the landscape of cinema. Video stores birthed a new breed of filmmaker in the '90s, including Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith. Were these auteurs the culture-bearers of film history or self-indulgent dude bros? Or both? Audra and Raymond take a look at RESERVOIR DOGS and CLERKS, and discuss their relevance then and now.

What was there to rebel against in the '90s? Whaddaya you got? Raymond and Audra examine the '90s Rebel archetype through the lens of two film classics of teen rebellion: PUMP UP THE VOLUME and GHOST WORLD. Talk hard!

At the dawn of the '90s, a magical thing happened when MTV began diversifying their programming - they launched a cutting-edge animation show called LIQUID TELEVISION, which changed animation forever. AEON FLUX and BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD sprung from this fertile anthology show, bringing the avant-guard and the hilariously puerile into homes across the world. The success of these shows lead to hits like DARIA, THE HEAD, THE MAXX, and more!

Occult, Self-Help, Personal Development...call it what thou wilt. Raymond and Audra delve into the New Age movement of the '90s from music to bookstores to community. Somewhere between PURE MOODS and THE CRAFT, lies the secret to the universe. Sail away, mutha fakkas!