What was Aimee Mann like in the 80s? And how exactly does one pronounce “Bananarama”? These questions and others are discussed in episode 17 as Mann’s 3-seed band ‘Til Tuesday pits their “Voices Carry” up against the aforementioned fruit-themed, 14-seed band’s hit, “Cruel Summer.”

Episode 16: Which song were Keith and Joe cool enough to listen to in the early 80s: 11-seed Violent Femmes’ Gen-X touchstone, “Blister in the Sun” or 6-seed Naked Eyes’ synthy Burt Bacharach cover, “Always Something There to Remind Me”? We think you know the answer to that. But listen anyway!

Episode 15: What’s more 80s: a punk band pivoting to pop or a rock band pivoting to…I guess weird familial issues? It’s 4-seed The Go-Gos with “We Got the Beat” going head-to-head with 13-seed Night Ranger’s classic, “Sister Christian.” 

In episode 14, it’s a 5-seed against a 12, as Thompson Twins’ classic “Hold Me Now” takes on The Jets’ “Crush on You,” which is also a song! Keith and Joe sift through the 80s-ness of it all.

In episode 13, The 80s-est is off its meds! Let’s cover our walls with someone’s picture and covertly observe them through their window, because it’s 8-seed “Obsession” by Animotion, going up against 9-seed “Don’t You Want Me?” by The Human League.

Episode 12: They were the newest of waves! In Episode 12 of The 80s-est, it’s 1-seed A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran (So Far Away)” versus 16-seed Devo’s “Whip It.” Will the Seagulls run away? Will Devo get whipped? Give it a listen!

Episode 11: New ep, new region! In this episode of The 80s-est, Keith and Joe look ahead to the sixteen songs in the Bands region. Almost 100% certain to anger people whose favorite band isn’t represented. What’s the top seed? What are the exciting match-ups? How did we forget to include Air Supply? 

Roll up the sleeves of your suit jacket and leave some stubble on your face (or legs or wherever you are shaving) ‘cause Episode 10 of The 80s-est is taking its talents to South Beach for an all-Miami Vice show. The propulsive 15-seed theme song by Jan Hammer goes up against the moodiest work ever produced by someone who also had a top 40 hit with “groovy” in the title, 2-seed Phil Collins with “In the Air Tonight.”

Finally, as promised in the podcast, here’s my first ever movie, Ellsworth Vice, well, the 1-minute title sequence that uses Jan Hammer’s 15-seed “Miami Vice Theme”:

For those who have 12 minutes to waste on an unfinished, low-res VHS adventure from 36 years ago, here’s the whole thing. (WARNING: stretch your face to prepare for excessive cringing.) The full feature also uses 2-seed “In the Air Tonight.”

In Episode 9 of The 80s-est, two wordless songs go head to head. Well, one wordless song and one song with two words and some barely intelligible mumbling. Anyway, here’s 10-seed “Axel F” from Beverly Hills Cop and 7-seed “Oh Yeah” from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Sure he’s got a license to kill, but does he have a license to wear parachute pants? In Episode 8, it’s Bond vs. Bond, as 14-seed Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only” takes on heavy favorite, 3-seed Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill.”