The Flopcast

This week our excruciating ten-part look at the 80s brings us to 1986! 'Twas the year we danced on the ceiling, had fun tonight, and were rocked by Amadeus (which explains the headache we've had for the last thirty years). Kornflake tells us about the 1986 reopening of the Statue of Liberty, which had spent much of the 80s surrounded by scaffolding, while construction workers added giant shoulder pads and one massive sequin glove. Meanwhile Kevin recalls the high school sitcom Head of the Class, in which a bunch of genius kids learned simple life lessons from Doctor Johnny Fever. Also: Kevin and the Mayor are back from their goofy Caribbean cruise, during which they tried (and failed) to avoid people, reggae, piano bars, napkin folding demonstrations, and pretty much anything that wasn't a howler monkey.

We're halfway through our court-ordered ten-episode celebration of the 80s, which means it's time to talk about 1985. Kornflake has a song by Passion Pit (not from 1985, but still thematically appropriate... well played, Kornflake). Meanwhile Kevin selects the classic Pat Benatar-meets-Supergirl film The Legend of Billie Jean, because fair's fair. Then we move on to some holiday talk -- Kevin's Halloween costume was the stupidest thing anyone has ever seen, and we have the Turkey Stark business cards to prove it. We also thought Thanksgiving week would be the perfect time to tell the world about "turxting" -- a bold new breakthrough in turkey-themed communications technology. (You might even hear us send and receive turxt messages from some friends of the Flopcast during the show! Try to contain your excitement.) And we look forward to our final convention of the year, the Northeast Comic Con! (If Judy Robinson from Lost in Space will be there, then we'll be there. This is how we plan our lives.) Hey, if you found this week's show to be a little weird, please let us know. Send us a turxt.

For our 1984-themed episode, Kevin and Kornflake each have a weird TV memory to share. Kornflake recalls DTV, which was Disney Channel's take on MTV-style music videos. (But where was Billy Ocean? A certain cartoon rodent owes us an apology.) Meanwhile Kevin is still obsessed with The Master, a short-lived TV series about a ninja, his dopey apprentice, and their pet hamster. It was ridiculous and we loved it. And in our "Chickens in the News" segment: Well, there's a chicken on Twitter. For real. This is best thing to come out of Australia since Air Supply (and coming from us, that really means something).

This week we're creeping back to 1983, the year Top 40 radio was totally conquered by goofy new wave. We were blinded with science, rocked down to Electric Avenue, safety danced if we wanted to, and watched 99 red balloons go by. In fact, Kevin's pick for our 1983 discussion is Nena, the young German lady who taught us about those red balloons (or luftballons, if you prefer). Meanwhile, Kornflake reminds us that 1983 was also the year of the Chicken McNugget! (Mayor McCheese knew his days were numbered when those little creeps blew into town.) We also look ahead to the Super Megafest convention (November 21-22), where you can meet MacGyver, Big Bird, a Bad News Bear, a Monkee, and all three Dukes of Hazzard cousins! (We're not counting Coy and Vance. Sorry, guys.) And we sneak in a quick review of the new Supergirl TV series, and learn that Kevin would not make a good Supergirl. Alas, another dream has died...

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate the year 1982 by discussing a couple of lost Saturday morning cartoons ("Meatballs and Spaghetti" and "Pandamonium") and an early computer virus ("Elk Cloner"). Scientists are trying to determine which of these 1982 creations has done the most damage over the years. Then we review the recently announced nominees for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year: Chic, Deep Purple, Nine Inch Nails, NWA, The Smiths, The Spinners, Yes, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Chicago, Janet Jackson, The JB's, Chaka Khan, Los Lobos, and Steve Miller. Warning: This list contains one of Kevin's all-time favorite artists, as well as one he thinks is the worst thing that ever happened. (The Hall of Fame has a lot of range, apparently.) By the way, we're still angry about The Monkees getting snubbed every year. Also, Tiffany.

With our neighboring red planet in the news lately (we can't wait to try that delicious new Martian water), Kevin and Kornflake are counting down their Top 4 1/2 favorite Martians (and miscellaneous Mars-type stuff). We cover Martian cartoon characters, music, movies, candy bars, and lots more. (You know, Matt Damon isn't the first Martian from Boston. It's time for you to meet Robolar.) Also: This week's 1981 edition of National Whatever Day includes Gary Coleman movies, a royal wedding, and yet another Weird Tale of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. And speaking of the Ocean State, we also preview the upcoming Rhode Island Comic Con, where you'll find Tiki Zombies, Wicked Geeky cookies, and HENRY WINKLER! (Yikes, the Fonz in Rhode Island... this can only end with a Marvin the Martian-approved Earth-shattering kaboom.)

This week our usual National Whatever Day segment is replaced by a weird tribute to 1980! (Next week we'll tackle 1981. And because we're so obsessed with the 80s, we'll keep this going for ten weeks, or until we're shut down by the government.) 1980 was the year of Pink Lady and Jeff (a variety show so bizarre that it could only come from those far out space nuts, Sid and Marty Krofft) and the year of the Post-It note. (Kevin and Kornflake disagree on whether or not you should lick Post-It notes. So just follow your heart.) Also: We have feedback on last week's backwards show (uh, sorry about that); Kornflake appears in Dino-Mike's new music video (it's kind of silly, believe it or not); and we review Puglet, a recent production of Hamlet with an all-pug cast. Yes, modern theater has gone to the dogs, and we approve.

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It's a quick show this week, but we still manage to cover all the pressing issues of the day, including bumblebee costumes (Kornflake wants hers back), World Octopus Day (Doctor Octopus is celebrating by creeping everyone out), and the 25th First Annual Ig Nobel Prizes! This year's Ig Nobels, which celebrate the sillier side of science, recognize studies in how to unboil an egg, how to fight bribery with bribery, and how to make chickens walk like dinosaurs. (Yes, we did indeed cover that last one here on The Flopcast several months ago. We try to stay ahead of the curve on chicken stories.) Now if you'll pardon us, we really do need to go track down some Frankenberry.

As summer turns to fall, Kornflake bids a fond farewell to iced coffee, and we consider packing up and moving the whole show to Turkeytown. Also: We recommend several podcasts recorded during (or looking back at) DragonCon, from our friends at Earth Station One, The Adam and JP Show, Needless Things, and Arrow Squad; Kornflake is bursting with Chubby Checker trivia; The Doubleclicks, Molly Lewis, and Joseph Scrimshaw wrap up their Nerd Night Out tour and teach us about snakes, dinosaurs, and chickens; and Kevin's trip to Vermont Comic Con features Clerks, a Vulcan mermaid, that Monster Squad board game, and (once again) chickens. It's been a weird week. Hold us.