The Flopcast

It's our goofy Halloween show, but we're also celebrating the year 1986! Oprah Winfrey's talk show debuted (but who cares), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first class (which totally should have included Air Supply), and Madonna invited you to make her "True Blue" music video. (Did you do it? She's probably still waiting.) Meanwhile this week, one friend of ours is participating in a 25-hour charity gaming event, while another friend is opening a new comic book store! (Our friends are crazy and that's how we like them.) And Kornflake has a 90s music-themed show for her monthly podcast recommendation. But it's Halloween, so we're also talking about lobster costumes, weird dentist pumpkins, the 1978 Halloween movie... and yes, problematic candy from the problematic candy nun. It's a subject that dates back to the very first episode of the Flopcast... but we're finally back with an update, as well as another ridiculous Flopcast Halloween taste test. Special thanks to Power Salad for providing this week's coffee, which we desperately needed to wash down all that weird (but delicious) nun candy.

Direct download: Flopcast_286.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:47pm EST

This week we're celebrating 1985 by looking at the top ten songs from 32 years ago (including Tears For Fears, A-ha, and most importantly, "Oh Sheila" by Ready for the World) as well as a book that would eventually become a Tom Hanks movie (and we don't mean Mazes and Monsters). Then Kornflake reports on the Topsfield Fair, where she found an iconic disco act, a swimming pig, and an old friend of the Flopcast. And we get more information about that amazing autographed Love Boat script we received last week, straight from the source: Ed, from the Sponge Awareness Foundation! Also: Some follow-up on our list of robot animals from several weeks ago. (We missed some very important robot animals. Sorry, Bubo.)

Direct download: Flopcast_285.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:32am EST

Stay angry, Monkees fans! It's time for our annual review of the nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! And despite a complete lack of Air Supply, it's not a bad list this year. Find out which acts we're hoping will get in (come on, Cars) and which acts we're not so excited about (sorry, Kate Bush). But we are so excited about the Pointer Sisters. They're not on the list, but they did have a Top 10 song this week back in 1984 -- and since we're celebrating 1984, we review that list too. We also compare 1984 minivans to 1970s creepy vans. Then we end the show with a 1984-themed "What's in the Bag" segment... which turns into one of the most shocking and wonderful moments in the history of the Flopcast. Is Gopher from The Love Boat somehow involved? (Here's a hint: Yes.)

Direct download: Flopcast_284.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:41am EST

Kevin and Kornflake celebrate 1983 with a fast car (maybe even faster than KITT) and the top ten songs from 34 years ago this week. (It's a weird mix of new wave, country, rockabilly, hat-free men, and Jim Steinman... so much Jim Steinman...) Also: At Granite State Comicon, we found old friends, artists, costumers, Spice Girls, Beavis, Daria, and drag-hens. (Drag-hens are dragon/chicken hybrids, and they're amazing.) Meanwhile it's almost time for another favorite convention, Super Megafest! It's October 21-22 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and the guest list includes the Bionic Man AND Bionic Woman, stars from Battlestar Galactica and The Flash, comedians, wrestlers... and Paul Soles, who was HERMEY THE ELF in the 1964 Rudolph cartoon! Be there. Plus: At the beginning of the summer, we tried to pick the winning teams for the new Battle of the Network Stars. Now it's time to check the results. Did our strategy of betting on Greg Brady, Daisy Duke, Potsie, Blair, and Tootie pay off? (Here's a hint: No.)

Direct download: Flopcast_283.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:42am EST

It's a post-DragonCon catch-up show, with concert reports on the Bacon Brothers (we now have zero degrees of separation from the star of Footloose), They Might Be Giants (we celebrated with a whole day of old friends, shuttle buses, and watermelon), and Micky Dolenz (touring without Tork this year, but still delivering all your Monkees favorites). We also have a quick correction from last week's show, and it involves the Hardy Boys and the Partridge Family, as all corrections should. Plus: For National Whatever Day, we're looking back at 1982, including the opening of EPCOT Center (you know you want to ride through a giant golf ball) and the top ten songs from 35 years ago this week (we keep forgettin' how Michael McDonald sounds exactly like Michael McDonald).

Direct download: Flopcast_282.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:27am EST

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