Talk To The Hand Podcast

In the late 90s, a new genre of music rose from the ashes of grunge. Labeled nu-metal, it was different from anything anyone had heard - it had loud, aggressive guitars, funky and jazzy beats and samples, electronic backgrounds, and hip hop vocals that evoked  similar angst to punk and grunge. To the chagrin of many metal purists, it was often lumped within their diverse genre - but we know the MT...

For 51 days in 1993, the FBI and ATF were in an increasingly tense standoff with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, an extreme far-right religious sect, outside of Waco, Texas. After a search and arrest warrant led to a gunfight leaving 10 dead, negotiators and tactical teams squared off about how to get the Branch Davidians out safely for nearly two months.  Ultimately, the Waco siege culmina...

HAPPY PRIDE! If there’s anyone that embodies the principles of Pride, it’s RuPaul, America’s most famous and commercially successful drag queen. She burst on the scene in the 90s in New York City, catapulting the community into the spotlight and making drag a more mainstream lifestyle. From her talk show to her MAC cosmetics campaign, RuPaul has ALWAYS been unapologetically herself, authentic in h...

The office landscape looks a LOT different 22 years after Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy Office Space . It was changing even BEFORE Covid hit, and this last year has accelerated its change even more - but we love the movie just the same. This week we’re discussing the cult classic, our favorite characters and scenes, and the fate of the 90s office as portrayed in media all those years ago. So let’s head...

90s kids, FIND YOUR SEATS - Mama Spurlock is in the house. This week, my mom - the queen herself, Shelley Spurlock - is joining me to talk all about what it was like to be a parent in the 90s. From art docent-ing to leading the Brownie troops to rescuing injured, sick, or orphaned birds, my mom’s experience of the 90s was NOTHING short of spectacular. Which is not surprising if you know her. So ju...

What do Anna Nicole Smith and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have in common? RBG, ever the women’s empowerment champion, wrote the majority opinion in Anna’s Supreme Court case, allowing her to go after her fair share of her late husband’s estate in the 2000s. So that’s pretty cool. This week I’m by myself discussing the 90s bombshell herself and how she paved the way for women and femmes to own their bodies...

When American Pie was released in the summer of 1999, movie theaters weren’t prepared for the onslaught of underage kids sneaking in to watch the raunchy sex jokes, gross stunts, and heartwarming friendships. The film was an instant hit among teens, because a movie FINALLY depicted how awkward it was to be a teenager learning how your body works - and how embarrassing it seemed for others to witne...

GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL! If you played Pokémon in the 90s at school, you knew it was practically an underground economy. 10-year-old card slingers, if they were smart and savvy, operated like drug kingpins. Except instead of illicit drugs, they were trading pieces of cardboard. And it was so much more than a game - it was a community, a unifier, a way of life. Even if you didn’t play Pokémon - and eve...

Settle in for Part 2 of our chat with Henry Rollins! In our humble punk rock opinion, Henry Rollins is one of the most prolific and inspiring artists of all time. Vocalist and frontman of Black Flag and the Rollins Band, actor, author, essayist, spoken word performer, activist - it would probably be easier to count how many artistic mediums he HASN'T tried. He had a wild 90s between being the firs...

In our humble punk rock opinion, Henry Rollins is one of the most prolific and inspiring artists of all time. Vocalist and frontman of Black Flag and the Rollins Band, actor, author, essayist, spoken word performer, activist - it would probably be easier to count how many artistic mediums he HASN'T tried. He had a wild 90s between being the first note of the first song of the first Lollapalooza in...

The age old question: were they on a break?  Ross Gellar and Rachel Green were one of the most iconic couples of the 90s, fictional or not. A lot of their relationship was problematic in hindsight, but there are some moments that show true and genuine love for each other. And all of it kept us coming back week after week, blunder after blunder, silly sitcom scenario after silly sitcom scenari...

Nickelodeon in the 90s was way more than just a TV network - it was a community.  Being a kid could be confusing and scary and lonely and sad at times. It could also be totally boring and filled with entertainment that felt toned-down or even pandering. Adults ran the world, and kids had to live by their rules. But not with Nickelodeon. In the 90s, the kids owned Nickelodeon. It was a communi...

Diana Spencer became the Princess of Wales in 1981 a few weeks after turning 20 years old and she immediately caught the attention of the whole world. People loved her accessibility, her warmth, her community service, and her style. But beneath it all, she was deeply unhappy and lonely, despite her boundless love for her two children and all the others she touched through her charity work. Devasta...

ROSEBUD. *cha-ching sound* *windfall of cash in your account* If only life was like the original The Sims when it was released in 2000. Right? You could pull a cheat code out of thin air and give yourself an influx of cash to build the house of your dreams and go on a ton of cool vacations. You could stand in front of your dresser and magically swap outfits. You could paint, read, play chess, work...

25 years ago this month, a movie hit theaters that threatened to unseat Caddyshack for the greatest golf movie ever made. Except the main character wasn’t a golfer, he was a hockey player (with a wicked slapshot), and he made sure you never forgot it. This week Eric and I are celebrating the beloved 1996 Adam Sandler classic, Happy Gilmore, on its 25th filmaversary. Arguably one of the best comedi...

If you and your gal pals from the 90s did any of the following, this episode is for you: 1) Made prank calls or obscure AIM screen names to see if your crush liked you. 2) Played MASH and read Seventeen magazine at sleepovers. 3) Did makeovers on each other or, heaven forbid, plucked each other's eyebrows. 4) Swooned over JTT while watching Home Improvement or TGIF. 5) Traded friendship necklaces...

In 1995, a bright, beautiful, motivated 22-year-old woman named Monica Lewinsky fell in love with the wrong man and suffered a heartbreak you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Who hasn’t? Although for Monica, the wrong man was the President of the United States, and her heartbreak played out for the world to witness, sending her into a deep depressive spiral that she almost didn’t survive. Fast f...

There is nothing more instantly recognizable from the 90s than Austin Powers. From the late 90s to the early 00s, Mike Myers and crew took us on a shagadelic ride from the Swingin’ 60s London to a “time where greed and corruption ruled again” (the 90s). With bad teeth, velour suits, and a free love worldview, Myers burned his classic groovy persona into our brains (along with the villainous Dr. Ev...

In the 90s, the first day of school was the prime moment to show off your new back-to-school swag. If you liked bright colors and cute animals, chances are that swag included products by Lisa Frank Inc., the artist/design company behind the instantly recognizable neon rainbows, unicorns, pink leopards, alien beauty queens, cute puppies, and more. Today, as various 90s aesthetics show up to the cur...

Did you know that Blockbuster had the chance to buy Netflix in 2000 - and turned it down? Did you know there is one last Blockbuster remaining in Oregon, and it’s now an AirBnb that hosts unlimited movie nights? Did you know that you actually had until 3pm - not noon - to get that VHS tape back into the Blockbuster Quik (no c) Drop? Whether you knew those trivia facts or not - if you loved going t...

Shania Twain was the leopard-printed, crop-topped, empowered, talented, sophisticated, and sassy older sister we always wanted. She paved the way for a new generation of empowered young women to be themselves and not accept the status quo - or any of the limitations that society puts on them. And she had some amazing country chart-toppers that we can recall at the drop of a sequined cowgirl hat wi...

Arnold Schwarzenegger: to some he was governor, to many he was the Terminator, and to us he was Howard - 90s suburban workaholic dad chasing down the elusive Turbo Man action figure for his son on Christmas Eve. This week, Eric, Sam (travel vlogger and veteran TTTH guest from the McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy episode!) and I take you back to 1996 when Jingle All the Way first hit theaters and Tickle-M...

Chant it with us: “JER-RY! JER-RY! JER-RY!” Tabloid talk shows were one of the most quintessential 90s transmissions to travel the airwaves. During the talk show decade, thousands of people from all walks of life claimed their time in the spotlight and aired their dirty laundry on TV for millions to see. From paternity reveals to chair-throwing to “my parents think I’m a freak but I look cool” got...

Pirates! Outer space! Wild West! Castles! McDonalds Drive-Thrus! The 90s is often considered the Lego heyday by enthusiasts, collectors, and 90s kids themselves and the nostalgia for them has never been more acute. Considering millennials who grew up playing with Legos are now the most clinically burnt-out generation in history, these tiny blocks and plastic figurines are somehow even more comfort...

Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. Those were the brilliant words of Ms. Frizzle, the eccentric, enthusiastic, bewitching 4th grade teacher who graced our TV sets and led her students on adventures that combined a TON OF REAL SCIENCE with all the fun of being a kid in the 90s. This week, Eric and I are discussing the Magic School Bus - its book-to-TV background, notable episodes and theme...