Now We Know

In a delightful palate cleanser, Kevin and Chris look back at a handful of TV commercials from the latter's childhood that successfully burned themselves into his brain. it's a nostalgic celebration of that inimitable, "I'm never gonna die" stage of not-quite-late capitalism ― the 80's and 90's.

This time, Kevin and Chris are joined by special guest Miranda Everitt to discuss 1989's Little Monsters, a hybrid children's/freak-out/gross-out/coming of age comedy starring Ben Savage, Howie Mandel, and some pretty peculiar and suggestively dark themes. But fear not, your trusty friends are here to lead you through the night.

In a Now We Know first, the boys discuss a book! And, in keeping with the October Halloween extravaganza, it's a genuine fright: William Hope Hodgson's 1908 supernatural horror forerunner The House on the Borderland, which was hugely influential on H.P. Lovecraft and Chris Tognotti alike. Steel your nerves, for ahead be pig-men!

In a surprise bonus episode, Now We Know continues its fright-filled month of October by looking back at Garfield's Halloween Adventure, a 1985 animated special that clearly left some marks on young Kevin's psyche.

Kicking off an October month of spooktacular episodes to sate your Halloween hungers, Kevin and Chris are joined by Jessica to discuss a movie that haunted her young life ― Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings.

For the groundbreaking 20th episode of Now We Know, you'll step into a time warp, hurtling you 20 years into the past to revisit the very first time Chris watched a political debate. And, as it turns out, the in question debate have been a historic one ― you'll never find a political candidate more devastatingly on-message than New York Senator Al D'Amato.

Don't look now, but Paul Reubens is a spaceship and he done stole a kid! That's a brief, wholly unfair description of Disney's 1986 classic film Flight of the Navigator, which Kevin and Chris were all too eager to relive.

This time Kevin and Chris are joined by a very special guest ― Bay Area stand-up comedian Natasha Vinik ― to gaze back at a childhood favorite that'd been kicking around in her head for decades. Namely, 1989's  Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland , a lavishly animated film based on the groundbreaking early 20th century comic strip of the same name.

This week, your humble hosts look back at a tragically unheralded pair of comedy pioneers, Jim Coyle and Mal Sharpe, better known as Coyle and Sharpe. The hilarious duo tormented and tantalized many random San Franciscans in the early 1960s with their absurdist brand of street interviews, and spoiler alert, they are timelessly great.

The Now We Know boys are hurled back into the world of audio drama, as Kevin brings forth a 1975 vinyl album of Batman stories produced by Power Records. You'd be hard pressed to find a more tension-free quartet of adventures for the caped crusader, as your dynamic duo quickly learned.

The next time you're at the checkout counter and you hear the beep, think of all the fun you could have listening to Chris and Kevin talk about Supermarket Sweep!

If you've never seen Chris Elliot's 1990s sitcom "Get A Life," starring Elliot as something of a psychopath manchild, you are either very fortunate or very unfortunate. You'll simply have to listen to this week's episode to find out which!

Chris successfully convinces Kevin to delve into a murky world of conspiracy theories, psycho-sexually motivated cowboys, cyborg ninjas, nuclear-armed bipedal battle tanks, and the Super Baby Method. 

Did you know that NPR created a radio drama of the original Star Wars trilogy, complete with the vocal talents of one Mark Hamill? It's true! Join Kevin and Chris on a warm, cozy auditory jaunt through the worlds of Tatooine, Alderaan, and the decks of the Tantive IV.

This time, Seth Millstein ― of Now We Know intro and outro theme fame ― joins Kevin and Chris for a revisiting of Problem Child 2, in which the entire plot hinges on John Ritter being the most undeniably sexually attractive man on Earth.

This time, Chris plucks a peculiar children's film out of the fog of 1953: The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, the first and only movie written by Dr. Seuss! Includes tyrannical piano teachers, upbeat musical numbers, unsettling descriptions of torture implements, and a surprising number of extremely direct Simpsons influences.

Are you excited for  Avengers: Infinity War ? If so, you better get familiar with 1990's  Captain America  first, because the two films are chronologically canonical, and the new one won't make any sense otherwise! Kevin revisits a childhood classic, and Chris is inescapably along for the ride.

Chris and Kevin dip into a haunting, lilting tide of morbidity, depression, murder, suicide, and cocaine-fueled (or possibly alleviated?) window smashing with 1999's Wisconsin Death Trip. Also: a really ripping recipe for sheepshead stew.

Feast your ears on the raw, unadulterated audio of Kevin, Chris, and Jason playing Star Trek: The Next Generation VCR Board Game: A Klingon Challenge, the scintillating subject of last week's episode! Bij included.

Kevin brought a board game, a VHS tape filled with Klingon insults and guest 'caster Jason Rudy to us this time.  The board game?  The punchily-titled Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Interactive VCR Board Game: A Klingon Challenge.  Get ready to experience bij (that's punishment in Klingon) along with us!

This week, guest star Evan Tognotti presents Sonic Adventure, Sega's disastrous 1998 response to Nintendo's Super Mario 64. Together, Evan, Kevin, and Chris braved Sonic's strange and meandering tale, and came out on the other side with some pointed thoughts.

This time, Chris serves up a feast of cannibalistic chocolate decadence with 1988's Consuming Passions. Written by Michael Palin and Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, and starring Jonathon Pryce and Vanessa Redgrave. (Don't be fooled by the pedigree.)

Kevin presents one of his favorite cult kids' movies: Bugsy Malone. A gangster movie where all the characters are played by kids, starring young Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. Also it's a musical with songs by Paul Williams, sung by adults which the kids lipsync to.

This time Chris brings a dim memory of artistic integrity into the present: The Thief and the Cobbler! (originally released as Arabian Knight).

On our first episode, Kevin brings a childhood trauma from 1986 for us to relive.