Pop Culture Yearbook

Send us a text For this episode, Giff chose the uncommon route of choosing a movie he had never seen before: the 80's ski slope racing, Howard Cosell drag racing, claymation hamburger dancing cult classic Better Off Dead. There may have been some influence by the other hosts, but Giff had heard so much about this movie he figured it was time to see what all the fuss was about. Was he satisfied or...

Send us a text The next installment for 1985 focuses on Dave's choice, The Breakfast Club.  As 9 year olds we thought this movie would be hilarious like a 16 Candles sequel. However, we were soon sucked into a seriously dramatic film looking at the bleaker sides of teenage life and family relationships. Luckily, our lives were much happier than the ones portrayed on screen by the Brat Pack. As adu...

Send us a text Kicking off 1985 is Brad's choice: the original NBC Must See Thursday night lineup. We go back to a better time for network TV after The Cosby Show had revitalized NBC. Its success made hits out of both Family Ties and Cheers. Completing this magical lineup was Night Court. NBC dominated the ratings with these shows and young Brad and Pete were taking notice. Unfortunately, with no...

Send us a text In this preview episode, we share our memories of 1985. We were young, so they are are not very detailed (especially Giff's). But we do know we were all happy little farm boys. We also banter about our choices for this month, ranging from sitcoms to movies to video games. Buckle up for a fun month with PCY. If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcast...

Send us a text Our Spooktacular ends with some happy nostalgia. Brad's Halloweens always revolved around the TV specials, specifically Garfield and Charlie Brown. So instead of gore and terror, we focus on light chills and friendship. Fittingly, we start with our childhood memories of Halloween. Hear about Brad's loneliness and the annual parties Pete secretly threw. Then it's time to discuss the...

Send us a text The third installment of our Spooktacular focuses on two of the most beloved and well-known horror franchises out there: A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. Because we are unique and don't play by the rules, we focused on the 4th installment of each. Freddy and Jason are hard to kill and good at killing, but which has the better kill scenes? What did we think of each film...

Send us a text Our second Spooktacular show centers on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Giff chose this movie as he considers it the original slasher film. Is it the greatest horror movie of all-time? Is it the worst? How does it compare the big 80's slashers? Our opinions are all over the board on this one. After answering those questions and more, we break down the horror genre into 8 sub-genres. It...

Send us a text In honor of Halloween, we are kicking off a monthlong Spooktacular! Scary movies and specials galore! We begin with maybe the most brilliantly marketed movie of all-time: The Blair Witch Project. Pete chose this movie as he remembered it being a one of a kind experience. 20+ years later, how does it hold up to repeat viewings? But before we discuss the movie, we start our month of H...

Send us a text We recently discussed our top LOL movies of all-time. In this episode we are devoting all our time to, in our opinion, one of the funniest movies ever, Not Another Teen Movie.  This movie brilliantly lampoons at least 25 teen comedies, includes many future stars, and has a killer soundtrack.  We loved discussing it, and we thank Giff for choosing it. In addition to the movie discuss...

Send us a text You're not gonna tempt me! Well, that's what you think. We are talking Temptation Island, one of the first truly trashy and morally corrupt reality shows. Hitting the FOX airwaves in 2001, it has found a second life with a USA network reboot. Both have captivated Brad (and his wife) with each and every season. Did Pete and Giff get sucked in as well? In this episode, we answer that...

Send us a text In this very special episode of PCY, we discuss our memories of the day we will never forget. We then discuss different elements of pop culture and how they played a role in the healing process of the nation. Topics discussed include David Letterman, SNL, Alan Jackson, sports, and the U2 Super Bowl halftime show.  Even though it is a heavier show than normal, we do finish with our t...

Send us a text We kick off our tour through 2001 with a show that premiered and really changed TV: The Office (UK Version). The mockumentary, no laugh track style that is very common today was used expertly in this series. In our discussion, we try to answer some burning questions. How did David Brent ever get his job in the first place? Is there no such thing in England as HR or sexual harassment...

Send us a text With the extra week in this month, we thought about taking it off and taking a break. But we love our fans too much! So we are sharing this off the cuff minisode previewing the upcoming month of September. We explain what we will discuss for the year 2001, a big year for all of us at PCY.  This one is short and sweet, just like Pete! Enjoy! If you enjoy the show, please rate and rev...

Send us a text Your usual hosts are back to discuss 1995’s The Usual Suspects. While watching this movie may be problematic now thanks to bad boys Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer, it is still one of the greatest surprise endings in cinema. How did Brad, Pete, and Giff feel it holds up? Can they separate the personal lives of its star and director from the film itself?  After answering that burning q...

Send us a text In this episode we discuss a movie about a great divorced dad working as a lawyer in LA. Actually, while Dan Hedaya is fantastic, Clueless is the vehicle that made Alicia Silverstone famous. Our topic for this episode was chosen by Giff. Listen in as he tells us about his 1995 memories and why he picked the movie. We discuss some of the memorable lines, scenes, and especially charac...

Send us a text Chris Farley left us too soon. Fortunately, in addition to the many hilarious SNL skits he was a part of, we have the movie Tommy Boy, Pete’s choice for 1995. Now 26 years old, how does is hold up? Is it as laugh out loud funny as we remembered? Where does it rank amongst the classic comedies, especially from the 90’s? Listen as Pete, Brad, and Giff share their opinions about this m...

Send us a text In 1995, Chris Isaak, of “Wicked Game” fame, put out his 5th studio album, Forever Blue. While working at the Corner Store one day Brad heard the first single and instantly became a fan. Soon after, Pete was also on board, and Isaak became a staple in their music rotation for years to come. Giff may not have heard the album until recently, but he also discovered the same magic the o...

Send us a text Vegas, Baby! Vegas! In this final installment of our Summer Vacation Series, we cover probably the least well-known Vacation movie: Vegas Vacation.  It is not a National Lampoon installment, but Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo are still the stars. You also have Rusty, Audrey, Cousin Eddie, and slew of other familiar faces. Does this movie hold up? Where does it rank in the canon (i...

Send us a text Is your house on fire, Clark? It’s Christmas in July! This episode breaks down National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. While we clearly stated our love of the original in the first episode of the series, we all feel this movie is at least its equal...maybe even better. We start with some warm Christmas memories from our childhoods, specifically the Dukes of Hazzard Big Wheel! We then...

Send us a text Episode 2 of our Summer Vacation Series focuses on the second installment in the movie series: National Lampoon’s European Vacation. For your usual hosts, this movie is the ugly stepsister in the series. However, part-time host Dave (kind of the ugly stepsister of PCY) views it differently. So we recruited him to join us once again to make the case for this movie. If only politician...

Send us a text **Please find the other Vacation episodes earlier in our catalog. This July, we're packing up the Family Truckster and going on vacation! Summer is a time for family vacations, road trips, and all the chaos that comes with it. All your hosts at PCY (except maybe one part-timer) are huge fans of the original Vacation movie series. So it felt like a great idea to use this opportunity...

Send us a text Oh, hi everyone! We cap off 2009 with Dave’s final choice, The Room. This cult classic film is near and dear to all our hearts and has been for about 10 years now. From midnight showings to friendly get togethers, the movie has taken on a life of its own in our group. The so bad it’s good masterpiece is a one of a kind film by a one of a kind filmmaker. And yes, we have even met Tom...

Send us a text Episode 3 of 2009 is a supersized episode! Not only is Dave back once again to join Pete and Brad, but Giff makes it all four of your favorite hosts at once! We are talking about Breaking Bad. This is the year Dave discovered the show, and he was hooked immediately. We dive into all aspects of the series, but for discussion purposes, he chose the season five episode “Dead Freight” a...

Send us a text The second episode of 2009 sees the PCY gang breaking out of their general routine. While we are obviously pop culture fans first and foremost, we also love all the sports. Growing up in Minnesota, we have been huge fans of the Vikings all our lives. In part 2 we want to share the agony and (near) ecstasy we have experienced over and over because of this unfortunate passion. 2009 wa...

Send us a text Tune in this June for very special episodes of Pop Culture Yearbook. In the first episode, Pete develops a bad drug habit and needs to turn to his friends to get his life back together… No, not that kind of special! Special because we have Dave joining us all month. Dave is one the originators of PCY, but he took a behind the scenes role. This June, he busts out like the Kool Aid Ma...