The Latchkey Kids

In the 1980s, if you were a social miscreant, how would you set yourself apart from mainstream society? Easy! Become a skateboarder! A burgeoning sport at the time, skateboarding - and skate culture - spread across the globe from its home in southern California, bringing with it the Vans, black T-shirts, and punk rock attitude that made skaters famous everywhere. And although "Skateboarding I...

With the lighting of the torch in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aaron and Dr. Amy travel back to the memorable 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, California. With stars like Mary Lou Retton and Carl Lewis leading the way for Team USA - and mastermind Peter Ueberroth at the controls - the 1984 Games shattered expectations, breaking attendance records and making millions for its host city.

Who the heck is in the Brat Pack anyway? And how to you get in? Is there a hazing period? A secret handshake? According to Dr. Amy's careful research, Brat Pack membership hinged on appearing in one of two hit movies of 1985 ... can you name them? (HINT: neither of them are "Howard the Duck," as that classic film came out in 1986).

When you were growing up, did you ever find yourself on the receiving end of a school bully? What did you do about it? Did you turn the other cheek? Tell the teacher? Follow Aaron and Dr. Amy's dad's advice and punch the bully in the face? Tune in to The Latchkey Kids this week to hear how Aaron successfully defused a bullying situation, and how Dr. Amy has finally forgiven the Mormons. Al...

In the rec room of 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in The Bronx, New York City ... that's where hip hop began in the 1970s with pioneers like DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash. But it was in the 1980s when hip hop music and culture really started to permeate the mainstream, even reaching the suburbs of Mesa, Arizona, where young Aaron was spinning around on a piece of cardboard in the d...

Luck favors the bold! Or at least that's what a bunch of CEOs convinced themselves when they launched big new products that would ultimately fail. Of course everyone remembers the "Classic" product fail of the 1980s (unless that whole controversy was just an ingenious marketing campaign) but do you remember Harley-Davidson cologne? Colgate frozen dinners (gross)? How about the Smith...

Do you remember the OG sex tape? It wasn't Pamela Anderson or Kim Kardashian ... it was none other than 80s "Brat Pack" superstar Rob Lowe! And the resulting humiliation caused his career to disappear for a while, until his big comeback as the villainous TV producer in "Wayne's World" in 1991. It's Celebrity Comebacks on this episode of The Latchkey Kids!

GNARLY! Quick, what's the first thing you think of when we mention the 1982 teen raunch-fest movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High?" Is it the EXTREMELY uncomfortable sex scenes involving very young high schoolers? Or maybe Phoebe Cates and the famous pool scene? Nah, we all know the real hero - and comedic genius - of Ridgemont High was surfer burnout Jeff Spicoli! I'M SO WASTED!

How much was your mom like Aaron and Dr. Amy's mom? Did she have shoulder pads and velour track suits? Did she balance her career with sewing buttons on Girl Scout uniforms? Did she LOVE LOVE LOVE Bruce Willis in "Moonlighting" in the 1980s? Listen to this week's episode to learn about the life and career of Detective John McClane (aka Bruce Willis) and learn who our mother's...

Are you familiar with the Care Bear Stare? Not to be confused with the "thousand yard stare" that haunts soldiers returning from the horrors of war, the Care Bear Stare - according to Dr. Amy who researches these things - involves getting together with your shirtless buddies and shooting love out of your tummies in order to defeat your enemies. Sounds fun, right?

Following its bold and memorable origins in the 1970s, NBC's sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live" found its footing in the 80s with stars like Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, Phil Hartman and EDDIE FREAKIN MURPHY COME ON! We all loved the Church Lady and Mr. Robinson and Wayne and Garth back then ... and we still do!

It's hard to believe there was ever a time when the plot of "Porky's" was a totally acceptable thing to portray in a mainstream movie, but in the 1980s, things were ... different. Even some of our favorite films of the decade - like "Sixteen Candles" - are filled with moments that, upon rewatch today, seem WILDLY inappropriate! Let's dive into a few cringey movie mo...

It's finally time, latchkey kids! Time for a VERY SPECIAL episode about very special episodes! Remember when Mr. Drummond would occasionally open "Diff'rent Strokes" by looking straight into the camera and warning you that you were in for a VERY SERIOUS TOPIC that would not include any of Arnold's typical antics at all, and may very well leave you traumatized? Well THIS is ex...

People, do you remember how excited we all were back in 1985 when the gloriously star-studded song and video for "We Are the World" came out? Dr. Amy was so inspired to fight famine in Ethiopia that she convinced mom to drive her to Milano's Music to purchase the sheet music so she could play it ENDLESSLY on the piano for several weeks! But now, nearly 40 years later, we have questio...

Perhaps in celebration that 1984 didn't turn out quite as bleak as the book, the music industry gave us dozens of memorable hits that wonderful year. From Tina Turner's big comeback, to EVERY SINGLE SONG on the "Footloose" soundtrack, to Metallica's thunderous "Ride the Lightning" album, music in 1984 had a little something for everyone. Sing along with Aaron and Dr...

With the platinum hairdo, the dazzling rhinestones, and the million-watt smile, Dolly Parton has truly been America's sweetheart for the last 60 years or so. She's an amazing songwriter/musician, a hilarious jokester, an actress, philanthropist, businesswoman, and one of Dr. Amy's personal heroes ever since she used to sing along with "Islands In the Stream" on the way to Mar...

Back when Aaron and Dr. Amy were growing up, it was all fine and good to have "real" friends but what we REALLY wanted was to be friends with the hilarious, beautiful people we saw on TV! And who wouldn't want to hang out in that fabulous South Florida kitchen, sharing quirky anecdotes and witty one-liners with the Golden Girls?! It's part three of our very special podcast extrav...

You know who should've won ALL the Emmy awards? Whomever was in charge of casting for the classic, hilarious, and bawdy sitcom Three's Company! The show featured such memorable characters and actors such as Mr. Furley (Don Knotts), Mrs. Roper (Audra Lindley), Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers), and of course Jack Tripper, played by the great John Ritter (RIP). Come and knock on our door this we...

Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! How excited did you get for Laverne & Shirley when that absolute banger of a theme song come on your TV? And if you thought Lenny and Squiggy were hilarious as the oddball neighbors, how about Cousin Larry and Balki Bartokomous from the tiny island nation of Mepos, as featured in Perfect Strangers?! It's all about TV sitcom friendships, thi...

Did you spend your Sunday nights like Aaron ... huddled under your blankets with an ear pressed to your radio, waiting to hear the silly, nutty, goofy, and extraordinarily wacky music on the Dr. Demento show? If you did, you're in for a treat with this in-depth look at the man who brought Weird Al to the world, and continues to entertain audiences to this day. If you've never heard of Dr....

When you showed up to homecoming or prom or Sadie Hawkins or the annual Hello Dance at Kino Junior High School, did you roll up in a limo? Did you automatically jump out onto the dance floor to strut your stuff and get the party started like Dr. Amy? Or were you more like Aaron, standing awkwardly over by the bleachers with all the other nerds, watching the fun from a safe distance?

Happy Halloween, all you hellraisers! Do you have a favorite horror film from the 1980s? Do you prefer slasher films like Friday the 13th? Or are you more of a monster movie kind of person? Listen to this Halloween extravaganza episode of The Latchkey Kids to find out which classic 80s horror movies still haunt Aaron and Dr. Amy to this day.

You can't reminisce about the fabulous boy bands of the 1980s without recognizing the many successful girl groups that decade brought us. From the Go-Gos to the Bangles to the Queen of Rock Joan Jett, the 80s were full of chart-topping female rockers who were unafraid to be themselves. Sing along with Dr. Amy as we remember their hits!

Though the "Boy Band" phenomenon may have kicked off in the 1960s with the British Invasion Beatles, no decade defines boy bands quite like the 1980s - a glorious time when there was a boy band behind every tree! Relive the magic of the cutest, best choreographed, most outfit-coordinated boy bands of the 80s on this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids.

At the dawn of the 1980s, actor and comedian Paul Reubens finally got his big shot: an audition for the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live, a career-making gig that would've thust the then-obscure Reubens into the national spotlight. And ... he was rejected. But rather than retreat into obscurity, Reubens doubled down; he KNEW this new character he was working on would one day take the wor...