This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

Most people would probably say “Yes” immediately if someone agreed to pay them a million dollars for spending time on an island. But what if you had to undergo challenges like eating beetle larvae, and be judged by a jury of your peers in order to get the money? Oh, also, finding a place to poop is not fun. That may not sound like your ideal vacation, but to the first-season contestants on  S...

Have you ever tried to build a new habit? Ever find yourself reaching for your phone even when it’s not in your pocket? Ever thought about whether free will actually exists? Yeah, that last one got deep, but that’s just how we roll here at  This Was A Thing.  Because this week, we’re talking all about a man who devoted his life to studying whether or not humans have a say in how they beh...

If you’ve ever ordered at a chain restaurant, then you know the homey feeling of knowing you’re about to eat the exact same meal as you could get at any other location. And even though the Golden Arches or a pair of red braids and freckles are some of the most recognizable franchise mascots today, if we flashback to the mid-1900s, then Simple Simon and the Pieman would’ve been just as recognizable...

Are you looking for a story that is 100% guaranteed to blow your mind? A true crime tale that'll leave you wondering how crooks got away with it for so long in the first place? Well, hold on to your girdle, because this one's a doozy. It's got everything: insurance scams, fake passports, an undercover sting operation, Israeli really bank accounts, and huge sales on some of the best TVs and VCRs ar...

We're busy behind the scenes here putting together a whole new batch episodes for the upcoming year, so while we do that, have a tasty, bite-sized treat on us - a chance to listen back to our episode all about the world's favorite mini-oven! ~~~ Happy holidays, listeners! We’ve got a delectable episode for you today, featuring a toy that has been a household staple for more than 60 years and is st...

If you turn back the clocks to the early 90s, it would be impossible to avoid all the late night jokes about Vice President Dan Quayle. Likewise, if you followed the 90s TV scene, you couldn't miss the fact that Candice Bergen was raking in the Emmys for her role as the titular Murphy Brown on CBS. So when two media behemoths like that unexpectedly went head-to-head, it was bound to be a battle fo...

If you’ve ever fallen into the YouTube rabbit hole of corporate training videos, then you’re our kind of listener. We could (and probably should) do a whole episode just about the glorious world of schlocky and cheesy company-produced entertainment intended to get employees the information they need - and with style! And as America prepared to enter World War II, hundreds of thousands of troops ne...

This week, we’re celebrating a very important birthday here at  This Was A Thing . No, not that one involving declarations of independence and tea taxes (although we do love spilling tea) - this July 3rd would have been the 111th birthday of Dorothy Kilgallen, one of the most recognized reporters and celebrities of the early 20th century. But in addition to a life filled with notable accompli...

We’re giving you all a blast from the past and a peek behind the member's curtain by republishing one of our favorite Patreon bonus episodes of all time (Rob’s especially fond of the fact that Nathan Lane makes a showing). This one’s all about actor Edwin Booth, and features a very special appearance from distinguished guest host Brody Karn, Esquire. And if you like what you hear, you can get acce...

Danny and Sandy...Troy and Gabriella...Baby and Johnny. All vacation romances that became classics in their own right. And then there’s another that’s maybe not quite as classic: the iconic, infamous, and Golden Raspberry award-winning duo of Justin and Kelly. ~~~ “American Idol” season one was an entertainment behemoth in the 2002. It introduced us to sassy judges and gave the world the multi-hyp...

When it comes to LGBTQ trailblazers, Ellen DeGeneres is top of that list. Her decision to come out both as a public figure and her television persona made waves across the country and her daytime talk show helped normalize the image of a gay host on public airwaves. Sadly (and unsurprisingly given the slow pace of progress) there was blowback when Ellen made her momentous decision - conservatives...

June's bustin' out all over, and we're bustin' out one last classic episode before we get back to some new episodes coming later this month. And since June is Pride Month and the month of the Tony Awards, we're serving up a "two birds, one stone" situation by reairing an episode that falls squarely in both categories: La Cage aux Folles! ~~~ In honor of pride month, this week is a special episode...

Our final stop down defunct social media memory lane: take six seconds (give or take a few hundred) and give a listen to our classic all about Vine! ~~~ Can you put together a meaningful thought or idea in six seconds or less? What about a moderately funny video? It’s hard! But there was some GOLD in them there Vine hills! Ray teaches Rob about how Vine helped launch the careers of Shawn Mendes, K...

Next up in our social platform retrospective: Napster! TikTok may currently be the place where up-and-coming musicians are finding their audience and where labels like Universal have banned their artists from sharing music. But rewind a couple decades and there was one indisputable home of music on the internet: Napster. Only one problem: it was probably all illegal. ~~~ Ah, to be 19 again. It's a...

With all this hubbub about TikTok possibly getting banned, we're revisiting three of our episodes about social media platforms that burned bright and burned out fast. And up first - MySpace! ~~~ Friendster, SixDegrees, Makeoutclub - if you're a 90s kid, then you probably remember at least some of those websites (and may they all rest in peace). But there could only be one top dog, and MySpace was...

This week, Rob teaches Ray and Daniel about the storied biography of Mr. Carlos Irwin Estevez, better known as Charlie Sheen, including: Sheen’s origins as a child star and teen heartthrob; his breakout role in “Platoon”; Sheen’s struggles with substances and his highly publicized firing from the sitcom that revitalized his career; and how the news media all seized on Sheen’s apparent mental colla...

It's Earth Day and we want to celebrate one of the finest gifts that this pretty planet has to offer. No, not Fred Silverman - everyone's best bud, cannabis! But things haven't always looked as bright for MJ as they do nowadays with modern legalization efforts, and so we're looking back at a time when the hype around marijuana was more about the insanity it caused than its many benefits. And that...

In our glorious age of streaming services, we never need to worry about recording anything ourselves - we just click “Continue Watching” and chill. But in the sad, not-too-distant past, you couldn’t always just open up Netflix and binge all nine seasons of  Suits  whenever you felt like it. Instead, if you missed your favorite soap, tough noogies. That is, that  was  the way th...

Quench your podcast thirst by listening back to this Season 1 favorite all about the little soft drink that couldn't - Crystal Pepsi! ~~~ Right Now! You’re reading a description for this week’s episode, Crystal Pepsi. Right Now! This particular episode is a little different, let’s be CLEAR. Right Now! Crystal Pepsi was a flash in the CAN (and bottle!) and we’re going to teach you all about it! Rig...

We all get mad about things sometimes, and during the Cold War, the U.S. government was mad about “M.A.D.”. That’s because “M.A.D.” “Mutually Assured Destruction” - was a global concern on everyone’s mind. And the fear that foreign countries ( / cough/** Russia  cough ) would use nuclear weapons wasn’t only causing chaos in the Oval Office. Hollywood and TV studios were just as interested in...

Nostalgia is our podcast's bread and butter (that and actual bread and butter, which is delicious). And if one episode perfectly encapsulates that feeling, it was our deep dive into the talent show that came before any of the modern shows like "Britain's Got Talent" or "American Idol." So sit back, turn on that public access channel, and listen back to our episode on Frank Masi's legendary "Stairw...

In the age of YouTube, it feels like there’s a new conspiracy every day. Some of them are ol’ chestnuts - love how we faked the moon landing that one time, right? Some of them pop up in the seemingly most random places, like Taylor Swift’s “secret plan” to use her popularity to boost Joe Biden’s approval rating (That’s just downright silly. We all know it must have been Travis Kelce’s idea, not Ta...

It’s Oscars season! Whether or not you recognized this national holiday by tuning into the awards show on Sunday, you probably know all the drama that comes with those little golden statues - the glamor, the glitz, the snubs. And speaking of snubs, one film that had nary a nomination was the focus of today’s classic: Paul Verhoeven’s  Showgirls . Enjoy (as long as you’re over 17)! ~~~ Does yo...

Have you ever tried to build a new habit? Ever find yourself reaching for your phone even when it’s not in your pocket? Ever thought about whether free will actually exists? Yeah, that last one got deep, but that’s just how we roll here at  This Was A Thing.  Because this week, we’re talking all about a man who devoted his life to studying whether or not humans have a say in how they beh...

This week, we’re cruising back in time to revisit an episode all about a TV show that burned bright, and then burned out real quick. But those are exactly the things we celebrate here, so enjoy this week’s classic episode on  The Chevy Chase Show ! ~~~ You love  Caddyshack , right? How about “Weekend Update” on SNL, or all the National Lampoon  Vacation  movies? Classic! Then y...