Podcast

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 jump into our 90s minivan-shaped time machine and travel back to the Sacramento of thirty years ago with us. Just make sure to bring your earplugs in case we take you to a 98 Degrees concert.

Raise Your Hand Foundation

www.raiseyourhandfoundation.org

https://www.facebook.com/Raise-Your-Hand-Foundation-105296379528047

shelley@ryhf.org

Please consider a Big Day of Giving Donation on May 6th to make your gift go even further: bigdayofgiving.org/RAISEYOURHANDFOUNDATION

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 witness those lessons.

This week, we are talking about the beloved late 90s films American Pie 1 and 2 and how the series shaped the teen sex comedy for the future. So grab a pale ale and join us for an episode that is guaranteed to take you right back to the nostalgic days of Blink 182 and warm apple pie.

And if you create a Green Day/Blink 182 crossover cover band named Green 182, please let us know if you need a bassist or keyboardist, thanks.

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 1991, winning a Grammy in 1995, traveling to all seven continents and 92 countries, and writing books including one that would eventually become a sacred text for traveling musicians.

Oh, and also he was the ring bearer/best man at our wedding last year which is also pretty cool.

This week we will drop two sides to our interview/chat with Henry (okay, two parts – Side A and Side B) where we learn all about his early childhood music education and radical politicization, what the music scene was like in LA during the 80s and 90s, and so. much. more. So rise above, grab a six-pack, and settle in for the kind of stories and lessons that only Henry Rollins can give.

You can find Henry on Instagram @henryandheidi

https://www.henryrollins.com/

Henry’s Publishing Company 2.13.61 https://www.twothirteensixtyone.com/

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 community where they could do what they wanted and totally be themselves – their true outrageous, goofy, normal, imaginative, and oftentimes gross kid selves. Some of what aired on the channel might have freaked your parents out a little, but that was the point, right?

This week we are joined by Scott Barber, the co-director of the newly-released documentary The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story, to talk all about the documentary, the shows, the characters, the brilliant executives and creators, and what it meant to be a Nick kid in the 90s – and what it means to be a (dare we say grown-up?) 90s Nick kid today. Because in our minds, once a Nick kid – always a Nick kid.

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqjb18BVz8c

Instagram: @TheOrangeYears

Facebook: facebook.com/theorangeyears

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. Devastatingly, she wasn’t able to escape it and passed away at 36 years old.

Just a few days ago in March 2021, Meghan Markle, the former Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry’s wife, came forward with similar revelations about her time in the royal family – years marked by life-threatening depression, lack of support, loneliness, and the added layer of being a multiracial American woman in a deeply, historically oppressive institution. The similarities are stark, and the two womens’ stories tie together and paint a picture of a truly problematic system for women and women of color.

This week I’m by myself covering Princess Diana – her life, her legacy, and how her story is tied to Meghan’s – and my plea for compassionate media consumption as we see how damaging these systems are to women of all strides in the public eye.

CW: Suicidal ideations, mental health, bipolar personality disorder, self-harm, disordered eating, public humiliation, shame, harassment

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 out. As a Sim, you could live easy.

But it wasn’t all rosy to be a Sim – the Grim Reaper was always lurking, burglars could steal your stuff, you could set your kitchen on fire… No matter what happened to your Sims, the game was one of the first instances of that 90s-kid-epiphany that you had to be responsible for yourself and others or things could go sideways fast.

Join me with my sister Sam from SimpsontheGo as we discuss the original The Sims, the gameplay, the expansion packs, and the l

egacy. And let us know who you made as your spouse (a celebrity or real-life crush?) when you made yourself in the game.

SimpsontheGo Instagram: @simpsonthego

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simpsonthego

SOURCES

“The Sims Made Me Realize I’m Ready for More in Life,”  Wired.com, February 2021 https://www.wired.com/story/sims-game-psychology/

“The Sims 1: Every Or

iginal Expansion Pack, Ranked,” TheGamer.com, Jun 2019 https://www.thegamer.com/the-sims-original-expansion-packs-ranked/

“The Original “The Sims” Was Inherently Dark and Kind of Creepy,” Medium.com, July 2014 https://medium.com/@julialynnrubin/the-original-the-sims-was-inherently-dark-and-kind-of-creepy-2a0ba631f5a7

“The Sims: Weird objects from the original game,” Extratime.media, October 2020 https://extratime.media/2020/10/19/the-sims-weird-objects-from-the-original-game/

“Why The Original Sims Game is Still the BEst in the Series,” Cultured Vultures, September 2017 https://culturedvultures.com/original-sims-still-best/

“How The Sims navigated 20 years of change to become one of the most successful franchises ever, Washington Post, February 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/02/04/how-sims-navigated-20-years-change-become-one-most-successful-franchises-ever/

“31 things all original The Sims players will know all too well,” Metro News UK, June 2014 https://metro.co.uk/2014/06/08/31-things-all-original-the-sims-players-will-know-all-too-well-4754027/

“The Sims, Then and Now,” Bustle, September 2014 https://www.bustle.com/articles/38755-the-sims-then-and-now-your-comprehensive-guide-photos

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 comedies of the 90s, Happy Gilmore (and his iconic rival, Shooter McGavin)  imbued a ton of nostalgic memories in 90s kids and 90s kids at heart. So grab a Subway sandwich and a beer and settle in for a hilarious throwback to a movie that graced our 90s sleepovers and gave us a comedic hero we still love today.

And if you have a 90s 9th Green at 9 Theme Party, please invite Eric and me, thanks.

LINKS

Happy Gilmore/Shooter McGavin Reunion: https://mashable.com/article/happy-gilmore-25-year-anniversary-reunion/

Happy Gilmore/Bob Barker Fight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QJiAK-s5a0

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 and bracelets you got from Claire’s.

6) Idolized iconic 90s friendships like Cher and Dion, Romy and Michele, Monica/Rachel/Pheobe, and more.

7) Supported each other as you all navigated the true weirdness of stepping into the Y2K digital information age while still trying to hang onto your imagination, creativity, and whatever childhood innocence you had and wanted to prolong.

This week, two of my best girls – Alisa, my bestie who grew up with me in the 90s, and Laura, my bestie here with me in LA – recount all the fun things we did with our girlfriends in the 90s.

To girlfriends everywhere, this episode is for you.

Happy Galentine’s Day!

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 forward to 2021, after years of therapy and deep healing work, she is now a major force in the activism against cyberbullying. Through her work and others’, the tides of public humiliation have shifted since 2014, and she has since pivoted to become a major advocate of the #MeToo movement focusing on uncovering abuses of power in so-called consensual relationships. And she’s a badass at it.

Join me (by myself) as I explore her story in the 90s and the legacy of her status as “patient zero” of cyberbullying. And after you listen, raise a glass of your sparkliest bubbly to this sparkly human, whose presence brings solidarity and comfort to so many femmes/women today.

CW: This episode contains depictions of shame, depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, sexual assault, power abuse,  and sexual harassment.

Sources

“The president has a girlfriend”: Linda Tripp’s betrayal of Monica Lewinsky and the taped phone calls,” ABCNews, January 2019: https://abcnews.go.com/US/president-girlfriend-linda-tripps-betrayal-monica-lewinsky-taped/story?id=59865969

Monica Lewinsky: Emerging from the House of Gaslight in the age of MeToo,” Vanity Fair, March 2018: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/monica-lewinsky-in-the-age-of-metoo

“Clinton Whistleblower Linda Tripp dies at 70, Monica Lewinsky Reacts to her Illness,” Refinery 29, April 2020 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/04/9669757/monica-lewinsky-linda-tripp-death-cancer-twitter

“Amid a new impeach

ment drama, onica Lewinsky works to rewrite her story, Boston Globe, February 2020 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/02/04/metro/amid-new-impeachment-drama-monica-lewinsky-works-rewrite-her-story/

“The Price of Shame,” Monica Lewinsky – Ted Talk, March 2015

https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame?language=en

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. Evil, of course). They are hands down still some of our all-time favorite movies and characters from the 90s. But do they hold up today?

Join Eric and me as we hop into a groovy 1999 New Beetle and head to the colorful, fuzzy, love-filled world of Austin Danger Powers and reminisce about the franchise that taught American 90s kids what the word “shag” means. So pour a martini (shaken, not stirred) and hop in – and don’t you dare lose your mojo along the way.

Warning, contains spoilers!

Sources

“Does Austin Powers Hold Up?” GQ, April 2018, https://www.gq.com/story/does-austin-powers-hold-up

“Austin Powers at 20: Mike Myers, Jay Roach, More Spill Secrets in Shagadelic Oral History,” Hollywood Reporter, April 2017: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/austin-powers-definitive-oral-history-mike-myers-jay-roach-more-reveal-secrets-997139

“Austin Powers: All 3 Movies Ranked from Worst to Best,” Screenrant, September 2020 https://screenrant.com/austin-powers-movies-ranked-worst-best/

“Austin Power Still Haunts the James Bond Franchise, The Ringer, April 2020 https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/4/30/21241822/austin-powers-james-bond-camp

“Here’s Where the Jaguar E-Type from Austin Powers Is Now” , Hotcars.com, October 2020 https://www.hotcars.com/heres-where-the-jaguar-e-type-from-austin-powers-is-now/

“The Criterion Channel Presents The Legendary Director Peter Bogdanovich on the Lasting Influence of Austin Powers in Goldmember,” The New Yorker, August 2020 https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/the-criterion-channel-presents-the-legendary-director-peter-bogdanovich-on-the-lasting-influence-of-austin-powers-in-goldmember