The juice is loose once again, and this time, we're going back to the future for the return of one of the 80's most beloved horror comedies. Lydia, Delia, and the Ghost with the Most are joined by a fresh cast of characters--both alive and undead--as they rampage across the mortal plane and the Neitherworld for the sequel without equal, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. We'll get into a million ways to die, jilted lovers, surprise cameos, modern claymation, meet cutes, fabulous musical numbers, clever ca...
Oct 24, 2024•2 hr 29 min•Ep. 76
Welcome back, classmates! You thought we were trapped in the podcast afterlife, but we survived the sandworms and checkered hallways to bring you another gem from that radical decade. Join us as we dive into the bonkers history of this classic movie, our memories of it hitting the big screen, and the strange twists as Beetlejuice goes animated, almost Hawaiian, then into the sequel waiting room for over 30 years. We talk ALMOST all things Beetlejuice in this episode, stopping short of this year'...
Oct 08, 2024•2 hr 29 min•Ep. 75
In response to a once-in-a-century drought and famine in Ethiopia, Harry Belefonte, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones assembled the ultimate cast of legendary musicians to come together one top-secret evening to record the best-selling single in America and pop music history, “We Are the World.” Their passion, talent, and efforts not only brought short and long-term aid to struggling communities throughout Africa, but set an incredible precedent both for musicians f...
Dec 24, 2023•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 74
In the 80’s, teenagers hustling for money was a tough racket. Robert Romanus was selling second-hand concert tickets and Phoebe Cates was scooping ice cream at the mall, while Judge Reinhold grilled hamburgers and Kevin Bacon got canoes ready at Camp Crystal Lake. But who would have imagined that babysitting would give the greatest teen job adventure of the decade?! After Bradley Whitford insanely cancels his date with Elisabeth Shue, she’s locked into the wildest night of Chicago babysitting ev...
Dec 12, 2023•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 73
You've got the touch! You've got the power! 1984 was a radical pop culture year in the heart of the 80's, but one toy line demanded the hotness of Cabbage Patch dolls and Pound Puppies take a back seat and clear plenty of Toys 'R' Us shelf space as Transformers hit the US market and forever changed just how awesome action figures could be. The intergalactic battle between Optimus Prime's Autobots and Megatron's Decepticons crash-landed with an iconic "transforming" sound effect in our television...
Nov 28, 2023•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 72
Thank you for being a friend. Travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant. If that theme song just flooded you with warm nostalgia, side-splitting laughter, and tearful moving moments, then you too must've been a fan of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history - The Golden Girls! We're sitting down for a slice of cheesecake at the kitchen table with Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Dorothy to delve into this classic show featuring strong female le...
Nov 14, 2023•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 71
Never go alone. Never go with someone else. It could be any one of us. It could be you. It could be me. It could be all of us, or none of us! What do we do?! Why don’t we wait here, see what happens... Paranoia and distrust settle in as co-host Mikey rejoins us to delve deep into the icy thrills of John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece, The Thing. When a horrifying being from another world thaws near remote Norwegian and American bases in Antarctica, the mimicking monster overtakes and assumes the f...
Oct 29, 2023•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 70
Gather round, dear listeners, as we tell a tale of dungeon crawling through the D&D-inspired 1989 board game revolution, HeroQuest! Taking on the roles of barbarian, dwarf, elf, and wizard, we’ll face off against Zargon's evil forces of orcs, goblins, fimirs, mummies, gargoyles, and more, as we search for traps, treasures, and the secret sauce that made this one of the greatest “game systems” to ever come out of the 1980s. And most excitedly, we’re joined by The Bard, famous for his popular ...
Oct 16, 2023•2 hr 16 min•Ep. 69
You remind us of the podcast! What podcast? The podcast with the power! What power? The power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind us of the podcast! Meandering through this episode, Ben and Chris clumsily navigate the twisting corridors and puzzles of Jim Henson and David Bowie’s 1986 fantasy classic, Labyrinth. Spring boarding off the brilliant mind and artwork of Brian Froud, Henson and his team endeavored in the mid-80’s to produce a more comedic and light-hearted fantasy adventure tha...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 68
As caped crusaders begin to disappear, a motley band of heroes must come out of retirement to crack the case and save the world. No, we’re not talking about Ben and Chris returning from summer break to kick 80’s High back into gear - we’re talking about Watchmen, the groundbreaking 1986 comic maxi-series by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. Our dynamic duo is joined by co-host Corey to delve into the origins of what Damon Lindelof called “the greatest piece of pop...
Sep 21, 2023•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 67
Double surprise! It's a SECOND bonus summer episode of 80's High! And this time, we brought a comb! As summer winds down into fall, we're walking the tracks back to 1986 to revisit the magical film by director Rob Reiner with its amazing cast, including Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, John Cusack, and Richard Dreyfuss... wow! Like last time, we're featuring a full episode from our dear friend at Ding Dong Darkness Time, Allison Dickson. Last summer,...
Aug 21, 2023•2 hr 28 min•Ep. 66
Surprise, it's a bonus summer episode of 80's High! And WE. MADE IT. FOR. YOUUUUU! As the summer heatwave hits, we're downshifting back to 1986 with the first and only film director credit for the man of macabre himself, Mr. Stephen King. It's big trucks, lawnmowers, steamrollers, the Green Goblin, lots of guns and explosions, and a whole lotta campy fun! This time, we're featuring a full episode from our dear friend at Ding Dong Darkness Time, Allison Dickson. Last summer, Allison and Chris too...
Aug 01, 2023•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 65
In the summer of 1989, the world came down with a Joker-induced case of Batmania as visionary director Tim Burton and leading man Michael Keaton put the "dark" in our Nocturnal Knight for the first time on the big screen. An iconic score mixed with an incredible set, costume, sound, and lighting design - as well as amazing performances by Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, and Michael Gough - transformed our understanding of this hero from pop-color comic book pages and spandex-wearing Adam West into...
Jun 27, 2023•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 64
"It may be Chicago’s equivalent of King Tut’s Tomb... Nobody knows what’s in it. Some say money. Some say bodies. Some say it’s booby trapped, and we’re gonna open it.” In the spring of 1986, Geraldo Rivera hyped what was to be the greatest television event of the century: uncovering the mystery of Al Capone’s vaults beneath the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, live on primetime. But as the subterranean crews dug deeper and Rivera grew more frantic, we witnessed something entirely different unfold th...
Jun 13, 2023•2 hr 22 min•Ep. 63
When Ben and Chris lift their microphones into the air and shout “By the Power of the 80’s!” they magically transform into the two most radical podcasters on the planet, with the power of nostalgia, sass, and puns! Follow us back in time to when toymaker Mattel made potentially the biggest mistake in its history, but was rescued by the brilliant mind and creativity of designer Roger Sweet, who invented the most swoll, barbarian-inspired, deus ex machina magic-enabled cast of heroes and villains ...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 58 min•Ep. 62
Who would have guessed that in 1985, Hollywood not only created a movie based on a board game, but that it may have been one of the best game-based movies of all time?! That’s right, we're driving through the pouring rain to the eerie mansion on the hill to rewatch the movie Clue! And we're keeping our friends close and our enemies closer, because we’ve invited Classmate Aaron to help us explore the origins, secret passageways, and endless wise cracks that make this movie so memorable. From the ...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 61
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Two 80's nostalgia podcasters take deep dive into the world's only reliable news! That's right listeners, we were lucky enough to snag an interview with Greg D'Alessandro, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Weekly World News, to talk all things Elvis, Bat Boy, Manigator, Bigfoot Hooker, and the entire Marvel-esque cast of characters that bejeweled the supermarket checkout aisles of our childhoods with outrageous headlines and out of this world photos. Greg regales us wit...
May 02, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 60
Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi broke onto the rock scene with their debut album, producing a few modest hits, but not quite making a splash. Their second album also made some noise on the airwaves, but didn't bring the success they desired. The third time had to be the charm. And in August 1986, Slippery When Wet hit record store shelves, introducing INSTANT smash hits like "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," and more. Spending an incredible 9 1/2 months in the to...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 59
We swore we'd never do a movie about Toons again, not after our tragic past with that falling piano. But fate had a way of showing up at our doorstep... and making us laugh our butts off! Because we've strapped a rocket to our backs and Acme-d to the golden age of Hollywood to visit our cartoon pals Roger, Jessica, Benny, Baby Herman, a litany of Disney and Warner Brother favorites, and our favorite IRL noir detective, Eddie Valiant, on their zany journey into the seedy world of pattycake, murde...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 58
From Big Wheels to Power Wheels, tricycles to bicycles, getting your own set of wheels was a right of passage in childhood. Your new rims opened up a world of possibilities and autonomous freedom, rolling down the street to meet up with “the gang” in the woods, at a field, or at a friend’s house - a pile of bikes already strewn across the front yard. Ride back with us to the 1980s to explore the origins of some of the most popular children’s summer rides, and how these helped sculpt the summer c...
Mar 07, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 57
In the midst of an oil crisis and collapse of the fledgling video game industry, Nintendo was challenged to reinvent an affordable way to keep fans glued to their home television sets. Step 1: Ensure the company’s champion, Mario, hopped right out of the box on Day 1. Step 2: Evolve everything they’d learned from arcades-turned-bowling alleys. And Step 3: Reposition the Famicom from a video game system to a toy, by plugging in the most iconic video game blaster of all time. Deck yourself out in ...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 56
"It’s here at last / a great podcast / on Reading Rainbowwww!" Fly back with Ben and Chris to the summer of 1983 to revisit the groundbreaking television show that brought literature to children beyond the school year and redefined what educational TV programming could achieve. The ever-wonderful LeVar Burton, and many other friends to know, showcased wonderful children’s books, gave kids an earnest voice, and took us behind the scenes to learn how the world worked around us. Thank you to Readin...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 55
Theorizing that we could time travel by researching and reminiscing, airwave personalities Ben and Chris entered their recording studio to develop a not-so-top-secret podcast, known as 80’s High. Pressured to achieve maximum edutainment and topical variety or risk losing listeners, Ben and Chris dove into the 1989 television sensation, “Quantum Leap,” and vanished. They awoke to find themselves in the past, surrounded by inexplicable Centurions, blue screen technology, and unfathomably good writ...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 54
Musician Herbie Hancock has made a titanic career out of fusing together disparate sounds, and Rockit was the breakout song that put him on the pop culture map. By crossing jazz with synthesizers, hip hop, drum machines, and DJ scratching, this song became the breakdancer's anthem of 1983 in school cafeterias across the country. And always a man to say yes to the possibilities, Herbie unleashed upon an unsuspecting MTV crowd a music video that gave us future shock, filled with disembodied figure...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 53
What happens when Pee-Wee Herman, Sarah Jessica Parker, and the director of “Grease” join forces in a NASA laboratory to prod a kid's brain and find the start button on a mercurial space ship? We unlock a movie that is part unsolved mystery, part government thriller, part zany comedy, and totally out of this world (even though we barely leave Earth)! Travel back - and forward again - in time with us aboard the technologically ground-breaking Trimaxion Drone Ship (Max) as we study this rare and b...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 52
It all started with a late night sketch meant to draw a few laughs, but little did Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird realize they had a wildly successful entertainment franchise at their fingertips. From the ink on the comic book page to the cartoon that launched a sprawling toy line, Turtlemania was everywhere in the late 80s and never really left us. They leapt to the movie screen, arcades, and video game consoles. Sometimes they were silly, other times dark and gritty. But every time, our heroes ...
Dec 05, 2022•2 hr 51 min•Ep. 51
Come along with the Snorks! Swim along with the Snorks! That's right, we're heading down to the ocean floor to revive the hidden animated gem that followed our plucky gang of thumb-sized creatures as they go on snorktastic adventures dodging oil drills, outwitting Dr. Strangesnork, and hiding from the ravenous Snork Eaters. Now you might be thinking this is an obvious Smurfs knockbuster, and well, you'd be totally right! Find out how spite led to this show's creation, along with the tantalizing ...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 50
Once upon a time, there was a boy who saw the world in stories, portrait, and sound. From his humble home movies of toy train wrecks and classmates at war, Steven Spielberg grew into the most commercially successful filmmaker of all time and a beloved creator of cherished movies from breakouts Jaws and Close Encounters, to E.T. and Indiana Jones in the 80s, then beyond to Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, and so many more. And those are only movies he directed. We also get in...
Nov 06, 2022•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 49
Nothing says Halloween in the 80's quite like trick-or-treating late a night, running through a Jacycees haunted house, reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and bobbing for apples at school. But where did these traditions comes from? And why do we love them so much? In this episode, we bring back classmate Mikey to explore the traditions that have made Halloween endure. From an ancient Celtic festival to the Catholic church, from the painful plastic of Ben Cooper masks to a haunted house w...
Oct 25, 2022•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 48
“Hey, snap out of it! Look around, or else you’re going to miss something incredible!” If Talking Heads frontman David Byrne could condense the wit, complexity, and ironic sensibility of their hit single off of 1980’s Remain in the Light into a 2022 Tweet, this would be it. Blending rock, synth, dance, Afrobeat, and even radio-broadcast preachers into a wholly unique New Wave sound, Once in a Lifetime - and its avant-garde music video - lit up the airwaves and video waves of radio, vinyl, and MT...
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 47
