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Relive the magic of growing up in the American suburbs during the 1980s with siblings Aaron Selbig and Dr. Amy Besler. Every week, Aaron and Amy shine a spotlight on cultural artifacts from the era while processing what it was truly like to grow up a latchkey kid. And maybe they'll talk about their parents' divorce. Things could get weird.
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It's the 1980s and the OG of TV talent shows - Star Search - has invited you to compete for the grand prize! Ed McMahon has introduced you and the spotlight is bright! What talent will you be sharing with America? Singing? Dancing? Stand-up comedy? Spokesmodeling? Whatever you choose, make sure you come in second place, because that's where stars are born.
When you were a kid growing up in the 1980s, which superstar athlete did you love the most? Did you want to master the floor routine for a perfect 10 like Mary Lou Retton? Did you want to be like Mike? Or did you, like Aaron, pretend to catch Super Bowl touchdowns by tossing throw pillows into the air and jumping into an overstuffed bean bag chair?
From the coming-of-age classic 'Stand By Me' to the dreamy fantasy world of 'The Princess Bride' to the GOAT of all rom-coms 'When Harry Met Sally,' Rob Reiner's films always emphasized humanity, and the breadth of human emotion. Join Aaron and Dr. Amy as we celebrate the life of one of the world's most unique and talented filmmakers.
As we start off a new year full of hope and promise (?), it's time to hop in the DeLorean with Aaron and Dr. Amy as we head back 40 years to January 1986! Join us as we relive the music, movies, toys, and cultural events that made that month so special, including Dr. Amy's PTSD-inducing experience of being home sick from school on the day of the space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Yikes!
Picture this: it's a random Thursday night in 1983, and you have an hour to kill before your parents kick you out of the living room to watch Simon & Simon. What do you do? Well, you consult the TV Guide, of course! This most important of sacred texts will soon let you know what's happening on the latest episodes of Gimme A Break, Family Ties, and Magnum, P.I., so that you can optimize your TV viewing experience! Or you know ... you could go outside, I guess. Join Aaron and Dr. Amy this for a very special LIVE episode in which we pore over a pile of ancient TV Guides (thank you, Chris!).
What are your time-honored holiday traditions? Do you bedazzle your Christmas tree with scratch-off lottery tickets, like Aaron's family? Do you leave personalized awards for neighborhood light displays like Dr. Amy? The 1980s were a simpler time, when all we had to do to ensure a perfect Christmas was listen to "Last Christmas" by Wham! 9,000 times and watch all of the very special holiday episodes of our favorite TV shows!
In 1972, as the Vietnam War wore on, a military-themed sitcom debuted on CBS. M*A*S*H was based on the 1970 film of the same name, which was based on the 1968 novel "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors." The show featured an ensemble cast of characters who drank and flirted and played pranks on each other when they weren't tending to casualties and otherwise experiencing the daily horrors of war. Was M*A*S*H a comedy? A drama? A satire? Turns out it didn't really matter, as the popular show went on for 11 seasons, racking up awards and airing a finale in 1983 that remains to this day the most-watched episode of television in history.
PARENTAL ADVISORY: This episode, which contains references to gerbils, rib removal, and certain questionable sexual practices, is not approved for all audiences, including Best Friend Doug, Jake, Mimi and Kristin, and ESPECIALLY COUSIN JANA!
What music do you think of when you hear the term "New Wave?" Is it the blistering post punk of Elvis Costello? The synthesizer-driven, radio-friendly pop of New Order? Blondie? Talking Heads? Devo? Whatever your flavor, New Wave was everywhere in the 1980s, and Aaron and Dr. Amy are here to sing about it!
If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? The Latchkey Kids! If there's somethin' weird, and it don't look good, ho you gonna call? Aaron and Dr. Amy!
If you listened to our last episode (and if you haven't, do so immediately!), you know that Oscar winning actor, comedian, and superstar Robin Williams got his start playing the lovable, eccentric alien Mork from Ork in a one-off episode of Happy Days in 1978. On this episode, Aaron and Dr. Amy dive deep into the brilliant movie career of Robin Williams - including star turns in "Dead Poets Society," "Good Will Hunting," and "Good Morning, Vietnam" - and we discuss his untimely and tragic death.
In 1978, a new comedic actor from the San Francisco Bay roared into our national consciousness "like a hurricane," in the words of David Letterman. In the red spacesuit that he would soon make famous, Robin Williams guest starred as the wild and lovable alien Mork from Ork in a single episode of "Happy Days." Williams was an overnight sensation and before the year was out, TV producers had turned this one-off performance into "Mork and Mindy." Join Aaron and Dr. Amy this week as we dive into the life of one of Hollywood's brightest stars, the legendary Robin Williams. Nanu nanu!
Raising children is tough no matter the time period, and perhaps that's why 80s parents seemed to let their kids parent themselves. Were you free range when you were a kid? Did you have to be home before the street lights came on? Join Aaron and Dr. Amy as they relive the best - and maybe not so best - parenting styles of the past few generations.
Wax on! Wax off! We hope you've been training hard because it's time to dive deep into the surprise sleeper hit of 1984, "The Karate Kid," starring baby-faced Ralph Macchio and the great Pat Morita as a pair of unlikely friends. Join Danny LaRusso as he fights off bullies (so many bullies!), falls in love with Elizabeth Shue, and learns the ancient art of karate from the sly, wise, and hilarious Mr. Miyagi. Now paint the fence!
Do you remember weddings in the 1980s? Thanks to the absolutely unattainable fairytale precedent set by Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, weddings took a turn for the big and bold, with multi-tier cakes, chocolate fountains, and poofy hair that was only outdone by poofy sleeves! Let's reminisce about weddings of old and take a look at which traditions (DJs) have survived and which (that whole vow to "obey" nonsense) have not.
What was your soundtrack in 1987? For Aaron and Dr. Amy, '87 was the year of our parents' divorce (see Episode 100 for all the gory details on that) so we sought solace in fun pop hits like "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by the great Whitney Houston or "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles. But 1987 was a great year for rock, too, with classic albums like "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns N' Roses and "The Joshua Tree" by U2 coming out that year. Dive into all the hit songs and videos (which were all black and white, for some reason) of 1987 on this episode of The Latchkey Kids!
I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream! Or, if you were unlucky enough to be involved in The Glasgow Ice Cream Wars of the 1980s (a real thing), perhaps your screaming was due to ice cream-related violence. Whatever the case, we can all surely agree that nothing beats the summer heat like delicious cold ice cream! Especially if you can get it at the Thrifty store for only 35 cents!
A time-honored form of entertainment that goes back more than 200 years, the traveling circus was still popular in the 1980s, at least for Aaron and Dr. Amy, whose beloved grandmother - a stoic woman who was inexplicably enraptured by the colorful, bombastic affair - took them to the circus every single year! We loved the ringmaster in his fabulous Willy Wonka outfit, we loved the aerialists and tightrope walkers, and dare we say ... we loved the elephants? (cringe) Also, why were we all eating shelled, salted peanuts out of a bag for some reason? What a tremendous mess!
When it first came out in 1976 (the year of Dr. Amy's birth), "Rocky," the gritty tale of up-and-coming boxer Rocky Balboa, was a surprise hit, winning Oscars for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. But for Aaron and Dr. Amy, it was the 1980s sequels "Rocky 3" and "Rocky 4," featuring archvillians Mr. T and Ivan Drago, that made a lifelong impression. Put on your boxing gloves and join The Latchkey Kids as we throw ourselves into a training montage of climbing stairs and punching meat!
In honor of the 150th episode of The Latchkey Kids podcast (can you believe it?), Aaron and Dr. Amy go DEEP into each others psyches to uncover our innermost feelings, most cherished memories, stongest convictions, and ... favorite "Corey" of the 1980s. If you are a true TLK fan, test your knowledge as your hosts delve deep - we're talking DEEP, people! - into our truest selves.
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