Pop Culture Yearbook

Pack your bags, grab some contraband snacks, and whatever you do, don’t let Tony Perkis take over! In this episode, we revisit the 1995 comedy Heavyweights, a movie that may not have been a huge hit when it was released but has developed a loyal following over the years.Brad and Giff are joined by Alicia Morelli, a lifelong fan of the movie, to talk about why Heavyweights has remained such a memorable part of ’90s childhood nostalgia. Alicia shares how the movie opened her eyes to the idea of summer camp when she was a kid—and how she and her siblings still quote the movie decades later. We talk about the movie’s great cast, Ben Stiller’s unforgettable performance as Tony Perkis, the early involvement of Judd Apatow, and the many scenes and lines that have become part of the Heavyweights vocabulary.Then we draft our favorite movies and TV shows with young casts leading the way. Think Home Alone and The Goonies plus a lot more!Support our show and join our Patreon!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s time to open the Pop Culture Yearbook to 1995! Brad and Giff are joined by Dave and Rob from Totally 80s and 90s Recall to revisit a year that was a major turning point in all of their lives.For each of the guys, 1995 meant something different — from high school and college to joining the Air Force, discovering new independence, meeting future spouses, starting careers, and figuring out what adulthood might look like.And while the personal memories are different, the pop culture of 1995 brings everyone together. We draft our favorite music, TV shows, and movies of 1995, covering everything from Alanis Morissette, Oasis, Everclear, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Coolio, and Shania Twain to ER, The Simpsons, SportsCenter, NewsRadio, and the rise of the WB and UPN.We also revisit some of the big moments that made 1995 feel like the beginning of a new era — Windows 95, the early internet, Amazon, eBay, Michael Jordan's return to basketball, and plenty of other memories from a year when the '90s were in full swing.Support our show and join our Patreon!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagram

1985 was a very good year to be Michael J. Fox. In this episode, we take a double dose of Michael J. Fox and revisit two very different movies from his unforgettable 1985: Back to the Future and Teen Wolf. Both are coming-of-age stories about young guys trying to figure out who they are—and both feature Fox at the center of the action—but that's about where the similarities end.We dig into the stories, characters, production, cast, box office, and plenty of behind-the-scenes trivia before putting the two movies head-to-head. Which Michael J. Fox character is better? Who has the best supporting character? Which movie has the better villain? And what about the love interests?Rather than simply declaring one movie the winner, we break down Back to the Future vs. Teen Wolf category by category and see how they stack up.In honor this massive year for Fox, we then draft the biggest years actors have had. Sometimes two huge movies, sometimes even 3-4 in one calendar year, we name most of the big ones and pick our favorites.Support our show and join our Patreon!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagram

1985 was packed with huge songs, and in this episode of Pop Culture Yearbook, we take a trip through the year’s biggest hits with a series of artist spotlights. From Bryan Adams to Prince and Howard Jones to John Parr, we revisit the songs that made 1985 such an unforgettable year in music.Then we turn the spotlight to John Mellencamp and his 1985 classic Scarecrow. We talk about Mellencamp’s evolution as a songwriter, his small-town and working-class perspective, and the songs that helped make Scarecrow one of the defining albums of his career.And because Mellencamp had way too many great songs to simply pick a favorite, we draft the best of his catalog. Fifteen songs go on the board and it's banger after banger right to the end!Support our show and join our Patreon!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagram

It’s time to head back to 1985 and one of the most gloriously ridiculous murder mysteries ever made: Clue! Brad, Giff, and special guest Pete revisit the cult comedy that has only grown more beloved over the years — and Pete may be its biggest fan.We talk about our memories of first seeing Clue, why the movie didn’t exactly set the box office on fire in 1985, and how it eventually found its audience. We also dig into the movie’s stacked cast, including Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Leslie Ann Warren, and Colleen Camp.And because Tim Curry's death brought us back to the movie in the first place, we spend the second half of the episode remembering some of the other celebrities we've lost in 2026. We hold our own draft of favorite celebrities who died this year, with picks including Dolly Parton, James Van Der Beek, James Burrows, and Chuck Norris.🔎In This EpisodeRevisiting Clue (1985)Tim Curry's unforgettable performance as WadsworthThe incredible ensemble castAll three theatrical endingsFavorite scenes and funniest linesMadeline Kahn's legendary improvWhy Clue has become a cult classicSiskel & Ebert vs. the Clue fansDrafting the celebrities we lost in 2026And one final accusation you won't want to missSupport our show and join our Patreon!If you enjoy the show, please rate and review us on the iTunes/Apple Podcasts app or wherever you listen. Or better yet, tell a friend to listen!Follow us on your preferred social media:TwitterFacebookInstagram