It's an ALL-'80S EDITION 👾
Time for an '80s break(dance).
This week's recs are ALL '80s-related--because if you're gonna go, why not go all the way?
Enjoy! (And by the way, I got this T-shirt from our friends at Stuck in the '80s. You can find it and tons more stuff at TeePublic.)
Get outta my dreams and into my newsletter:
1. I'm never gonna stop talking about YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS. This season, podcaster Karina Longworth spotlights Polly Platt, a writer and producer who helped make some of the best films of the '70s and '80s and never received the credit she deserved. Platt's unfinished memoir is an incredible resource, and Maggie Siff narrates it brilliantly. This week's episode is dedicated to several '80s movies Platt helped bring to life: BROADCAST NEWS, SAY ANYTHING and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. Longworth annotates each ep on her site.
2. Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott launched a new podcast this week: U Talkin' Talking Heads 2 My Talking Head. In the same vein of their U2 and R.E.M. podcasts, it blends sheer silliness with thoughtful analysis. The first ep tackles the band's debut, 77.
3. Related: Chris Frantz of the Talking Heads has a memoir out July 21! REMAIN IN LOVE: TALKING HEADS, TOM TOM CLUB, TINA sounds like my ideal summer read. He launches a Zoom book tour next week, too.Â
4. A new Go-Go's documentary premieres July 31 on Showtime. Here's the trailer.
5. Our longtime friend Zack Smith told me there a Nintendo LABYRINTH game in the '80s was only released in Japan. "And yes, it has Bowie's likeness and 8-bit versions of his songs." Here's what it looked like.
6. The new doc SKIN: A HISTORY OF NUDITY IN THE MOVIES is exactly what it sounds like and includes a bunch of '80s movies, because lots of folks (mostly women) shed clothes during that decade. Here's the trailer.
7. Chris M. points us to Ska Tune Network on YouTube, which features a bunch of cover songs by young composer Jeremy Hunter. Here's their ska punk version of the BEETLEJUICE theme.Â
8. Andrew McCarthy is (finally) writing a Brat Pack memoir.
9. This auction features tons of stuff from Steve Martin's personal collection: clothing, awards, even a banjo. Bid if ya got the cash.
10. How many pop-culture cars can you spot in this game? It's way harder than you think.
11. Mike H. wisely pointed me to the opening credits of THE HUNGER, a movie I still haven't seen (!). Mike credits it with turning him into a Goth for life.
12. After COLUMBO went off the air, there was, er...MRS. COLUMBO starring Kate Mulgrew. It didn't last.
13. What did longtime reader Kevin do during quarantine? He wrote a full-length SEINFELD script! "It answers the not-intentionally-but-nonetheless-somewhat-pandemic-related question, 'What if the gang was exposed to a virus--the cold virus?'"
14. Amazon has a new Watch Party feature. A few '80s movies on Amazon Prime right now: STOP MAKING SENSE, FOOTLOOSE, DRUGSTORE COWBOY, HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, BACK TO SCHOOL, RUNNING SCARED, CLASS OF 1984, THE RUNNING MAN and MOONSTRUCK.
And finally: I drew this comic the other day. It has an '80s finish!
#HeyIMadeThis update: I'm still posting daily creative challenges under the #HeyIMadeThis tag on Instagram. Join me, won't you? Recent challenges include putting eyes on things that don't have eyes (pictured), sketching a fast celebrity portrait and writing a movie haiku.
Well, I'm off like a dirty shirt. Thanks for reading! You can find me at whitmath@gmail.com, Patreon, Instagram and reflected in that murky puddle over there.
At the Gas 'n' Sip,
Corey Flood
“Drinking and driving don't mix; that's why I ride a bike."
- Duckie, "Pretty in Pink"
Reach out! Find me on Twitter, Instagram and at whitmath@gmail.com.