20th Century Popcast is a podcast that tries to understand the present by living in the past. Each week hosts Bob and Tim take a sociological look at the pop culture of the '80s and '90s. Its a ruining of their childhood that hopefully explains how they became adults.
BINGE AND PODCAST: "Perfect Stranger Things or Meposian Rhapsody" (1987) Bob and Tim were once real world roommates with sitcom intentions. They based their episodic antics on such odd couplings as George and Jerry, Chandler and Joey and, the topic of today's episode, Larry and Balki. Its a minimalistic dance of dispassionate joy as they look at how early "Perfect Strangers" influenced their apartment renting behaviors.
00:00:00 - PRE-SHOW PRATTLE - Bob and Tim return to the microphones
00:01:04 - TRYING TO CATCH UP - Bob and Tim return to the microphones (again) / “Like A Stranger”
00:04:25 - AN ODD COUPLING - and solving “Murder She wrote”
00:08:44 - PERFECT STRANGERS IN A PERFECT STRANGELAND- who is Bronson Pinchot and where did Mark Lynn Baker come from?
00:13:05 - YOU LOVE LUCY? - because Tim does not
00:15:43 - STRANGERS CURRENCIES - a fondness for Balki and the tragedy of Larry
00:20:04 -APPLYING THE FORMULA - and will Bob’s kids watch this?
00:25:19- VHS-ENCE - recording one moment in time
00:30:07 - THE APPLETON FALLS FAR FROM THE TREE - feeble self loathing with a studio audience
00:35:45 - RENTER’S DELIGHT - an early primer for a roommate’s life
00:40:35 - HAVING GUESTS TO DINNER - and Tim delivers a line poorly
00:45:06 - YOUR BALKI COULD BE MY LIFE - the alternative luster of childish adults
00:54:40 - NOSTALGIA OR BURST - does everything have to hold up?
01:02:30 - CLOSINGS - Contacts, plugs and no catchphrase / “Beautiful Stranger”
01:05:23 - BONUS FEATURES - Hot tea and on-air etiquette / “Ordinary Guy”
Witness the dark origin story that brought these two cousins together with the first season opening credit sequence HERE.
Cringe at the rapping talents of Larry, Balki and the whole ABC Wednesday night line-up HERE.
And watch the same episodes Bob and Tim watched streaming exclusively on HULU.com HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE .
The use of audio and video clips linked from YOUTUBE are for educational purposes and without the expressed permission of their legal holding companies. All rights remain with with their original distributor.
This episode of 20TH CENTURY POPCAST was recorded by ZENCASTR, a high fidelity podcast recording platform that records multiple guests from multiple zip-codes all as if they were in the same room. Log on for studio quality recordings NOW! (exclamation point also provided by ZENCASTR)
MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
“Like A Stranger” performed The Psychedelic Furs from the 1984 release MIRROR MOVES.
"Beautiful Stranger"" performed by Madonna and featured on the 1999 original motion picture soundtrack to AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME.
"Ordinary Guy" performed by Michael Delguidice and heard by a surprisingly large audience, each week on the CBS sitcom KEVIN CAN WAIT.
The use of these songs are for entertainment purposes and without the expressed permission of the recording artist.
Subscribe to 20TH CENTURY POPCAST! on APPLE PODCASTS, STITCHER and ANDROID or stream it at www.20popcast.com.
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Contact the show with any questions, suggestions or possible topics at 20popcast@gmail.com, #20popcast on Twitter and the POP TALK section of www.20popcast.com.
Follow ROBERT CANNING @rhcanning on TWITTER. Read his web-comic at EXAGGERATEDLIFE.wordpress.com and his music blog at superultramegamix.wordpress.com.
Follow TIM BLEVINS @subcultist on TWITTER and as SUBCULTISTon INSTAGRAM.
20TH CENTURY POPCAST will return next week with POP ARTIFICE.
