Stuck in the ’80s welcomes comments from listeners about the show, podcast ideas and any other feedback. If you have 80s-related news or products that you would like us to review or consider featuring on the blog or podcast, please email podcast@sit80s.com.
Love your stuff! The 80s were the best. How about catching up with Michelle Johnson from Blame it on Rio. What a hottie!
Hello.
I just discovered your podcast and have to say I love it. I actually started from the very first episode and in the last 3 months I have listened to almost 100 episodes. I am hooked. It brings back many memories. There is some things I don’t know because of my age and I am Australian but majority of the time I am really into the podcasts. At the rate I am going I will catch up within a 6 months to a year. Keep up with the great Podcast and hopefully it never ends and you don’t run out of ideas
The answer to this week’s “Name That 80’s Tune” is “Roam” by the B-52s. But that’s not important right now. (“Long-time/first-time” here.) This week’s podcast brought me right back to that spring day of 1987. There I was, in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona, driving that mid-80’s era faux-wood grain Mercury station wagon off of my high school’s pedestrian mall. Cars weren’t allowed on my high school’s pedestrian mall. I was 26 years old. The car was the “picture car”, ostensibly owned by “Missy-er, Mom”. The picture, of course, was a strange piece of drivel called “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. And my job, as a member of the transportation crew, was to shuttle cast, crew and vehicles to and from wherever they were needed. I got the job when my roommate’s girlfriend explained that she had done this job on previous productions, was doing it again and they needed more help. Imagine my delight when on my first day the transportation captain explained that they were shooting exteriors at Coronado High School -my alma mater. So there we were, watching as the car pulled up and stopped in front of the auditorium and then the historical figures (or as everyone on the crew called them- “the hysterical figures”) jumped out of the car. Again. And again. And again.
Over the next three or four weeks the production rolled on. Sometimes my job was to move the station wagon from one location to another. Sometimes it was to pick up the hysterical figures from the hotel and take them to the set. Often it was to move Keanu Reeves’s motor home (his on-set home away from home) from location to location, emptying the grey and black water holds when necessary. On the couple of occasions when I met him while performing my set-up duties he couldn’t have been nicer. One of the more experienced crew members explained to me that he was going to be a big star. I couldn’t see anything supporting her prediction.
During down time (and there was a lot of it for the transportation crew) we would kick hacky-sacks, eat and drink at craft services and read copies of the script that were often laying around. It was obvious upon reading that script that someone somewhere had made a big mistake in green-lighting this movie. All attempts at humor were so juvenile, so hack that this movie was never going anywhere. The fact that nothing was heard about it for almost two years seemed to prove my opinion. Now we know it was because of the production company (DEG) collapse.
My fondest memories of the movie included eating chorizo and egg burritos with Abe Lincoln (Robert Barron), watching Joan of Arc (Jane Wiedlin) do frantic aerobics and then get aggressively hauled away by security in a huge mall (of which only a small portion was open and lit) again. And again. And again. And seeing Genghis Khan (Al Leong, so good in “Die Hard”) practice sword play with a Louisville Slugger off to the side. Dude’s got mad skills.
Because the production was already underway when I got hired I didn’t get my name in the credits. But I did get both an amazing experience in being a small part this now-classic goof fest and an enduring nickname from my work driving and cleaning Keanu’s motor home. Party on dudes, and be excellent to each other!
In recollection, Teddoug
P.S. During location shooting the role of Rufus (eventually portrayed by George Carlin) wasn’t yet cast. The rumor on set was that it was going to be filled by all three members of ZZ Top!
Hey SIT80s crew,
Great 2-hit wonders show. Steve, I’m glad you included a-Ha. While I have learned to enjoy some of their other songs such as “Stay on These Roads” or “Hunting High and Low,” they really are only known for “Take On Me.” Adding “Sun Always Shines on TV” is generous even if it did just crack the Top 20. I might have only thought about “Take on Me” and the Bond theme for “Living Daylights.”
I think Nu Shooz is a stretch there as “Point of No Return” is not anything I would call a hit (Expose is the girl group you were looking for with a similarly titled song). However, I’m going to submit Australia’s Real Life as a suitable replacement for Nu Shooz. Of course, they have “Send Me An Angel” which gets extra points for being in the BMX cult-classic film RAD! Then there is “Catch Me I’m Falling.” Those are better songs from a better band than Nu Shooz….can we re-write history and try to cover up for our lack of taste during the decade proper? Ha!
Cheers to you all Steve, B-Rad, and Jen (with1n),
-Bill (billyshakes)
I enjoy listening to your podcasts how brings me back to recording movies on HBO with my VCR and watching them over and over again.
Life in the 80s was safe from crime poverty and until aids diseases. My college cost me 17 dollars a credit hour and I could hitch hike across the nation to go to a party.
Do a show on the differences between the economy of the 80s and now
Hey! Love the podcast! I was just listening to your latest ‘summer movies’ episode & it reminded me of ‘Little Darlings’ which I believe was released in ‘80. Have you guys ever done an episode on that movie? It has a residual 70’s vibe, but it’s such a quintessential early 80’s summer flick …from feathered hair, to half shirts, to sleep away camp crushes & to coming of age lessons. I have always loved it. Not an Oscar winner, but great for what it was. Thanks & keep up the great work!
Hi guys! To date you have done 566 official episodes of sit80s. The libsyn archive (https://stuckinthe80s.libsyn.com/rss) has all of them except for one. Episode 193 appears to be M.I.A. It’s not on sit80s.com either. Any way you can send in Chuck Norris to find it? Not having this one episode is messing with my OCD. Much thanks!
Hi! I think I might have written in before. I always tell people I’m stuck in the 80’s, but my music background is probably more pop music and hair band stuff! Favorites were always AC/DC, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, Poison, etc. But I wasn’t sure how to reach you with this week’s mystery theme song, I think it’s Alf!
Hi. Just send in the seggie answers to “podcast@sit80s.com”! Thanks!
Brad and Steve,
I loved your recent podcast “Changing up the Hits from 1986”. This was great for those of us the bought the album and listened to the whole thing many times. The Dream Academy one especially. I still listen to that full album and I’m instantly back to my freshman year of college!
One thing I comment on with friends quite often. Music is a very different experience today than it was back then. I grew up in a small town in Illinois that only had pop radio stations to listen to. Going to college with people from all over the country exposed me to all kinds of different music. Punk, Alternative, speed punk, things like that I had NEVER heard. So college was a real eye opener. Today, kids have access to all music all the time, so college is not as new an experience as we had.
Fred “Sparky” Q in Midland Mi.
What are electric dreams?
Hi guys..
i recently discovered your podcast and feel like i have found my soul brothers rather than listening to 80s music at work the other day i listened to 12 consecutive podcasts from you guys . i do my bit for the 80s too with my community radio show “Save Ferris” { The 80s Show } at PBAFM 89.7 here in South Australia every Sat for 3hrs its awesome… pop ,rock, rap, and 12 inch singles and lots of features .Would love to catch up with you two one day on one of those 80s cruises which sound amazing keep up the good work boys.
Regards Mark B.
When is next sale date?
Hi Dan. Sorry for the late reply to your comment. Next sale date is Feb. 29, 2024, out of Port Canaveral in Florida. Email us at podcast@sit80s.com if you have questions or need more information. We have a promo code too!