Free Nights And Weekends

Scott

GenX stories from the 1980's Oklahoma suburbs. 

  1. Please Allow 6–8 Weeks For Delivery | The Infomercial Episode!

    May 22

    Please Allow 6–8 Weeks For Delivery | The Infomercial Episode!

    Send us Fan Mail Before YouTube ads stalked us across the internet… there was a magical time when television itself became a fever dream around midnight.  This week on the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott and Marc dive headfirst into the loud, sweaty, aggressively enthusiastic world of 1980s and early 1990s infomercials. The era where every problem in America apparently could be solved with a food dehydrator, a roll of tape, or a knife capable of cutting through a cinder block and a tomato without bruising either one. We’re talking:  The hypnotic power of the Ginsu Knife guy 🔪  The Clapper and every lazy person’s dream 👏  Ron Popeil becoming the king of late night television  Questionable products nobody needed but everybody wanted  “But wait… there’s more!” becoming part of the American vocabulary  Why infomercials always looked like they were filmed inside a casino conference room  The weird confidence of ordering products through the mail and waiting 6–8 weeks like it was normal human behavior Plus plenty of Gen X memories about falling asleep with the TV on and waking up at 3:17AM to discover a man in suspenders screaming about nonstick cookware like civilization depended on it.  CALL NOW! Operators are standing by! Support the show Free Nights and Weekends on Facebook Our Website Original music provided by a few of the gentlemen of Supernal Endgame

    22 min
  2. When Sitcoms Got All Preachy (Part II)

    May 1

    When Sitcoms Got All Preachy (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail Well, Scott calls Charlotte Rae "Martha" knowing full well that Martha Raye was Mel's mom on Alice.  But on part II of the Free Nights and Weekends Podcast, Scott and co-host, Jason power through it and dive deeper into… the “very special episode.” You remember them. One week you’re watching jokes and laugh tracks… the next, someone’s getting hooked on pills, kidnapped by a bike shop owner, or learning a hard lesson about peer pressure while the studio audience sits in stunned silence. From Diff'rent Strokes to Family Ties, sitcoms of the 1980s would occasionally slam on the brakes and deliver a moral message with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer wrapped in a hug. We’re diving into:  The sudden tonal whiplash that turned comedy into cautionary tales  The episodes that definitely went too far  The actors who went from punchlines to Emmy bait overnight  And why these episodes stuck with an entire generation like emotional gum under a school desk And you'll probably learn a Very Important Lesson™. So grab your after-shower snack, sit a little closer to the TV with the family, and prepare yourself… This is a very special episode… about very special episodes. Show Sponsor Don't Just Let Memories Live In On FNAW Digitize them with The Digitize Center  Support the show Free Nights and Weekends on Facebook Our Website Original music provided by a few of the gentlemen of Supernal Endgame

    29 min
5
out of 5
10 Ratings

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GenX stories from the 1980's Oklahoma suburbs.