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131: “This Must Be Pop” – *NSYNC

Following the breakout success of the Backstreet Boys in the mid-to-late 90s, a wave of warbling wannabes took to the airwaves, all vying for coveted poster space on the walls of teenagers across the globe. For many 90s kids, the latter half of the decade is best remembered as a hunky blur of chiseled abs, soulful harmonies, and frosted tips.

But only one band had what it took to be a true rival to the Backstreet Boys. That is, of course, *NSYNC, another Orlando-bred quintet whose origin story is strikingly similar to BSB’s. That other major boy band’s breakout in the U.S. took place in 1998, when “I Want You Back” announced the arrival of five new dreamboats for impressionable young girls to obsess over. (Or hate with fiery vengeance, if they were BSB 4 LYFE.)

In this episode, the When We Were Young podcast revisits Lance, Chris, J.C., Joey, and Justin and tries to classify the type of thing they do. We also discuss our favorite and least favorite members of the group (prepare for surprises!), and debate whether their music still gets us high, or if we’re prepared to say “Bye Bye Bye” to *NSYNC’s entire catalog.

Did we drive ourselves crazy overdosing on bubblegum pop for this two-parter on the top gentleman crooners of the late 90s? You bet. But God must have spent a little more time on this episode of the podcast, because after chatting about every *NSYNC single, we still find time to reminisce about boy band also-rans like 98 Degrees and 5ive. 

*NSYNC die-hards, proceed with caution. We can’t guarantee this discussion won’t tear up your heart!

Follow When We Were Young on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts) so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which include recording remotely, purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

90: “It Rubs The Lotion On Its Skin, Or Else It Gets The Hose Again” – The Silence Of The Lambs

Have the podcast hosts stopped screaming? Not yet! We follow last episode’s discussion of the Best Actress nominees of 1991 – including the groundbreaking, genre-defying tale of female outlaws Thelma & Louise – with a look at the night’s big winner, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. The serial killer thriller not only won the Best Actress Oscar, but also Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture – a feat accomplished by only two other films in the Academy’s 93 year history.

Like Thelma & Louise, The Silence Of The Lambs is now known for inserting intelligent, fully realized female characters into a genre typically dominated by men. And like Thelma & Louise, The Silence Of The Lambs generated plenty of controversy upon release, especially around its gender-bending antagonist, Buffalo Bill. Of course, it also birthed one of the most memorable and quotable screen villains of all time, with Anthony Hopkins’ brief but tasty turn as cannibal psychologist Hannibal Lecter.

In this episode, we dissect the film both as a crowd-pleasing, nail-biting thriller and through the lens of its sexual politics. Jodie Foster’s much-lauded performance made FBI trainee Clarice Starling one of the greatest screen heroines of the 90s, but does she still hold her own against the infamous Dr. Lecter 30 years later?

Is The Silence Of The Lambs still a snack? Or should we send this thing back to Baltimore? Grab your best bag and your cheapest shoes, lodge an exotic moth in your throat, and get a nice bottle of Chianti ready, because this podcast is going all the way to the FBI. Bon appétit!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which include recording remotely, purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

89: “You Watch Your Mouth, Buddy” – Thelma & Louise

When it comes to leading ladies, you’d have a hard time finding a more powerhouse lineup than 1991’s THELMA & LOUISE, which saw both of its stars nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars that year. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon play BFFs whose road trip goes seriously south when they shoot a rapist and end up as unlikely outlaws bound for Mexico — via the Grand Canyon, of course.

Callie Khouri’s original screenplay was so groundbreaking and audacious, it attracted the attention of nearly every actress in Hollywood — and was passed on by nearly every studio executive at the time, who pushed Khouri to make her characters more “ladylike” and change the controversial (and now totally legendary) ending.

In this episode, our hosts discuss a film that had the odds stacked against it ever getting a greenlight, which has since become one of the most iconic and beloved films of the 90s. We also dust off the two other runners-up from the 1991 Best Actress race, seeing how For The Boys’ Bette Midler and Rambling Rose’s Laura Dern stack up against Sarandon and Davis.

Does Thelma & Louise still feel as fresh as it did 30 years ago? Would the film still ruffle as many patriarchal feathers if it were made today? And what ever became of that handsome newcomer who plays the drifter? Climb in your Thunderbird, lock a cop up in the trunk, and leave your sex hair as is, because we’re in hot pursuit of the ultimate female buddy movie — and we think we have it in our sights!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

81: “It’s So Tasty, Too!” – Nick At Nite Part 2

Does the phrase “Bewitched Be-Wednesdays” ring a bell? If so, you may remember that the mid-90s spawned a revival of classic sitcoms from the 50s, 60s, and 70s through Nick At Nite’s Block Party Summer programming, allowing a whole new generation of viewers to binge “oldies” like I Love Lucy, The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie, and Welcome Back Kotter for the very first time.

In Part 1 of our return visit to TV Land, we checked in on the seminal, groundbreaking Mary Tyler Moore Show — which is still fresh and funny nearly 50 years after its debut — and the horror-inspired sitcom The Munsters, which is… less so. In Part 2, our look back at Nick At Nite’s Block Party Summer continues, starting with “Lucy Tuesdays” and an appreciation of TV’s mischievous redhead goddess of physical comedy, Lucille Ball.

Join us as we revisit seven beloved Nick At Nite shows to see which ones still taste just like candy, and which go down like a spoonful of Vitameatavegamin now that our TV palettes have matured. So fold your arms, twitch your nose, and toss your hat up in the air as we take you back to a long-ago era before we were young, when entertainment was sweeter, simpler, and way more sexist. Yeah… these shows have some ‘splainin’ to do!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

80: “I Hate Spunk” – Nick At Nite Part 1

Hello, friends! In the latest episode of When We Were Young, we are sitting on the sofa, there’s a TV in the corner, we are watching Major Nelson… and Mary, Lucy, Samantha, Herman, Horshack, and Sergeant Joe Friday, too.

Does the phrase “Bewitched Be-Wednesdays” ring a bell? If so, you may remember that the mid-90s spawned a revival of classic sitcoms from the 50s, 60s, and 70s through Nick At Nite’s Block Party Summer programming, allowing a whole new generation of viewers to binge “oldies” like I Love Lucy, The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie, Welcome Back Kotter, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show for the very first time.

We revisited seven of these beloved shows to see which ones still taste just like candy, and which go down like a spoonful of Vitameatavegamin now that our TV palettes have matured. So fold your arms, twitch your nose, and toss your hat up in the air as we take you back to a long-ago era before we were young, when entertainment was sweeter, simpler, and way more sexist. Yeah… these shows have some ‘splainin’ to do!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @WWWYshow, on Facebook at Facebook.com/WWWYShow and email episode suggestions to wwwyshow@gmail.com. Don’t forget to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts so more folks check out the show!

Help us defray the costs of creating this show, which includes purchasing movies/shows/music to review, delivery food to eat our feelings, and producing & editing in-house at the MFP Studio in Los Angeles, California, by donating to our Patreon account at patreon.com/WhenWeWereYoung

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