Episodes

Since it’s October, we’re digging up one of our classic horror episodes for you here in the bar. Today we’re resurrecting a conversation about a couple of amazing horror movie posters for The Thing and Creature from the Black Lagoon. The stories that inspired them, the artists who created them (Reynold Brown and Drew Struzan) and what makes these posters great. Don't worry. There's nothing to be afraid of.

Today we continue our conversation about food products named for real people. First, we get a little saucy with our Italian buddy Chef Boyardee. Then we grab some popcorn to go with our pop culture as we get buttered-up with our old friend Orville Redenbacher. These two personalities have been part of our households for years living in our cupboards and on our kitchen tables, a couple faces grinning back at you representing the great American success story.

A lot of chain restaurants and widely-known food products have real names and personalities behind them. Some of these businesses put their founders front and center — a certain international chicken chain comes to mind — while others stick with founders’ names even when the motivations for starting the business get lost as the times and brand stories change. Today we discuss a couple of our favorites: Bob Evans and Nathan Handwerker (you know, the hot dog guy). So ask the bartender for a coup...

Postcards. Even in the age of instant communication, receiving a postcard in the mail is pretty fun. Friends checking-in from familiar haunts or destinations unknown with little pieces of mailed artwork. Today we’re discussing a couple of iconic types of postcards that have delivered surprise and delight to mailboxes for decades: QSL cards and the giant letter “Greetings From” souvenirs. So ask the bartender to mix a couple of Caribbean Postcards and grab a pen and a couple of stamps. We need ...

We're still on summer vacation, so we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Hey, Vern. In this episode we discuss how artwork advertising cigars became a cornerstone for kitsch and a character promoting local businesses became a movie star. What is the deal with dogs playing poker, anyway? And how did Ernest P. Worrell go from plugging local car lots in Nashville to saving Christmas in movie theaters across the country? We answer these questions and introduce you to what may be the coolest...

With news of Ken Kesey’s bus Further returning to San Francisco, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass. We return to our series kickoff on psychedelia by discussing its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its lasting effects. Psychedelia’s origins are messy, fascinating, and full of odd little historical crosscurrents. We discuss science, bicycle rides and the first official album of psychedelic music. So, ask the ...

There are signs that have symbolized professions for so long that their origin stories are unknown to the very customers served by them. Today we're discussing two of those symbols: barber poles and pawnbroker balls. Unless you’re truly in the middle of nowhere, you can find within minutes of where you live, work or both.

Today we’ve brought a couple of interesting products with us to the bar that were originally created for movies and television, and later made the leap into the real world once they became household names. We’re having dessert first as we sample a Wonka Bar and then we're wetting our whistles with a couple of Duff Beers.

In honor of the nation’s 250th birthday, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. In 1976, our nation turned 200, KISS released “Rock and Roll Over” with Michael Doret’s amazing album art and the timeless bicentennial star logo from designer Bruce Blackburn was everywhere from postage stamps to NASA equipment.

Today we’re digging around in the backs of our minds and the pits of our stomachs to remember a couple of beloved food products. Ones that have cult followings and large groups of people who lament these products’ eventual demise. We’re talking about the origins of TaB Soda from Coke and the fried Apple Pie from McDonald’s. (Hey, we never said this was a health food podcast…) So ask the bartender to mix a Texas Tab for you – and maybe a couple for us. We’re hitting the drive thru and then roll...

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Buckle up as we travel back in time to discuss what are arguably the two most popular cars in pop culture: the original 1960s Batmobile and the Delorean from Back to the Future. Sometimes they worked, oftentimes they didn't. If you smell some burning rubber, it's not from us thinking—at least not this week. Instead, it's a high-octane topic coupled with some Golden Cadillacs from our bartender. Enjoy.

Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of colorful visual alphabets. Not typefaces, but the kinds of alphabets that are their own languages. Created to solve specific problems, one works face-to-face (American Sign Language) and the other (nautical flags) from a distance.

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes about game show logos – the good, the bad and the ugly — and how sometimes all of those qualities could be found in a single piece of artwork. We’re zeroing in on a couple that are loud, busy and colorful, just like the era they were created in and the sets they were created for: The Gong Show and Match Game.

There are some new tablecloths here in the bar, which has gotten us thinking about fabric patterns. Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of patterns that, if you don’t personally have them in your wardrobe, you likely know someone who does. We’ve brought in the funky character known as paisley and the shady character known as camouflage. So ask the bartender to mix up a couple of Army & Navies because we’re gonna be having a “wrap session” (get it?) back here in the bar. - - - - - V...

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. Today we’re talking about two of the most iconic—and oddly shaped—trophies in the world: Wimbledon’s Venus Rosewater Dish and the Stanley Cup. If you’ve ever stared at a silver plate and thought, “That’s what victory looks like?” then this is the episode for you. We’re digging into the curious history of why some of the biggest wins come with even stranger hardware.

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. If New Wave was a style and attitude, then music was the delivery device. In this episode we discuss the political climate, creative activity and DIY attitudes that led to the formation and rise of one of pop culture’s signature eras.

Everyone says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But if that were true, copyright law wouldn’t need to exist. We’re discussing a couple of items that could be called homages…or could be called unfair (or even unauthorized) use (but we’ll leave that up to you): a Swatch poster from the ‘80s and The Disneyland Memorial Orgy from the '60s, two projects with colorful artwork and equally colorful backstories. So place your order for a Rainbow Paradise, because we’re drawing unwanted ...

For one last time, we’re delving into the depths of our expanded minds to talk about the impact of psychedelia on popular culture. We may have been at the bar a bit too long getting our minds…expanded. We have a lot to talk about today as we discuss what happened with psychedelia after The Summer of Love and Woodstock. (Spoiler alert: Nothing like going mainstream to kill a counterculture style.) So help us out by grabbing a couple of Flaming Unicorns as we come back down to earth, right here ...

Today we dive into the era of peak psychedelia: the mid ‘60s. We talk about the design and music inspired by this—ahem—experimentation and how that informed pop culture for a generation. Stanley Mouse, Robert Crumb and a host of other artists make an appearance.

Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass. We’re kicking off our series on psychedelia with its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its lasting effects. Psychedelia’s origins are messy, fascinating, and full of odd little historical crosscurrents. We discuss science, bicycle rides and the first official album of psychedelic music. So, ask the bartender for a couple of Psychedelic Frogs—and to see if they can stop the walls from dripping rainbow colors—as we chase t...

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes. What do Betty Crocker, Charlie Tuna, Tony the Tiger and the oddball characters from Off Limits Cereal have in common? Along with fellow creatives Kirk Visola and Andy Kurtts of the “Kirk and Kurtts” design podcast, they were all our drinking buddies one evening! We chewed the fat with Kirk and Andy about some classic characters and their impact on pop culture (and snacking), and why these same techniques invented decades ago still work today. Orde...

We have one more Christmas gift for our listeners! Today we’re going to be talking about a holiday icon that began as a marketing stunt. (Let’s be honest. Sometimes it feels like Christmas is just one big marketing stunt.) But we’re with friends, so we're getting into the Christmas spirit. (Or spirits!) Today we’re going to be talking about everyone’s favorite red-nosed reindeer, Rudolph, and his origin story from a retail store’s marketing department to being the guide at the front of Santa’s ...

Just in time for Christmas, we've brought some classic toys with us that have become iconic collectibles. First, we suggest you grab your seat belt and buckle-up as we white knuckle the wheel and talk the fast-paced glitz of Hot Wheels cars, and then we’re gonna fight for truth and justice as we get our hands on some highly collectible Mego superhero action figures. So order up a couple of Caped Crusaders. We’re gonna be crossing the finish line with all of our Super Listeners, right here in t...

Today we’re giving thanks by spotlighting Norman Rockwell's four freedoms—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want—and how he created what is arguably the most iconic Thanksgiving image of all time.