S2E10: Neon Malls, Problematic Calls & 8-Bit Brawls

S2E10: Neon Malls, Problematic Calls & 8-Bit Brawls

From 80s Show Podcast by Damian Raffele + Bill Lassiter

August 25, 2025 · 1h 8m

About this episode

The hosts explore 80s nostalgia through malls, problematic films, and classic video games.

We hit the mall, dig into 80s relics that aged terribly ( Soul Man & Garbage Pail Kids), then button-mash our way back to the Atari 2600. First stop: the mall. Back when “hanging out” meant wandering between Chess King, Sam Goody, and Spencer’s Gifts until your mom picked you up three hours late. Then in Trigger Warning (Not) Required, we dust off two relics so problematic they practically cancel themselves: Soul Man (the 1986 blackface “comedy” that Hollywood somehow said yes to) and Garbage Pail Kids (the gross-out trading cards that smelled like a lawsuit). Finally, we dust off the Atari 2600 to relive video games that were basically squares eating other squares, and yet, somehow, we couldn’t stop playing. 🎧 Press play, because sometimes nostalgia tastes like Orange Julius and pixelated joy. Show Notes: Merry-Go-Round Quiet Riot parody commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcPhS3xifH4 Hot Dog on a Stick - making lemonade: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FWvzNNxgwW8 Soul Man Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTtF7gzieN4 The Garbage Pail Kids Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CqoHch6QzQ

Topics covered

  • malls
  • 80s culture
  • video games
  • problematic media

Keywords

  • Soul Man
  • Garbage Pail Kids
  • Atari 2600
  • nostalgia

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Soul Man, Atari 2600, Garbage Pail Kids, the Atari 2600, Orange Julius

Books & works: Merry-Go-Round Quiet Riot, Soul Man, Garbage Pail Kids

Places: Hollywood

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