Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

What do you get when you combine wrestling with genetic experiments in space gone awry and mix it up with some skyscrapers?  Rampage!  And the ‘Dads have more than their share this week with the classic arcade game and the new movie featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.  

 

In the NEWS

More sad news as we say goodbye to jazz musician/School House Rock composer Bob Dorough and WarGames soundtrack composer Arther B. Rubenstein.  Their music will live on indubitably.  Labyrinth returns to theaters and will likely make its musical debut on the theatre stage in the near future.  Nickelodeon spends a dime to reboot the ‘80s kids’ game show Double Dare — few details known at the moment, but we’re sure slime will be involved.  Shooting for Stranger Things 3 is underway with a fourth season already confirmed.  Star Wars Resistance will debut this fall on Disney Channel promising that Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie will reprise their roles as Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma.  Han Solo’s Lando Calrissian’s YT-1300 will be on display (at least the interior) over the next few weeks in select cities as The Millennium Falcon Experience travels cross-country to promote Solo: A Star Wars Story.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and cereal snacks, be they frozen or refrigerated.  PLUS: Purdue engineering students show off their talents with a Rube Goldberg machine that not only pours a bowl of cereal, but adds the milk in a most imaginative and enjoyable way.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

Midway Games’ Rampage showed up in arcades, bowling alleys, and skating rinks in 1986 to pockets full of quarters as gigantic beasts George (gorilla), Lizzie (lizard), and Ralph (wolf) begin their 128-day journey across the nation to wrestle skyscrapers to the ground as they eat people, smash cars, and often end up reduced to normal-sized humans sans clothing, sliding off the side of the game screen.  This classic arcade game was a staple of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when shazbazzar and JediShua were in high school and college.  PLUS: Jovial Jay shares a story about an unboxed, mint condition Robotron 2084 game that was discovered in a warehouse filled with floors of “brand new” video games and pinball machines from the ‘70s and ‘80s.  Oh, to be a millionaire!

 

Rampage

Dwayne Johnson (yes, he even calls himself “Rock” in this movie) and Jeffrey Dean Morgan star in a movie adaptation of Midway Games Rampage in this spring’s Rampage.  Focusing on George, an albino gorilla whose growth is accelerated by secret experiments conducted in space, this popcorn flick is full of action and humor in a movie that’s light on life lessons and heavy on simple fun.  It’s a great catch on the silver screen that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  

 

Feedback

Wes comments on Prince and his guitar collection.  Jeremy the Spider-Pan from The Neverland Podcast provides an update on the TRON ride at Walt Disney World.  Mark All mentions Cheap Trick’s rendition of the Transformers theme and shAbbeyzzar chooses a Cheap Trick theme song for her class assignment podcast.

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, and join discussions about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_06.04.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

In the wake of recent losses shazbazzar and JediShua recall good times from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and even the early ‘90s with television, music, and an animated movie that stays fresh every time shaz sees it.

 

In the NEWS

We lost R Lee Ermey, Harry Anderson, and former First Lady Barbara Bush.  Billy Mitchell lost all his video game high scores for allegedly cheating on Donkey Kong.  Netflix releases a reboot of Lost in Space.  Steven Spielberg finds another movie to helm — DC’s Blackhawk.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and cereal loves sugar.  Mmmm!  Cereal companies discover the age-old cure for low sales — a teaspoon (or more) of sugar!  PLUS: professional wrestlers open a totally geeky cereal cafe in Rochester, New York.

 

Night Court

In tribute to the magically comedic talent of Harry Anderson, shazbazzar and JediShua turn on the tube to remember the long-running Thursday night sitcom Night Court.  Play a clip on YouTube and you’re guaranteed to laugh out loud…a lot.

 

Vinyl Scratchback

Rockford, Illinois produced an all-too-often overlooked rock band with a real penchant for covers and original content — Cheap Trick.  From 1977 to today, Cheap Trick has been strumming the six strings and kicking the bass with hooks that are sure to catch more than fish.  We all remember “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender”, but do you remember “The Flame”, “Dream Police”, and “Mighty Wings”?  Did you know Cheap Trick is the band that plays the theme from That 70s Show?  Were you aware of their performances in movies like Transformers, Heavy Metal, and Rock and Rule?

 

Rock and Rule

Another time.  Another place.  The war was over and dogs, cats, and rats became the dominant sentient beings on the planet.  Hitting heavy chords over the “sell your soul to the devil” trope, Nelvana involved Blondie, Cheap Trick, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Earth, Wind, and Fire for an animated feature from 1983 that draws its inspiration of a future Earth from Moebius and 70s rockers.  Mok recruits Angel to summon a demon from the underworld, but Omar won’t let her go so easily.  If you haven’t checked out Rock and Rule, now is the time to sit down and enjoy one of the best lesser-known movies.

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, and join discussions about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_06.03.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Adventure.  Excitement?  Well, at least puzzling.  Whether you’re in the mood for three keys to three castles with three dragons and an Easter Egg or want to groove with the artist formerly known as Prince before he was knows as Prince again, you’ll have at least something fun for your morning run on this week’s TechnoRetro Dads.  So put on your pajamas (since you’re evidently allowed to wear them to work today) and tune in for a 77-minute dose of nostalgenergy.

In the NEWS

In the wake of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline’s second novel Armada gets the go-ahead for filming. Gary Whitta’s The Last Starfighter is getting attention.  Spyro the Dragon gets an upgrade.  You can “play” Ready Player One as you read it on ReadItForward.com.  Pick up as many NECCO wafers as you can, because they’re nearly extinct.  And TRON Light Cycles go Lego.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and Funko is promising more reasons to love cereal.  With mini-pops in every box of pop culture themed cereal, Funko is showing their love for sugary grains in artificial colors!

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

In the Home Console section of the arcade, our Atari 2600 gets enchanted with Adventure, the original Easter Egg game that inspired Halliday’s game (Thanks, Warren Robinett). Due to the ‘Dads’ limited experience in actually playing the game (as opposed to watching others play it), JediShua brought “Dolly”, A.K.A. Mrs. Shua, the resident expert on wacky bats, shiny chalices, and passive dragonslaying techniques (and mercury-filled stickers, evidentally).  Mrs. Shua lends her voice to this entertaining and informative look at Atari’s hit puzzle-game, Adventure.  You’re guaranteed to score more just by tuning in this week!

 

Vinyl Scratchback

Have you ever Batdanced with the devil in the pale moonlight?  What about in the Purple Rain?  Would you drive to the Distracted Globe in your “Little Red Corvette”?  This morning, we’re going to party like it’s 1999 with Prince and our memories about the uber-talented ‘80s icon’s music.

 

Toys in the Attic

They’re round.  They’re squishy.  They’re gross!  Madballs were a throwable tribute to kids’ obsession with disgusting concepts in the mid-1980s, and they just might help you out in a jam when you run into Director Krennic.  From toys to comics to cartoons (well, maybe), Madballs continue to captivate kids with their gross caricatures of scary and silly faces.

 

Feedback

Jeff Baucom plays Galaga.  Cereal Connoisseur Sheldon Norton enjoys Ready Player One.  We love feedback!

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, call-in with HalfBowl of Cap’n Crunch Mystery tips, and join discussion about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Direct download: TRDads_06.02.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

If you are one who is ready to watch Ready Player One (again), you’re gonna be egg-static about this episode of TechnoRetro Dads as shazbazzar and JediShua as all the signs combine to form the number six — but not for Sixers.  Or are they?  Dive in to the deep well of wonder as we enter a world of pure imagination with Ernest Cline, Steven Spielberg, and James Halliday in the audio-only version of the OASIS called “Active Unlimited Dive Into Our Open Nostalgic Liquid Youth” (also called TechnoRetro Dads).

In the NEWS

Monty Python (there are six of them, you know, but that’s not important right now) are coming to Netflix in U.K. and CAN next week.  We’ll get it later.  Shane in GR suggests you #ChillYourPothole with a big breakfast on the road…literally on the road.  The extended version of Superman is playing at select Alamo Draft House Theaters and 2001: A Space Odyssey is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in theaters this year.  The Ready Player One soundtrack is available, and so are the tunes from various artists digitally.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and unicorns, too.  If you can find the elusive cereal that’s nearly as rare as unicorns themselves, you can make some fun concoctions as suggested by CheatSheet.com.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

It’s not Galaxian.  It’s not Galaxian II.  It’s Galaga, the natural evolution of a game filled with space bugs that shoot, dive-bomb, and even capture your defense fleet starship in this much-beloved game played by David Lightman and recognized by Tony Stark from across a computer-filled room.  JediShua promises to help shazbazzar achieve a perfect score in the bonus round next time they go to the arcade together. 

 

Ready Player One

We’ve been waiting a long time for this.  Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean.  Well, not really, but longer than TechnoRetro Dads have been on-the-air, shazbazzar and JediShua have been waiting for Ready Player One to make its way to theaters.  And we weren’t disappointed at all.  Neither were you, EarBuds.  The TechnoRetro novel became a TechnoRetro movie and we’re totally #TechnoRetro about the whole thing — except for glitches in theaters from time-to-time.  Steven Spielberg hits a home run with this film adaptation of James Halliday’s Egg Hunt. EarBuds Kermmit the Frog, James Burns, Obi-Roth Kenobi, T-Bird, JunkMan, Tony Soehner of Nerds Gallery podcast, and families all contribute to our initial post-screening discussion of Ready Player One.  With just 10 minutes of (announced) spoilers, you can listen to almost the whole conversation without being spoiled (if you haven’t yet seen Ready Player One in theaters).  But the discussion isn’t enough for EarBuds; if you haven’t seen the movie, yet, gather your party and head down to the theater to check it out time and time again.  PLUS: the grand prize winner of the TechnoRetro Dads EggHunt is revealed!

 

Feedback

Jeff Baucom gets into the discussion of movies Star Wars influenced, inspiring ideas for more Star Wars Aftershocks.  Jonathan Bell suggests watching The Theory of Everything starring James Halliday as Stephen Hawking. John Schepler pops off with news about Funko Cereal Pops.  Ted Adam Green adds to the cereal news with pics snack bags of Cap’n Crunch.  Adam O’Brien compares Clint Eastwood with Harrison Ford in a truly TechnoRetro matchup.  Chris from Arvada calls in with his excitement about Ready Player One, Cereal Box, Inc., and his own recipes for cereal mixes.  PLUS: Chris remembers the TRON/WarGames mashup from TRON: Decoding the Grid from a few years back.  If you’re interested in what he’s talking about, check it out here.

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, call-in with HalfBowl of Cap’n Crunch Mystery tips, and join discussion about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_06.01.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Greetings, PROGRAMS!

 

This news brief will catch you up on the most significant TechnoRetro NEWS hitting the airwaves as March concludes and April begins, so WAKE UP!

In the NEWS

Feelin’ Newsy?  You will be when you wake up to this morning’s News Blast.  Superman turns 80 later this month on the anniversary of the release of Action Comics #1.  Direct Current Comics will release a limited edition of the premiere issue of Aluminum Boy.  With Facebook’s popularity fading in recent weeks, The WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link) was recently purchased by Innovative Online Industries in a move to reintroduce this early ISP/forum to users.  Hasbro and Twentieth Century Fox reveal plans to make a movie based on the classic game Operation.  Jonah Hill and Rowlf are confirmed to star in the film which will begin filming soon.  And in a story that’s truly out-of-this-world, a miniature space station has been discovered in orbit around Earth equipped with a rocket that will evidently be launching for Mars in the near future.  SETI and NASA confirm the construction crew plans to colonize the red planet before man will plant his flag on Mars.

Vinyl Scratchback

The Doobie Brothers, Bjork, Beatles, Def Leppard, Queen, and more fill your ear buds with folly before the ‘Dads replay some favorites from the past five years.

Direct download: TRDads_Ps14.1.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

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