In response to a once-in-a-century drought and famine in Ethiopia, Harry Belefonte, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, and Quincy Jones assembled the ultimate cast of legendary musicians to come together one top-secret evening to record the best-selling single in America and pop music history, “We Are the World.” Their passion, talent, and efforts not only brought short and long-term aid to struggling communities throughout Africa, but set an incredible precedent both for musicians from astoundingly different backgrounds to create art together and for music to strive to create rea ..read more

In the 80’s, teenagers hustling for money was a tough racket. Robert Romanus was selling second-hand concert tickets and Phoebe Cates was scooping ice cream at the mall, while Judge Reinhold grilled hamburgers and Kevin Bacon got canoes ready at Camp Crystal Lake. But who would have imagined that babysitting would give the greatest teen job adventure of the decade?! After Bradley Whitford insanely cancels his date with Elisabeth Shue, she’s locked into the wildest night of Chicago babysitting ever put on screen, encountering a gang fight, surviving a stolen car black market, meeting a legenda ..read more

You've got the touch! You've got the power! 1984 was a radical pop culture year in the heart of the 80's, but one toy line demanded the hotness of Cabbage Patch dolls and Pound Puppies take a back seat and clear plenty of Toys 'R' Us shelf space as Transformers hit the US market and forever changed just how awesome action figures could be. The intergalactic battle between Optimus Prime's Autobots and Megatron's Decepticons crash-landed with an iconic "transforming" sound effect in our televisions, toy boxes, comic book racks, and more, quickly becoming one of the most successful children's pr ..read more

Thank you for being a friend. Travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant. If that theme song just flooded you with warm nostalgia, side-splitting laughter, and tearful moving moments, then you too must've been a fan of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history - The Golden Girls! We're sitting down for a slice of cheesecake at the kitchen table with Rose, Blanche, Sophia, and Dorothy to delve into this classic show featuring strong female leads with full lives and enduring friendships tackling every topic you can possibly imagine. Picture ..read more

Never go alone. Never go with someone else. It could be any one of us. It could be you. It could be me. It could be all of us, or none of us! What do we do?! Why don’t we wait here, see what happens... Paranoia and distrust settle in as co-host Mikey rejoins us to delve deep into the icy thrills of John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece, The Thing. When a horrifying being from another world thaws near remote Norwegian and American bases in Antarctica, the mimicking monster overtakes and assumes the form of each lost, terrified, and paranoid team member until there may be no one left to consume and ..read more

Gather round, dear listeners, as we tell a tale of dungeon crawling through the D&D-inspired 1989 board game revolution, HeroQuest! Taking on the roles of barbarian, dwarf, elf, and wizard, we’ll face off against Zargon's evil forces of orcs, goblins, fimirs, mummies, gargoyles, and more, as we search for traps, treasures, and the secret sauce that made this one of the greatest “game systems” to ever come out of the 1980s. And most excitedly, we’re joined by The Bard, famous for his popular 2016 YouTube video, “Why HeroQuest is so Great,” to help us understand the best thing about HeroQue ..read more

You remind us of the podcast! What podcast? The podcast with the power! What power? The power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind us of the podcast! Meandering through this episode, Ben and Chris clumsily navigate the twisting corridors and puzzles of Jim Henson and David Bowie’s 1986 fantasy classic, Labyrinth. Spring boarding off the brilliant mind and artwork of Brian Froud, Henson and his team endeavored in the mid-80’s to produce a more comedic and light-hearted fantasy adventure than their 1982 The Dark Crystal. The result sent little-known Jennifer Connelly to team up with a misf ..read more

As caped crusaders begin to disappear, a motley band of heroes must come out of retirement to crack the case and save the world. No, we’re not talking about Ben and Chris returning from summer break to kick 80’s High back into gear - we’re talking about Watchmen, the groundbreaking 1986 comic maxi-series by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. Our dynamic duo is joined by co-host Corey to delve into the origins of what Damon Lindelof called “the greatest piece of popular fiction ever produced.” We’ll do our best to untangle the complex web of narratives across time ..read more

Double surprise! It's a SECOND bonus summer episode of 80's High! And this time, we brought a comb! As summer winds down into fall, we're walking the tracks back to 1986 to revisit the magical film by director Rob Reiner with its amazing cast, including Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, John Cusack, and Richard Dreyfuss... wow! Like last time, we're featuring a full episode from our dear friend at Ding Dong Darkness Time, Allison Dickson. Last summer, Allison, Chris, and fellow guest host Kate Jenkins revisited the nostalgia-packed Stand By Me and t ..read more

Surprise, it's a bonus summer episode of 80's High! And WE. MADE IT. FOR. YOUUUUU! As the summer heatwave hits, we're downshifting back to 1986 with the first and only film director credit for the man of macabre himself, Mr. Stephen King. It's big trucks, lawnmowers, steamrollers, the Green Goblin, lots of guns and explosions, and a whole lotta campy fun! This time, we're featuring a full episode from our dear friend at Ding Dong Darkness Time, Allison Dickson. Last summer, Allison and Chris took a spin back to Maximum Overdrive, the short story Trucks that inspired it, and the little-known se ..read more