Cultural Futures Exchange

Ep 65: Real Genius

This week CFX takes on one of Jeff’s favorite movies, the 1985 comedy Real Genius. Featuring a very young Val Kilmer, Real Genius does some of the same classic tropes as other teen comedies of the day, and it may break the record for the “most montages in a single film”, but it really is a cut above other similar movies of its time. Not only does it stand out for the way it depicts college life at a very exclusive scientific institution, but also excels in its satirization of the 1980s military industrial complex and its exploitation of science for nefarious ends. The movie is also is full of quotable dialog and memorable scenes and has a twist ending that has to be seen to be believed. We both have a bit of history with the film, which we discuss, and we talk about the whole zeitgeist of 1980s films that deal with science and technology (such as War Games - which we discussed at length in episode 41 - check it out!). We also do a complete walk-through of the film and we might have even got a little too detailed since this is our longest episode ever! And, as usual, along the way we learn…
Who is the real-life Laszlo Hollyfield
What scene has haunted Slip for all these years
What does it mean for a screenplay to get BABALOOED
How does a little known, crackpot philosophy called aesthetic realism lead to one of the most insane moments in CFX history
Why Michelle Meyrink is probably happy she left Hollywood before digital cameras became mainstream
Why it sucked to be a guy at CalTech in the 1980’s
How getting the technical details right really matters
Why math on tape is hard to follow
Why number 2 is one thing we’re not taking
And, finally, we continue the “who else dated Cher” game
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Ep 64: 70's Variety Shows

To celebrate the holidays and ring in the new year CFX is rolling it all out: Songs! Elaborate Dance Routines! Corny Banter! Skits! Sketches! Disco! Ice Skating! Washed up old celebrities! Sid and Marty Kroft! Fred Silverman! Uncle Milty’s schlong! The 70s! That’s right, the CFX Holiday 2025 70s Variety Show Spectacular is here. In this episode, we wipe away the cobwebs on what essentially is an extinct TV show phenomenon, focusing on four shows in particular: two that were very successful and two that were generally recognized as fiascos. We find out why this type of show was at once so popular but then seemed to die at the end of the decade. Where other once popular phenomena such as the Western and the Musical, have come back over the years, the Variety Show, despite some valiant attempts, seems pretty much dead in the dirt. Why the fuck is that? Well, we’ll tell you and, along the way, we’ll learn…
What was the recurring Variety Show sketch that a young Eddie Vedder sang along with every night
Which ‘70s celebrity didn’t date Cher (we still don’t know)
Which ‘80s rock guitarist was too ashamed to admit he played on a Donnie Osmond album
Who made up the cast of the lost, all gay ‘70s Wizard of Oz remake
What 70’s variety show was widely considered to be one of the worst things ever to air on TV
Why Jerry Lewis was even less funny than you remember
The depths of hell Jeff is willing to endure in order to entertain our “fan” in revisiting a reviled and horrific musical duo
And, finally, we have a visit from a wizened special guest who brings some holiday cheer and advice both romantic and hygienic
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 63: Devo

Q: Are we not men? A: We are DEVO! With that simple question, the world was introduced to one of the strangest, most unique, innovative and irreverent music/art projects of all time.. DEVO! So, put on your hazmat suit, monkey mask and don that energy dome, because this week your resident CFX spud boys, Sloppy Slip Tomato and Booji Boy Jeff, immerse themselves into the world of DEVO, covering the band from their humble, suburban beginnings in Akron, Ohio to the shootings at Kent State that first inspired the concept of “De-evolution” and their early experimental electronic years terrifying audiences with sights and sounds no one had ever heard before. We cover the influence that punk had on the band on their first, high energy albums to the streamlining and mainstreaming of their sound that resulted in some commercial success and then their gradual fall from grace. We also cover, in a twist ending that would make M. Night Shyamalan jealous, a very peculiar deviation (DEVO-iation?) late in the band’s career that the recent authorized documentary completely skips (and we’ll tell you why we think that is). We evaluate and rank all the albums and some of our opinions may not be what you expect. In the end, we decide, if all of this evolution and de-evolution will stand the test of time, and, as usual, along the way, we learn…
How many different ways you can pronounce “Casale” and “Mothersbaugh”
What song has Devo made the most money from over the years (it’s not what you think)
Which host had long ago misheard the lyrics to “It’s Not Right” turning an average Devo deep cut into a CFX moment.
What Neil Young, Pee Wee Herman, David Bowie, and movie director PT Anderson all had in common
What is the source of one of the most epic, butthurt rants in CFX history
And, finally if Devo was indeed the sound of sexual frustration set to synth music
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 62: The A-Team

This week CFX goes on the lam riding shotgun with that ragtag squad of noble ex-Special Forces mercenaries, The A-Team. One of the most popular shows of the 1980s, The A-Team combined ridiculously over the top action,broad comedy and larger than life characters into a “must see” TV formula that couldn’t fail…until it did. We go into the backstory of each of the characters and the actors who played them. We talk about the phenomenon that was Mr. T aka B.A. Baracus-–the cartoons, the breakfast cereals, the rapping!  We go into what can only be described as the dark background and questionable character of George Peppard aka Hannibal (aka “Handibal”). We talk about Murdoch and actor Dwight Schultz’s many, often suspiciously mysterious, impersonations. We talk about Dirk Benedict aka Face and how many things the actor and character had in common.  We even take a massive detour down the rabbit hole of creator Steven J. Cannell’s oeuvre - the Cannellverse…B.A. Baracus would say we were really “on the jazz” with this episode. But most importantly, does the A-Team’s plan come together when it comes to standing the test of time or is it just a whole lot of “Jibba Jabba”. We find out and also learn…
Which cast member and his creepy black gloves struck terror into female cast members and guest stars
Which cast member really had something against trees yet was amazingly generous and gentle with seriously ill children
What amazing episode of the series features the most interesting man in the world
Who CJ Mack was, and his list of crimes that were committed while “not on drugs!”
Which 80’s pop icon showed some rowdy hillbillies how to soft rock
Which racist Hannibal Smith disguises amazed Slip the most, and how they rank in the recent cultural history
About Jeff’s best (low bar!) impression since Tattoo in Episode 23: Fantasy Island
And, finally, we hear about how Slip hung out with one of the most ubiquitous, “that guy!” actors in TV and movie history (ok, he just met him at a pizza joint…)
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 61: Repo Man

We know what you’re thinking… PLATE OF SHRIMP! Are we right? That’s crazy, but since the fabric of the universe is just a lattice of coincidences, it’s only right that just when you were thinking that, CFX decided to cover Alex Cox’s 1984 film Repo Man, a satirical, punk rock, sci fi cult classic that would influence a whole generation of independent film. We talk about how this all came to be, the real life repo story, the casting, the cars, the aliens, the punk rock criminals, and, lest we forget, the REPO CODE. In fact, we do a walkthrough of the entire film including everything from the toppling Ralph’s plain wrap peaches of the Pick ‘n’ Pack to televangelist worshipping hippie burnouts to deadly scooter riding ska gangs to that extraterrestrial Chevy Malibu. We finally decide if the whole thing holds up, and along the way, we learn…
Which CFX co-star’s wife effectively hacked this episode
Who was never called an asshole
How little Alex Cox knows about typical Mexican men’s names
Which cast member insisted on using a real baseball bat during a fight scene
If a lot of straight guys like to watch their buddies fuck
The differences between Repo Men and regular people
Why Slip was so surprised we did this episode
If somebody peed on the floor…AGAIN!
And, finally....what's the perfect thing to say when someone turns down one's romantic overtures
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 60: Toto

This week CFX switches gears to evaluate the pop culture impact of the world’s most innovative maker of toilets, the Japanese company, Toto LTD.  Just kidding! We are of course talking about the band Toto. Started in the late ‘70s by a bunch of San Fernando Valley high school friends who also happened to be some of the most accomplished studio musicians in the world, Toto would peak in 1982, creating one of the biggest selling albums of that year in Toto IV, and, arguably, one of the most popular songs of all time in “Africa”. They won every Grammy in sight and then played a huge part in the recording of THE biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The members of Toto would split their time between the band and continued session work for just about every major artist in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and beyond. That said, we’re not going to focus on the session work other than in passing. No, this week CFX puts the entire discography of Toto under the Evaluato-scope and we decide whether it has and will continue to “rise like Olympus above the Serengeti” or “become frightened by this thing” they’ve become. We decide that, and along the way we also learn…
Which member of the band is most likely to sell you cocaine or a bag of Taco flavored Doritos
How Toto once crossed the Alan Parsons Project with Dokken to create a song that nobody listened to
Why listening to Toto made Slip realize he was really too hard on Billy Joel (in Episode 3: Glass Houses)
Which musicians Steve Lukather thinks are really “great cats” and who he is “still really good friends with to this day” (i.e everybody except Rivers Cuomo)
Why a band with faces made for radio, and who hated making music videos, wound up making so many of them
Which member of the band turned a geographic exotica-inspired fantasy wank in a public library into one of the most popular songs/videos in history
How Toto’s not-so-great looks led to an all-time funny burn from Jeff’s wife
Why it's not only Toto's fault that dance fighting got "fucked out"
Why Cynthia Rhodes still has PTSD from the making of the Rosanna music video (Hint: It’s related to Bobby Kimball’s offensive mustache) 
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 59: Grease

This week CFX covers one of the most popular OLD movies ever, Grease. This classic 1970s/1950s musical about a bunch of high school SENIORS, with its mix of fun musical frivolity and MATURE subject matter, seems to have AGED well....or has it? We do the usual..going into the whole 1970s/1950s nostalgia that birthed the original stage show and eventually, thanks to the growing popularity of actor John Travolta, led to the blockbuster film and soundtrack, a worldwide phenomenon. We also do a walkthrough of the entire film, adding in bits of trivia along the way, and, as you might imagine a few jokes at the expense of the cast, who, let’s face it, are the OLDEST HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EVER. We also talk about the social issues that Grease so obviously does and does not address and whether any of that matters. And, as usual, along the way, we learn…
What the word, the time, the place and the notion are
How the main premise of the movie make no logical sense whatsoever
Who Olivia Newton John’s grandfather was (Hint: One of the most important scientists of the 20th century)
What the term “false alarm” meant in the 1950s
Why a muscular, handsome football star is more pitiful than the school’s quintessential nerd
How not to be a high school guidance counselor
Which character is so fat it’s hard to believe
What saran wrap was actually used for back in the day
Why Rizzo was actually cool and Sandy….well, maybe not
How this supposedly kid-friendly movie was secretly pretty dirty…
 
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 58: The Six Million Dollar Man

This week CFX takes you back to a simpler time, a time when bionically enhanced astronauts and former tennis pros saved the world from Bigfoot, aliens, Russian death probes and evil "robuts"—all while wearing fashion tracksuits and the finest fashions that the Sears Roebuck catalog had to offer. And doing it all in beautiful slow motion! That’s right, this week we are covering the very popular and successful mid-1970s show The Six Million Dollar Man and also a bit of its just as successful spinoff, The Bionic Woman.  Not only were these shows at the top of the Nielsen charts, but they were also the first shows to really get merchandising right. Partnering with Kenner toys they released a series of action figures that were not only the best selling toys of their day but also influenced all of the merchandising that came after, most notably Star Wars (though whether that’s a good thing is debatable). But as popular and influential as the show was at the time, how does it hold up now? Will the show’s reputation continue to grow bigger, stronger, faster or is it just barely alive? We find out and, as usual, along the way, we learn:
Why you can name drop real life people in a fictional TV show, but naming geographical formations is a no go
What show that featured a “gorgeous” Six Million Dollar Man guest star had even more legendary opening credits
Which not-so-famous and not-so-talented “singer” guest stars in the second worse episode of the series
How Mr. Hand makes TV history
The ideal double feature at your local gay porn theater
What Washington DC and Southern California have in common landscape-wise…(hint: NOTHING)
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 57: Talking Heads Part 2

Well, we know where we’re going and we know where we have been. It may seem like we were on a road to nowhere with Talking Heads Part 1 since it’s been a while, but the future is certain because here we are with Part 2. We start things off with a bang, with 1980’s Remain in Light and then cover the Talking Heads’ most commercially successful years including their landmark concert film, Stop Making Sense. Then we cover their detour into commercial, American-influenced pop on albums such as LIttle Creatures and True Stories and end with their adventurous final album, Naked. We continue our evaluation from part 1 and things get a little contentious as we disagree (slightly) on what truly was the band’s artistic peak and, as usual, along the way, we learn…
Who was more sophisticated musically, Bach or The Talking Heads (ok, it’s Bach)
How much of a prima donna Brian Eno was during this time
Why we are changing the name of the podcast to the Cultural Funk Exchange
Which member of the band thinks he came up with every idea
Finally we take a look at these hands and figure out who's a tumbler
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.
 

Ep 56: Talking Heads Part 1

This ain’t no party. This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no foolin’ around. This is CFX. Episode 56: Talking Heads and we get so “lovey dovey” that “we ain’t got time for that now”. That’s right,  we had to split this into two parts. In this first part, we go into our personal histories, the zeitgeist that created Talking Heads and a detailed history of the band. We also cover the bands’ 1970s albums, Talking Heads ‘77, More Songs about Buildings and Food, and Fear of Music. We take you on a journey from the galleries of the Rhode Island School of Design to the rat-infested industrial lofts of the boweries and the early days of CBGBs to the exotic Compass Point Studios in Nassau where the band started their collaboration with Brian Eno that would culminate in…well, that’s in Part 2. But as usual, we decide if this music and the band as a whole stand the test of time or whether “they are talking a lot” “but not saying anything”, and, along the way, we learn…
Why the drummer is always smiling
What utensil Lou Reed used to eat a pint of Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Which member of the band did a performance art piece that involved shaving off his beard using beer foam as shaving cream
Which member of the band has “science hair”
Why the Ramones had a sudden need for Carbona Spot Remover
Check us out on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfutures/) for links and additional content related to this and other episodes as well as clues to upcoming shows or write to us at culutralfuturesexchange@gmail.com
All audio clips are used under the "Fair Use" Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act in 1976; Allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
All rights and credit go directly to its rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended.