Cultural Futures Exchange
Here’s the place where we examine different elements of cultural ephemera, be it music, movies, tv, stage and dive into the context and time that they came out, what’s happened since, and our take on the future “valuation” on an imaginary stock exchange of this item in terms of if you should go long--the value will go up--go short--the value will decrease, or stay neutral. Join us!
Episodes
Sunday Mar 12, 2023
Sunday Mar 12, 2023
Thank God it’s our 27th Episode and this week we talk about the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer. We decide if she’s an under-appreciated diva who broke new musical ground or if, well, Disco sucks! We take you through not only through the very interesting and unexpected twists and turns of her career, but also delve into the origins, downfall and rebirth of the disco genre itself and, along the way, we learn…
What disco cover version of a cornball classic contains what may be the gayest musical moment of all time
How Donna sold more albums than you might even fathom…
Why Georgio Moroder wasn’t paying very close attention when he watched Star Wars
What three videos should have been merged into one giant MTV classic
Who Harold Faltermeyer is and why this week was not Jeff’s favorite
How long Donna Summer can hold a note (it’s a long time!)
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.
Sunday Feb 26, 2023
Sunday Feb 26, 2023
This week CFX heads back to Camp Northstar to evaluate Bill Murray’s 1979 big screen debut, Meatballs. While this film was very influential on teen movies of the ‘80s and made Murray a star, does its story of a camp full of loser underdogs pitted against the snobby rich kids of Camp Mohawk, stand the test of time? We attempt to find out and along the way, we learn…
How the real kids of Camp White Pine nearly sabotaged the entire production
How a porn actress played one of the major roles in this family, PG rated films
How two 30 year old teens and a former casting director wearing a pair of taped glasses created one of the most influential scenes of the decade
Why Bill Murray should probably hang up his amateur wrestling career
What Camp Mohawk kids get for $1000 a week…
Exactly how many counselors in training (CITs) a camp probably needs
Why IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!
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.
Sunday Feb 12, 2023
Sunday Feb 12, 2023
Being that this is our 25th Episode, we decided to cover a major blockbuster album, Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album Rumours. Now, while it might seem a little pointless to ask whether this album will stand the test of time given that it’s more popular now, nearly fifty years after the fact, than it has ever been, we figured what the hell, let’s do it anyway. Besides, this drops pretty close to Valentine’s Day and what could be more appropriate? The emotional turmoil, the devastated relationships, and the marathon drug abuse that fueled this landmark album are legendary. In this episode:
Find out how the history of Fleetwood Mac is even crazier than you think
We world premiere a never heard before “making of” documentary where we:
Learn why Stevie sounds like she has a cold on “Dreams”
Hear the original version of “Never Going Back Again”
Learn what the song “The Chain” is actually about
Learn the true motivation behind Gold Dust Woman (hint, it was blow)
Why drugs made rock and roll great
Learn about the inspiration behind “You Make Lovin’ Fun”
Find out how to put the finishing touch on a Stevie Nicks Halloween costume
Who in the band was most likely to choke the shit out of someone
Exactly how many of Mick Fleetwood’s friends had an affair with his wife Jenny
*Special Note*: This episode was recorded before the death of Christine McVie. She will be missed. We have even more respect for her amazing career and legacy after researching this episode, which is dedicated to her memory. RIP Songbird.
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.
Sunday Jan 22, 2023
Sunday Jan 22, 2023
This week CFX examines one of the strangest children’s films of all time, renowned filmmaker Alan Parker’s debut, Bugsy Malone. Does this eccentric and artful alternate universe gangster film, with its whip cream-powered “splurge” guns, sarsaparilla-serving speakeasies and Flintstone-like pedal cars, stand the test of time? We attempt to find out and along the way, we learn…
How the actor who played an arch criminal in the film grew up to become one in real life (well, sort of…)
Why the singing voices of the child actors sound strangely mature
What universally acclaimed classic gangster film was improbably influenced by this film
Who Paul Williams is and why he is and will always be a diminutive ‘70s music god
How the art direction of this film remains one of the best of all time
Why Jodie Foster’s performance was preternaturally mature and maybe a bit sad
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.
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
“De Plane! De Plane”, “Smiles, everyone smiles”… welcome to Fantasy Island, episode 23 of the CFX podcast. This week we take on one of the bat-shit craziest shows ever made. A show that featured everything from ESP-powered sasquatches to psychedelic ventriloquist dummies while churning through a seemingly endless supply of D and E rate Hollywood “celebrities”, putting them through the most bizarre and unbelievable (and yes, comical!) scenarios. It’s a show that got unbelievably dark and twisted at times and at other times was crushingly repetitive and mundane. We answer the question, once and for all, of whether Mr. Roarke and Tattoo stand the test of time and along the way we learn…
How Roarke faced off with the devil himself
Why Ricardo Montalban needed a bigger trailer in order to take a dump
Of the extremely limited vocal talents of your hosts as we explore another edition of Reenactment Theater
What is Corinthian leather anyway?
Why amusement park rides, air balloons and even llamas were used to expand the shows audience
How much cocaine was snorted in the writers’ room (actually, we don’t learn that but isn’t it obvious??)
What the “most dangerous game” is and how many times you can milk that same trope
And how many times Mrs Brady can be leveraged to play in a sexually suggestive plot (answer…a lot!)
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.
Sunday Dec 25, 2022
Sunday Dec 25, 2022
On this special holiday episode of CFX (Ok, it just happens to come out on Xmas Day…) we take on ‘70s AM hit radio, also known as ‘70s AM Gold. Like we did on our Game Show episode (Episode 18: https://apple.co/3WebSzL), we explore the hits and misses, the long and short of this classic era. We celebrate the one-hit wonders that have stood the test of time and bemoan the songs we hated (and still hate) that we can’t get out of our heads. In doing so, we also learn…
How a street gang attack helped to create the happiest song ever written
Which “disco action” star was the victim of identity theft
What England Dan is actually singing in that song (you know the one) and why we wish John Ford Coley would retire already
Why the Slip-child liked his 70’s songs as filthy and gross as possible
What awful song from the ‘70s spawned a million YouTube parodies during the lockdown
Why you can’t stop staring into Darryl Dragon’s eyes
Why Jeff owes the Glen Campbell estate a huge apology (but will never deliver it)
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.
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
Sunday Dec 11, 2022
In this episode we face evil, magic, wizards, witches, kings, TIGERS and even Ritchie Blackmore to cover one of the most seminal albums of the heavy metal genre: Holy Diver by Dio. Even though we aren’t even close to being worthy to judge such an obvious hard rock deity, we do our best to answer the question of whether this album is still hard as steel or is it all just velvet lies? Along the way we learn..
How Dio’s career followed an amazing Spinal Tap trajectory from the big band era to the big hair era
How Dio Invented the universal symbol of metal, the devil horns hand symbol, and why Gene Simmons is full of shit (as per usual)
Why the band Dio could have been called Richie Blackmore’s Dio
Who Murray is and the bizarre story concepts behind some of the songs
Why you might think twice about writing in star light (hint: the words might come out REAL!)
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.
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
This week we take on what may be the ultimate high school film ever made, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. This 1982 film is a comedy-drama that addresses such serious topics as abortion and masturbation and still somehow manages to be funny. We do a deep dive on this film to see whether it stands the test of time and along the way we learn…
Why the tracking on every VHS tape of this film is really bad during one famous scene
Why Jeff actually sort of likes the terrible soundtrack from the movie (hint: Quarterflash)
Why people on ‘ludes should not drive
Why one of the funniest scenes of the movie actually gave Slip nightmares
How the mall was the center of the universe for early 80s teenagers
Why Cameron Crowe should have actually attended Mr. Hand’s US History class, and why Slip thinks he’s completely full of shit
How a movie about Southern California teenagers spawned one of the greatest method acting performances of all time
Why “the book is better than the movie” does not always apply
And, finally, where Stu Nahan actually did get that jacket...
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.
Sunday Nov 13, 2022
Sunday Nov 13, 2022
On Episode 19 we talk about the great Pat Benatar (aka Pat Andrzejewski Giraldo), who not only was a groundbreaking female rock star but who also has one of the greatest rock and roll voices in history. We review her entire career with a particular focus on her early albums to decide whether she stands the test of time. Is her fiery brand of ‘80s album oriented rock invincible or is it all just broken promises in the dark? We also talk about how much her guitarist, musical partner and husband Neil “Spyder” Giraldo may or may not have contributed to these works. Along the way, we find out…
Why Dick Clark was one of the biggest douches in television history
How a sexy poster of David Lee Roth somehow led Slip into the Benatar-verse
How Jeff “met” Pat Benatar during the peak of her success
Who Keith Olsen is and how important he nor may not have been to the Benatar legacy
Why “Love is a Battlefield” is one of the greatest videos of all time
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.
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
In the what!?? You heard it right! Or did you? This episode we assess the wild world of ‘70s game shows—the questions, the answers, the blinking lights, the hosts (and hostesses), the celebrities, the ridiculous music, and most importantly, the sex! This was the peak of the sexy game show era and we explore the most popular and notorious of these shows on this episode. We evaluate the future prospects of Match Game, Family Feud, Hollywood Squares and The Newlywed Game to decide if they will stand the test of time and, along the way, we learn…
How much drugs and alcohol were consumed on these sets
Why knowledge and education was the last thing on the minds of these producers
Who Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly were and why you should care
What Dirty Gerdie liked to put on her ______.
How Olga from Pennsylvania said the naughtiest thing ever to air on TV and why it’s even dirtier than the legend
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.