Ranking Every Episode of "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero": Spies, Slaughter, and Serpentor

Recently I went back to watch all 95 episodes of the original “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” cartoon series from the 1980’s. In the spirit of list articles, I went out to the internet to find a ranking from worst to best of the show. I found nothing. There were plenty of top ten lists, but no in depth list of all 95 episodes. I decided to do something about it.

Want to know how I came up with the rankings? Read my introduction.

Today I present part one of my countdown of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero”. Enjoy.

#74: The Spy Who Rooked Me

Original Air Date: October 13th, 1986

“Burke, Matthew Burke”

Matthew Burke

This is the one episode of “G.I. Joe: An American Hero” you can skip.

It stinks.

Welcome to the the James Bond Episode of GI Joe. At the time, James Bond was in a dark period. “A View to a Kill” was the big Bond movie. “A View to a Kill” may have Grace Jones and Christopher Walken, but it also has a way to old Roger Moore as 007 for the last time. Despite the Duran Duran song, “A View to a Kill” is no good, just like “The Spy Who Rooked Me.”

The plot? A British agent, Matthew Burke, seemingly as old as Roger Moore, with high tech gadgets (from his AUNTIE) helps the Joes stop Zartan and the Dreadnoks from getting some gas cannisters. Twist after twist. In the end the Joes were decoys and Agent Burke already moved the gas. The end.

The Good:

Matt Burke flirting with Lady Jaye, and she is flirting back. Flint is not happy.

The Bad:

The voice of General Hawk is different. The animation is very spotty. The story is boring.

#73: Ninja Holiday

Original Air Date: October 22nd, 1986

“Prepare to fight, slaughterhouse style.”

Sgt Slaughter

Despite the low ranking, this episode like all that follow are worth a look. In other words, “Ninja Holiday” is the worst of the best.

HOT TAKE ALERT: I’m not a big fan of Sgt. Slaughter. I like his no nonsense approach, his in your face attitude, and his voice of the people. He is like the Poochie of the G.I. Joe universe. He sticks out in all of his episodes because he is the focus of all of his episodes. Sgt Slaughter is a super hero in a world of ultra specialized military guys with sci fi equipment. Also, I know all about the ninja awesomeness of Snake Eyes, but that awesomeness was not in the cartoon. I am not upset that Snake Eyes does not factor into this episode.

Joe Navy Seal Wetsuit is going to enter a martial arts contest put on by Pierre LaFont. Sgt Slaughter tells Wetsuit no way, but Slaughter is mistaken for Wetsuit and captured by LaFont’s men.

At the contest, Sgt Slaughter beats the hell out of everyone. In the end Wetsuit shows up and has to fight Slaughter. They put on a show, beat the bad guys. In the end, Sgt Slaughter learns that Cobra Commander wanted LaFont to find an assassin who would kill Serpentor. Also, Storm Shadow is with Cobra Commander, another ninja who did not facto into a story called Ninja Holiday.

The Good:

The variety of fighters, including a cook, is pretty cool.

The Bad:

A typical Sgt Slaughter is a superhero episode. Why for an episode called Ninja Holiday did Storm Shadow only show up in the end with no dialogue and no action. I am repeating myself.

#72: Jungle Trap

Original Air Date: September 27th, 1985

“I bet my bush hat, that is where Cobra is holed up”

Recondo

Cobra is looking to create/use The Vulcan Machine, a gun that ignites molten lava. The Joe team must stop the snakes.

Overall this is a Recondo episode. His skill set, and toy actions, are the highlight of everything the Joes do. At one point he even saves a Rhino because the jungle animals deserve to be saved. Also, Snake Eyes kicks a hyena. Pretty basic stuff.

The Good:

Fleshes out the character of Recondo. Did I mention that Snake Eyes kicks a hyena

The Bad:

Nothing memorable in the episode, except for Snake Eyes kicking a hyena.

 #71: Cobra Sound Waves

Original Air Date: October 17th, 1985

“If Cobra’s got all the cards, let’s deal ourselves a new hand.”

Ace

Cobra has a sound cannon that rips stuff apart. High tech stuff like fighter jets.

Joe pilot Ace is featured in the episode. He finds the secret river to save the Joes. He leads a low tech glider attack on the cannon. Cobra Commander gets greedy and makes their super weapon fall and get destroyed. There is a robot crab. Joes win.

The Good:

Great character action with Ace

The Bad:

Nothing memorable outside of Ace

#70: The Greenhouse Effect

Original Air Date: October 3rd, 1985

“Them Cobras are slipperier than new soap”

Wild Bill

A Crimson Guardsman disguised as a janitor in a lab working on nitrogen rocket fuel, steals a cannister. While on the run he stashes the fuel cannister into a pot at a dudes greenhouse. The greenhouse belongs to Harvey, a man that has a weird relationship with his plants.

Later at the county fair, Harvey’s plant is growing big and producing all sorts of fruits. Then the plant starts attacking everyone with its vines and fruits. The Joes cannot stop it. Destro wants to use this new discovery to create a jungle of these monster plants. In the end it is up to Airtight, and his vast knowledge of chemicals, to come up with a plan to stop the menacing plant monster. Joes win.

The Good:

With this chemical plant combo, Cobra may have solved world hunger.

The Bad:

Airtight is not the most dynamic character when we need a hero to root for..

#69: Cobra Stops the World

Original Air Date: September 26th, 1985

“Destro does not celebrate until his wars are won.”

Destro

A Sparks episode. Celebrate because we only get two times to appreciate Sparks, the man with no official figure in the original line.

Cobra Commander is making oil tankers disappear, destroying oil platforms, and bombing refineries. His goal is to stop the flow of the world’s energy supply. Colonel Sharp uses our boy Sparks to find out where Cobra is transmitting it’s threats. If they find the base, the Joes can stop Cobra from depriving the world of oil.

Deep Six and Torpedo use the SHARC, and their toy action, to sink a Cobra water base. Scarlett beats the hell out of a bunch Cobra’s holed up in the suburbs. Ace and Duke get caught by Major Bludd, who is duping a group of natives into helping Cobra. Eventually, Sparks builds his tracking unit, Duke and Ace escape in a stolen Rattler, the Joes attack Cobra’s base, and the world once again gets to depend on oil as it’s primary fuel source.

The Good:

A fun little adventure. The SHARC and the water Joes of the time (no Shipwreck unfortunately). This episode showed you how to play with the SHARC and Skystriker. It was a great commercial for those toys.

The Bad:

Seems like this episode was supposed to be after the first miniseries. It feels out of place out of place.

#68: My Brother’s Keeper

Original Air Date: October 15th, 1986

“Sci Fi, this is stupid”

Sgt Slaughter

Dr Mindbender needs renown quantum physicist Dr. Jeremy Penser to help Cobra fix their newest superweapon, the Voltranic Galaxator. For some reason this world renowned physicist is going to be signing books at the local science fiction convention. Dr Penser is wheelchair bound, and a big ass to his little brother Timothy. Mindbender promises that Dr Penser will walk if he helps Cobra. The good grumpy doctor agrees to go work with Cobra.

Trying to save his ungrateful older brother, Timothy steals a Havoc and Sgt Slaughter and Sci-Fi chase him down. Sgt Slaughter is a superhero taking Cobra stuff down. Dr Penser will not shoot his little brother and sabotages the Voltranic Galaxator, everyone is saved. In the end and Jeremy is still an ass to his little bro, but Timothy is ok with it.

The Good:

Sci-Fi at a comic con. Awesome weapon name.

The Bad:

Sgt Slaughter being superhuman. Forgettable story.

#67: Into Your Tent I Will Silently Creep

Original Air Date: November 20th, 1986

“Well this is right embarrassing.”

Cross-Country

The last episode of the classic series. Heavily featuring country music loving Joe Cross-Country (and his unfortunate confederate flag belt buckle).

In this series finale we have Cobra cat like robots stealing random junk from the Joes. Cross-Country goes to investigate and discovers The Coil, Cobra Commanders new group who wants to overthrow Serpentor. Fights happen, Cross-Country gets away, warns Joes, slaves are freed, and Cobra Commander gets away to continue the misadventures of The Coil.

The Good:

Great setup for the future of the show with The Coil

The Bad:

No follow up. Episode focuses on Cross-Country

#66: Iceberg Goes South

Original Air Date: October 9th, 1986

“What are they doing to poor Iceberg?”

Snowjob

The Joes meet The Island of Dr Moreau.

Full disclosure. I really like the weirdness of the episode. This may be one of the freakiest half hours of kid cartooning ever. Having said that, the weirdness does not make up for how out of place this particular adventure seems.

Iceberg is in the arctic and meets up an old friend that works in the TropoDome. The rest of the Joes are testing out equipment in the frozen landscape. The Polar Battle Bear and Snow Cat get highlighted so kids can tell their parents about what new toys they need to buy. Strange that Snow Job is driving the Snow Cat and Frostbite, the figure that came with the toy, is not even in the episode.

In the TropoDome, Dr Mindbender is making people into animals. To keep the hybrid creatures stable they need protein. therefore all the abominations are fed meat. Iceberg is captured and is turned into a killer whale. The Joes storm the TrpoDome, Killer Whale Iceberg starts to attack and defend the Joes. A lot of animal man hybrid mayhem ensues. Dr. Mindbender escapes. The Joes save Iceberg by stopping him from eating wild seals, which would permanently make him a killer whale. Iceberg’s friend drugs him, and turns him back to normal. The end.

The Good:

This is a crazy surreal episode. Strong Iceberg action, the Joe from Texas who loves the snow.

The Bad:

Unlike any other GI Joe episode, and not necessarily in a good way.

#65: Last Hour to Doomsday

Original Air Date: September 25th, 1986

“Destro stop moaning like a lovestruck schoolboy and move out the giant vortex cone.”

Cobra Commander

The first episode after the “Arise, Serpentor, Arise” five-parter. No Serpentor, but we do have BATS and Dr Mindbender.

This is a story about how Flint and Lady Jaye infiltrate, escape, get captured, and escape again from Cobra. They are also put into a tank with a giant octopus.

The Cobra has a device to make giant waves. Cobra Commander is going to destroy the east coast if he doesn’t get what he wants. The Joes have a battle with BATS on the ocean floor. Wetsuit disables the vortex cone. Joes win.

The Good:

Great use of the underwater Joes and a great BATS battle on the bottom of the ocean.

The Bad:

Almost too much action. Hard to know what is going on. A bunch of season 2 stuff was absent from the episode like Serpentor and Night Ravens. Not great when we just got done introducing all of that in last week’s episodes.

#64: Money to Burn

Original Air Date: October 14th, 1985

“Citizens of the United States. I am happy to announce Cobra’s economic recovery plan.”

Cobra Commander

Cobra burns up all the money in the US with a molecular de-generator device. After the economic collapse, Cobra Commander offers Cobra dollars to get everyone back on their feet. T

he Joes try to intervene, the public riots. When Alpine saves a girl, all is well with the rioters.

Ripcord gets featured in this episode when he parachutes into a mountain. It was a holograph. The Joes stop Cobra’s ruse. In the end the Joes play cards and Ripcord takes the pot when he beats master card player Ace.

The Good:

Great Crimson Twin stuff. Awesome character building for Ace and Ripcord.

The Bad:

Not the best Cobra plan ever. All falls apart pretty quickly.

#63: My Favorite Things

Original Air Date: October 16th, 1986

“For my powers to be complete, I must gather a few of my favorite things.”

Serpentor

Serpentor was created with the DNA of history’s greatest evil military leaders. Now he wants to reclaim the artifacts of all those leaders. The Joes chase Serpentor and Cobra all over the world as the Cobra Emperor tries to achieve his goal.

At Count Dracula’s castle, Serpentor poisons Leatherneck with a poison dart (the poison is Serpentor’s blood). Wetsuit wants to save his buddy and takes Lifeline to India to stop Serpentor’s next collection. The thing Serpentor wants is a giant snake, his old pet. Wetsuit is afraid of snakes, Lifeline, the pacifist, belittles tough guy Wetsuit. The two Joes get the antidote, and then Wetsuit blows up Cobra’s escape making the giant snake get trapped in the earth.

In the end, Wetsuit and Leatherneck are recovering in a hospital. We know they are feeling better because the start up with their endless bickering and fist throwing.

The Good:

Great Wetsuit and Leatherneck stuff. Good world building for Serpentor

The Bad:

Tons of action make it hard to establish stakes for the Joes. If this was a multi-part episode, it would have been awesome.

#62: The Germ

Original Air Date: October 23rd, 1985

“Now it’s just a germ, soon it will be a conqueror of worlds”

Destro

This episode is all about Airtight.

Cobra steals a formula that they accidently release, and it creates a massive blob destroying everything in front of it. Ace tries to bomb it, no good. Airtight flies an experimental craft and tries to destroy the nucleus of the blob. It splits the creature.

Airtight thinks apple seeds, they have arsenic, will kill the blob. The Joes direct one of the blobs to an apple orchard, and it dies. The other blob is heading to New York City. The Joes bomb and gun it with apples. The blob is destroyed.

The Good:

Trippy episode. Interesting story

The Bad:

One of the few episodes with no Cobra Commander in it. Sorry to say this again, but Airtight is not the most action oriented character. I owned his figure as a kid. I rarely played with it.

#61: Bazooka Saw a Sea Serpent

Original Air Date: October 31st, 1985

“Will you work?”

The Sea Serpent

There is a giant mechanical sea snake terrorizing the seas. Bazooka sees it, no one believes him.

Meanwhile, Tomax and Xamot carnival flip into a group of dudes and the crimson twins tell them that the dudes will pay Cobra or more ships will be lost.

Later, a nice yacht is being destroyed by the sea serpent. Little Jimmy loses his dog Bucky to the monster. Lady Jaye, Quick Kick, and Shipwreck find Cobra’s ship. In the fight, the remote for the sea serpent is broken. The creature goes wild and swallows Cobra’s and Joes.

In the belly of the beast, all the captives must sort the treasure the beast has captured. Including Cobra Commander. Every time the creature eats, it grows. The creature goes for New York harbor to eat more. Bazooka gets the beast to bite its own tail. Joes win, Bazooka gets the big catch, and Jimmy gets reunited with Bucky.

The Good:

Well thought out story.

The Bad:

End is a bit rushed. Another story that would have been better as a two-parter?

#60: Arise, Serpentor, Arise

Original Air Date: September 15th-19th, 1986

“For I am Serpentor, and this I command.”

Serpentor

The five-part beginning to the second season of the Sunbow cartoon. The creation and rise of the Cobra emperor, Serpentor. The introduction of tons of new characters; Beach Head, Wetsuit, Leatherneck, General Hawk, Low Light, Mainframe, Monkeywrench, Thrasher, Dr Mindbender, the BATS, and Sgt Slaughter (to name a few).

Cobra ambushes the Joes at their base. Cobra Commander uses his new Battle Android Troopers (BATS) to beat the Joes back. Right when it looks bad for our heroes, Sgt Slaughter comes in to save the day.

After the debacle at the Joe base, Dr Mindbender wants a new leader for Cobra. He has a weird dream about DNA. He enlists Destro and the Crimson Twins to help on his quest. Cobra Commander is not happyy, but plays along because he is not as supported by his troops as he wants to be.

Cobra and Joe fights around the world collecting DNA from long dead evil leaders. The Oktober Guard gets involved. Sgt Slaughter is a badass at all times. Cobra Commander tries to sabotage the project. It works, then it doesn’t.

Once the new Cobra Emperor Serpentor is born, he fights Sgt Slaughter, and then he immediately puts together an operation to take Washington DC. Intially succesfell, Cobra does take DC and Serpentor sits on Abraham Lincoln’s lap in the 16th President’s memorial. The Joes fight back, Serpentor needs to retreat because of supply issues. Cobra Commander saves Serpentor at the last minute, and the emperor takes the former head of Cobra with him to use the Commander as a patsy.

A new age of Cobra is born.

The Good:

The dawn of a new era. The introduction of Wetsuit and Leatherneck

The Bad:

I talked about how Sgt Slaughter is a distraction in many of his episodes. This is where it started. The whole series is awesome, it just focusses too much on Slaughter. I know that is not a popular opinion, but my science doesn’t lie.

All right, that’s it for today. Come back tomorrow to see the next group of episodes to be ranked.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support us and the podcast on Patreon.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ranking Every Episode of "G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero" Introduction

Growing up in the 1980’s my Saturday mornings were filled with cartoons that were blatant thirty minute adverts for the toys that connected to the show. On top of that, during the commercial breaks my young impressionable mind was seeing thirty second spots enticing us with sugary cereals, video games, and so many toys. It was an awesome time to be a kid. The 1980’s were truly a golden age of advertisement directed to children.

“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” premiered on September 12th, 1983. The first series, known now as “The M.A.S.S. Device”. ran for five straight weekdays. The series was a follow up to the revamped 3 and 3/4 inch toyline and the Marvel comic book series that both premiered in 1982. After the success of the first miniseries, G.I. Joe was back in September of 1984 with a new five part mini-series, “The Revenge of Cobra”. The second series was also a big hit, mainly due to the fact the toy line was expanding, and the series featured these new characters like Flint, Lady Jaye, Zartan, the Dreadnoks, and the great Shipwreck.

With two hit miniseries, “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was given the full season order in 1985. The third miniseries “The Pyramid of Darkness” premiered in September, and was followed by fifty more episodes. In September of 1986 the five parter “Arise, Serpentor, Arise” kicked off season two, and was followed by twenty five new thirty minute adventures for the Joes and Cobra. Each season also saw the introduction of new characters who had corresponding toys at your local stores.

“G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” was a big part of my childhood. The episodes aired on weekday afternoons in suburban St. Louis. I would rush home from school to watch my favorite toy line have adventures on my television. The next day my friends and I would talk about G.I.Joe, play with our G.I. Joe toys, and talk about what new G.I. Joe toys we wanted. I was more obsessed with G.I. Joe than I was even with Star Wars.

Decades later, being an adult, I looked back fondly on G.I. Joe, but never gave it much thought. I saw the two live action movies and thought they were ok. The second one is much better than the first, but I was not overly excited about the films. Around the time my son was born, Netflix had the original Marvel/Sunbow run of the cartoon on their new streaming service. When I would sit with my infant son trying to get him to sleep, I would watch my old favorite cartoon.

I was pleasantly surprised that I still loved the show. I also realized that a lot of my progressive political ideas came from this toy commercial about war toys. Lady Jaye is the most competent leader the Joe’s have. There were episodes that dealt with environmental issues, inner city gangs, global fiscal policy, reliance on technology, the dangers of television, the dangers of trying to pursue beauty, and pacifism. There were a few culturally insensitive moments, looking at the character of Spirit, but these cringe worthy moments are very few compared to what was going on in media at the time. The point is that “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” is a show I enjoyed as a kid, it left an obvious mark on the way I see the world, and I still love it to this day.

During the pandemic, I went back to watch all 95 episodes of the original series. In the spirit of list articles, I went out to the internet to find a ranking from worst to best of the show. I found nothing. There were plenty of top ten lists, but no in depth list of all 95 episodes. I decided to do something about it. After a bunch of research and note taking, I have come up with the definitive ranking of the original run of “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero”. Like the classic show itself, I will release an article for five straight days. If you love the original series, I hope to bring back some joy in going back to the series. If you have never watched, please continue to read and behold the craziness of a show about military people fighting a circus of bad guys. In the end, I hope you all enjoy, or get mad, about these rankings.

Before I do start, a quick note on a few things.

I have ranked multi-part episodes as one story. Yes the show had 95 episodes, but in my rankings it told 74 stories. That is why the rankings start at 74.

I have not ranked the PSA’s that were shown after each episode. I may do that in the future.

I have not include the 1987 animated movie. If I had included it in the rankings, I would have ranked it near the bottom. I do have some nostalgic joy thinking of the movie, but it seemed very out of place from the original show. I know it’s hard to believe that a show which featured magical swords, a centuries old well monster, and ghosts, that Cobra-La is a bridge too far for me.

This is a ranking of just the Marvel/Sunbow run of the cartoon. I have not ranked any other animated forms of G.I. Joe. The DiC stuff would be at the rock bottom, the Extreme stuff is surprisingly good, I have not seen Spy Troops or Resolute, and I think the Renegades series is awesome, but none of it really relates to this first run.

Last, I want to thank a few outside sources I went to in order to rank these episodes with the most scientific means necessary. YoJoe.com is the definitive G.I. Joe website out there. The definitive podcast about G.I. Joe is Joe on Joe. I could not have been accurate in these rankings without those two outside sources.

Come back tomorrow to see the first episodes in my rankings.

Yo Joe.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support us and the podcast on Patreon.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "Superstore"

Recently my wife and I decided that we wanted to watch a new show. We have time, what with this pandemic getting worse by the day, and we decided to try the show "Superstore".

I have seen commercials for this show a bunch. We watched a good amount of shows on NBC, I sometimes watch football on NBC, and occasionally I would see an ad or a preview for the show. I was intrigued, but prior to the pandemic, I never thought to watch it. I also had a bunch of stuff to do outside of the house, so I really prioritized what I would watch. But as I said at the top, I have extended time now.

So we turned on the pilot about a week ago, and when I type this today, my wife and I will most likely finish season three this evening. I wish I had watched this show much, much sooner. While NBC isn't at FX or HBO's level, they still make really solid shows. "Superstore" can be added to that list. For those that don't know, the show takes place at a big chain business, a la WalMart or Target, and the store is in Saint Louis, an added bonus for me. The show talks about the many lives of the people that work there, and it is very funny. It is your common workplace comedy, but it works like "The Office" or "Parks and Rec" did, but this show isn't the mockumentary style the other two were. This is a single camera show, with no studio audience. This is the classic sitcom.

The actors on the show are really solid too. America Ferrera is great as Amy the floor manager. She is about as real a big chain store worker can be on TV. I know that she is acting, and she is beautiful, but she does a very good job of seeming like a person that would have that job. She totally pulls it off. I cannot think of the actor's name that plays Jonah, but he is great as well. He is funny and charming and goofy and, much like Ferrera, I buy his story arc to this point. Dina, the assistant manager, is amazing. She is funny and rude and doesn't pull any punches, and I crack up every time she loses her temper. Garrett, played by Colton Dunn, is my favorite. He is wheelchair bound, we don't know why, but his dry wit and lack of caring make me forget he is playing a handicapped person. He has some great quips and makes some hilarious faces. His distaste to buy anyone else's BS is classic. He is awesome. Glenn, the manager, has this wild voice, and he is so nice and almost a total pushover. But when he gets mad, he lets it all out. He is real good at going up and down on this show. Cheyenne is the pregnant teen that seems to have wit beyond her years, even though she is kind of dimwitted, but on purpose. When she laughs because she is uncomfortable, that is one of my favorite things on this show. And I could go on and on about all the side characters on the show. They all have their place, and the way the show literally writes for everyone, it is great. They give the main characters their shine, but the smaller roles, they have their own place on this show, and the writers make sure we remember them from episode to episode.

If you are looking for a fun, breezy, 20 minute show that will make you laugh and enjoy yourself, I highly recommend checking out "Superstore". It is on Hulu, and it is really funny and really well made. I know they are currently on their sixth season, and if we keep up the pace that we are watching the show, we will be caught up in about two weeks. It is that good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Rewatches "Chappelle's Show"

Another day and we are still awaiting election results. This seems like it will go well into the weekend, and maybe even next week. We all need to be patient and make sure that every single vote is counted. We are a democracy, and the millions upon millions of people that voted should have it count. Whether you voted in person, or mailed in your ballot, it should count.

On that note, I am going to talk about a great, great show, a classic, that was just put up on Netflix. Looking for something to watch on Tuesday afternoon after I voted and my kids were hanging in their rooms, their "quiet time" I call it, I popped on some Netflix looking for anything to keep my mind off the election results. In the trending category I spotted "Chappelle's Show", and I was stoked. I was such a big fan of his show when it was first on Comedy Central. I kind of came to Dave Chappelle in a roundabout way, first seeing him in "Half Baked", then watching his show and then getting into his standup. But "Chappelle's Show", that was my jam. And since it had been such a longtime, I haven't sat down and watched a full episode in well over a decade, I had forgotten how funny it was, even in its infancy.

This show started off with a bang. The very first episode gave us a very memorable character, in Clayton Bigsby, the Black White Supremacist. This was a little bit harder to watch, given what our country has become over the last four years. But it proved how far ahead of its time this show was. The sketches, I have watched the first four episodes so far, are so well made and written and acted. Along with Bigsby, we also get Tyrone Biggums in the first four, Mos Def is his first musical guest, they do the photocopy place sketch that I consider a classic, we get the Wrap it Up commercial, they have the sketch with black people getting reparations, it is a murderers row of stuff my friends and I still quote via text to this day. That is only four episodes too. I haven't gotten to any Charlie Murphy stuff yet. There hasn't been a player haters ball yet. Rashida Jones hasn't shown up yet. The spoof of MTV's "Making the Band" hasn't come up yet. I could go on and on and on.

"Chappelle's Show" is filled with so many memorable sketches, that people my age remember fondly. This was an absolute homerun find for myself, and I am sure so many others. The only bummer is, there is only, I believe, two full seasons. Dave Chappelle left, I understand why now, and the show went out while it was one of the biggest things on TV. But I am happy that Netflix has put it back up. I'm happy that Dave Chappelle said it was okay. And I am happy that I have this little distraction to keep my mind off things and to just sit back and laugh. I will definitely be watching more this afternoon, and until, and after, we have some resolution to this election. I suggest you do the same. Damn is it a funny show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.   

Ty Watches "The Eric Andre Show" Season Five Premiere

This past Saturday the season five premiere of "The Eric Andre Show" was on, and it was awesome, and weird and crazy and nutso and wild and what I have come to love and expect from his humor. I have been a fan of this show since a buddy of mine told me to watch it about five years ago. He knows that I like odd, weird humor, and he figured I'd like this different take on a talk show. He was right. I have watched every season of this show multiple times. When the pandemic first started, I ripped through the fourth season twice, and it took me about three weeks to do it. That is another thing I like about the show, it is twelve minutes long. It is an Adult Swim show, and the majority of their shows are weird and short. You can rip off five to six episodes in an hour. I love it. I had been anticipating the fifth season since I saw some ads for it appear on social media about a month or so ago.

One thing I really like, Andre sports a new hairdo and outfit each season. This season he is bald and wearing a full white suit. Hannibal Burress, his co host, calls him out on this, and Andre says he is doing a Vin Diesel thing this season. That made me laugh pretty hard. I also liked, in the premiere, there were two episodes, when Andre was going to do his monologue, he had people carry him on a pillow to the mic and proceeded to do some Street Fighter moves on them after they set him down. Buress called him out on this, and Andre said he was doing it for "opulence". That was the perfect word to use to describe what he was doing at that moment. Buress yelled at him, and made fun of him the whole monologue, and it was great. It was like slipping into some clean sheets. It made me comfortable to see this all again, especially now. From there on out, for both episodes, Andre tormented his guests and did cut away skits that made me laugh.

The first episode had Judy Greer and Adam Rippon as guests. Greer seemed freaked out the whole time, and Burress and Andre seemed to push her to the brink. They had errant hot dogs hit the set, Andre showed a video of his cleaning lady and asked her if she "ever punished herself". It was hilarious. With Rippon, Andre had a stagehand under the chair he sat on, and he had that stage hand continue to grab at him and scare him. Again, hilarious. With his cut aways, he did the Ranch guy, always a homerun, and played a UPS guy that had what seemed like a real rat on his shoulder and walked around the subway "looking for its owner". The musical guest was Anderson .Paak, who Andre had chugging a six pack and playing the drums. He called him Anderson 6 .Paak. I really liked it. This set the tone perfectly.

The second episode featured Burress actually quitting. The fans, we all knew this was coming and I was curious to see how they would do it. It was simple enough, with Buress simply saying, "I quit" and walking off stage. Not to be deterred, Andre took one of Buress' nose hairs, which he plucked and cloned him. His clone turned out a little wacky, and they called him Blanninbal Burress. The guests were a rapper named Saweetie, who they tormented by making the stage move without her knowing, and Shanola Hampton, who they raised in a chair and walked her around the room, like Bar Mitzvah style. They also scared her by making Andre literally fly when she gave him a high five. As for the pre taped segments, They did an ad for a psychoactive drug that "tastes like real lemon and lime" and Andre revised his Sprite daredevil guy. Both of these were funny and very well done. The episode ended with Andre's American Rap Ninja Warrior, where he takes lesser known rappers and makes them do a weird obstacle course while blindfolded. It was pretty damn funny.

I am glad that this show is back. I need this weird and wild humor in my life right now. It gave me twenty minutes of solid laughs. I am looking forward to the rest of the season, and I am pretty certain I will rewatch it the moment it is over. Hell, I have already watched the first two episodes multiple times. "The Eric Andre Show" is great, and I am stoked that it is back. Watch it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.    

Ty Watches "Holy Calamavote"

I watched the Run the Jewels show that they did on Adult Swim this weekend, "Holy Calamavote", this afternoon, and it was amazing.

This was the first, and only time, they will perform this album live this year. They had a planned tour, supporting Rage Against the Machine, but the pandemic put a total halt to that. I read things where RTJ was trying to do something like this, a live performance, but didn't have a platform, or felt comfortable enough to do it. Then Adult Swim and Ben and Jerry's got involved, and they had their chance. They got tested, quarantined for the allotted time, and were able to pull off this show. They also wanted it to be important, to take a stance and help people, and they used the platform to urge people to go out and vote. This show was put together to promote voting. They mentioned time and again how important it is, especially this year, to go out and vote. Our vote is our weapon, and that is the only way we can make things change. They put that front and center.

As for the performance, I mean come on, these guys are at the top of the game right now. They are the best rap group, and best overall group, making music right now. Not only is the music good, it is well made, important, personal and an absolute reflection of the world we live in right now. I have sung the praises of this most recent RTJ record to the high hills. This is the record of the year by a mile, and this performance only further proved that. They were awesome. The visuals were amazing. The guest list was top notch. And seeing Killer Mike and El-P perform this record live, it was so god damn amazing and impressive. They did each song, in order, from the new record. Eric Andre hosted the show, and they would cut to him from time to time, but this was all about RTJ and their music. All the songs were great, and hearing them live just adds so much more to the listening experience. DJ Nice was on stage with them during "Ooh LA LA". That was pretty cool. A famous Atlanta DJ came out and scratched during a song. Gangsta Boo came out during "Walking in the Snow", and that was a transcendent performance. I mean, the song started with that heavy guitar, and El did his verse, and then it was Killer Mike's turn. He smashed the first part, and when he got to the "I can't breath" part, the whole stage and group went silent, and then Killer Mike ended that verse acapella. It was powerful and moving and made me listen more than I ever had before to what he is saying in what I consider to be the song of the year, and possibly the generation. It was an astonishing performance. They did "JU$T" after that, and Pharrell and Zack de la Rocha did their spots. Josh Homme and Mavis Staples appeared on screen for the song they are featured on as well. Staples' voice was beautiful and haunting. They ended the show with "A Few Words for the Firing Squad", and to see the two of them bear their souls was so, so great. It was such a moving and cool and fierce and awesome and perfect way to present that song. When they were nearing the end, when the song is all horns, both members expressed the importance of voting and using our voices this election. Then El-P formed a fist and Killer Mike formed a gun to make the RTJ symbol, and the lights were on their hands only. It was so god damn cool. They proceeded to leave the stage with the secret ending that shows up at the end of "Firing Squad", and El grabbed his stuff, and both he and Killer Mike put on a mask and drove off in Killer Mike's car. They came back on to again express the importance of voting. It was truly wonderful. The show was cool, the visuals added so much, El-P and Killer Mike are damn fine performers, their music is important , the people filming were masked and kept their distance, all the while getting amazing shots, it was simply perfect.

I loved this so very much. It gave me so much of what I have missed this year. I got to see my favorite band perform live. I was moved to vote more so than I already am. I have even more respect for Michael Render and Jamie Melina, which I didn't know was possible. I got to vibe out to the best record of the year. And they did it all for a great cause. I highly recommend this special for everyone. It is available to watch everywhere, it is as live as we will get this year and it is the best music you will hear all year. Please watch and make a plan to vote. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "Fargo" Season Four Premier

I'm back after a day away. I had some personal stuff to deal with, some tough stuff, and I needed a day to just vent and cry with my wife and kids. But, it is all good now, and I am back. And I am back to talk about the new season of "Fargo".

We have made no secret, RD and I, how much we love the movie and love the show. It is one of the best portrayals, or continuation if you will, or a great movie turned television show. They took this classic movie, and have now made four seasons of some of the most watchable TV out there right now. I was particularly excited for this new season because I am a humongous Chris Rock fan, and I also really, really like Jason Schwartzman. When I saw that they were cast for this new installment, I was pumped. And they are wonderful on the show. This is the first, of four, that doesn't take place in North Dakota or Minnesota. This one is in Kansas City. There is a character from Minnesota in the new season, more on her in a minute, but this is all about the Midwest.

The way the show started off, there were two new episodes, almost three hours of material, and it was tremendous. We got a back story from a young African American student, expertly played by Emyri Crutchfield, about how mob families have come through Kansas City since the early 1900's. It was interesting and cool to see how it was run by one family, a Jewish family, and they made a deal with an Irish family. Then the Irish family takes over and makes a deal with an Italian family. In each one of these deals, a child is traded from family to family too, making it seem that much more ruthless and wild, that people were willing to give up kids to have control over a town and city. After the Italian family takes over, this is where we get the African American crew, led by Rock, coming in to form an alliance with them. When they make the trade off, this is where the show totally takes off. The stakes rise so very much because Rock and his crew are, not only well formed and ready to fight, they are smart too, smarter than any other mob family that has come through. After the trade of children, things get pretty wild. The Italian family loses their leader, mini spoiler alert, when an errant pellet hits an artery in his throat. This pushes Schwartzman to the front of the line. He becomes the leader. He seems ready, but he is also a bit hot headed and hostile. He seems like a bomb that is ready to explode. When he is in the hospital, watching over his father, we meet this crazy nurse who relocated to KC from Minnesota. Jessie Buckley plays the nurse, Nurse Mayflower, and she is crazy. She has been getting compared to Nurse Rathcet, but I think she may be more crazy, and also smarter. She is an evil genius essentially. Her arc over these two episodes was wild, and I am completely in for her journey. As for Schwartzman, he was good, like he always is, and I want to see where he goes from here. He had some great scenes in the first two episodes. Rock and crew were my absolute favorite part so far. Rock is the poised leader of the new mob that comes to town. He is pointed and careful and smart and knows what he is doing and how to do it. It is so cool to see him in a role like this. This is like the stuff he did early on in his career, like his role in "New Jack City", or more in tune with what he did on his own with a movie like "Top 5". Chris Rock is a good, adaptable actor, and roles like he has in "Fargo", and the aforementioned movies before prove that. His crew is also pretty great. Again, they follow his direction, and Doctor Senator, played by Glynn Turman, is a great second in line. Again, he is calm, but he also seems like he has a very, very dark side.

I have enjoyed every iteration that Noah Hawley and crew have done with the "Fargo" TV series, but this one feels different. This one feels like it could be a classic. This feels like this could be the season where everyone is talking about it years and years from now. It has the potential to be that good. I was enthralled, didn't look at my phone and watched with intense focus the whole time. That doesn't happen much anymore, but this fourth installment has my undivided attention. I cannot wait to see where they go from here. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Comedic Genius of Fred Willard

I mentioned last week how my wife and I have been on a Christopher Guest kick for our quarantine date movies. We have watched three the last three weeks. We watched "This is Spinal Tap", "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show". They all still hold up, they are all still very funny and they all make me want to watch his other movies.

On these re-watches, I noticed that it is Fred Willard usually being, or having one of the best parts or moments in the movie. He is only in "Spinal Tap" for one scene, but it has still stuck with me. He is the naval base guy when they play a veterans show, and he greets them. He calls them Spinal Tarp, he throws in some solid dry dad jokes and I was sitting there watching it and just laughing and laughing. It is supposed to be a forgettable role, but Willard made it great. And then in "A Mighty Wind" and "Best in Show", he steals each movie, at least for me. He is absolutely wonderful in both of these movies. He is, by far, in a cast filled with great humorists and comedians and improv people, the very best. In "A Mighty Wind" he is the manager of the New Main Street Singers, the cheesy Branson esque folk band, with a past in TV. He appeared on a TV show called, "Wha Happened", which according to the newspaper in the movie was "canceled due to total lack of interest". But Willard's performance makes it seem like he was a star. He was so funny, doing the "wha happened" line over and over again. And when he is talking about doing stand up and bombing, but throwing in lines that he thought worked, it was tremendous. He was a sad sack of a comedian and actor, but he had this happiness that he let wash over him all the time. He also had bleached blonde hair that he gelled up for this role, adding even more humor. I don't know if Guest asked him to do this, but I like to think it was his idea, he told no one and showed up to set the first day and rolled with it. He is so good in that movie.

Fred Willard, and I am not kidding, is Oscar worthy great in "Best in Show". He is a bumbling broadcaster for the dog show, who knows nothing about dogs. He goes off on these tangents and soliloquies, that are total nonsense, but coming from Willard, they are delivered to perfection. He is so funny. He is so memorable. He is the best thing about what I consider to be the best Christopher Guest movie. When he is talking about the dogs, then goes into questioning the co broadcaster how much he thinks he could bench in his prime, that is classic. When he calls Jane Lynch "one happy fellow", and is told that she is, in fact, a woman, hilarious. When he tells the proctologist joke, and the other broadcaster calls him out for using that last year, and he just moves on, it is majestic. Every single thing Willard does in "Best in Show" not only works, it is perfect. His portrayal of this buffoon is just perfect.

This got me thinking about some other things I have seen Willard in, and how he is pretty damn good in everything he did in his lifetime. Most recently he was on "Modern Family", and even though we stopped watching that show, I did see Willard, as Phil's dad, and he was great. He was in a sketch in one of my favorite shows from last year, "I Think You Should Leave", as an organist at a funeral, and his performance is riotous. He's the TV show manager at the news station in "Anchorman", and his cut away lines, when he is talking to the school about his kid, or his one interaction with Christina Applegate, those are some of my favorite quotable lines from that gem of a movie. He was in three episodes of "Space Force" as Steve Carrell's father who is clearly suffering from dementia, and he makes that funny. I will never, ever forget him in "Review". He was amazing as Jessica St Clair's dad, who Forrest tries to reconcile with, takes him to space, and he meets a very unfortunate and untimely death, again, played to humongous laughs.

The list for Willard goes on and on and on. IMDB has him as a credited actor in over 300 things. That is astounding. The fact that he isn't more appreciated, he barely ever comes up when people talk about all time great comedic and improv actors, is criminal. Willard is one of, if not, the best. He is always reliable. He was always funny. He never really had any outside problems, minus the being caught in an adult movie theater, but he found a way to make a joke out of that because he is a master. Fred Willard was a tremendous talent, and rewatching some of his older stuff, I have found myself missing him, and wishing I could see him in more. Willard was great, and I suggest people go and check out his work. It is a plethora of comedy classics, and he usually steals the show.

The fact is that Fred Willard was one of the all time greats. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

A Review of the First Broadcast Hour of MTV.

On August 8th, 1981 MTV was launched, thus began the dawn of a new age in cable television. Joining TBS, HBO, and ESPN, MTV would go on to become one of the most important, and polarizing, channels in cable music history.

Recently, the first four broadcast hours of MTV was downloaded to the Internet Archive (you can watch it here). The video is old, and it is missing a few moments. Still, most of the legendary early moments of MTV are intact. Some of those early moments are iconic, some are very forgetful. I decided I wanted to go back and rate those early videos and find out if they have stood the test of time. There are three criteria I will use to rate the MTVness of that first hour.

Is the video any good?

We are obviously using late seventies/early eighties technology, so I will grade on a curve.

Is the video memorable?

Obvious one here. Do we still think of this video almost forty years later.

Did the video kill the radio star?

The 1980’s saw a rise in one hit wonders, and many people think it is because an average band had a good video on MTV. I will ask did the video elevate the song.

One last side note. I loved MTV. I still bitch about the day “Remote Control” came on and doomed my beloved channel to not being the “nothing but videos” spot on my cable box. I also tell everyone I know that I stayed up to watch the launch of MTV. Since I was six years old in August of 1981, I highly doubt I did stay up, but the legend has become reality in my mind.

Alright, let’s get to it.

12:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time August 1st, 1981

Video and audio of the Space Shuttle getting ready to launch. A countdown. Shuttle engines start. The scene switches to the launch of an Apollo rocket. Neil Armstong on the Moon. And then the words “Ladies and Gentleman, Rock and Roll. The MTV flag next to the Moonman and the iconic guitar riff that will forever be associated with Music Television. Transition right into the first video in MTV’s history.

“Video Killed the Radio Star” The Buggles

We all know this was the first video ever. I always thought it was made for the launch of MTV. I was wrong.

Any good? Absolutely. It was a video, not just concert footage. It told a story. It looked cool. Everyone was wearing shiny silver. The backing vocals had on cool glasses. It ushered in the future.

Memorable? We all know this video. The answer is yes.

Did the video kill the radio star? Yes. The Buggles eventual joined the band Yes, but their song and video for “Video Killed the Radio Star” will always be a part of history.

The first commercial on MTV is an ad for…MTV

“You Better Run” Pat Benatar

For decades I have been telling people that the second video ever on MTV was Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield”. Two things. I was wrong, and I have never ever heard of this song.

Any good? The early days of MTV was all about selling an image. Pat Benatar was one of those early images. Tight leather pants, bold lipstick, short hair, I’ll beat your ass attitude, Benatar was a pioneer in this arena when MTV was in it’s early days.

The video for “You Better Run” is mostly just the band performing, but it focuses on Pat Benatar. That is what separates this video from many others we will see in the first hour.

Memorable: Pat Benatar made much better music, and music videos, after “You Better Run”. I already mentioned “Love is a Battlefield”. This should not be in Benatar’s highlight reel.

Did video kill the radio star? Not this video. Pat Benatar was just getting ready to blow up on MTV and on the radio dial.

Now we meet the VJs (video jockeys in case you did not know). We start with Alan Hunter, then Martha Quinn, followed by JJ Jackson, Next up is Nina Blackwood, and we end with Mark Goodman boldly proclaims that MTV will do for music videos what FM did for music.

In the ad break we see commercials for a three ring binder called The Bulk, a promo for the movie “Superman II”, and then some words from Dolby Laboratories.

“She Won’t Dance with Me” Rod Stewart

Another artist who would make a name for himself in the early days of MTV, and yet another video I have absolutely no memory of.

Memorable: Obviously not. I just said I have no memory of it.

Any Good: Another performance video, but this one does show off the style and antics of Rod Stewart. It is also shot in a black room with white polka dots.

Did video kill the radio star: We all know Rod Stewart for his music, not for his music videos. There is no way “She Won’t Dance With Me” was ever going to deter the incredible career of Rod Stewart.

In the ad break is when we first see the iconic guitar smashing into a tv MTV ad.

“You Better You Bet” The Who

Love em or hate em, The Who is one of rock’s biggest acts. “You Better You Bet” is when The Who were getting away from their “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia” days and just trying to sell some records.

Memorable: The song is popular. The video? Not so much

Any Good: A straight up performance video, but it is shot in classy black and white.

Did video kill the radio star: The Who were already a global success. If anything, the laziness of the video may show that the radio star was not ready for video.

In the break, VJ Mark Goodman explains how you can mail away for a sticker to place on your stereo’s FM dial so you know where you can watch MTV on your television, and listen to the music through your stereo. We are then treated to a Mountain Dew ad followed by a plea from the Interfaith Hunger Appeal. REO Speedwagon then appears and tells you when you watch their next concert live on MTV.

“Little Susie’s on the Up” PH.D.

I have never heard of PH.D., and after doing a little research I know nothing significant about the band.

Memorable: After seeing it, yeah it is memorable because it is all over the place yet still tells it’s story of a dance competition.

Any Good: Being memorable and being good do not go hand in hand. “Little Susie’s on the Up” is exhibit one. We have piano playing, a butcher shop, hairdressers, ironing, a dance competition, snotty dancing people, and a top prize of a jar filled with olives, I think.

Did video kill the radio star: The insanity of this video is much better than the terribleness of the song.

“We Don’t Talk Anymore” Cliff Richard

I was getting ready to say that this is a no name artist left over from the AM Gold era, and a terrible video, and then I researched who is Cliff Richard. Holy crap. This guy is one of the best selling and beloved artists in British music history, and he is a knight. Sorry Cliff.

Memorable: Nope, just a guy swaying and singing with a guitar superimposed every now and then.

Any Good: The dude may be a legit superstar, but I still think the song and the video sucks.

Did video kill the radio star: Obviously not. Cliff Richard was already big by the time this snooze fest came along.

“Brass in Pocket” The Pretenders

A Hall of Fame band with a Hall of Fame video. Absolutely legendary.

Memorable: Hell yeah it’s memorable. This video shaped the way I hear the song “Brass in Pocket”. Whenever Chrissie Hynde says “special”, and the band responds with “special”, I always picture one of the guys pointing to the word special on the menu. It is so cheesy and so awesome.

Any Good: This is the best video to be shown on MTV in these early hours. It has a story you can follow and the iconic use of the special on the menu.

Did video kill the radio star: This is a great video, and it introduced many people to the awesomeness of The Pretenders, but no the video did not overshadow the music.

“Time Heals” Todd Rundgren

Music legend, and not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for some reason, Todd Rundgren sings a song while he interacts with a bunch of surrealist paintings by Dali.

Any Good: It is different. If you like different, then it is good.

Memorable: I never saw it until I started this project. I will now never forget it.

Did video kill the radio star: Todd Rundgren has never been known for his videos. He is known for being one of the most influential people in rock history. Explain to me again why he is not in the Rock Hall.

“Take it on the Run” REO Speedwagon

Side note: The video I was watching cut this music video a few seconds after it started. I do however feel like I got the spirit of the music video by those few seconds.

Concert footage from REO Speedwagon singing one of their most popular tunes of the time.

Any Good: Bland concert footage from a bland band, so no.

Memorable: Maybe if you saw the Speedwagon at a county fair, this video could bring back some memories.

Did video kill the radio star: Not this video.

In the ad break, VJ Mark Goodman once again tells us where we can get the MTV dial position sticker. This is followed by an ad for Chewels gum.

“Rockin Paradise” Styx

Dennis DeYoung is alone on stage with a player piano. DeYoung is sporting an epic fro and killer mustache. He is singing a quiet melancholy tune. And then it gets real. The rest of the band join DeYoung and proceed to rock your world.

Any Good: Basic performance video with a crazy looking Dennis DeYoung

Memorable: Not really. Outside of DeYoung, standard rock performance.

Did video kill the radio star: If you love Styx, it is not because of this video. If you do not love Styx, this video will not convince you.

In the ad break we are told that Andron is the first pheromone based fragrance and the whole family, including the dog, enjoys playing Atari.

“When Things Go Wrong” Robin Lane and the Chartbusters

The biggest hit from a band I have never heard of. A video with a story. Lady goes to a colonial town, sings towards the sea as we follow a guy go on a big ship. The end.

Any Good: At least it is not a performance or concert footage video.

Memorable: Already forgotten.

Did video kill the radio star: I think video was supposed to launch the radio star. Did not happen.

VJ Mark Goodman introduces that MTV will cover the music business in all fifty states. Up first is a report by Bob McClain on the New York homecoming of The Ramones. We are then treated by an ad for The Movie Channel. We also get our first experience of the “Don’t watch that, watch this” MTV promo.

“History Never Repeats” Split Enz

A New Zealand band that never quite made it in the states. At least they had this video which is mostly the lead singer in bed while he sings the tune.

Any Good: Not that bad. They tried to make a visually interesting piece of art.

Memorable: They really did not succeed. Split Enz seems like an early version of the alternative artists that will take over MTV in a few years. They definitely had the eighties pop pretty boy look going.

Did video kill the radio star: Like Robin and the Chartbusters, I think this video was supposed to launch Split Enz. Alas, it did not work.

“Hold on Loosely” 38 Special

A famous band performing their famous song in concert.

Any Good: Do you like the song? Come watch the band play the song in front of people.

Memorable: Concert footage of a semi famous band. You do not need to watch to enjoy the song.

Did video kill the radio star. This is not a video. 38 Special did ok with out the visual aspect of their craft.

That is the first hour of MTV. Thirteen videos, along with introduction of the concept, and the VJs. This was what MTV launched as. A mix of new artists using the new medium, and a bunch of old artists showing you their concert footage. The good thing is after hour one, I am intrigued to see what is in store for hour two. How about you?

Overall review - I WANT MY MTV.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support us and the podcast on Patreon.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "Last Chance U" Season 5

Being that this has been all sports, and mostly college football, I want to finish the week out talking about that very topic. But this time I am going to end on a higher note than what I have been coming with all week.

I just recently finished the fifth season of "Last Chance U". I am a fan of this show. I know that it is a bit over dramatic, it is the same story season after season and it follows a very paint by numbers thread. But, I love college football, I love watching these kids get a shot, I love watching the dynamic of the coaches at the junior college level and I love this show.

This final season, at least in the sense that they are doing football, rumor has it they are switching to basketball for the next season, and that would rule, was great. This was actually the first season where I didn't really find anyone I disliked. The seasons before, at that school in Mississippi and the one in Kansas, both of those coaches were straight up assholes. They played the villain role, and they played it too well. They, in my opinion, hammed it up when the cameras showed up on campus. The kids, they each had some interesting stories, but for the most part, they were castoffs. The two schools before were essentially farm systems for division 1 schools. The kids would either not have the grades to get into their dream school, they were cut from their D-1 school, they were told to go play at the junior college level to hone their skills, it was all about getting the best of the cast off athletes. The kids at these schools in previous seasons, I had heard of some of them. Hell, one was a running back I thought was going to be great at Michigan, but he simply refused to go to class and was kicked off the team. The kids at the school in season five, it's called Laney, are kids that have not given up on their dream of playing college football at a higher level. Laney College doesn't have dorm rooms. The kids on the team have to pay to go there. There are no scholarships. Sure, there is recruiting, and I am sure some kind of "allowance" type stuff takes place. But for the most part, these kids have to get themselves to and from school on their own, most of them have jobs and some even have kids that they take care of and show up to practice. They play to play. They love the game. And they know that Laney is their best shot at getting somewhere else. There is an exception. One kid on the team is a top flight cornerback. He was, at the time of filming, the fifth rated corner in the country as far as recruiting magazines claimed. But, he went to Laney because his brother went there, his cousin went there and he needed to get a little better before joining a D-1 program, which he does. Other kids, they were all so easy to root for. The little white receiver who I was not a fan of, when I heard his life story, I understood why he acts the way he acts. He won me over. The other receiver, the one that has to sleep in his car, that has no contact with his father, his story was crazy depressing, but the way that kid that keeps at it, the way he sacrifices and the stuff he does, I will root for that kid forever to make it. The lineman who is married with two kids was one of the gentlest giants I have seen on TV. He was a beast on the football field, but off it, he was essentially a stay at home dad trying his best to be there for his kids. I related to him the most. And the star of the season was the coach, John Beam. Apparently this gentleman is a legend in Oakland. He has stuck around for 40 plus years. He has had other opportunities, but he has declined them all because he loves what he does, loves working with juco kids and LOVES Oakland. He has his moments, like every coach does, but he is likable and goofy and funny and I found myself rooting for him and his team way more than the other teams featured in "Last Chance U".

This season was very solid. It was probably the best they have done to this point. If this is the way they are going out from the juco football standpoint, they picked the best possible way to do it. I recommend this show now more than ever since football is going to be very different, if it exists at all, this fall. "Last Chance U" is solid, and featuring Laney College in Oakland was perfect. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "The Umbrella Academy" Season 2

The past week my wife and I have been watching "Umbrella Academy" season 2. We watched the first season last year on a whim of hers and I thought it was fine. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. The fight scenes were awesome, the story was cool, the animation and CGI work was top notch and the ending was rad. The acting was hit and miss though, it got a little too melodramatic and it felt kind of slow at times. Like I said, it was okay. But, the ending to season one definitely made me want to come back to the show. I was curious to see where they would go with this story in a second season.

The second season came out at the end of July, and we have watched the first five episodes, with plans on finishing it by the weekend, and I have to say, the second season, so far, has been totally awesome. I liked the first season enough, but this second season has totally blown season 1 out of the water. The acting has been shored up. Everyone is good, not just Ellen Page and the kid who plays Number 5. The story, which has shifted to the 60's, and the assassination of JFK was the absolute right move. Each episode has told the backstory of the main characters so far, and what they have done in the two to three years they have traveled back in time to Dallas in the early 60's. The music has been so cool. They play old hits and set them to some of the most kick ass fight scenes I have seen on TV or in a movie. There was a fight scene last night that we saw that was almost, almost as good as anything I have seen in any of the three "John Wick" movies. The bad guys this season are so much more fleshed out, and frankly better, than what they had last season. No offense to Mary J Blige, she is a wonderful singer, but her acting cannot hold a card to the people they got this season as the villains. The Swedes are right up there with the Salamanca brothers from "Breaking Bad" for me. Kate Walsh is back, and she is the ultimate villain. She is so good in this role, her clothes are wild and dope and she is as bad as they come.

I have been so much more into this season of the show. I find myself thinking about what I think will happen next each day. I put my phone down when we watch and the show gets my 100 percent attention. I do not want to miss a thing. I don't want to miss any possible plot points that I am sure will come back in the last five episodes. The show has just been so much better. The writers seem to have really bought into this season's premise, and they have nearly perfectly fleshed out the characters arcs to this point. The way they start each episode, with a very important cold open has been so good in letting me know what to look forward to. The emotional changes from the first season are so much better. Luther, the big ape man, has become this sad sack of a person, and the actor is totally nailing the emotions. He is funny, but you also feel for him. Adding in the JFK stuff has also given us cool characters, including a guy that plays Jack Ruby. It has been so cool.

I'm very excited to see where they go with the ending. My wife has read spoilers, but I have asked her to not tell me anything, I want to be surprised. This might be one of the best sophomore seasons of TV I've seen in quite some time. I have really enjoyed season 2 of "Umbrella Academy", and I am almost certain they will end it with a bang, and it will totally hit. This show is very good, and I definitely recommend it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "Teen Titans Go!: The Night Begins to Shine"

With everyone being home at my house for the last four plus months, I have seen some shows and movies that would have never really been on my radar. I've seen so many more episodes of "T.O.T.S." than I'd like to admit, my daughter loves it. I have watched all the variations of "90 Day Fiance". My wife and I turned on a show on TLC last night, that network is pure trash now by the way, called "My Pregnant Husband". It's wild the stuff I have seen. Add on the fact that there were no sports, and I frankly didn’t really have a say. But, one show I have really taken to, one show I actually want to sit and watch, my son introduced me to. The show is "Teen Titans Go!".

Now, I know I heaped praise on the movie when it came out, putting it in my top five of the year. But, prior to that, I had never actually watched an episode of the cartoon. I had seen bits and pieces, I know the show that is on Cartoon Network now is a silly recreation of an old cartoon, and there is a live action, hyper violent version of the show on that DC channel. But, I have come to really enjoy, and appreciate what the comedic cartoon version of "Teen Titans Go!" does. This show is funny. There are very well written jokes. There are things for both kids and parents. My four year old daughter loves it. My wife does too. The show is very well made. And there is one set of episodes, I think it is an hour long special, that is one of the funniest, most unique and coolest things I have seen on TV.

The special is called, "The Night Begins to Shine". This special is all about the Teen Titans getting together to, essentially, save music for the greater good. And for a show that is all about the jokes and quips and one liners, there are very few in this. This is about as straightforward as this show can get. Sure, there is funny stuff like Beast Boy meeting one of the band members and constantly being hounded by a bird with clues, and Cyborg gets the crew all riled up at the beginning by singing the song, and even the fake band created for the special has their moments. And Cee Lo Green and Fall Out Boy make an appearance and are given some solid jokes to perform. Other than that, this is a straight up, hardcore, lets save music for the greater good special, and I adore it. We watched it just yesterday for, I think, the 10th time as a family, and it still held up as well as the first time. The animation, they go to this outer space world, that they refer to as "radical", and the Teen Titans look like versions of their old selves from the old cartoon, is phenomenal. The story, about why music is so important and needed and how it brings people together, is great. The minimal jokes I mentioned, they are all perfectly timed and perfectly delivered. And the music, it is very catchy and very fun. The band they created for the special is called B.E.R., and they play 80's style synth rock, except they are good. They have the song "The Night Begins to Shine", which is, according to the episode, the greatest and most important song ever written. Cyborg is so enamored with the song, he is kept in the space world while the other Titans have to help him escape. All the stuff with the members of B.E.R., how they all get found and reunite, is so wonderful.And seeing them transform into their robot forms and play their music to save the world, it is one of the coolest things I have seen. I love everything about this special. I am growing to love this show too. But this special is unique and cool and I know they are making a second part, which I will most definitely watch, and I love it all.

This is one thing I am truly glad that I have been exposed to by my son while we have all been at home. This is a show I would have just considered a "kids" show, and not paid any attention to. But. my son knows my love for music, seems to like a lot of what I like, and I am so happy he had me sit down and watch this the first time he did, and was even happier when he suggested we all watch it again for, as I said, at least the tenth time. Check out "Teen Titans Go!" if you haven't already, watch a few episodes to get the gist, and then watch "The Night Begins to Shine". I promise you you will not be disappointed, and I bet you will suggest it to other family and friends. It is truly awesome. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "Space Force" Season One

The other night my wife and I finished season one of "Space Force".

When I first heard about this show I was excited. It was Steve Carrell and Greg Daniels pairing up to make fun of the current "government", and their "plan" to get the US back in space. It sounded like an absolute home run to me. I was stoked. Then it came out, and it seemed to be getting poor reviews. I saw online publications saying it wasn't that funny, Steve Carrell was not very good, it seemed disjointed, all kinds of problems seemed to be had. Then my wife talked to some people she works with, people who have similar taste in TV shows, and they echoed what the critics were saying. They seemed to simply say that it wasn't funny, and that was the biggest problem. So going against my better judgement, I decided to listen to the critics. I decided I wasn't going to watch it. Then one night my wife suggested we give it a try. We are home, we have caught up on other shows, we have watched far worse things, so why not?

One night we watched the first episode and we both liked it. The next night we watched a few more, and found ourselves liking it more. We would find ourselves watching two episodes every other night until we finished it late last week. When we were all done I stated, " this is why I don't listen to critics!". I mean, the show isn't great, it is definitely no "Office", but it is not as bad as most were saying. I found Carrell funny. Sure, his voice was weird, but other than that, he was good. He played his role as the guy lumped into a job he didn't even want, or is qualified for, very well. Carrell has become one of the more reliable actors in Hollywood. And working with Daniels, they remind me of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, they put out solid stuff. John Malkovich played a scientist, a super genius, and he was the best one on the show by a million miles. He was arrogant and smug and mean, but he was also damn funny. He also showed a very soft side at times that I found incredibly sweet. Whenever Malkovich was on screen I did not take my eyes off him. I knew his performance was going to be great. I'd nominate him for an Emmy. Seriously. I thought Lisa Kudrow was great. She is Carrell's wife, and even though she has a very small role, it is damn memorable. When they move to Colorado, and she is in jail, I was shocked, in a good way. She has some great moments in season one. Diana Silvers plays their daughter, and she is good as the oft forgotten wild child in the family. She has good intentions, but she lets her emotions get the best of her too often. Jimmy O Yang is so god damn great as Malkovich's right hand man. He is funny, smart, obsessed, and involved in a very sweet love story. His love interest, Tawny Newsome, was simply perfect. She is a pilot who winds up going to space out of nowhere, but she just rolls with the punches. When she says her statement when she first walks on the moon, it was so great, so perfect and so well written and performed. Ben Schwartz is the media guy for Space Force, and while he could have pigeonholed himself as a Jean Ralphio esque character, he doesn't. He is kind of dumb, but also cocky, and when an actor like Schwartz, who is really willing to go for it, gets a role like this, it hits. And everyone else involved, they did a very solid job.

That is the best way I can describe this show. It is solid. It is not the best thing you will ever watch, but it is not the worst. It's not quotable, but you don't forget about it either. I highly recommend bypassing the critics and checking out this show if you are on the fence. I know I was, and I am glad that I was pushed into watching it. I recommend "Space Force". It is well done TV. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches Eric Andre's Comedy Special "Legalize Everything"

Last night I was able to sit down, finally, and watch Eric Andre's new stand-up special, "Legalize Everything".

I loved it, of course. I am a big time Andre fan. I have watched his talk show on Adult Swim multiple times. I loved his role on "Man Seeking Woman". Any time he pops up in a movie, even in a very small part, like in "Popstar", I always end up laughing. And one of the more upsetting live show misses for me was when I was supposed to see him in Saint Louis, but he had to cancel the show due to scheduling conflicts. He never rescheduled, and who knows what will happen with live shows given the current situation. I wished I had gotten to see him. But, luckily, I have all this other content of his to watch, and now this new stand-up special. Since I didn't get to see him live, this was my best case scenario. And as I said, I loved it.

Eric Andre is like the Tasmanian Devil of comedy. He is a total ball of energy on stage, but he can also turn on a dime and really slow things down and tell some funny ass stories. I also appreciated that it was just under one hour long. He gets in and out, and crushes while he is doing his show. The live show was what I wanted to see as well. I mentioned the energy, he has great jokes, he talks about deep stuff that he makes funny, and his crowd work is impeccable. I am going to spoil much because people need to check this out.

Andre is a bit different than most stand-ups out there today. He is so high energy and so wild and so crazy, but it is all done with a tremendous amount of humor. I also liked the cold open of the special where he pretended to be a police officer in New Orleans, where the special was taped, and he walked around getting high, giving people pills, telling people he took evidence, just doing everything illegal, and seeing real people have real reactions, it was like watching his talk show. He then proceeded to crush from the moment he stepped on stage. Oh, he also went through the crowd when he was introduced, and was yelling and getting everyone hyped up. It was great. When he took the mic, he talked about so many different things. He did a good chunk at the beginning about drug use, which was hilarious. He talked about smoking pot with his mom, his experience with MDMA, his one time Xanax trip at Coachella, the bad cocaine in NOLA. It was so funny. He then did a classic bit about the show "Cops", and how ridiculous that they have reggae music as their theme music. It is funny, and timely. The stuff about religion, and Plymouth, Massachusetts was tremendous, and I am totally on board with his thoughts. I howled when he climbed onto an audience member, and told him to stop being weird. The thing with the phone, and texting, that is going to be a classic bit. When he spoke about his early career stand up, and the exploits that happened, again, cackling with laughter. The bit with the souvenir he got in Cuba was great, as was his story about being in the Red Light District in Amsterdam. The whole damn thing is great.

I am a fan, so I knew that I was going to enjoy this special. I do think people who may be on the fence about him will enjoy it too. Like I said, it is wild, but he does tone it down from time to time, and does very funny stories, of which he calls back later in the special. Eric Andre is awesome, and this special is great. I highly recommend checking it out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.   

Ty Watches "Long Gone Summer"

Yesterday I watched the most recent 30 for 30 "Long Gone Summer". The doc was about the summer of 1998 when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chased the home run record set by Roger Maris.

I lived through this moment in time, and I vividly remember the chase because I live in Saint Louis, and I am a Cardinals fan. That was one of my main motivations for watching this movie. I also wanted to see how much they talked about steroids in this era, and how much of a part it played in both guys, and eventually Barry Bonds, breaking such a hallowed record. And yes, records in baseball, for some reason, are held in higher regards than in other pro sports. So the fact that three guys in four years broke the record, people had lots of questions. But I will touch on that in a moment.

As for the movie, it was just fine. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just fine. This is unfair to the movie, but I am now going to be comparing the every 30 for 30 to "The Last Dance". That was epic, perfect and one of the best movies I will ever see. So I know comparing this movie to it is not fair. But it just didn't fully live up to the hype for me. A lot of the footage, I remember seeing. I was 16 when this happened, loved baseball, played baseball, so it had my full attention. Baseball also needed something to get back in people's good graces after the 1994 lockout, and this home run race was the remedy. I remember McGwire starting off hot. I remember Ken Griffey Jr being right in it. I remember Sammy Sosa coming on super strong in June. They covered all this, but they didn't really add anything new. I don't think they put in anything that your average baseball fan doesn't remember from that era. They talked about Kerry Wood, but he was the hot phenom at the time. They mentioned Harry Caray's death, and everyone knew about that. They mentioned Sosa's unexpected explosion in June, but that is what got the world's attention. They talked about how hard it was on both guys, but anyone that watched could see it in their faces, especially McGwire's. Sosa loved the limelight, and he shined in it. McGwire just wanted to hit baseballs. I also remember not being a fan of either guy, even though I was, and still am, a Cardinals fan. I was always a Griffey Jr guy.

What I am trying to say is, I already knew all the stuff they were getting into with this movie. I watch 30 for 30's because they give me new info, or tell me about someone I never heard of before. This was almost a paint by numbers doc. It was softball question after softball question. They did not really dig deep into what I was hoping they would, steroids. And that is on me I guess. I was going into this movie thinking it was going to be a salacious take down of both guys, and both guys would come clean about their steroid use. And, I mean, I guess they did, but it was kind of half hearted admittance. McGwire said he used steroids, but only for injuries, which is B.S. Sosa said, "everyone was doing it", which isn't really an admission, but also kind of is. But they did all that in the last ten minutes of the movie. They spent an hour and a half praising these guys, showing legions of fans cheering for them and how they overcame adversity, only to switch at the end to say, "they may have used steroids". There is no may, they did. This could have been like the Lance Armstrong doc. They could have delved so much deeper into the seedy world of steroid use in baseball in the mid to late 90's and early 2000's. They chose to go in a different direction, which is fine, it just wasn't what I wanted or expected. Sosa and McGwire almost come off as good guys, and they both are not, at least in baseball terms. They both took PEDs. They both cheated the game. They both fell off after this one magical season. They both were called into congress to talk about PED use. And "Long Gone Summer" just kind of glossed over all of that in favor for watching a baseball fly over a wall.

It was nice to go back in time and see a ton of cool stuff that I watched as a teenager, but this movie could have been better, at least for me. I wanted more steroid talk, more salacious stuff. "Long Gone Summer" went for sympathy, and that is their prerogative. Now I know to watch "The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience" if I want what I deem to be the truer story, and I'm totally cool with that. I'm glad I watched, but I don't see myself revisiting it like I do with so many other 30 for 30's.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Quibi is Worth it for "Reno 911" Alone

So I have been revisiting movies and shows during quarantine, and the other day Comedy Central was showing a block of “Reno 911”. I sat down to watch because I remember loving the show. Hell, I even went to the theater to see the movie they made, I liked it too by the way. I was nervous about how I would look at “Reno 911” all these years later, but it held up. It was still funny, witty, well improvised and I sat there laughing like I used to when it was originally on.

I recently remembered a rumor I had heard awhile back that they were remaking it. Well, maybe not remaking, but doing a new, updated version of the show. I searched and searched, and came across an app called Quibi on my phone that had the show. In fact, they had a bunch of shows that seemed up my alley. There’s some cool sports stuff, music stuff, other comedy shows, even some interesting cooking shows. But, most importantly, they had the newest season of “Reno 911” on there. I did some research about the app before proceeding. There is a two week free trial, and I was given the option to proceed or decline after that. Well, I didn’t even watch a “Reno 911” during the trial. I found that I was watching some of the other shows. Chrissy Teigen has a very funny cooking show. Chris Paul has a basketball show that he produces that I liked. Anna Kendrick stars in an interesting looking show. Even Will Forte and Kaitlyn Olson have a funny show on there. And of course, after checking out the other stuff, I went to “Reno 911”, and it’s still great.

You may be reading this and thinking, damn Ty you are watching too much TV during quarantine, and while I won’t disagree with that, the episodes of the shows on Quibi are 10 minutes of less, including “Reno 911”. Look, this isn’t an ad for Quibi, but what they are doing right now is working really well. It’s also only like four dollars a month, and you can unsubscribe any time. But my reasoning for even trying the app was “Reno 911”, and this updated version is so reminiscent of the old show. It’s shorter, but “Reno 911” is the type of show that thrives on quick clips and quick setups. That is why Quibi is the best platform for the show.

As for “Reno 911”, it helps that everyone is back from the original, with Joe Lo Truglio added on as another officer. I’ve only seen the first two episodes of the new season so far, and actors I like, like Dave Holmes and Michael Ian Black have shown up. It just further proves to me that they aren’t changing the show, they just wanted to bring it back for the fans.

If you have the means, rediscovered the show like me, I recommend getting Quibi and watching the new “Reno 911”. It’s well worth your time had money.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.  

Ty Watches "The Last Dance" Parts 9 and 10

"The Last Dance" ended last night, and it may be the single greatest documentary series that has ever existed. I don't feel like I am being a prisoner of the moment. I don't think it has anything to do with the lack of sports, although that definitely helps. I think this is the greatest documentary series ever because it is about the greatest basketball player ever, and it is directed by one the best sports story tellers of all time. "The Last Dance" has every single ingredient to make it as perfect as it was.

Now, spoiler alert out there for listeners to out podcast, but I will give my feelings on the documentary as a whole on the next pod. Today, I want to continue with my review of the most recent episodes. Last night finished it off with 9 and 10, and they were magnificent. The series continued to get better, and last night was no exception. Episode 9 went straight away into the 98 East Finals against the Pacers. This was one of two series that went to 7 games during the Bulls double three peat. This was also, probably, the toughest series for any Jordan led team, prior to the Pistons. The Pacers had the style of team that could compete with this Bulls squad. They had big, nasty guys. They had a veteran point guard. They had quickness and electricity off the bench. They had an old sharp shooter. They had size. And they had Reggie Miller. They could have won this series. They could've ended the dynasty one series early. But they didn't. Too may mistakes, miscues and poor rebounding and free throw shooting doomed them. Also, the jump ball between Rik Smits and Jordan was a play I never, ever thought about, but was played out to show how important that one moment was in this series, and I will never look at it the same ever again.

They shifted from that series to the 97 Finals against the Jazz. They showed a lot of stuff from there. We got some great back story on Steve Kerr. His story was very, very in depth, heartbreaking and showed his character. It made me like him even more. We also got the real truth behind the infamous "flu game". As I suspected, and a ton of others did, it wasn't a stomach flu, it was food poisoning. To hear Jordan confirm so quickly and assuredly made it hit home even more. And to see the way he came out and played, after going through something as awful as food poisoning, the guy is not human. That was cool. I also liked getting to see Jordan's kids and hearing them talk about their dislike for Utah and why their mom wouldn't let them go to games there. It was nice to finally hear from someone in his family.

They shifted back to the Pacers series and we got all the intel that I mentioned, and so, so much more. Reggie Miller is underrated, Scottie Pippen is one of the best defenders ever, Larry Bird could coach, Steve Kerr was a sharp shooter and Jordan was an absolute killer. It was awesome to see them break down the series the way they did. We also got to hear about his close relationship with one member of his security detail, and that was a nice story to see how that gentleman took on the fatherly role for Jordan after his dad was killed. It was all great.

Episode 10 was all about the 98 Finals and the aftermath. This was a tremendous episode. To see them talk about how they went about winning, how tired mentally and physically they were, how they laid it all out, it was amazing. Also, big props to Scottie Pippen for playing through that horrible back injury. He really showed his mental toughness, and to do what he did with that injury is astounding. Also, props to Dennis Rodman. Sure, he is an asshole, he skipped out on practice to go wrestle, he wouldn't talk to anyone, but the dude laid it out on the court every game night, and he was the best pest and rebounder that the Bulls have ever had. He also hit four straight free throws in a critical moment for the Bulls, and that is just amazing.

But this was all about MJ and his willingness to put this team on his back and carry them to their 6th title. The things he did in game 6 of the 98 Finals was spectacular, especially the last minute of that game. The Bulls were down 3, and he goes and gets a quick layup. I mean, guys tried to stop him, but he is Michael god damn Jordan. If he wanted to get to the basket he got there. Then, to get the strip on Karl Malone, and bring the ball up and hit that jumper, I mean, there is no better way to go out than that. I know he came back to play for Washington, and some may say he pushed off Byron Russell, but I will always look at that jumper as his last moment. That personified his greatness. That sequence proves for the billionth time that he is the greatest to ever play basketball. I have a piece tomorrow about current players calling him out, Channing Frye I'm talking particularly to you, and they are all full of nonsense. But I will save all that for tomorrow. Jordan proved time and again, when he wanted to win, he was going to find a way to win.

Then the aftermath of that, what followed after the 98 title was wild. Everyone wanted this team back, they wanted to see if they could go for four straight, to win seven in nine years. And I think they would have. If they were able to pull it off, they could have done it. And to see Jordan's reaction to Jerry Reinsdorf's explanation as to why they had to split this team up was something else. Jordan said he didn't agree, and laid out a scenario where they could have done it all again. We were left thinking, what if, but what we got from the 90's Bulls, and Jordan himself was witnessing greatness that we may never see again.

This, and I will keep saying this, is the great documentary series that has ever existed. It is, by far the best sports doc ever, and dare I say, the best documentary ever made. "The Last Dance" is a rare achievement we don't see that much today, and that is being a perfect movie being perfectly told. I love this and I cannot recommend it enough. I will rewatch this maybe a billion times. It's the best. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

Ty Watches "The Last Dance" Parts 6 and 7

I just finished up the most recent episodes of "The Last Dance", and this is why I was so interested in this doc. This is the stuff I was here for. These are the episodes I have been waiting for. This is the kind of new information I wanted to see, and hear from the man himself, in Michael Jordan. I was so enthralled by everything I watched.

The first episode talked about the first three peat. The team, and Jordan getting to that level, and all the stuff they went through after the third tit;e. This was when Jordan retired the first time. This was when his father was tragically killed. This was when all the theories came out that he was "forced" to retire by David Stern due to his gambling. All the people refuted everything, but still, seeing them questioned, and seeing them kind of shift and look around when they answered, it was glorious. I don't believe that Jordan was forced into retirement, but I also don't think he left to simply play baseball. He was at the top of his game, he was winning every year, he was making a ton of money and he was the biggest star in the world. I think he wanted a new challenge. He mastered the game of basketball, so I think he wanted to try to conquer a different sport, a sport he grew up playing, and falling in love with due to his dad. I think the passing of his dad was the main reason why he walked away. That, and that he was so tired from carrying the Bulls to three straight titles. The stuff with his dad was so upsetting and sad and just miserable too. To see the media drag him the way they did back then, that was disgusting. I cannot fathom what the media would do today. It would have been ten times worse. I will say, to see Jordan, his mom and brother talk about this was pretty upsetting, but I respect that they did it. It had to be really tough for them, but they still did it.

Then they shifted to his demeanor with his teammates. This was the stuff I have been waiting for. They touched on it a little in episode 7, but they really went into it in episode 8. In 7 we got to see Jordan going after a young rookie, Scott Burrell. The stuff he stood up to, the stuff he dealt with, the way he handled it, he is a much better dude than I am. He was a pro, and he knew why Jordan was doing what he did. We also got stories of him and Steve Kerr getting into it. He used to shit talk guys like Jud Buechler and Luc Longley. He went in on anyone that he felt didn't meet his standards. Jordan is the GOAT, and I would have hated playing on his team. But, he did win, and he helped to squeeze out every ounce of talent his teammates had.

They also talked about him coming out of retirement the first time, and how he had to reshape his body multiple times because of switching sports. Jordan was nothing if not maniacal when it came to getting the best out of himself. We also got to hear about the incredible pick up games that would go on while Jordan was filming "Space Jam". The people who made that movie built him a gym, and he had players fly in from everywhere to compete with him so he could get back into basketball shape. This was the season after the Magic ousted the Bulls in the playoffs. The only time I believe a Bulls team MJ was on, after getting past the Pistons, that didn't win a title. Reggie Miller, during a talking head interview talked about how MJ must have been a "vampire" because he filmed the movie all day, played games at night, lifted and did this everyday during the course of making "Space Jam". That was a special moment from this doc.

We also got a look into the 72 win Bulls team. This was the year after Jordan came back, the fight with Kerr during practice, and the way that Bulls team ran roughshod over the rest of the NBA. That team still irks me because they beat my team, the Supersonics, but damn it were they impressive. We also got more of the asshole Jordan during this season, and this part of the doc. I mentioned Burrell and Kerr, but he did this to everyone on the team. They asked him if he ever regrets being so mean, being described as a "mean person", and he said no, very bluntly I might add. He didn't care if he hurt your feelings, as long as you helped him win. I also liked that we got to see Gary Payton heavily interviewed during this episode, he is my second favorite Sonic ever behind Shawn Kemp. He was a great defender, and an even better shit talker. He talked about how he locked Jordan up to help the Sonics win two games in the Finals, and they showed the film to Jordan, and he kept laughing, and simply stated, "Payton didn't stop me, I had other things on my mind for those two games". We come to realize that Father's Day was the day of game six, and this was the first season, and Finals his dad wasn't at. The Bulls proceeded to dominate the Sonics to win the title, and they show Jordan just collapse in the locker room. I would be lying if I didn't say I teared up at this moment. It was a gut punch indeed. They finished the episode off with the East Finals in 1998 against the Pacers, and Reggie Miller saying that he was going to be the guy to retire MJ. Another great line from Reggie Miller.

These were the two best episodes to this point, and it has me so excited for the last two. It's bittersweet though because I don't want this doc to end, but I am so excited to see how they finish it. I imagine it is going to go out with a bang because, with every episode to this point, it has just gotten better and better and better.

This is an amazing docu series.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Latest Episode of "What We Do In the Shadows" is One for the Ages

"What We Do in the Shadows" was a great movie, and the TV has more than lived up to the hype. It is funny, similar to the movie and gives you that feel that you got from the movie. Season one was exceptional, and so far, season two has been equally as great.

Most shows seem to find their footing in later seasons. It happened with "The Office", "Parks and Rec" was the same, even my favorite show ever, "The Simpsons", really started to get great between the end of season one into season two. "What We Do in the Shadows" has been solid all along. They had the outline from the movie, and the show has ran from there.

Last night they hit a very, very high note. This was the best episode, so far, from the series. At least my wife and I think so. The one thing the show has added that the movie didn't was a new type of vampire, an energy vampire. Mark Proksch, who has been on any number of sitcoms you all watch in small roles, is Colin Robinson, the energy vampire, and he is great. His little bits here and there have been some of the best parts of the series to this point. Last week he had a tremendous moment at a Super Bowl party they were all invited to. He has great stuff in season one pertaining to local government meetings. There was a very solid episode from season one where he has a short fling with a feelings vampire. She would make people sad around her, and that is how she would "feed". But last night the majority of the episode was all about Colin Robinson, and if you are wondering why I keep typing his full name, that is how they refer to him on the show all the time. They always say his full name.

The episode started with Colin Robinson talking about how he doesn't know what he is supposed to do at his job, and he gets called into his boss's office, where he assumes he is going to be fired. Instead, he gets a promotion. He is conflicted because he doesn't want to lose any, as he puts it, "roomie time". He likes the other vamps he lives with. They don't really care for him though. When he comes home to tell them about said promotion, they kind of blow him off, and he retreats to his room, where there is an absolutely excellent shot of him in his bed with pajamas that match his bedding. It is such a throw away shot, but it is so worth it. This reaction from his roommates has him even more worried about the promotion. But when he goes into the office, and has his first meeting that he is running, he realizes that all these people have to listen to him because he is the boss. They have no choice. He starts to become more and more powerful the more he realizes this. He gets to a point where he starts to abuse said power. He talks about how it has become easier and easier for him to "feed". There is a scene where he says he can just say a thing, a cliche thing that 9-5 workers say, and they instantly get bored. It's great. There's another scene where he is talking about how he can feel his power growing, he runs his hand over his bald head, and he has a full head of hair. He goes back to the house and starts to get the roommates to argue over something he subconsciously made happen, and he loves that they are fighting over what he did. It makes him that much stronger. He is so strong in fact, he can move stuff with his mind and fingers, and he can fly. That was another great throw away scene. It gets to the point where his roommates are near death because they are so bored and he continues to feed on them. They start to look old and decrepit and can't even move. Even Guillermo, one of the vampires familiars, is near death because he has no energy left. When Colin Robinson comes upstairs to really let the roommates have it, to finish the job if you will, he multiples into three versions of himself. You think he is going to win, but the three of them get into a mundane argument about a nickname. They argue for over an hour, and they all seem to die. While the rest of the roommates go to bury him, they have recovered since Colin Robinson isn't doing his normal thing, they give him a memorial service. It is very mean and they don't say anything too nice about him, but the original Colin Robinson reveals that he was faking just to witness his own eulogy. He then tells the roommates that he is done doing his new thing. He is done with all the newfound power. When the episode ends, we see Colin Robinson at a new office, because the old one was out of business due to him constantly "feeding", and he seems happy to have a new group of people to annoy and "feed" on there.

This was a brilliant idea from one of the best shows that has come out this year. I love this show, and this episode is the best one they have made to date. I highly recommend the show, and if you are looking for an entry point, check out this one. It is peak "What We Do in the Shadows". 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches "The Last Dance" Parts 4 and 5

Episodes 5 and 6 of "The Last Dance" aired last night, and like the first four, this doc just continues to get better and better, and more revealing. I love this whole thing, and I am actually a little upset that there are only four more episodes. There are only two more weeks. I could watch this for another 10 to 20 episodes easily. That is how intriguing and wonderful this has been.

In episode 5 we got a look at a little bit of everything following the Bulls first title in 1991. We also got a dedication to Kobe Bryant prior to the start. The first part of the episode started with the 98 All Star game that featured the two going head to head. We even got a talking head interview with Bryant, and it was eye opening to hear him say the things he said about Jordan. Hearing him talk about his importance, and how if it wasn't for Jordan, he wouldn't have been the player he was. He even said how much he disliked the comparisons, and people asking who would win one on one. He all but squashed that, and let it be known that Jordan is the GOAT.

From there we got a glimpse into the 92 team that repeated. This was great because we got to see this team really rise to dominance, and see Jordan kind of take basketball to a whole other level. BJ Armstrong even said that he wasn't playing basketball anymore, he was simply out there to find new ways to win. That is how dominant, and great and maniacal he was as a player. The matchup between him and Clyde Drexler was supposed to be close. It wasn't. This series featured "the shrug" game, where MJ hit 6 threes in the first half, and scored 35 in the same half. He outplayed Drexler every step of the way. He said that he wanted to show how much better he was, and that it pissed him off that they were even comparing the two. Jordan is better, and will always be, and he proved that.

We also got a look at the Dream Team where, once again, and as usual, Jordan was the alpha. He was the dude. He was the guy. The video tape of a practice game was awesome. The way he and Pippen dominated Toni Kukoc was wild. They wanted to prove Jerry Krause wrong, and while Kukoc turned out to be a fine player, Jordan and Pippen proved they were better, and more important.

The episode also got into his cultural impact, what with his shoes and commercial appeal. It had to be hard to be Michael Jordan. That was the big takeaway for me from episode 5.

Episode 6 starts off with how hard it was for him to deal with the fame. It seemed like he had no time to just be alone, or away, or with his family. He was pulled in a million different directions. From there we dig into his gambling. This added to his competitive nature. There is a scene where he is betting with his handlers who can get a piece of change closest to the wall without touching it, and when he got beat by one of the dudes, you could tell it irked him very much. We then shift back to 93, with the Bulls working on their first 3 peat. This was also when they started to dig a little deeper into his gambling, referencing Sam Smith's wonderful book "The Jordan Rules". This was the same time they started to try and dig up dirt on him. They figured he couldn't be as perfect as he appeared. This is the episode I have been waiting for. This is where it got grimy and gritty and down and dirty. Apparently Horace Grant was the first one that spoke up, but it seems like there were plenty of other people. Jordan said it was Grant, but Grant said he didn't say a word. Who knows, but I do know that Grant wasn't too thrilled with the attention that MJ and Pippen were getting over him. But being the genius of basketball that he was, his play didn't waver a bit. In fact, he just kept getting better. It seems like it fueled him.

Then we shifted to the rivalry between the Bulls and Knicks in the early 90's. The Knicks tried to be the new era "Bad Boys", but the Knicks weren't as dirty, and easier to root for. They also weren't nearly as good. They did some stuff. They went up 2-0 on the Bulls, we got the famous Starks dunk. But, other than that, they were no real threat to the Bulls.

We did shift from there back to his gambling, which people blamed for the Bulls dropping the first 2 games. This was also when we meet a guy named Slim Buller, who was a badass dude that gambled with him all the time. Apparently, Jordan spent a good amount of time with this gentleman. This was when people started to really push on the gambling, and if he was an addict or not. This was the first time I have seen Jordan a little defensive in the talking head interviews. He was near over explaining what he was doing. But, as he is want to do, he responded as he always did, and came back and dominated the Knicks in four straight games. We also got to see the epic game 5 finish, with Charles Smith getting blocked four times, right at the rim. Poor guy.

That win pushed the Bulls to their third finals appearance in a row, this time to face the Suns and league MVP Charles Barkley. That series was an okay one, but it still gave Jordan the platform to prove is greatness over everyone else, which he did. This 6th episode started to show more of the asshole that Jordan was, and maybe still is, and that was great. I have been waiting to see this side of him. This was one of the things at the very top of my list that I wanted from this doc. It closed out nicely with them getting ready for the 98 playoffs, and as I am every Monday now, I cannot wait for the next two episodes.

"The Last Dance" has been so worth it so far, and it is only going to get better and better the rest of the way. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.