Dreamland: The RetroBlasting Podcast

Melinda and Conrad put the Dreamland spin on Christmas and review three decidedly dark 80s Christmas specials featuring the dark spectre of death: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985, Rankin-Bass), The Snowman (1982, John Coates), and The Christmas Toy (1986, Jim Henson Productions).

Vampira and Elvira definitely didn't get off to a good start with each other, but they definitely changed the televised landscape for horror and instigated some of our favorite B-movie anthology shows.

Conrad and Melinda discuss the onslaught of charity singles in the 80s: the concept, the dramas, and the impact.

Conrad gets Melinda to watch THREE 80s movies she's never seen before to get her reaction to the 80s vision of our artificial intelligence future. Will she guess their plots correctly? Will she like any of them? Can Conrad predict her reactions? Movies watched: 2010: The Year We Make Contact, D.A.R.Y.L., and Electric Dreams

This month we're discussing the child safety panic of the 80s in the US and UK, the funny and the terrifying.

Melinda and Conrad discuss DeLorean: the man, the car, the myth - and what it's actually like to be in one!

When Melinda discovered Conrad hadn't seen any of Sylvester Stallone's classic filmography, she had to take action. What will Conrad think of Rocky, Rambo, and Over The Top? Find out in our latest show!

Melinda and Conrad remember two fairy tale anthology shows from the 80s- Faerie Tale Theatre with Shelly Duvall and The StoryTeller by Jim Henson - and analyze the history of fairy tales in general. They also discuss their new obsession with the work of well-known Harvard folklore expert Maria Tatar.

Growing up in the 80s for many of us meant a constant awareness and fear of nuclear war, along with everything that would follow. We explore the media of the decade and how it reflected these fears, with a focus on The Day After (US, 1983) and Threads (UK, 1984) - TV movies with a big message.

We discuss Ty Warner, Beanie Babies, and the lasting impact to the collecting world.

Melinda and Conrad explore the trailblazing teen shows Degrassi Junior High and Grange Hill.

Melinda and Aaron take a journey back to 1989 and take a deep dive into the Abyss (pun very much intended) with special guests Conrad and Dan from Movie Oubliette. They may or may not be saved by benevolent aliens, but they're guaranteed to spend longer underwater than they intended.

We travel from the comic books of the 70s to George Lucas and Willard Huyck’s vision to Marvel’s current cinematic universe to discover Howard the Duck - trapped in a world he never made.

Join Melinda and Aaron as they dive deep into the dumpster containing the Garbage Pail Kids- they discuss the cards, the film, the cartoon, and more!

Melinda and Aaron dive deep into the swirling vortex that is the history of Alien Autopsy, that crazy special from the mid-1990s.

Dreamland goes goth and delves into the witchy world of The Craft from 1996.

Melinda and Aaron recall a memorable remake of the classic Twilight Zone series from their childhoods... that scared them intensely.

Join Melinda and Aaron as they descend into the somewhat cringey fever dream that is 1980’s Xanadu. Where roller skating, disco, and big Hollywood musicals crash head-on into Greek mythology and romance, you’ll find… Xanadu.

We delve into the seedy underbelly of American suburbia, look at our neighbors’ house and ask, “What’s he building in there?” And we talk about the cult classic 80s film starring Tom Hanks.

Melinda and Aaron have fought through the COVID-19 malaise and are each back with a surprise topic. Melinda delves into what makes a great cover song, with a handful of interesting examples, while Aaron recalls our hopeful visions of space travel from the 80s.

In another fun foray into Australian pop culture, Melinda gets Aaron to watch one of her all-time favorites, Dot and the Kangaroo. Is it really as sad as she remembers? Does the Bunyip actually exist and is it coming for us? Will there be a special mention of Dead Can Dance? Listen and find out.

Michael joins Aaron and Melinda to discuss his favorite Christmas special, the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by Rankin-Bass from 1985. Based on the 1902 book by L. Frank Baum (you know, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), it adds a pagany, Tolkien-esque, Dickensian feel to the holiday in an animagical way.

Melinda and Aaron delve into their favorite anthropomorphized cartoon animals in this 50/50 episode. First we reveal the origins and backstory of the groundbreaking animation classic The Secret of NIMH, followed by a discussion of themes in the 90s’ Rocko’s Modern Life.

We’re still in 1986, this time with TerrorVision directed by Ted Nicolaou. This B-movie is filled with slimy space monsters, swinger parents, and machine guns. Melinda and Aaron ask the question, is there more to this 80s cult classic, or is everything exactly as it seems?

Melinda and Aaron revisit 1986, but a very different film this time! They discuss Crocodile Dundee - the good, bad, ugly, and possibly true story. Put on your teeth hat and grab your knife, we’re going back to the Bush!

Melinda and Aaron delve into the world of crazed cults, serial killers, and arguably the most underrated Cannon film ever made- Cobra, starring Sylvester Stallone from 1986. Also - Brian Thompson is in it!

Of all the amazing vehicle TV shows to choose from in the 80s, Stingray was the best one you probably didn’t watch. Featuring a classic ‘65 Corvette, a lone-wolf hero who is smarter and tougher than everyone and who has a heart of gold, and the most memorable music of any 80s show - if you haven’t seen it, you don’t know what you’re missing! Melinda and Aaron walk you through the pilot.

This week Melinda and Aaron delve into the darkness and talk about two weirdly similar incidents from the 80s: Chernobyl, as seen in the HBO miniseries, and Mike Warnke as an originator of Satanic Panic. In the first half, Aaron walks us through HBO’s Chernobyl and discusses some of the key highlights and strengths, including things he learned, without spoilers. Later, Melinda describes how Mike Warnke convinced an entire generation that Satanists were everywhere and describes how he did it, how he was found to be a fraud, and what the fallout was. Note: while we don’t use profanity, due to content listener discretion is advised.

From 1977 to 1982 Leonard Nimoy guided us through a wide variety of strange phenomena on the syndicated, half-hour show “In Search Of.” On this episode of Dreamland, Melinda and Aaron learn a ton about Bigfoot from Spock himself, as well as special guest Tom Berges from I Grew Up Star Wars. In this episode we discuss four episodes spanning “Bigfoot,” "The Swamp Monster," "Monster Hunters," and "The Abominable Snowman."

In the 80s, "primetime soaps” were definitely a thing, but you may not remember the 1985 Dynasty spinoff, “The Colbys.” An Aaron Spelling project, this show was Dynasty but more expensive, with slightly fewer catfights, but slightly more alien abductions. And let’s not forget that it starred none other than Charlton Heston. Melinda and Aaron marvel at this 80s masterpiece.

Melinda and Aaron talk about the uncomfortably accurate and hilarious cult classic, Office Space by Mike Judge.

Melinda and Aaron delve deep into Melinda’s favorite teen movie, Heathers (1988) and describe why it’s not a “chick flick.”

As part of our MixTape format, Aaron and Melinda each pick a cool topic and discuss. This week, Aaron tells us about Echoes, the ambient music show on Public Radio, and Melinda shares the crazy story of New Jersey’s Action Park.

First there was Knight Rider, then there was Airwolf, but then came STREET HAWK! Airing for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985, the series showed us what it would be like to ride a motorcycle at 300 mph and stop on a dime. Melinda and Aaron give you the backstory of the show’s production, and walk you through the extra-long Pilot episode, so even if you’ve never see it, you can say you have experienced: Street Hawk!

While there are a ton of well-known and much loved Christmas specials, it’s Halloween that really kicks off the season. However, most people could probably only name one, maybe two Halloween specials. In this episode, we watched TEN Halloween specials spanning from 1966 to 1993. We’ll let you know which ones are hidden gems and which ones are best forgotten.

If you were a metalhead in the 80s then this movie will more than likely bring back great memories for you, as it does for Melinda and Brian! We give our thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie and learn some details about the production and the killer soundtrack by Fastway. Special Guest: Brian LeTendre

Melinda and Aaron return after their break for DragonCon to discuss one of their mutually favorite properties: The Lord of the Rings. We’re talking Rankin-Bass, Ralph Bakshi, Peter Jackson, and video games - so settle in with some lembas bread and a nice bottle of the Old Winyard with us!

The KLF are known for their popular dance songs "3 AM Eternal," "What Time is Love," and "Justified and Ancient." What you may NOT know is that they gave a big middle finger to the British music industry with an outrageous display at the 1992 Brit awards, deleted their entire music catalog, and burned a million quid. Why, you ask? The answer will take us deep into discordian thought - you may never see the world quite the same way again.

This week we are joined by Thrash It Out podcast host, Brian LeTendre, to talk metal - and in particular to talk about how long-time metal fans feel when their favorite band takes their music in a new direction. Brian discusses the Hysteria album by Def Leppard and the Promised Land album by Queensrÿche. Melinda discusses the infamous "Black Album" by Metallica. Aaron listens to the woe with patience. If you've ever been through a bad band breakup when that sound you love was lost forever, you will definitely appreciate this discussion.

Moonlighting, the 1985 ABC show that spawned the career of Bruce Willis and featured Cybill Shepherd, was unlike most other shows in the 80s. With its regular nods to classic cinema and constantly breaking the 4th wall, it made the romantic-comedy detective show format truly innovative. Melinda and Aaron discuss the pilot episode, as well as if there is truly such a thing as the "Moonlighting Effect."

We've all heard of Batman, and most of us know his creator as Bob Kane... but as the 2017 documentary directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, "Batman and Bill," makes clear, there is a lot more to the story. Melinda and Aaron speak with comic book expert Michael Bailey (The Fortress of Baileytude podcast) to discuss Bill Finger's contributions to Batman, and why so many comic book creators from the 30s didn't get the credit they deserved.

Melinda and Aaron go back to the first episode of MacGyver to see how it holds up - and have a hilarious time! We take you through a play by play of the first episode of the iconic seven season show of the 80s, with a few fun facts about the series thrown in for good measure.

With the recent news of Billy Mitchell having his records revoked, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the story of the battle for the high score in Donkey Kong, and the insanity surrounding this entire story. Melinda and Aaron take you back through the fight for the title, as detailed in the 2007 documentary, "King of Kong," and tell you what was left out. We also discuss the current status as of May 2018.

Michael French joins us to talk about the original script for Revenge of the Jedi - in which the "Sanctuary Moon" of Endor had an actual meaning, Leia was not Luke's sister, and Han Solo was slated to have a heroic death. Listen and imagine what might have been...

Has modern "Fandom" turned into Sports culture? Is Marvel vs. DC the trendy geek version of... the red and white sports-ball team vs the orange and blue one? If so, how did it get this way? What does it mean for the non-sports fans in the room, who miss the content that came with obscurity? We answer this, and so much more.

Melinda and Michael discuss Tomb Raider, from the 1996 original video game to the 2018 movie. Warning - Spoilers ahead.

Aaron & Melinda each pick a news event from the 80s and discuss. On the table for discussion: a nuclear disaster and proposed music censorship. Don't you miss the 80s? 6:48 - Aaron - Chernobyl - April of 1986 saw a catastrophic nuclear disaster in Ukraine, then part of the USSR. Aaron gives us more information on what actually happened and some notable facts you may not have heard about. 26:46 – Melinda - PMRC Senate Hearings - occurring on September 19, 1985, these hearings sought to begin labeling music based on lyrical content for the alleged purpose of allowing parents to control their kids' music. Melinda tells us how that went.

We bring it back to metal with a discussion of Queensrÿche's 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. It usually makes the top 10 of all metal concept albums, and was a staple for most metal fans growing up in the 80s. As a long-time fan, Melinda walks you through the details and Aaron provides his insights as a new listener. If you don't remember, you will now.

The best things come in threes - comedic timing, fairy tale characters, and ancient gods. Unfortunately that isn't always the case with movie series. Our goal: pick 3 part 3 films from a franchise that we love or love to hate... and discuss. You'll never guess what we picked...

Smurfs: communist woman haters or adorable 80s icons? Probably a little of both. From comics to cartoons, cereal to figurines, Italian villages and Smurf cosplayers, we give you a full overview of Smurfs.

How different is David Lynch's 1984 movie Dune from the 1965 book by Frank Herbert? What is it like to watch it for the first time in 2018? We will tell you all this and more in this podcast. Melinda and Michael provide movie synopses, and Aaron explains what it all means.