Mike Spitz is Mr. Throwback- owner of New York's premier vintage store for 1980's & 1990's fashion, toys, sports apparel, and sneakers. Each week, Mike teams up with comedian Jason Shebiro and their buddy Jordan from the Block to discuss pop culture from the era: the sports, music, movies, tv, toys, fashions, and fads that made it cool. The guys also tell personal stories from growing up during the iconic time.
The Gents get real about the undisputed king of 90's action flicks... none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself! He is arguably one of the greatest dudes who ever lived, but only ONE of his kids is jacked. Also, we talk Robert Pattinson as Batman, Jordan's hatred of Chuck Norris memes, and lament the end of the classic 80's/90's "robot voice." It simply does not exist anymore! Now all robots just sound like boring ass, creepy, calm, white ladies.
Jason and Jordan hold down the fort this week and talk about some of the stranger moments from the fine sport of BOXING during the 1990's. Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, some guy parachuting into the middle of a Riddick Bowe fight, and of course the murder of Tupac Shakur in Vegas immediately following another Tyson bout. But first, for some reason The Gents spend an absurd amount of time discussing time-travel, self-driving cars, and all other sorts of dope futuristic shit. Oh, and also Julius Caesar.
The Gents take a moment to appreciate how much of an absolute circus the 90's Chicago Bulls were. Michael Jordan straight up just left for a year to play baseball. Dennis Rodman straight up just left in the middle of the '98 NBA Finals to join the nWo, which, honestly, was a baller move. Shout outs to Chippendales, Chip 'n' Dale, Gheorge Muresan's Cologne, Charles Barkley's deodorant, and the Utah Jazz for holding on to their original New Orleans team name despite moving the franchise to perhaps the least jazzy place in the United States.
The Gents discuss the life cycle of arguably the worst fashion fad of the 90's: JNCO Jeans. Pants so baggy they looked like denim teepees, with styles named wack-ass shit like "Pipes" and "Kangaroos" because of how big and stupid their leg holes and pockets were. These jeans were perfect for kids who wanted to look like skaters, but whose moms wouldn't let them because it was just too dangerous. Apparently, the brand relaunched in 2019, but did they ever really leave? And were they ever actually cool? (No, and no).On the polar opposite end of the spectrum... Jason takes great pains to explain a fashion trend that is MEGA COOL and yet EXTREMELY UNCOMMON. And that would be the chunky hoop earring on men. Worn exclusively by only the biggest of ballers, the single chunky hoop earing can pretty much only be found on the lobes of Michael Jordan and Harrison Ford. Tune in to hear the only other man who consistently pulls this look off!
The Gents keep summer going for one more week as they barrel through part two of their epic celebration of THE SONG OF THE SUMMER. This time the focus is on the Summer of '98 which absolutely CRUSHed it with songs like Usher's "My Way", Tubthumping, Ghetto Supastar, and Everybody (Backstreet's Back) ALL RIGHT!!! Oh... and of course "Crush" by Jennifer Paige, who just so happens to be our guest on this week's episode!
Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, but since this one kind of sucked because of the pandemic, the Gents try to squeeze a little bit more out of this bad boy by celebrating THE SONG OF THE SUMMER! Jason unveils his convoluted criteria for what maketh a bonafide "Song of the Summer" as he and Jordan list some of the greatest summer bangers from the 90's. We're talking Will Smith & DJ Jazzy Jeff "Summertime." We're talking Boy Bands. We're talking Aerosmith's wussiest song ever and Brandy & Monica's dopest song ever. The best, the worst, the Aciest, and the Basiest summer jams of all time (which coincidentally are all in the 90's, and weirdly enough ESPECIALLY in 1998)!!!
Jason just straight up BUYS an NBA JAM ARCADE MACHINE to cope with the stress of living in quarantine. Jason & Jordan wax poetic about the magic and the majesty of NBA Jam and dive in to everything that made the game awesome. And who could forget about NBA Jam Tournament Edition and NBA HANGTIME? Plus, new dad Mike checks in to update us on his amazing new son Lil' Throwback and of course talk about sick Jordans and how much NBA Jam rules.
The Gents pay tribute to one of the greatest to ever do it... John Candy. The guy was a legend and truly one of the funniest, warmest, actors of the Throwback Era. Uncle Buck is a triumph! Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is an emotional roller coaster... and, sure, he was in a bunch of other movies that maybe weren't on the same level, but the man's resume speaks for itself: SCTV, Home Alone, Cool Runnings, Spaceballs... and did I mention Uncle Goddamn Buck! Now that I've had a little taste of Candy... I need more!
Who were the most iconic Principals of 80's & 90's Film and TV? The principal Principals, if you will. Throwback & The Gents TRIUMPHANTLY RETURN to the pod after a brief hiatus to have a principled discussion about our favorite principals of all time. The crew is divided on whether Mr. Feeny or Mr. Belding holds the top spot. And the race for worst principal is just as close between The Breakfast Club's Assistant Principal Vernon vs. Ferris Bueller's Day Off's Dean Rooney. Only one thing's for sure... whatever school principal signed off on letting ABSOLUTE BEAST Det. John Kimble (Arnold Schwarzenegger) pretend to be a kindergarten teacher and put a bunch of kids' lives in danger gets an A+.
On the heels of our Mighty Duckisode, we had to go out and get an actual Mighty Duck on the pod! We cover it all, from Aaron's early work as a child actor starring in films like Heavyweights and D1, to his time away from Hollywood and his return to acting as an adult. Now, he's teamed up with filmmaker Chris Canote for an upcoming documentary examining child actors and what its like being raised in Hollywood. Shout out to Yakov Smirnoff for being the man, and shout out to Home Alone 2, because something was wrong with Shebiro's mic the entire time and it sounded like he was using a Talkboy. "Credit card? You got it!"
The Gents talk about Nicktoons starting with the OG golden three... Doug, Rugrats, and Ren & Stimpy, and going all the way to a bunch of shit we never even heard of like "Chalkzone" and "As Told By Ginger" that were clearly nowhere near as good. And then of course there's the crucial matter of at what point was it no longer cool to be watching these things? Also, how the F do you pronounce Lacey Chabert? Chay-bert? Shah-behr? Shah-BAY? Wayne Chrebet? All are probably incorrect... tune in to find out!
This week the Gents hear from YOU and answer listener questions from the ol' mailbag... and it get's LEGIT! If you were looking for the hot goss on Binford Tool Girls, Slimer's Ecto-Cooler, Tupac at Summer Camp, Sweet Valley High, Boku juice boxes, and City Guys... well baby, you've come to the right pod! @mrthrowbacknyc @shebiro
This week the Gents have THE definitive conversation about The Mighty Ducks (1992) and D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994). The people wanted it... and we delivered! We OBVIOUSLY don't even waste our time talking D3 since that movie is complete trash. Jordan rips an insane block report with inside info, trivia, and facts that hit harder than a Fulton Reed slap shot. Throwback & Shebzilla debate the merits of each movie as we attempt to suss out the superior film. Spoiler Alert... they both rule! Shout out to Gordon Bombay!
The Gents check in with each other from deep within the quarantine Corone-Zone and get heated about Full House. Jordan from the Block unleashes a torrent of hatred toward the character of Michelle Tanner, and the gang ponders the legacy of Uncle Jesse... especially in light of the fact that Aunt Becky / Lori Loughlin is facing potential jail time on some straight up bullshit. We talk the 2019 college admissions scandal, we talk Ernest Goes to Jail, and we even talk Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Just for Men Mustache & Beard. AND! For the first time ever... we go to our listener mailbag to answer YOUR questions!
Turmoil consumes the Gents as a heated debate breaks out over what was cooler... going to public school (like Mike & Jason) or going private (like Jordan from the Block). Both sides present their arguments and talk high school reunions. Afterwards, the gang tries to solve the greatest mystery in Nickelodeon history: what in God's name happened Joe Torres? (the guy who played Danny from Hey Dude, not the coach of the Yankees). Also, there's a National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester???
Throwback & the Gents figure out how to podcast from the Corone Zone! As a bonus, they submit for the approval of the rest of society: THEIR LOST EPISODE. In a conversation originally deemed too ridiculous for air... Jordan demands we listen to a bunch of theme songs, the gang explores the mystery of Jamiroquai, and we take a closer look at the legacy of The Gooding Family, at times carried by both Cubas Sr. AND Jr... but in the 90's it was ALL OMAR.
Throwback & the Gents examine the history of backboard shattering from Daryl Dawkins to NBA Jam. Then, find out which future Backstreet Boy competed on Nickelodeon Guts, the MANY problems with Legends of the Hidden Temple, and the only man to be a gladiator on the original 90's American Gladiators TV show as well as the 2008 reboot (spoiler alert... the guy's a 10!). Plus the gang cracks open a deadstock pack of 1991-92 Fleer Basketball cards and Mike debuts a new segment!
The gents perfect the art of the opening intro, mark out Macaulay Culkin, and hate on fake jerseys; @shebiro lies to the troops about WrestleMania tickets; The Block Report profiles March 1993.
The Throwback gang tackles the REAL issues: were bullies actually cool, how important are nicknames, and why did every board game commercial in the 90's feature some little white kid screaming "I win!" at the end like he was the king of the universe. PLUS! Laura Winslow was wrong to pressure Steve Urkel to genetically modify himself on the regular, Nancy Kerrigan deserves a gold medal already, and @shebiro reveals his secret strategy to how to win at every game ever.
The gents remember the dopest candy bars, fruit snacks, and other confections of the 90's, learn the connection between 90210 and professional wrestling, and give an appropriate amount of shit to both the Girl & Boy Scouts of America! Also featured: Ratatouille, sleep away camp make-outs, and dozens of Wawa pretzels.
Mr. Throwback and the gents revisit the legendary lineups of MTV Rock N' Jock and the not-so-stacked playlists of the Jock Jams albums. Jason tries to figure out if it's possible to clone NBA Legend Karl Malone from DNA samples found in a 1994 All Star Game-worn jersey, and Jordan swears that something called Pepsi Kona existed but ONLY in Philadelphia in the Summer of '96.
Mike talks about the origins of the shop and how Mr. Throwback all began. The guys chop it up about AOL screen names, the first authentic jerseys they ever owned, and how they all met. PLUS Mike makes a $38 billion offer.