This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

May 07 2024 41
This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast artwork

This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast is the nostalgia podcast that dives deep into the pop culture happenings of yesteryear! Join hosts Ray Hebel and Robert W. Schneider as they delightfully dissect some of the greatest fads, trends, and one-hit wonders from pop culture history. From box office hits to box office flops, from high fashion to low fashion, This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast is your one-stop-shop for all things nostalgia.

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48: MySpace; Or, Facebook Who? (Classic)

May 07 2024 50 mins  
With all this hubbub about TikTok possibly getting banned, we're revisiting three of our episodes about social media platforms that burned bright and burned out fast. And up first - MySpace!~~~Friendster, SixDegrees, Makeoutclub - if you're a 90s kid, then you probably remember at least some of those websites (and may they all rest in peace). But there could only be one top dog, an

118: Charlie Sheen; Or, It’s The Guy of the Tiger (Blood)

May 02 2024 61 mins  
This week, Rob teaches Ray and Daniel about the storied biography of Mr. Carlos Irwin Estevez, better known as Charlie Sheen, including: Sheen’s origins as a child star and teen heartthrob; his breakout role in “Platoon”; Sheen’s struggles with substances and his highly publicized firing from the sitcom that revitalized his career; and how the news media all seized on Sheen

33: Reefer Madness; Or, Hearst v. Hemp (Classic)

Apr 23 2024 40 mins  
It's Earth Day and we want to celebrate one of the finest gifts that this pretty planet has to offer. No, not Fred Silverman - everyone's best bud, cannabis! But things haven't always looked as bright for MJ as they do nowadays with modern legalization efforts, and so we're looking back at a time when the hype around marijuana was more about the insanity it caused than its many ben

117: Betamax vs. VHS; Or, Neither Can Live While the Other Rewinds

Apr 16 2024 63 mins  
In our glorious age of streaming services, we never need to worry about recording anything ourselves - we just click “Continue Watching” and chill. But in the sad, not-too-distant past, you couldn’t always just open up Netflix and binge all nine seasons of Suits whenever you felt like it. Instead, if you missed your favorite soap, tough noogies. That is, that w

34: Crystal Pepsi; Or, Things Have Gone Clear Crazy! (Classic)

Apr 09 2024 35 mins  
Quench your podcast thirst by listening back to this Season 1 favorite all about the little soft drink that couldn't - Crystal Pepsi!~~~Right Now! You’re reading a description for this week’s episode, Crystal Pepsi. Right Now! This particular episode is a little different, let’s be CLEAR. Right Now! Crystal Pepsi was a flash in the CAN (and bottle!) and we’re going to teach

116: "The Day After"; Or, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, M.A.D. World

Apr 02 2024 59 mins  
We all get mad about things sometimes, and during the Cold War, the U.S. government was mad about “M.A.D.”. That’s because “M.A.D.” “Mutually Assured Destruction” - was a global concern on everyone’s mind. And the fear that foreign countries (/cough/** Russia cough) would use nuclear weapons wasn’t only causing chaos in the Oval Office. Hollywood and TV studi

30: Stairway To Stardom; Or, The World of Public Access Television (Classic)

Mar 26 2024 50 mins  
Nostalgia is our podcast's bread and butter (that and actual bread and butter, which is delicious). And if one episode perfectly encapsulates that feeling, it was our deep dive into the talent show that came before any of the modern shows like "Britain's Got Talent" or "American Idol." So sit back, turn on that public access channel, and listen back to our episode on Frank Masi's l

115: The Church Committee and MKUltra; Or, Uncle Sam Wants YOU To Take LSD

Mar 20 2024 60 mins  
In the age of YouTube, it feels like there’s a new conspiracy every day. Some of them are ol’ chestnuts - love how we faked the moon landing that one time, right? Some of them pop up in the seemingly most random places, like Taylor Swift’s “secret plan” to use her popularity to boost Joe Biden’s approval rating (That’s just downright silly. We all know it must have be

52: Showgirls; Or, Jessie Spano Goes to Vegas (Classic)

Mar 12 2024 41 mins  
It’s Oscars season! Whether or not you recognized this national holiday by tuning into the awards show on Sunday, you probably know all the drama that comes with those little golden statues - the glamor, the glitz, the snubs. And speaking of snubs, one film that had nary a nomination was the focus of today’s classic: Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls. Enjoy (as long as you’re

114: B.F. Skinner; Or, Thinking Inside the Box

Mar 04 2024 74 mins  
Have you ever tried to build a new habit? Ever find yourself reaching for your phone even when it’s not in your pocket? Ever thought about whether free will actually exists? Yeah, that last one got deep, but that’s just how we roll here at This Was A Thing. Because this week, we’re talking all about a man who devoted his life to studying whether or not humans have a