Sunday, August 2, 2026

Flopcast 743: F.L.O.P. in the U.S.A.

We have one more summer concert report for you, because thanks to an old friend, Kevin and the Mayor had VIP tickets to see John Mellencamp! (Are you like us? Do you still miss the "Cougar" part?) So today we're breaking down the whole show for you. Including: Pre-concert South Shore bar pizza with a kissing waitress! The Mellencamp VIP tent, featuring Mellencamp memorabilia, a Mellencamp video game, Mellencamp Jenga, and a non-Mellencamp medical emergency! Seats that were shockingly close to the stage! A backup singer we recognized from Billy Joel's band! The entire hit-packed set list! (If you're wondering which songs John played, the answer is yes.) And post-show fun with a drunk in the parking lot! You'll feel like you were there, and you'll feel like sucking on a chili dog outside the Tastee Freez.

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Flopcast 742: Because We're Beautiful

Our friend Judy is here again, and we're looking back at the supermodels of the 1980s! They popped up in movies and music videos, they sold jeans and shampoo, they married rock stars, and we just couldn't get enough of them. So to pay tribute to Cindy, Christie, Paulina, and the rest, Judy has prepared what might be our sexiest Top 4 ½ List ever. (That's if we don't count our list of cartoon robots. Obviously.) Also: If you're gonna be in Massachusetts in September, and feel like running through the woods for a long time, you can join Judy at the Race for the Refuge! Meanwhile, slip into your Calvins and enjoy this episode. And watch for us in the upcoming all-podcasters edition of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Flopcast 741: A Menacing Sort

We have another summer concert report, because "Weird Al" Yankovic's Bigger and Weirder Tour returned to New England! Also: Retro 80s games at the Free Play Bar Arcade in downtown Providence! The Logan Awards for Excellence in Comedy Music! The return of Chickens in the News, in which we learn about a farm where you can gamble on chicken races! (Correction: This farm is in Boulder, Montana, not Boulder, Colorado! Sorry!) And a long-awaited conversation about the 80s cult film Streets of Fire! Hopefully you can stand this much excitement! Okay, nap time.

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Flopcast 740: Happy Days Spinoffs Part 2 - A Future Chick

We're still looking at Happy Days spinoffs, because that's what the kids are excited about these days. There was Joanie Loves Chachi, of course, in which the two worst singers in the world dream of making it big. But does anyone else remember Out of the Blue, a sitcom about a guardian angel named Random? No, just us? Whatever. Then there were the Saturday morning cartoon spinoffs: Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (in which our heroes travel through time in a flying saucer), Laverne and Shirley in the Army (with their sergeant, an actual pig voiced by Horshack), and Mork and Mindy (but they're in high school and drive an egg car). We even touch on a few proposed spinoffs that never happened, starring Ralph and Potsie, those pesky Tuscadero girls... and the mysterious Kat Mandu. You know, a lot of this stuff is on YouTube... so proceed with your day accordingly.

Sunday, July 6, 2026

Flopcast 739: Pour Some Tequila on Me

From the middle of a horrifying Chickentown heatwave, we present a Top 4 ½ List of summer songs of the 80s! (Yes, this is ground we've covered before. If you thought we were ever going to stop yammering about Belinda Carlisle, you really don't know us.) And for more 80s summer music action, we also have a Sammy Hagar concert report! Sammy's show featured plenty of Van Halen classics, Joe Satriani on guitar, Rick Springfield topless, and free booze for everybody in the front row. Plus: A weird conversation about Weird Al on The Best Stuff in the World podcast! Enjoy, and stay cool. We recommend a fifty gallon drum of iced coffee.

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Flopcast 738: Happy Days Spinoffs Part 1 - Mork and Pepsi

As promised/threatened, we're looking at all the TV series that can be considered spinoffs of Happy Days. And yikes, there are so many that we're splitting them into two episodes. So this week, we're covering: Laverne and Shirley! (Remember when Laverne, Shirley, and everyone they knew all moved from Milwaukee to Los Angeles together?) Mork and Mindy! (Remember when Mork gave birth to a weird old man?) And Blansky's Beauties/Who's Watching the Kids! (What?) And yeah, we're just getting started. If you can't stand the excitement, just have Fonzie whack your phone and stop the podcast.

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Flopcast 737: Ease On Down to Chickentown

Our series of Wizard of Oz adaptation reviews brings us to 1978's The Wiz, an ambitious reimagining with an all-star all-Black cast led by the great Diana Ross. Also featuring: Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, Nipsey Russell, Mabel King, graffiti Munchkins, crow monsters, poppy girls, and way more long slow musical numbers than anyone really wanted. (Seriously, they could have cut the running time in half with no complaints.) Can Emerald City survive the disco era? Perhaps. Just barely.

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Flopcast 736: Devo Was Right

It's another quick fill-in show as we await the return of the Mayor! Including: Kevin's recent guest appearance on Monkeeing Around to discuss a weird obscure Micky Dolenz movie! The new book Raised on Radio, an oral history of the arena rock bands of the 70s and 80s! (Worried that you don't know quite enough about REO Speedwagon? Well, here you go.) And we just saw Devo live in concert, and we need them now more than ever. So slip into a yellow jumpsuit, stick an energy dome on your head, and join us, you spuds.

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Flopcast 735: Monkeeing Around in 1986

Sixty years ago, The Monkees debuted as a TV show about a band, quickly grew into a real band, were wildly successful for just a few years, then faded away. Forty years ago, reruns on MTV inspired a new generation of Monkeemania, and so Micky, Davy, and Peter hit the road for the big 1986 Monkees reunion tour. Kevin saw them on that tour, and our guest this week did too! We're joined by Elaine, co-host of the fine podcast Monkeeing Around, which you'll find right here on the ESO Network. And our conversation includes: A breakdown of the whole Monkees set list (including their 80s hit "That Was Then, This Is Now"), the opening bands (a 60s nostalgia lineup of Herman's Hermits, Gary Puckett, and the Grass Roots), attending the show on a broken foot, getting lost in the parking lot, Micky's 80s synth drums, Davy's 80s mullet... and through it all, the nonstop screaming girls. Join us as we take the last train back to 1986, when the silly TV band from the 60s suddenly had the hottest tour of the summer. Alas, Mike Nesmith wasn't there, but we were.