August 27: Super Mario Kart, Letterman on CBS

Plus the rarest NES game ever, Ken Griffey Sr., Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and more

Sam Greenspan

Aug 27, 2021

The Retro by 11 Points

Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia

August 27th, 2021 • Issue 62

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This week in nostalgic history

August 27th

29 years ago, on August 27th, 1992 - Super Mario Kart was released in Japan.

It’s hard to believe there was a time when Nintendo didn’t recognize the potential of turning a pretty good video game into a world-beating, billion-dollar franchise by slapping the Mario characters onto it, but that was sort of the case throughout the life of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Sure, Mario made cameos in tons of games (the ref in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, showing up in a minigame in Pinball, partying in Red Square during a celebratory high score screen in Tetris), but there wasn’t yet an enormous push to turn every game into a Mario game.
But the technology of the Super Nintendo allowed for more action and more detailed graphics on screen. That meant more opportunities for Mario characters everywhere. So early on in the development of Nintendo’s go-kart racing game, they got the idea to have Mario characters (not just generic characters) riding the karts — and the franchise was born.
Super Mario Kart was only the second Mario “sports” game, behind Mario Open Golf (inexplicably re-titled NES Open Tournament Golf in North American editions) — and was an instant mega hit. Super Mario Kart turned the popular racing genre of video games into a more cartoon-ish experience with far more mainstream appeal.
There have now been 14 Mario Kart games and counting across multiple platforms and the series has sold 150 million+ copies . At this point, when Nintendo creates a new system, it’s arguably just as important for them to come up with the Mario Kart game for that platform as it is for them to come up with any of their other titles.

Also on August 27th: George Michael’s single Monkey hit number one (1988)… SummerSlam ‘90 featured the Ultimate Warrior defeating Rick Rude in the main event (1990)… Garth Brooks’ second album, No Fences, was released (1990)… Pearl Jam’s album Ten was released (1991)… The Heights and Martin premiered on FOX (1992)… The Heights premiered on FOX (1992)… Japan’s Rainbow Bridge was completed (1993)… Boyz II Men’s single I’ll Make Love to You hit number one and would stay there through early December (1994)… 112’s self-titled album was released (1996)

August 28th

22 years ago, on August 28th, 1999 - Tal Bachman’s one hit, She’s So High, peaked at number 14.

Tal Bachman was a Canadian pop singer who, I now realize for the first time, shares a last name with some other prominent Canadian singers — Randy and Robbie Bachman of Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The shared name isn’t a coincidence; Randy is Tal’s dad and Robbie is his uncle. But I’d like to think Tal was takin’ care of business himself and broke through on his own merits, not via nepotism.
She’s So High was the first single on Tal Bachman’s eponymous debut album, an album whose canonical origin story is “a record exec heard his demo and signed him to Columbia Records.” The song itself, a relatable, pop-rock ode to the feeling of interacting with an intimidatingly beautiful lady, was a top hit in Canada and, on this day, a top 15 hit in the U.S. The song launched Tal Bachman, even if it would be his only real international appeal; his second and final album, released five years later in Canada, never really made it out of Canada.
She’s So High still continues to occasionally pop up in commercials, TV shows, and movies; a quick search shows it’s been everywhere from Dawson’s Creek to She’s Out of My League to New Girl.

Also on August 28th: SummerSlam ‘89 aired live on pay-per-view (1989)… Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered on FOX Kids (1993)… Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced (1996)… Genesis’s first album in six years premiered live on a webcast (1997)

August 29th

25 years ago, on August 29th, 1996 - Isaac Hayes objected to Bob Dole using a parody of Soul Man that said “I’m a Dole man.”

There’s a long history of U.S. presidential candidates using songs during their campaigns and receiving objections — if not legal recourse — from artists who oppose those campaigns. Usually, though, the candidates use these songs because they have popular appeal and sum up a sentiment about the campaign (e.g., Hillary Clinton using Katy Perry’s Roar; George W. Bush using Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down).
Rarely do the presidential candidates decide to go full Weird Al.
But that’s what happened in the summer of 1996, when Bob Dole was running against incumbent Bill Clinton. Sam of Sam & Dave was a Bob Dole fan, so Sam helped the campaign rewrite the lyrics to he and Dave’s 1966 hit Soul Man. Yes, “I’m a Dole man” was the hook, but the entire song got new lyrics — including a line that replaced “When I start loving, oh I can’t stop” with “And he hates Bill from Little Rock.”
There was a problem. Well, looking at this as a whole, there were multiple problems, but there was one overarching problem: The song wasn’t Sam’s to rewrite. The songwriters were David Porter and Isaac Hayes, who threatened to sue the campaign for $100k every time it played the song. Initially, the Dole campaign pushed back and claimed parody falls under fair use (although I’m not sure the Bob Dole presidential campaign had a history of parodies that is often required to make that legal claim); eventually they relented and stopped playing Dole Man.
Instead, they switched to Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA — until he told them to stop, too.

Also on August 29th: Prince’s single Let’s Go Crazy/Erotic City was released (1984)… Los Lobos’ single La Bamba hit number one (1987)… TurboGrafx 16 was released in North America (1989)… SummerSlam ‘92 was recorded at Wembley Stadium in England (1992)… Living Single premiered on FOX (1993)… Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey’s cover of Endless Love was released (1994)… Oasis’s debut album, Definitely Maybe, was released in the U.K. (1994)… Blues Traveler’s single Hook was released (1995)… a company called Kibble — that would soon be renamed Netflix — was founded (1997)

August 30th

28 years ago, on August 30th, 1993 - David Letterman made his late night debut on CBS.

There’s scant new ground to cover on the famous 1993 late night power struggle in the wake of Johnny Carson’s departure from The Tonight Show; there have been books, movies, documentaries, podcasts, and 25 years of asides from Letterman that have more than covered how it all went down.
What we can talk about that fits into The Retro’s purview is how Letterman’s move kicked down the door for the “comedy late night show on every channel” thing we see today. While networks beyond NBC dabbled in late night comedy talk shows before Letterman moved (FOX, Arsenio, and so on), NBC’s show was such a force of nature, it seemed untouchable. But Letterman was a force of nature as well, so CBS saw opportunity and was able to create its own late night comedy franchise.
Comedy Central would join in, then ABC, and today — even as TV viewership gets smaller — more and more networks continued to join the fray. Some of these shows do well, some barely make a blip. But, like everything in entertainment today, there’s too much to possibly watch or even keep track of.

Also on August 30th: Christopher Cross’s single Sailing hit number one (1980)… the term “email” was copyrighted by a 16-year-old (1982)… Guion Bluford became the first Black astronaut (1983)… the space shuttle Discovery launched (1984)… Steve Winwood’s single Higher Love hit number one (1986)… Boyz II Men’s second album, II, was released as was Usher’s self-titled debut album (1994)… The Crow: City of Angels hit theaters (1996)… Sister Hazel’s one hit, All For You, peaked at number 11 (1997)… the Houston Comets defeated the New York Liberty to win the first WNBA championship (1997)… the series finale of Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper aired on ABC (1997)

August 31st

31 years ago, on August 31st, 1990 - Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first father-son pair to play on the same MLB team.

There’s no shortage of father-son duos who have played Major League Baseball; the league is packed with second-generation (and even some third-generation) players. But there have been very few cases where the father-son duo played concurrently — let alone on the same team. It takes a dad who can play at a high level long past his athletic prime and a son who expeditiously rises to the majors before his prime years arrive.
The Griffeys, Ken Jr. and his dad, Ken Sr. (or “Old” as some of my friends called him while playing RBI Baseball 2, and they would all go to sleep for the night if Ken Sr. hit a home run during play because it was such an anomaly), were the first.
On this day, they both played together on the Seattle Mariners for the very first time; Ken Sr. was 41 and Ken Jr. was 20. They even got back-to-back hits in their first game and, one month later, hit back-to-back home runs.
There’s only been one father-son duo to play together since, when Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. did so in 2001 for the Baltimore Orioles.
While a father-son playing together has never happened in the modern NFL or NBA (apparently it happened in the 1920s NFL, but it’s hard to compare), there’s a theoretical possibility it could happen in both leagues in the near future. In the NFL, 38-year-old running back Frank Gore, currently unsigned but last year on the New York Jets, hasn’t officially retired and his son is about to start his sophomore season as a running back at Southern Miss. And in the NBA, LeBron James will almost certainly play at least three more seasons; his son is 16 years old so they might have the opportunity to overlap if Bronny James is drafted.

Also on August 31st: Michael Jackson’s album Bad was released (1987)… 3rd Bass’s one hit, Pop Goes the Weasel, peaked at number 29 (1991)… Metallica’s self-titled album hit number one (1991)… Mariah Carey’s album Music Box was released (1993)… Milk Money hit theaters (1994)… 20 Fingers’ novelty song Short D* Man was released (1994)… Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris (1997)… the Dixie Chicks album Fly was released (1999)

September 1st

34 years ago, on September 1st, 1987 - Stadium Events, the rarest of all the games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, was released.

Stadium Events was an early entry into the world of active fitness video games — in this case, by presenting a game that encouraged players to get off the couch and run on a thin plastic mat while competing in various Olympic-style track events. If that sounds like the Nintendo game World Class Track Meet and its corresponding Power Pad… well, that’s because it is. Stadium Events was acquired by Nintendo after a tiny release in North America to become part of their upcoming console bundle.
The side effect of that tiny release, though, is just how rare it is to find a North American copy of Stadium Events for NES. It’s often considered the rarest NES game of all and copies have sold for tens of thousands of dollars.
Which used to make it among the most valuable video games ever… until the high-end video game collecting market’s recent explosion. The pandemic led to a major rise in the popularity of collectibles (driven by a combination of nostalgia for more innocent times and, for some people, more disposable cash). In the past year, sealed copies of more popular NES games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda have sold for seven figures, dwarfing the old prices of Stadium Events.
That gulf also accentuates an interesting turn that can happen in a collecting market. A rare game like Stadium Events holds a definite appeal, but a rare version of a game that evokes widespread nostalgia is ultimately going to become a more valuable entity.

Also on September 1st: Tina Turner’s single What’s Love Got to Do with It hit number one (1984)… the remains of the Titanic were discovered (1985)… Hudson’s Adventure Island was released for NES (1988)… the Atari Lynx handheld was released (1989)… Luther Vandross’s single Here and Now was released, as was Stevie B’s single Because I Love You (1990)… E! News premiered (1991)… The Head premiered on MTV (1994)… the Independent Film Channel debuted (1994)… Apple’s video game system Pippin was released (1996)… the Disney Channel went from a paid channel to part of regular cable (1997)… Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was released in the U.S. (1998)… Outside Providence hit theaters (1999)

September 2nd

26 years ago, on September 2nd, 1995 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame officially opened to the public in Cleveland.

As a native Clevelander (and one who was there in 1995 and proud of the mid ‘90s growth period of the city), the arrival of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a very big deal. Especially since there was always an undercurrent of doubt that the powers-that-be would actually let it wind up in Cleveland and would, instead, pull an 11th-hour shift to a larger city.
But it really came to Cleveland. And after a dedication on September 1st, 1995, the Hall of Fame officially opened on September 2nd.
I was personally disappointed in my two visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (once as a high school kid shortly after it opened; once about a decade ago as an adult). I found it to be much closer to a Hard Rock Cafe than to, say, my experience at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Fortunately, for the sake of the museum and Cleveland tourism, I seem to be in the minority; the R&RHOF has near-five-star overall scores on both TripAdvisor and Yelp and remains an undisputed must-see for visitors to the city.
That being said, the Cleveland inferiority complex persists in full effect as the R&RHOF has maintained one foot out the door of Cleveland for this entire quarter century. The induction ceremonies are only held in Cleveland every three years; they’re in larger markets like NYC and L.A. the other two years. A R&RHOF Annex was constructed in New York City in the late ‘00s, and the head of the Annex told reporters they all regretted not just putting the Hall in New York in the first place. (The Annex went under in 2010). And even on the 25th anniversary of the R&RHOF in 2009 (the Hall started in 1984, even though the building opened in 1995), the celebratory concert was held as a two-day event at Madison Square Garden. Somewhere, Gund Arena weeps.
One day, perhaps, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be satisfied it married Cleveland and stop flirting with its exes. One day.

Also on September 2nd: Paula Abdul’s Cold Hearted hit number one on the Billboard charts (1989)… Parker Lewis Can’t Lose premiered on FOX (1990)… Garth Brooks’s album Ropin’ the Wind was released (1991)… the first search engine, W3Catalog, was launched (1993)… Michael Jackson’s single You Are Not Alone hit number one (1995)… David Bowie launched his ISP, Bowienet (1998)

Everything old is new again

A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.

This is one of those news stories this newsletter was made for. Spencer Elden, who was the naked, swimming baby on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind, has filed a lawsuit against the band 30 years later for child sexual exploitation. He says the image has caused him lifelong damages.
I’m too sexy for this ventilator: Richard Fairbrass of Right Said Fred was hospitalized with COVID. Turns out he’s an anti-vaxxer.
Karen Allen says there was originally supposed to be a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where she outsmarted the Nazis through the timeless art of seduction.
Aaliyah’s music is finally hitting streaming services over the course of the next few weeks after a looooong legal battle.
Beverly Hills Cop 4 is moving closer to reality. Is that because the team came up with a brilliant, creative idea that just needs to be made? Is that because Eddie Murphy wants to give something great to the fans of the franchise rather than the unsatisfying ending of Beverly Hills Cop 3? Or is it because the production got a massive tax credit to begin filming? Try to guess without looking at the article.
Lori Petty has weighed in on the longtime question of whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose in A League of Their Own.
Four new video games just came out for the Atari Lynx. Yes, the handheld video game system that sold from 1989 through 1995.
Retro crime wave? A graffiti artist in Brooklyn got into a 12-hour standoff with the cops while spray painting a Super Mario Bros. question mark block onto a water tower. And two guys in Florida were arrested on drug charges while wearing pretty fantastic matching Simpsons shirts.

Throwbacks and recommendations

Men Without Hats have released a follow-up song to Safety Dance four decades later where they basically turn the song into Piano Man-esque ballad. The song is called No Friends of Mine… and I’m weirdly into it.
The official trailer was released yesterday for The Wonder Years reboot, which premieres on September 22nd on ABC. Don Cheadle is narrating.
This is clever marketing: The only way to see the final trailer for the Candyman reboot, which hits theaters today, is to go to the official website and say “Candyman” five times into your microphone.

Thanks for reading!

-Sam