Jan 29: She's All That, Konami Code, Farley-Spade
Plus thoughts on whether God is a stranger on the bus
The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
January 29, 2021 • Issue 32
This week in nostalgic history
January 29th
21 years ago, on January 29th, 1999 - She’s All That hit theaters.
She’s All That had no right to work as well as it did. The movie was a beat-by-beat Pygmalion/My Fair Lady remake with a late ‘90s coat of paint (e.g., a character from The Real World, filming at the Buffy high school, Kevin Pollack). It featured several moments that crossed the bounds of quirky and campy to embarrassing, like Freddie Prinze Jr.’s interpretative hacky sack/poetry slam, the infamous “removing glasses and suddenly everyone realizes a beautiful girl is beautiful” scene, and the students breaking into a spectacular choreographed dance at their prom. The movie was a January release, one of the signs that studio hope was not high. Even the movie title itself was weighed down by more than a modicum of cringe.
So… how come the movie worked so damn well in spite of all that? The casting played a big part. Not only were the leads both fantastic (with excellent chemistry), but the supporting cast was inspired, from Paul Walker on down. As much as the script had its corny moments, it was otherwise, well, completely entertaining. (Considering we now know M. Night Shyamalan did “more than a polish” and re-wrote much of the script, it’s arguably his second-best work ever.) The key characters just managed to escape their cookie cutter molds to become endearing and worth rooting for. And, of course, we can’t discount the timing: She’s All That hit just as the late ‘90s teen entertainment explosion was happening in movies and music. The audience was primed for a movie just like this, and it came through and delivered.
In fact, of that late ‘90s teen movie boom, She’s All That remains one of the most enduring movies; to at least some segment of a generation, it’s their Sixteen Candles.
Also on January 29th: Physicians Weekly announced that Mona Lisa’s smile was evidence of facial paralysis (1987)… MLB dropped its “game winning RBI” stat after nine years (1989)… Tetris first appeared in the U.S. as a PC game (1988)… Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell went into effect (1993)… Queen Latifah’s only top 40 hit, UNITY, peaked at number 23 (1994)… the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls, defeating the San Diego Chargers (1995)… Garth Brooks refused an American Music Award, saying Hootie and the Blowfish deserved it more (1996)… Eiffel 65’s one hit, Blue (Da Ba Dee) peaked at number six (2000)
January 30th
21 years ago, on January 30th, 1999 - The New Radicals had their only top 40 hit, as You Get What You Give peaked at number 36.
The New Radicals have been back in the spotlight of late having reunited for the 2021 U.S. presidential inauguration. Said resurgence also surfaced the answers to some questions about the New Radicals no one thought to ask over the past two decades. Mainly: What was the deal with the New Radicals?
Certainly, the New Radicals made a little splash as ‘90s one-hit wonders. But in concurrence with their recent reunion, I learned they were one-hit wonders, essentially, by choice. The New Radicals released their one album in 1998, then broke up in mid 1999, shortly after their first single charted. (And before the release of their second single, Someday We’ll Know, which did not crack the top 40.)
But in that brief period between the album release and the end of the band, the New Radicals were everywhere. They played You Get What You Give on every TV show, at every possible concert, and, it seems, anywhere else there was a microphone and a camera. The creator of the band, Gregg Alexander, found that pace so exhausting — especially since they were a one-hit wonder so every single appearance required them to play that same damn song — that he broke up the band.
It’s a fascinating case of a band going out on, well, not on top per se, but recognizing they’d played their best hand and cashing out. An equivalent would’ve been Jeremy Lin retiring from the NBA after that two-week span in 2012 where he went from unknown to temporarily the best player in the world.
Also on January 30th: Hall & Oates’ I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) hit number one (1982)… the Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl (1983)… the Dallas Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl (1994)… Kevin Eubanks became band leader of The Tonight Show (1995)… Magic Johnson came out of retirement to once again play for the Los Angeles Lakers (1996)… Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time hit number one (1999)
January 31st
31 years ago, on January 31st, 1990 - McDonald’s opened its first location in the Soviet Union.
There were many signs that the Soviet Union (and its particular brand of communism) wasn’t long for the world as the ‘90s began, but the symbolism of a McDonald’s in Moscow is hard to top. At the very least, it was a more definitive sign than Tetris coming to the Game Boy.
To see something that was so emblematic of America (and western culture) pop up right down in the heart of the Soviet Union and immediately captivate its people — to the point where they were lining up to spend a week’s worth of pay on a Big Mac — was a visage of the not-too-distant future. The people wanted western culture, and soon enough, they would get it; at least partially sparked by the allure of this culture-uniting fast food.
Also on January 31st: Blondie’s single The Tide Is High hit number one (1981)… The Wonder Years premiered on ABC (1988)… the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl (1988)… LaToya Jackson appeared in Playboy (1989)… the Spin Doctors’ single Two Princes was released (1993)… the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl, and Michael Jackson performed the first solo halftime show (1993)… Waiting for Guffman hit (a few) theaters and the special edition re-release of Star Wars hit (a lot of) theaters (1997)… Janet Jackson’s single Together Again hit number one (1998)… Family Guy premiered (1999)… the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl (1999)
February 1st
33 years ago, on February 1st, 1988 - Contra was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Contra started as an arcade game in 1987, then made its way to the Nintendo home console a year later. It’s a famous game, which introduced (or, at least, popularized) some new NES wrinkles, like two-player simultaneous mode and multi-directional shooting.
But its biggest legacy lies in something else it brought to the video game world: the Konami Code.
Contra wasn’t the first NES game to incorporate the Konami Code (up, up, down, down, et. al.); that distinction goes to a less-popular and -enduring game called Gradius. But Contra’s popularity took the Konami Code mainstream, introducing it to millions upon millions of people for the first time. (By entering the Konami Code, players would receive 30 lives, a near necessity for the extremely difficult Contra.) Kids told other kids. The fledgling video game magazines wrote about the code. The word spread.
To date, more than 100 video games have used the Konami Code in some form or fashion — and it’s also made cameos on websites ranging from Facebook to the Bank of Canada.
Also on February 1st: Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC (1982)… Inspector Gadget aired its series finale (1986)… Tecmo Bowl was released for NES (1989)… John Grisham’s book The Firm was released and became the bestselling novel of the year (1991)… the Cold War came to an end (1992)… the Super Nintendo Super Scope was released (1992)… Green Day’s album Dookie was released (1994)… Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty for his role in the Nancy Kerrigan attack (1994)… Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony’s single Tha Crossroads was released (1996)… Visa and Mastercard announced new security features to allow for safe online shopping (1996)… Gina G’s one hit, Ooh Ahh (Just a Little Bit) peaked at number 12 (1997)
February 2nd
25 years ago, on February 2nd, 1996 - Black Sheep hit theaters.
You can tell a lot about a movie or TV show by the streaming service that carries it today. Is it the top tier: a highly-coveted movie whose rights have been reclaimed by its studio for their streaming service? Middle tier: A movie whose rights still haven’t come back but that serves as a centerpiece on the Netflix/Hulu/Amazons of the world? Or is it lower tier: A movie that shows up on the free, ad-supported streaming services of the world?
Black Sheep is in that third category. Which makes it… well… a black sheep. I wanted to rewatch it for the first time in 25 years before writing about it here, so I looked it up in JustWatch. And there are two free, ad-supported places to watch it: The Roku Channel and Pluto TV.
Considering Black Sheep was a shameless, Hangover 2-esque (well before Hangover 2, of course) attempt to wring a second helping of cash out of the Farley-Spade buddy comedy pairing, I figured it’d be representative to see where Tommy Boy is streaming. The answer: you need a subscription to Showtime. That’s top tier.
And that’s essentially Black Sheep in a nutshell. By all accounts, the movie was made as close to “under duress” as something as (in the big picture of the world) frivolous as a slapstick buddy comedy can be. The screenwriter was told he had to write the script in a weekend so it would be done minutes before Chris Farley’s deal with Paramount ended, thus conscripting Farley to participate. Spade signed on but feuded so bitterly with the director, Penelope Spheeris, their feud couldn’t be contained, spilled into the public, and continued it for years to come.
The end result of those movie making circumstances was, as expected, not worth the grief. Black Sheep was not Tommy Boy, nor did it come close to measuring up. Plus, with Farley’s tragic death not even two years later, he and Spade never got their shot at doing a movie the right way again and reclaiming their good buddy comedy names.
Also on February 2nd: The FBI released the details of its ABSCAM corruption sting (1980)… O.J. Simpson married Nicole Brown (1985)… Foreigner’s I Want to Know What Love Is hit number one (1985)… Elton John and George Michael’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me hit number one (1992)… Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan played against each other in the NBA for the first time since their respective returns from retirement (1996)… Black Sheep hit theaters (1996)… President Clinton introduced the country’s first balanced budget in 30 years (1998)… Blackstreet’s single Take Me There was released (1999)… Hugo Chavez took office in Venezuela, and immediately began planning how to alter Georgia voting machines 21 years later from beyond the grave (1999)
February 3rd
25 years ago, on February 3rd, 1996 - Joan Osbourne’s only hit, One of Us, peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
One of Us isn’t a deep or insightful theological statement; Joan Osbourne certainly wasn’t the first person to wonder if God was a stranger on the bus, even if others didn’t use that particular turn of phrase. Nor was the song really meant to be deep; it was written by a member of a mid-level ‘80s band called The Hooters, and the writer said it was the quickest song he ever wrote — one night flat.
But Joan Osbourne made it work by committing to the song; there’s no hint of irony or subtle embarrassment here. I watched the music video (it’s literally just her in front of a backdrop with sepia-toned B-roll spliced in). She owns this thing. Also, her timing was… dare we say, devine. (Maybe God wasn’t a stranger on the bus, but rather a prescient record label exec?) This song came out just as sincere female rock was having a Moment with the Jewels and McLaughlins and Loebs of the world. So One of Us was a bona fide hit, peaking in its chart positioning on this day 25 years ago, and even getting the nod as the theme song (despite perhaps being too on-the-nose) for the CBS show Joan of Arcadia.
Despite not achieving mainstream pop success again, Joan Osbourne is still going strong a quarter-century later. She was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Blues Album in 2013.
Also on February 3rd: Y.M.C.A. by the Village People peaked at number two (1979)… Darryl Strawberry entered rehab (1990)… Marge Schott was suspended by Major League Baseball for racist comments (1993)… Homeward Bound hit theaters (1993)… the trial of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King began (1993)… Boys on the Side and the Jerky Boys movie hit theaters (1995)… Az Yet’s cover of Hard to Say I’m Sorry was released (1997)… Usher’s single Nice and Slow was released (1998)… the XFL debuted (2001)
February 4th
30 years ago, on February 4th, 1991 - Pete Rose was banned for life from the Baseball Hall of Fame for gambling on games.
This issue of The Retro comes out just a few days after the Baseball Hall of Fame announced no players received enough votes to be inducted this year; the first time that’s happened in decades. The reason: Baseball Hall of Fame voting is a mess. Much like a club bouncer drunk on whatever power he possesses, the aging writers who vote on the Baseball Hall of Fame wield their outsized influence like a bunch of vengeful poindexters, denying players their vote on the back of flimsy, serpentine high-horsed morality. Just this week, players with some of the best stats in history like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez were again denied the votes to make it into the Hall because a number of writers have dug in their heels on the PED era. Curt Schilling was denied the votes because he’s one of the worst people on the planet with a coagulated bloody sock where his soul is supposed to be. All of these players easily have the resumes to not just be in the Hall of Fame, but for a few of them, be among the best players in the Hall of Fame. But none will get in because of the often nebulous morality police work of the baseball writers.
The Pete Rose scandal, 30 years ago today, established this precedent. While his ban was an official one handed down by Major League Baseball (not an unofficial one by the writers), it set the precedent: The Hall of Fame can, on a subjective case-by-case basis, come down to more than on-field performance. Pete Rose (much like the guys I mentioned in the previous paragraph) is no hero nor role model. He did bet on baseball (although not his team), he did jail time for tax evasion, and his approach to the Hall of Fame ban and the events leading to the ban has often been less than contrite or diplomatic. But statistically? He’s one of the best ever. And the precedent of his ban here continues to cast a pall over the Hall of Fame.
Also on February 4th: Studio 54 held its grand closing party on its final night in business (1980)… Karen Carpenter died as a result of anorexia (1983)… Culture Club’s single Karma Chameleon hit number one (1984)… Ace Ventura: Pet Detective hit theaters (1994)… 4PM’s single Sukiyaki hit number eight (1995)… a jury found O.J. Simpson liable in the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman… Belgian writer Noel Godin hit Bill Gates in the face with a pie (1998)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
The first trailer has been released for the new Disney+ series Mighty Ducks: Game Changers starring Emilio Estevez.
A reunion of the first season of The Real World may’ve secretly filmed in New York. Just getting us one step closer to a reboot of The Grind hosted by 60-year-old Eric Nies.
Spinderella is unhappy that a new Salt-N-Pepa biopic includes her as a character — but Salt and Pepa both excluded her from the development process.
An America’s Most Wanted reboot is coming. It ran on FOX from 1988 through 2011, then did a year on Lifetime.
Sheila E. is making a biopic about her relationship with Prince.
A volcanic rock that looked incredibly like Cookie Monster inside is drawing big money offers.
Throwbacks and recommendations
The story of one man’s search to find the exact shade of “Apple beige.”
The 16 most ambitious crossover episodes in TV history includes Family Matters-Full House and many more from this newsletter’s time frame.
27 TV characters who disappeared without a trace. Poor Tori.
10 bands (of the 🤘variety) whose second album was their best. Virtually all on the list are from the ‘80s or ‘90s, including Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Nine Inch Nails.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam