May 14: Road House, Seinfeld finale, Lisa Loeb
Plus Norm Macdonald, Bone Thugs, Beverly Hills Cop II, and more
The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
May 14th, 2021 • Issue 47
This week in nostalgic history
May 14th
23 years ago, on May 14th, 1998 - The Seinfeld series finale aired on NBC.
For a show priding itself on being about “nothing,” Seinfeld sure had a lot of loose things to tie up in its finale. And the result… was not what the fans expected nor wanted.
Larry David, who’d left the show two seasons earlier, returned to write the finale. And in this episode, he did something the show had, essentially, never done throughout its entire run: Show the consequences of the main characters’ actions. David saw the series from a perspective the viewing audience either missed or ignored: When looking at the sum total of the four lead characters’ actions across the series, and not just enjoying their nihilistic shenanigans on an episode-by-episode basis, the four characters were sociopaths. The show was about “nothing” because the main characters were filled with nothing. They had no empathy, no moral compasses, no noble constitutions. They were four textbook narcissists who found each other and worked, all four in parallel, for their own hedonistic fulfillment—and trampled hundreds of people along their decade of misadventures.
Larry David, no doubt, found that to be the ripest comedic ground possible. And it certainly was; Seinfeld is regularly considered one of the top sitcoms in history for a reason.
So for the finale, Larry David literally put the four characters on trial (literally over their indifference toward a man being carjacked, but really for all their years of similar actions). The show then paraded out dozens of the side characters the gang had wronged over the years to testify against them. It only made sense that our heroes wound up in jail at the end of the finale; taking a 10,000-foot view, that was really the only fitting denounment for them or the series.
But the audience hated it. No one watched Seinfeld to see the characters face consequences. The finale was polarizing in the moment and remains polarizing to this day. Larry David would even wind up dedicating an entire season of Curb Your Enthusiasm toward “redoing” the finale — although it’s not clear if that was a mea culpa or more of a chance for him to subtly explain why he believes the finale he crafted was the correct one.
Knowing all we know about Larry David, it’s gotta be the latter, right?
Also on May 14th: Conan the Barbarian hit theaters (1982)… Thomas Dolby’s one hit, She Blinded Me with Science, peaked at number five (1983)… Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s single Anything for You hit number one (1988)… the series finale aired of Family Ties (1989)… the series finale aired of Moonlighting (1989)… Paula Abdul’s album Spellbound was released (1991)… Lyle Alzado passed away (1992)… Big Mountain’s one hit, Baby I Love Your Way, peaked at number six (1994)… Donna Lewis’s single I Love You Always Forever was released (1996)… Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas were married (1996)… Aqua’s single Barbie Girl was released (1997)… the series finale aired of Coach (1997)… Frank Sinatra passed away (1998)… Celebrity Deathmatch premiered on MTV (1998)
May 15th
24 years ago, on May 15th, 1997 - Norm Macdonald and Courtney Thorne-Smith had a legendary exchange on the Conan O’Brien show.
For the millions of talk show celebrity interviews over the years, there are very few considered good. Or bad. Mostly, they’re just ephemeral fluff; a celebrity plugging their project du jour as they answer generic questions and engage in light jovial banter with the host.
That’s why Conan O’Brien’s interview with Courtney Thorne-Smith (which was hijacked by the night’s lead guest, Norm Macdonald) has gone down in history.
Because Norm breaks all of the unwritten rules.
As Conan tried to conduct the standard talk show interview with Courtney Thorne-Smith, talking about Melrose Place and her upcoming movie, Norm is visibly vascillating between boredom and a devilish desire to end that boredom. He occasionally interjects himself, throwing out non-sequiturs and taking the generic-est of generic interviews and giving it a unique, rarely-seen unpredictability.
Then Courtney Thorne-Smith brings up that she’s starring in a new movie… with Carrot Top. At which point, Norm Macdonald drops the “celebrity courtesies” one celebrity always shows to another — and just dives in.
Conan asks Courtney Thorne-Smith the name of the movie and Norm interjects: “If it’s got Carrot Top in it, you know what a good name for it would be? ‘Box Office Poison.’” The crowd, firmly with Norm, loses it as Conan and Andy Richter squirm uncomfortably and Courtney (still abiding by the celebrity code of conduct) plays along but certainly isn’t very happy.
And then, Norm has the line that put this moment on the radar in perpituity. As Conan tries to get the interview back on the rails and goes through Courtney’s plugs, he one more time mentions the movie and she reveals the real title: Chairman of the Board. Conan looks at Norm and says, “Alright, do something with that, you freak.” And just as the audience laughter stops, Norm says, “I bet it’s spelled b-o-r-e-d.” It’s most likely the biggest genuine reaction Conan has given to a joke in his entire career. The audience also loses it. Courtney can only put her hand on her face as Norm has successfully shattered all the, well, norms.
Just a few years ago, in an interview with Conan O’Brien, Vulture named the moment “one of the funniest talk show exchanges of all time.” But subversiveness came so casually to Norm Macdonald in his prime that according to Conan, “He doesn’t remember it even happened.”
Also on May 15th: The Harlem Globetrotters episode of Gilligan’s Island aired (1981)… Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder’s single Ebony and Ivory hit number one (1982)… the San Diego Clippers moved to Los Angeles (1984)… Prince’s single Raspberry Beret was released (1985)… Ishtar hit theaters (1987)… Snap’s album World Power was released (1990)… Mariah Carey’s single Vision of Love was released (1990)… Lethal Weapon 3 hit theaters (1992)… Janet Jackson’s single That’s the Way Love Goes hit number one (1993)… Amazon went public (1997)… Everlast’s one hit, What It’s Like, peaked at number 13 (1999)… Tracy Morgan’s character Brian Fellows debuted on SNL (1999)… the series finale aired of Friends (2001)
May 16th
37 years ago, on May 16th, 1984 - Andy Kaufman passed away, although people doubted it for decades.
And speaking of subversive comedians…
I was way too young to be aware of Andy Kaufman’s career or his death in the early ‘80s, but I do remember when everyone was convinced he’d finally reveal his death was a hoax.
That came in late 1999, when Andy Kaufman mania got a second wind with his new biopic, Man on the Moon. In the hype for Jim Carrey playing Andy Kaufman, a new generation learned about Kaufman’s avant garde career. His alt- (or even anti-) comedy bits on stage and even on Saturday Night Live. His real-or-fake ventures into professional wrestling including a fight with Jerry “The King” Lawler on David Letterman. His career of pranks, hoaxes, and making everyone question reality itself. And, of course, his death from cancer at just age 35, which seemed to many like just another in his series of one-of-a-kind stunts.
Also, the turn of the century just felt like a good time for Kaufman to re-emerge, if he ever would. (People really looked at the year 2000 as milestone moment of milestone moments for all things.) He would be 50 years old at that point, a decade-and-a-half after his death.
And I’ll admit I bought it. I really did think there was a chance Kaufman would show up. Although I’d missed him contemporaneously, I bought into his mythology. I was ready.
But, of course, he didn’t appear. And even though Man on the Moon ended with a tease that Kaufman was still alive, his failure to magically mainfest in late 1999 essentially closed the book on the Kaufman-faked-his-own-death rumors. Of course, I suppose it’s possible he’s still around, now 72 years old, hiding out somewhere. But it never seemed like his goal was to escape from the public eye; it was just to make the public question what it was seeing with that eye. And while 37 years (and counting) would make for one hell of a prestige if he ever did reveal himself, we can all now agree that moment is not going to come.
Also on May 16th: Kim Carnes’ single Bette Davis Eyes hit number one (1981)… Prince’s single When Doves Cry was released (1984)… Michael Jordan won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year (1985)… Top Gun hit theaters (1986)… Bobby Ewing returned from the dead on Dallas (1986)… U2’s single With or Without You hit number one (1987)… Sammy Davis Jr. passed away (1990)… Jim Henson passed away (1990)… After 7’s single Can’t Stop was released (1990)… Weird Al Yankovic had a rare top 40 hit when Smells Like Nirvana hit number 35 (1992)… the series finale aired of Murder, She Wrote (1996)… the series finale aired of Unsolved Mysteries (1998)… Natalie Imbruglia’s one hit, Torn, hit number one (1998)… the Artist Formerly Known As Prince went back to being called Prince (2000)… Britney Spears’ album Oops!… I Did It Again was released (2000)
May 17th
27 years ago, on May 17th, 1994 - Lisa Loeb’s single Stay was released.
Several issues of this newsletter ago (the February 12th edition, if you want to look back), I went really hard against Reality Bites. My closing line of my rant against the movie, however, was at least thanking it for giving us Lisa Loeb.
Lisa Loeb was a struggling singer/songwriter in the New York City coffeehouse open mic circuit who, fortuitously, lived across the street from Ethan Hawke. She gave him a copy of her best song, Stay (I Missed You). He gave it to Reality Bites director Ben Stiller. Stiller decided to use the song in the end credits of the movie, and Hawke directed its music video.
The song would go on to be a bigger hit than the movie. It became a number one hit, making Loeb the first unsigned, independent artist ever to have a top Billboard hit. (The second would come almost two decades later in the form of Macklemore. Or, as a friend of mine once accidentally called him, Marmaduke.)
Lisa Loeb wouldn’t have any more number one hits, but she’s had a very solid career since, including a successful pivot to children’s music. She also dared to wear glasses in an era where they were wrongfully stigmatized (Stay was five years before She’s All That, and we know what that movie felt about glasses). For that I give her all the credit.
Also on May 17th: Whitney Houston’s single Greatest Love of All hit number one (1986)… What About Bob? hit theaters (1991)… Intel’s Pentium processor was released (1993)… Alan Jackson’s single Chattahoochee was released (1993)… Freak Nasty’s one hit, Da Dip, peaked at number 15 (1997)… the series finale aired of Beverly Hills, 90210 (2000)
May 18th
25 years ago, on May 18th, 1996 - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s single Tha Crossroads hit number one.
I’ve been a Bone Thugs fan since the started up; even nerdy suburban Cleveland kids got to hear them from the Thuggish Ruggish Bone era. (Also, when I was working at a sporting goods store in suburban Cleveland in the ‘90s as my summer job, they came in and bought Cavs jerseys. But I was into them before that too.) So I’ll try not to puff up Tha Crossroads too much, although I do think it was a milestone in hip-hop history.
The Crossroads might be the first truly vulnerable hip-hop track.
There were melancholy hip-hop songs before it. Ones that tackled death and loss (for instance, Ice Cube’s Dead Homiez in 1990, 2pac’s Brenda’s Got a Baby in 1991, or Geto Boys’ Six Feet Deep in 1993). But those songs weren’t vulnerable like Tha Crossroads. Those songs projected strength and survival. This song literally has the line, “Why’d they kill my dog?”
Hip-hop was long on machismo in the ‘80s and ‘90s and Bone Thugs were willing to fly in the face of that to create a song with real, unapologetic emotions. It laid the groundwork for the Biggie tribute I’ll Be Missing You and every other “big feelings” rap song since.
Also on May 18th: Mount St. Helens exploded (1980)… Simple Minds’ single Don’t You (Forget About Me) hit number one (1985)… the Divinyls’ one hit, I Touch Myself, peaked at number four (1991)… Hi-Five’s single I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) hit number one (1991)… Sister Souljah’s controversial quote about killing white people appeared in the Washington Post (1992)… Janet Jackson’s album janet was released (1993)… Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married (1994)… the Orlando Magic eliminated the Chicago Bulls from the NBA Playoffs, Jordan’s only playoff series loss during the team’s six-championship run (1995)… the series finale aired of Murphy Brown (1998)… the Backstreet Boys album Millennium was released (1999)… Moulin Rouge hit theaters (2001)… Shrek hit theaters (2001)
May 19th
32 years ago, on May 19th, 1989 - Road House hit theaters.
There’s basically nothing about Road House grounded in reality. It takes place in a world where there are celebrity bouncers. Where lawless towns exist with no penalties for crime. Where someone can rip out someone else’s throat with their bare hands during a fight.
And yet… I’d say Road House holds up better than pretty much any other ‘80s movie.
What else could sum up the era better? The movie is an unapologetic, completely unrealistic romp with a ridiculous premise, ridiculous dialogue, a ridiculous plot, ridiculous characters, and ridiculous set pieces. It’s not just so bad it’s good. It’s so good in its badness that it’s great.
With respect to Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, oh I don’t know, movies really had a tough run in the ‘80s… Platoon? Gandhi? Amadeus?… Road House would be my pick if I had to sum up the films of the 1980s in one shot.
Also on May 19th: The Apple III was introduced (1980)… Peter Gabriel’s album So was released (1986)… Nelson’s single Love and Affection was released (1990)… Madonna’s single Vogue hit number one (1990)… Amy Fisher shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco (1992)… Dan Quayle criticized unwed mothers and Murphy Brown (1992)… Billy Ray Cyrus’s debut album Some Gave All was released (1992)… Jackie Kennedy Onassis passed away (1994)… the series finale aired of L.A. Law (1994)… Die Hard with a Vengeance and Forget Paris both hit theaters (1995)… the series finale of Murder She Wrote aired (1996)… Marv Albert was accused of biting a lady (1997)… The Lost World: Jurassic Park hit theaters (1997)… Monica and Brandy’s single The Boy Is Mine was released (1998)… Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit theaters (1999)… the first Apple stores opened (2001)
May 20th
34 years ago, on May 20th, 1987 - Beverly Hills Cop II hit theaters.
There was quite a bit to like about Beverly Hills Cop. It was a top notch fish-out-of-water action comedy which launched the career of Eddie Murphy as a bonafide box office draw. Beverly Hills Cop II, on the other hand, was a straight cash grab missing much, if not all, of the appeal of the original.
The fish wasn’t quite so far out of water; this time around, Axel Foley was much more comfortable in Beverly Hills. The movie features a scene at the Playboy Mansion and a cameo from Hugh Hefner, again where Axel seems very much like a fish in water. He didn’t have to win over the cops (other than a new, contrived police chief character who was a two-dimensional plot roadblock)—they already loved and respected him for what he did in the first film. He had no difficulty in identifying the bad guys; on his very first exploratory mission after arriving in L.A. he literally figures out who’s behind the string of bank robberies (and, for reasons never explained other than as a way to get Axel to come back west, the attempted murder of Axel’s police captain friend). The entire movie just feels… fine.
But that didn’t stop it from being a success. It was one of the most successful movies of the year at the box office and popular enough to earn a third Beverly Hills Cop movie (another movie lacking the charm of the original, and another where Axel Foley identifies the criminals on his first try).
Eddie Murphy has gone on to admit what the movie was in an interview with Rolling Stone: “The most successful mediocre picture in history. It made $250 million worldwide and it was a half assed-movie. Cop II was basically a rehash of Cop I, but it wasn’t as spontaneous and funny.”
Also on May 20th: The Police’s single Every Breath You Take was released (1983)… Willow hit theaters (1988)… the series finale aired of Small Wonder (1989)… Paula Abdul’s single Forever Your Girl hit number one (1989)… Gilda Radner passed away (1989)… Toonces the Driving Cat debuted on SNL (1989)… DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s single Summertime was released, as was Bonnie Raitt’s single Something to Talk About (1991)… the series finale aired of Cheers (1993)… Maverick hit theaters (1994)… the series finale aired of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1996)… the series finale aired of Roseanne (1997)… Meredith Brooks’ single Bitch was released (1997)… the Portland Trailblazers debuted the Hack-a-Shaq technique (2000)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
Martin Lawrence teamed up with the Detroit Pistons to make mash-up merchandise between the TV show Martin and the Pistons. Now that’s random.
Andrew McCarthy did a new interview where he says he’s never met Anthony Michael Hall and he tried to quit Pretty in Pink over its original ending.
Netflix released the first images from Kevin Smith’s animated Masters of the Universe reboot. The show starts on July 23rd.
Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Todd Rundgren, and Tina Turner will be the 2021 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The CW is now casting for its Legends of the Hidden Temple reboot. The reboot was supposed to happen at Quibi but, well, you know.
Faces of Death is getting a “21st century makeover” to become a new horror franchise.
A new documentary about Milli Vanilli is in the works.
Peacock is making a docuseries about Joe Montana’s career.
After a quarter of a century, the newest Windows update will be getting rid of the Windows 95 icons.
Sylvester Stallone says he regrets making six movies in his career. Sorry, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.
Fisher Stevens says he regrets his decision to plan a stereotypical Indian engineer in Short Circuit. “The world was in a different place in 1986, obviously.”
Tawny Kitean passed away at age 59.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Entertainment Weekly ranked the 50 best teen TV shows of all time. Most are from the time frame of this list; Saved by the Bell finished 25 spots too low.
KTLA news in L.A. was doing a piece on gas prices and didn’t realize the random person they interviewed was Mark “Mr. Cooper” Curry. This eight-second clip is great, albeit so disrespectful to a Golden State Warriors legend.
The first trailer for the Friends reunion was released and reveals no information whatsoever but it does have a wistful piano cover of the theme song.
Thanks for reading!
-Sam