Colin's Last Stand: Knockback

The 1960's in the United States was a turbulent time of upheaval and reform, and Mad Men -- which ran on AMC from 2007 to 2015 -- gave viewers a glimpse into that world from an unusual perch: Madison Avenue. Widely considered one of the greatest television shows of all-time, Mad Men introduces audiences to a wide-ranging cast of characters all revolving around one man: Don Draper, the Creative Director of a New York City advertising agency. With so much to talk about, we structured our two hour-plus conversation by talking about the characters. Not only Don, but Betty, Peggy, Roger, Pete, Joan, and many others. So grab yourself an old-fashioned, sit back, relax, and travel back in time.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2001, Nintendo followed up the poor-selling Nintendo 64 with a console that would barely do 60% of N64's total sales. It was called the GameCube, and when compared to its contemporary PlayStation 2, it was largely looked at as a children's toy, and an unpopular one at that. But for those who ignored the haters and delved into its rich catalog, Nintendo's GameCube arguably offered the best pure gaming experiences of its generation, and left a surprisingly positive legacy in the wake of its weak retail performance. So let's take 90 minutes to talk about the box-shaped console with the inexplicable handle, and why it still resonates with us today.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few animated films are more important than The Lion King, released in 1994 towards the height of the Disney Renaissance. An unlikely hit, the movie was animated by what was at the time considered a b-team, with the so-called "Top Talent" toiling away on 1995's Pocahontas. Turns out both movies are awesome, but The Lion King is considered the better product. Go figure. Today's episode of KnockBack is framed around The Lion King, but really, the podcast doubles as a comprehensive look back at the dark times that preceded the Disney boom of the late '80s and into the '90s, with lots of animation history and anecdotes from a man who happens to know a thing or two about the field.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Internet began as an academic and military experiment in the post-World War II United States, and decades later, the World Wide Web built on top of it changed the world forever. In the mid-'90s, the Brothers Moriarty gained Internet access at very different moments in their lives. So let's explore what made those dial up days so special, and what it was like being on the Internet during the moments when people realized what it could be, and what it would become. Looking around the Internet today, things sure were quaint in the not too distant past. You'll see.        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late 1970s, something amazing happened: People didn't have to go to the movie theater anymore to watch films. Crazier yet, they didn't have to be home at specific times to watch TV. The same device made both revolutions possible: The VCR. But the VCR didn't reach its full potential until the advent of the video store in the early '80s, and it's here that we begin our tale, reminiscing over stories about our shops. What did we rent? What kind of people worked there? What was it like watching the whole industry shrivel up and die? Let's chat about the analog days, where you had to leave your house to find something to watch.        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between GI Joe and Star Wars -- not to mention all of the other competing toy lines of the time -- the early '80s were a busy era for little boys across the west. But then, 1984 rolled around and brought with it a revolutionary new toy line: Transformers. Transformers' three-pronged approach -- action figures, cartoons, and comics -- saturated the landscape for several years, years Dagan remembers fondly. So sit back, relax, and allow us (well, him) to regale you of stories of toys past, toys that, it turned out, were far more than meets the eye.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1987, upstart Japanese publisher-slash-developer Capcom changed the game when it released Mega Man (known as Rockman in Japan), a silky smooth, beautiful, and dynamic non-linear side scrolling shooter. By 1990, Capcom had followed up the original Mega Man with two fantastic sequels, cementing the franchise in old-school Nintendo lore. Today, on the longest episode of KnockBack to date, we dissect our love of the Blue Bomber, and discuss at length the special bond we developed over the series.          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Skateboarding as we know it today became a true phenomenon on the west coast in the late '70s and into the '80s, and it just so happens that skating has been one of Dagan's biggest passions for more than 30 consecutive years. So we dedicated today's episode of KnockBack to those neon days, when skating was niche, looked down upon, and truly rough around the edges. It's always a pleasure when Dagan goes into storytelling mode, so... without further ado: Here's what it was like to skate when no one else was.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While there are a number of amazing '80s teen movies we could easily swoon over, John Hughes' 1985 classic The Breakfast Club is the most quintessentially '80s of 'em all. It's strange that a straight-forward movie about five students serving Saturday detention together could become such a powerful and beloved calling card of a place and time, and yet, The Breakfast Club remains a beacon to Gen X-ers (and their kids) to this day. So let's spend some time talking about the Brain, the Athlete, the Basketcase, the Princess, and the Criminal, shall we?        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few (if any) television shows in history tickled our funny bones like Seinfeld. From 1989 until 1998, the demented stories of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine captivated audiences with their absurdity, told with the assistance of incredible humor and world class writing. Today's KnockBack is dedicated to the amazing, spectacular, GOAT 180 episode run of Seinfeld, and focuses on the characters themselves. What makes the four protagonists tick? Why are their lives so insane? And how do they attract scores of crazy people into their worlds in nine years? Let's sit around our table at a digital Monk's and hash it out.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Throughout the '80s, the Indiana Jones trilogy riveted moviegoers around the world with its tale of a cunning, adventurous archaeologist traveling the planet in search of priceless relics. Today's episode of KnockBack jumps into what makes Indiana Jones so beloved and so well-remembered, with specific sections of the show dedicated to each of the core Indy movies: Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade. So grab your whip, and maybe your pistol, too. It's time to get historical.        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1991, Final Fantasy IV came to SNES (we initially knew it as Final Fantasy II in the west), and it changed entirely our expectations of what a role-playing game could be. With a dire, multi-dimensional story, a diverse cast of interesting characters, a stunning soundtrack, and a serious gameplay hook, Final Fantasy IV burrowed its way into gamers' hearts and minds the world over, and 27 years later, it's as beloved as ever. So let's dedicate a solid 100 minutes to chatting about one of the great JRPGs of all-time, how we discovered it, what it meant to us at the time, and what it still means to us today.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1978, a year after Star Wars: A New Hope came to theaters, a book quietly found its way onto store shelves. It was called Splinter of the Mind's Eye, and it took place in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. And thus, the Star Wars Expanded Universe was born, storytelling from A Galaxy Far, Far Away done outside of the films themselves. Spanning across literally thousands of books, comics, cartoon episodes, video games, and on and on (and on), the Expanded Universe founds its footing in the early '90s, reached fever pitch in the early aughts, and was snuffed out and built again during this New Era of Star Wars. So let's chat about it, shall we?        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From 1999 through 2007, The Sopranos aired on HBO. Indeed, it was only HBO's second scripted series ever (kinda crazy when you think about that through today's lens, huh?). The story of Tony Soprano and his two families -- his actual family and his crime family -- is considered some of the finest storytelling to ever grace television, and is more than worthy of a meaty episode of KnockBack. Allow us to take you through one of our very favorite shows, reminiscing about what the show meant at the time... and what it still means today.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the late '80s and early '90s, few (if any) electronics companies were more respected than Sony. Eager to get into gaming, Sony partnered with Nintendo on a project called Play Station (with the space!), but Nintendo pulled out of the deal, leaving Sony embarrassed and bruised. But Sony sought retribution, and in 1994, it launched PlayStation (intercapped!), and changed gaming forever. Today's extra-long episode of KnockBack is dedicated to Sony's seminal console, to our memories of it, what it was like living through that era, and to the amazing games that made it the first 100+ million selling video game console ever launched.        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all have movies that stick with us as we move through life. Some films inspire us and make us happy; others provoke thought or make us sad. And some are movies we had no business watching as children, and stuck with us simply because of how terrified they made us. Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to just that: The movies our parents shouldn't have let us see, movies that have lingered in our minds for decades.          Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has had exceptional staying power. It's enjoyed ebbs and flows in its relevance and success, of course, but it's been in the nerd consciousness for more than 30 years, and there's a reason for that: TMNT is awesome. Today's KnockBack is dedicated to the Turtles, with much of the conversation focusing on the classic 1990 film. But obviously, we touch on the cartoons, toys, and more, too. So let's jump in! Oh... and bring your Jose Canseco bat, if you can find it.        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the pre-Internet days, few things distracted children as much as Nickelodeon, one of the earliest and most successful cable television channels ever created. With humble origins in the late '70s (when it was known as Pinwheel), Nickelodeon hit its stride during the Reagan Administration and never looked back. Today's episode of KnockBack is dedicated to Nickelodeon during the '80s; Dagan and I spend nearly two hours breaking down some of our favorite shows, and have more than a few laughs as we reminisce about those simpler times.         Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1991, a game came out that changed the Moriarty Brothers' lives: Street Fighter II. SF2 took the world by storm, and changed the way we looked at, played, and experienced games forever. Indeed, when it comes to sheer hours played, there are few games we dumped more time into, whether then or now. This episode is dedicated to our many memories playing Street Fighter II (and its offshoots), reminiscing about how we discovered it, when we finally procured our own copy, and about how good we thought we were... 'til we went to Disneyland in 1992 and Dagan got his ass beat. Select your character and jump on in!       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

War is hell. But on the big screen, it's sure as hell fun to watch. On this week's episode of KnockBack, Dagan and I take a long, hard look at our favorite war movies -- from the obvious to the obscure -- and discuss why movies that show such heinous acts of violence can also uplift us all with equally amazing acts of heroism and valor. So suit up, grab your M1 Garand, and get listening!       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices