Thoughts On the 25th anniversary of the Clinton/Lewinsky Affair

Every generation has its own political scandal that defines that era. It speaks to the values and beliefs of that time.

This month is the 25th anniversary of the revelation of the Clinton/Lewinsky affair and the eventual impeachment of the President. On last Sunday’s episode of Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd and his rotating group of panelists discussed the long-term effects of this particular news item.

Starts at 26:44

Once the details hit the presses, Lewinsky became a punchline. Clinton would eventually weather the storm and end his time in office with a mostly solid reputation.

One of the things that struck me was a comment made by one of the guests. If it had happened today, the #MeToo movement would have vindicated Lewinsky. Clinton would be in the same league as Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer.

If nothing else, this shows that change does happen. It just sometimes takes a quarter of a century for it to be accepted as the norm.

Advertisement

Frosted Tips with Lance Bass Podcast Review

Every generation has its own musical artists that define the era. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, boy bands were everywhere. Many young girls (myself included) screamed our lungs out for our favorite performers.

Frosted Tips with Lance Bass is the newest podcast on the nostalgia block. Hosted by former NSYNC member Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, the guest in each episode is a member of one of the boy bands that specifies that time period.

I am loving this podcast. I am laughing, I am smiling, and I am enjoying myself. It is the perfect time machine that for a brief time, takes me back to when life was not so complicated.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

New episodes of Frosted Tips with Lance Bass are released every Monday.

Flashback Friday: Frasier (1993 to 2004)

Every decade has its own iconic media.

In the 1990s, one of those television shows was Frasier. A spinoff of Cheers, the show followed Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) as he returned to his hometown of Seattle. Working as a radio host/psychotherapist, he dispensed advice to listeners.

While being the guru for those who called into his show, his personal life was a bit messier. Among those who he dealt with outside of work were his equally neurotic younger brother Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and their father Martin (the late John Mahoney). Adding a female voice to the mix was his producer Roz Doyle (Peri Gilpin) and their housekeeper Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves).

I never really watched it back in the day. On the rare instances when I did watch, I found it mildly appealing. There was an intellectual bent to the comedy that made it more than the average sitcom. Obviously, there was enough of an audience to keep Frasier on the air for 11 years, but I wasn’t among them.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Where Were You in ’92? Podcast Review

Every once in a while, a year comes along that is so culturally important that it changes us in some way.

The new podcast, Where Were You in ’92? examines the most iconic songs from 1992 and the impact that music has had since its initial release. Host Jason Lamphier interviews artists, producers, music video directors, and others to examine why this specific year opened the door to the world that we live in today.

To provide some context, I was in junior high school in 1992. So obviously, there were certain things that were over my head at that point. That being said, I have enjoyed the two episodes that have aired so far. The insights provided have given me a rearview perspective that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It is also a nice trip down memory lane for those of us who remember that time.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

New episodes of Where Were You in ’92? are released every Wednesday.

Flashback Friday: 3 Ninjas (1992)

The bond between a grandparent and their grandchildren is an important one. It has the potential to forever have an effect on the younger generation, regardless of their age.

In the 1990s film, 3 Ninjas, Rocky (Michael Treanor), Colt (Max Elliott Slade), and Tum Tum (Chad Power) spend every summer with their grandfather (Victor Wong). Grandpa is a Ninjutsu master who has taught his grandsons everything he knows.

They are kidnapped by Snyder (Rand Kingsley), a former pupil of their grandfather’s. Snyder plans to use the boys to get to their FBI agent father Sam (Alan McRae). He thinks that his plans will work. He has no idea that the kids can fight back.

Obviously, this is a kid’s movie. Anyone over a certain age will likely pass on it.

Looking back, I was the perfect age for the film when it was released 30 years ago. But as an adult, I obviously look at it with different eyes. Beyond the lack of female characters outside of the traditional roles, the narrative is simplistic and almost too predictable.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Pod Meet World Podcast Review

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can take you back to who you were at the moment in time. But there is also an element of understanding how the passage of time can change your perspective.

The new podcast Pod Meets World stars three actors from the 1990’s sitcom Boy Meets World. In the same vein as Zack to the Future, Danielle Fishel (Topanga), Rider Strong (Shawn), and Will Friedle (Eric) talk about their memories of making the show, watching it through adult eyes, and interviewing their costars.

This podcast is so much fun to listen to. I remember watching it as a kid and loving the program. Growing up with these characters, the experiences of my teenage years was perfectly reflected through Corey’s eyes. It was the perfect mixture of reminiscing and having the understanding of now being an adult.

What made me feel quite old was the episode with William Russ, who played the father. At the time of the show, Russ was the same age that Strong is now. Where have the last thirty years gone?

Do I recommend it? Yes.

New episodes of Pod Meet World are released every Monday and Thursday.

If I Don’t Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings Book Review

School used to be a place in which we nurture the minds and futures of the next generation. It has in recent years, become a place of death and heartache.

If I Don’t Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings, by Loren Kleinman and Amye Archer, was published in 2019. Inspired by a text sent by one of the students who survived the Parkland shooting, the book follows the history of school shootings. Interviewing survivors and family members of the victims, the reader is taken into the emotional heart of the experience and the reverberations that last long into the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It hit me in the right place. I was both angry and sad. I was angry about the lives that were lost. I was sad for the families who would never see their children grow up. What struck me was that most, if not all of the shooters fit into a certain type. They are mostly angry white males who have a grudge and turn to violence to get back at those who they feel have wronged them.

The aspect of the book that has stayed with me was the responses from those who survived Columbine and the other shooting that occurred in the late 1990s. Many of us who were on the verge of adulthood back then are now parents. Though it has been decades since they were nearly killed, hearing the news immediately took them back to that day. It is a reminder that trauma of this kind never truly leaves us, regardless of how many years have passed.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

If I Don’t Make It, I Love You: Survivors in the Aftermath of School Shootings is available wherever books are sold.

Throwback Thursday: Hang Time (1995-2000)

Everyone has that one thing in high school that defines those years and that experience. It could be sports, music, art, etc.

Hang Time aired on NBC from 1995-2000. This high school sitcom followed the lives of seven members of a high school basketball team at fictional Deering High School.

In short, this show was Saved by the Bell on the basketball court. Other than the sports angle, the only thing that made this show stand out was that the team consisted of both male and female players. I can recall watching an episode or two, but I was not a regular viewer. Obviously, there was enough of an audience to keep the series on the air for five years. I was not among them.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Thoughts On the Discontinuation of the iPod

The technology of a certain era can tell us a lot about the world in which it existed.

In the early 2000s, Apple released the iPod. This little device changed the music industry, allowing fans to pick and choose which songs they wanted to buy and/or listen to. Last week, the company announced that the product is being discontinued.

I bought my iPod more than ten years ago. It lasted until earlier this year when the battery died and I had to replace it. I’m not one of those people who, technology-wise, is brand loyal only to Apple. I’m more of a mix and match kind of person. What I love about this device is its simplicity, its ingenuity, and how much it can do than simply play music.

I came into this world in the early 1980s, when records were still king. By the time I was in junior high in the early 1990s, everyone was listening to music via tapes. Flash forward another ten years and CDs were giving way to mp3s and other early forms of digital music. When I was in college, Napster and LimeWire were the rage, even if their legal footing was on shaky ground.

Saying goodbye to the iPod is not going to be easy. It represents not just a generational change in technology, but also how our world has changed overall in the last twenty years or so.

RIP iPod, thanks for the years and the memories.

Throwback Thursday: One World (1998-2001)

There is no one way to become a parent. While many go the traditional route, others choose either fostering or adoption.

The NBC 1990s series, One World (1998-2001), followed a married couple Dave and Karen Blake (Michael Toland and Elizabeth Morehead) as they do their best to raise their six kids, who all come from various backgrounds.

Unlike other shows of this era (i.e. Saved by the Bell) that focused solely on the kids in the school setting, I like that the younger characters were seen both at home and on campus. I also appreciate that the creators went through the extra efforts to create a world with diversity as the backbone.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.