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Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 263: Super Mario Bros. 2 & 3, Saturday Night Live, Famous Backup Singers On Famous Songs(10-7-2026)

 


A pair of beloved Super Mario Bros. sequels. The premiere of Saturday Night Live. Some famous people singing backup on other famous songs. 

Episode 263 kicks off the month of October with a lot of fun GenX nostalgia and pop culture.

We begin with a double dose of video game classics. Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 are so connected that it felt wrong to not talk about both. One was experimental while the other became one of the best-selling games ever for the NES. Both of them were highly influential on games that came after. Get ready for a speedrun through the world of Mario.

Saturday Night Live should not have succeeded the way it did. Unknown comedians, unknown writers, creating a show seen as filler for what were reruns of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Yet, more than five decades later, the show is looked at as the launch pad of dozens of famous stars and is one of the most important television shows ever. We will look at how it all began.

In an oddly specific Top 5, we will look at famous singers who also sang backup on other famous songs. Some of these are common knowledge, but others you might not have heard about. Get ready to create a new Spotify playlist.

There is also a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule looking back at the Broadway debut of the musical Cats.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 262 here

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 262: Nickelodeon's Double Dare, Worst After School Specials, Weird 1980s PC Games(9-30-2026)

 


Celebrating 40 years of Double Dare. Some of the worst after-school specials ever. A collection of weird and wild 1980s PC games.

Episode 262 ends the month of September with all shades of GenX nostalgia and pop culture.

On your mark, get set, go! The show sprints from the start with a look back forty years at the debut of Nickelodeon's sloppy fun game show Double Dare. Every 80s kid who watched the show either wanted to be on it or wanted to find ways to replicate it in our own lives. Slime, physical challenges, flags, and loads of memories are here.

ABC's After School Specials were a big part of the lives of 70s and 80s kids. It's where we learned about how to deal with bullying, drugs, peer pressure, and more. On this week's show, we will go to the bottom of the barrel to find some of the worst episodes from the beloved series. This includes a future A-list actor diving out of a window.

Not every video game can change the industry. For every Oregon Trail that defined the 1980s, there were also plenty of weird and just plain terrible PC games. This week we look at the Top 5 weird PC games from the 1980s, including one based on a C-level one-hit wonder band. 

This week, we also have a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule looking back at the debut of the Ford Model T.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 261 here

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 258: Stand By Me Turns 40, Metroid For the NES, Classes No Longer Taught In School, River Phoenix(8-26-2026)

 


The 40th anniversary of Stand By Me. Also, the 40th anniversary of Nintendo's Metroid. Some classes that are no longer taught in school.

Episode 258 brings the Gen-X nostalgia in time for going back to school.

40 years ago this week, one of the seminal movies of 1980s kids' lives was released. Stand By Me was based on a Stephen King story and gave many kids of the time the desire to go hike the railroad tracks. We do a deep dive into the film, its importance, and the impact it had on kids at the time, like me.

Also 40 years ago this week, one of the most popular and influential games for the original Nintendo was released. Metroid was heavily influenced by the film Alien but in turn also blazed a trail for future games. Perhaps the perfect game for Gen-X, it taught you to go explore and find your own way. Were you able to defeat Mother Brain? Did you know the main character was female?

It's back to school time. This week's Top 5 ties in perfectly as we look at some classes that are no longer taught in school. Whether totally obsolete or extremely scaled back, these are classes that used to be part of the curriculum but have since faded away.

As always, there is a brand-new This Week in History and Time Capsule, looking back at the life and career of actor River Phoenix.

To support me and the show, become a member on Patreon. 

Or you can support my work and Buy Me A Coffee!

Helpful Links from this Episode

Listen to Episode 257 here