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Last week’s Friday Happy Hour shattered the previous week’s attendance record, with 131 comments. That will be tough to beat.
1) I’ve made a few trips to my parents’ house, searching for quiz ideas. Piled up with my old WWF action figures and baseball cards are several boxes of VHS tapes. Back in middle school, I was rapid with the record button. Between 1991 and 1993—my definitive VCR days—I taped nearly every episode of Saturday Night Live, Cheers and Seinfeld, plus rare treasures like “A Concert for Life” and the 1992 NFL Pro Bowl. Sadly, I was unable to locate any episodes of The Magic Hour, which I distinctly remember recording in 1998. (If you happen to possess any Magic Hour footage, let’s make a deal.)
Today’s first topic: what’s the most intriguing VHS tape you still own? [We're not looking for movies you've bought in VHS format. Rather, stuff you've taped from TV or shot yourself.]
2. Mangesh (floss Co-founder), Jenny (Senior Editor, magazine) and I moved into our new Brooklyn office this week. Right now, the walls are literally a blank canvas. Got any ideas for how we should cover them?
3. Keeping with that theme, what’s the most embarrassing poster to ever adorn your bedroom wall?
4. When I last filled up my trusty Camry, I believe I paid $3.09/gallon. According to news reports, that sounds like a steal. What’s the price of gas where you live?
5. Let’s say I offered you the chance to go study abroad for a semester, regardless of your age, financial situation and family obligations. (Let’s be clear: I’m not offering this.) Where would you go? What would you study?
[See transcripts of previous Friday Happy Hours]
Comments (87)
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1) Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue
2) With a picture of everyone you know so you can coyly and truthfully state you have a picture of them up on your wall
3) It involved frogs. Lots and lots of frogs.
4) $3.09 as well!
5) Galapagos or Fiji – Ecology. [What other way to get to the awesome rarely seen parts? :-)]
posted by Del Sugden on 4-18-2008 at 11:51 am
1. Hmm…either a collection of David Bowie’s television appearances supporting his albums Heathen and Reality or a making of the Two Towers special from the WB that my best friend and I basically memorized.
“I looked at Sean and I was like, ‘You’re freaking me out, dude!’”
2. It would be awesome if you could make a meaningful photomosaic out of Mental Floss covers.
3. Hmm…I had a small picture of Carson Daly for no reason that I can adequately explain. (I wasn’t particularly a fan, nor did I find him all that attractive) I guess the worst would be the Backstreet Boys, which I’m sure is pretty tame as far as embarrassing posters go.
4. I think it was around $3.47 this morning, so yeah, $3.09 does sound like a steal.
5. Well, considering I already made this choice once, I’d probably choose the same place again. Vienna. This time I would probably force myself to socialize more with the Viennese and not with my American friends and I would spend more time studying art. I did that to a certain extent the first time, but I know I missed a lot.
posted by Fruppi on 4-18-2008 at 11:53 am
I have an entire tape full of Mr. Wizard episodes complete with awesome vintage ’80’s commercials from Nickelodeon.
posted by Dan on 4-18-2008 at 11:55 am
1.In the mid-90s, Don Rickles appeared in both “Casino” and “Toy Story”, so he did a number of talk shows. For some reason, I taped every one of those appearances. Rickles on Letterman, Leno, Dennis Miller Live, Tom Snyder (two of those!), sitting in for Kathie Lee on “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee”. Even sadder: I cherish that tape.
2.See answer #3.
3.It’s a toss-up between Dana Carvey as the Church Lady and a “Lean On Me” poster.
4.$3.39 a gallon in Nashville, you lucky bastard.
5.Gotta think about this one a little more.
posted by C. Michael on 4-18-2008 at 11:56 am
1. A videotape of me in my music conducting class…..I am ashamed of some of the outfits I wore in college.
2. You should write to one of those decorating shows and let them decorate for you. Saves time and money.
3. Debbie Gibson poster
4. 3.34 a gallon
5. Bonn, Germany- b/c I was almost an exchange student there….but missed it by a margin. Would love to still do it.
posted by lizhot on 4-18-2008 at 12:00 pm
When I was 13 I taped every instance of Pearl Jam on TV that I could find. From snippets of MTV interviews to Unplugged to videos, I had it covered. I was obsessed. Then at 15 I gave it away along with 20+ posters, magazine articles, drawings I had. Poo.
posted by Michelle on 4-18-2008 at 12:00 pm
1. I have a tape of old disney cartoons (the good ones, with mickey and donald and chip and dale.) Also, I used to have this cartoon movie about not smoking, which had all sorts of cartoon characters from looney tunes and disney… if anyone else knows what the name of that is, let me know – it was what kept me from smoking!
2. Have everyone bring in photos that mean things to them (children, landscapes they love, etc.) and just make a big collage.
3. When I was in middle school I COVERED my ENTIRE ROOM with JOnathan Taylor Thomas posters… dont I feel like an idiot.
4. Yesterday I paid $3.69 a gallon at COSTCO.
5. Ireland, and would study the art of making and drinking alcohol.
posted by Sarah on 4-18-2008 at 12:01 pm
1. Late 80’s Mtv’s 120 min (the old late Sunday night alternative music video show on Mtv – right before Liquid Television) The Cure special, I WORE that tape out!
3. A big WHAM! poster, ha! O those dreamy eyes and that big hair…
4. $3.45 a gallon, another reason I’m glad I don’t drive!
5. Costa Rica – Ecology (the best place for it)
posted by Annie on 4-18-2008 at 12:04 pm
1) I have an old Phil Donahue show where professional dancers are showing Phil, and guests, how to do “The Bat Dance.”
2) Graffiti art.
3) Duran Duran with a tiger at their feet.
4) $3.95 (Vashon, WA)
5) Paris. Write a book about cemeteries.
posted by Jonathan Shipley on 4-18-2008 at 12:04 pm
(1) Myself taking a golf lesson
(2) One really great large art piece
(3) a poster of a big toe
(4) 3.27 a gallon this morning; it has probably gone up since then
(5) England, the Royal School of Needlework
posted by carol on 4-18-2008 at 12:06 pm
1) The day I was on the news for getting to be “fire chief for a day.” I just kept talking and talking and talking. And because I had a lisp, I sounded like I was from Long Island, when I’d never left california. I was 8, and had a girl-mullet. shoot me please.
2) All maps. You can usually buy old national geographic maps pretty cheap at used book stores, or online. Or get free AAA maps. Or USGS topo maps. They look great on a wall, add color, and interest. I have a friend who wallpapered her spare bathroom in USGS maps. It looks really cool.
3) Kirk Cameron. And next to him was Fred Savage. Again, shoot me please.
4) $3.45
5) some tiny town deep in the australian outback.
posted by Jenny on 4-18-2008 at 12:07 pm
1) About 4 hours worth of Dana Carvey/SNL when it was still good.
2) Abstract pattern a la Kandinsky
3) “Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from StarWars Poster”
4) $3.99 for premium. And there are oil derricks off the coast.
5) Oxford or Cambridge in England to study medieval art, Italy to study Italian Renaissance art, or New Zealand because I have been enamored of that country since I was in 7th grade.
posted by andrea on 4-18-2008 at 12:07 pm
1. A Garfield Christmas special. We still watch it every year. We also USED to have the Muppet Family Christmas (NOT Christmas Carol…big difference), but it has since been lost. The copy you can buy now isn’t the same as the one that was on TV. If anyone has a copy and wants to share…
4. It’s 3.45 in Wisconsin. I will say that it has gotten me walking to a lot of places I used to drive to.
5. London, to study world history. It always seems so much more interesting to learn about when you’re actually in the spot where it happened.
posted by Miss V on 4-18-2008 at 12:10 pm
1. I have various interviews and shows in which Ben Affleck was a guest. I was really into him in junior high.
2. A larger version of that picture of Magic Johnson that is on this post.
3. I had a poster from the movie “Michael.” The one where John Travolta was a fallen angel. I have no idea why I owned that.
4. Yesterday, I saw 3.85/gallon. It is horrible where I live.
5. I would go back to Ireland because I only did summer school there and I wish I had done a full year and I would study Irish history and folklore.
posted by Lauren on 4-18-2008 at 12:11 pm
1. The “Friends Forever” episode of Saved By The Bell. I also recorded just the audio on a little Dictaphone straight from the TV so my friends and I could sing along with the Zack Attack whenever we wanted..rad!
2.chewed gum..everyone can have their own wall to stick and reuse.
3. New Kids on the Block..stuck to my ceiling (another thing chewed gum is good for).
4.$3.54..Where do you live Qatar?
5.Antarctica.I would study living in Antarctica and Penguins because they are cute.
posted by Bboop on 4-18-2008 at 12:11 pm
1. drunken home made boxing tapes.
2.vinyl
3. a JDD i think was his name. the kid from home improvement.
4. 3.35 jesus christ
5. i would go to sweden and study death metal.
posted by meta on 4-18-2008 at 12:14 pm
2. A giant mural of rainbows, butterflies, and hands of all colors high-fiving each other.
3. When I was in junior high I had bunch of Stevie Nicks posters on my wall. Did I mention I am 23 and this was 1997 not 1976? Yeah.
4. 3.09?? Jeebus!!! I paid 3.46 this morning in Maryland. Everytime I pump gas I like to think about the time I paid $1.25 a gallon…way back when…in 2002….
5. Totally cliche, but I’d love to go back to Paris, so I could intern at the Musee D’Orsay and eat lots and lots of ham and butter sandwiches. Yum.
posted by Lauren on 4-18-2008 at 12:16 pm
2. whatisblik.com – they have great art decals for walls
posted by caitlen315 on 4-18-2008 at 12:21 pm
Meta – That’s JTT you’re looking for. I had him too, Sarah. All my friends thought he was just dreamy. I wonder what happened to him.
posted by Fruppi on 4-18-2008 at 12:22 pm
1.) I just found an old VHS tape with Club MTV on it, circa 1992. Wow! How incredibly BAD!
2.)Have someone paint a mural of everyone in the office – maybe caricature style.
3.)Two awful poster I had on my walls, that I can’t believe I’m telling people about, were 1.)Val Kilmer from the movie Willow, and Nelson. *Hanging my head REALLY low right now!*
4.)I paid $3.21 2 days ago just outside of Ocean City, MD. It’s now $3.24
5.) I would LOVE to go to Italy and study art.
posted by wanaki on 4-18-2008 at 12:25 pm
1. Somewhere at my folks’ house is the tape I made of myself at age 8 singing along with Weird Al into a hairbrush. Rock star!
2. I recently bought a bunch of stick-on mustaches and glued them to little canvases I painted solid colors. They look really cool on the wall.
3. I had a little shrine to Johnny Depp on the back of my bedroom door in the early 90’s–but I mean, c’mon, who didn’t?
4. I take the train or ride my bike, suckas!
5. I would love to go to Greece and study ancient Greek.
posted by Annie on 4-18-2008 at 12:28 pm
1. On VHS – most of the X-Files early shows
2. Use MF Magazine covers as wallpaper
3. nadda
4. $3.09 in Denville,NJ as of yesterday
5. Send me to Dublin, Ireland where I could study literature!
posted by JaneM on 4-18-2008 at 12:32 pm
1) My dad used to tape auto races from tv. I never understood that…why tape cars going in circles if you already know who won?
2) I would say to paint it with that chalkboard paint and then youc an change it whenever you want!
3) Most embarassing poster? New Kids On The Block, without a doubt.
4) I live in suburban St. Louis. Gas here is $3.49 a gallon. Fortunately I only have to drive 5 miles to work!
5) I’m a teacher. I would love to go to Europe and study their education system. It makes SO much more sense than ours. They give students the option of going to a trade school instead of high school.
posted by Elizabeth on 4-18-2008 at 12:36 pm
2. Okay I thought of more. a) GIANT Microsoft Office Clip Art murals, or b) buy some chalkboard paint and sidewalk chalk!!
posted by Lauren on 4-18-2008 at 12:37 pm
The original airing of The Goonies on the disney channel, complete with octopus scene.
posted by Jay on 4-18-2008 at 12:39 pm
I have Princess Diana’s ENTIRE funeral on VHS tape
posted by Samantha on 4-18-2008 at 12:40 pm
1. I have a tape of my mom, aunt and uncle in their early 20s making an awful/hilarious fake infomercial for the “Ginsu plunger”
2. I like the map idea someone threw out there.
3. A Frank Thomas White Sox poster across which my brother had written his third-grade girlfriend’s name. I tried to white it out but it didn’t really work.
4. $3.39ish here in Idaho. Probably more by the time I step outside again.
5. Switzerland, chocolate
posted by Tara on 4-18-2008 at 12:44 pm
1. “Transformer” episodes from 1984, “Are you affraid of the dark?” and “Today’s Special” episodes
2. I’m sure you’ll come up with something creative all by yourself…
3. I used to cut out magazine pictures from GamePro and tape them to my wall. It was covered!!!
4. I just filled the Delorean up…$3.55/gallon
5. Rome.
posted by DeLorean 4512 on 4-18-2008 at 12:49 pm
1. An old TV special (early 80s) about Dinosaurs. I must have watched it hundreds of times – every time I went over to my Grandma’s as a kid, I had to see it. Watching the old commercials is part of the fun!
3. JC from NSYNC. My friends made me get it. EW.
4. The cheapest around, according to Gasbuddy, is $3.85. There are many above $4. California sucks (only in that respect.)
5. Achaeology in Italy or Greece. Or Paleontology in Patagonia.
posted by Leah on 4-18-2008 at 12:53 pm
We have a VHS on which are compiled all the Christmas specials that aired during the 1987 holiday season. It includes many of the well-played classics: Rudolph, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a few less frequently played but still well known items like Muppet Family Christmas and Garfield’s Christmas, and a couple of rare gems that have only recently been revived on DVD (thank god) like A Claymation Christmas Celebration and the bizarre Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. We still play this collection yearly because, although most of the specials on on DVD now, we also generally failed to pause for commercials and they contain some classic Osh-Kosh, 7-up and M&Ms ads that were pretty definitive of my young years.
Where do you live?! My gas hasn’t been that close to $3 for months! We’re hanging around 3.30-3.50.
I would go to Univ College Galway to study Irish, with a healthy amount of weekend travels.
posted by s michael c on 4-18-2008 at 12:54 pm
2) Paint
3) Eddie from Iron Maiden
4) $3.69 was the price I paid the last time I filled up, but the price has since gone up (the station nearest my house is now at $3.99). However, these are premium prices (my car “requires” it)
posted by Florida on 4-18-2008 at 12:57 pm
1\ I have all 11 episodes of “Cop Rock” on VHS from the original 1990 broadcast (and I will not throw them away until the DVD box set is released, hahaha).
4\ $3.979/g
posted by Jeff on 4-18-2008 at 1:04 pm
1. I had the third through sixth seasons of The X-Files on VHS, with the commercials perfectly edited out. (I am that OCD) When I left for college, I came back at Christmas to find that my younger sister had used them to tape Rugrats and other stuff. I was livid…
2. I agree, I think you get on one of those decorating shows.
3. Sarah, (up near the top) – my wall was also PLASTERED with pin-ups of Jonathan Taylor Thomas when I was in 8-9th grade! Glad to know I’m not the only one…
4. I paid about $3.47 when I filled up on Monday.
5. I would pretty much go anywhere in Europe – Rome, Paris, or London especially, to study art, music & history.
posted by Melodye on 4-18-2008 at 1:04 pm
1. I used to have the whole series of “The Secret Life of Machines,” but lost them in a flood. :-( They’re on YouTube now, though!
2. Darn. I was going to say chalkboard paint. In the alternative, you could get big sheets of that laminate board they sell for backsplashes and bathroom walls and use it as a GIANT marker board.
3. Urkel. I don’t know why.
4. $3.45 as of this morning here in the Bluegrass. If *I* had a DeLorean, I’d go back to the $1.25 days mentioned before. – Side question to DeLorean 4512: do you get tired of people saying things like that?
5. Moscow, to study Cold War history from a Soviet perspective.
posted by Roger on 4-18-2008 at 1:06 pm
1. There’s a tape somewhere at my parent’s house that is a combination of the following: 1/2 of the Charlie Brown Christmas special, my little brother’s preschool graduation, and the last 20 minutes of the 1993 NCAA championship game. All taped over my Dad’s white water rafting trip.
2. Paint them. Then, put up framed, b&w pictures of your favorite places.
3. A Will Smith Men In Black poster.
4. $3.09?!? Haven’t seen that in a while. It was $3.45 on my way to work this morning in RTP, NC.
5. I’d go almost anywhere and study almost anything. Living outside the country is one of my goals.
posted by Jenn on 4-18-2008 at 1:11 pm
1) The only show I ever really taped was the X-Files. I got into really it in the fourth or fifth season, so to catch up I used to tape the two episodes shown each day on TNT. I got so obsessed that one day I forgot to set the VCR and failed a math exam worrying about it.
2) I just hung a Buddhist altar cloth in my office at work. People seem intrigued…
3) It would have to be the black-and-white poster of Kermit the Frog, wearing baggy jeans and his arms folded, with the tag-line “Kermit Klein”. I am not a huge fan of Kermit the Frog, so why this poster was necessary I have no idea.
4) $3.47 in NC
5) Definitely Japan. I would study Japanese history, culture, art, and cuisine.
posted by bas on 4-18-2008 at 1:14 pm
1) Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, complete with Halloween Blizzard warning scrolling at the bottom of the page. Great movie.
2) Perhaps a Wheel of Morality or something that you can spin when in need of inspiration.
4) $3.49 is the cheapest ’round here.
5) Argentina to study Tango and Spanish.
posted by Leslie on 4-18-2008 at 1:17 pm
1. I was never big on recording, but somewhere I’ve got some weird home movies my friends and I made where we rocked the camera back and forth pretending to be pirates on the high seas
3. True story: I used to kiss a laminated photo of Balthazar Getty from a Teen Bop magazine every night before I went to bed. Heh.
4. Regular unleaded near my house in Las Vegas is $3.47 as of this morning. Premium is $3.67
5. Ditto bas- I would love to study in Japan and learn the language.
posted by Lindsay C. on 4-18-2008 at 1:22 pm
Jenn’s entry just reminded me of the BEST EVER VHS recording I owned briefly:
During my undergrad studies, I took a communications course where we delivered speeches to the class which were tape recorded. We had to take the tape home and view our speech and discuss how we might improve.
I watched mine and left it in the player over night. Well… my dad didn’t realize that it wasn’t his tape in there and recorded Skinemax over every student’s speech.
Luckily I discovered the.. er.. issue and re-recorded Nick at Night over the whole thing, returned it to class and explained that my father had accidentally recorded reruns of I Love Lucy over the class’s work.
A close encounter and now, a favorite family anecdote.
posted by Lindsay C. on 4-18-2008 at 1:29 pm
1) The first Gulf War – I taped a documentary the night before the invasion began, then added on to it with coverage (including Peter Arnett, Bernard Shaw during the nighttime raids) and Saturday Night Live that week (Sting was guest host, and a great Wayne’s World bit on correspondent names – Wolf Blitzer!)
3) Farah!!!
4) $3.71 was the cheap stuff today
5) West Ireland – traditional Irish music
posted by mac on 4-18-2008 at 1:30 pm
I have a couple episodes of “The Young Ones” that MTV aired in the late 80’s, it’s even on Beta!
posted by michelley on 4-18-2008 at 1:31 pm
1. A shaky shot of my puppy’s first “good girl poop” outside in the backyard.
2. I had a boyfriend once who papered his walls in Absolut ads torn from magazines. I can’t say it was very attractive, but it did make me thirsty.
3. This really wierd crying clown picture that I loved when I was a kid. When I moved in with my husband, he waited till I was asleep and threw it on the trash pile.
4. $3.25 (Denton,.TX)
5. Probably Japan, what I’d like to study there I don’t know. There are a lot of choices. Maybe sociology.
posted by ovaryacting on 4-18-2008 at 1:47 pm
3) It’s a 3-way tie between Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Leonardo DiCaprio and NSYNC. And it wasn’t just one poster…it was 50 of them (at a time). Yeah, I was a huge teenybopper.
5) I studied abroad in Galway a couple of years ago and I would go back in a heartbeat. It was the best time of my life and I miss it every day.
posted by Pam on 4-18-2008 at 1:51 pm
$1.18… canadian… a litre
posted by Mike D on 4-18-2008 at 1:52 pm
1) almost a whole year of MTV’s post-modern MTV
2)playboy centerfolds?
3)Jefferson Starship poster
4)$3.65 a gallon
5)Paris—enology
posted by Bill on 4-18-2008 at 1:59 pm
Pam – what did you study in Galway?
posted by mac on 4-18-2008 at 2:06 pm
Back in high school, I used to record every single episode of Buffy, Angel, Felicity, and Dawson’s Creek, until of course they started syndicating them and coming out with DVD sets (plus, I stopped watching Felicity and DC; I’m still die-hard Buffy/Angel fan to the max). I still have them, though, and sometimes it’s amusing to go back and watch the commercials.
Same with SNICK (Saturday night Nickelodeon, which isn’t even on anymore), which started back when I was in 5th grade. I recorded that a few times and it’s really fun to see the toy and cereal commercials.
posted by Celeste M. on 4-18-2008 at 2:09 pm
Depends on where the broad is..
posted by Dan on 4-18-2008 at 2:32 pm
1. I have a copy of the cartoon version of The Hobbit taped off of ABC in the 80’s. I has all the lyrics memorized: “That’s what Bilbo Baggins’ hates, so carefully, carefully with the plates.”
Also, I uncovered a VHS tape filled with episodes of the Gummi Bears cartoon, which was pretty fantastic.
2. I think you should cover the walls with 10 lists of your very own.
3. Hmm… I had a full size poster of Dr. Who’s TARDIS. In retrospect, this is very cool and not embarrassing, but humiliating when friends came over.
4. $3.45, Minneapolis
5. I would go to Greece/Turkey to study art history. Nothing like going back to the place it all began…
posted by jzimm on 4-18-2008 at 2:35 pm
1. A 120 Minutes year end special of all the live appearances from that year, featured multiple performance by both Concrete Blonde and PJ Harvey.
thought the video with The Garfield Halloween Special, The Garfield Thanksgiving Special and The Petrified Forest is a bit odd as well.
2. I dig the blackboard paint notion. Also big expanses of corkboard allow hanging things and using them for dartboards.
3. Most embarrasing? A promotional poster for a University Renaissance faire that I had been in.
4. 3.42 a gallon driving in to work this morning.
5. If I could study abroad anywhere I would probably choose Florence, Italy and study carpentry/construction.
posted by EMStoveken on 4-18-2008 at 2:36 pm
1) As a teenager, I used to tape every show that had Menudo on it, even the 20/20 show.
2) I think a pretty mural or some nice artwork would do (think Pollack or deKooning.)
3)Menudo posters as a teen.
4) Right now, we are running about $3.65. This is Southern Ohio and WV.
5) I would go to Italy and finish an art history degree. I have a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies where I studied art and psychology. I would love to go and finish the art portion of my degree. (I am getting a PhD right now)
posted by Sue on 4-18-2008 at 2:40 pm
The most embarrassing poster I had on my wall as a child was Rick Astley. As my cousin recently pointed out, I RickRolled myself every morning when I woke up.
posted by Allie on 4-18-2008 at 2:51 pm
1. In my parents garage we have a taped-from-tv copy of the Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman episode where they go to Boston to visit her stuck up parents. Love it.
2. I like the blackboard paint idea. Or you could commission my brilliant roommate, who installed this crazy piece on the big wall in our living room that everyone loves.
3. I had a bunch of those ‘got milk’ ads covering my walls in high school.
4. Public transit is where it’s at.
5. I would go to France and Italy to study cooking. Or I would stay in America and work at an organic farm… to study food chains, I guess.
posted by Adrienne on 4-18-2008 at 2:53 pm
1) I have a video tape of me lip synching Ace of Base “I Saw the Sign” in a long sleeve crop top. Mm. Yeah. You will never see this video.
2) Tape up pizza boxes. Its very lovely.
3) Menudo when I was (much) younger. Poison.
4)$3.20
5) I would go to Crete & study Greek Mythology/Art History.
posted by tara on 4-18-2008 at 3:07 pm
1-Toss up between my sisters and me taping ourselves having a “fashion show” in our living room and a really old copy of Santa Claus…the one with the evil toy/candy maker that makes gum which causes kids to fly
2-I think a combination of the blackboard/corkboard idea, giant crosswords that could be changed out, and lots of random pictures of historical places/figures
3-In junior high I too would buy all the teeny bopper magazines and rip out the pages to put on my walls…they were covered in JTT, Devon Sawa, and Brad Renfro…oh yeah!
4-I think gas was about $3.50ish when I filled up the other day here in Memphis
5-My hubby and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon and I would LOVE to go back and learn more about their culture! We had the best time there!
posted by CB on 4-18-2008 at 3:08 pm
1. VHS – the tape of me going on the Sky Screamer rip cord ride at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Shortly after that, the ride was taken down along with the rest of the amusement park.
2.LOL Cats
3. Sadly, I made my own posters with the names of songs I liked on them. Pretty lame.
4. I paid $3.45 for the “cheap” stuff Tuesday.
5. I would want to be Zane Lamprey’s understudy on “Three Sheets” and study the many ways to get intoxicated. If you haven’t watched “Three Sheets” I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s on the Mojo channel.
posted by Jamie on 4-18-2008 at 3:11 pm
1) When the Muppet Show was re-released on Nick when I was in high school (early 90s) I taped them all. I still have and watch them!
2) No clue.
3) Didn’t really go the poster route until college. Then, in a fit of boredom one day, my room mate and I made a bunch of flowers and chains from construction paper and tissue paper (seriously- think 2nd grade art project and you would be about right)
4) Thank goodness for the MTA- if not, I would be stuck paying 3.50/gallon
5) Italy/Greece/France- to study both the art and the food.
posted by Karen on 4-18-2008 at 3:11 pm
1. Well, other than the sex tapes of Marilyn Monroe, just a few episodes from the original season of Ren & Stimpy.
2. All I can say is Einstein should find his ways onto those walls somewhere!
3. A poster of the “Unknown Comic” from The Gong Show… wearing nothing save for 2 paper bags.
4. $3.19 in New Hampshire
5. Culinary Arts in Italy. Or wait, is there a XXX Movie actor training school?
posted by Bill W on 4-18-2008 at 3:11 pm
1) My parents would always tape kids movies during the HBO free weekends, so I have E.T., the Goonies, and a really weird trippy 70’s version of Jack and the Bean Stalk.
2)I think you should put up some flossie picks
3)I was way into JTT so of course my room was papered in Teen Beat posters of him
4)I filled up yesterday for 3.28 and I considered myself lucky. Isnt that disgusting?!
5)I would go to either Peru or Argentina and study I don’t know what. Or maybe I would go to New Zealand and study Geology. I know some people who did that and it changed their lives. All they wanted to do is save up money to go back permanently…
posted by StephW on 4-18-2008 at 3:12 pm
1. The sportscenter episode when Mark McGwire hit his 70’s homerun. I thought then that it was the most amazing sports feat. (Unfortunately, that has been ruined for me, knowing most of the at the time were cheating.)
2. One suggestion for what not to do…wallpaper. Ever try to take it off?
3. Back to the best sports cheats ever: Jose Canseco.
4. $3.19. in southern NH
5. easy…Italy/France for culinary!
posted by Johnecjr on 4-18-2008 at 3:13 pm
1. I have a tape somewhere (possibly my ex-boyfriend’s house) of the 2002 NCAA Men’s Hockey title game. Go Gophers!
3. When I was about 10 or 12, I had a movie theatre-sized poster from the movie Willow. Hee.
posted by Julia on 4-18-2008 at 3:29 pm
Jamie: Oooooh LOL Cats! Brilliant! I second that one!
posted by Lindsay C. on 4-18-2008 at 3:34 pm
1.) Alf – almost a whole seasons worth
2.) You should put overlapping squares of tissue paper (this was on Trading Spaces). It is awesomely geometric!
3.) Muppets, when it wasn’t cool to still have Muppets on your wall!
4.) It was the last station to raise it’s price on my way to work. It was $3.15, but will be closer to $3.22 on the way home I’m sure :(
5.) Belguim, was there for a week and would go back for the waffles alone!
posted by Mavis on 4-18-2008 at 3:42 pm
1. Circus of the Stars all taped onto VHS. Yes I really was that obsessed with it.
2. you should write as many numbers of Pi that will fit in the wall and run a contest to see who can guess how many numbers actually fit.
3.a bad english poster. They’re the ones that sang “When i see you Smile”
4.$3.69 here…just rose in Chicago
5. I’d go to Belgium and study beer making and art. Some would argue beer making is an art
posted by Alicia on 4-18-2008 at 4:10 pm
1. The network television debuts of Star Trek 2 and Superman 2… on one tape! It’s fascinating to see the clips from the news or what “new” shows are coming out that Fall when you watch these old tapes!
2. Cover the walls with Mental Floss covers.
3. I don’t know about embarrassing, but I used to have a Christina Applegate poster that was kinda hot.
4. $3.54
5. Probably math or physics at Oxford.
posted by Alex on 4-18-2008 at 4:32 pm
1- The original network showing of Star Wars (back when it WAS Star Wars). During the commercial breaks they interviewed celebrities about their favorite bits. Now if only I had the Holiday Special…
2- I personally vote for giant maps of the world… but I like the chalkboard paint.
5- Only one trip? Too many choices to pick.
posted by Bill on 4-18-2008 at 6:06 pm
2. I like the idea of mental_floss cover themed artwork. Maybe a mosaic of your magazine covers through the ages? Another fun idea would be pictures of famous geniuses, redone in the style of that famous Andy Warhol soup can painting. It would be yet another great way to pay tribute to Einstein.
posted by Sandy on 4-18-2008 at 6:29 pm
5. Japan. To study the culture and Japanese.
posted by jennifer on 4-18-2008 at 7:19 pm
I got everyone beat. Where I live gas is $12 a gallon. A full tank on a car is about $100.
posted by Laura on 4-18-2008 at 7:22 pm
the kid from home improvment was JTT
Johnathan Taylor Thomas
posted by jenn on 4-18-2008 at 7:22 pm
1.) I never really recorded anything off the T.V…
2.) I adore the idea above – paint with chalkboard paint and you’ll have walls (or even just do it to one wall!) that are fun and functional.
3.) Oh jeez…I went through a Garth Brooks phase in about 1991…
4.) Price of gas here is $3.59/gallon. Thank goodness for public transportation! In my town, for $1.20, you can ride the buses all day long. :-D
5.) I would go to England. I think it would be interesting to study the old churches and such – I’d especially love to see the churches that were built on old Pagan religious sites. ^_^ I’m just a heathen like that.
posted by Rose on 4-18-2008 at 7:30 pm
1- Many, many “Disney Sunday Night Movies” – including the one called “Double Switch” that starred George Newbern, a.k.a. “Danny the Yeti” on Season 5 of Friends. Also the 1985 & 1986 Miss USA pageants because they took place in our town, Wichita, KS. And the 30th anniversary celebration of Disney World, hosted by Bea Arthur and someone else I can’t remember.
3- Um, Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver.
posted by Vivian on 4-18-2008 at 8:14 pm
1) I have a video from my senior year of HS that some friends and I did for a European history class. It’s sufficiently embarrassing and hilarious for everyone involved.
2) I came in here to post chalkboard paint, but I see that others have come up with the same thing. My other suggestion that I’ve seen carried out is to paint bricks or stone on the wall, and allow everyone to “graffiti” it.
3) Um, pretty much just the Duke basketball team in 1991 or so. At the time I thought I would go to school there…I went to Wake Forest Univ. instead.
4) Today gas jumped from $3.29 this morning to $3.45 this afternoon.
5) Ireland (my very, very, favorite place to be), to study history and the Irish language.
posted by Jen on 4-18-2008 at 8:58 pm
1. I taped a whole season of a Japanese anime called Ghostfighter on BETAMAX
2. Make it look like an arthouse or jazz/coffeehouse. Shabby chic!
3. I had a poster of Jonathan Taylor Thomas once
4. Unleaded Gas is $4.53/gal here in the Philippines
5. Italy or China to study Culinary arts!
posted by Leizl on 4-18-2008 at 10:43 pm
1. In middle/high school I basically tapped the entire WB lineup…Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek, Angel
2. Cover the walls with life-size cut-outs of yourselves…it might be creepy but it would look neat
3. I had two gigantic Titanic movie posters
4. Unleaded gas is 3.49/gal in St. Louis, MO
5. I would study in Spain so I could speak espanol all the time!
posted by Sara on 4-18-2008 at 11:28 pm
1. I used to have an obsession with Blink 182 and Green Day, and I videotaped any of their performances that I could find. I can’t remember anything more specific than that, though.
2. I agree with suggestions of old maps or collaborative collages.
3. Related to my first answer, posters of Blink 182 and Green Day. Large posters, but also magazine cutouts. Anything I could find. Very recently I had a small card advertising a free Chingy concert on the MSU campus hanging on my wall, and I guess that would be embarrassing except for the fact that it was hanging on my wall for, you know, the sake of irony.
4. Last I paid attention, $3.47. $3.09 is a steal indeed.
5. This is difficult. Last year, I might have said Russian so that I could study Russian. However, I am no longer taking Russian, and it’s not something I’m crazy-interested in taking up again. I would go to France, Italy, or Australia – but I don’t know what I’d study there.
posted by Ana on 4-19-2008 at 12:03 am
1) The ENTIRE run of Babylon 5 on TBS. It’s still in storage.
2) I’m going to chime in another vote for chalkboard paint.
3) An incredibly cheese laser-portrait of a wizard summoning a dragon. This was the eighties, after all.
4) $3.39 here in Austin, TX.
5) Either England to study the history of classical occultism or Germany to study beer brewing.
posted by Duke on 4-19-2008 at 11:23 am
Please send me to Scotland, specifically the University of Edinburgh, so I could finish my doctoral studies of Dr. Hugh Blair who taugh there from 1759-1783. His book “Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres” waa the first English textbook used around the world when it was published in 1801. Now that I’m almost 60, I have realized I will never be able to finish the work. It’s a nice dream!
posted by Adrienne on 4-19-2008 at 12:38 pm
1. Back when I was the weest of sprats, my mom taped off the Disney channel for me truly mind-boggling amounts of a cartoon I loved at the time, called “Will Quack-Quack.” I swear I am not making this show up.
1a. To answer the question Sarah posed waaaaay up in this thread, I think the cartoon you’re thinking about is Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.
2. I like the map, chalkboard, and LOLCats ideas.
3a. A painting done by my dad of a man in a spacesuit riding a horse on a spacesuit on the moon.
3b. When I was a young teen, I, like many teenaged girls, tore pictures out from magazines of all the hotest mens and taped them to my walls. What’s so weird and embarrassing about that? Well, being decidedly un-ordinary, all the guys I chose were digital. I.E., video game characters. Many pictures of Link adorned my walls…
4. I’m a college student without a car, so I don’t watch gas prices.
5. I would go to Italy to study astronomy–”getting back,” as it were–or I’d go to Ireland to study poetry. Two of the places I want to see before I die.
posted by Freezair on 4-19-2008 at 4:08 pm
1. I have two episodes of “The State” on one tape, and the first airing of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” on another.
2. Hmm… comics pages from the paper? Old museum promotional banners (I’ve seen sites that sell them)? A giant blow-up of a cool photo (or maybe the first Mental Floss cover)?
5. I wouldn’t mind living at Oxford and geeking out further on literature. But even better (and slightly more practical) would probably be going to Italy and learning to cook everything they can.
posted by Mindy on 4-19-2008 at 5:54 pm
1) I taped “2gether,” the silly MTV movie about a made-up boy band. I also have tapes full of MTV music videos, and strangely enough, ‘N SYNC when they were on the Rosie O’Donnell show.
2) Chalkboard paint is a great idea – I never got the chance to paint my walls with it and I thought it would be a blast.
3) I had a huge poster of Lance Bass — my girlish dreams were crushed when he came out.
4) I paid $3.49/gal here in Kent, OH, then went to Akron (10 minute drive) where it was $3.27. Boo.
5) I originally wanted to go to England to study literature abroad, and I think I would still do that – kind of generic, but I love Shakespeare and the Globe would be great to see.
posted by Madelyn on 4-20-2008 at 10:02 am
1. I still have a copy of a TV show called Savannah Rocks. It was a local dance showed that toured around the area to local teen clubs. I got there late when they taped, but I still have video of all my friends in their 80’s glory cheesing the camera. Classic.
2.It was always my idea to cover white walls with Chinese newspaper. Cheap and cool.
3.The worst? A free Bullet Boys poster I grabbed at the local Radio Shack.
4.$3.39 for 87 octane Enmark Statesboro GA
5.Teaching English in Malaysia. I went there 4 years ago on vacation and loved it.
posted by pwscott on 4-20-2008 at 4:29 pm
A tape of my brother’s “touchdown” in HS–he was an ineligible receiver, but it looked good.
Optical illusions–painted, prints or posters.
No posters–lots of macrame things.
3.45 and rising every hour
Scotland to learn Gaelic, enjoy the cool weather, and roots music.
posted by pawk on 4-22-2008 at 9:50 am
I have a collection of VHS tapes with Live Aid.
Found photos on the wall
I paid 3.49 (and 9/10) yesterday and considered myself lucky.
If I didn’t have to woory about all that other stuff you could send me anywhere to study.
posted by BassMan on 9-26-2008 at 1:36 pm
The only thing I have on VHS that isn’t store bought is the video evidence of a play I was in during 8th grade (it was 1986/87) and I haven’t transferred it to DVD… maybe I should but it’s in storage somewhere, haah.
I record TV shows for my son because I can’t afford to buy them on DVD.
posted by Sarah in CA (formerly just Sarah) on 1-23-2009 at 2:50 pm
I was searching for someone with the tapes of “Savannah Rocks”
I noticed someone has them. I would love a copy.
posted by Marcie on 2-3-2009 at 9:54 pm
[...] mental_floss Blog » Digging for VHS Gold [...]
posted by Beginners Japanese Lesson - The Blog Planet on 7-12-2009 at 1:30 pm